looks to rip

One of the best things about being a weirdo internet stalker is all the amazing inspiration I get from other blogs. Believe me folks, if you think you're safe from my prying, prodding eyeballs, you're not. I'm watching you.

Here are 5 outfits that caught my eye recently, from some of my MVP bloggers.

Trini G is always one of my go-to bloggers when I need inspiration for classic looks. Here she is reminding me that a simple cropped black pant with a trench coat is always a win.

Krystal Simpson always rocks the shit outta menswear looks. I'm going to try to pair a mannish blazer and pants with a floaty chiffon top after seeing this look.

My soul sista/partner in snark Duckalicious always comes up with the most interesting pairings. She's a total mixmaster. This outfit makes me want to attempt to mix acid yellow with cobalt blue accents and my most Cleopatra-esque vintage necklace. I even have a turban similar to the one she's wearing here!

The woman who needs no introduction...Karla of Karla's Closet, wearing yet ANOTHER Shareen Vintage find that makes me green with envy. Must bust out vintage ladylike dresses and pair them with cool-girl hipster accessories like the sunglasses she's wearing here and hope equal cuteness will ensue.

Najeema of A Stylized Hysteria is just one of the many girls who I've seen rocking boyfriend jeans lately. But she's one of the only girls who manages to get the accessories just right--with western-style ankle boots and a rad, southwestern style statement necklace.

Thanks girls! Keep it comin'. You may just see me biting your style. Poorly, of course. The copy can never outshine the original.

with honors

wearing Lorick dress, vintage belt, JC shoes, H&M socks, vintage bag, roommate's ring, random sunglasses

I finally got some sun on my cankles this weekend which gave me an opportunity to wear the Gilt Groupe Lorick dress out of the house for the first time. Short dress + clogs + socks = SO HOT RIGHT NOW. I am also unexpectedly finding that this vintage woven belt makes every outfit better. It's the ketchup of the clothing world.

Special thanks to Rachel from VisualBasic for featuring my likeness in her Blogger Sketch Sunday series! Rach is the real deal--a talented artist, creative thinker, and all around badass chick whose sketches constantly make me wish I had stuck with drawing. Not that I would have turned out half as good as she is, but y'know, I could at least be trying instead of sitting here watching Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch.

Here are Rachel's drawings and the original photos side by side for comparison! Clearly cartoon me is way hotter than real me.






all sketches via VisualBasic

blogger favorites

Zara jacket via Somewhere Here, Style Scrapbook, Swank Heights
Adderbite ring via Styleorectic, Wheredidugetthat

Leather shorts via Late Afternoon, Cherry Blossom Girl

Jessica Simpson shoes via Wheredidugetthat, Fashiontoast, Vintage Lollipops
Grey ant sunglasses via Cherry Blossom Girl, Fashiontoast

Bonadrag lace flares via Vintage Lollipops, Fashiontoast
Chloe Lace-Up Wedges via Karla's Closet, Cherry Blossom Girl
Balenciaga heels via Fashiontoast, Song of Style
Jeffrey Campbell clogs via Going West, Song of Style, Sterling Style, and Wheredidugetthat

I love seeing what all my favorite bloggers are wearing.

ps

I painstakingly added links to every single one of these goddamned blogs, so be a good citizen and familiarize yourself with them! They're all daily reads for me.

running with the fash pack

all photos via Vanessa Jackman

Vanessa Jackman's street style blog is a bit like spending time perusing the impossibly perfect landscape of heaven. It's just as good as you thought it would be. And it's not even the clothing that makes everything so perfect--it's the way the clothing has been styled to suit the needs of each individual. You get the feeling that if each of these women were given the exact same items to wear, they would still manage to look totally unique. That, to me, is the definition of exceptional personal style, and to be honest I'm not certain I have it. Sure, I'm pretty good at donning something someone else told me to wear (it helps if it's Chloe Sevigny, Anna Wintour, Alexa Chung, or the Urban Outfitters catalog). But do I really blaze my own trail? Or am I just following the pack? Ultimately, does it really matter as long as I'm comfortable and have fun with clothes?

Also, is it just me or does the abundance of inane rhetorical questions posed above remind you of an episode of Sex in the City? Reread the first paragraph in Carrie Bradshaw's voice...No, I'm just kidding. Don't do that.

is it weird that i think of you every time i watch "millionaire matchmaker"?

I'm sort of feeling this whole boho/70's/hippie vibe like it's 2005 all over again. I think the people in the pictures above are all pulling it off really well. Yes Sienna, even you.

Fun fact: Shannon, the lovely lady in the center bottom row (and gatekeeper to the magical wonderland known as Dirty Hair Halo) is an old friend of mine from waaay back. I'm pretty sure we made many an adolescent memory together sticking tampons up our noses and going on ghost hunts in my parents' house. And here we are, grown-up, hot, moderately self-absorbed, and suddenly brought together by a mutual love of fashion. Life is so wacky sometimes.

