talbots

In a Jingle Jangle Morning

The vibe of today’s post was inspired in part by Foxygen’s song entitled San Francisco on their album We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic. However, true to form, rather than looking much like the girl in the video, I think I’m more a reflection of the male singer. Besides that, I hoped to channel the great era that brought the musical revolution which erupted from Haight Ashbury in the 60s. I might be more like Fred from Scooby Doo, but luckily, 70s in coming in, right?

I spent all marveling walking from Chinatown over to Haight Ashbury and Golden Park, marveling over the quaint Victorian houses along the way. At one point, I found a park with a wonderful view, shown below. I was in awe of the fortune of my find. Little did I know, I had only stumbled onto the typical tourist path and was taking pictures of none other than the Painted Ladies, a la Full House fame. Nevertheless, it was still a nice surprise. My blisters the next day were not.

Off Duty: St. Augustine

‘Tis the season for fashion bloggers to escape to some beachy wonderland. I keep seeing delicate beachside rompers and embroidered cotton maxis flowing in the wind alongside the sashes of floppy hats. But let’s be real here– when I am at the beach, I am decidedly off duty (not to mention Northern Florida is hardly the sunny paradise for half nakedness). Enter some cozy lounge chic. Here’s my rendition of dressing up without actually going to the effort when you’re seaside (also be warned, this anchor only signals the beginning of what is going to be a very nautical spring).

Outfit Details: Scarf: Talbots | Sweatshirt: J.W. Anderson | Jeans: Acne | Shoes: Keds | Nails: OPI- Can’t Find My Czechbook (cutest name, right?)

And I Said What About…

Happy New Years Again! Though yesterday was devoted to the launch of my new Eccentric Glamour link-up (open through tomorrow!), we wanted to continue celebrating the advent of 2015 by paying an homage to one of my favorite movies: Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Specifically, we chose to recreate the scene where Holly and Paul/Fred steal two masks from the Five and Dime (after spending a long morning having a ring engraved at Tiffany’s) and run all the way home. The scene always seems so full of vibrance, life, and adventure. Holly and Fred are only beginning to acknowledge their feelings for one another, and as they run from the store, it’s like they are making the first steps into their new future (a good goal for 2015, we think). We hope we can bring you a better year full of excitement, mystery and panache (even if my European tour is over).

Also, each New Year’s I make a list of 50 movies I’d like to see in the new year. If you have any you think should make the list (and could compete with Breakfast at Tiffany’s), please comment below!

Outfit Details: Coat: Isaac Mizrahi Live | Dress: Talbots (old) | Hose: Primark | Shoes: Pour La Victoire | Masks: Party City

**I do not own the rights to any of the Breakfast at Tiffany’s screenshots, so use them at your own risk, and please do not link back. Thanks!

Beachy Cliff: A Romance

The British Romantic poets and writers were profoundly affected by the vision of the Swiss Alps. After the dreary slopes of the English countryside, the towering edifices were the embodiment of mystery, the promise of adventure and peril, and the unspeakably delicious thrill of the unknown. Now, their radical break from the orderly and structure-loving conventions exemplified in the Enlightenment is commonly interpreted to be the stuff of surprise flower deliveries. But rather than humming “your song” (if you’re with someone) or daydreaming about their sense of humor (if you’re not), as we stare into the abyss of uncertainty buzzing around a new year, I have chosen to resurrect the true Romantic meaning.

As we look towards the frightful and awesome unknown that is 2015, instead of approaching it with trepidation or even boredom, I will choose to see it for the huge opportunities (or obstacles) it can bring… even if the wind is an absolute torrent along the way. Make sure to take a moment to reflect on the romantic possibilities that lie ahead!

