Winter Warmth

The last new winter coat I got was the Christmas before I went on a school trip to London, in January of 2007.  As a result, I cannot think of winter coats without thinking "Could I wear this in London and not die of hypothermia?"  People, brains are really weird.  And also, you know, it's been awhile since I got a new coat.  Last winter, I discovered a mystery men's black puffy parka which had presumably been left behind in my parents' house by one of my brother's friends, and I commandeered it.  It's warm as heck, but faaaaaaar from fashionable.  Here are the coats (with bonus hats, gloves, and scarves) which have caught my eye this winter.  I love warm colored winter things, they bring so much cheer to cold, bleak days.

We'll see if any of these makes it into my closet before the first snow.  So, what do you think?  Are you the sort of person who buys a new coat every winter?  I always seem to go years between new coats.

Sources:
Hooded top, £125
J Crew toggle coat, $325
Duffle coat, £235
Funnel neck coat, £175
Jack BB Dakota double breasted coat, $70
Wrap top, $88
J Crew cashmere glove, $40
Beanie hat, $38
Fair Isle Scarf, £39

Sweater Swoon

I would like to write a sonnet to this sweater.  And this one.

I honestly can't decide which version I like better, but it doesn't matter because in a perfect world I have both of them and wear them everyday, switching off the colors, until they are rags.  And even then, I will stuff them in a drawer and occasionally take them out, hold the soft, heart-speckled pieces to my cheek, and reflect on the good old days.

Thanks to Katie Armour for bringing these lovlies to my attention and changing my life.  I like them, a very little bit.  If you couldn't tell.

From Topshop!

Aweigh!

MNKR was featured on Fab.com today, and I had 20 free dollars! from joining Fab that I'd completely forgotten about.  So, naturally, I bought the first nautical thing I spotted.  That is one bitchin' anchor necklace, y'all, and I am going to wear it like the sea-loving hippie I am.

I'm liking Fab, so far.  It's like a Gilt Groupe for people who shudder just looking at the word "gilt."

countdown

So in less than a week I depart for 10 days in the Galapagos Islands.  Whoa! you might be saying because I somehow managed to keep this a delicious secret all to myself, which is incredibly un-like me.  Well, I mean, not ALL to myself.  But I haven't blogged about it, which seems something like the same thing.  The reason for this inadvertent discretion is actually very simple: it doesn't feel real.  I'm hoping it starts feeling real sometime around the time I board the flight to Miami.  That would be ideal.

Anyways, last weekend I went to the (relative) metropolis of Charlottesville, VA to meet my mom and do some trip shopping.  Up to that point, my trip preparations consisted of ordering a pair of last-season Tevas (Tevas have seasons--who knew?) for half-price on ebay.  Mom figured I should get some shorts, which was probably wise on her part.  Partway into the shopping trip, I realized that what I really wanted was a simple, summer dress that I could wear on the boat.  Since I am notoriously bad at finding everyday dresses (whenever I go looking, I somehow end up with a special occasion dress), this was a tall order.  Happily, I lucked out.

Meet the Maritime V-neck Dress from J. Crew.  A bit pricey on my budget (which is generally limited to thrift stores and clothing swaps), but an attempt to walk away from it ended up with me driving back across town hours later to snag it.  It's cotton, lightweight but not insubstantial, and it has POCKETS.  Perfect cruise dress?  I think so.

I should note that the only way I can afford this trip on my (again nonexistent) budget is through the generosity of my fantastic aunt.  Thanks to her, I'm going on a 10-day expedition for the price of the round-trip plane ticket.  Now that's awesome.

want

Typically, I'm the sort of person who scoffs at people who spend three figures on a handbag.  But you guys, if I had $300, I would totally buy Kate Spade's "hit the dock stevie" bag.  If I had $600, I would buy both.  But the yellow one first, for sure.

(Also, how cute is the Kate Spade Emma book clutch?  They picked the best quote for it.)

H is for

I bet you thought I'd all but abandoned this here ol' blog, didn't you?  And then this week I sweep in all "Wham!" "Bam!" "10,000 posts!" and you're reeling!  So while you're down, here's one more.

Illustrator, blog favourite, and all-around clever dude Marc Johns has put some of his drawings on t-shirts and oh, my they are wonderful.  The selection is as follows:

They're printed on American Apparel shirts and look really freaking fantastic.  Perfect for the odd little dude inside us all.

50s headband giveaway!

I am terribly jealous of people who can sew.  It's one of those precision-based activities that I've never been able to wrap my head around.  My mom used to sew her own clothes, and one of my roommates does, too.  

