an olsens fix and musings of my own

i'm going to florida with the fam in mid-june (can't wait can't wait, need need need vacation) and i'm pretty sure that i'm going to dress like the olsens for my flight there. i might even spring for a fedora.

it's really intriguing to observe individuals who present an aire of mystery or elusiveness. one day i went to the bank with my typical oversized sunglasses and all black ensemb to deposit some cash dollas. when i got up to the teller she asked, "are you a celebrity?" i said no. but i'm deeply regretful of my decision now.

my dear friend molly (who lives in a different state) and i love exchanging long emails regaling each other with stories of the oddities that occur within our daily lives. we both always disclose that our lives aren't as interesting as we make them sound, but we decided the other day that if you discuss and approach your life as if it is completely spectacular, like every moment is one of the funniest, most fabulous, most exciting things that's ever happened...then who's to say it's not? that, and "everything's relative" are two philosophies i try to consistently impart into my daily life.

i wish i was actually flying with my family, because then i'd make my sister stomp through o'hare dressed like this with me.


i hadn't seen this shoot yet, but i loooooooooooooooove. her hair looks insane...neither of them have to do much to be interesting on camera. so intoxicating those little minxes are.


and, one last final photo. just to complete the fix (i hope you got yours as much as i got mine).

continuing love: gail sorronda

so i just posted about gail knowing completely that i would follow up with a retrospective-esque post of my favorite designs from her previous collections.

the styling, the photography, all of the different shapes she utilizes...i just dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee for all of it. i love it i love her i love it.

autumn/winter 06 -- "the velvet hour"



s/s 07 -- "riders on the storm"


i love how the model is positioned like a mannequin, but yet she's also "riding" a mannequin's platform like a surfer would ride waves. can't you feel the wind blowing through the photos?

s/s 08 -- "bird of prey"


the hair...OH, the hair. and the proportions of the clothing. what a beautiful, delicious visionary.

s/s 09 -- "seventeen crushes crushed into one"

the set for this shoot is spectacular. it's like, back alley surburbia.

f/w 09 -- "ha ha battles"


ms. sorronda, the wonder herself:
like, normal people don't look like that, right? she's too stunning for words.

sigh. i feel revitalized, folks. it's been a hard week and a half, hence my lack of blogging. and in the interim, i've been looking for things that are seriously inspiring. fabulous fashion photos crop up everyday...it's necessary and expected. but after looking through gail's lookbooks, i feel like i've gotten the fix i've been desperately looking for.

good times are on the horizon...summer is here! i've already enjoyed many glasses of wine on outdoor patios, and i'm looking forward to shopping, rollerblading the lake shore path, and tomorrow's beach day. jack and i praised the gloriousness of summer this afternoon as we sunbathed on an outdoor patio at chipotle (after consuming the best veggie burrito bowls either of us had ever had). i'm really excited about the switch of seasons. goodness is everywhere, but it's all what you make of it.

xoxo...here's hoping there's lots of sun in your upcoming days (except for you barbsy baby...you wear that sun hat).

new love: gail sorronda

she was recently featured on the sartorialist, and then on susie bubble's blog, and i have fallen utterly in love with gail sorronda. i've been looking at her collections, and i'm pretty sure she designs for me, and only me.

the fact that she doesn't know me is not a big deal.

the flirtiness, the whimsicality, the mixing of textures and shapes, and its glorious raven palate combine to create a collection and point of view that is so inspired, so different and so utterly chic it kills. i would give up my right to have children to own her entire collection, as i am confident that i would feel so perfectly fabulous everyday, that nothing else would really matter. this short, yet poetic interview with ms sorronda is filled with ethereal descriptions of her point-of-view and musings about her designs.

"Gail Sorronda is an emotive label on a non-linear path. It’s a voyeuristic alter-ego sometimes echoing other times deflecting."

"‘Invasive exotics’ was inspired by a foreign environment. A ritual like exotic birds dancing. The rare and dominant species are introduced in an awkward embrace. The love spreads and takes over like an invasive exotic."

i'll also say, that after scott schuman posted images from a trip to australia, and seeing that gail made her start at australia's fashion week...i'm developing a serious love for australian fash. i feel like there must be something about the down under lifestyle that inspires some serious insousciance and a terribly fun, lighthearted perspective for everything. i'd never thought much about it before, but i'd really like to visit. or at least hope that scott schuman visits again soon.

these images are from her spring/summer 10 collection, "invasive exotics."












oh, and gail also has a blog...fall in love with her, too. we can share.

awkward divinity

i love the royal tenenbaums. i love them as people, as functioning non-functional individuals, as character studies, style icons...everything, really. it's one of those films that i could have on all the time, and would be perfectly content with it being the soundtrack of my home life. ultimately, i adore how imperfect and awkward they all are.

this editorial in hint magazine, shot by louis park, reminds me of the tenenbaum family in the most brilliant, styled up way imaginable.









i LOVE the burberry necklace in the second photo. i think this editorial is so beautifully and creatively styled. it's one of those things that gives you your fashion fix instantaneously. i love the dulled expressions, the model's postures, and the overall contemporary victorian feel of it all. the harem-y pants the men are wearing in the first shot are divine. ann kim was the art director for this one...i'll have to look her up and see what else she's worked on, because this is just superb.

hint magazine

being the birkens

when i started becoming really interested in fashion, my newfound interest manifested itself primarily through trends -- the fleeting markers of popular culture. as i've developed my knowledge, eye and personal style, it's really called into question the difference between fashion and style, and i think that often, my quest to be "fashionable" has thwarted the development of owning my personal style. personal style culls from fashion and trends, obviously, but it should transcend fashion, i believe. personal style should last forever, while fashion is constantly changing.

i found these photos of the birkin family summering on discotheque confusion, and they really called out to me as this exquisite definition of style and grace and fashion as a lifestyle, completely unaffected in every possible way.







discotheque confusion

the best kind of confidence, style, personal allure is one that is inherent, effortless. they are grace, personified.

all that glitters is rhinestones

oh those RINGS. i love them all, and i think that her beautiful little hand looks magnificent. looking at pictures of the dear olsens just makes my day. and this one is starting gloriously with a pot of coffee, blogging from bed, and ashley olsen's perfect, glittering hand.

ciao bellas! hope everyone is getting ready to face a lovely day :)

modely perfection

what gorgeous, perfect creatures...if my life consisted of an endless stream of fabulous parties to where i was constantly escorted by doting, genius designers, taking smoke and make-up breaks in the bathroom with my fabulous model friends, and choosing outfits from a bottomless pit of designer clothing, i'd be a deliriously happy woman.

raquel zimmerman looks irrefutably spectacular in her proenza dress.

go chicago!

so, i'll be honest...amazing street fash isn't as readily available in chicago as it may be in say, new york, or paris. but i was searching through the chicago portion of streetpeeper.com, and was really pleased with some of the amazing photos i found. so i thought i'd display a little chi-town pride ;).







a surprising lack of good shoes, though. for some reason, amazing footwear just isn't seen as much on the streets in chicago. of course, the majority of these photos were taken in the uber-boho/hipster wicker park neighborhood, where flats and skinnies are a style staple.

you'll never have to convince me about the power of a good heel.