Oversize It: Spring Edition

Gap men's polo, vintage fringe skirt, Rochas bag, Tenoversix glasses, Bass slides

If I could have my way, I would wear oversize everything all the time.  Of course, that's not a very attractive strategy, so I have to pick and choose my oversizing accordingly.  For Fall, this means mostly oversize sweaters and coats.  For Spring, that means polos, shorts, jackets, sweaters, t-shirts...almost everything!  Can you tell I'm getting more than a bit excited to have so many options with which to cloak myself as a wad of extra fabric, swishing all about me! I know some may fear the oversize, I think it's pretty easy to incorporate without looking like a complete slob:  for every oversize item, counterbalance with one tailored, more polished item.  I chose this amazing vintage pencil skirt I found with my oversize (read: men's) polo.  Never have really done the polo/pencil skirt combo, but I'm kinda digging the Florida retiree vibe.  Just give me a plastic flamingo and a pina colada and I'm set!

Spring Greening

 H&M x Marni Jacket, Tibi dress, Genetic Denim jeans, Giuseppe Zanotti boots

 I've been dipping in the green hair pool for the last year or so, and with the lust for summer days growing fast, I couldn't help but speed up the greening process in anticipation.  Though, with all the incessant talk about "punk" due to the Met's Costume Institute's annual exhibit--which this year attempts to sum up punk's influence on high fashion-- I was a bit reticent to follow through, lest I look too non-punk by joining in on the punking process by having green hair. But then it would totally be a greater sin to be lame enough to care about about being punk....and so on. Then my brain got so twisted, I just went ahead and did it because I like it (and would destroy my hair going blonde or something else more "natural").  Just don't call it punk.

Saturn in Scorpio

 Ostwarld Helgason sweatshirt, J. Crew turtleneck, Prada skirt, Tibi boots

As an enthusiastic yet wary reader of astrology (Susan Miller!), the news that Saturn--bringer of all things difficult and scary--is in my sun sign (Scorpio) until 2015 has fazed me more than I'd like to admit.  Apparently, when Saturn is transiting in your sign, everything is up for grabs--secrets are revealed, plans changed, life goals reassessed.  Sounds fun, right?  Well, I try not to take astrology as gospel (can I say that?), but somehow thoughts of change and reorganization keep creeping into my mind.  First and foremost (as far as this blog is concerned) is a preoccupation with my style.  I don't really have a specific thing I want to change, but after a couple years in fashion, and a whole lot of access to clothing, I just. feel. cluttered. Without forsaking love of color, pattern, and whimsy (and without falling pray to a "uniform"), I want everything in my closet to be something I would wear everyday, everywhere (with the exception of a few indulgent collector's pieces, of course). For someone who loves the challenge in "pulling something off", this is proving to be difficult and even overwhelming.  I'd also rather not be so vain as to spend hours or days scrutinizing myself and my clothing to decide what constitutes my sartorial "essence" (isn't that what being a teenager is for?).  I'd rather leave it to a natural process of elimination and evolution: WHICH IS TAKING TOO LONG.  Saturn, unfortunately, does not impart increased patience.  Until epiphany strikes, I guess I'll just have to settle for looking and feeling like an alien in my own body.  Thanks, Saturn, you're outta this world.

NYFW FW13 Day 7 (Last One!)

 via Mark Iantosca / Refinery29

Rochas sweater, J.W. Anderson jacket and skirt, tights from high school, Aldo shoes, French Connection bag, Karen Walker sunglasses

 via Fashion Magazine

 via Hannah Saleh / Essence

 via Adam Katz Sindig / W Magazine

via Candace Lake / Vogue UK

NYFW FW13 Day 6

 via French Vogue

Joe Fresh dress, Wolford turleneck, H&M x Marni jacket, Shoemint bag, Balenciaga boots, Lookmatic x Tenoversix sunglasses

 via harpersbazaar.com

via WhereDidUGetThat

via Candace Lake

NYFW FW13 Day 5

 via fabsugar.com

Altuzarra sweatshirt, Joe Fresh men's shorts, Rebecca Minkoff boots, Claire Vivier clutch, Zimmermann hat, H&M umbrella

via Adam Katz Sindig / wmagazine.com

via huffingtonpost.com

via Guerre / marieclaire.com

NYFW FW13 Day 4

via Candice Lake / Vogue UK

Prada dress, Rochas shoes, Marni gloves, Emm Kuo bag, Lafayette 148 fur scarf

 via Stylecaster

 via Fashionista / Ashley Jahncke

 via Vanity Fair

NYFW FW13 Day 3

via Tamu Mcpherson /All the Pretty Birds

Joseph shearling, Proenza schouler dress, boots, and bag, Westward leaning sunglasses 

via Mario Villanueva

via Mario Villanueva

via Tommy Ton/style.com

 via Mark Iantosca / Refinery29

 via Garance Dore

NYFW FW13 - Day 2 (aka Nemo's Big Day Out)

