Fashion Math

Statement necklace + chic jacket = the perfect fall ensemble for the office.

[photo cred here and here]

October Mornings

Fall is so lovely. My roommate and I wandered up Lexington Ave to Edit New York, where I bought a Joie sweater (after feeling just how soft it was)! The weather has been so perfect--cool and crisp and sunny. What were you up to this weekend?

[photo cred to 1, 2 and 3]

I Want to Go Shopping

The other day, I got lost in Bergdorf Goodman on my way to an event. This isn't to say that I took a quick look while en route. I actually had an event at the BG Bergdorf Goodman restaurant and had to wander from floor to floor in order to find it.

While my wallet (and heart) were sobbing, I realized that I hadn't gone shopping in such a long time. I stumble across adorable flats as I traipse around the blogosphere and roam Club Monaco for office-appropriate pencil skirts, but it's been ages since I've brushed my hand over a pair of suede booties or gotten lost in a rack of cashmere. I shop online so much that I've lost the tactile pleasures of being in a store.

Beautiful Bergdorf's is a prime example of the luxury that accompanies shopping in a store. I love RueLaLa and Gilt Groupe as much as the next girl on a budget, but you lose part of the experience. You can't touch the fabrics or stare at a dress for ten whole minutes (or else it'll be out of your shopping cart and in someone else's). So this weekend, I'm going to walk down to Bergdorf's and look and touch and try on some jeans and probably buy one thing. It'll be on sale, but that's alright. It still counts.

[photo cred here]

Going Down Swinging

Happy Friday! Which has taken on a whole new meaning now that I'm employed.

I've decided to try my hand (har har) at boxing. By that, I mean I went to one class and my arms are noodles, but I loved it. It was so refreshing to get an upper-body workout and plus, boxing doubles as self-defense. I may make this official and spring for a pair of my own hand wraps. Have you ever tried boxing? What do you think of it?

Have a wonderful and crisp fall weekend!


[photo cred to Lonny magazine, via here]

Schoolgirl Twist

Peter Pan collars never fail to remind me of my whopping twelve years as a Catholic schoolgirl. I haven't gone near them since then, as they're not exactly flattering. Plus, after those twelve years, I never want to see a plaid skirt or knee socks or, of course, button down shirts with Peter Pan collars ever again. But this season, designers have gone a different route:

However, Peter Pan necklaces reimagined in tough metals? That's more edgy than schoolgirl savvy. The collared blouses themselves were all over the Fall/Winter 2011 runways, but so were the necklaces. And I love them. They're so versatile and can dress up a scoopneck tee in an instant (stay away from v-necks, however). They'd even look great worn over an actual collared blouse. I'd want to try it over something sheer and polka-dotted, in an uncomplicated black and white palette.

Here are my favorite ones:

Chanel, on the left, is light years out of my budget (duh), but the silver number is handcrafted and the perfect way to jazz up an otherwise simple ensemble.

[photo cred here and there]

Neat Or Naughty

Are you neat...or not? I line up my pencils and have everything in my room just so, whether it be parallel or color-coordinated or arranged in height order. Ever since I've moved to NYC, though, my apartment is so clean that it looks sterile. I kind of want to leave a drawer open and scatter jewelry across my hybrid desk/dresser. On the other hand, I wouldn't be able to sleep if my perfumes weren't arranged by their top notes. (Yep). (Top notes). (Yep).

What would you suggest? I can't decide whether I want to turn my room into a really pretty, feminine pigsty or leave it the way it is and paint the wall or something.


[photo cred here and there]

At First Blush

There's a new makeup trend. I find these things out while I'm working. When I say "working," I usually mean painting my nails for a mini photo shoot or getting my eyelashes dipped in something or other. Sometimes, "working" means writing. I understand if someone wants to reach their arm through the computer and cyber-slap me.

Anyway, as I was saying: new makeup trend. Blush is on the up and up—literally. It's gone from the apples of the cheeks to the cheekbones and now, to the temples. Here's a prime example:

Pretty? Yes. Easy to pull off? No. Depending on placement and saturation, blush at the temples can have a sickly effect. Worst case scenario, it resembles a rough case of pink eye. Which is neither cute nor comfortable.

However, a few tweaks make it surprisingly easy to try in real life. Just keep a few things in mind: don't wear eyeshadow. At this height, blush does double-duty as rouge and eyeshadow. Secondly, try sweeping it from the cheekbones to the temples, as shown below. That way, you get the best of both worlds. Lastly, commit. A wimpy patch of pink is going to look exactly that: wimpy. Here, the perfect real-world execution of this trend:

Would you be game to try? Or is it too over-the-top?

[photo cred here and there]