Put A Lid On It

My new hat. Cute, huh?

I bought a hat at Target the other day. It is a summer fedora but I couldn’t pass it up because I love hats. Frequently, however, hats don’t love me back… They are too small or the wrong shape for my face or some other weird thing. This hat fits perfectly and looks good on me, so how could I pass that up? Plus, since it’s off season I got it for a mere $3.88 + tax. Can you beat that?

While I’m happy with that purchase, what I really went in there for was to see if I could find some Fall/Winter accessories so I could stay warm during these chilly seasons. One small problem: I was totally underwhelmed by Target’s offerings this year. That really bummed me out because Target is my go-to place for fashionable, reasonably priced accessories.

So… I had to start looking elsewhere. I admit that so far I’ve only looked online. But I’ve found some stuff that is funky and fun enough for me to be happy with! Here’s what I found:

Kate Spade NY 'Big Apple' hat and convertible mittens @Nordstrom.

I really love the tinge of color on the edges of Kate Spade’s mitten/trapper hat combo and it’s a wool blend so it’s probably super warm. Honestly, the $80+ per piece price range isn’t too terribly realistic right now, so…

Old Navy's 'Color Block' & 'Super Soft Sweater' cold weather accessories.

Old Navy comes to the rescue! All of these pieces are $15 or less… and prove conclusively that I love green! While I do like these pieces the set I found online that I love the most is this multi-color set from Kohl’s.

'Zigzag' slouchy hat and infinity scarf @Kohl's.

I really like the ribbed chevron on the Zigzag set, don’t you? Well, the search continues… Where do you get your cold winter accessories from?

Have a good weekend, everyone! Until next time…

Fall Foliage

I love this pretty fall colored dress with an oversized Calla Lily border print from Anthropologie, $$178.

Technically, Calla Lilys aren’t foliage but they are one of my favorite flowers with their creamy, white, sculptural lines. I came across this amazing dress while flipping through the new Anthropologie catalog. I love the colors (SO fall/autumn) and the lovely drape. I think this would make a great dress for a cocktail party…

Until next time!

All Saints Spitalfields

The front window of the downtown Seattle All Saints Spitalfields.

I went to downtown Seattle yesterday to meet up with my good friend, Chauni, who recently moved into a cute little one bedroom near the Pike Place Market with her boyfriend, Desmond (THE music guy!) and their two cats. I hadn’t seen her in a while so we just walked around town enjoying the amazing weather and talking. While we were over on the Pine street shopping corridor, I spotted this amazing looking shop called All Saints Spitalfields where Coldwater Creek used to be. It was black and had a raft of vintage Singer sewing machines lining the 20′ windows. Good thing Chauni shares my love for all things punk/steampunk because NOT going in wasn’t an option!

These four mannequins were standing watch just inside the entry…

Chauni and I started oohing and ahhing as soon as we hit the front door. We both loved the ruched dress on the mannequin in the front of the store and we also fell in love with a super soft draped dress in a pretty dove gray color. We liked the buckle infested boots on the the other mannequin in the entry and were generally pretty much in love with all the edgy, I’m too cool for words vibe oozing out of every inch of the store.

Another bit we both really liked were the lights that lined the ceiling which you can see in the shot below:

The main floor of the store (there’s a men’s area downstairs).

And I was gaga over the table displays which had mannequins casually sitting on them like they were waiting for a friend to come out of the dressing room or something:

Don’t you love how Ms. Mannequin is just chillaxin’ in such a ladylike manner?

The aesthetic of both the store and the clothing is amazing! If you like your fashion with a little hard bad girl/punk edge but with high end fabrics and detailing this is the place for you. For me, the sizing is too small (they run US 0 – 10) and the pieces are on the pricey side (a tee was $65, the drapey dress was $295) but it would be an awesome place to pick out a special statement piece.

Laced With Sweetness

You know how sometimes you see something and it makes you swoon? Something that literally resonates… Today while looking over ish and chi, the blog of Vivian Mansour, I saw this old post (from August 2010) showing an outfit she wore and a project she worked on… Guess which one I swooned over?

How beautiful is this ensemble!?

It is a two year old post so the gorgeous lace blouse is no longer available at ModCloth… *sigh* I bet some enterprising seamstress could whip up a reasonable copy though. It’d be worth it! I could see wearing a top like this as it’s shown or over a black cami with a pencil skirt and pumps, or over jeans with the sleeves pushed up. It really is a knockout! Anywho, the top may not be available anymore but this pic is definitely inspiration for a silhouette to match with a beloved maxi dress that needs a little extra something.

