Remember me?

It HAS been a long time, I know. As most of you know, I changed jobs and my scheduled changed quite a bit with that. But I've come back. I was called to speak out. There is something happening that is making my stomach twist. The media, public institutions, and corporate America are conspiring against us - and especially the children of America.

So I am here to share this important message:



"IT'S STILL SUMMER, DARN IT!!!!"



Don't tell me about back to school, what to wear this winter - wooly plaids in these days? - Yeowch!!! Stop pushing me out of summer and into fall and winter. I love summer - I'm very happy here!! And it IS summer!!!


So, you know those really summery clothes that can't be spring or fall - just a couple months of the year that they're perfect? And maybe you haven't yet had the chance to wear some great summery outfit yet - maybe because you only just got the shoes that make it click? Well, don't waste time in flip flops and shorts. Wear it now!!

And that's exactly what I'm doing. Where am I going tonight? Well, that doesn't matter. I'm wearing the cream jumpsuit and impossibly high shoes that I can barely walk in. Because I want to!!

And because it's still summer!!!

Sexy Beast

Vampires and werewolves are so old hat, don't you think? Not that I don't like the savage wolfman-inspired coats this season, and the vampire-inspired goth we've seen recently has been fun, but Twilight has had more than its moment. It's time for the next creatures.

And while I do have sympathy for creatures like Frankenstein's as I've got a few stitches scars myself, the square head and clompy shoes really kill the buzz.

And frankly, I don't think zombies have much to offer us in terms of style inspiration. In fact, I often think the harsh overhead lighting in NY subways already makes me look like I'm one of the walking dead when I catch my frightening reflection in the window. And it's not something I'd pay money to achieve!


I think that it's the Mummy's time in the fashion spotlight. Its influence is not new - Herve Leger has been mummifying starlets for ages, and Rodarte is all about deconstructed bandaging.

































And if your budget won't allow for Leger or Rodarte-priced bandaging, these tights are a (much) cheaper option!

Do as I say...

In my last post, I mentioned I was coming out of shopping hibernation and pointed to a few inspirations for fall from last spring's shows.

My friend Doreen commented that the looks I pulled together as inspiration were pretty dark, monochromatic, and masculine ("who are you, and what did you do with red?" was how I think she phrased it...)

So, mostly with Doreen's comments in mind, I thought you all might appreciate that on the first day this summer where I needed to wear a coat, this is what I felt like wearing...

Takes a while to get into fall, I guess...

Patience is a Virtue

... and probably the virtue in which I am most deficient. (though I suppose that comment implies my modesty isn't excessive either).. but anyway..

Fashion-wise, I'm counter-seasonal to bears. Weird statement, but be patient with my metaphor please: Summer is a hibernation period, in terms of my interest and concern with what I wear. Of course, I do care how I look, but with temperatures holding above 90, I want only the lightest, loosest, coolest clothes and don't give a thought to layering, textures, structure, etc. when I am getting dressed. Sure, I read fashion magazines in the summer, but they don't resonate. Fall just feels too far away for me to think about it.

But then in August, when the sun starts to rise after I do, something starts to change.. just a little bit... I don't yet feel sick of my summer clothes or look forward to cooler days, but there's the initial stirring of a little feeling inside that maybe it will be ok that summer is going to end sometime in the still somewhat hazy future and that there may be a redeeming virtue to a bit of freshness in the air. If you were to ask me, I'd say it was incredibly sad that it's Labor Day already but that tiny little spark tells me it's going to be ok. And that tiny little feeling grows and grows and eventually triggers a deep and powerful memory that's been ingrained in me and others before and after me well before we could even remember, a powerful pull like the tide: time for back to school shopping.

And that's why I bring up patience. Because when I realize summer is actually going to end and it's not light outside at 9pm anymore (or 6am, for that matter), I look for that redeeming virtue to the upcoming chill. Awake from my peaceful, frugal fashion hibernation, I go out and look for nourishment. And the world is full of it: Fashion week! Bulging September issues! Store windows that actually seem relevant to my life! And I notice specific items start to exert a particularly strong pull (like the boots I wrote about a year ago in "Obsessed Until Possessed"). And I want them NOW! And I know they will change my LIFE!! (or at least my wardrobe!)

And darn it, they're never on sale...

Some fall inspirations (am trying something new, so this is via polyvore...)

fall is coming by villagette featuring floral jewelry

Wolford Bandage-print tights
$65 - net-a-porter.com
Sheer hosiery »

Tom Binns Cuff with floral motif
125 GBP - brownsfashion.com
Floral jewelry »

Chanel - Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour # 19 Gabrielle
$35 - yesstyle.com

Marcella Pantyhose 100%Nylon
sneakyfox.com

Celine Fall 2010 RTW
nymag.com

Dries Van Noten Fall 2010 RTW
nymag.com

Celine Fall 2010 RTW
nymag.com

Lanvin Fall 2010 RTW
nymag.com

Matthew Ames Fall 2010 RTW
nymag.com

Bottega Veneta Fall 2010 RTW
nymag.com

Deciphering dress codes

You may have noticed that I haven't posted in a while, not since before the World Cup started, which is not a coincidence. But it's over now (sniff) and I am slowly getting used to a world without a constant buzzing sound in the background.

..which does make it easier to concentrate

..and remember ideas for blog posts, such as

Wardrobe challenges

There are some occasions in life that are pretty easy to dress for (work followed by summer happy hour at a bar outside), some less so.




