This is Not a New Year’s Resolution

Tags

creative, New Year's Resolution, Rant

…exactly. I don’t specifically have a “blog more this year” resolution however, I did decide on a single over-arching theme: get organized. My space. My thoughts/actions. My creative time. My work time. My recoup time. I feel like there are things I always want to do yet I always come up with the same “I don’t have the time” excuse. The big fat black-and-white fact is: I do have the time – and I unfortunately choose poorly to spend it otherwise. It was glaring me in the face when I came back from Christmas, or rather, not glaring. I left my phone sitting on my parents kitchen counter when I was doing my usual scramble-out-the-door-to-the-airport thing. From Thursday night when I took off until late the following Tuesday, I was phone-less and, amazingly (or not-so-amazingly if you know me at all), it was wonderful. I organized my whole apartment (we’re talking bathroom, kitchen everything and all closet contents), and managed to create a couple new things in the meantime. Long story long, I spend too much time doing things that don’t make a dent (i.e. forever-scrolling instagram, pinning all apartment decoration possibilities on pinterest) and not enough time doing things that bring proper joy to my life (i.e. creating anything using a drill/copic markers/exacto knife/dirt/rope (macrame is the latest obsession)/paper/gauche/sewing machine… you get the picture.)

For my first “get organized” activity, I started small with my night routine – by turning on my alarm, placing my phone across the room and going back to the basics: reading before bed. So far, we’re off to a fresh new start, my phone and me. Kind of feels like a relationship that starts to go awry so you have to step back and readjust. Luckily, this one isn’t too far gone…

Stay Tuned…
New project coming this weekend! I saw this darling little pot at Anthropologie recently and decided that it would be fun to do on my own with fimo clay! I can’t wait to start this meow. There meow possibly be a smaller kitten-esque one in need meow too…

Sister September

Tags

Big Little, Family, Goofball, Little Big, Love, Seester, Sister, Sisters

Oh, dearest little sister

You are more rough & tumble than any mister I have met,

more loyal than any pup,

and more selfless than some saints.

I admire your ability to show up anywhere 10 minutes early,

love your family and friends so wholly,

and still be able to fire a softball from deep center to home.

You are my wildflower, firecracker and hippie soul all rolled into a beautiful ball of eyelashes, cheeks and the most luscious mane the PNW has ever seen — even including the horses in Enumclaw.

I think of you often and love you across these American states everyday

— especially on September 9th, your birthday.

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays your 26 years have seen and sending you armfuls of love too. I love you, my dearest big little sister. Cheers to another round!

xo,

little big sister

Making it Mine

Tags

apartment living, home improvement, mood board, new york, new york living

It took me a little longer than most but, this past weekend I signed my first real apartment lease. I’ve lived many places and signed a sub-lease (or four) but this was the first time I moved into an apartment without filling a spot. I.e. the first time I get to fully decorate and nest without having to work with existing items. So, first update is first: the studio/office/spare bedroom!

I put together a mood board to keep myself on track and inspired.

Stay tuned for progress updates!

New York, I Love You (More Often Than Not)

Tags

fashion, Moving, new york, new york city, Rant, Rave, Recap

Prologue
I was so proud of finally finishing this particular post, as I’ve wanted to write a “recap” article since New York City and I hit our one-year anniversary on May 28^th. It’s been sitting in a word doc, nearly untouched, for two weeks because I felt particularly naïve after rereading it again and again. I started many times and always deleted it feeling like all I was doing was complaining and comparing (which… it kind of is) but, in my final attempt, I was reminded by a friend (thank you, Robin) that it was naïve but, “endearingly naïve.” These are things I could never have learned or prepped for before living here. (Kind of the same way that you can’t get used to Seattle’s overcast skies until you’ve dealt with a sunless existence for a bit.) All that said – despite my mild embarrassment for not anticipating some likely obvious nuances, I am so happy I took the risk and jumped. It was the first time in my life that I didn’t have a Plan B and I landed feet first… after crashing and tumbling and standing back up to brush my knees off.

