Wishes

Does anyone else have one designer whose stuff they love, but they don't have one single item of it in their closets?  (I'm talking about designers in the realm of affordability.  No fair saying I wish I had a Marchesa dress...because (a) most of us can't afford a Marchesa dress and (b)  where the heck would you wear it anyway?)  

For me, it's definitely, 100% Thread Social.

Now, it's not exactly 'super affordable' but it's no worse than MBMJ or DVF and I've got several of both of those.  Why is it that I can never pull the trigger on a Thread Social dress?

Everytime TS shows up on Gilt, I ooh and ahh over the dresses, but I still haven't purchased anything.  Looking back at it, it's really weird, right?  

Part of the problem is that I tend to think of TS as a party-dress source.  I don't know how true it is, but in my mind, they re-introduced the one shoulder sillhouette with this dress:

And lots of their designs ARE party dresses:

But there's so much cute, versatile stuff mixed in.

I swear, I'm going to make an effort to think about TS when next it comes to buy a staple designer item. And hopefully Gilt will help a girl out with a nice, discount price to boot.

The Wednesday Pretty, 5/18

New Mexico at sunset

This is one of the things I miss most about home.  

Anthro Tag Sale!

It's that time of year for Anthropologie's big tag sale.  Whenever a somewhat sizeable sale like this comes along, I am more struck by the sheer amount of stock that Anthro carries than I am overwhelmed by things to buy.  I always check my wishlists first before looking at general sale stock, and very few things on my wishlist dropped. But then a quick perusal of the items on sale reveals how much I have just dipped a toe into the amount of things up for sale on the website.  How is it that so many items that go on sale are things I swear I've never seen before?  

Sometime this is very good for my budget, since I'm pretty good at sticking to my wishlist items, but sometimes I can't resist searching through ALL the stock just to see what I've been missing.  Heh.

So, here's my picks from the Anthro sale.  

Lots of shoes on sale, but not many in my price range/style choices:

Good for the Sole heels - now $40

Emerald Isle Wedges - now $80

This weather has me wishing for some transitional tops:

Mooring Line top - now $40

Light As Air pullover - now $40

Palindrome sweater - now $130

I love the vibrancy and detail of this top:

Nature Collage blouse - now $100

Or a useful layering item:

Standing Ovation cardi - now $50

There are some great dresses, but my closet is a little dressed-out right now, so how about some cute skirts:

Plaited Brushstroke skirt - now $50

Calm Seas skirt - now $30

This romper is kinda ridiculous.  And a romper.  And has a stupid-looking zipper up the back.  But I can't help thinking it looks really comfortable and cute.  Agh!:

Poise & Repose romper - now $50

And I can't resist the appeal of some very summery hats:

Charleston Cloche - now $30

Above the Fray cap - now $30

Strawberry Ice fedora - now $80

I encourage you to go check it out - now on both online at anthropologie.com and in stores.  

Let me know if you find anything fabulous!

The Wednesday Pretty, 5/11

Katy Perry for Vanity Fair June 2011 wearing Christian Dior

Could we all just dress like this all the time?  Seriously.  It even manages to make Katy Perry look mysterious and beautiful (I'd argue she's a good-looking woman who goes for 'cute' 99% of the time) and dramatic.

What would you buy? - Standard Pumps

So, I've been trying to be more practical about what shoes I have in my closet and what I need on a more day-to-day basis.  There are two big reasons for this: 

1) We may be moving post-wedding to a more walking-heavy location, and that means more 'practical' shoe choices (besides which, moving may mean massively trimming down on the shoe collection)

2) I have a rather deep dearth of standard pumps/platforms that should be the base for a shoe wardrobe

3) I feel like you should spend 'real money' (aka, more than $30 a pair) for shoes that will be classics, and I never really want to spend that much because I'm such an impulse buyer that I end up with what I've got, which is tons of mid-range expensive shoes that are cute but not as versatile as I'd like.

So, I'm trying to keep my eye out for high-end 'standard' shoes to save up for.

Here's my list at the moment of basic pumps/platforms:

Louboutin Rolando pump (in black or cherry) - $795

Louboutin Bibi Suede Platform (in brown) - $795

Louboutin Leather Bibi Platform (in beige or cognac) - $795

Louboutin Simple Pump (in green or nude) - $595

Louboutin Declic 120 Pump - $695

Brian Atwood Maniac Pump (in rose gold) - $665

Brian Atwood Power Suede Platforms (in coffee and nude) - $575

Jimmy Choo Patent Platform (in black and nude) - $695

Favorites?  Or favorites not from the list?  What are your go-to pair of shoes?

