Happy First Day of Spring!

Ah, the first day of Spring. Being a city girl, such a day would have been like any other, since I wouldn't have been able to see the signs of change. I just knew that the weather would be nice, so I wanted to wear something more suitable for the Spring/Summer season. A new seersucker striped top that I picked up recently from the BCBG outlet seems to do the trick--light and carefree, but dresses up well:


Since I was in a rural area today, I was actually able to see the rolling green hills and miles upon miles of blooming poppies. The flowers are not in full bloom yet, but the fields are already pretty. Imagine what it would be like when the fields are filled with orange blossoms.


[Ray Bans, BCBG top and skirt, L'Autre Chose navy patent leather flats. Worn with Issac Mizrahi for Target cardigan for work.]

Weekday/Weekend: The Funky Dress

I am incorrigibly attracted to stripes. I just can't help it--stripes are so simple, but they add pizzazz and they're just so easy to wear. When I went to a local boutique last weekend, I was drawn to yet another striped piece on the half-off racks--a dress with black, gray, and hot pink stripes. Stripes again?!? At least the stripes are vertical!

This dress is obviously fun and very comfortable to wear. What I really love about it is the potential to rework it for work. The batwing sleeves and drapey collar, not to mention the hot pink stripes, would contrast very well with conservative pieces, while the black and gray stripes keep the wildness factor a bit more tamped down. I think the dress would look funky yet professional with a cardigan or a blazer, but if it needs to be toned down more, a well-fitting pencil skirt will do the trick.

Here's how I wore it on the weekend:


[Miu Miu silver framed sunglasses, 'T ain't dress, Michael Kors leather hoodie, Target tights and bag, vintage boots]

Here's how I wore it for a deposition. I had to look professional, but since I have been working in a relatively remote area and the drive is very long, I wanted to wear something fun and not too constricting. That's why I decided to pair the dress with a charcoal gray blazer, a black skirt, and black pumps.


[Ray Bans, 'T ain't dress, BCBG blazer, secondhand skirt (from clothing swap), Payless pumps]

Saving Cinderella

The brain needed a break, so I obliged. I decided to do something a bit creative and a bit irreverent.

What little girl doesn't want a pair of Cinderella's magical glass slippers? I was fascinated by the eponymous fairy tale as a wee lass, long before I had any remote interest in fashion. The sense of wonder surrounding Cinderella's shoes lingers, though I have adopted a rather darkly comedic view of the erstwhile heroine now:

[Outfit details: Lee Angel necklace, J. Crew gold lame shirt, Target tank top, Mike & Chris coat, Earnest Sewn jeans, Maison Martin Margiela Ligne 22 lucite wedges.]

Let there be no controversy--this Cinderella needs no saving...from a 3.5-foot deep pool.

Random as it may seem, the pictorial tale does have rational origins. I'm just a big fan of lucite, and my interest in them has now expanded beyond vintage beads. I have been strangely attracted to colorful heels of shoes made of lucite; the unexpected transparency and glow of color just makes an ordinary pair of shoes much more interesting. So you can imagine my glee when I came across those shoes in Loehmann's last night.

It seems like the Loehmann's in Beverly Hills bought up the leftover stocks from the nearby Barney's. In addition to Barney's own shoe line, there was much footwear I recognized from last season's Barney's Warehouse Sale on the Loehmann's shelves. I walked down each aisle in search of hidden gems. While many people were cooing over the Jimmy Choos and the Pradas, which I had no interest in, I went after the avant garde. I found my Holy Grail--a pair of F/W 2007 Maison Martin Margiela lucite heel t-strap sandals, which I had seen online for at least twice as much just a couple of days before. The coolness factor is slathered all over the shoes--the fit, the rounded cutout shapes created by the straps, and of course, the awesome lucite heels that conjure the illusion of walking on air. Best of all, I know that they will endure long after midnight.

And now back to toiling in the mundane life...

Busy Little Bee

There probably won't be a post for a while. I'm absent, but not entirely gone. It's just that I am really, really busy at the moment. In the meantime, take care, and may the economy take a turn back to the bright side.