My Recount
I was never silly enough to think I was going to move here and “make it” overnight but I was under the impression that if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. (Thank you Ol’ Blue Eyes.) Mostly, that is true. New Yorkers, whether born-and-bred or relocated, are here because they all want something more. Finance, fashion, food, talent, talent, talent: this is a breeding ground for greatness if you can wade through the trash (literally.) It will make you or break you. There is no in between. This past year was arguably the most exciting year of my life. The adrenaline I experienced from a city that feels like a live wire led me learn a lot of things about myself and also realize how bizarre living in this concrete jungle actually is.

Ways I didn’t know life would change when I moved to New York:
I never do laundry. I haven’t stepped foot into a laundromat since I arrived over a year ago. I drop it off. Someone else washes my clothing. It sounds like a luxury saved for elitists (mockingly, “I don’t do laundry”) but time flies in this city and you don’t want to waste a precious hour waiting for your spin cycle to end when you could be drinking. Which brings me to my next point…

Everyone in this city is an alcoholic¹. Happy hour is never happy hour – it’s happy night. There’s no such thing as grabbing “a” drink. The bars load up post working hours (unless you just don’t go back after a boozy lunch – which is also a thing) and happy hour turns to dinner (with drinks) and then post dinner drinks and then there’s-this-great-spot-around-the-corner-from-here-with-live-music-and (you guessed it)-a-great-cocktail-program drinks and then you’re walking/stumbling in the door to your shoebox apartment at 3am… on a Wednesday… because last call isn’t until 4am and you wanted to leave “early”. (Because also, Wednesday is the new Thursday [which was the new Friday.]) And that is just during the week. Don’t get me started on day drinking weekends. Two words: boozy brunch. We skipped brunch last weekend but, on the train to Long Beach, we popped our first beers at 10 am. “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” turned to “well, it’s after noon…” turned to “fuck it.”

Now, back to that shoebox apartment I mentioned. Whether it’s an apartment you went to check out that didn’t have a floor (this amazingly happened to a friend of mine — seriously) or the exorbitant cost of moving into a place (1^st, last, deposit all equal to a month’s rent plus a broker fee of 15-20% the annual rent), everyone in NYC has an apartment horror story. While my experience wasn’t/isn’t bad enough to call it a horror story (knocks on wood), it certainly made my jaw drop out of sheer shock. I’d heard all the tales about how tiny and expensive New York living spaces were going to be but didn’t fully realize it until I was immersed. I moved into my first apartment on the UES (Upper East Side) sight unseen. I’d found my roommate on Craigslist while still in Seattle. (I amazingly found someone that would take me as a roommate after a relatively quick Skype call from across the country.) Long story short: cool roommate and $1250 a month for a teeny… teeny tiny apartment — on the top floor of a six-story walkup. I felt like the genie in the lamp. (You know, the scene in the Disney version where Aladdin opens the lid and sees Genie crammed in? Like that. But, with two people.) My queen bed was basically the size of the room, save for the three feet wide walk to the closet that wasn’t even deep enough to properly hang hangers. (The bed was lofted which gave me a little more space for a large and convenient shoe rack and a rad chair I found curbside on a walk home from work one night.) Despite loving the location, I couldn’t take (literally) crawling into bed after happy “hour” one more time so, I ubered myself and my stuff to an apartment in Brooklyn where I now have a bed, desk, full-sized closet and still have enough space to do yoga in my room – if I did yoga.

Despite everyone’s alcoholism, this is a surprisingly active city. They have to counter it and do so by walking – everywhere. My pre-BK commute involved me walking straight over 78^th Street to Park Ave and hoofing it down to my office in Midtown. This pleasant walk (not even sarcastically) was just shy of three miles one way. I got into the habit of walking home from work. Then started walking to work. And, because the drinking weight struggle is real, I started walking from work to HH in Greenwich Village/LES (Lower East Side). My Fitbit is proud of my 15k+ average steps a day and it’s also likely the only reason I’m not an entire blob of squish from all the eating out and, yes, drinking.

