Inspiration Board

Photograph by Steven Meisel

Weekend Plans

Photography by Phil Poynter

This weekend includes:

• Toasting to matrimonial bliss at a friend's country wedding and reception
• Planning a road trip to Missouri
• Pinpointing the perfect gift for my brother's basic training graduation
• Lakeside drinks and conversation on Sunday evening

Inspiration Board

Photography by Sandra Freij

Prabal Gurung Fall 2009

Prabal Gurung, who formerly worked at Bill Blass, launched his debut collection for Fall 2009. His crisp aesthetic is a welcome alternative to the saturation of over-designed studded and distressed items. In fact, they're everything I'd hope for in an investment piece: elegant, strutural and luxe - and let's face it, I have to merely hope, the garments aren't exactly within my budget.

From the Wall Street Journal:
"There’s not a contemporary feel to it—these are investment pieces: beautiful cashmere coats, amazingly well-made dresses that are going to last you forever,” Mr. Gurung says. Retail prices for blouses will start at $400 and dresses will retail for $900 to $4,000, he says, adding, “I’m going after the lady who wants to look beautiful and wear her clothes rather than have her clothes wearing her."




Photos via Style.com.

Inspiration Board

Brasserie Lipp, Paris 1969 by Henri Cartier-Bresson

Summer Sizzles

Tomorrow's heat index is predicted to be 102 degrees. Thank goodness for air conditioning and Popsicles.

Photos via Veer.

Thumbs Down

Well, the much-anticipated Vena Cava for Gap dress came. And went. Right back to Gap.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a great-looking dress. But it has some sizing and quality issues. I normally wear a 6 at Gap, but I ordered sizes 6 and 8 because I heard it runs closer to designer sizing. They sure weren't kidding. There was no hope I was going to squeeze my hips into the 6. Thankfully the 8 fit...if I didn't want to eat, sit down or move. Not exactly realistic. I would have preferred a 10 (which interestingly enough is the largest size Gap offers in the dress).

Sizing issues aside, the quality was sub par. On one of the dresses, the zipper was already pulling apart from the garment at the seam (easy fix, but one I shouldn't have to make upon tearing it from the package).

Did anyone else have better luck with Gap's designer collaboration?

Fall into the Gap

It's only been sixteen days into my sartorial sabbatical and I've caved. My closet simply couldn't go on much longer without the Vena Cava for Gap khaki zip dress.



Our local Gap doesn't carry it, so I ordered a couple of sizes online to try. I'll report back on how it fits.

(I may be slightly pathetic, but I do have a lot of pretty clothes.)

By the Seashore

The major drawback to living in the Midwest is being far, far away from the ocean. Sure we have plenty of lakes to splash in, but it just doesn't compare to salty sea spray and hot white sand.

Fortunately, bringing any of these nautical items home might just tide me over until my next ocean escape.


(pictured clockwise, starting with upper left)

Ballard Designs, Ceramic Crab, $49
Jayson Home & Garden, Cabebe Shell Dish, $44
Crate and Barrel, Port O'Call Table Lamp, $159
Restoration Hardware, Porthole Mirror, $199
Ballard Designs, Rope Knot Doorstop, $39
Thomas Paul, Seafarer Moby Jute Pillow, $70
Waterford, Seahorse Ocean Bread & Butter Plate, $19.95

Alexander Wang, Vena Cava for Gap

I'm not sure where my sartorial awareness was for the last month because I just learned that Alexander Wang, Vena Cava and Albertus Swanepoel are falling into the Gap. The trio have reworked Gap's signature American prepster fabric - khaki - into surprisingly covetable pieces.

The major drawback to the capsule collection is the price point. The Albertus Swanepoel hats are $39.50 each, while Alexander Wang and Vena Cava designs range from $49.50 to $88. $88 for a Vena Cava dress is a bargain, but a Vena Cava for Gap dress is still, well, a Gap dress - and it's not worth $88.

But I want it. I've been having heart palpitations over the Vena Cava zipper dress (below).

The collection is scheduled to launch on June 16. I'll be one of the first in line to try on the dress (and probably break my no-shopping vow in the meantime).

(Pictured clockwise, starting from upper left.)

Alexander Wang for Gap trench coat, $88
Albertus Swanepoel for Gap bucket hat, $39.50
Vena Cava for Gap zipper dress, $88
Alexander Wang for Gap shorts, $49.50
Albertus Swanepoel for Gap wide-brimmed hat, $39.50

Tag! I'm it!

Candi over at Candace Rose tagged me to share a bit more about myself. (And if you haven't yet checked out her blog, what are you waiting for?)

What is your current obsession?
Sending traditional mail. There are few things as intimate as handwritten words. There's a certain sense of sensuality to penning your thoughts on thick letterpress stationary. I recently purchased a return address stamp from PaperWink after seeing them on Green Wedding Shoes. If you'd like one of your own, I must warn you that it's hard to limit yourself to just one design! I opted for the Curly stamp.