(what I wore to work, followed by summer happy hour outside)





For example, what does one wear to a rose tasting dinner (wine, not the flower, I don't know how to insert an accent aigu), followed by a band at Terminal 5 where you'll be standing during the show and dodging dripping beer from the mezzanine and sloshing beer from the cups of dancing fans?



(hint: comfortable heels that look good for dinner and offer better view at the show; take off the dry clean only jacket when the beer starts sloshing)




Or, to a reception for the Israeli ambassador to the UN hosted by a friend of my friend Christina, shortly after the Gaza boat incident, and, your own politics aside, you don't want to inadvertently offend anyone as you are a guest after all?

The red dress I'd planned to wear is "dressy work" and seemed appropriate for a nice cocktail reception and going out after, but isn't a red keffiyeh associated with Hamas?

(and was I just really over-thinking things because it's unlikely anyone would have thought that this is a protest outfit!!?? .. and yet, Madeleine Albright did use those brooches...).





Or a semi-formal wedding at the Four Seasons restaurant (dress code: New York fabulous) and, knowing your friend who is getting married, it definitely will be fabulous.. but it is at 1pm (so you can't be too dressy), though it is likely that the after party will carry on for quite a while, and you have one hour to get from LaGuardia (after a week's vacation), home, dressed, and to midtown.


(yes, you have seen this before, but I did say that I wanted to wear this dress again as soon as I could find a reason for it!)

In Living Color

Basic black has its place but I love color - especially now that summer weather is here (even if the season hasn't officially arrived yet). Since my brain has summer vacation-itis from this gorgeous holiday weekend, I'll keep this post mostly to pictures.

I couldn't wait to wear this blue one-shoulder dress since I saw it Matthew Ames' spring runway show months ago and even posted a photo of it on my blog. I wore it to the MoMA After Party in the garden last week and am thinking already of the next chance to wear it again. After I took this photo, I put on a pair of dangling earrings my parents gave me for my birthday this year, but with this dress' color and shape, I wanted to keep it simple. (dress is Matthew Ames, shoes are Sigerson Morrison from a few years ago).


Pastels, on the other hand, require a bit of toughening up for me. I liked this little doll print dress with slouchy boots and a military jacket. (Dress is Philip Lim 3.1, jacket is Harvey Faircloth, and boots are Isabel Marant)


I like the all pale look too - but unless it's a light little weekend dress, I think it looks better to balance floaty with tailored pieces to avoid looking like a giant flabby marshmallow. (Hache jacket, Malene Birger blouse, Marni shoes, Ter et Bantine skirt).


And packing for my 4-day work trip to China was made easier when I remembered that "red is a neutral" - something my aunt said a while ago and which I think is true - at least, I thought my red shoes worked with every outfit. I expected (incorrectly, as it turned out) to be in over-air conditioned spaces, so wore orange stockings with the dress. Nude hose would have killed it... (dress is Ter et Bantine, red shoes and belt are Bottega Veneta, navy suit is Ter et Bantine, as is ivory blouse, black jacket is Hache, and olive silk top and pants are Hache. Orange tights are Fogal.)

A minor slip up

Sometimes the perfect wow outfit that looked great in the store turns out to be a bit too much for my real life. Plunge necklines, sheer dresses, wide-cut armholes, etc. look amazing, but how are you supposed to wear them in public if you're planning to lean forward or raise an arm at any point? Wrapping myself in double-sided tape is a pretty unappealing thought...

And you can be surprised by even the most innocent looking clothes.. A knee-length floaty lined dress - how sweet and demure is that? Oh very, until it's steadily crept up your legs while you're walking and gathered itself around your waist like a bunchy shirt. A nice look for afternoon in midtown! I speak from recent experience. Thankfully in my case, I was wearing a wrap coat that I could hold closed until I could rearrange. So while I may have looked like a flasher, at least I didn't look like something worse..

All of these sartorial challenges can be addressed, however, with a bit of layering. The solutions are out there, though it's surprising how hard they are to find, given how designers have sent out season after season of sheer clothing. Everyone seems to want to sell you Spanx or some "shapewear" item. Do they think women are only walking around in tight fitting jersey? Somewhere there's a designer/lingerie company disconnect because that's not how women I know dress... But anyway, I have managed to find some layering pieces that have worked for me.

The floaty dress (by Hache) was tamed with a plain half slip (Commando) that is essentially a fashion band-aid (a guy friend of mine called it "insurance").. not particularly lovely - but it works! I'm wearing it here with the coat that preserved my modesty (also Hache).


The plunge neckline (Matthew Ames jumpsuit) was made admittedly less dramatic (but modest enough for me to be more comfortable) with an American Apparel body suit. (American Apparel is great for layering pieces.) The shoes are Acne.

And I'm wearing this Hache sheer double-layer dress over a tank top, and under a Ter et Bantine tuxedo jacket. The boots are the Chloe buckle ones I wrote about last summer. And yes, I have definitely gotten a lot of wear out of them - and they've held up beautifully!





Now, I don't want to talk people out of being daring - I saw a girl on Saturday night wearing a tank top with wide-cut arm holes over a black bra. It looked cool (though my friends thought she looked like she was trying too hard). Maybe. It all depends on your comfort level. I'm a bit klutzy and tend to move my arms around a lot while I'm talking, so I want to feel like I have a full range of motion without having to worry about revealing a bit too much of myself to strangers (or friends). If you're more composed, or more daring, good for you! But if not, those are a few layering pieces that work for me.