Throwback to my SATC loving girls: Carrie Bradshaw used her oven to store shoes. (Using the oven for storage is also a thing here. You have to make the most of your space!) While I didn’t store apparel or accessories in my oven, it was definitely used few and far between (under 5 times in a year… a year.) Living in New York is a high-energy sport. You’re up in the morning and out the door and come home with just enough time to take some ibuprofen and down a Gatorade before crashing. Since no one is ever home nearly every meal is eaten out. Breakfast at the craft coffee spot (Bluestone, Blue Bottle and Culture are my Midtown favorites) and then lunch out (Fika, Maison Kayser and Ipanema for the best $14 lunch you will ever have. Bitoque, order the bitoque but you have to sit at the bar for the lunch pricing which usually means you need to top it off with a caipirinha.) Dinner can be anything from a $0.99 slice of pizza (or four) to a delectable fancy pants burger at Grape and Vine or NoMad to blowfish and spicy key crab sushi at world famous Morimoto. Looking at my bank statements since I arrived, over 75% of my discretionary income has gone to, we’ll call it, socializing².

Of course, the biggest shift in moving to New York that you never fully understand until you’ve experienced this city is the energy. It is alive. You feel it from the moment your plane touches down at JFK/LGA/EWR. There is an excitement, a buzz in the air. It hits you full force when you walk out your door in the morning and doesn’t dim until you’re back in your genie bottle. I was talking to a friend about this the other night at the Wythe rooftop (where another friend took me to show me “you can’t see Manhattan from Manhattan.”) New York City is full of extremes. You either find yourself here or you lose yourself. Everyone from Mark Twain (“Make your mark in New York and you are a made man”) to Frank Sinatra/Jay-Z (“Since I made it here I can make it anywhere”) knows what the draw is. And, yes, it’s hard but, no, there isn’t anywhere I’d rather be right now. New York City is a playground for 20 & 30-somethings. It’s not a life I would want to sustain long term (so I say now) but I am loving (nearly) every page, paragraph, sentence and word in this chapter of my life.

“By comparison with other less hectic days, the city is uncomfortable and inconvenient; but New Yorkers temperamentally do not crave comfort and convenience — if they did they would live elsewhere.” E. B. White

Additions to the “only in New York” living realizations:

• Garbage piled on the sidewalks because this city doesn’t have alleyways or dumpsters.
• Mystery puddles. It hasn’t rained in weeks yet this murky puddle hasn’t evaporated. (I read about these in an Onion article and chuckled. There’s no way right? But, I remember the first time the one of my street was gone because the street cleaner sprayed the water up the curb. It was surprisingly deep and full of random lost items: assorted wrappers, a child’s pacifier, a coffee cup and a bottle of hairspray – no joke.)
• No recycling – it nearly broke my little green PNW (Pacific Northwest) heart when I first arrived.

Extra bits after a conversation with the very cool English photographer sitting next to me:

• It’s “shabby, dirty and unkempt. It’s filthy compared to London” (and Seattle for that matter.)

“When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is. Clean is not enough.” Fran Lebowitz

• The smell in the summer — don’t, I repeat, don’t inhale too deeply. It’s not safe.
• The pace. It has a 24/7 vibe. You can get anything at anytime from anywhere.
• Because you can do something at anytime of the day, people tend to be flaky.
• People plan 5 things a night and are really loose with their plans. It’s an opportunist city.
• The trains are always an excuse whether it’s being late for work or being the flakey friend and cancelling plans – and no one questions it because everyone does it.
• Everyone is “busy.”
• People steal your sh*t. Excuse me — I’m slightly bitter as my (2 week old brand new super amazing awesome) bike was stolen in Williamsburg during the 30 minutes I was checking out a new apartment. Yes, it was locked up with a Kryptonite lock. No, I didn’t get it back.

