Return To Classic Prep...

A week or so ago I was at dinner with a group of friends (we constantly roll 14+ deep). At my end of the table we were of course talking all things fashion and the boys were joining in on the convo correctly pronouncing Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent (I like to think I've trained them well). We were talking about our personal style, giving our two sense on other's, and discussing our next wardrobe purchase. I realized after a comment was made that quite often I have an unrealistic view of my personal style. I am adventurous, often quirky, a little schizophrenic, and unapologetic...but not as avant garde as I think I am. I shrugged off the comment but it came flooding back as soon as I started flagging images from DSquared's Resort 2011 collection which reintroduces their vision for classic, quintessential prepster.

I love a polished look...especially when the silhouette is accentuated with energetic tones. The straight leg pant that is traditional "for the office" wear is made downtown cool by a blazer with an illuminated color combo and a "didn't even think about it, just threw it on" aura.

DSquared has a knack for taking the classic prepster image and injecting it with new life. The jacket in citrus orange is killing me, and the pairing with grey and white is equal parts genius and refreshing. The tuxedo jacket with boyfriend fit jeans is my style comfort zone. Classic pieces that have a slight tick to keep it from being monotonous.

The fit on men at the fashion house is unlike any other. This wool tuxedo is flawless. If I were seen with a man showcasing this suit, I would high five myself! In the last year I have welcomed high waist wide leg pants with open arms. Something about being this classic appeals to me every now and then. I always feel a rejuvenated air of sophistication, royalty, and hint of sex appeal when I slip into a pair. Loving the exposed skin top with a strategically placed jacket draped around the shoulders. A look I must replicate this fall.

{all images style.com}

Inaugural Wardrobe Diary...

Friday night my friends and I headed to the LES to celebrate Malik and Mike's birthdays. Nate showed up wearing the Dockers that I customized for him at the Esquire event a week or so ago. As promised I've documented his outfit and am introducing him into my world of wardrobe diaries!

Shirt:: American Apparel grey v-neck

Pants:: Customized Dockers

Shoes:: Fred Perry navy boat shoes

Suspenders:: gift from my mother

Hat:: "stolen" from ERA's closet!

Loved his outfit!!! My work here is done, almost :)

What I Want Now:: Elle Street Style...

One of the best parts about living in New York is the people watching. It's unlike any other city...This weekend I'm going to the beach and a Mets/Twins game so I'm excited for my people watching opportunities. In the spirit of it all, I was clicking through various sites and blogs to find some inspiration for my weekend attire.

I'm usually the first to nay-say a pair of cargo shorts/pants but lately I'm beginning to eat my words. The updated silhouette I've been seeing around is totally appealing! Slim through the leg, often cropped, and bye bye bulky pockets. The more I see them around, the more I've begun to covet my own pair. It's a battle... I vetoed double denim and now it's part of my weekly wardrobe rotation. I have to stand firm in something...Oh who am I kidding, once I find the perfect pair I'll be donning them just as frequently as double denim. And I think a pair in army green is just as versatile as it is classic... a summer trend that translates into fall and is quickly becoming a wardrobe must have!

{elle.com; street chic daily}

I'm a sucker for anything that sparkles so a large portion of my closet has been transformed by sequins. I saw this sequin romper in the current issue of Elle and squealed! Desperate to own it, but even more compelled to wear my denim jacket with a sequin dress for a birthday bash I'm attending tonight. The weather has cooled off just enough to make the pairing somewhat bearable!...we shall see!

{elle; A to Zee}

Excited to document some street style inspiration and have a somewhat quintessential NY summer weekend! What are you inspired by and who/where do you turn to for a style pick me up?!

The Reworked Khaki Shop...

Last Thursday I headed to Chelsea for the Esquire + Docker's event. Again, I was accompanied by my long time bestie, Lauren. We sipped on the most delicious drinks, munched on incredible appetizers like fried mac and cheese, danced to the tunes spun by Joel Madden, and customized our own Docker khakis.

And if that wasn't enough, we got some incredible people watching in. The event was hosted by Peter Facinelli and others in attendance were Doug Reinhardt and Tinsley Mortimer. Not going to lie, my favorite part of the night was customizing the pants.

After picking out your pants, you had the option of cutting them off into varying short lengths. I kept mine full length while Lauren hacked her pants off!

