No idea what's happening with the formatting here...it's driving me crazy, but I can't fix it.
When the weather starts to get cruddy, my frequency and duration of internet usage increases. Much to the dismay of my credit cards, this also means an increased frequency of internet window shopping and purchases. This weekend was no exception. It was homecoming weekend, but my boyfriend was out of town yesterday and I have no interest in watching football, so I stayed in to work on freelance writing...and browse the internet.
My taste tends to be all over the place, and I wear more "new" clothing than I do vintage. However, I have a major weakness for designer vintage and cool vintage jewelry. I found an amazing deal on a vintage YSL cashmere wrap/poncho (above). I would love to pair it with a big Balenciaga City, but for now I'll probably wear it with black jeans, knee high boots, and some luxe sunglasses. This piece is from the 70s but is totally timeless. Plus, it can serve double duty when I travel by being a nice cozy travel wrap/blanket.
I also picked up two awesome jewelry finds. The first is an awesome statement necklace that reminds me of Raquel Welch or a Grecian-inspired dress. I love metal and chains, and I think this will look totally cool with a basic black v-neck or a dress. The second one was just too fun to pass up. More metal and chains, but the stone adds a fun pop of color. I'll probably wear it layered with some other cool bracelets.
Labels:
Cashmere,
Jewelry,
Vintage,
Yves Saint Laurent
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I have lived in Illinois for most of my life, and yet I have never really owned an umbrella. Sure, I had some cutesy ones when I was younger, but probably not since I was eight or nine. I have been looking for a cute designer umbrella with some substance to it, so this Moschino umbrella was perfect. Best of all, Revolve is price matching the Saks sale, so I got a really good deal.
Labels:
Moschino,
Revolve,
Umbrella
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I bought my gorgeous Stephen Sprouse pink graffiti Speedy 30 in Paris during spring break, and I've been carrying it ever since. I'm trying to stretch my use of it into fall by keeping it as a statement piece against the season's darker colors and more masculine silhouettes. The bag functions as a nice accent to heavy leathers and metals, black skinny jeans, and chunky boots. A white tee with motorcycle boots, black skinnies and a big scarf is one of my favorite looks with this bag, but unfortunately I think Illinois weather may have surpassed tee shirt-only weather already. Fortunately, a leather jacket is a great addition on top.
James Perse tees and tanks are my absolute favorite - too bad their cost prohibits me from owning a million of them. They make great base layers for layering up in cooler weather, and they are totally sexy on their own. I had to stop myself from buying a bunch of things while I was making this entry.
Big chunky sweaters are another thing that I am totally into right now that I think work nicely with a structured bag like a Speedy. There is a great one from Pixie Market that I've had my eye one, but I can't make up my mind, and of course the ones I really like are very expensive. I'd love some Vince or Rick Owens sweaters in my closet this season...
Labels:
Chunky Sweaters,
F/W 2009,
Fiorentini + Baker,
James Perse,
Louis Vuitton,
Paris,
Rick Owens,
Stephen Sprouse,
Vince
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I am so excited - look what's it on it's way to me! A gorgeous pair of vintage Bally oxfords. Very on trend, and I thought the cutout was unique.
I got lucky and managed to snag these before someone else could get to them. I got a great deal on them, too. I'm looking forward to pairing them with dark skinny jeans (slightly rolled at the bottom) and oversized sweaters. Yay fall!
Labels:
Bally,
Shoes,
Vintage
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I am in big trouble for the next few seasons. So many of the trends that have been on the runway for F/W 2009 and S/S 2010 are things that I have loved for a while, so it is going to be VERY tempting to buy a lot of really awesome pieces. Something that I've always really liked is the sort of biker-masculine-goth-androgynous kind of thing. Leather, black and gray denim, heavy metals, and more leather.
You can probably also guess that I am enamored with dark nail polish. My favorite polish this season is OPI's "Here today...Aragon tomorrow." It's a dark, slightly shimmery forest green shade that is a wonderful update to black nails. I think it's a particularly nice color that complements silver and gold metals. I'm also loving more shimmery blacks, and dove gray nails are a nice way to stay true to the color story while lightening it up. OPI's "Moon Over Mumbai" is one of my favorites.
I like to invest in high-end staples that will last me for many years. One such recent purchase was my pair of Fiorentini + Baker Eternity boots (pictured above). They are really hard to get ahold of - by the time I decided to buy mine, Barneys had already sold out of most sizes online. I ended up doing a charge-send over the phone with Chalk Boutique in Evanston. I paid a small premium to get the boots from a boutique (on top of the already steep Cook County sales tax), but it was totally worth it. Chalk's customer service was the best - email replies were rapid and polite, and they offered to call me over the phone to place the order. I placed my order right around 4 p.m. on a weekday, and I had them by 12 p.m. the next day - my package was overnighted for a very reasonable, standard shipping fee. I received two hand-written notes in my package, as well as a small, eco-friendly tote that folds into its own travel pouch with "Chalk" emblazoned on the side.
And the boots! Right out of the box I knew I was keeping them. The Italian leather was supple and luxurious smelling right out of the box. Its 'handcrafted in Italy' construction was flawless and, unlike some of its competitors (Frye!), the boots fit like a dream out of the box. They are really fantastic paired with skinny jeans, and they are super sexy - boyfriend approved, at the very least! I already know that I will wear these for years to come. I am super excited about my new addition, and very excited that fall is here! I am also very happy about my experience with Chalk in Evanston, and I would gladly shop again with them any time.
Other items this season...I purchased the Lauren Moshi top above. I love skulls, I love black, I love metal and chains...clearly I had to have it. The various leather and textile motorcycle jackets that are popular now are gorgeous. I have two leather jackets that I'll be wearing this fall - a super-soft, gray Helmut Lang with asymmetrical draping, and a rich, chocolate brown Mike & Chris motorcycle jacket. I also have a great cotton jacket from Monrow that I got last winter. I love that this look is very conducive to layering.
I love all the heavy metals this season, and I have my eye on several things from Noir Jewelry. I love pyramid studs, spikes, whatever.
I love a big slouchy leather bag for fall. I'd really love to get a Balenciaga bag (maybe a City?) in a great functional, neutral color like black or gray. It's definitely one of those items one my wish list that I know I'll use forever, but the cost is a little hard to swallow.
Labels:
Fiorentini + Baker,
Leather,
Metal,
OPI,
Skulls
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