Upscale Autumn: Palatial Pairings

In all my time at Oxford two years ago, somehow I never got out to nearby Woodstock to visit Blenheim Palace. Honestly, I think it was because I got the idea that it was a big picnic area next to a house in the middle of nowhere (ergo, not worth the bus ride and 18 pound entry fee). I was, in a word, incorrect. While there are ample grounds one might fancy picnic-ing on and while it is in the middle of nowhere, even the most understated could hardly call Blenheim a house.

Granted by Queen Anne to the Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace was built to memorialize (wait for it) the Battle of Blenheim (the Duke’s famous victory in the War of Spanish Succession. Over the next hundred years, its interiors were gradually stripped as subsequent heirs squandered the fortune, and it looked quite different (on the inside) from its former standing when a young Winston Churchill came to reside there (on his holidays from boarding school).

While I was surprised to learn of Churchill’s aristocratic roots (even though a John Churchill was the name of the Duke of Marlborough, so it probably should have been more intuitive), I was not particularly surprised that such a big personality would be raised somewhere so grand in scale– it also gave new meaning to the background behind his tomes on English military history (since he was virtually living in their mausoleum). Judging by the grounds and gardens, he also had plenty of absolutely stunning places to sit back and write. There are a few more pictures than usual in this collection, but it was all so stunning, I didn’t want to omit anything!

The adjoining chapel, which catered to the town.

Upon planning our palace visit, I wanted to make sure that I really felt the part. Conveniently, I had also never tried Laduree macaroons. In a thoroughly undignified manner, I proceeded to tote no less than 10 macaroons to Blenhiem (don’t worry, I shared). It was so lovely eating the height of French patisserie while casually lounging in the gardens. Did a few of the stray garbled crumbs intermingle the tastes? Sure (but that’s just more macaroon). This leads me to a little unsolicited travel advice: if you want for something to feel a certain way and you have a certain idea in your head, create that ambiance, and your memories are more likely to reflect the intent of your efforts. This is not to say you should go crazy with the Breton stripe in Paris, but if everything is better with ice cream, give yourself the ice cream (or macaroon, or truffle, or eclair, insert sweet thing here)!

Outfit Details:

These are not very helpful at all, but I’ll include them, nevertheless.
Scarf (shown in first picture): Estate Sale Treasure ($1.00)
Blazer: Estate Sale ($9.00)
Blouse: Talbots (hand-me-down)
Necklace: gift
Green Suit Separate Pants: Antonio Melani
Satchel: Fossil (ebay)
Boots: Tommy Hilfiger (S/S: 2014)
I go into this detail as a reminder that it’s not how much you pay, but how you wear it that determines whether or not you look palatial!

Counter Culture: White Provision

One of the “rules” that most annoyed me as a child was the unspoken mandate that white was unacceptable after Labor Day. Seriously, why did half of my wardrobe become unnecessarily moot when Fall in Georgia doesn’t begin until November? While the ban on whites acted as a good excuse to buy new shoes, I never liked wearing off-white (let’s be honest– it’s not “off” it’s dirty), or really changing my routine at the behest of some old lady’s exaggerated interpretation of Emily Post. If we don’t wear black for two years anymore when someone dies, why hang on to the rest of the Victorian eccentricities to dress?

By now it’s probably clear that this post offers an example rejecting this rule into Fall, and in order to show you how, I went to a neighborhood in Atlanta, affectionately (and somewhat jarringly) called the “White Provision.” The name comes from an old shirt factory building that remains in the area (though no longer making shirts).

A lot of great food places line the opposite side of the building, including Atlanta’s number one rated resturant Bachanalia. However, if the 5-course prix fixe menu is out of your budget, the operation has an adjoining cafe/ bakery called Star Provision, where you can sample the kitchen’s fares before commiting to the date night. In my case, I shared a charcuterie and a box of sweets (go for the ginger cookie!).

