Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
It's warming up again but still nicely brisk. We had a great weekend and I got a lot accomplished around the house. I know I'll be crazy tomorrow rushing for Thanksgiving, but today I wasn't feeling too overwhelmed.

I wore this Merona Croc Print Cardigan and a pencil skirt. I love this Mizrahi pencil skirt. The shape is nice and slim but the material is very comfy. No jewelry, the top is pattern enough.



For the shoes I wore my vintage alligator peep-toe slingbacks. Damn, I love these! They are so 40's secretary and they fit perfect. The pattern ties in with the top but not overly so.



The Focal Point
What do you think? The top or the shoes? The cardigan patter in more obvious, but the shoes are just so amazing an have an amazing shape on. Plus they're vintage.

I vote shoes.

Textures of nature

Over the weekend it finally got kind of cool, so when we went to this really great antiques show, I was exited to pull out my cozy wraps.

I was still excited when this morning rolled around. It was chilly in the morning so I decided to wear a sweater. Unfortunately was in the 80's today and it was way to warm for wearing a sweater. I looked way too excited for Fall and, probably, pretty stupid.

Anyway, I wore my new Old Navy sweater in a light heathered teal, my brown skirt - the classic Johnathan Adler "happy chic" color combo.



I wore my vintage alligator peep-toe slingbacks with it.

I got these on eBay and they fit perfectly. They are rather high but have a perfect silhouette.

I'm trying to stick to my palette of black/grey/white/silver/red/green/blue, so most of my Fall pieces are very clean and streamlined. Not overly patterned.



I'm going to add some punch to these basics with accessories like unique vintage jewelry, bright scarves, gloves, socks and tights and lots of texture from natural materials and exotics.

Those vintage heels will great with the bright opaque tights. I also bought these Michael Kors "Cairo" heels in python. Their one of the pricier pieces I bought for Fall, but so classic and well made that they are truly an investment piece. These will be great with dark brown tights, light taupe knee socks, black and green.



I'm also going to start trying to wear more of my unique accessories. I have several hats and lots of vintage gloves. And besides eBay and antiques shows, Etsy is fast becoming my go to spot for finding neat stuff.

I fell in love with this Copper Pheasant feather fascinator about a month ago. I love the colors and the pattern of the feathers and that it is unlikely that anyone will have something like it. I had it in my shopping cart for a while but when I went back to get it, it was gone! On Etsy, things are mainly one-of-a-kind and handcrafted, so it's best to get them asap.

I was totally bummed. How surprised was I when I saw that the purchaser was Miss Style Bubble herself. I'm in good company then, because I ran right back to Etsy, saw that KissCurl had another one in stock and bought it straightaway.



Gorgeous, gorgeous! And, since my hair is auburn, it will look so cool!



And because I love feathers and black and white, I bought the Spotted Guinea one as well.



Now I just need to learn how to do my hair in a messy updo or something.

Exotics are the trend for Fall, and a lizard/alligator/crocodile handbag is a classic that will never go out of style. Neiman Marcus sent me an email asking me if I was "living the life of luxury". Okay, so probably not by their standards, especially when they have a bunch of $1000 plus designer bags made of exotic materials listed on their site.

They are gorgeous, but for that much money, I don't want to see a bunch of the same waltzing around town. Well, I know they probably won't be around my town, but it's the principle darn it! And why would I need these engineered to be "must-haves" when I can find a gorgeous piece like this:



This nearly-pristine lizard doctor's frame bag is so in style it's scary. Marc Jacobs must have a stash of these inspiring him because I know I've seen bags like these on the runway. The color is a perfect neutral tan. The interior (with original mirror) is perfect and the shape is eternal.

I have to get the handle stitched - an easy job at the shoe repair - but that is really the only flaw.

And get this... it was $50 at the antiques show I went to this weekend. How crazy-amazing is that?



This is the kind of thing you can totally luck into but you have to pounce! Do not hesitate just get them when you see them! You can always re-sell them on eBay later if you don't love it.

I'm also going to get a lot of wear out of my vintage La Rose black leather and creme/black lizard pumps. I need to get the insole glued down, but the vintage deadstock is in amazing shape.



Manolo Blahnik is doing a water snake heel this Fall in a similar material. It runs about $700. These are under $100 from Circa Sixty-Three.



So lots of great texture, patterns and materials. And by buying vintage and supporting small artisans, not a huge price tag.

Plus lots of fun!

Building a Fall Wardrobe - Part 2

Since I've been writing for this blog, I've been reading more fashion magazines like Vogue (American and UK) and Glamour and WWD. The images and designs are inspirational and in the overwhelming majority, aspirational. Unlike high-end shoes, I tend not to buy a lot of designer clothes. Maybe it's because I know their life cycle is shorter, or because I tend to sit in an office most of the day. Or it could be that I live in a small-ish Southern town where I won't get much use out of them. Or maybe I know I will get tired of my clothes much faster than I do my shoes. Or maybe I'm just to cheap.

Anyway, my wardrobe mainly comes from Target, Gap and Anthropologie with some Old Navy, JCrew and Ann Taylor mixed in. I mentioned the pieces I just bought from the Gap - some classic, some trendy. Here are some of the new pieces I got from Target.


These are the brighter, trendier, more disposable pieces that I'm fine if they only last a season.

1. Argyle sweaters in 4 colors (I got the green one too). I like to add colorful scarves and gloves with these. This year I can wear them with skirts and add bright socks and tights.
2. Dark brown cardigan with stylized alligator design. This has a classic look but could be paired with a bright color underneath
3. Black pencil skirt with great seaming
4. White button-down shirt with low v-neck. This will look great with jeans but also layered under my Libertine skull sweater vest.
5. Faux leather biker jacket with puff-shoulder detail in brown- I can't wait to wear this with jeans and boots
6. Purple alligator clutch. $12!!! And so cute
7. I also got a brown skirt that will be great with my chunky wing-tip shoes and many of my sweaters

They are all a bit streamlined preppy, I guess, but apparently the catholic school influences live on.