11.29.2010

Peeping

I love to look through all of the street-style photos, since they're usually more practical than your usual editorial.
So what am I loving right now?








Long skirts, sheer tops, architectural clothing, black and white and grey, tribal prints, quirky details and accentuated waists.
It's almost finals week/winter break. Time for a closet clean out!

Photos thanks to Street Peeper: Paris  

Super-Find

While I'm a regular creeper on sites such as Rue-la-la and Ideeli, I very rarely buy anything. There's just something about the ability to try it on that keeps me going back to the sample sales in NY, even if they are a bit more hectic.

So I'm very excited to find that there is a permanent home for sample sales here in NY.

 Clothing Line is located at 261 W. 36th street, and has continually changing sample sale merchandise. The beauty of this is that instead of chasing down sample sales all over Manhattan, I can just keep visiting the same store on my way back from work. Perfect.
Their current sale is Theory, starting Tuesday at 10 am, which is one of my favorite brands. Also upcoming in December are Tory Burch (meh), Free People, and Tocca (yay!).
I haven't yet stopped by, but just looking at their site it seems promising. I will definitely be stopping by this week for Christmas shopping of course! One for my dears, and one for me : )

11.26.2010

Ten

I'm not going to lie that I'm a little envious of those girls that have the perfect capsule wardrobe: ten pieces lined up on a single rolling rack.
Unfortunately, living in the North East the weather doesn't quite cooperate for such a wardrobe, and being young I'm still experimenting and playing with new trends.
But if I wasn't broiling in the summer and freezing in the winter, and I was more settled into my style, my perfect capsule wardrobe would be:









Of course, supplementing all of this with belts, scarves, and jewelery.

If I'm being honest with myself I realize that I might quickly become bored with only ten items in my closet.

Minimalism is definitely an aesthetic and philosophy that is very disciplined, and perhaps when I'm older and more settled in my skin and style I would attempt to go fully minimalist.

At the moment however I'll keep my style and wardrobe merely pared down, but I feel like making this list is a good exercise to remind myself of what is actually necessary.


11.23.2010

Etsy Love

While I might not have made my wish list yet, I know that I'm starting to think of what to get for my nearest and dearest on my list.
There are plenty of gift lists out there for your perusal (most retailers have already put together one by now).

But on my gift list I wanted to feature the talented folks over at Etsy (and bonus: they're all under $50, with most of them under $15. That's what we broke college kids call impress for less).
So lend a hand to the little guys and be kind to your wallet this year, because remember, it's not the money but the time that you spend on each gift that counts.

The Gourmet





The Beauty Junkie





The Geek





The Romantic





The Jock






The Fashionista





The Baby





Thanksgiving: Dinner

Comfort and class are the two qualities that I'm looking for in a Thanksgiving dinner outfit.

Our thanksgiving dinner tends to be a bit fancier than most, probably just because of the situation.
We don't have any family on the East coast so my family has dinner with several other "stranded" families at our South African friends' house. She is an absolutely fabulous cook with a to-die-for British accent, but she always puts on extravagant affairs and can't seem to entertain less than thirty people at a time.

So I was thinking of something slinky and a tad retro for this year. I refuse to wear anything with a waist (to hide that inevitable food baby from too many slices of chocolate pecan pie) and a cozy cardigan will be perfect for cuddling up on the couch in a post-dinner stupor.


dinner

11.22.2010

Wonder Woman Gets Her Nails Done Too

Here's what's playing on my ipod lately.
I think that it's definitely a little reminder that all of us could use once in a while.


Wonder Woman by Frankmusik

11.21.2010

Thanksgiving: Football Game

The annual Thanksgiving day football game in my town is a tradition.

It's always our town versus the neighboring rival town, and everyone shows up to cheer the guys on.
While I'm not much of a sports fan, I do appreciate the social aspect.

So what's necessary? Something cute and warm (and muck and snow resistant).

