chic and cheap | liebemarlene Vintage

liebemarlene vintage: an online vintage store with quirky little dresses and a lot of items under $30. (sounds like vintage utopia, right?) while browsing through the captivating ruby pr blog I stumbled upon the liebemarlene vintage shop and the accompanying flickr page. Her style (while not quite for the masses) has a wonderfully whimsical and feminine streak to it. some shots below. 
side note: especially love a) the white lace dress/caramel booties combo and b) the brocade carpet bag in the last shot.

 

  

chic and cheap | top knots

top knots (which were all over the runway and have been hailed the “it” hair style of 2010) are the perfect run-out-the-door hair-do: they’re less severe than a traditional bun, but more playful than a chignon. they are quite transformative too: paired with large earrings they give off a casual chic vibe; accompanied with tasteful studs they denote timeless elegance. with a traditional top knot perfection is the enemy: the messier they are the better.

while traditional top knots are appealing in a simple Parisian way, seeing a twist on them is also quite refreshing. like a bitingly tart lemon sorbet on a summer evening. (trader joes. three dollars. seriously.) example: for an edgier knot try Chanel Iman’s Mohawk bun (worn during the black coffee runway 2010 runway show).

 

 

or for a more polished, upper east side look (when time is not your enemy) try this asymmetrical twist-knot  seen at a michael kors runway show during london fashion week.

a jeweled hair comb is also an elegant way to dress up a non-traditional bun with minimal effort. in april we’ll be doing an ad campaign for the onyx feather line. hopefully we’ll be able to sneak some messy, asymmetrical top knots somewhere in the photoshoot.

sources | style sightings | ruby pr | front row | bv hair talk | refinery 29

writings on the wall | LA grafitti

did a whirlwind tour of los angeles earlier this week and three things stood out about the city:

1. the traffic. (absolutely horrid)

2. LA girls (a separate post will be dedicated to this topic)

3. the graffiti.

there is a certain sexiness to graffiti. maybe it's the rebellious, creative yet artful nature of it?

or perhaps it's the allure of sudden art spawned by unsung artists. whatever it may be, graffiti-inspired prints have plastered themselves on the runways and shown that their brazen quality translates as well onto textiles as it does abandoned buildings.

proenza schouler

(wicked mini skirt)  ralph rucci

sources | rahim saibo | marcio maidera | imaxtee | style.com 

let there be light | bulbs

this picture merges two of my favorite things: light bulbs + blackboards.


off to san diego.
(translation: sporadic blog posting for the next few days.)
hoping to get a lot of west coast inspiration.
(translation: relieved to escape dirty piles of east coast blizzard snow.)



source | dressdesigndecor | head over heels

all ears | red eye studs

pssssst: $15.99  modcloth

closet building blocks | clutches (v-day edition)

not a fan of pink. or the gooeyness of valentine's day. but decided to give in a little to the love swirling about in the air and feature some v-day themed clutches with unusual prints and textures (and varying price points).

        "flower on red" clutch

"love letter" clutch

"winter velvet and silk" clutch

"raspberry rocker" cluctch

"dahlia" clutch

 

"hendrix mini bag"

"flora" clutch

 "frame" clutch

sources | flutter flower clutch [128], j. crew | flower on red [45], tulip couture, | love letter [130], felix rey | winter velvet & silk [60], designdujour | raspberry rocker [62.99], modcloth  | dahlia [70], upstyle | hendrix mini bag [165], matt & nat,  | flora [39], zelaya | frame [195], halston heritage

what to wear | valentine's day

 

perfect ethereal selection

via: behind the seams | stylist

or

this + black tights for a funky winter look

rachel mcadams via vogue

love at first touch | felt booties

absolutely wicked right?

source | omelle

all ears | philosophic tweets

"the best designed clothes invite being removed but reward being kept on."

-tweet by alain de botton [swiss writer, television presenter and entrepreneur]

he has a rather thought-provoking twitter feed.
(oxymoron? possibly)

sources | kate towers | peter vanbeever | john mulligan



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closet building blocks | how to wear a skinny belt

most women are extremely wary of skinny belts and rightly so. the skinny belt is a tricky apparatus that can make a woman look either bewitchingly chic and streamlined or reminiscent of an italian sausage hanging in the window of a butcher's shop.

general skinny belt guidelines

1. wear them above the navel (tiniest part of the waist).
2. they particularly flatter long torsos and hour glass figures.
3. they look chic on shift dresses, over cardigans, and cinching well-tailored blazers.
4. don't limit them to the torso: they look great in the belt loops of pants, skirts and shorts.
5. never play it safe with skinny belts: the more monochromatic or dull an outfit is, the more a brightly-hued skinny belt adds complexity to it.
6. over-styling is an easy skinny belt trap, don't fall in! (example below.)

J. Crew handles the art of styling the skinny belt pretty well (mostly).

over-styling (i.e. trying way too hard):

great styling:

red belt+ dress featured above | bythebelt

model watch| kelly moreira

dossier

who: kelly moreira
origin: french
born: 1991
why profile her? the vulnerability captured in her pictures is startling.

 

 

shop it to me | thread sence

dossier

what: thread sence, a quirky and affordable online store.
why: just as mod cloth seems to be the cheaper alternative to anthropologie, thread sence is the more affordable response to urban outfitters.
note: the self titled "indie urban" styling in their online campaign. 

aside: really awkward model. like, really awkward.

[moto jacket $58]

[flowy tiered top $27]

 [ruffle dress $53]

closet building blocks | how to wear a navy blazer

a great closet building block is a navy blazer. it's less austere than a black one and it's a) the appropriate tool to dress up or dress down an outfit,  b) perfect for layering, c) all-purpose: you can wear a navy blazer fall through spring and d) is a strong neutral that complements a lot of colors: purples, greys, mustards, creams, tans, kelly green, etc. (if you have an instinct for playing with color you can get away with wearing the infamous navy + black combination.)

the key to pulling off a blazer is the fit: it needs to fit properly around the shoulder/chest area or you'll just look like a hassled soccer mom from the early nineties. blazers work wonderfully with skinny jeans, shorts, mini skirts, tunics, belted over dresses...the list is endless. Lucky mag has a must-see 4 min video tutorial on 5 different ways to wear a navy blazer for those who need a bit of guidance. the looks range from casual Parisian, to bohemian and laid back all-American. worth checking out if you are trying to figure out how to style one multiple ways.

here are some navy blazers with different price points. (tip: Zara and H&M are great destinations for inexpensive ones.) the blazer featured above is the Need Supply Dressage coat ($58).

J. Crew wool school boy blazer ($198)

Banana Republic ($130) claims this blazer is navy. I claim they are color blind?

real life example of the versatility of a navy blazer: my friend Danielle. Nordstrom brand little boy's school uniform blazer purchased for a steal at a thrift shop.

the forecast | rain boots

according to every weather cast in the dc metro area there is to be a blizzard/storm/snowpocalypse that will dump enough powder to bury the entire Capitol building and leave it in a cryogenic state for 20 years. (at least that was the mood at Harris Teeter last night while everyone irritably stood in two hour grocery lines clutching bread, milk, and buckets of sizzling Teeter fried chicken.)

here are three boots (organized by price) that can help you either stylishly trek through an endlessly blizzard or simply splash through a rainy day.

 

Jimmy Choo Hunter Wellington boots. ($395---eeek)

the classic green Hunter Wellingtons ($120). (personal favorite)

 

or go old school with tall sunny-hued wellies. Target ($20!)