almost a new decade!

In the process of baking lasagne and figuring out what to wear...  In the meantime, I wore this for wine club/K's birthday surprise before Christmas.  This dress is one of my favorite party dresses.  It's like a prom dress from a Tim Burton movie, or something.

Karen Millen dress
Report Signature shoes
vintage fur jacket
Hermes bangle
necklace from a boutique in Hoboken

weathering the sweater

Last of the Colorado photos - I miss it already!  I still love this sweater, in case there was any doubt.



A couple readers have asked about the extraneous (non-"me"-featuring) photos, like the ornaments in a previous post - all of those are taken by me. I do enjoy experimenting with the many knobs and buttons that accompany my camera equipment from time to time. Of course, my husband is the artist behind all of the beautiful photos where I am the subject, though I try my best not to ruin edit them.  His grandmother and grandfather were both accomplished artists and, though B says he did not inherit their talent, I believe he has an artistic eye.  So there you have it - he owes me a dedication or credit or something when he becomes famous (and while he's at it, should probably buy me a present or two, since he's famous and all).

Another remark upon a past post: there was a piece at the Pismo Gallery that I was unable to photograph (strict "Chihuly only" policy), but I just found it on their website, so here it is:

Boot of Thorns by Robert Mickelsen  (image via Pismo) - it pretty much embodies the aesthetic B and I aspire to create in our home someday, so... I kind of feel like we need to own it.  Wow, here I am evolving from obsessive fashion collector straight into obsessive art collector.  Maybe a mite bit premature considering gross lack of funds...

H&M sweater
Target t-shirt
American Apparel leggings
H&M gold socks
Born boots
necklace from a boutique in Hoboken
Hermes bangle

Sandy Claws

This was my Christmas dinner outfit - a little belated, but I'm trying my best to catch up.  Somewhat gothic fur and lace seemed like Christmas to me for some reason.  One more week of slacking off and it's back to the real world...



Like my newest addition?  My mom is as fond of these bracelets as I am, so she knew exactly what I wanted for Christmas.  I love the tribal/modernist/bold graphic print and the way it looks with the bangle I already have (and wear to death).  Needless to say, I'm very excited about it.

Forever 21 top
Forever 21 vest
Hermes bangles
Target leggings
Tecnica boots

PS Thank you so much Maria for featuring me on Chicisimo!

Goodnight, Santa. Goodnight, Mrs. Santa's sister.

I love these boots, because they remind me of the old-fashioned lace-up ski boots that one sees mounted on walls from time to time.  I guess that thought (and the setting) kind of inspired me to run with the Alpine-inspired look.







Well I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!  After a decadent meal, some slightly confusing board games, and a little Bad Santa, I'm off to bed!





H&M sweater
American Apparel leggings
Born boots
Boyy bag

PS Thank you so much Owl's Closet for the award!

I don't know what's going on, but he has that Rodgers and Hammerstein look in his eyes.

I'm here! After a rather trying (I don't want to talk about it) journey, I've been having a frighteningly wholesome vacation in Beaver Creek, watching old movies, working on puzzles (I'm obsessed with jigsaw puzzles), and eating my face off.  I've been coming here every Christmas since the year I was born, so it's hard to imagine spending Christmas anywhere else.  It's like Santa's Village here, I swear.





I'm sure you all have seen enough of this sweater, but it's definitely one of my favorites this season.  And I was so flattered to learn that Megan had used one of my looks as inspiration for one of her clever designs! I always enjoy seeing her sewing tutorials and the wonderful things she creates!



One place that always enjoy visiting, year after year, is Pismo's Gallery.  They always have Dale Chihuly pieces that I love to admire (but not touch).





Anthropologie sweater
gifted scarf
H&M gloves
Boyy bag
J Brand jeans
Tecnica boots

PS I apologize for being slow to post and get back to comments.  I'm trying to keep my terrible terrible addiction to the Internet under wraps in front of the fam.

gimme some sugar, baby

A blizzard hits DC the day I'm supposed to leave on my ski vacation - the irony is not lost on me.  Hopefully we'll make it out today, but I'm not holding my breath.