Football


Of course, my sisters tease me mercilessly for "dressing so fancy". True, but at this point I feel that if I didn't, people in my town would think something was wrong with me.

And there's nothing wrong dressing up for a football game. I'm warm and cozy, and it's not as if they're going to ask me to run out on the field and play quarterback anytime soon.

Although, that's not saying it wouldn't be an improvement to the sport.

11.19.2010

Geekery

I technically refuse to ever start thinking about Christmas until after Thanksgiving (and trust me, I do not participate in any of the Black Friday madness. I will be sleeping in until a decadent 2 in the afternoon thankyouverymuch).
But I saw these and I absolutely adore them.



They're made from resin and old pieces of circuit board. Tres geek-chic.

I just need a pair of these to top it all off:

11.17.2010

Thanksgiving: Traveling

I did this post last year, but it's that time again.
Thanksgiving.
I don't know about anyone else, but I see my family and my hometown maybe three times a year.
And, well, you know how it is seeing old High School classmates, the exes, the frenemies, the family...

So trust me. I will not be wandering around in my sweats all Thanksgiving.

One problem is travel.
Unfortunately I take the Fung Wah bus back home.
It's quick and dirty, making a four hour trip to Boston for $15 (cash only) and gets the job done. Unfortunately no one speaks English, if the GPS fails the trip takes seven hours, sometimes they forget to shut the bus door and board your luggage, we've left people at a random gas station along the pike at 2 am because the bus driver needed "Cheetos" (I think) and forgot to count everyone as they got off the bus so he got frustrated and left, and oh yeah, sometimes they just go up in a fiery ball at the side of the highway.

But besides that I highly recommend the company. Like I said, they're fast.

So what is necessary for this kind of travel? One word: Comfort.
And if I had to pick another, I'd probably say: Mace (just kidding... sort of)

Necessities

Nalgene (in case of being stranded)
Food (ditto)
Magazine
Ipod (to drown out sounds of bus breaking down and crossing seven lanes of traffic without putting on a blinker)
Luggage (because if it isn't with me, it's on the side of Grand Street, Chinatown as we drive away)
Pashmina Scarf ($15 doesn't include heating or air-conditioning)
Socks (yeah, it doesn't include cleaning the bus either)
Flares and mace (in case of emergencies...)

My general plan for a traveling outfit is to be comfortable and presentable. So instead of pulling out the sweats try leggings and jersey t-shirt dress.
I also wear my boots because it saves some space in my luggage. A general tip is try to wear anything bulky onto a plane or bus instead of packing it, such as a winter coat or boots.
And personally I find that a hat and sunglasses are necessary for going incognito, because who has time to do their hair and makeup before catching a 6 am bus?


As for the sword, well, apparently they don't allow mace onto the Fung Wah buses anymore.

11.14.2010

Color Choice


People seem to be very irrational about colors sometimes. I know that I am.

My favorite colors? (apparently black, white, and grey don't count. Boo)

Light blush pink, navy blue, pale blue and wine purple.

Colors I absolutely cannot stand?

Brown. Taupe. Mustard. Green.

They remind me of dirt and food condiments and it makes me really not like them.

Brown I simply don't like because my hair, skin, and eyes are all brown so it makes me feel like I'm going to blend into the wallpaper if I wear it, and that's the last thing I want to do.

Of course, people always point out how someone with my coloring really should be wearing brown, taupe and a bright green (mustard makes my eyes appear yellow, which is a little creepy).

Which by all reasoning is probably true. They do compliment my coloring, but psychologically I just can't get over it. I even am a little hesitant to pull out items for my clients in these colors and refuse to have them anywhere near my own wardrobe.*

 I just don't particularly like them at all.

Am I the only person to limit myself to my favorite three colors and my favorite neutrals?
Does anyone else illogically hate a color, or am I just crazy? (it's okay, be honest ; ) )

*Please don't point out the fact that I love leopard print. It's completely irrational, and I realize that. I don't consider patterns to be colors for some reason.