Chanel Resort 2012

....or, why I often don't get fashion.  

So, the Chanel Resort show took place in Antibes on the French Riviera on May 9.  

There were some lovely looks:

Although, what the eff are on their feet?

There were, of course, plenty of suits in spring-y yellow and lavendar and white, and I quite liked the black one-piece swimsuits with the Chanel tweed jacket as an over-layer (not that I'd ever wear such a thing, but I can see it as a look).

But then you get things like this:

seriously, that's a jeans waistband

and this:

which combined with this:

Judged as a series of stand-alone items, it was easy to extract some immediate winners: the full trousers slashed up the calf, the floaty three-quarter-length dresses with the shirred midriffs, Natasha Poly's white beaded sheath. 

(from Style.com's review of the collection)

just makes me shake my head in disgust. 

But, of course, we're also taking it as given that a man who dresses like this:

is our arbiter of taste.  

check out the whole Chanel Resort 2012 collection at style.com

Parks & Rec fashion

Are you watching Parks & Recreation?  I'm typically a little slow picking up new shows, and when this one started in 2009, "by the creators of The Office", all I could think was "the Office sucks now, how does this look any better?"  And man, the first season is pretty bad.

BUT!

Amazingly, the show is really hitting its stride now, and Seasons 2 & 3 are Office Season 2 level good.  [Season 2 (and 1, but really, 1 is pretty horrible) is up Netflix Instant Watch now.]  Amy Poheler's character Leslie Knope is now less a Michael Scott clone and more a competent-but-completely-awkward combination of awesome. Additionally, P&R has done a terrific job of incorporating the wide variety of characters into each storyline and giving them recognizable personalities of their own.  The town of Pawnee is like a non-animated Simpson's Springfield, complete with its own array of interesting townsfolk and personalities, from the obnoxiously competitive local talk show host to the local news talent named Perd, as well as all the crazies who come out for any of the various local townhalls.

So, seriously, if you're not watching, look into it.  

But that's not what's important, is it?  Of course not!  Now, P&R is pretty good about sticking to correct character development, including wardrobe, which is pretty standard Midwest casual work wear.  Unlike Glee and How I Met Your Mother, there's not oodles of Anthropologie and Kate Spade and J. Crew proliferating through the wardrobes of the staff of the Parks Department.  In an interview, Amy Poheler even stated that if she was wearing anything as Leslie that could be considered "cute" she took it off.  

Nevertheless, there have been two instances of items in LEslie's wardrobe that were a "Hey!  I recognize that! moment. (Heh - yes, 2 moments in 2 seasons.  Whatever.  Yes, this does merit an entire blog post. What?).  In my excitement, I just had to go find the items.  

Season 2 Episode 16 - 'Galentine's Day'

Leslie wears this adorable MBMJ polka dot wrap dress for her annual celebration of 'Galentine's Day'

"What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and we just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas!"

source

Season 3 Episode 7 - 'Harvest Festival'

Leslie wears the Leifsdottir Andalusian Horse Dress at her first day running her huge project - the Harvest Festival.  And pairs it with a stylish blazer with the sleeves rolled up.  This is seriously the most fashion-forward I've seen her for work.

"You're all amazing, wonderful people and I really want you to have fun today and not focus on the fact that if one thing goes wrong, we're all gonna lose our jobs."

source

The latter I'm really annoyed that I never got around to buying (it was on sale, but out of my monthly budget, and then it was gone.  Gar!).  

Do you have shows you watch only for the fashion?  (For me, it's Gossip Girl.  Actually, I don't even watch it anymore.  I just check up on what they wear.) 

Do you ever spot fashion items you love on non-fashiony-shows?  

Black & White

Shopstyle's latest "hot looks" link is Black & White style:

But I found their shoe selection to be a little weak, especially in comparison to all the fabulous clothing items they found. (And I'm sorry, but those Philip Lim shoes in the image above are pretty hideous.  Blugh.)  So, I decided to do a little searching on my own.  And since we're fantasy-landing it, price is no object.  

How do you like these apples?:

Christian Louboutin Mago Mixed Media Pumps - $795

Casadei Neptune Beaded Platform Pump - $1050

Rock & Republic Sage Pump - $140

Kate Spade Lourdes Slingbacks - $285

Christian Louboutin Greissimo 85 Pump - $825

Tod's Jodie Penny Loafer Slingback - $388

Kate Perforated Patent Pump - $225

Ivanka Trump Gurdia Pump - $119

Rodarte x Opening Ceremony Platform Spectator Pump - $735

Miu Miu Two-Toe Patent Pumps - $560

Rock & Republic Habanero Spectator Pumps - $162