Friday, June 11, 2010

wishlist: madewell

now that madewell has made their entire collection available online, i have a new appreciation for the j. crew spin-off....

shopping online can be overwhelming: so many websites have reached their saturation point with page upon page of similar, indistinguishable items.


however, madewell's revamped site is kind of refreshing: their collection is really well-edited, the aesthetic is consistent, and most importantly, i don't feel overwhelmed by too many choices. i really think that when consumers are presented with too many choices, they often leave without choosing anything at all.


here's my madewell wishlist:

harem short: silky, slouchy and black - perfect for a night out.

high summer dress: basic cotton sundress with a twist. (i think it just sold out!)
colordrop stone necklace: kind of gaudy, but i like it.
two-tone oxford: a great translation of menswear for summer.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

watercolor wash

floral dress, zara. wedges, target. necklace, soho street vendor.

if you look closely, it looks like the floral print on this dress was painted on in watercolors... perfect for a warm spring day.

with all the recent sex and the city 2 hoopla, i was reminded of the season when carrie, not in the least bit apologetic for it, unveiled the bright straps or band of her bra in nearly every ensemble. people were divided: was sex and the city challenging the norm that underwear should always remain under?

oh, the politics of the bra.

i love this dress, but the cut-outs in the back pose an annoying dilemma. luckily, i own a floral print bra in the same exact color scheme of this dress, and from far away, the band (kind of) seamlessly blends in. the straps, however, scream, "yeah, I'm showing my bra!!"

for those of you who, like me, aren't flat as a board, how do you feel about outfits that complicate what you need to wear underneath? do you avoid them altogether, or do you go to great lengths to find the perfect strapless/backless contraption to keep it all together?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

too cool for school

purple-diary

chloe never ceases to amaze me. the fact that sometimes i hate her outfits and still manage to love her anyway makes her a fashion hero in my book. most of the time, though, i covet everything she wears.

where can i find this belt or something like it?!? i've been obsessed for weeks.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

i lost two cities, lovely ones



jacket, walmart. t-shirt and skirt, vintage. feather cord, forever 21. chain bracelet, ann taylor loft. sheer socks, h&m. heels, born.

i have an awful, awful habit of losing jewelry that holds sentimental value: the watch that was the first gift my dad ever gave my mom (luckily, recovered); the gold snake bracelet i bartered down from $80 to $25 at an NYC flea market; the blue elephant charm i bought in san francisco's china town.

wearing them almost daily, these pieces became my trademarks.
i was wracked with guilt when i lost the watch, knowing i had lost a piece of my parents' history together. when i found it buried under the seat of my car five months later, i was elated. i don't wear it anymore out of fear of losing it again. the bracelet and necklace are gone, though, and honestly, whenever i think about them, i feel a little pang of sadness - and guilty for my carelessness.

clothes can tell a story, too, of course, but most of what i own is cheap and replaceable. but this shirt, like the necklace and bracelet, has become a part of me. i've probably worn it once a week for the past six years. i bought it at an amazing, enormous vintage store near my hometown. in high school, i would spend hours scouring their racks for t-shirts, boots, chain necklaces and purses. i remember feeling devastated when i learned that they were downsizing from a warehouse-sized space to a tiny, overstuffed closet a couple of streets over. i'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but i would cry if i lost this shirt.

i think most people would tell me that it's silly, or even superficial, to get so emotional over pieces of jewelry or clothing... but can't we value a watch or a t-shirt as much as or even more than a photograph?


Monday, May 17, 2010

what a beautiful buzz

with tomorrow's re-release of exile on main street and jimmy fallon's dedication of an entire week of shows to the stones and their new documentary, it seemed timely to devote a post to my two favorite stones girls: anita pallenberg and bianca jagger.


all pictures, fashionspot.com

both shared a love for quirky headgear and the ultimate cool girl's uniform: a menswear suit. what i love about anita and bianca was their ability to seamlessly shift between the masculine and feminine. they were equally at home in a suit with hats and boots as they were in sheer dresses with glamorous furs and feathers.

sometimes you have to go the originators for real inspiration... the kind of inspiration that makes you want to wear a glittery turban out to a bar, a suit and hat on your wedding day or shorts so short they should be illegal.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

leather and lace

leather skirt, vintage. tank, paul and joe for target. bra, urban outfitters. necklace, vintage.

my recent leather fixation was spurred by the discovery of this skirt at a local vintage/consignment shop. part biker, part dominatrix, part ridiculously eighties, i tried to temper the severity of the skirt with this delicate sea foam green camisole... then, i got carried away with the addition of my beloved strappy bra, which kind of brought me back to square one.

i'll save my vintage leather mini skirt for another post. currently on the hunt for a pair of buttery taupe or tan leather shorts...

update: http://www.whowhatwear.com/website/full-article/go-buy-now-all-weather-leather/

^^yeah, pretty much everything i could ever want but not afford^^

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

wasteland

tank, thrifted. necklace, forever 21. skirt, forever 21. wedges, cynthia vincent for target. scarf, urban outfitters.