Not all points are negative:

• People are just themselves – unabashedly honest. Even if you’re a craft-class-aholic burlesque drag queen that works at JPM (J.P. Morgan) and loves to knit while doing paddleboard yoga there is a welcoming group for you, no judgment.
• Sunsets and beaches — they definitely surprised me with their beautiful-ness.
• This city encourages you to go to extremes.
• Anything is possible.

“I regret profoundly that I was not an American and not born in Greenwich Village. It might be dying, and there might be a lot of dirt in the air you breathe, but this is where it’s happening.” John Lennon

¹ (and, well, ² fits here as well now that I think about it.) I’ve managed to tame the go-go-go out-out-out all the time mindset. Some people can handle it extensively. Those people are extroverts – or trying to run away from something. I am not – an extrovert at least. (I know, that nugget may shock some.) After a year of cocktail-ing my way through Manhattan, I can finally say I’ve hit the 7^th stage of moving to a new city: return to normalcy – or as normal as living in New York can be.

Summer Lovin’

Tags

Blonde, brunette, Dye, Grease, Hair, hair dye, hairstyle, Long hair, Madison Reed, Ombre, redhead, Short hair, summer, Summertime

Grease was one of my favorite movies growing up. I couldn’t get enough of the Summer Nights serenade, Beauty School Dropout (complete with 60’s heartthrob Frankie Avalon) and, of course, the grand finale of…

… Sandy’s hair.

Being that I was blessed with ample amounts of beautifully full and (mostly) curly hair (i.e wildly-unruly-unless-tamed-with-smoothing-serums-and-assorted-irons) you can imagine my love of Sandy’s final-scene locks: perfectly glossy twisted curls.

While my movie choices aren’t dependent on the protagonists’ hairstyles (anymore), my real life has been directed by my assorted hair preferences-of-the-moment. I’ve ventured down many different color and cut routes from brunette to blonde and back — with a shortish stint as a redhead to “boy haircuts” (my mom swears I insisted) to waist-length, back to the chin, and down again. I can’t say I have a favorite as each suited my mood for that point in time. After being blonde for nearly four years, I decided to go back to my momma-given color. In the last year, I was pretty lazy (or cheap) with the new/re-brunette upkeep and ended up with an unintentional ombré effect. I recently decided I needed a change and went back to dark. Queue Madison Reed.

A reminder that we don’t wake up looking this good (despite what the media wants you to think.)

My latest coloring was done professionally in a salon but I’ve been vying for a less expensive way to manage upkeep without having to fork over hundreds (and hundreds) of dollars (and hours) a year. Madison Reed is a new color company that offers a high end line of dyes sans harsh chemicals leaving hair softer, shinier and more vibrant. The pigments are stunning and they even have a great Continuous Color Plan that allows you to have a new box o’ color arrive just in time for a touchup! (So you don’t have to scour your datebook/Google calendar for the last appointment.) My personal favorite part of the site is the Hair Profile. You fill in a couple answers about texture, color and preferences and they pop out the most complimentary options – it’s a piece of cake! I’m surprisingly anxious for my current color to need some love so I can order the Venezia Brown (natural dark brown with hints of gold.) Stay tuned for a color update!

Warm it up! Summer time shift suggestions from Madison Reed.

My hair’s hue has been a major player in dictating my wardrobe content. (This is a fashion blog so of course I need to pop in my latest fashion obsessions!) I’d always been a neutrals fanatic with a closet almost-strictly full of white t’s, blue jeans and assorted black and grey pop-ons but, when I went red, all of a sudden my wardrobe was full of various shades of blues and greens. Blonde brought on a wave of brights/neons and, surprisingly, a lot of black and deep navy. Going back to brunette, I felt my closet was too dark and set out to fill my wardrobe with the exact opposite color from my blonde favorite: white. Light, pale colors are coming to be my Summer 2015 staple. I love the shock of the dark hair and lightly tanned skin against whites, ecrus, washed chambrays and sun-bleached neons.