If you are of the fabric craft persuasion and feel like learning to make, say, a fantastic 50s-style headband, then you should head straight over to Elegant Musings, where Casey (not my brother) has shown us how to do just that!

If you, like me, are home ec drop-outs, you should still check it out.  Because Casey didn't just make one headband--she made two!  And one of them is for me or you!

I'm envious of us both already.

winter wear

If I had a heartier wallet, I think I'd spend all winter in tights, boots, and colorful skirts. These skirts and tunics from Boden fit with my fantasy winter wardrobe perfectly.

From the top: Fun Wool Mini, Casual Dress, Jacquard Wool Mini, Cable Knit Tunic, Funky Tunic

mnkr for fall

I love pretty much all of MNKR's Fall/Winter 2010 collection.  Like so:

I found myself drawn towards the sweatshirts, but that might also be because it's negative a million degrees in this house.*

*possible slight exaggeration**


**but probably not

toasty warm

I adore the new Toast men's collection, and not just because looking at the catalog photos gives me a fleeting illusion of warmth.

It's also not just because of this guy.  Though, you know, he helps.

I also love that they used this fellow.  He's weathered and dignified in a way that fits the collection very well.  It all sort of makes me wish I was a guy.  And British.  Or had one, anyways.

stripes and whales and boats, oh my!

I accidentally spent an hour this morning browsing Modcloth (oops!), where I found yet more ships and stripes to obsess over.  I think this has elevated to the point where it is officially a "problem."

Dresses first:

From the top: Get Connected Dress, Ice Cream Sandwich Dress, Little Italy Dress, and The Stylish Wanderer Dress.  The last is definitely my favourite.  I've been so inspired by two of my fellow VISTAs who wear day dresses so effortlessly, when I always feel like I should be on my way to church.  Perhaps one or more of these ladies will change my tune.

Shirts:

From the top: Into the Sunset Tee, Tagline Top, Golden Street Top, Marine Biolo-tee.  My summer uniform has become denim shorts and a soft, bit-too-big tee or tank, striped if I can manage it.  These would fit right in, don't you think?  I adore them all.

new toast collection

Style things I'm currently crazy about:
Stripes
Wide boat necks
Toast

From the top:
Leila Dress
Paisley Tie Waist Dress
Breton Tee
Merino Roll Sleeve Pullover

What are you loving right now?

out of print

How fantastic are these shirts by Out of Print?  Each one features a classic (and often out of print) cover image of a book, with lots of books to chose from!  The best part is that for every shirt sold, a book is donated to an African community in need through Books for Africa.  These are the sorts of shirts I wear until they are tatters.  Yes, please!

via the neotraditionalist

toast dresses

Here are three dresses from TOAST that are rocking my world.  Just because.

The last one, the Ishya Dress, is described as having "generous pockets," which I have decided is my favourite thing in a dress.  Click on the photos for links.

garnet hill

It would probably not be a stretch to say that I am going to be all about corals and stripes this year.


Clockwise, from upper left: Veranda Knit Dress, Tissue Scoop-Neck Swing Tee, Organic Cotton Shorty Pajamas, Summer-Weight Cotton Crew Neck Sweater, French Sole Floral Leather Ballet Flat, Ciao Bella Perforated T-Strap Sandal, Pleated Washed Silk Blouse, A-Line Racerback Tank

style idol: nancy drew

Nancy Drew in the Now

I know I've said this twice now, but here we go again: THIS WAS THE HARDEST ONE.  This time it wasn't because of cover art (clearly, I was working from naught but my own imagination), nor was it due to my own conflicting memories.  No, this difficulty was due to the fact that fashion terrifies me.  In the earlier posts, I was looking backwards and thinking like an historian, which I can do, since I am an historian.  However, when it comes to modern stuff, I am an infant.  I mean, I did it, but now I never want to see another pair of shoe for the rest of my life.

Anyway!  The biggest decision was whether to put Nancy in pants again or go back to skirts.  I went with trousers because that's the direction in which the cover art was moving when I last read new Nancy Drews.  I tried to class it up, however, and made a point to get Nancy back in some heels.  Return her to her roots, if you will.  I also updated her tech!  Considerably!  I knew I needed to get a smart phone in there, and I went with the Palm Pre because my techie friend Adam has one, and he swears by it.  All I know is that it can run multiple apps, and I betcha Nancy would dig that.  I decided to give her a snazzy Kate Spade necklace and matching earrings because I think we can all agree that Nancy is the type of gal who wears matching sets of jewelry.  And makes them work.