Who is the last person you hugged?
My boyfriend. (Cue the "awww's" and smooching noises.)

What is your favorite dinner?
I have a hard time playing favorites with anything and I'm not exactly a picky eater, so this question is harder than it probably should be! However, let's just say I'd never turn down a French Dip with classic Belgian frites dipped in aioli from the Monroe Street Bistro.

What was the last thing you bought to wear?

This pair of sandals from Nine West.

What are you listening to right now?
I'm watching "The Big Bang Theory" on CBS - and listening to the dishwasher.

What is your favorite weather?
A sunny, 68 degree day in autumn (just cool enough to wear tights) with a slight breeze to rustle the changing leaves.

Say something to the person who tagged you?
I can't even tell you how happy I am I stumbled across your blog! You are definitely one of the sweetest girls online and I'm eager to continue reading your blog. And I hope you have a very happy birthday!

Tea or Coffee?
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. (Note to self: get a coffee pot with an automated timer to begin brewing just before the alarm goes off.) On the days I'm too bleary-eyed to make it at home, I head to Starbuck's for an iced venti non-fat, no whip, white mocha. Which is a moutful to say.

What did you want to be as a child?
Everything from a ballerina (this lasted a day) to a judge to an archeologist to a mother of 20 (thank goodness I got past that - I told my mom she'd help raise them) to a journalist. The last career aspiration is the one I stuck with and majored in English and Journalism with an emphasis on advertising and public relations.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would you go?
Egypt to see the Pyramids.

Who do you want to meet in person?
Cathie Black (President of Hearst Magazines), Diane von Furstenberg and author Ian McEwan.

What is your most challenging goal right now?
Becoming more outgoing and accepting more social invitations. I think it's difficult to make friends post-college. Now that I'm establishing myself in my current city, I'm trying to make more social connections.

What is your weirdest obsession?
Organization. And flossing my teeth every night before bed. Every. Single. Night.

Why did you start a blog?
There was a dash of boredom in the mix when I thought about starting one. But it was really because I wanted to create a place to share my current style fascinations and establish an outlet to write about these things. In the few short months I have been blogging, a wonderful side effect has been learning more about other bloggers and taking a peek into their worlds.

What is your blog about?
I'm still trying to figure that out myself!

What blogs are you obsessed with at the moment?
I'm going to echo Candi on this one: there are so many! I update my blog roll with the ones I'm regularly checking.

What is your dream job?
I'm fortunate to have a job in publishing as the Events Manager and Web Manager. My ideal job would be along these lines with event planning or public relations.

If you could change professions or careers, what would you like to try (realistically speaking)?
Book publishing or wedding planning.

Who is your favorite designer at the moment?
Diane von Furstenberg - as if you didn't already know! I also like Cynthia Steffe, vintage Pucci, Abaete, Milly and Nanette Lepore.

What's your favorite brand of jeans?
I have to be honest here: I don't like wearing denim. On the rare occassion that I reach for a pair, I opt for Gap.

One thing you would snitch out of someone's closet with no regrets?
I already plucked one of my prized possessions from my mother's closet (don't worry, I asked first). She gave me a maxi dress from the 1970s two years before the trend infiltrated style media. There's a barely-visible stain on the hem from a wayward cocktail thirty years ago. It adds character. I do wish that my grandmother's entire jewelry collection made its way to me. I have a fair share of the vintage costume gems. She had great taste and I wear a lot of it regularly.

What piece of designer clothing would you most like to own, new or vintage?
Anything ever sent down the runway by John Galliano at a Christian Dior couture show.

I'd like to tag another three bloggers:
An Aesthetic Feast
The Lil Bee
Goldenmeans

A Penny Saved...

Photo via Veer.

The words "I deserve [insert splurge of choice] - it's my birthday month!" came tumbling out of my mouth a little too often in May. After my discretionary spending frenzy, I've decided to tighten the purse strings and refrain from spending any money on clothing and accessories in June.

This is not going to be easy.

For as long as I can remember, I've budgeted a moderate amount each month for clothing - and usually exceeded that amount. Watching my savings account grow, of course, is a welcome side effect of cutting back on spending. But the appeal is somewhat unrelated to saving money.

I hope this will persuade me to be much more selective when adding an item to my wardrobe. Choosing quality over quantity is such a cliche, but it's true. Multiple $20 purchases add up to what could have been a coveted luxury item. And just because something is on sale, doesn't mean I need it. What I do need, however, is to spend more time considering fit and construction before handing over my debit card.

At least that's what I hope will happen. I'll keep you posted.

Ace of Spades

I not-so-secretly wish my life was just one large Kate Spade ad.