And they had a seamstress on hand to hem them.

They had other stations set up where you could spray paint designs on the pants, but my favorite was the sand shop which added the distressed detail.

I ended up passing my pants off to my friend Nate but I'll try and snag a pic of him in the finished product. I had such a fabulous time at the event.

Summer Reading...

I feel weird writing a book review on here, but when something is entertaining I feel like I must share. I'm a huge fan of Chelsea Handler... Her book and her show. I think she's one of the funniest ladies with her hilarious, tell it like we're all thinking it, wit in her vibrant graphic cynical tone. Two summers ago I read her sophomore book, Are You There Vodka, It's me Chelsea?! and couldn't put it down. Not many books make me have emotions and this book had me crying I was laughing so hard while on the subway. So when her new book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang came out, I was excited for another collection of exaggerated tales of her past. I borrowed the book from a friend last night and finished the book at 4am...yep, I couldn't put it down (thought that was just a saying, but it became truth). If her charismatic banter isn't enough, the pictures will put you over the edge.

{amazon}

What I Want Now:: Clogs Again...

If I'm truly honest with myself my small wallet can not afford the Chanel clogs. Even though I would like to think so, it's just truly not possible. However, ole' faithful has come to my fashion rescue!!!! Steve Madden, has made a pair of clogs that are just as fashionable, sturdy, and amazing! And at $129, the Ceceila has a price that is palatable. For the last couple of months I've been dead set on leather clogs, but the suede is changing my mind...totally and completely in love with the texture.

{monica rose stylist}

Girl's Night Out...

Last Tuesday I spent some quality time with one of my oldest friends and former roommate, Lauren. It has been a while since we've been able to catch up (even though we live down the street from each other, oh NYC life) so I invited her to attend the Shecky's Girls Night Out event with me. We cabbed it down to Soho and walked into a room that was bustling with eclectic vendors, free cocktails, and a loosely enforced "No Boys Allowed" rule.

Lauren finishing off some pink cocktail concoction, goodie bag in tow, candles purchased, and waiting for a free massage!

In the cab heading down to the event!

I finished the same cocktail as well while waiting for my massage that was far too short!

The infamous Shecky's goodie bag!

Everything you could possibly need or want!...razors, lotion, shampoo, vitamins, toothpaste, deodorant, air fresheners, candles, band aids...etc!

Thanks to Shecky's for hosting us, for the free goodies, and massage! We had such a fun night being pampered!

Purple Lab Strike A Pose Contest...

Remember when you would sit in front of a mirror and experiment with your make up for hours?! Maybe you still do before you hit the town on Saturday night (I'm guilty as charged)!

The beauty mavens over at Purple Lab have just launched their first Look Book that highlights beauty tips and tricks starring some fashion and beauty bloggers and friends. Take a peak at the look book for inspiration here. To celebrate the launch, Purple Lab is inviting you to recreate and upload images inspired by their debut Look Book. Head over to their facebook fan page to get official rules, prize details, and to enter the contest which runs until July 3, 2010. Have fun and good luck!!!!...and congrats to Karen and the PL team on a fabulous look book!

We Kick 'Em to the Curb Unless They Look Like Ms. Jagger...

Must I reiterate the fact that I'm obsessed with all things 70's?! With that statement out of the way, we need to talk about Phillip Lim's resort collection...

{style.com}

Such a beautiful collection, and that's not even the half of it! It's everything I could ever want and imagine from the seventies with notes and undertones of modern relevance and spirit. Honestly, Lim can do no wrong by me. Every piece would fit perfectly into my life and multitask for many different occasions...After all, isn't that what the components of your wardrobe are supposed to do?!

So Wrong It's White...

Three weeks ago I went wedding dress shopping with my friend Amy (introduced here). I was so excited to help her find THE dress and equally as terrified to go into a bridal salon. While Amy was slipping into her first dress at Vera Wang, I made eyes with the most adorable dress I have ever seen. *86 the bow/flower on the shoulder and I was ready to wear it out Saturday night. It has a bit of 1920's inspiration and spirited glamour. How fabulous and eccentric would it be to wear this dress with the leopard boots from my Rachel Roy shoot!?!?!?

