StyleSnapshot

Friday flowers

 Shirt, Paul Smith

In this week's installment of Outrageous Fridays - an only-modestly-outrageous pairing of stripes and flowers (there is a proper suiting style pin-stripe skirt involved on the bottom but posing full length in the middle of a trading floor might raise some eyebrows... so you'll just have to use your imagination ;). And sorry, no jumpsuit (yet), although still seriously considering it!! Anyway, back to stripes and flowers... I gotta tell you, I *heart* Paul Smith for making Outrageous Friday dressing to work eeeeasy - sassy mensware inspired stuff that marries traditional tailoring and goofy prints, colors and details. I'm pretty sure I can also dig up in the  depths of the closet a cropped snow leopard print suit jacket, green houndstooth newspaper boy vest, candy-cane red striped button-down, some frilly blouses in Paul Smith rainbow print and juicy orange, plus my go-to high-waisted skirts (in frequent rotation - highly recommend)... and never run out of Friday funware :) :) 

P.S. Stay tuned for an update on the belabored naked dress dilemma tonight!!! xxxxxooooo

The naked dress dilemma (continued)

Ok, I don't intend to blow this out of proportion (I mean, c'mon - I'm the first to roll my eyes at a friend who can't decide what to wear out!). But it being a very special/highly anticipated occasion, I'm permitting myself to obsess a little longer about the naked dress dilemma...

...and, I have the most perfect, totally bad-ass overcoat solution!!!  Check this out:

 
Coat, Reed Krakoff via Gilt

Fur was a little too Upper East Side for me in the first place... but this is pretty spot on :) :)

Minor inconvenience (glad I read the small print before hitting "buy") - expected delivery after 4/19. Really? REALLY??? hohumm :x Gilt Groupe apparently is not for procrastinators.

The naked dress dilemma

Source: Hollywire.com 

So this Friday, in honor of my best friend visiting NYC from London for exactly 10 hours (all of which will be likely spent eating, drinking, dancing, and laughing uncontrollably), I have been contemplating dusting off *the naked dress* for a serious GNO. We all remember Carrie's naked dress from Season 1, Episode 6... While my dress is clearly not THE naked dress (less slip-like, more body-con with perhalps slighly more coverage), it's certainly similar in that it makes you look... well, naked. Courtesy of Cushnie et Ochs, it's this SS'09 dress...

 
Source: Elle.com

...but in a color so closely resembling moderately pale skin that on my moderately pale skin it is virtually indistinguishable!! So, it being the naked dress, there are clearly some reputational logistical risks involved with wearing it, the most concerning of which is looking just naked enough and not too naked and staying warm in near freezing weather. Since Carrie wore her dress in the dead of winter, lets not be concerned with seasonal appropriatness here (Carrie's not one for fashion faux pas, right ;) plus I'm a big fan of her original solution:

 
Source: Fashionism.ca

...with one minor problem in that I don't own a large raccoon fur coat... or any fur coat for that matter (mainly due to financial, not moral constraints ;). So, back to the original dilemma: I can wear the dress... but don't have anything appropriate to wear over, can't wear anything under and probably couldn't eat (or breathe ) in it anyway because it's rather umm "unforgiving". So, what to do?? To wear or not to wear??? Any creative solutions???? xxxooo

Monday finds

Probably the most exciting Monday Find this week was stumbling upon today's Vogue Daily article proclaiming the return of the sneaker, which I wasn't aware of ever leaving, which is pretty great news because let's be frank, the brogue is getting old and wasn't half as comfortable to begin with (plus, if worn in my preferred combination of brogue+sock+bare leg is generally a highly man-repelling choice of footware for a lady, if you know anything about man-repelling) and flats, however comfortable, are not hip enough for weekend wear... So anyway, a pronouncement of this magnitue and my corresponding level of excitment requires its very own post soon... but in the meantime, other cool stuff I heart this week!

First, Alexander Wang bags just keep getting better and better!! This particular tote is cool because it's a neat neutral summer shade all the while retaining Wang-esque dark downtown cool, probably 200% more lightweight than the usual Wang bag (i.e., prolonged carrying of the Rocco will most definitily give you shoulder problems) and vaguely reminiscent of a 3x more expensive Celine tote from this spring (read: comparatively good deal)!

 Bag, Alexander Wang via La Garconne

Next, absolutely in love with Thakoon's hook-and-eye detailed springy lavander pieces. Even willing to overlook the rarely-flattering single shoulder part.

  
Vest and Dress, Thakoon via Kirna Zabete

Then, rather predictably - sailor stripes (ignoring the rolling eyes)!! Nope, not tired of those yet :) The light blue would be perfect with acid wash jeans which are my spring staple regardness of the coolness factor... or lack thereof (which btw looks pretty swell with sneakers) and the CDG shirt is wool (+) and has the little creepy PLAY heart logo (++). I like!

