Isabelle Toledo Houndstooth Heel Pumps

Pilgrim Buckle Platform Pumps - $55

Payless has been challenging Target as the shop which carries the best designer diffusion lines.  I've got several pair of the Lela Rose for Payless shoes, and in the past the Isabelle Toledo designs have been a little too designed for me. 

 These shoes, however, caught my attention.  I wish they weren't peep-toes; I like the mix of textures, the piping, and the buckle, but it's the fabulous houndstooth heel that sells it for me.  That's the way to make black pumps interesting. Unfortunately, and it's completely a mental thing, but I feel a little weird spending $50 on a pair of shoes from Payless.  I will definitely be watching to see if they go on sale.  

Found! Blanket Coat & A Dilemma

I haven't made a purchase yet, but look what I stumbled on this morning:

Oasis Black Faux Leather Trim Belted Drape Coat (what a mouthful!) -  £95

It doesn't have the character of my original Oasis find because it's a slightly-boring black, but it's just about exactly what I wanted.  Since it's about time to retire my old H&M black winter coat, this might have a place in my closet, but I can't help thinking that it's simply not warm enough as a replacement.

So....I also found this:

Oasis Pale Grey Peggy 60s Faux Fur Collar Coat - £100

It's a bit trendy in it's 60s styling, but it's (a) adorable in a classic sort of way and (b) a gorgeous color that I don't already have a coat in.  Hee.  I wonder whether it will look quite as stylish without the collar buttoned all the way up, but it's also worth considering as a new-coat-replacement for winter.  

Seriously.  Decisions, decisions.  

New Obsession: Wallpaper

Does that sound like the most boring blog topic or what?  

I think that most of us have been scarred by bad wallpaper at some point in our lives; and anyone who attempts to remove old wallpaper has probably stated repeatedly how much they never want to see wallpaper ever again.  

But seriously, wallpaper is awesome. 

It really appeals to the part of me that wishes I lived inside an Anthropologie store, the part that loves Whistler's peacock room and William Morris, the part whose design aesthetic is gradually evolving into a weird mix of mid-century modern and Georgian, clean lines and tapestry fabrics.  Yeah, I'm weird.

Anyway, while wandering aimlessly around Waterstones trying to decide on a book, I stumbled across this fabulous book:

Wallpaper: The Ultimate Guide

Charlotte Abrahams describes the revival of wallpaper in modern design, details the major names in wallpaper, and lists endless amounts of resources if you're interested in (admittedly not inexpensive) wallpaper for yourself.

Here are a few of my favorites from the book:

Horses Stampede by Florence Broadhurst

Muscat Yellow by MissPrint

London City Gents by Lizzie Allen

Best in Show by Osborne & Little

And for the ultimate in luxury, check out the bespoke, hand-painted silk, embroidered chinoiserie from Fromental:

Unfortunately, living in a rented flat means no wallpaper for now.  Which is nice, because that means I don't have to worry about how expensive it is!  I can just look and dream.  

Stationery + Shoes = LOVE

One of my ongoing loves is stationery.  Knowing how much I appreciate getting real mail, I make an effort to send cards for random holidays or just because.  Besides which, it's much more fun to buy cards and paper so that other people than me can enjoy it.  I've found that, realistically, it's most useful to have some nice, plain cards (like these from Crane) that can be used for any occasion. 

I stumbled upon these fabulous 'Shoegazing' cards at Modcloth's apartment section.  

It contains 20 different pictures of shoes - including shiny flats, pointy-toed heels, and even some roller skates - in various settings. Pretty perfect for the shoe-spotting blogger, eh?  

The pictures, done by Janine Vangool are really beautifully composed.  Part of me is inclined to keep the cards, frame them, and use them as a fun decorating feature.  Hmmm...

Shoegazing notecards for sale at Modcloth.com

Things I'm Digging at J.Crew

J.Crew's new policy of shipping to the UK precipitated a perusal of the new arrivals.  It's J. Crew, so colourful basics are really my inclination.  

A trendy color-block top:

Perfect-Fit Colourblock Tee - $39.50

Crew-neck sweaters are wardrobe staples for fall (especially in our chilly flat):

Tippi Sweater in Viridian Green - $69.50

Tippi Sweater in Bright Dahlia - $69.50

Or, some classic beige:

Teddie Dress - $198

Betsy Sweater in Saddle - $79.50

Two-Tone Circle Skirt - $250 (oof)

I've been on the lookout for a pair of just-high-waisted-enough skinny jeans, these look like a pretty good option:

High-Waisted Skinny Jeans - $125

Finally, these AMAZING shoes.  Do I need grey pumps?  Um, no.  But grey flannel pumps with a leopard-print heel?  Drool.  