As for my outfit, I’m wearing knock off Ray Bans, a Talbots white linen blazer (thrifted), a Chloe sequin tank top (Ebay), vintage Givenchy purse (Ebay), Gap white skinny jeans, Primark heels, and a ribbon literally taken from an Agent Provacateur box. My necklace is thrifted as well. As far as carrying white into Fall, I think that jeans are a great way to go. While seasonally appropriate, they still make enough of a statement, but will pair well with Fall separates. The blazer, I think, is a harder sell, especially this one since it’s linen….

A quick word on blazers: if there is one item that you look for in a thrift store, try blazers. I think they are a very good intro. to the art of effectively shopping for used clothes. Most generic blazers will run you somewhere in the range of 40 dollars, which is a disgruntling price to pay for a glorified cardigan (unless of course it has elbow pads.. in which case do what you have to do). Most blazers are going to look less sketchy on the rack than a lot of the other hand-me-downs, and a lot of times you can score on some great brands you might not have been able to find otherwise. I know I’ve found DKNY, Pendleton, Brooks Brothers, Talbots, and Ann Taylor to name a few.

Alright. It’s your turn. Go on out there and crush some Victorian sensibilities, and when you do, be sure to share in a comment below. I’d love to see your interpretation of “Winter White.”

Haiti Part 4- The French Caribbean

Ladies and Gentleman, I’ve saved the best of Haiti for last. Again, with an unfortunate, yet sartorial flair for the colonial, I bring you my last and favorite combo. We walked around all day, and I felt like something out of Monaco. I’ve never been to Monaco, so I don’t know if the people are really glitzy or kitschy, but you know the scene in To Catch a Thief when Cary Grant has to escape the police and drives to some resort? That was me. Eventually, he and Grace end up in Monaco with their big plan to catch the “cat.”

Slinking along like the “cat”…

The scarves in this movie are so good…. almost as good as the cameos. See what Cary Grant is wearing? It almost looks like my strewn room.

Tres francais, n’est pas?

Hat: local gem
Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters
Scarf: Estate Sale
Blazer: Talbots
Shirt: French Connection (ebay)
Purse: vintage Givenchy (ebay)
Pants: The Row (also seen here and here)
Shoes: Clarks

Madeline meets Dubai in South Bend

This week in South Bend, ~~a squirrel frolicked amongst the hedgerows~~ I found this wall:

I also found the Chanel 2015 Cruise collection and its ingenious pairing of tunic/ pant sets. (These photos link back to the Chanel website, where I got them).

This collection is an education on the “piquant pant.” Yes, you could run through the mountains bare-legged (probably unshaven) in your Salvation Army shirt-made-dress, but why would you when you can look perfectly chic and tailored in 1. see-through geometry pants? 2. sailor swag pants? 3. Harem pants (all day long)? Frankly, I’m ecstatic. Manrepeller termed them “unnecessary but deeply necessary pants.” I would have to agree, but would go one step further. On the strawberry walnut salad that is the outfit, it seems that Lagerfeld’s ankle-cinched pants are the dressing. You could go low-cal boring, trying to choke down spinach and iceberg without something to whet your whistle, but the taste simply won’t be “piquant” without the wisp of vinaigrette. I got my first taste of this melangé last year in India.

Pay no attention to the sunscreen-slathered blonde-haired reflector beam who in her Lawrence-of-Arabla-cultural-appropriating frenzy decided to shop for ~~tunics~~ kurtas at the open market based on color combinations alone (because I am one size to fit all). The point is India rocks the “tunic” cinched- ankle combo, and using the term “regional” loosely, I feel like as Lagerfeld is known to do, he kept this in mind designing Chanel’s 2015 Cruise looks.

So for those of us who want to look Chanel at the supermarket (as our consumer spirits should now be more than blitzed for), how can you bring the look home short of a Sailor Moon tweed tornado? Here’s my interpretation, un peu francais, n’est pas?

I started with color. A hybrid pair of sometimes pants, maybe leggings, and a bright dress set the tone. The hat and collar reminded me of Madeline (twelve little girls in two straight lines sounds almost like a runway), and the scarf was a piece which preserved the Dubai vibe while remaining distinctly Parisien. What do you think?