Want a last closer look?

Dainty and Demure Top.

In other news (somewhat related to my post Truly from earlier this week): I have taken the first steps toward going back to college for an interior design certification/degree. I’m nervous and excited and hoping it all works out for the best. Wish me luck!

Summer Breezes

Indigo Shoal Asymmetric Dress at Anthropologie, $248.

I got an email from Anthropologie today with some previews of their offerings for summer. When I clicked the link this dress caught my eye. If I’m being entirely honest here, I’ve always been a sucker for deep indigo prints on white, no matter what it is (dresses, bedding, dishes…). So this is really floating my boat.

Happy Thursday!

A Spring Thing

Caslon Racerback Maxi Dress, $68 at Nordstroms, Resplendent Statement necklace, $28 at Threadsence, Tingo T-Strap sandals, $78 at Anthropologie

I shared my book find from the thrift store earlier this week but I went there to find black pants for work. I succeeded in my questioning for a pair of nice, inexpensive pants and discovered a brand I’d never heard of as well: Caslon. It is sold at Nordstroms (which explains why I haven’t heard of it, Nordies is out of my price range) and features some nice staple pieces.

Anyway, I decided to check out more about them online and discovered the maxi dress above. I thought it’d be cute with some little added punches of color. I think I’d also throw a yellow boyfriend blazer over it to dress it up a little (I couldn’t find a picture of one that I liked to share here).

So, that’s my attempt at fashion for the week! I truly hope I’m getting better at it. Until next time!

Suited

Crew Neck Coat – $99 and Shorts with Front Rib – $40 both at Zara, Drape Front Blouse – $60 at TopShop.

Billy Bikini Sandal – $57 at Isabel Toledo for Payless, Necco Enameled Rope Necklace – $172 at Shopstyle, Plaited Leather Shopper – $149 at Zara.

So here is yet another attempt at fashion… I think I did a better job this time. I’m kind of old school in that I think there is nothing inherently wrong with matching. So, lots of black to punch up the off white and coral combo. Btw, Zara… Wow! And Threadsence, Asos, and Topshop too!

Happy Friday, readers!

Shoe Blues

Clockwise from top left: Fioni Kutzie Knot Pump – $30, Lela Rose for Payless Mapleton Printed Wedge – $55, Isabel Toledo for Payless Espawind Flatforms – $55, and Christian Siriano for Payless T-Strap Wedge Sandals – $30

I took a quick trip to Payless Shoes (yes, Payless). I was looking for work shoes of the non slip, non marking, oil and water resistant variety. Exciting right? When I didn’t find anything comfortable or attractive in the work shoe department, I thought a quick browse of the new Spring styles would be fun. The four styles above were some of my faves. Apparently, I’m liking blue… and stripes!

Better late than never, friends! Happy Monday… I certainly hope yours was better than mine. See you tomorrow with a totally inspiring room.

Blue/Berry Brights

Short sleeve featherweight cashmere cardigan – $178, patent leather belt, $36.50, and peep toe heels, $198 – J. Crew. Denim blouse, $98 – Anthropologie. Boyfriend jean, and Ikat clutch – Talbots. Silk/wool scarf – Intermix Online, $195.

I’m not really sure how good I am at the whole creating an outfit thing but I’m giving it another try today. I started out going for a completely different look and then I found that scarf… then the new J. Crew catalog with it’s scintillating selection of vibrantly hued cashmere got thrown in the mix. Anyway, I’d wear it… and isn’t that the important thing?

Have a happy Wednesday everyone! I’ll catch you tomorrow!

Lemony Goodness

Clockwise from top left: Threadsence necklace – $24, Old Navy plaid gauze shirt – $25, Anthropologie dress – $398, Anthropologie clutch – $100, Asos sandals – $600.

I haven’t always been a fan of the color yellow. In fact, at one point I was all about neutrals and all other colors be darned! Thankfully, I’m way more open to color now. Good thing too; there are some awesome products in some really amazing hues these days. This part lemony, part yolky bright yellow is adorning a lot of cool things from clothes to interiors. So yeah, I’m a bit obsessed with yellow right now. How about you? What colors are you craving?

Have a great weekend everyone, I’ll see you next time. 🙂