Mona Flannel Pumps - $248

Wednesday Pretty, 8/17 + New Obsession

How gorgeous does Drew Barrymore look in this adverts for the new Neiman Marcus 'Book'?  She took items I never found all that attractive - like the green Pucci dress J. Lo inexplicably wore to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, or that weird feathery Chanel top - and makes them look like what they are: high fashion.  I've always thought of Barrymore as a fairly middling actress (however cute she is), but she is modeling the heck out of these looks here.  It's nice to see someone who grew up in such a messy way as a mature, self-confidence, beautiful adult.  

Enjoy the pretty:

Does she not totally look like Rene Russo here?  It's weirding me out a little.

Ooh, also, I adore her hair colour.  

This single shot, however, is my favourite:

I know I shouldn't, but I am absolutely panting after this Burberry Prorsum coat.  The colour, the fur, the tweed, the proportions.  LOVE.  

Leather-bound Wood Tweed Trench with Fur Shoulder Panels

I keep going back to Burberry's site to stare at the pictures and watch it in motion with their fancy .gif advertising.  I'm seriously plotting as to how I could magically come up with an expendable £2000.  Any ideas?

Unfortunately, it's one of those things that doesn't really have cheapie look-alikes.  Sad face.  I'll keep dreaming (and plotting - mwha-ha-ha)...

Nine West New Arrivals

There are some gorgeous new arrivals for Fall at Nine West.  Starting here: 

I love the sturdy heel, the colours, the ankle strap.  Even the snakeskin would be something different to have.

Unfortunately, they're not up for sale yet at the UK site, and my UK IP address won't let me access the US site.  (I understand this as a business decision, since Nine West are so much more expensive here, but boo for making my blogging difficult, NW!)  So, that's the only picture I've got, unfortunately - they do look fab, there, right?  The 'Aroundtown' also comes in a green/blue suede, a pink/burgundy suede, and a neutral snakeskin, and is present $99 at ninewest.com.  

While those called out to me, that's not all that's on offer. 

A pair for work, perhaps...

Jaye Pumps

A pair for fun...

Noelia Stiletto

And a pair for parties?

Flashbulb 8 Sandal

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?  

New obsession: The Vampire Diaries

Yeah, I'm a little late to this train.  In my defence, I did watch most of the first season (after it aired - lack of cable = lots of watching online days/months later), but haven't really been picking up new shows to watch.

But recently, rather than catching up on Fringe, I've been watching season 2 of TVD. 

The show has your typically pretty people CW cast.  Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder are definitely the acting stars of the show, though there don't seem to be any black holes of talent.  Paul Wesley is probably just as good as Somerhalder, but as the good guy, he doesn't get to have as much fun with his part.  

The plot of the show flies and I'm still dumbfounded by how much stuff has happened in just under two seasons.  It makes it a perfect guilty pleasure show.  Fortunately it also hasn't dissolved into all-sex-all-the-time-who-gives-a-crap-about-story-and-logic like Gossip Girl did after about 2/3rds of a season.  

The show does suffer a little from the True Blood and Twilight comparisons, but is WAY more fun than the former, and the pro-active girls of TVD would probably kick Bella Swan's whiny butt (not to say I hate Twilight - Bella just gets really annoying).  Also, the books on which the show is loosely based were originally published in 1991, a decade before the Sookie Stackhouse books.  

My favorite development of season 2 has definitely been the growth of both Tyler Lockwood (played by Michael Trevino) and Caroline Forbes (played by Candice Accola).  The addition of supernatural powers (Lockwood as a werewolf, Caroline as a vampire) to these two annoying/frustrating characters has given them material to engage with as actors, as well as given depth to the viewers perception of them as people.  I've especially enjoyed the change in Caroline from insecure, competitive, and shallow to confident and self-sufficient.

Here you can read TWOP reasons why TVD might be the most addictive show on TV - seems to have worked on me (in a delayed way, I suppose).

  

Now that I've started watching the show again, I can't help but think of this ad: 

I probably won't inflict it on J, so he doesn't have to worry.  But now I want that car.  

New obsession: orange

Orange is not typically a go-to color for me, but lately I find myself drawn inexplicably to it.  I think it all started with my coral-heather J. Crew boyfriend sweater (only available in grey now, apparently)

Jcrew.com

which, unfortunately was destroyed by my cat.  Serious sad face.  Now it seems like everything I like in stores is orange.  J is convinced I have a problem.  And there is no orange in my closet, so it's like a whole new world of color to dive into.  We'll see if it goes anywhere.

I think the ones I'm realistically contemplating buying are the platforms and the long-sleeved mini-dress.  

CharlotteRusse, ASOS

though I love the casual summery coolness of this tank dress.

forever21

(Have you noticed a pattern of selecting the cheaper things?  I'd adore that patterned Peter Pilotto (top and centre above) dress, if, you know, I had a thousand dollar to burn.)

I have so much fun finding new things.  So exciting! 

What new things have caught your eye?