  
Shirts, Golden Goose (left) and Comme des Garcons Play (right) via La Garconne

And finally, perhaps for a future installment of Outrageous Fridays at the office, behold the [office-appropriate] jumpsuit. I'm pretty sure it's made out of something resembling suit fabric and therefore remotely passable (although I don't recommend trying this at home!) Ok, so I may have seen onesies and jumpsuits worn in odd ways and unlikely places... but I guarantee that no female coworker of mine has dared to don a jumpsuit suit to work. And there is a first for everything :) :)

 
Jumpsuit, Zucca via La Garconne

Winter Pt. II

Coat, Burberry; Shoes, Alexander Wang

Really? 30F in late March?!? Not nice >:( For now, burrying my face in a massive sheepy collar...

Silky things

Shirts (from left to right): Cushnie et Ochs, Equipment, Derek Lam, Nili Notan, The Row, Equipment

Because I slacked on posting this week, here is a daily double ;) Rummaging through my closet for a subversive-enough-yet-work-appropriate outfit this morning (see previous post), I was slightly shocked by the vastness of my silk blouse collection... in addition to the sliver from the white section above, there are shirts in every solid shade of work-appropriate pastels (pinks, lavanders, baby blues, lime greens and yellows, greys, etc. etc.). So this is definitely falling under the "obsessions" installment of this blog... In any case, even before Equipment blew up (thank you, Garance) and everyone started running around day and night in classic and classy washed silk blouses (a trend I wholeheartedly support), I was obsessively collecting silky things, with my favorite shirts probably being from Nili Notan in TriBeCa. This tendency is most likely a byproduct of my odd aversion to cotton (because it crinkles - OCD, I know...) and compulsion to touch every piece of clothes in front of me when I shop/browse (ok, this is starting to sound even crazier, but you know - if it doesn't feel nice to touch, why would you ever put it on?!?). Washed silk has the most irresistable, fleeting, fragile feminine feel to it... so there you have it :)

Shirt, Derek Lam

Casual Fridays

 Shirt, Miu Miu

Since I have long disregarded our office's business formal dress code, I've been rather conflicted about casual Fridays (i.e., if I go any more casual than my daily casual, proverbial lines will be crossed), until now in any case!! Going forward, casual Fridays = outrageous Fridays. Today's installment of outrageous Fridays involves swallows (paired with a highwaisted cream skirt that is guaranteed to cut off my circulation for the rest of the day - oh, the sacrifices...). Not outrageous enough?? Please keep in mind that SS10 Miu Miu bird and kitty prints totally ok for fashion week, not ok at my venerable financial institution. Therefore, slightly and subversively outrageous. Check :)

Toys

 Watch, Nooka

So I may have previously professed my love for the double watch trend here, and while I'm mostly over it by now (ah! how fickle is fashion!! or should I say fads! or is it just me?? :), I scored this sweet Nooka highlighter-yellow watch after playing with and falling for one that my friend John wears, which he claims to be a good conversation starter. Although in my limited experience it's been more of a conversation ender... because when someone asks me for the time, it still takes me 30+ seconds to figure exactly what this thing is showing... Oh well - fun toy :)

Monday finds

 
Source: Vogue.com

This week's Monday Finds is looking for ways to stay out of the rain (which will be turning into snow showers... in late March... but seriously??). Anyway, as depressing as freezing rain on a Monday morning can be, here is a very cheerful raincoat from Terra New York . Chic and totally waterproof!! I haven't figured out the mystery of their temperamental website, where all links seem to lead to the same place, i.e., their one product for sale thus far... But this one product is a pretty swell raincoat with a serious hood, which anyone who spends 30 minutes every morning coaxing curly hair into sleek straight locks (ahem, your truly :) will no doubt appreciate!

Gold rush

Talk about finding  inspiration in unlikely places... The intense, over-the-top decor at Goldbar last night actually reminded me of my ongoing obsession with Repossi. It's not just because Gaia Repossi is stunningly talelented, young (25!), cool and epitome of Parisian chic...

 Source: Harpersbazaar.com

...or that the first collection (Ere by Repossi) she designed after taking over as the artistic director of her family's business was inspired by Russian iconography ;) or that she has collaborated with NYC's up-and-coming designers Joseph Altuzarra or Alexander Wang...

Source: Repossi.com

Source: Intermissionmagazine.com 

...or even that Garance Dore loves Repossi creations, and Garance is always right :)

Source: Garancedore.fr 

...but simply because Repossi jewelry is unique and beautiful, an unlikely marriage of craftsmanship of a 90-year-old fine jewelry brand with youthful, modern cool. It's edgy-goth but at the same time elegant and refined. And that is something you won't be seeing any time soon at Goldbar ;)