Photo Thanks to nigel_appleton

11.12.2010

Hermes

I'm slowly going through the Spring runways.
 I realize just how far behind I am, thankyouverymuch.

So this morning I browsed the Hermes runway, and fell a little in love.
While Burberry Prorsum, Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, and Yves Saint Laurent are always in my favorites list, some of the other big houses are a bit hit or miss for me.

Hermes was definitely a hit.
A few looks I would love to recreate and use as inspiration.






And how sexy is that leather harness? Lust. Want. Need.

Hermes Redux
Hermes


If you remove the show from the runway and make it realistic, besides those sexy leather harnesses and crazy hats, most of the pieces are pretty basic. Menswear suiting combined with a chiffon blouse, and all of the volume reigned in with a leather corset belt and topped off with riding boots and booties.

That means that this show is great inspiration for shaking up a wardrobe and coming up with new outfits.
I know I already own everything I need except for a white vest.
Seems that it's time to go play in my closet : )

Photos thanks to Style.com

11.09.2010

Elie Saab


I absolutely love this look from Elie Saab. How amazing would this be for a black tie holiday party?
But considering most of the holiday parties I attend are considered "fancy" when we're drinking out of something other than a red solo cup, I might have to tweak this outfit slightly.


Elie Saab


Maybe I might ditch the leather gloves if I was going to wear this to my programming class.

Or, perhaps not. "The Princess" has to keep up appearances.

11.08.2010

The Beast

Just read a great post over at Dramatis Personae about fighting the addictive feeling of shopping.

It was very thought provoking, and as someone who has gone on mini shopping bans with varying results, I know those cravings.

I figure that the first way to deal with an issue is to find out where it stems from.
I know I shop emotionally and consider it "retail therapy".
So I've learned that when doing a shopping ban I can't even go in stores. Can't try the clothes on. Can't even entertain the possibility of "just one little small purchase couldn't hurt" because then I'll just go on a binge.

I've found that looking at things so far out of my price range that it's ridiculous helps.
That keeping a list of things "for when this is over" helps too.
Or cleaning out my closet and playing dress-up with what I have.
Or reminding myself that "yes, there will be another perfect black dress, sweater, coat, what have you, later"
Or realizing that buying this item will not make my stress or my problems go away. It's just a blouse. Not a miracle.
And I'm learning to look at something, admire it, and then put it down. A retail catch-and-release system if you will.

But now that I've actually had one successful month long shopping ban (not very intense, I know. But baby steps) I love the feeling of relief that comes with having a full savings account and not worrying about "how am I going to pay for that?"
But sometimes it does feel like an addiction.
And I find that when I cut back on the shopping it transfers to other habits. I guess the Times was right about it's not what you're addicted to, but having an addictive personality in the first place.

But I just wanted to share my thoughts, because I do think that it's relevant to a lot of women out there, who use shopping as a form of self-soothing. Myself included.

I do feature a lot of pretty things on this blog, and I try to keep a lot of it within a reasonable budget.
I don't believe in spending outside of your means, but I don't believe in denying yourself any pleasure at all.
Yes, shopping makes you feel good. Yes, it can be addictive. Yes, it can be destructive. Yes, if you have the means and the inclination you should be allowed to spend your money however you want. Yes, beauty and creativity is an important part of our psychological health. Yes, fashion is fun.

So there is no point in criminalizing shopping. There will be no finger-shaking here. No praising for abstinence and punishing for participation.

 It is what it is. We just have to understand the beast, and learn to moderate between the credit card bill and all of those beautiful shiny new things.

What do you guys think? Can shopping be an addiction? Or is all of this just a way of justifying a lack or self-control?

Imaginary Shopping

After my uber-ridiculous weekend, I figured some imaginary retail therapy was in order.

I've found that shopping completely out of my price range is one way to safely indulge. I'd literally have to max out my credit card for half of these.

Perhaps one day I might shop like this. A girl can dream : )

So let the Monday morning eye candy begin!