the clothes 2011

I might have a wee girl crush on Zooey Deschanel and her giant eyes. This video (Don't Look Back by She & Him) is definitely a nice stylish romp from start to finish with lovely colors and quirky, retro looks.

In case you didn't notice from last week's post featuring this dress, I'm in love with this little number. It's a great investment piece because there are so many ways to wear it and it has a timeless quality (plaid will always come back in style). I especially enjoy how it looks with my bright tights and heeled oxfords; perhaps a little Nancy Drew-ish?

I certainly feel as if I could be in some mystery novel when I meandering through the moat wall. It's such a curious space that seems to belong more to a story than reality. With the sun bouncing off the water outside and casting ghostlike patterns on the ceiling and walls there's an added surreal quality to the space.

Outfit details:

YarnOverMovement scarf

Anthropologie coat

Dear Creatures dress c/o Shop Ruche

H&M cardigan

secondhand belt

H&M tights

Seychelles booties

Wendy Mink stackable rings via Gilt

I think these bedazzled cashmere socks would look so fantastic with these heeled oxfords.

My absolute favorite purchase in 2010 has to be this Triptych dress which I got at The Olive Shoppe. It's a perfect example of my style: classic lines, but with a quirky/off-beat detail (in this case the growling panther). I've worn it many, many times and always a little different. I think that is the key to stretching your wardrobe: don't be afraid to repeat pieces, but don't forget to be creative when you do! Here's a sampling of how I've worn the dress in the past year.

Shaun Kardinal adds modern marvel to vintage lithographs through colorful and quirky embroidery. Kardinal states the project grew out of a desire to engage his hands and produce work without having to consider artist statements. With that being the purpose behind the pieces I won't attempt to wax eloquent or read too deeply into the threaded additions. Instead, I'll just say that I enjoy the finished pieces and think that the added textural dimension is quite nice.

Where has the time gone? January is speeding past me and sometimes I feel like I'm running in quicksand trying to keep up...but mostly I'm happy to let time flit by because there are so many exciting things coming. February is going to be a mad, mad month, but in a good way. With so much going on and so many possibilities for this year (still deep in debate over law school), sometimes I just step back from all the things I should be working on and just do something I enjoy. My sketchbook is filling up faster than it has in months and I keep shooting my silly stop motion videos. Both activities require concentration on the task at hand and nicely distracts my mind from my scrambling thoughts.

The Pre-Fall collections have been bursting forth lately and it's all quite inspiring...I mean the whole purpose of Pre-Fall does seem to be for designers and retailers to make more money, but they do provide some new ideas (or remind us of old ones; right now I'm glad for the number of skinny belts I have lying around). These are a few of my favorite pieces and collections this season.

Matthew Williamson

Rochas

Givenchy

Proenza Schouler

all images courtesy of Style.com

I'll admit it, right now I have more coats than necessary in my wardrobe. But well, anyone who has more than one coat probably has more than "necessary," my wardrobe certainly isn't an example of minimalism. Anyway, a very basic black coat was missing from my collection. I'm so glad I found this one because I think it looks so lovely with my vintage, teal hat.

I find grey days like this one quite fascinating. At heart I would love everyday to be summer and to sit on my front porch drinking lemonade, but variety is what makes life interesting...and there's something very fascinating about days where the separation between ocean and sky is nearly invisible. It's almost as if you could dive into either and disappear into somewhere else entirely.

Outfit details:

vintage hat

ASOS coat

Theory dress c/o StyleFind gift card

tights c/o Modcloth

Nine West booties

I've been feeling slightly inspired and one of my (few) aspirations for 2011 was to make more videos; my Labbit Nasha has also been requesting more attention and features on the blog. These new sparkly things arriving in the mail seemed like a perfect excuse to shoot another stop motion. I received the sequin clutch as a gift from Kate Spade. It's absolutely wonderful, but I am a bit sad it's too small to hold my camera (all clutches are!).

Today my last guest post at Minkette is up. In honor of the occasion I did a remix featuring my new Dear Creatures dress I received from my sponsor Shop Ruche. It's a lovely dress that I really look forward to wearing again and again. To see five different ways I styled it head on over to Minkette!

This Flickr group called Looking Into The Past was such a fun discovery. The group focus is to feature modern photographs overlapped by vintage ones of the same location. This can mean holding up an old childhood photograph in front of the same spot, or collaging archived photos with your own new images. No matter the style of layering, the result is the same: a quirky, intriguing look at the way the world has changed and remained the same.

There's nothing like the combination of vintage fur and creamy lace to make me feel all fancy and posh. Outfits like this are exactly what I love to wear, but they also make me feel like I'm masquerading a bit. Most days I feel like an awkward nerd, not some...oh, I don't know upper east-sider? Whatever I'm channeling visually it doesn't really change my homebody, old lady habits of lengthy book reading and puzzle making.

The cold weather lately is making me never want to venture outside again, but I must admit it's nice the way the chilly temperatures keep my favorite places to go walking pleasantly empty. I imagine in the summer these beaches and pathways will be populated and I'll have to find some other place to wander for solitude...

Outfit details:

Tulle coat via Shop Ruche

vintage fur collar

dress c/o Lulu*s

secondhand belt

tights, gift

Seychelles heels

Juicy Couture purse via Gilt