hard-boiled wonderland

I'm not much in the mood for fancy talk, so I'll just shoot straight: No, I haven't cut my hair. These photos were taken in Spring 2008, before I had embarked on the path to bang-less-ness. I was planning on using these photos in a second homemade editorial, but the other outfits never quite came together the way I had hoped they would. So, I decided it was time to stop sitting on these images and just publish them already.

At the risk of sounding self-absorbed, I have to say that these are some of my favorite photos of myself. I used to be huge on crazy posing but have been largely subdued as of late. Seeing these photos, however, kind of inspires me to return to going all out. (You could say it's a reminding oneself of who one is.) Then, there's the hair. I'm fond of my mane as is, but sometimes a little wildness is...simply fun! Also, there's the outfit: The theme of the series was supposed to be sort of hard-boiled, detective-esque—a reference to my old sleuthing days. I made an impromptu harness out of suspenders and a wide belt, and I like how they look like an investigator's holster (the oxford shirt sure isn't hurting the image, either).

Outfit: Gap oxford shirt, Wet Seal tube top as skirt, Moda Spana wedge pumps, Peeps feather fascinator, men's suspenders, Linea Pelle belt.

cast a hex

I dropped by Luna Boston the other night to browse the goods and carry on a rather foghorn-esque conversation with Joe F. (We both had colds, but I'm positive I was the more congested, incomprehensible of the two.) Coughing fits, however can't keep a girl from catching a case of the ME WANTs, and that's just what happened when I spotted the Botkier Orion—a crossbody purse of hexagonal proportions. Being of the prepared, Girl Scout sort, I don't fare well with clutches, minibags and their kin. Exceptions and accommodations can be made, though, when the bag is geometric and metallic gunmetal. I can see this being a night and day bag; during the day, it could join forces with a larger tote, making for a tag team of bling-flashing and bulk-carrying. Oh, things to ponder...perhaps a Get Well Soon present to myself is on the horizon?

all's well that's madewell

Nothing gets my heart thumping like a proper basic, but the sheer glut of classic and essential pieces out there often leaves my eyes glazed over. (Meanwhile, shiny things like sequins unfailingly beg for further investigation.) I wouldn't say I had written off Madewell, sister store to J. Crew, but I certainly hadn't given it my full attention until the Lucky team whirled into Beantown to co-host the Fall Denim Tour. To add to the pleasure of meeting Editor-at-Large Elise Loehnen and Madewell Marketing Director Gigi Guerra, I was pleasantly astonished to uncover this cozy wool cardigan. Rugby stripes in taupe and grey—quite possibly two of my favorite colors ever! The night's 15% off discount sealed the deal. I loved the sweater so much, I decided to don it for the rest of the evening's gallivanting (thereby furthering my case for the whole My Mind is Melting, All Prints Go Together theory).

More event photos can be seen at Pandora's Closet and Beyond Boston Chic (hi, Roxanne & Martini!).



Outfit: Twelve by Twelve ruffle blouse, Madewell wool cardigan, F21 gingham skirt, We Love Colors socks, LD Tuttle ankle boots, E.T. pin, Target belt.

snake charmer

Along with cultivating clarity through closet cleanup comes purchasing that's even more selective. New acquisitions absolutely need to be speh-shull with a capital S, and I think these vintage oxfords by Bugle Boy fit the bill. They're positively bonkers! Faux snakeskin, studs and scalloping collide together in this otherwise ruggedly staid shoe. Thanks to Brooke for tipping me off to the James Rowland Shop on Etsy—it's a veritable potpourri of distinct footwear. The order has been placed, and I now commence rubbing hands in eager anticipation of the mailman's arrival.

a farewell to arms

It started snowing unexpectedly in mid-October, so the recent run of warmth we had was probably one of the last chances I'll have to bare arms and legs for the next few months. Readers occasionally ask me if I ever re-wear outfits; to that, I always respond with a resounding,"Definitely!" Cases in point: I took the summer's send off as an opportunity to don these hot weather outfits one more time. I'd say I probably wore each look at least five times during July and August.



Halt and retreat now if shopping stories bore ye, as the origins of the pieces in these outfits bear some note. As a matter of fact, they are the fruits of my scanning early summer sales like a hawk and scavenging like a vulture. I thought the ship for the striped Steven Alan shirt had sailed long ago, but fellow blogger (and super savvy consumer) eep! tipped me off to the item's hidden listing on Gilt Groupe. Top that off with one of the $25 gift cards I had scored from a GG-sponsored film premiere, and I paid the minimal remainder easy-peasy. As for the drop crotch shorts by Ideeën, I had originally heard of the line via IS MENTAL and Six Six Sick but had blurred it in my mind with another online sale site, Ideeli. It wasn't until I was browsing Reverse, discounted sister-site of Revolve Clothing, that I put it all together and realized how awesome Ideeën was. Toss in a discount code, and presto! Drop crotch for cheap. ("Cheap" and "crotch" shouldn't belong in the same sentence but, really, there are almost no words that can safely be paired with crotch.) In the second outfit, the Opening Ceremony chambray shorts rang in at 40% off from the now shuttered Achilles Project, while the Tsumori Chisato bag was a result of some daily stalking on Bird's site. Online seasonal sales are truly a gamble; I usually take my chances and wait for the second or third round of discounts. In my experience, the first round of slashings are still too expensive for us commonfolk, so things will still be around. As prices go down, though, you have to ready to jump as soon as it gets into your range.

Outfits: (1) Steven Alan striped shirt, Ideeen drop crotch shorts, Ferragamo suede pumps, ANI leather bag. (2) H&M polka dot bow blouse, H&M wool cardigan, Opening Ceremony chambray shorts, Kork-Ease platforms, Uniqlo leather woven belt, Tsumori Chisato embroidered metallic Mexican bag.

tonk you!

I am utterly horrendous at replying to comments in any sort of timely manner, so I just wanted to holla loud and clear at K-Line, sasha.wilmoth, Selina of Flying Saucer, Kb of I WANT YOU TO KNOW, Lani of Sugar Rock Catwalk, Maeko of thereafterish., h of Pret a Porter P, Anonymous, Frou Flu, Mizz J of Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy, Sidda, Blue Floppy Hat of Nonsense on Stilettos, Gwyn from Prototype for a pop life..., GlamaRuth, Emily of neutral tuesday, Sales Rack Raider of Hot Off the Sales Rack, Wendy Brandes, May Kasahara of Mayk All Day Every Day, Miri of California Noir, Ambika of (Into) the Fray, and Jenny of Fashion for Writers. I never call out readers based on the mere fact that they commented, but you have to admit that it takes a certain and somewhat rare kind of person to respond to an 1800+ word essay about wardrobes and its accompanying preamble. So, hat tips, kudos and enormous thanks to each one of you, as well as to everyone else who appreciated these posts. Any doubts I had about people not enjoying the written aspect of blogs anymore have been banished from my mental kingdom.

For now, I'll probably return to doing more photos and shopping blather...and let the writing bug bite as it may.