done too much of both types of w(h)ining

Visiting wineries is fast becoming a theme on this blog.  This time we visited La Grange (our favorite of the day), Barrel Oak, Philip Carter, and Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn.  All were picturesque and the weather could not have been better (for this time of year).  Pastels seemed appropriate.







Caught a photo of the elusive B.  I actually take about as many photos of him as he does of me, but he likes to keep his internet presence to a minimum.









H&M sweater
vintage dress
American Apparel tights
Kors boots
Bally bag

I just wanna be your Steve McQueen

I will always love the over-the-top tackiness of this leopard print robe thing.  If I were a pop star (or superhero, for that matter), I would make my costume out of this fabric.

I loved reading your comments and thoughts on "the great clog" debate - we seem so evenly divided!  To each his or her own.  I'm terribly hypocritical when it comes to trends.  I'll see something worn a certain way (socks with heels, for example) and think, "no way!  Not for me."  Then I'll see it in a different context (*cough*cough* Spring Dior/Burberry Prorsum) and totally flip-flop.

So the clever creators behind Weardrobe sent me an invite to their new site Couturious the other day and I've already wasted much too much time playing around making fantasy outfits!  I like to make little random notes in magazines and on receipts about outfits I want to try and I have to say this method seems a lot more productive (and dangerous with the shopping options!).  Anyway, I encourage you all to check it out.  You can view my looks here.


H&M t-shirt
vintage robe
vintage locket
Hermes bangles
vintage garnet and pearl ring
vintage opal ring
Ferragamo belt
Costume Dept leggings
Proenza Schouler heels
KMRii bag

PS I finally made a Facebook page for those of you Facebookers.  I'm hoping to use it to share more of the other sites and links I waste my time trolling on the Internet. ...And...sigh, have finally broken down and started twittering.  Goodbye soul.

bustin' loose

I noticed some other fashionistas aren't particularly enthused about the return of clogs, but being a child of the 80s/90s, I'm pretty stoked about it.  I distinctly remember envying a pair my camp counselor had when I was 9 and begging my mom for a pair.  And of course, who can forget Cher's infamous "I broke in my new purple clogs" line in Clueless?  Needless to say, they give me a twinge of nostalgia, so I was thrilled to find these Jeffrey Campbell's that are not at all dissimilar to Karl's most delicious design.

And a quick update on the Lasik for those of you that are interested in getting it done - it was not painful at all.  It only took 10 minutes for the whole procedure.  My one complaint is that I have to tape these plastic goggle things to my head before I go to sleep every night and I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to get the sticky residue off my face from this damn tape, but it's only a week so it's really not that bad.  All and all, I would highly recommend this to anyone who can't see without glasses.  I'm finally going to be able to swim in the ocean and actually see it!

La Redoute jacket
Forever 21 top
Illig skirt
KMRii bag
Jeffrey Campbell clogs
Hermes bangle
Ray Ban wayfarers
 
PS DC people - I hope you remembered to watch "Washington in the '70s" tonight.  The mention of WHFS brought a tear to my eye.  A void that will never be filled.

dirty little angels gonna save my soul

After getting lasers zapped in my eyes yesterday, I can see!  I've had terrible eyesight for about as long as I can remember (we're talking coke bottle lenses), so to not have to rely on glasses or contacts to find my bedroom door this morning was pretty remarkable.  Only downside was no computer work last night (scary!) and no eye makeup for a week.  The upside is my physical activities are limited for the next week, so more time to spend on the Internet!



So these tights... I actually bought them last year and never quite found the right use for them (mostly out of laziness), but the other day I thought my legwear could use a little sprucing up et voila!  I wore this outfit for an emergency Wine Club meeting at K's place, when B, F, and I invited ourselves over to make her dinner, because she refused to leave the house.  We made her a delicious Italian dinner of prosciutto-wrapped shrimp in sauce and the finest cheeses Whole Foods' "bits and pieces" cheese bin had to offer.  The next morning, K's relatively substantial wine collection was missing!  Where did it go?  We may never know.



J. Crew velvet blazer
Sunner dress
KMRii bag
Express tights
Balenciaga booties

grits ain't groceries

This shirt has been one of my prized possessions since junior high.  It was my grandfather's and it's pretty much indestructible.  It also reminds me of Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks, whom I identified with, because I, too, had a crush on Daniel Desario. Like, totally dreamy.












The crappy weather and my overly-packed schedule during daylight hours have any limited outdoor photo opportunities.  There's only so much Long-Suffering House Plant has to offer in the way of photo embellishment so I tried my best to mix these up a bit with facial expressions.

vintage necklaces
Zuni turquoise bracelets
Bell's Trading Post turquoise bracelet
vintage ring
white amber ring from Lithuania
vintage Army shirt
H&M t-shirt
H&M tights
Balenciaga boots

PS Emoting rocks.

maybe I'll break hearts and be as fast as you

Sometimes camera malfunctions make for interesting effects. Some greasy substance was smeared across the lens and B didn't discover the issue until after we had taken a couple pictures. I kind of like the way this one turned out.





I wore this for my buddy A's birthday dinner at Masa 14 this weekend.  I usually have a hard time liking establishments with numbers in their names, but the food was actually kind of interesting and tasty.  The snow is getting dirty and gross and I've decided I've had my fill for at least a few years.  Be gone now.

