pinch of poppy

Part 2 of the Love Charles Vintage thrift swap begins! This top could have gone with any number of skirts, but with the unseasonably warm weather, I was craving something bright and spring-like. Perhaps winter might concede an early defeat this year?

top (via the Love Charles Vintage swap)
vintage blazer (similar here)
Hermès bangles 
ASOS necklace
Michael Kors watch
pleated skirt c/o Romwe
Proenza Schouler pumps
vintage Louis Vuitton bag

Chictopia Joie Girl Contest Winner!

Congrats to Marcella, the winner of the Chictopia Joie Contest! This beautiful and stylish lady will be featured in Joie's upcoming spring campaign! I was honored to be a guest judge for this contest. It was very hard to pick from all of the creative entries, but we were able to narrow down our second and third runner-ups to Likefreshlaundry and TickTockTap. Check out all of their looks on Chictopia!

LikeFreshLaundry

TickTockTap

dream hair

A good friend of mine just got a Louise Brooks-style haircut and it got me thinking about hair. Despite my somewhat static hairstyle, I actually have quite a sizable hair inspiration folder. As you might guess from some of these, my mind has been on soft curls for quite some time now... Any ideas on how to make that happen?

(hair inspo via vintagegal, Fashion Gone Rogue, latinamericana, The Swinging Sixties, gimmeavisky, Wicked Halo)

dizzouble dizzutch

This has pretty much been my uniform for running errands lately. This sweater is another one of my scores from that rather productive trip to Unique Thrift. Perfect length and very soft. I love a good cowlneck.

Ray-Ban wayfarers
thrifted sweater
H&M jacket (old, but similar here)
Michael Kors watch
Zara jeans
Karen Millen boots (old, but similar here)
KMRii bag

snowflakes

I think winter finally arrived this weekend. I actually don't mind a light dusting of snow, so long as it doesn't mess with the roads. I think I would feel cheated not to get just a little bit of snow in wintertime (operative word being "little"). Also makes a wonderfully clean background for slightly garish costumes.

vintage Brooks Brothers coat (similar here)
Kate Hill dress
Brooks Brothers cardigan
Bally bag
Michael Kors watch
Topshop tights (sold out, but similar here and here)
Zara shoes
Essie nail polish in 'Dive Bar'
Lipfusion Infatuation in 'Screen Siren'

mix 'n match

It's been a while since I did a home-related post, but I'm back on the hunt for inspiration after fabric shopping for living room pillows. Maybe I'll share the final product when I'm "finished," (is any room ever truly finished, though?). Anyway, since patterns have been on my mind, I find myself scouring the internets for interesting combinations. I'm always fascinated by how people balance prints.

(inspiration via notmybeautifulhome, desire to inspire, Design*Sponge, NY Times, Inspirations Déco, Sea of Shoes)

"It's after six. What am I, a farmer?"

It's still winter so I'm cramming velvet and sparkle into my recent ensembles to get it all out of my system in preparation for spring.  Something strikes me as "Upper East Side" about this blazer, though you wouldn't know it from the price tag. In fact, this blazer is one of the spoils of a fruitful thrifting expedition made with Megan and Sarah over the holidays. We checked out Unique Thrift in Falls Church, which I've been hearing about for ages, but had never been to. For some reason, I had pictured it as a mass free-for-all and prepared myself to spend the afternoon rummaging through piles of questionable clothes. In reality, I found it to be very organized and I was hard-pressed to find holes or stains on the majority of the clothing (not the norm for most of my thrifting). I recommend all of you local readers check it out if you haven't already!

ASOS necklace
thrifted velvet blazer
Topshop lurex dress
vintage and Hermès bangles
vintage gold cuff (similar here)
Oscar de la Renta ring (similar here)
ASOS stockings
Stuart Weitzman velvet pumps (similar here)
Chanel purse

PS You can always find what I'm shopping for (and coveting) on Currently Obsessed.

I never promised you a rose garden.

Alright, I know this outfit is awfully Alex Chung-ish, but this skirt just oozes girliness. Go big or go home, I guess. And with that, part 1 of the Love Charles Vintage swap is now complete. Next stop for this package is Mousevox Vintage - I can't wait to see how she styles these pieces!

vintage crochet collar blouse
United Colors of Benetton sweater
floral skirt (via Love Charles Vintage swap)
ASOS crochet tights
Zara shoes
Lamarthe tote
Hermès bangles

notes on a thank you card

Taking a little break from writing thank you notes to procrastinate (because, really, isn't that what blogs are for?). Anyway, I thought I'd share my thank you note design, which I created way back when I was putting together the save-the-dates for my wedding. The boots design was inspired by a Crane's card that I liked that had an English foxhunting boot and whip on it. Since I'm an equestrienne and B wears cowboy boots almost exclusively, I thought the two contrasting boots would be a perfect representation of us as a couple. I worked with Just Paper and William Arthur to create my save-the-dates and ended up liking the results so much, I had them make my thank you notes, as well. I highly recommend both if you ever decide to create your own personalized stationary!

green bean

Continuing with the swap, this time with an extremely versatile green sweater vest. I've said this before, but the one problem with participating in a swap is that you end up wanting to keep so many of the items. Alas, this will have to be the one that got away.



Meanwhile, I must profess my love for these darlings. They combine pretty much all shoe elements I coveted in the fall 2011 collections. Oh yeah, and they're cobalt. Sold.

button-down c/o Ann Taylor
thrifted sweater vest (via Love Charles Vintage swap)
Zara pants
Zara shoes