After learning my flight was canceled (on Friday, no snow had hit the ground yet), I decided sledding was going to be an integral part of keeping my sanity during this whole debaucle.  And it was.  DC can be a lot of fun when we get a big dump of snow.  My friends and I had a great time tromping around the neighborhood, testing the limits of my antique-quality Flexible Flyer (which I should have photographed), and marveling at some horrific moments in driving decisions.  Later on, I went to a friends' holiday party, feeling very smug about my ability to reconcile holiday party dress and snow-appropriate footwear.  My (very) small successes with practicality always make me feel clever.







vintage fur cape
H&M dress
Forever 21 vest
Born boots
Boyy bag

Get this winter over with!

This week is insane!  B and I are leaving for Colorado on Saturday and I've been scrambling to get everything done before we go.  Uggh, I hate packing more than anything, too!  On the upside, I am SO excited to go snowboarding and have a white Christmas.  It usually just looks gray and crappy outside around here at Christmastime - kind of a downer.

This outfit was from Sunday, when I felt kind of icky and just wanted to wear a blanket outside.  Mission accomplished.

Accessory Street shawl
gifted scarf
Target henleys
H&M leggings
Enzo Angiolini boots
vintage bracelets

holiday cheer

I've been curious as to if this bow tie was actually tie-able and had a surprisingly difficult time finding someone who could actually tie one.  Success was mine at a holiday party this past Friday.



Francis dress
J. Crew velvet blazer
Report Signature shoes
Chanel purse
vintage Ferragamo belt
vintage earrings
Hermes bangle
amethyst ring
garnet ring


PS Thank you so much Fashion Cloud for featuring me in your cape trend looks!

and wouldn't old Santa be in trouble if there ain't no chimney in the house

This is the time of year when I almost get in car accidents, rubbernecking to look Christmas lights and peep in people's windows to see their holiday decorations.  Maybe a little creepy, but I think it's just an extension of my adoration for all things bright and shiny.  B and I had an action-packed weekend of holiday parties and gatherings with friends and this coming week is going to be a marathon of much of the same.  I'm kind of  exhausted already, but in a good way.

What do you all have planned for the holidays?

vintage necklace
vintage top
Anthropologie sweater
Costume Dept. leggings
Givenchy  booties

sketchy

Chloe Ad

My mom gave me this wonderful Fabriano journal/sketchbook a while ago and I've been trying to use it more, as of late.  In the past, I've had this weird hangup where I only like drawing on very smooth (usually cheap) white paper, but I'm trying to change so my sketches aren't always on random little scraps of paper stuffed in my purse.

I was looking back through some of my sketchbooks from high school and it's funny because it seems that I've always liked sketching from ads and fashion editorials.  I'll have to share some of the olds ones sometime...


Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn wearing a mantel coat by Balenciaga, 1950

I also like to draw things that I want for my own, like this coat.


Stella McCartney alien thing

...and strange little creatures wearing designer clothing.  I like to draw those, too.

moi je joue

I put these shoes on and asked B what he thought and he responded with his usual "they're reaaal nice, sweetheart," laced with the usual hint of mockery that makes me want to pop him, even though he and I both know his input has precious little to no effect upon my shoe decisions.  Yes, these are the games that we play.



B bought this antique bracelet from the 1940s for me when we were in New Mexico.  It's supposed to be a Christmas present, but I'm not very good at waiting for the respective holiday when the gift is already in my hot little hands. B's mom is an avid collector of Native American jewelry, so she researched the artist's stamp on the bracelet and was able to identify it as a Bell Trading Post piece.  Click the link to read a bit of history, but I recommend searching for more Bell's pieces online, because they're all quite beautiful.








Hanako66 of Through the Looking Glass had the greatest idea to ask me and a few other DC bloggers some questions about how we would introduce a newcomer to DC.  Here are my answers and I encourage you to check out the other bloggers she featured, as well, because they all recommended great places to eat and unique things to do in DC.

And thank you so much Nearly Stylish for the award!


H&M faux leather jacket
H&M sweater
Jonathan Saunders for Target pants
vintage winklepickers
1940s antique turquoise bracelet

terminally chill

The first snow always reminds me that winter really isn't so bad after all.  This post also marks the return of the big bad boots.  They've been sorely missed.  Technically, this coat thing is a dress (or so United Bamboo says), so I decided a cold, snowy day was as good an excuse as any to use it for its intended purpose.

United Bamboo dress/coat
gifted scarf
H&M gloves
DKNY boots
Boyy bag