Forever 21 lace top
Topshop blazer
Express skirt
Balenciaga boots
Hermes bangle
vintage amethyst and garnet rings

snover it

My (hopefully last) snow outfits...









I'm going to share a secret with you: I have deep deep love for L.L. Bean duck boots.  Nerdy, I know, but I kind of feel like a character from a Norman Rockwell painting when I wear them.  Second look is so "Nanook of the North," it's not even funny.  I think it was justified, given the circumstances.



Hypeed was kind enough to feature on of my looks in their Plaid and Tartan Trend spread.  Check it out here.

I also want to thank the Trendy Fashionista for the award.  She's so sweet and her blog is full of tempting items and inspiration.

vintage shearling coat
Forever 21 dress
LL Bean duck boots
H&M gloves

vintage fur cape
H&M gloves
Tecnica boots
KMRii bag

a whole lot of don't to do

As of this moment, all things outdoors frighten me.  Currently trapped in my apartment, possibly forever.  Solution: wine, fur, lace and ridiculous shoes.





Now I must tell you the main reason I bought this was because of the label (though I did get a good deal and I had been looking for a good stole in this color, etc.).  A DC history lesson: Woodie's was the place to shop back in the day and the building still remains down on 10th and F St.  I remember my mom and grandmothers taking shopping trips into the city, because Woodies was the only place where things like baby/wedding gifts and good winter coats could be found.  Oh how things have changed with the advent of Tysons Corner, Mazza Gallerie, and, well, the Internet.  Anyway,  I don't think I could ever bear to part with this piece, because every time I pass it on the hanger in my room, it gives me a little twinge of nostalgia.  RIP Woodies.



This look is for Paulette's birthday, because I feel that fur and a glass of red wine are things that she would enjoy.



Another thought: the cut of this stole is on the larger, broader shoulder side and it kind of makes me feel like Henry VIII.  Obv. he was kind of prick, but powerful, too, so I'm going to run with the powerful side in this look.

vintage Woodward & Lothrop mink stole
Forever 21 lace top
H&M jeans
Eloise tights
Finsk shoes

PS Tasha gave me the nicest award commemorating the 1st anniversary of her blog and of our "virtual friendship" as well.  Is it strange that I feel a cetain rapport with you, my fellow bloggers and readers, though I've never met most of you?  We share a common interest that we bounce ideas around about fashion - isn't that the concept behind a salon or a club or something?  I really foresee fashion blogging (and blogging in general) being a milestone in cultural history.  Won't it be cool to say we were a part of that?  I think about this often.  I totally drink the blog Kool-Aid.

Apocalypse Snow

So the weather is pretty out of control right now.  DC kind of goes to pieces when it snows, too.  All rules go out the window and the city turns into one of those surreal post-Apocalyptic landscapes with lions and tigers running around with zombies like it's no big thing.  As for the temporary blogging hiatus, well, the Nation's Capital shuts down for Snowmageddon and I guess I do, too. On the upside, I did do laundry today.  GTL, baby.





United Bamboo coat/dress
H&M gloves
KMRii bag
Eloise tights
Hue over-the-knee socks
Born boots
The Scotch House scarf

PS Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?  Who dat?!  Who dat?!  Lots of getting crunk last night, I tell you what.

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." ~ Winston Churchill

 

Helen Twelvetrees during filming of "Thoroughbred", Sydney, 1936

I'm a horse lover and, in trolling old photos on the Internet when I should be doing something productive, I was thinking how many fantastic images there are of horses and their people.  I love how each of these pictures tell such vivid stories about the relationships between the two.  It's also pretty easy to see why the equestrian influence on fashion is undeniable.

Miss Louise Ireland & Miss Helen Marye, April 18, 1925

Ringling Circus Equestriennes Chicago, July 20, 1951

Ringling Circus, August 2, 1949

L'Oiseau Jaune, Ringling Barnum + Bailey Circus, August 10, 1947

"Katharine Meyer." (future Mrs. Katherine Graham), February 19, 1927 

Children riding a horse to school, Glass House Mountains, Queensland, Australia, 1928 

Janie Irvine gives water to "Patches" from surf, Pass-a-Grille Beach, Florida, May 5, 1948

Three boys dressed as a cowboys with their horses, Saint Petersburg, Florida, November 5, 1947

Unidentified Blackfoot Chief on Horseback Speaking to an Elderly Man, 1910

Seminole Indian cowboy Charley Micco and grandson Fred Smith on horseback in a cattle ranch, Brighton Reservation, Florida, August, 1950 

Rodeo Riders, L.A., between 1910 and 1915

"Skijoring," Location unknown, 1930

Josh Taylor, Negro Foreman who has been on place for fifty three years, Knowlton Plantation, Perthshire, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi, October 1939?

Lt. Walter Brooke, Lt. C.T. Walwynt, Col. P.A. Kenna & Lt. Geoffrey Brooke, 1910?

Basketball on the tanbark at Durland's Riding Academy, New York, 1908

Wild West Polo, Coney Island

Images found on Shorpy, Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection, and the flickr Commons.

PS  Another one of my favorite horse quotations: "A woman needs two animals - the horse of her dreams and a jackass to pay for it."  ~Author Unknown