in the bag
Wednesday, January 25
One of my best friends is Stephanie Johnson. She designs amazingly stylish and immensely practical travel bags, from compact jewelry cases to plastic-lined makeup pouches to compartmentalized Dopp kits. She is hilarious and chic and generous--and adoringly Type A. We traveled to Capri, London and Madrid last summer. She packed seven days worth of outfits for various climates and swanky events into a single carry-on bag. I did not. And even though I brought an inordinate amount of evening clutches for the trip, I found myself poaching one of her gorgeous little makeup pouches to wear instead. Day and night. (See the pic below of Steph and I in a water taxi, off the coast of Capri. She's on the left, with an SJ bag in her lap, holding our Euros, cell phones, and whatnot). Over dinner the other night at my new favorite Santa Monica spot Milo and Olive, Stephanie showed me her spring collection look book, filled with glinty metallic clutches, raffia totes and patent pouches. As she succinctly said, "There's not a dog in the bunch." And I love how functional they all are, doubling as wear-everywhere bags. The ones above cost about $35. How brilliant is that? I will be toting them proudly.
my friend's blouse
Wednesday, January 25
A friend bought this top, and it's way cute. Wear it with...
1. Old Navy bird print charmeuse blouse, $36, oldnavy.com
2. J. Crew wool-felt jacket, $200, netaporter.com
3. Madewell By Hudson boots, $285, madewell.com
4. MIH mid-rise cropped jeans, $180, netaporter.com
a fresh coat
Tuesday, January 24
Photo: Glamour.com
An editor/colleague of mine buys herself at least one new winter coat every year. She believes it's the most important element in her winter wardrobe. I agree with her: it's what you wear day in and day out (in the colder climes, at least). It defines you and your style. And it adds a finishing touch to your outfit. Model and blogger Natalie Suarez (pictured above) proves this point with her red coat. I love how it pulls together her camel sweater and basic black jeans--and makes a very bold and stylish statement.With the end of season sales upon us, I found a few marked down coats that will transition perfectly into next winter. Check them out here, here and here.
marni goodness
Tuesday, January 24
It's Marni. And it's on sale (reduced from $900!) at The Outnet which is Net-a-Porter's outlet. The shimmery, elegant jacquard--a major spring trend--makes it even more of a must-have. Wear it with...
1. Topshop mesh sweater, $56, topshop.com
2. Dannijo amber ring, $265, stylebop.com
3. Pierre Hardy leather clutch, $700, netaporter.com
4. Miu Miu heels, $795, barneys.com
5. Marni jacquard skirt, $225, theoutnet.com
haute h&m
Monday, January 23
Scoped out this matching print blouse and pencil skirt at H&M yesterday (the floral print is of the ilk discussed in today's earlier post) and snatched them both up. I think the two pieces work best together--and are in line with that whole suit-y head-to-toe thing. Done and done.
baroque bomber
Monday, January 23
Rich, floral, Italianate (think Versace, late 90s') motifs were all over the spring 2012 runways. Which means this bold bomber is spot-on. Wear it with...
1. River Island scarf print bomber, $61, riverisland.com
2. Topshop oversize tee, $64, topshop.com
3. Edie Parker Jean Gio clutch, $1295, barneys.com
4. Alexander Wang heels, $525, shopbop.com
5. Stella McCartney wool pencil skirt, $550, netaporter.com
P.S. Check out Tibi's and Gucci's takes on this bold print trend.
more shorts
Friday, January 20
Photo: 21arrondissement.com
Never mind the big cold rainstorm that's supposed to drench LA tomorrow. I am thinking about shorts, about how I am going to wear them more than ever this spring and summer, in super stylish, counter-intuitive ways much like the ways pictured here above and below. With dressy silk blouses, vibrant luxe bags and accessories--and lots of cool ease. Short suits would be totally new for me, but I'll give them a whirl. I'm going to start snooping around now. It's going to help me forget how many more weeks I have till the mercury rises.
Photo: Streetfsn.blogspot.com
Photo: Streetfsn.blogspot.com
Photo: Glamour.com
boho beads
Friday, January 20
A very gypset-cool statement. Wear it with...
1. Mango beaded choker, $34, mango.com
2. Topshop knitted sweater, $76, topshop.com
3. Wayuu Taya Foundation bag, $175, shopbop.com
4. Isabel Marant wedges, $675, barneys.com
5. Theyskens Theory denim shorts, $231, matchesfashion.com
*I know, I know, warm weather and wearing shorts seem so far from reality right now. But it doesn't hurt to think ahead!
jersey girls
Thursday, January 19
Photo: Glamour.com
Building on yesterday's sporty fashion post, I should add that baseball-inspired looks are also playing out right now. I love the color-blocked jersey tops, such as Phillip Lim's leather-sleeved one above, sported by Hong Kong-based blogger Cindy Ko. Since these tops have a sporty vibe, they look best teamed with something more feminine, like a short swingy skirt or wide-legged pants. I'm eyeing this one by Proenza Schouler. Also intriguing are the varsity jackets and their sartorial interpretations, like the one pictured below. Topshop makes a sleek pale blue one, and I know H&M has a yellow and aqua houndstooth version coming in the next few weeks.
Photo: Mrnewton.net
bejeweled
Thursday, January 19
The ultimate throw-it-on-and-go dress. Wear it with...
1. Warehouse jeweled shift dress, $134, warehouse.co.uk
2. Eddie Borgo cone earrings, $165, kirnazabete.com
3. Marni clutch, $385, netaporter.com
4. Michael Kors strappy sandals, $645, neimanmarcus.com
* This dress has a resort-y feel (kind of vibing Phillip Lim/Tory Burch) and would look amazing worn casually with flat leather Capri-like sandals, too.