Speaking of returning to roots, I also decided to return Nancy to her roadster roots, and opted for a Mini-Cooper convertible.  Nancy always had a new car, so I built this baby over on the Mini website.  It was for Nancy, you understand, and not at all because those things are hella fun to build.

And that's that!  There you have it, Nancy's fashion through the ages.  I hope everyone has enjoyed reading these as much as I have making them.  If I've whetted your appetite for Nancy, there's a lot out there.  I for one am shamelessly addicted to the computer games--they are so well made and such fun.  The classic books in audio are now read by Laura Linney, who does a fantastic job (I'll be listening to The Hidden Staircase on my drive to South Carolina this Sunday).  I should note that I do a lot of laughing when I read or listen to classic Nancy Drew books, mainly because Nancy excels at EVERYTHING.  If you're at all interested in the story behind Nancy Drew, then I HIGHLY recommend Girl Sleuth by Melanie Rehak.  It's a fabulous book, and it reads a little like a mystery itself.

Sources:
New Feminine cotton blouse by DAY Berger et Mikkelsen, $220
Check Pants by Junya Watanabe, $680
Ringsend Heels by Anthropologie, $90
Javanica Tote by Anthropologie, $88
It Takes All Sorts Triple Necklace by Kate Spade, $125
It Takes All Sorts Stud by Kate Spade, $38
Palm Pre by Palm, $149.99
Magnifying Glass from Amazon, $9.95
A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Lilien for being the perfect style reference for my feeble brain.
(I went through a LOT of items making these sets.  You can browse the stuff that didn't make the cut here)

*this is the fifth and final post in a series on the fashion of Nancy Drew.  Browse full series: 1930s-1950s-1970s-1990s-Now

style idol: nancy drew

Nancy in the 90s

If you're paying attention, then you'll notice that this is a bit of an outlier from the rest.  The easy explanation is that the Nancy Drew Mystery editions on which I based the first three posts in the series were no longer being made in the 90s.  Nancy lost her iconic yellow spine, hardcover, and internal illustrations and came issued in paperbacks by Minstral.  So there's that.  However, if the 70s post was informed by memories of the books from my youth, than this one is REALLY informed.  By the early 90s, I was tearing through these paperbacks like it was my job, plus I was wearing all of the things Nancy was depicted in on the covers.  This one was TOUGH.  If I could have found a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper to put in there, believe you me, there'd be one.

So here goes: can you believe that they're selling stirrup pants again?  They totally are!  It was hard going with pants after all those pretty dresses, but the simple truth was that Nancy's days of climbing through windows in heels were behind her.  I searched long and hard for the perfect bag for this one because it had to be a mini backpack.  EVERYONE had those stupid things, and I imagine Nancy would be no different.  Same goes for the wayfarers and calculator watch.  That was pretty cutting edge tech (I won mine in a school sale and treasured it for many weeks).

What with the changing of the times, Nancy might even have gone for a hardier blue convertible, like this 1990 Wrangler.  This was going to be the last post, but I feel I need to purge my system of all that 90s, so you'll get a modern Nancy tomorrow.  Yay!

Sources:
Stretch Velvet Sirrup Legging by American Apparel, $45
Lucy Low-Tops by Marais USA, $48
Britt Shirt by Abercrombie & Fitch, $68
Spring Cardigan by American Eagle Outfitters, $29.50
Deena & Ozzy Printed Backpack by Urban Outfitters, $58
Neon Retro Wayfarer Sunglasses from Amazon, $6.95
Unisex Datamat Calculator Watch by Vestal, $59.95
Oblong Reading Magnifying Glass from Amazon, $20.60
Flirty Florals Notebook by Mead, $3.29
book cover from here

*this is fourth in a series on Nancy Drew's fashion through the decades. Browse full series: 1930s-1950s-1970s-1990s-Now

spring toms

It's that time of year again!  The time of year when I drool and curse my empty wallet, all at the same time!  (Okay, that's most of the year, but all the same...)  TOMs just announced their spring styles!  Here are my favs:

Newport Red Cordones.  I wasn't too sure about the Cordones line when it first came out, but I am LOVING these red-striped beauties.  Definitely my #1 pick.

Seaport Vegan Classics.  I love that print, I do.

Tyler Ramsey Hand Painted.  Part of the TOMs artist line.  Like wearing a Pollack on your feet.  Minus the $5 million+ insurance rates.

Blue Madras Classics.  It's bothered me all year that TOMs has all these great plaid shoes for men, but not for women.  Here's hoping these become a trend!