The Stars Are My Chandelier

The name of the game is... simple colors, soft fabrics, and choosing comfort over trend.

Steven Alan wool trousers, Tomas Maier cashmere poncho, Vince jersey top, Acne tee, Alexander McQueen cashmere sweater dress, Alexander Wang sweater, Richard Nicoll dress, Miu Miu jersey stirrup leggings

These pieces totally embody the type of clothing I have been craving (and wearing very much of) lately. I cannot imagine anything more delicious than a cashmere poncho. Because of late rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday, then the absence of a camera battery charger this afternoon, I have yet to take any pictures of my purchases from Saturday, but I can assure you that they all fall into this category of simple, comfortable items, and that you will definitely be seeing them soon!

School is finally out for winter break. I could cry with happiness. A lengthy hiatus from schoolwork and alarm clocks is exactly what I need right now, preferably one filled with oversized sweaters and mugs of peppermint tea, snowy afternoons spent writing poetry and playing the piano, and spending as much time as possible with my friends.

My friend Chris and I (a different Chris from the one you met briefly in my last post) swapped mixtapes today, and I am totally in love with the one he gave me. It has lots of odd acousticky music on it, which totally suits my mood right now, and the post title is from one of my favorite songs on the mix, "The Stars Are My Chandelier" by David Dondero.

These pictures of Paris buried under snow are so magical. I want to experience Paris in wintertime so badly. Anyway, we got a significant amount of snow on Saturday night (I believe around eight inches) and it's been cold enough these past few days that basically all the snow is still here! Now it truly feels like winter.

Since I probably will not post again before tomorrow night, I hope all of you who are celebrating Christmas have a fantastic holiday!

Rabbit Rabbit

Most of my wardrobe is made up of solid colors. More often than not, I tend toward simple-hued garments with structural shape and nice tailoring.
But every once in a while, a crazy print in a riot of bright shades will tug at my heartstrings... and not let go, this dress being a prime example.

I love everything about it. I love how a myriad of cool colors can feel so warm - the blues and greens (and, if you can see them, the tiny sprinklings of fuchsia and purple) are gorgeously vivid. I love the blousy top and billowing skirt and deliciously soft silk. And I love the length. I honestly feel prettier, more comfortable, and more confident in a flowing long dress or skirt than in some tight, tiny number.

These boots are my most recent footwear acquisition. I found them in an eBay auction with seventeen minutes to go, and it took the most stressful bidding war imaginable but I won them! They are exactly what I have been searching for in a pair of autumn boots: buttery brown leather, a low heel, simple construction, and (of course) perfectly slouchy.

Although the dress contains no actual turquoise, I felt that all the colors mixed together would probably approximate the color of this cardigan. Plus, it was absolutely freezing this morning - going outside in just a short-sleeved dress was not my idea of a good time!

Vintage silk dress, vintage leather boots via eBay, vintage cardigan, Hue tights

Tomorrow I am showing an unprecedented amount of school spirit by attending the homecoming football game. I have two motivations to attend, and neither of them have to do with football. One, that our marching band (in which my darling Sylvia plays the clarinet!) has a reputation for being absolutely showstopping, so it's about time I see them in action. And two, that a bunch of kids from the theater club are supposedly selling hot cider and victuals during the game, which means I will have plenty of nonathletic people to hang out with (and plenty of warm beverages to drink)! It might actually be a grand old time.

P.S. I hope you all said "rabbit rabbit" when you woke up this morning. You'll have good luck for the rest of October! Not that I really believe that... but ever since an elementary school teacher (it might have been third grade?) taught me that superstition, I always say "rabbit rabbit" when I wake up to a new month.

Liberace

Vintage jacket and trousers, Forever 21 tee and sunglasses, thrifted shoes

This literally must be the fastest I have ever put a post together! Sorry for the picture shortage, but I am in a slight hurry and really wanted to show you some things.

The jacket is one of the crazier items I picked up at the bag sale last Saturday. It was quite literally the first thing I saw when I walked in and for many mysterious reasons I was instantly attracted to it. It has the most gorgeous fit, and although I normally perform immediate surgery upon any piece with shoulder pads that I buy, in the jacket they just seem to work. Not only work, but give it really spectacular details. I love the pleats at the shoulders too.

And, of course, the pattern. Utter ridiculousness, and I completely adore it. My friends have termed it my Liberace jacket and have attempted to convince me to dress up as the famed entertainer for Halloween. We shall see...

Also, forgive me for yet another pair of geriatric pants. I picked them up in Martha's Vineyard with Sylvia. They are linen and slouchy and absolutely enormous and I love them to death.