Stay tuned for additional pics due to the umm BLIZZARD and my only going outside once, but this will do for now :)

Eugenia Kim hat, 10 Crosby jacket, T by Alexander Wang sweater, vintage skirt, Marni bag, Marc Jacobs boots

NYFW Fall 13 - Day 1

 via wmagazine.com / Adam Katz Sindig

Dagmar coat, Sachin + Babi blouse, Dries Van Noten pants, H&M bag, Etienne Aigner shoes, Kate Spade sunglasses

via HarpersBazaar.com / Diego Zuka

via An Unknown Quantity / Wataru Bob Shimosato

via style.com / Tommy Ton

via Mario Villanueva

NYFW FW13 - Day 0

via WWD

Vince coat, Northern Watters sweater, Les Chiffonier pant, J Crew pumps, Malene Birger clutch, Club Monaco gloves

via Vogue.com

NYFW Preview

Creatures of the Wind jacket, J. Crew leather skirt, Wolford tights, Old Navy boots

Somehow, NYFW is just around the corner--how did this happen??  While I'm scrambling to put together outfits, I came across this Creatures of the Wind jacket I was lucky enough to snag at the Net-A-Porter sale.  The COTW boys are quickly becoming my most looked-forward-to show at NYFW--their collection are always unexpected, but exceptionally beautiful, which can be a rarity amongst the sea of cute, but largely unimaginative sportswear that seems to envelope the fashion landscape in New York.  Although true to the sense of practicality that distinguishes American fashion from other fashion capitals, COTW infuses newness into the everyday (and often the nostalgic) with unique details, a daring use color, and witty sense of proportion (as I think this jacket illustrates perfectly). Nothing ever looks retread or borrowed--influences are present, but not overt or overpowering.  Pretty much everything a good designer should aspire to. Part of me wonders if they've been so successful creatively  because they aren't based in New York and free from both the intentional and unintentional incestuousness of the fashion "scene". If the winners of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award the last couple of years are any indication, the best new talent seems as (if not more) likely to be found outside of New York as within (COTW in 2011 and LA's Elder Statesman in 2012).  Whether that's a macro trend or not remains to be seen, but COTW are doing a lot of things right no matter where they call home.

Rites of Passage

 Etienne Aigner dress, Tommy Hilfiger Turtleneck, Alexander Wang pants, Cynthia Rowley Shoes, Leftover holiday cheer

As much as I loathe spending 3 hours+ sitting in a salon watching paint (literally) dry, getting one's hair done is a ritual to which we fashion types must all succumb at least a couple times a year.  My time came a few weeks ago, and I basically just went for a re-up.  The neon highlighter highlights I tussled with in the fall got a bit bolder and more pronounced (with the plan to fade gradually). The excess of toxic hair, I find, goes quite well with both the minimal and over-the-top.  Here, I went with the former--a minimal leather work look inspired by the skirts and tunics over pants that have been popping up in Pre-Fall 2013 (Givenchy, Rochas, Celine, Acne, etc).  The layering is a great way to minimize a statement leather piece (like this amazing Etienne Aigner dress that I am beyond obsessed with) and make it work-appropriate, functioning as a complement to a conservative look, rather than the star of the show itself.  Pop on a blazer and no one would even know you're wearing enough leather to reupholster  your driver's seat. 

vomitface

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  This is what I've been working on with my bf instead of blogging (oops!).  Have a couple more to finish up, but here is a sneak peak demo.  Listen on decent speakers if you can since it's a rough mix and VERY VERY down-tuned.  For those who like to grunge....

The G Word

DKNY sweater, Elizabeth & James skirt, Underground creepers

Since Dries SS13 isn't available for a few more months, I thought I would get myself in the *whispers grunge * mood to prepare for its onset in Feb. I am indeed old enough to remember the first coming of grunge, which, unfortunately, did no sartorial favors to my rotund 10-yr old self.  This fact did not, however, stop me from attempting to fray my impeccably neat jeans and tie some boys' flannels around my waist.  Thankfully, I have a second chance and I'm not yet too old to partake in grunge's resurrection. This time the planning (and fit!) will be a little better. Most notably, I am hoping having proportions of some kind as opposed to a general ovoid shape will allow grunginess to drape more favorably on my person. To begin: the striped oversize (but not too oversize!) nubby sweater is a given, but this plaid Elizabeth and James skirt manages to elevate my dear grunge leanings with a favorite from another by-gone era--an Edwardian mini-bustle.  The constriction of the Edwardian era seems to be at odds with the liberated ethos of grunge, but really, the bustle only feeds back  (GET IT?) into the whole grunge thing, since at its essence, grunge was less a coherent "look" and more just an amalgamation of thrifted/vintage clothing curated by equal parts personal style, sense of humor, and desire to be warm (flannels, I'm looking at you).

CURRENTLY COVETING: Tocca Gilbert Hooded Mohair Coat

Original striped sweater inspiration: