BRILLIANT FASHION OF THE WORLD (PART 5)

sweater: Anthropologie
shoes: vintage
purse: vintage
sunglasses: vintage

When I saw this dress in Rhiannon's store I knew it had to be mine. The cut of the dress, the black and white checks, the pretty little rhinestone buttons. It was love at first sight. I finally got around to taking the hem up a couple of inches just in time to wear it on this beautiful, windy day.

 -------------------------------Oh, please forgive me for the terrible pun. I just couldn't resist. New York Fashion Week has left me feeling a bit let down. Perhaps it's because my head is completely filled with visions of fall fashions or maybe it's because sometimes Fashion Week reminds me of what I dislike most about fashion - how it's designed to make you feel as if you need, need, need the latest designer creation in order to be "in fashion". I usually enjoy seeing the daily updates on style.com as the collections pour in from the tents. This time, for some reason, it just seems like such work digging through collection after collection waiting for something to catch my eye. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even make it through all of the collections. I'm hoping that I just skipped over the one that would have knocked my socks off had I the will to trudge through them all. Did I? Do you have any recommendations? Maybe come February when I'm complaining of the cold and wishing for warm spring weather I can revisit these collections and enjoy them a bit more. I'm crossing my fingers that I can muster up more excitement for London Fashion Week. Sorry to sound so dour! All is not lost... here are a few looks that I'm saving for that dreary February day.

----------------------------I'm sure by now we've all checked out the newest collection from A.P.C. This is one of those stores I would raid the day after I won the lottery. The pieces are all so simple and classic, the colors subtle and the look-book showcases all of the clothes in perfectly layered ensembles. I've taken the style stalking a step further by saving all of their look-book pages to folder on my desktop as a how-to reference to getting dressed. That way, on the days I'm not feeling very creative or just don't want to think about getting dressed, I can pull up one of the photos and cheat a bit. If you haven't seen the collection,




--------------------------------I just realized that I haven't shared some of my favorite vintage finds of late. It seems that the vintage gods have been on my side as I've finally found several things for which I've been searching for months. I've also been stockpiling things for cooler weather. I actually wore a pair of newly thrifted green suede boots out of the house last night and they were perfect. Sorry, no photos of those yet. Later, I promise. In the mean time, here's a collection of photos I'd like to share with you of some of my favorite finds.

• I've been on the lookout for a vintage train case for ages. I see them on EBay all the time, but haven't ever placed a bid. I really wanted a robin's egg blue one, but I found this olive green one and it'll do just fine. I'm going to use it as a sewing case (I guess that means I need to start sewing!).
• This black leather mini Gladstone bag is perhaps my favorite find in weeks! I've been coveting Effie's perfect one ever since she first showed it. I'm always searching for them on EBay but they all seem to be located in the UK (why is that?) and go for a pretty penny. This one opens up to reveal the prettiest vintage fabric lining. Love!
• I've been collecting vintage hats. The black velvet one is from the 30's and will look perfect with a feather in the band. The tweed fedora has found a permanent home with my boyfriend and, I must say, is a perfect fit.
• I'm excited to try out this vintage Polaroid Land camera. I actually have some 669 film left over from some Polaroid transfers that I did a while back. I hope it works!
• Shoes for autumn in every shade of brown a girl could want. I can't wait to pair these with tights and wool skirts.
• This bakelite rose necklace is a pretty shade of burnt orange.
• I felt like I'd run across a lost treasure when I found this collection of vintage handkerchiefs. They are all so delicate and feminine with floral prints and embroidered scalloped edges. The ones with the dogwood prints are my favorites, of course.
• A cream colored 50's blouse with a rounded collar and decorative button placket on the front. This is the exact blouse I've been searching for! It even zips up the back.
• A swingy corduroy jumper. An autumn wardrobe must-have.

-----------------------------It's that time again! Here's your first look at some of the pieces that will be posting for sale in the store tomorrow. Fall dresses, wool skirts, pretty sweaters, mod boots and mary-janes and so much more! When they're gone, they're gone so if you see something you like be sure to bid. Thanks so much! Lots of love - SJ





----------------------------------I’ve been bitten once again by the sewing bug as happens from time to time. I’ve taken a few sewing classes and possess some basic sewing skills. I can sew a straight seam, install a zipper and have even set a sleeve. The thing that I lack the most is the patience to see the project through from beginning to end. There’s a particular dress pattern that I was itching to tackle all summer but every time I took the pattern pieces out of the package I was instantly panic stricken and stuffed them right back into their envelope. I’ve decided that to get back into the sewing groove I should start easy. Instead of trying to sew a garment from scratch I’ve been making a list of pieces to be on the lookout for at thrift stores that I can alter and experiment with without worrying about ruining an entire bolt of fabric. A few of my ideas are:

• Finding high waisted 70’s skirts and shortening them into swingy mini-skater skirts.
• Using the leftover fabric from the hem of the skirt to make some sort of suspenders (or braces depending on where you’re from!) to button onto the waist of the skirt.
• Finding worn-in flannel shirts and taking in the side seams and shortening the sleeves to make skinny button downs.
• 
  

.
------------------------------------

dress: H&M
socks: Undercover
shoes: vintage
sunglasses: vintage Rayban
purse: vintage
hair clip: made by me

We were stuck indoors for most of the weekend as Tropical Storm Hanna drenched us with inches of rain but we were able to get out Saturday night and drive to Delaware for dinner with friends.

