cold shoulder

dress, go jane; boots, nine west; cuff, f21

j'adore

i spotted this shot while perusing garance dore' and felt that it was the perfect illustration of the ever elusive balance of hard and soft. that's the kind of white wedding i could see billy idol actually attending.

be mine, valentino

i've never been a big fan of valentino, considering the house more of a 'mature' woman's aesthetic (along the lines of ralph lauren and carolina herrera). but the fall09 couture show was a revelation. cheers to maria grazia chiuri and pier paolo piccioli: all at once, sweet, sexy and youthful; this is not your mother's valentino!

following a more traditional path for the design house, the formal gowns, while technically quite masterful were a bit overwrought and, the embodiment of the whole 'dress wearing the woman, and not the other way round' pitfall of elaborate construction. no, thank you.

photos courtesy of style.com

ain't nothin like the real thing, baby

with the term 'couture' so bastardized as of late by self-proclaimed 'designers' such as skaist-levy and nash-taylor of 'juicy' fame (mass produced, elastic waisted velour does not qualify as couture, and bum-scripted track suits are an abomination and affront to good taste), it's great to see a sartorial artist such as alexis mabille taking back the meaning of the word, with gusto. his f/w o9 couture show was simple, stunning, and rife with sumptuous fabrics and form-flattering cuts. the designer's decision to break from the norm and feature flimsy, filmy layers and pastel pieces for autumn was certainly unexpected, but, such is couture.

photos courtesy of style.com

sweet dream/ beautiful nightmare

oh, the no pants puns i could have made. but i digress...

you know those dreams when you're engaged so cooly, so fashionably, in all the snobbery and hob-nobbery that your social calender will permit, only to find that things have taken a terrible twist, and you've been doing it all sans culottes?! naturally, you do. and so do john galliano and his frisky ladies who lunch. they say that the stock market rises and falls with hemlines. is it too much to hope that this pants off/dance off portends a change in the economic winds, soon putting us thigh high in prosperity?

i certainly hope so. and when it does, perhaps i'll be in a position to afford the other-worldly visions of tiered tulle and intricate corsetry that made up the remainder of galliano's lingere laden f/w 09 couture show. dream on.

photos courtesy of style.com

you too, can body-con

although completely enamoured with the general design, i used to think body-con dresses were something to be relegated to the closets of the waifishly thin. not so, i find, with the purchase of this f21 dress. i love the vibrant neon floral print, but digressed from adding doc martens to the look, thus losing my nod to the 90's and falling into a full on 90210 tailspin.

i apologize for the poor photo quality, symptomatic of the fact that after two and 1/2 weeks in san francisco, the movers have still not managed to get our things beyond the ohio border and, into the san fran city limits. i do not have my camera tripod, nor do i have furniture on which to place it, but as they say, the show must go on. moreover, with no tv, dvds, and until recently, internet, i have entertained myself thusly (note the lack of a coffee table):

dress, cuff, f21; boots, nine west

i want candy

sophia copolla's marie antoinette has been one of my favorite films since it came out a few years back. less for the no-action plot, and simple dialogue, more for the candy colors and sweet pastel palette that gave the movie it's tone and texture. these frothy jcrew frocks, aptly named 'the bonbon dress,' drew to mind the delicately tiered, china-plated pastries that kirsten dunst indulged in so decadently. love.

jcrew cotton bonbon dress, $78.00

'tis the season

a little hesitant to toss on the black tights on a mid-may morning, i was bolstered by the realization that, if rumi can do it in cali, than i can certainly do it in ohio.

dress, cardi, f21; boots, doc marten

ice ice baby

an unexpected visit from the fedex man, today, brought a gift from the fantastic nadia at ice.com. i love presents. the wrapping was so lovely i almost felt bad tearing into it...almost.


mulit-faceted tungsten wedding band, ice.com

i'm completely still obsessed with the ingenue-coquettish vibe that the whole socks/sandal look lends to an outfit. heels don't last long at work though, so i'm bringing back up today.

tee, banana republic, skirt, cuff, f21, sandals, banana republic

i'm just using you

for 6.50, this tank top/dress thing has proven to be quite useful. nightgown, swim cover-up, semi-legitimate dress, i'm totally into it.

tank, tights, f21; boots, doc marten

stop me if you've heard this before

the shoes for which i've been searching tirelessly for a solid year made an appearance on the steve madden website...i must have them.

steve madden 'tuxxedo'

stella!

with ohio weather shifting seamlessly from 50 to 80+ degree weather, one can't help but wonder if spring got off at the wrong stop and missed us all together. that being said, i've been dying to put this outfit together since i first caught glimpse of the stella mccartney s/s09 show. assembling the pieces has been an excercise in patience, but i'm happy with the result (and the price: dress, 12.50, jacket, 6.99). the jacket was essential for the work a/c environment, but once outside, it didn't stand a chance.

dress, watch, f21; shoes, steve madden, jacket, vintage

i didn't mean to hurt you

still nursing my doc marten-induced wounds, i opted for the nine west boots instead.

dress, tee, belt, f21; boots, nine west

break in

it was a long time coming, but doc marten and i have recently become acquainted via the 1460 boot and, admittedly, i've got mixed emotions. i bypassed the floral version in lieu of something a little more versatile (these are troubled financial times after all). and, while the footbed provides a super soft cushion for a day on your feet (plus), i find that the half laced, lassaiz fair way in which they hang about my ankles tends to cause a bit of chafing as i walk (minus). i think they may just need a bit of breaking in. to be continued...

dress, jersey cardigan, f21; boots, doc marten

the look of love

my new obsession is red lipstick: so film noir. i randomly chose to experiment with max factor's vivid impact lipcolor in ‘ms. right now.’ while it has the potential to be the perfect saturday night lip-wear (it’s kiss proof, drink proof, and stands the test of time), it’s complete trouble in a tube if you’ve got church the next morning. that lingering lip stain will give you away to grandma…hussy.

everything must go!

in preparation for the move, i'm selling some things on ebay for any interested parties, items listed now are pictured below (all at 5-20 bucks ea.). i'm starting with the new, unworn stuff and then moving into gently used items as i become more desperate for cash. i'll keep you all posted.

if you're going to san francisco...

...be sure to wear flowers on your shoes. or something like that. i know i need to conserve funds for the move out west but i just can't get these boots out of my head. black is more practical to wear into winter but aren't the white ones dreamy?
boots, $120/ea. doc marten

blue crush

dress, thrifted; belt, f21; heels, steve madden

whistle while you work

it's official: come june i'm transferring out to the union station f21 in san fran. come visit! (if you can find me...this thing is HUGE)

i wanna rock with you

is it wrong that i want these so badly?

sequin hot short, bakers shoes, $22