foundations: the chic work bag

the chic work bag by j.crew (also in canvas)

this is an item that can be maddening to shop for - every woman wants one that's chic, well-made, functional, and looks expensive without costing a month's salary. jenna lyons must have read everyone's minds, because j.crew has come out with the perfect work bag this season. 

foundations: the silk blouse

        the feminin blush silk blouse | the masculin slouchy silk button-down

i've just finished watching Season 2 of Downton Abbey (if you're a DA fangirl too, hit me up on twitter), so i can't help but be inspired by all the flowy Edwardian silhouettes as we head into spring. the diaphanous gowns and dresses warrant another post entirely, but the one foundation piece that is as fresh and modern now as it was then is the silk collared blouse. 

foundations: the everyday button-down shirt

 my collection of steven alan reverse seam shirts 

"He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel which lost their folds as they fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray. While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher--shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender and faint orange with monograms of Indian blue. Suddenly with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.
"'They're such beautiful shirts,' she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. 'It makes me sad because I've never seen such--such beautiful shirts before.'"

--The Great Gatsby

that famous scene from F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel is laden with meaning and a tragic sense of loss, but there's something comical about the whole thing too. it's also one of the great literary passages describing what sounds like a magnificent wardrobe. a great button-down is so important, and my everyday favorites are my steven alan reverse seam shirts.

NYFW LOL

the latest video from the geniuses behind Sh*t Fashion Girls Say. "does this outfit need a red lip?" also: "Andre Leon Talley is my spirit animal." hilarious!!

p.s.: this and their other video is great too. "i'm really into statement necklaces..." and "ohmygod i HATE my bangs!!!"

lust & found: the wildcard party shoe

the dolce vita Deco disco platforms, in magenta and taupe (on sale)

if there's one shoe that's always been missing in my closet, it's the slightly wild, colorful party shoe. 

foundations: shoe care and maintenance

the holy trinity of footwear: 

custom leather Chucks, Golden Goose biker boots, Isabel Marant boots

let me begin by saying that if you want to quickly break in a brand new pair of Chucks, just wear them for a week in China. your Chucks will thank you for giving them that authentically worn-in look in record time!

spoken word: Lin // out of the bag

over the holiday break, the lovely and stylish Lin from one of my favorite blogs, out of the bag asked if she could interview me on style and blogging. you can read her post on my q&a here. lin's elegantly minimalist style and beautifully composed posts are a constant source of inspiration for me, so, of course i had to interview her as well! 

foundations: timeless essentials

Susie Bubble in her Barbour via

i've set up a new essentials feature in my blog tabs menu. this will allow me to periodically assess what is working in my wardrobe. i've also organized accordingly some of my relevant older posts and reviews, so hopefully it will be helpful as well!

incidentally, i found this rather charming article on the storied Barbour jacket.

be mine.

love this shirt. that is all. 

and a great gift idea too now that i think about it...for yourself and others ;-)

cloud computing

my closet essentials, by wordle via lin's excellent blog. quite accurate!

also, when i wordled my blog, this is what came up: