Thursday, May 13, 2010

Olivia - Can I Call You 'Liv?'

Just got a $195 Olivia Harris clutch for $49! It's black leather and approximately 10"x6"x1.5" with cool lines that oddly enough remind me of the Flux Capacitor from Back to the Future.

Love this brand. Here's how they describe themselves:

"The OH line of bags is younger, edgier, and a little grittier then her older sister 'Gryson'."

Edgy, gritty, rock and rock, we're gonna be friends. So can I call ya' Liv?

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

About That Wedding Outfit...

So here it is, or an adaptation at least. As I mentioned my actual dress is from last season, but this one is also Rebecca Taylor and it's the same shade of blue. I like to think that mine is a bit edgier as the polished cotton is tone on tone blue zebra print; I threw in the bangle to add that missing element.

And don't forget the handsome man I'll have on my arm, it wouldn't do justice to the Madonna homage if I didn't ;)


The Pre-Metallics Era

When I was growing up when getting dressed for a formal event (whether it be a bat mitzvah or a sweet 16), you wore black shoes. There were no fancy metallic options unless they were of the Nina brand bridal shoe variety and therefor, to be avoided.

Then, somewhere between High School and College, right around the same time "black pants" were replaced by jeans as the new going out attire, metallics were reintroduced to the fashion canon. And so black shoes became the footwear equivalent of a dirty word to me.

Black shoes with a pink dress? Ew, what was I, like, 40 or something?


Now, several years later, I have come to appreciate the black shoe again, but in a different way. Now black is used as an accent, a statement of contrast, like it's used with pink at Victoria's Secret or as a color scheme for a wedding.

With this in mind I am choosing to wear black shoes with a blue dress to an upcoming family wedding in Florida. The dress is from last season, but I'll attempt to create a collage that's as close to the real thing as possible on Polyvore and post in a bit.

I guess when it comes to black, you can go back.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Promised Polyvore Posting

So here's an idea of how I styled my new AllSaints skirt for dinner last nice. It's so comfy and I must admit that I felt terrible cool in it, but of course the best part of the night was the company. (Especially since no skirt could pull me out of the mood that a multitude of Liz Lemon situations put me in.)


Thursday, May 6, 2010

AllSaints Day

When I was in London a few years back my roommate Steph and I stumbled across a little shop in Covent Garden on Long Acre called AllSaints. After yet another trip to Zara, which despite having British buyers was still very similar to the selection in the US, we walked into a store a few doors down and began to mill around.

The exposed brick walls and sparse metal fixtures gave the place a great vibe, very industrial, and the great clothes with their deconstructed lines and cool color palette, which could technically be described as neutral and washed but is really anything but, complete the very London vibe.

We browsed and tried on tons of stuff but, being students on study-abroad budgets and the exchange rate being about .50 cents on the dollar, wound up each getting 1 item: the exact same leopard print slip dress with chains draped across the back. It was on sale and when we both came out of the dressing room you could tell we both loved it since our mutual reaction was ‘well when are we ever going to be together that we have to worry about wearing it to the same event?’ (Steph was an undergrad and I was the only grad student on the trip; so, while we still chat from time to time, we’ve definitely never worn the dress at the same time) and we immediately changed so we could rush up to the register.

The chatty sales person let us know they’d be opening a location in Ibiza next and one in New York “soon.” Upon returning home I checked once or twice to see if they were opening up in the US, but eventually forgot about the store.

Fast Forward to a few months ago; I’m on People.com and I notice that Pink is wearing this kick a** leather jacket and, sure enough, it’s from AllSaints. Within nanoseconds I’m on their website and pleased as punch to realize that it’s the same shop I’d loved in London not so long ago. Still no NY store but they did have a US website and, as it turns out, they ship from New Jersey so when I placed my order for 3 dresses for my Vegas trip the package arrived in 24 hours. No joke.

Naturally I joined their mailing list and the other day Christmas came early because I received an e-mail saying that they will be opening up a Soho location this month! I can’t wait to be able to try everything on instead of selectively ordering items I’m almost positive will fit.

Plus I’m really hesitant about ordering shoes online and, despite my secret desire to totally master the Anglo-style, I just haven’t been able to persuade myself to order one of their many pairs of combat boots. In addition to being unsure about fit, there are just so many styles to choose from and I may actually make a day out of selecting a pair at the new store. Crazy, I know, but if you didn’t understand these desires of mine, you probably wouldn’t be reading my blog.

P.S. I’ll post Polyvore collages of my most recent purchases soon. I’ve been playing around with how I’ll style them since they arrived earlier this week. <3

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

S&TC: 2

To say that I am a fan of Sex and the City is an understatement; it is hands down my favorite show of all time, so when the first movie came out I was skeptical. The final episode of the show's 6 season run was perfect and it's culmination had even conveniently coincided with my graduation from college.

For 4 years S&TC got me through it all; from hook-ups to break-ups. My roommates and I watched the VHS tapes of the first 2 seasons so much that they wore thin, which we then replaced with the DVDs. We spent long hungover weekends watching the girls and their city, which was also our city, change and grow together. So when it was time for all of us to move on from the safe haven of college, it only seemed fitting that the show would end at the same time.

In 2008, when the first movie came out, I was going through yet another major life change. Despite my rocky emotional state, I got dressed in my most Carrie-esque skirt and a white tank and I stood outside of the movie's premier at Radio City Music Hall to watch the stars go by. Hoards of people stood on that street and the skies opened up and it began to pour and I decided, I simply didn't care. With no room to move on the crowded and blockaded sidewalk, I decided to use this as my opportunity to get closer to metal guardrail that stood between me and the street, with all of my favorite characters on the other side.

Yes, I know that they are just that; characters, but they were characters that meant the world to me. From them I learned that it is okay to be imperfect. It is okay to be older and single (not that I'm quite at "older" yet, but when I am I will think of these women) as long as you've got your friends. I learned that I am not a simple girl, I am a Katie girl ("Ka-ka-ka-katie, ca-ca-ca-curly!") and there is no one else I would rather be.

So while bloggers and reporters and everyone else with internet access is bashing the soon to be released Sex & the City 2, where the girls wind up in Abu Dhabi (an admittedly ridiculous location), I eagerly await it. For no other reason than I am a fan and these characters, who restore wonderful meaning to the term "Leading Ladies," still mean the world to me.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Three Cheers for Polyvore!

After realizing that reading lists of outfits I've put put together in bullet format is about as exciting as waiting for your fresh coat of OPI to dry at the nail salon, I joined Polyvore, a virtual styling website.

The site is so great, you can put together items as you've styled them or ask other users to style an item you can't quite figure out on your own.

It's oodles and oodles of fun and it's free and I'm still just figuring it out, but I can't wait to play around with the site.

Here's my first set, which is how I styled my black AllSaints Temptress dress for Vegas:
Find me on Polyvore
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