Side note: there are certain colors that make you feel extra sexy with certain hair colors — for me red was royal blues, blonde was black and brunette was/is red (and citron!)

Anyone else have a similar hair-dictates-wardrobe experiences? What are your favorite colors to wear with your current look?

Rituals and Fanatics: It’s Baseball Season

Tags

American Eagle, ball cap, baseball, Blazer, Casual, country, country girl, denim, destroyed denim, diamonds, drawing, Fanatic, Fanatics, Fanatics.com, fashion, fashion illustration, fashionista, Illustration, jeans, leopard, Leopard Print, MLB, new york, new york city, NYC, Old Gringo, OOTD, outfit, photoshop, Ralph Lauren, Seattle, Seattle Mariners, sketch, softball, Style, styled, Yankees

I had to have my hair in a french braid. Down the center of my back and tight — as in make-your-eyes-water tight. I also had to touch the toes of my cleats to the dirt (right, left, right) before I crouched down into my fielding stance. I took the on-deck circle seriously. Never a casual swing: slight bend at the knees, butt out, cocked bat (bouncing it ever-so-slightly)… timing the pitcher. Few things beat the feeling of the ball connecting with the sweet spot. Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham) put it perfectly.

I’ve tried ’em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball.

Baby Brenda! Also, notice the awesomely 80’s stripe and, yes, those are real stirrups.

I grew up on a ball field. My dad played on a men’s league when I was growing up and  I followed in his footsteps and headed to the mound myself. That said, you can imagine how excited I was to create some chic outfits with ball caps for Fanatics. Game day or not, a baseball hat is my favorite accessory so I was well-versed and ready for the challenge! I popped onto the site and, have to admit, was pleasantly surprised by the amount of team gear that was available! Most stores I hop into have a lot of men’s, some women’s and a bit of children’s and, on top of that, most of the styles available are limited. Fanatics, on the other hand, not only has a breadth of merch (like baseball hats) but their depth is just as impressive! So many options for me (and my sister, mom and aunts) for Mariner’s opening day! (Monday, April 6th — in case you were wondering.)

Ballin’ in a Donna’s Barber Shop jersey and rockin’ the ballcap (and Nike) since the early baseball days.

Seeing as my lust of diamonds is a family affair (see what I did there?!), I decided to do this project two ways — how I wear a ball cap and how my sister wears hers. We’re a little different in styling but have a mutual love of the game that keeps hats on our heads even during the tiny break between seasons. (Which, as any ballplayer knows, isn’t really a break. It just means you’re not playing official games.) Despite my new Yankee-fan-filled home of New York, I selected Mariners’ caps as an ode to my beloved hometown – the Emerald City. (Best to stick with the hometown so my sister doesn’t kick my butt. Plus, Mariners’ teal adds a little extra oomph to the navy/white color palette.)

As much as I love styling outfits, I love drawing more so, I made this a fun little project and decided to combine the two. First up are my personal picks:

My tried and true: white shirt, blazer, denim, ball cap and my trusty ol’ leopard pumps — proof that I really do wear them with everything. (Click to enlarge artwork)

1. Mariners ball cap. Fanatics. 2. White oxford shirt. Ralph Lauren. 3. Little bit of bling. (I have a B necklace that I wear with the same frequency of leopard heels. Feel free to charm it up in your own personal way!) J.Crew. 4. Schoolboy Blazer in Navy. J.Crew. 5. Wrist bling. J.Crew. 6. Brown belt. Mango. 7. Distressed Boyfriend jeans. Citzens of Humanity. 8. Leopard pumps. Gianvito Rossi.

Second at the plate is WiiiiiIIIiiildflooooOOOOooowerrrRRrrr SiiIIIiiisteeeEEErrrRRr (Read as Dave Niehaus, My Oh My!):

My Wildflower Sister has a little different taste than I do but, we can both appreciate a good camo hat and a pretty dress. (Click to enlarge artwork)

1. Mariners ball cap. Fanatics. 2. The Jean Jacket. Madewell. 3. Roped turquoise studs. Charming Charlie. 4. Crochet knit dress. Salvatore Ferragamo. 5. Plaid western button down. American Eagle. 6. Navajo cuff. Charming Charlie. 7. Nevada Boots. Old Gringo. (Mind you, for color purposes, I adjusted the shirt and boots but, my sister would much prefer the original red boots — see link.)

My love of sport, while being housed in Sea Town, does have transcontinental appreciation. The Yankees will always have a bit of a ballplayers heart regardless of their home team. (Unless of course, you’re a Red Sox fan.) That aside, here is a call out to my new city, the City. Below are my two favorite Fanatics.com options for whichever team I’m cheering on this season.

The Captain.

Classic raglan baseball tee.

(Speaking of the Captain — check out this really fantastic article for ESPN about the man himself written by my very talented friend, JR Moehringer. It reminds you of what it means to be highly revered and only human.)

There you have it! My favorite past times combined: fashion and baseball (er, softball). A big thanks to Fanatics for the ample supply of inspiration (baseball caps, team shirts and Mickey Mantle autographed balls — yes, really)! I’ve had such a blast revisiting my love of baseball, ball caps and diamonds!

“Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die, follow your heart kid, and you’ll never go wrong.”
Babe Ruth via the Sandlot

Here Come’s the… Bridesmaid

Tags

bride, bridesmaid, dresses, fall, fashion, J.Crew, Kate Spade, Styling, wedding, Weddington Way

In sifting through the usual droning daily emails the other day I found something fun amid the store promos and the “review our new product” blasts. The all-fun-things-wedding site Weddington Way reached out and asked me to participate in their October challenge: Your Best Bridesmaid Look. (See their blog post and participate yourself here and see plethora of swanky bridesmaid dresses here!)The idea was to fulfill your supportive duties as the MOH and aid the beloved (and assuming mildly -zilla-esque) bride-to-be in designing the bridesmaids looks.

I adore styling and designing so of course I jumped on the challenge. My personal preference when designing/styling weddings is formal. I love when brides have these gorgeous va va voom gowns but I have a mild (ok, maybe serious) disdain for casual wedding affairs. It’s the one day in your life you get to completely go all out and your guests should join in the over-the-top fun! I also love when the bridesmaids ensembles are cohesive and not cookie cutter; every beautiful woman needs a beautiful dress to frame her unique beautifulness!

That said, here is one style option I would propose for a beautiful, vibrant, fancy-schmancy, fall wedding…

* Yes, I am binging on Gossip Girl since I didn’t catch it round one. Yes, I know I’m delayed. Yes, I know B and Chuck get hitched. No, don’t tell me anymore.

P.S. I semi-recently moved to NYC (yay!/moved in May — hence the massive gap in entries) and yes, these girls actually exist.

[Say with a French Accent]

Tags

fashion, French, quote, Sunglasses

Sometimes, it’s a nice break to put on (stylish) rose colored glasses.

Rompers, Jumpsuits & Playsuits… Oh My!

Tags

Anthropologie, Club Monaco, fashion, French Connection, J.Crew, Jumpsuit, LBD, Nordstrom, Parker, Playsuit, Proenza Schouler, Romper, VInce

I’ve been on a bit of a jumper/romper kick. Granted, this “kick” comes and goes. My first experience (as an adult) with the now-trendy jumpsuit was in 2010. I made one for my “walk out” post runway show. I was pretty proud of it then and, with such a great response, have been keeping my eyes open since.I have a trip to Sin City coming up-ish so I’ve been looking for a fun little romper* to take with me. I came across several options and wanted to share my findings!