Phew! Sorry to race through all that, but I must now depart for yet another fantastic day in New York City. I am going to see Our Town with all my castmates from the show! I've heard that this particular production is really amazing, so I am incredibly excited to see it, and to spend the day with all my lovely theater friends.

I hope you all have fantabulous long weekends! I know I will.

Fall Wardrobe // I NEED YOUR HELP!

Slim blazers, simple tees and tanks in dark neutrals, a romantic lace skirt, sheer blouses in creamy shades, black bandage skirts, quintessential ballet shoes, brown leather oxfords, short slouchy boots...

In short, what I dream of wearing this fall. Dark staples offset by dreamy, ballet-inspired pieces, accessorized with colored tights and simple, elegant gold jewelry...

... and these.

VINTAGE FLORAL DOC MARTENS.
I AM IRREVOCABLY IN LOVE WITH THEM.
BUT I NEED YOUR HELP.

I found the perfect, perfect pair on eBay and the bidding ends in thirty hours, so I need you all to answer me this: how do Doc Marten sizes run compared to regular shoes? If I normally wear an 8 or 8.5, what American size would I be in Docs?
This is of the utmost importance. Thank you thank you thank you!

(Topshop blazers, ballet flats, printed crop top, and lace shirt; Old Navy tees and tank; Forever 21 skirts, sweater vest, boots, and floral blouse; Steve Madden oxfords)

Channeling Katharine

First of all, the winner of the Fragonard giveaway is Vanessa! Congratulations, and I had a smashing good time reading all of your comments.


My months and months of scavenging for the perfect semi-slouchy, high-waisted, awesomely cuffable pants came to fruition yesterday when I bought these navy blue trousers.

I got this shirt at a fantastic vintage shop in Paris. The colors are so glorious, and the slim cut reminds me vividly of a Ben Sherman men's shirt.

Again, photo credit goes to the lovely and wonderful Sylvia.

While we were prancing around outside, I came across the cutest little fuzzy creature crawling around the picnic table. I quickly named him Iggy, and he responded rather affectionately.

I think he was going for my pocket!

Vintage shirt and trousers, black ballet shoes, borrowed sunglasses

As soon as I put this outfit on I thought of Katharine Hepburn. She is without a doubt one of my greatest inspirations for the way she approached fashion and everything else. Her androgynous clothing and outspoken, often challenging attitude make her, in my opinion, one of the most unusual women in history.

The fact that a woman at that time could be considered beautiful, elegant, and timeless for reasons other than possessing blatantly obvious sex appeal is really incredible and inspiring. Katharine Hepburn gives hope to all the intelligent, confident women out there! I think we can all learn great lessons from her.

Hello Again! Briefly!

It is a quiet Sunday morning here in the dorms, and with four computers for one hundred and eighty students I usually only get a few minutes on the computer. But with almost everybody still asleep (it would be just after ten here) I have found a moment to say hello!

I miss blogging so much, guys. This is quite an old post that I meant to put up before I left, but I will do it now because I need an excuse to send you all hugs and kisses and hope that you'll hang tight for a little while longer while I'm having the time of my life in Paris.

Obviously, I promise to tell you everything about my trip when I come back for real. Until then, I love you all!

And now, some more resort collections I adored (I know, I know, a whole crop of shows has been harvested since I left, but these deserve my attention too):

One part tailored black and white party elegance and one part gloriously embellished slouchiness has me in tears of joy over Stella McCartney. That oversized dark grey sweater dress with the silver patterns is possibly my favorite piece from any resort collection yet (I am officially calling that Rumi will own it within three months, doesn't it totally seem like her kind of piece?), and the blue and white striped dress is so perfectly Parisian.

Lace, casual elegance, a muted palette with just the right dose of shine - all the pieces from 3.1 Phillip Lim are so versatile for this time of year. I love the simplicity of the white lace shift dress, and how the contrasting grey sweatshirt and metallic trousers are pulled together in their easy silhouettes.

I saved my favorite collection for last. Yigal Azrouël somehow managed to include every element of my ideal summer wardrobe in one collection: casually draped jersey dresses, a subtly colored palette dressed up with punchy accessories (cyan and purple turbans! razzle dazzle trim and necklaces!), and pieces that are sensual and sleek in unusual ways (like the perfectly unclingy jumpsuit and that wonderful, wonderful white one-shouldered dress). My favorite outfit is definitely the cargo shorts with the sweet sequined vest. Azrouël has to be my favorite collection this season.

P.S. I have come up with a delicious idea for a sweet little something to bring back as a blog giveaway. Something to look forward to when I return...