personal inspiration

i love her lips in this photo...they remind me of the ysl black lip gloss that i love and covet, and which makes me feel terribly sexy whenever i'm wearing it.

i also really love the delicacy of her top and hair, paired with aggressive motorcycle-esque boots.
this photo inspires me to stop being so lazy everyday. everything is renewed when a slight punch of something different is added. i think it's a shame, and a waste of a creative mind, to not feel sexy and a little special each day.

that's chic

sleeve insanity

aren't the sleeves of this blouse just perfect? i couldn't imagine having a bad day if i were floating around the world boasting such voluminous brilliance.

sartorialist

papier magnifique

There's an art exhibit called "rrripp!! paper fashion" that's currently traveling to major European Museums -- it's currently at the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean (Mudam), Luxembourg and is headed next to the Province of Antwerp Fashion Musuem, with the London in Design Museum following.

Although the fragility of it all makes me terribly nervous, I do so enjoy experimental fashion. Susie Bubble recently featured some of the work of Jum Nakao, who has pieces in the exhibit. The artistry and intricacy of the detail is nearly unbelievable in its precision. My clumsy fingers could never even conceive of such delicate perfection.

things that inspire

i'm definitely in hippie mode right now, all decked out in a fur vest and fringed booties (getting ready to enjoy pitchers of margaritas and other lovely mexican fare...) so i found this starred tiara lovely, and the perfect element of whimsy. this beautiful little minx is the perfect picture of an ethereal angel. i love casual insousiance.


i also love everything she's carrying...fab shoes, a good book, a little treat. she's probably having a good day.

so, on another note, despite however much i fancy myself a writer, there is NO way i can describe the brilliance and the sheer impact of grey gardens within the confines of this blog. kate and i were just completely blown away, and will now remember it as one of our best barb nights ever. drew barrymore is INSANE, the costumes are indulgently perfect, and the story is unlike anything i've ever experienced. we've now put the two original beale documentaries on our netflix queue and are anxiously awaiting their "very long" arrival. SEE it...immediately...run, and read everything you possibly can about these women. we both agreed that it was a sheer crime that it was not made into a motion picture.

there are other things i want to show and discuss, but, alas, margaritas and guacamole await me...

xoxoxoxo

ahhh!

this photo is INSANE, and i LOVE it.


i love structure and the black and the beads and the sharp edges of the hair and the eye make up and her hands...i am wildly in love with the entire, perfect thing.

this photo was featured in the hong kong fash mag Izzue. sooooooooooo good. i found it on bleach black, which has some really amazing, super edgy photos.

shoulders, mmm

le fashion

sizzlin' summer style

look how fabulous karla -- from karla's closet -- looks in the striped babooshka harems:



(can you tell that i'm a bit overobsessed with these pants. waiting, waiting, waiting). she also brings up the summer staple that i'm looking to add to my wardrobe...the bodysuit. although scary for someone like me, who stays far far away from anything even resembling body con. it's just so versatile, i feel like it would ultimately end up being the most worn piece in my closet.

like this one from american apparel:

although i also really love the long-sleeved one...i love really really form-fitting long sleeves. i always feel like my arms look so dainty, which is not an adjective that i usually attribute to any aspect of myself.

and then, i'd probably get all obsessed and start getting ones with different patterns! oh my, bodysuit heaven.

this one is a real gem, too.


although in chicago, you can never be sure, it seems like summer is FINALLY here. i'm really excited for the outdoors aspects of summer...already yesterday, i rollerbladed the lake shore path down to navy pier and sat outside on our patio with some dear friends enjoying lots of vino and some wonderful conversation. i plan on making this summer a magical one, sartorially and otherwise.

it will be mine...

...and i will live in it ALL SUMMER LONG.


a YSL raw silk vintage shift. aka: magnificent perfection. ohhhhhh, to have the lives of judy and jane aldridge.


i also really love this top from babooshka:


bought these harems last night...SO excited for them to come!

i HATE transitioning

it's insanely warm out today. i, of course, had nothing to wear. so instead of worrying about that, my lovely roommate miranda and i sat out on our porch and enjoyed vino (for me), beer (for her) and lovely conversation. we then proceeded to do some work while watching the devil wears prada. and now, before i off to a meeting and then a long night of work, i thought i'd share some images i came across...the brilliance of which duly matches the gloriousness of sun after a very long and arduous winter.

i'd much prefer to approach the world sartorially blinged out like this. enthusiastically, everyday.

grey gardens

Sooooo excited for Kate and I to have our Grey Gardens party on Saturday! We realize that we're a little late, but we've had to suffer through a week of seriously conflicting schedules, too much busy-ness, and a serious need for some sleep and downtime, so we've sucked it up and BOTH withheld from viewing this splendiferous cinematic and oh-so-fash wonder until we were able to bask in its glory together.

I've no doubt that Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange will be the sheer image of perfection. I know far less of Lange, but I fell deeply in love with Drew during the time when E.T. was a staple film in my household, and I read her autobiography, Little Girl Lost, at the highly inappropriate age of 11.






Although it's terrible of me...I love tales of spiraling societal ruin. It's a kind of unbelievable thing to watch some of the world's most glamourous, elegant, and externally put together individuals surround themselves with the most decadent of luxurious lifestyles as they lose complete control of everything around them. Factory Girl, Girl, Interrupted, Party Monster, Mommie Dearest, Savage Grace...all stories of people deeply entrenched in high society, and their descent into madness in some form or another.

Let's not forget that these tragic figures are always dressed so damned well...bless their crazy.

**edit: the photos weren't showing up, for some reason unbeknownst to me, so here's a new crop of lovely images**

the #1 reason why winter is better than summer

Boots like this are why I would prefer fall/winter over spring/summer any day. I would give
anything to rock boot/tight combos all year round.

Knotted knee-high boots. The only words I have are that, upon seeing this photo, I immediately donned my knee-highs and twisted them into a folded/slouched (today is filled with hyphens) combo that I loved instantly. Thank you, jak and jil, for my daily dose of too-sinful shoe porn.

The wedge heel of the second boots are unadulterated perfection. Chanel Iman in Akiko Ogawa boots -- jak and jil

la mode casual

i'm craving fully accessorized, yet highly casual, but ultimately effortless style. and i'm voraciously absorbing all images that evoke such a sensibility. easy chic is so sexy and so confident...makes me want to live in layers and tunics and gladiators and orange nail polish.

like all these ladies. fabulous women, all of them!


best of the best: delectable fashion bloggers in a style-yourself shoot for Quiksilver. I LOVE the bells that krystal is wearing. i've always had a deep, unrelenting love for bells and platforms. or, fine...maybe the '70s in general.


taghrid


stylish wanderer


sartorialist


karla's closet


jak and jil


fashiontoast



garance dore


childhood flames


altamira

closing shot: sonia rykiel, photographed by andy warhol.

so. insanely. beautiful.