My Spring Wishlist

effeminate versions of menswear-inspired footwear...
like J. Crew's Camden Leather Brogues in Blush Pink, coming Feb 2010

summery 70's platform wedges in nude tones...
like J. Crew's Cleo Platform Sandals in soft graphite

mix and match effortless separates...
like Madewell's chambray workshirt paired with graphic tulip mini

and the "it girl" accessory...
like Mulberry's "Alexa" in nude lambskin

P.S. For anyone interested in the Camden Leather Brogues in Blush Pink, I am told they are available for preorder and will debut sometime in February. I'm dying to get my hands on these, but every time I talk to a sales representative I get different information (ex. one told me it would be store only, another said that the brogues will never come out in Blush Pink), but the majority opinion is that it will be available and you can preorder it. Also, check out this cute skirt:

J. Crew Whisper Chambray Tiered Skirt

Another item that will be out in February, and you can also preorder it. It is item 23368 and costs $138. It is adorable!

A Photographic Diary of My Trip: Roussillon

After the wine tasting, I toured several picturesque villages. The first stop, Roussillon, was my absolute favorite! There used to be a thriving industry there for natural pigment paints (before synthetics became popular) because the soil has this striking ochre color, and the entire town is awash in lovely hues of ochre.

A sweeping vista of the Provence countryside - and my pants from Parisian brand Naf Naf! They were fun to wear around France and Morocco, but a little too unusual for casual Socal.

I love the little details...

And you can find yummy and unusual flavors of gelato here, like lavender (which was okay in my opinion, great to try but I wouldn't order it twice - now orange, on the other hand... *drool*)

How to get the look for less: J. Crew window display outfit

I've been obsessed with getting this outfit, seen on a mannequin at my local J. Crew store:



Here's the Polyvore dissection of the outfit:

jcrew window display by stylechild featuring J Crew

except the cardigan is the Mohair Argyle Cardigan which seems to be store only, and the necklace is different (it has oversized pearls and glass pieces)

At first, I thought I HAD to buy every single piece, from head to toe, to get this look. I ended up spending way too much (if you do the math, it's about $300). But then, I poked around Forever21 today and found some great pieces that I could substitute in for less. I also scrounged around my closet and found a skinny black belt from ages ago. So here's my look for less:

F21 Double Breasted Cardigan
Heritage 1981 tweed skirt
J. Crew jewel tee
J. Crew necklace
Armani Exchange belt

I bought this F21 Double Breasted Cardigan which I LOVE - it kind of reminds me of J. Crew's Marled Wool Cardigan. And I also got a Heritage tweed miniskirt for less than $20!

So the total cost of this outfit is... $133!

A Photographic Diary of My Trip: Back in London

I split the rest of my time in London between stalking Jude Law and getting more sightseeing in. For the rest of the program, I had time to see Kensington Palace, the Tower of London, and the British Museum, as well as go shopping on Oxford Street and Camden.

Garden - Kensington Palace

Afternoon tea with friends at the Orangerie, Kensington Palace
This delectable assortment of goodies was called the Debutante's Tea, I think - yummy

Entrance to the Tower of London

My Beefeater guide at the Tower - 20+ years in the service and available, he jokes

The Tower Bridge

The Globe Theater - where I watched performances of As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet.
Watching As You Like It during a heavy rain, as a groundling, was not fun. Not fun AT ALL. I wore a jacket that I thought was rainproof, but quickly discovered was not, and got completely soaked. I bought a plastic poncho at the Globe, but then discovered how steamy it can get on the inside - icky.

I spent my last day at the British Museum.

The Elgin Marbles at the British Museum - I wish I had more time to explore, but I did get to see the Rosetta stone

OH - and I totally forgot - I got to see Ethan Hawke playing a flamboyant Autolycus in a performance of The Winter's Tale at the Old Vic. If I had stuck around, like my roommate did, I would have been able to take a picture with him - bummer.

What I wore for the end-of-program banquet

I am SO glad I picked up this dress from J. Crew - the ruffled cotton sateen dress - it was completely worth the price since I wore it for both my graduation and this trip. I got a lot of mileage out of it, wearing it for a few of the nicer play performances and for the end-of-program banquet, as well as for an evening out to the Monte Carlo casino in Monaco.

I wish I had taken a full-length photo so I could show you what I usually paired it with - my navy blue Alessia patent-leather peep-toes, black polka-dot tights from Topshop, my J. Crew beaded flamenco polka-dot cardigan, and the Temperly beetle bag I got on Gilt.

Next up: Paris!

How do you wear maxi dressses?

I just bought a gorgeous maxi dress from Max Studio and I was wondering how I can wear it in a casual way. It is a halter shape and has flower appliques over the neckline, in a bright coral shade of cotton-silk. Most people seem to agree that a pair of flat gladiator sandals would tone down the look. While I'm not a huge fan of over-the-top gladiators (the ones with too much going on - you know what I mean), I still like the idea of footwear being Grecian-inspired.

Here is the dress from the website:
So, some of my concerns are:
a) Being a petite girl, should I wear heeled shoes for added height (like wedges) instead of glads?
b) Are gladiator sandals still in this year?
c) Besides footwear, how can I make the dress casual enough for everyday? Or is this maxi doomed to be deemed appropriate only for summer weddings and beach soirees?

Saturday - Taking Back What's Ours!

Remember Saturdays as a kid? Watching Saturday morning cartoons til your brain hurt, getting a sugar rush from all those sweets, playing with the neighborhood kids - that's what Saturdays used to be made of.

Why should kids have all the fun?

Today, my roommate and I managed to have a fun-filled Saturday that was reminiscent of those childhood memories - even though we really didn't aim for that, it somehow happened. I guess life's simplest pleasures can also be its sweetest.

It started with lunch with a friend - homemade tamales! YUM! But first, we've got to bring dessert! Hence, a trip to Saffron & Rose Ice Cream to pick up a pint. At the recommendation of my roommate, I sampled the rose water-pistachio-saffron flavor and the cucumber flavor, and both did not disappoint!



And after lunch, I decided I wanted to take some pictures of our outfits at the park and maybe start a blog look book of our outfits - and maybe in a few months or so, we'll be able to see how our style has transformed! So here's to the first post of our outfits!

My Outfit:
striped cardigan - Madewell
striped tunic - Madewell (which I had bought last post)
black skirt - American Apparel
beaded necklace - Promod (bought in France)
black leather backpack - Gap

My Friend's Outfit (I'll call her A):
white shawl - Guess
yellow tiered dress - blu heaven
white sandals - Mila Paoli
silver cross - from her grandmother in Russia
coral purse - Franco Sarto

In place of Saturday morning cartoons, we watched an onslaught of addictive TLC shows - 17 Kids and Counting and (one of my favorites!) Jon & Kate Plus 8. Kate's looking more strung out than ever in her new home.

THE END!