In a feeble and amateurish attempt to cop the styles above, I will need the following items in my aresnal immediately:

i love your street style

All of these pictures are from the amazing street style blog of photographer Vanessa Jackman, which the lovely Esther of Rhapsody in Boots turned me on to. Seeing as how the weekend produced no outfit posts, I think I'll use these to inspire myself and gear up for the week.

curiosity shopping

Sunday's rain provided the perfect opportunity to make my inaugural visit to MOMA as a certified member (thanks mom). While there I took in the selected works of hundreds of painters, photographers, and sculptors commemorating the museum's 75th anniversary and indulged myself in a slice of cake made to look like a Mondrian painting. Later on, a wandering jaunt through the Mission turned up Paxton Gate, a store which sells, inexplicably, the stuffed head of an extremely rare palomino unicorn and a collection of dolls with rodent skull heads dressed in Elizabethan clothing. Because, I guess, why not??

Also, I adore Tavi's hair.

award, (re)ward

Many thanks to the wonderful Anika over at African Tea Party for the Over the Top Award. I thought it would be fitting to include these illustrations by 19-year-old South Korean artist Reno Kim because I first discovered his work over at her blog. You can check out the website here.

Anyhoo, it's one of these question award thingies, and since I'm clearly not very articulate right now, the perfect thing to populate this post. Here it goes.

Where is your cell phone right now? In the living room. Probably with about 10 unheard messages from 5 weeks ago.
Your hair: sucks
Your father: Was not absent during childhood. I therefore cannot claim "daddy issues" as the root of all my adult problems.
Favorite Food: cheese
Last night: I was home from work by 8:30, in bed by 10pm. I have absolutely no memory of what I did during that hour and a half between commute and sleep. Must not have been terribly exciting.
Favorite drink: coffee!
What room are you in? My bedroom. It's too cold to be out of bed right now.
Hobby: sleeping.
Fear: Death and hair loss. Unless we're talking body hair loss, and in that case it's a dream of mine.
Where were you last night? Depends on when. Either at work, in my car, or in my bed.
Something that you aren't: Unflappable. I am in fact highly flappable.
Muffins: are a tasty treat....?
Wish List item: YSL Tribute pumps
Where did you grow up? Suburbia.
What are you wearing? Leggings and a sweatshirt, aka pajamas.
Your pets: a dog named Kobe, a horse named Frankie.
Friends: I have like 6. But they're stuck with me for life.
Sometimes you're not wearing: perfume. I always forget to put it on.
Favorite Store: Right now, Nordstrom Rack.
Favorite color: yellow.
Last time you laughed: Laugh?
Your best friend: Lives with me now.
Place you go over and over: Whole Foods. It will be the death of my life savings.
Person who emails you regularly: work work work.
Favorite place to eat: This little lunch spot near my work where they have amazing sandwiches and pastries. Mmm...pastries.

I hereby pass this award on to:

Late Afternoon - For seriously always inspiring me to get dressed.
Through the Looking Glass - For sourcing the absolute best shit on etsy and giving me eye candy all week
Love Meagan - For being the baddest DIY bitch in the internet
Wedding Road Trip - Well Jaime, what can I say. You make me laugh.
Miss Neira - For being a longtime reader and an all around fabulous person!
Cup of Coffee - Because Jamily may be the sweetest person I've ever virtually "met"

Goodnight folks. Can't believe tomorrow isn't Friday, but at least tomorrow isn't Wednesday...

i love you, refinery29...

image via Refinery29

...for illustrating the sartorial influence of Mean Girls (specifically, Regina George) on the Spring 2010 runways. Dare I say it, I think you've made 'fetch' happen.

ANYHOO. I'm sort of missing my digital camera and my favorite pashmina, which means no outfit posts and no fending off chills in the office...And no showing off the coolest boots ever that I got at Zara this weekend. Seriously, you will die when you see these. Someone in the blogosphere cooler than me probably already has them, but fuck it. They're still mine. And they're still awesome.

WIN

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. Congratulations to Maegan from ...love Maegan!! Not only did she send me a bitchin' inspiration site, it happens to be her own Tumblr account where she's compiled the best stuff from all over the web. And I swear, I wasn't in any way swayed by this picture of her French Bulldog LeRoy looking at me with his little bat-face. Not. At. All.

Maegan, I'll let the wonderful people at Chickdowntown know that you are the winner. In the meantime, follow one of these links and pick your poison. My only request is that you show us all your loot when you get it. Actually come to think of it, that's a requirement. Don't disappoint me.

BB Dakota
Love Quotes

Below, some more personal favorites from Maegan's collection. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend checking it out here. And if you haven't ever been to Maegan's blog, I don't even know you.



Top to bottom: Diane Kruger, a gorgeous living room, Teyana Taylor, all via ...love Maegan