luxury items

Chanel shoes (secondhand), vintage Lucite and plastic bangles, vintage Monet necklace, Seiko watch, vintage ring

Miu Miu pumps

As I try my hardest to avoid cheaply made, chain store clothing bought en masse to soothe some kind of psychological deficiency, I'm turning more and more to consignment shops and sale sites to buy a few, quality pieces in their stead. I've been finding some great designer items bought on the cheap(er) thanks to local sample sales, consignment shops, and of course, the greatest store on earth, the World Wide Web. The Miu Miu pumps on the bottom are from Shop Hers, a new curated ecommerce site where you can buy and sell gently used designer pieces. All items are shipped to the Shop Hers HQ first to ensure authenticity, and then shipped to the buyer. There are some dangerously inexpensive Chanel bags on there. Inexpensive, meaning of course under $2K. Let's hope tax season brings with it a bounty of returns.

santa tracker

wearing J. Crew dress, Uniqlo tights, Banana Republic jacket (super, super old), infinity scarf from Ross (no label), vintage necklace and bangles, Pixie Market shoes

It's the most wonderful time of the year--unless there's a tornado ripping through your local high school. No tornadoes here in California, just a rainy-ass day that bothered me not one bit because I spent it in my pajamas by the fire with my family and boyfriend and Kobe. Got some nice things too, including a Clarisonic (aka a Sonicare for your face) that I can just tell is going to do wonders on my winter-ravaged skin. Later I'll be making pot du creme and stopping by a friend's house for a Christmas birthday celebration. And tomorrow, it's Boxing day! Which means I get to eat Trifle and wear a paper crown. It's not a bad life. Hope yours is chugging along in the same vein.

rosegold

J Crew crystal bracelet, vintage chain link bracelet with hardware store upgrade

A couple of weeks ago I got all ambitious and tried making a braided hex bracelet, snickering to myself all the while because lazy people were paying $40 or more for them on Etsy. Well I can tell you, 3 hours and 5 or so frustrating attempts later, and I'm convinced that the pre-made ones are worth every penny. Those things are stupid-hard to make.

As an easier DIY project (a one-armed child could do it) I decided to use these plumbing pieces I got at Home Depot to dress up a vintage bracelet. First saw them standing in as super cool modern rings on Ivania at Love Aesthetics (who does the GREATEST DIY's) and picked them up in the hope that some use would come of them. And lo and behold, it did. The same cannot be said for the 40 yards of bungee cord or mason line I also bought at Home Depot. I swear, that place is harder to get out of without spending $100 than Costco.

newness

Dolce Vita shoes via Gilt Groupe, Jewel Mint necklace

The retail therapy continues. I really need to stop bribing myself to feel better. ANYWAY I finally checked out Jewel Mint, the members-only monthly jewelry service that is the supposed brainchild of Kate Bosworth and her stylist BFF. You get a "personalized" selection of pretty cute pieces to choose from every month, for a flat rate of $29.99. I guess what makes it different than say, Shoedazzle, is that some of the stuff is actually really cute. Sorry Kim, your shoes are fugly.

oh you fancy, huh?

wearing J. Crew sweatshirt sweater, F21 skirt (wish it was a tad bit longer), Dolce Vita boots, hippie fair necklace, F21 bangle, vintage bag, brandless sunglasses from costume shop

Pictures above were taken when I went to see the Elle Decor Showhouse with my mom this weekend. Each room was decorated by a different interior designer, and while I found the home in its entirety to be painfully overdone, I did fall in love with every single one of its luxuriously appointed bathrooms. I suppose you don't know what luxury is until you sit on a self-flushing/cleaning/closing/heated toilet. Here's to one day living that dream.

coping mechanisms

Fistfuls of my favorite rings, perfect wide flares, and new ombre manicure that I attempted to do myself. Just a few things that make my Monday suck less hard.

Oh, and Jersey Shore. Didn't mean to leave that out.

let's call the whole thing off

More nail art (done by meeee) + Lorick dress from Gilt Groupe, worn with Christian Louboutin heels

I am betraying everything that I believe to be true about myself and going camping in the Santa Cruz mountains this weekend. Two reasons I make a less-than desirable candidate for outdoor living: I don't even own a sleeping bag and I insist on shaving my legs every day. This could get interesting.

this is a cold war, you better know what you're fighting for

wearing t-shirt from LF, J Brand jeans, Zara shoes, PeaceImages shoulder chain and earrings

I'm sitting here on my couch in mortal terror, watching the wind sway a huge telephone pole outside my window back and forth like a metronome. I wonder if downed power lines cause fire...

ANYHOO, check out my new spoils. The fabled shoulder chain/necklace thingy fromPeaceImages, the long feather earrings in all their longish resplendent glory, and a buff colored pair of brogues from the Zara sale on Sunday. I think I can categorically say that all my best shoes have come from Zara. They make a damn good shoe.

if i die and my soul be lost, nobody's fault but mine

wearing thrifted, borrowed, and vintage jewelry, F21 rings, "infiniti scarf" from Ross Dress for Less, Banana Republic cardigan

Old outfit from a couple of weeks back. I love this maxi dress to pieces and I've been on the lookout for another one. I'd love this option from Nastygal but somehow paying $58 for what is essentially an extra-long glorified t-shirt doesn't seem to make very good financial sense. Am I wrong?