{project beltway}

After our successful Vera Wang visit!!...I started thinking of how I could wear my own white dress without looking like I was about to walk down the aisle. A couple months ago I saw a girl wearing the most amazing white dress and when I stopped her to inquire she told me that it was a vintage wedding dress she had reconstructed...SO SMART! I did a little research today and found a few vintage wedding dresses that, with the addition of a few accessories here and there, won't scream "Holy Matrimony!"

I came across this 1960's inspired wedding dress and melted. I love the short hemline and the delicate touches of femininity. Could work as the perfect brunch date ensemble.

My first vintage era love is the 70's...you're well aware of this by now. The 1920's plays a very close second though. I love anything beaded, bedazzled, or sequined (again something you're well aware of). I saw this dress and my jaw dropped.

All the layers of beading with the ridiculously amazing train. I need this dress for some kind of award show or black tie event. The craftsmanship and execution is unbelievable.

This is exactly what I want to wear to Governors Island for the Roaring Twenties Jazz Event at the end of the summer. Beaded, drop waist, and fringe...oh you know, just the perfect combination, especially for jive/swing dancing!

(all images from the vintage wedding dress company)

You Better Work, Cover Girl....

Saturday I did the unthinkable... I was a model in a recent Rachel Rachel Roy photo shoot! I'm used to being on set as a stylist/assistant so being in front of the camera was a bit terrifying...But I must say, I had a TON of fun dressing up, having hair and make up done, and feeling like a million bucks. There was a large group of fabulous women involved in the shoot. I didn't get to meet everyone but last week during our first fitting I met Keanna. We became fast friends and chatted between fittings, interviews, and photo shoots.

How gorgeous is she?! Totally adore her! (follow her on twitter @almostkeanna)

I snapped a quick picture before I started my shoot. Head over heels for my outfit...HELLO did you get a look at the shoes?! 100% me/my personality. You can't tell from this image but I was sporting my gold metallic nails (last seen here).

I had the best day and tons of fun! Everyone I worked with was INCREDIBLE. A little embarrassed to admit that I'm totally in love and obsessed with the RRR team. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of the shoot!...it is such an honor to be a part of this project and to have the chance to work with each of you.

I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Showroom Visits...

I'm heading to the Rachel Rachel Roy showroom tomorrow. I'm working on something really cool and unexpected with the team over there. Can't wait to share the finished product with you. Hope your summer is off to a great start. Will be back to regular postings soon!

There Are Days....

I get through with forced smiles and fake laughs...

{phil anema}

Birds of a Feather...

I DO NOT like birds...Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all!!!!! However, I'm a huge proponent of feathers. You'll find them decorating and accessorizing my wardrobe in the form of vests, skirts, hair accessories, trim, just about anything you can imagine. I was searching for images of feather options to add an extra dose of pizazz to my closet. Something different and unexpected but still relevant and appropriate. I spotted this image and flipped! I love the exposed back with feather trim, an effortless DIY project enlisting the presence of a U-Neck top from American Apparel and feathers from M&J.

{lefashionimage.blogspot.com}

Maisonette 1977 Fall Preview

Last Wednesday I headed up Broadway to the Empire Hotel for the Maisonette 1977 fall 2010 preview. The collection was incredible, something for every occasion and an excuse to add layer upon layer, aka my fashion crime. You'll find grunge undertones veiled amidst sophisticated, casual, and tailored pieces.

I haven't stopped thinking about this jacket since I left. Leather, fur, versatility, and detail...perfection! What I quickly realized from the collection is that Jane is a maven when it comes to working with leather. To see how she can manipulate and interpret the fabric is mind blowing.

Some are over the harem trend but this pair I couldn't get enough of. Maybe it's not so much the pant but the styling with bold printed tops and casual jackets that keep the look business appropriate and "freelance fancy!" The jacket on the right is another example of Jane's leather genius.

The knits were killer. If it wouldn't have been 90 degrees, I'm sure I would have walked away with one in every color and style. One of my favorite aspects of the collection is the way Jane mixes patterns and prints. She has a way of affiliating fabrics that compliment and elevate her design. How adorable is the jacket on the left?...you know me, I'm a sucker for outerwear.

I want to own this dress in a zillion different colors and prints. It's an effortless and sensible silhouette that fulfills a multitude of conveniences. I also think the styling of this is genius (harem pants tucked into patterned knee high leg warmers).

{all images from maisonette 1977}