Ensemble du Jour: 3-4-11

Pros: More outfit posts. Cons: iPhone photo at night in full length mirror. Let's just call this "arty", shall we?

You can sort of see the important stuff - vintage faux leopard jacket from Shrimpton Couture, Rosalind Keep Trompe L'Oeil trench dress, leggings from Sock Dreams and Gap cap-toe ballet flats. The plexi and pearls bracelet is from Etsy.

This is shown as a dress but even at 5'3" there is no way I'd wear this to work without leggings. Yikes!

All mobile pics, all the time around here. That's quality!

Ensemble du Jour - 6-9-10

I was very excited when I recieved my new Camilla Skovgaard heels that I had to find a way to wear them right away. They are so cool and structural so they needed an equally fun outfit to go with them. So I decided to match them up with my trompe l'oeil Rosalind Keep dress in pink and black.



A simple black cardigan keeps it work-ready and me from freezing in the office AC.



I thought the Paraphernalia necklace worked perfectly with the graphic lines of the dress and heels.



The perfect round toe...



What I love about the dress is that it's really just a straight-forward jersey tank dress but the addition of the drawing makes it just more. It was perfect to then go out after work and meet up with some friends for dinner too.

Ensemble du Jour - 3-15-10

For some reason my good camera has been hijacking my photos and I couldn't download these until just now. What the heck?

I wore this outfit during Fashion Week and liked it so much and found it so comfortable I decided it was going into regular rotation.

Plus it's a darn cute dress.



You may kind of barely notice that I'm wearing the Chanel trompe l'oeil tattoos on too. I love a bit of a theme.



The cardigan is the Behnaz Sarafpour for Target black lace cardigan (my favorite) and it's worn over the Rosalind Keep trompe l'oeil dress from Oasis. I paired this up with Nine West's pink, black and white Neonliter kitten heels and a pink and black retro-y case.

This little case is the smallest of a three piece carry-on set. It's such a cute shape.

I love this little cotton dress so much I got it in both colors. The design gives you the illusion of extra shaping even though its just a simple tank dress. Plus it's a bit quirky too! That's my favorite part!

Channeling Coco

About once a year or so I toy with the idea of streamlining my closet and wardrobe palette. But then I end up wearing some flouncy pink, purple and blue outfit and it all goes out the window. It must be a winter thing because here I am again wanting to go through all of my clothes and shoes and accessories and edit out the color for, what I consider, a Chanel-esque tone.

I had been toying with this idea a few weeks ago but watching Coco avant Chanel on the plane back from Ireland made we even more inspired to do it. The thing is, I love the classic tailoring and elegant femininity of the Chanel look. I love the black, whites, greys, sages and pinks. The restrained lines with immaculate detailing. It all appeals to me strongly.



The movie was some, but not enough, of what I hoped for. I expected it to be about the elements that influenced Coco's aesthetic but I wanted even more. The few brief moments were not enough and didn't tie it back to her later creations. Less romance, more fashion!



As I cast a new eye over some recent purchases, I saw details were already creeping in.



I love the off-white pajamas with the black piping.



And I just purchased a few of the new Rosalind Keep trompe l'oeil Trench Dresses from Oasis (UK) -

Trench Dress:

Prom Dress:

In Black:

In Pink:

And of course there are the classic wool suits embellished or combined with pearls and crystals.

Of course these aren't as detailed, but Forever 21 had some cute options to wear to work and with jeans:

I'm wearing this jacket today with a beaded top, black pencil skirt, black tights and black patent heels.

But I especially adore the very restrained schoolgirl-ish looks with the tidy collars.

Crisp white against a dark background.

Those scenes influenced this new Sonia Rykiel dress purchase to be sure.

I'm going to at least write up my wardrobe parameters leaving room for patterns like damask, toile and, of course stripes!