wearing Target dress, Bloomingdale's Men's plaid shirt, Banana Republic cardigan, child's motorcycle jacket, vintage fur collar, Zara booties and thrifted bag

treasures

Brass horseshoe stud earrings from Trillium's etsy shop, vintage necklaces

There are few joys in life more wholly satisfying than arriving home from work to find an Etsy purchase waiting for you. Especially if said Etsy delivery has been delayed thanks to the practiced mediocrity of USPS and package comes equipped with a personalized thank-you note from the seller. I saw these babies in the March issue of Lucky Magazine and had to have them. The vintage necklaces (one from my favorite vintage store in New Orleans, the other a 'gift' for my best friend which has ended up on my neck more often than hers) were the perfect counterpoint to an oversized "I don't care anymore" t-shirt. Sometimes bits and baubles are all it takes.

bits and baubles

Top to bottom: vintage Monet enamel bracelet, F21 stackable rings keeping my vintage ring company, Martin & Osa beaded headband

I'm so optimistic about this headband business that in a fit of blind faith, I decided to wash my hair and shower tonight, which will leave me with no choice but to rock it with a messy bun tomorrow. The pristine vintage Monet bracelet from the '70s was a birthday gift, and one of those pieces which I never knew I wanted until I opened it and realized it's what I had wanted all along. The epitome of the perfect gift. Thanks, mom.

Also, the shoes below are rushing via UPS into my lonely, desperate arms as we speak. I tried them on at the Neiman Marcus sale before Christmas in a size too small and they were still pretty comfortable thanks to the hinged footbed. So, a few weeks and a Shopbop sale later, they will be mine. I'm thinking they'll blend seamlessly with the 70's vibe I'm feeling for Spring. Wide leg jeans, striped sailor shirts, lacy tunics, long necklaces, and chain-strap bags will surely dominate my wardrobe in the coming months.

Donna Karan Collection shoes

any idiot can face a crisis...

...it's this day-to-day living that wears you out.

wearing grandmother's vintage necklace (thanks, Gammy!) Target t-shirt, J Brand jeans, H&M sweater, Timex watch

No outfit posts from the weekend due to a marathon painting session that resulted in a peacock blue bathroom and leafy lime green furniture. Impending roommate changeover results, on a positive side, in a sudden need to get obsessed with apartmenttherapy.com again--but man it still sucks. A new roommate feels like a house guest that won't go away. And no matter how clever your Craigslist ad is, you never know whether they'll end up having horrible habits like picking their feet or breathing loudly through their nostrils or bringing ugly people home.

(Alicia, please stay!)

mood indigo

wearing Rebecca Beeson turtleneck, aa tank, vintage necklace

Sorry there hasn't been an outfit post in a few days. The truth is every few years, like clockwork, I have an inexplicable freakout where I suddenly think I'm incapable of coping with the simplest elements of life and there is no way I can possibly go on. I suppose in this case some of it is new job anxiety, but a larger part of it I have to just chalk up to the way I'm wired. In spite of how flawlessly witty and clever I am, there are just a couple of teeny tiny things that go wrong with my brain sometimes. Basically all it means is that once in awhile, out of nowhere, I wake up in the morning and start crying. And crying and crying and crying. I can't stop. It's really quite absurd, and I often literally laugh at myself while I'm crying. Like, why can't I stop it? What in the sam hell is wrong with me? I feel panicked a bit but mostly just really really sad. Suddenly, things that usually make me happy (listening to music, blogging, shopping, seeing my dog and my horse, my mom, etc.) make me cry more. It's quite tiresome, and I HATE feeling fragile. It scares me.

So, I just need to relax, read a book, take my happy vitamins, go on a walk, and keep it simple until this storm passes. I'll be my emotionless robotic self again before I know it!

ps

Mood Indigo is a really bitchin' Nina Simone song. You should definitely listen to it.

thrifted loot part trois:

wearing AA tank, Urban Outfitters corset bra, thrifted necklace ($1.50!), Jones New York thrifted pants ($4), H&M shoes, thrifted jean jacket ($3)

The latest installment of my thrifted loot stars what has become a rather polarizing item of apparel. Namely, the pleated, unapologetically octogenarian high-waisted pajama pant. Some people (you know who you are) find this item of clothing hideous, even downright offensive. In spite of this (maybe even because of it?) I am drawn to them, both because they're comfy as hell and because I find them somewhat chic in a Golden Girls kind of way. In my mind, the words 'chic' and 'Golden Girls' are in no way fundamentally opposed.

I helped my mom go shopping for new jeans today at one of the local Nordstrom Racks, where I found a killer pair of YSL platform wedges and a butter yellow patent pair of Bally pumps that were begging for me to take them home. It takes a strong will to resist such temptations. Ok not really, because even at 35% off, the YSL's would have all but wiped out half of my bank account. I carried them around for about a half an hour anyway though, mostly because I couldn't bear the thought of someone else picking them up and taking them home on my watch. I am a jealous shopper.

diys and more

Feeling creative and inspired by a recent trip to Benjamin Franklin Crafts, I finally sat down tonight and made my version of the Tom Binns crystal choker out of a couple of vintage rhinestone necklaces and miscellaneous chains. I used Valerie's instructions and the following pictures as my inspiration:

picture credit: Olsens Anonymous

I also picked up a pair of silk tassels and made them into earrings. Like so:

Please excuse the haggard, makeup-less face and the Tulane t-shirt. I just spent the last few hours cleaning ancient mouse turds from forgotten corners of my apartment, an occasion which does not call for style...unless it's a hazmat suit.

Lastly, while retrieving some kitchen stuff out of my parents' garage, I found this bracelet that my mom bought in New Mexico in the '70s. She says she remembers paying a lot for it back then (probably around $35). I had taken to wearing it until a few years ago when decided I wouldn't let anything touch my sainted skin that wasn't gold. Come to think of it, I've only just started wearing silver again. The pendulum either swings one way or the other... That's why I love that my watch has silver AND gold in it. It swings both ways, baby.