Outfit Details:
Dress: GAP outlet
Scarf as Belt: Talbots (thank you Mimi)
Pants: The Row (ebay) also shown here
Shoes: Anthropologie
Spotlight on Accessories:
Hat: Antiquing
Collar: I cut this off of an otherwise frumpy Primark clearance shirt (and it was well worth the pound I paid for it!)
La Petit Prince Watch: Madrid find!
Ring: Fossil

I’m sharing this to my favorite link-ups, Patti’s Visible Monday over at Not Dead Yet Style and Trend-SPin at The Fashion Canvas. Check it out, or even better join in!

Second Verse Same as the First

Happy May Day! I hope you are able to find a suitable Maypole on this most revelrous of holidays. When I was studying in Oxford, my first night out we met a real life Morris dancer! He was this huge burly guy with an very long electric orange beard. The five of us were crowded around this wisp of a table (and there couldn’t have been more than 5 tables in the pub), while this man just told us insane stories and demanded that he buy us fine Irish sipping whiskeys.

It was all rather surreal, but to commemorate the day, I’ve decided to borrow from the British invasion for the title of this post (you can cheat and click the link if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

I really like the idea of being able to take the same basic elements and create various outfits with distinctly different feelings. Here’s my example. I’ve started with :

Black crop top (Urban Outfitters- $5.00)
Jean Skater Skirt (Urban Outfitters-$10.00- on sale now)
Pink Oversize Sunglasses (Urban Outfitters-$18.00 in stores now)
Blue Floral Tights (Thrifted-$2.00)
Pink Cut-Out Walking Shoes (Clarks UK)

I know it’s noxiously UO, but I’ve been skulking along their sales racks. You can recreate virtually the same look (give or take the cropped shirt) fairly easily and inexpensively (although I’d advise avoiding impulse buying sunglasses :P). From here it’s up to you to explore!

I wanted to start with an outfit that I thought I might could get away with before Mimi scoffed at the crop top. I added this Aztec meets Jackie O Anthropologie coat, a floral scarf as belt, and a 1950s(?) floral hat that always reminds me of synchronized swimming.

Just when I think I’m getting better with the camera, I lose an arm…

It’s quite ironic to me that while being covered up nearly head to toe, people can be scandalized or find the skin gap indiscreet. I’m sorry, but no one is going to be turned on by my Starbucks bulge (aka white mocha (it’s even taken on the color) holder, aka stomach). Let me be and pretend that I’m in California as the weather vacillates between 40 and 70. To be honest, I was so self conscious wearing the crop top all day. I kept thinking “people will think I’m fat,” “people will think I’m promiscuous (except I used various synonyms depending on my varying histrionics).” But neither of those seemed like legitimate reasons to not try the style.

But I did cheat a little. I did not show belly button (heaven forbid!). Fun Fact- When I Dream of Jeannie first aired, the network demanded that Barbara Eden’s belly button not show in her costume, as they thought it would be far too scandalous for their viewer audience.

The veritable bra and see-through pants though? Those were fine. So I’m with Babs here on the next one.

This was supposed to be aiming more at a Joni Mitchell, festival-friendly (without feeling dirty) look. I added an estate sale black bag, locket watch necklace, and blue brimmed hat (charity shop in Oxford). I think the secret to festival, flowy hair looks is a broad-brimmed hat. This one is pretty small. The ideal is the love child of Indiana Jones and a floppy hat.

Here’s a close up on accessories:

Earrings: marketplace in India
Locket-watch necklace: Native American store- Athens, Georgia
Rings: Fossil, Notre Dame bookstore, and I found one on the ground… can you guess which is which?
Scarf: Talbots

Happy May Day!

Shared to: Hat Attack, Three-fer Thurday

The Clothesline

Style for people blowing in the wind