*Side note: for those of you who are not aware, a romper is a jumpsuit with shorts — typically a little looser and easier to romp around in!

This first one is easily my favorite and, thanks to my mother’s passing down of the Expensive Taste gene, the priciest of the bunch. J.Crew really amped up the simple silhouette with some bling and sparkle by choosing an all-over sequin fabrication — of which I highly approve.

I always adore Anthropologie but it’s typically a little bohemian for my tastes. However, when I cam across this little leopard silk romper I couldn’t help but think of how perfectly she would fit in my closet beside my leopard sweater and above my leopard pumps. (Obviously not to be worn together but all wardrobe staples, in my very humble opinion.) If you couldn’t tell by now, I am drawn to deep-V’s and the fun and flexible cut of this jumpsuit makes it a great transitional piece. Add a jean jacket (slim cut & cropped) and sandals and your weekend errands are productive and stylish. On the other hand, pair some simple layering necklaces together (silver and gold both work in this case) and some strappy stilettos and you have yourself a night on the town!

 

Here are some other cuties I came across in my searches. (I’m definitely vying over the Club Monaco pick!) Left to right: French Connection Morgana Lace Playsuit, $148. Darling denim playsuit/romper with eyelet detailing at sleeves and shorts hem. I love that this number uses a drop waist/lower rise on the shorts portion so we all can avoid the “long butt” look. Sweet with sandals — flat or sky high. (I’d even thrown on my converse and a ball cap for the weekends.) Vince Sleeveless Silk Jumpsuit, $395. Delicately comfortable in silk with a sweet scooped neckline at the front and back. Available in Forge (shown here) and black. This item is currently for pre-order with Nordstrom and you know how long things last when they hit the store so, order up! Club Monaco Lyn Long-Sleeved Jumper, $250. I am swooning over this number. I think I adore it so much because it’s adds some edge to my closet without running away from my signature button up look. With it’s slightly slouchier shape my oddly broad shoulders won’t fight with the shirt portion. Also, not only does it have the same flattering drop waist as the French Connection suit, it has great double welt pocket detailing on the back. Parker Harrison Silk Romper, $396. This is the summer-only going-out number of all my picks. I like the lots-o-leg length with the scooped out back and V neckline. Plus, I can’t get enough sparkle in my life so, you can imagine how much I fawned over this piece when I realized it’s a matte black sequin & gunmetal bar bead pin-striping the silk. Though I can’t say that I’ve seen it in person — yet, I can only imagine that is has a great weight to it. French Connection Spectacular Sparkle Jumpsuit, $270. There is so much going on with this baby that I don’t even know where to begin! Peplum! Sequin! Sash! All of which are done very well. Stick with simple accessories for this sparkly lady and you can’t go wrong. Still can’t picture where you would wear this? Think cocktail dress replacement — the best part: it’s black so, just like your LBD, you can wear this to events year round. (The only thing I would change would be to go with a less heavy shoe.)

The one bit of advice I want you to take away is: when shopping for a jumpsuit/romper/playsuit, stick with simple lines and simple designs. If you start adding too complicated of cuts and wonky fabrics you start to look like Princess Jasmine going to a goth club. It is definitely not a good look — even is it is designed by Proenza Schouler.

 

Oh, the Possibilities…

Tags

Design, DIY, Do it Yourself, fashion, Fashion design, Pencil Skirt, sewing, Skirt

For the life of me, I cannot decide. I found this great houndstooth plaid fabric the other week and have been mulling over what to do with it. I knew I was going to make a pencil skirt but what kind of pencil skirt was undecided. I can’t decide between:
1. Edgy – Curved leather side panels meant to accentuate a hip-y feminine figure
2. Classic – Clean lines, no front darts, double back darts, no contrast.
3. Trendy – My take on the tuxedo pant. Narrow side panels with single welt pockets at the back.

I’m being fickle. Help!