-------------------------------

I’m not in the habit of posting photos of designer collection that are completely out of my reach – both physically and financially.  I've got a serious jonesing for that embroidered bow necklace (I'm racking my brain to come up with a DIY remake). Rather than wax poetic about the line’s finer points I’ll let the official press release do the talking:

Katherine Pont was born in Sydney and moved to London after graduating from an honours degree in painting and drawing at the College of Fine Arts. She has lived in the UK for seven years, and has been designing her independent label Mine since 2003.
Inspired by surrealist silent movies and Aztec geometric aesthetics, the new collection, entitled "Elsie Moved in Circles", is born from a 1920s fantasy, when swing and jazz met the city lights of skyscrapers and smoky eyes. Ensembles could be imagined for the starlets of silent cinema.
The art deco shapes of modernist buildings create an Aztec inspired pattern enhanced by lazer-cut leather trims. The collection is subtle in its glamorisation; the soft illustrated digital prints on layered sheer silk cottons are combined with hammered silk, drapey jacquards and wool jerseys. Tailoring hints are embellished with embroidered bows, square buttons and checks like windows, while quilting echoes harlequins and pleats are like the tiers of a building.

-------------------------------

dress: vintage slip worn as dress
tights: UO
shoes: vintage
hat: vintage
purse: vintage
flower pin: H&M

----------------------------Well, here it is! The first batch of Autumn goodies going up for sale in the store tomorrow. I was so excited about these pieces I just couldn't wait until then to reveal them to you. One of the questions I'm asked most often is how can I part with all the the pieces that I sell. The answer is, it's really hard sometimes. I've having a particularly hard time this week! So many of these things could have easily ended up in my closet. But, alas, my closet is already too full as it is. Speaking of which, I've been working on a major closet overhaul so I'm going to be selling off a bit of my personal wardrobe. Over the next few weeks you may see some familiar vintage pieces as well as lots of non-vintage things from my favorite stores such as H&M, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.

(If you see something you like, click on the photo to see it a bit bigger.)





-------------------------------
-------------------------------

dress: vintage (from our trip to MA...will be going up in the store. I just wanted to wear it once!)
hair clips: made by me
sunglasses: H&M
shoes: vintage

Goodbye summer! Goodbye fireflies and ice cream trucks, long hot days and humid nights. Goodbye beach vacations and sandals, caterpillars and day lilies, airy cotton dresses and flowers in my hair.

-----------------------------------I found many things that fit into the second category. I don't really see any particular piece that I would buy, but the images capture an overall idea of a color pallet and mood that inspires me. I take away from these images the idea that it would be fun to have a sunny yellow coat to brighten a dreary winter day. I would like to try wearing cream colored textured tights with a grey and black outfit to lighten things up a bit. I'm looking forward to knotting a long scarf high on my neck to block out the wind. I like the idea of wearing brown and black pieces together. I'm going to be on the lookout for a woolly sweater vest to layer over a long sleeve tee.

------------------------------------This is the last week I'll be posting these summer looks so snatch them up while they're still around. Starting next week, it's all Fall, all the time! All summer long I've been collecting wool skirt, chunky sweaters, and warm dresses and storing them away like a little squirrel. I can't wait to unveil all the pieces I've found. Thanks again for stopping by!



---------------------------------------

dress: vintage
shoes: vintage
purse: vintage
sunglasses: vintage

Of course as soon as I opened the package the temperatures soared to 90 degrees and I didn't feel like wearing anything with sleeves. Now that the weather has taken a bit of a turn this dress is perfect for crisp, sunny afternoons.

-------------------------------I wish I could have each and every piece! The collection encompasses everything I love about dressing for fall: little corduroy jumpers, printed mini dresses, girly blouses layered under dresses, chic plaid shirts, tall boots and, oh, those lederhosen!

---------------------------------

jean: vintage
tank: H&M
suspenders: H&M
hat: vintage
shoes you can't see: my trusty Chucks

Sometimes I run across an item of clothing that regardless of its obvious ugliness captures my heart for some inexplicable reason. Case in point, these bleached-out, high waisted 70's Jordache jeans. Despite the fact that they give me what my boyfriend likes to jokingly refer to as "long-butt" and the fact that I feel a bit like a cross between Lou Doillon and Gallagher I've grown quite fond of them. I've gotten so accustomed to wearing skinny jeans that putting these on felt a bit like wearing bell-bottoms so I'll have to get used to them but I've already got plans to wear them with little cropped sweaters once the weather turns cooler.

This is what Elvis is singing about. I'm sure anyone who grew up in the South knows about these. The berries have a dark pink juice that Native Americans used as a dye and cosmetic. I remember playing with the berries as a little girl, smearing them on my cheeks as make-up. It was once used as an ink as well. The Constitution of the United States was written in poke salad ink! They are also used as a folk remedy and people eat the leaves of the plant despite the fact that they are poisonous. I wouldn't recommend it!

CLICK NOW
COLLECTION OF WORLD'S BEST WALLPAPERS
WOW WHAT A BEAUTY
AMAZING NATURE
NATURE OF GOD
JAZZ OF LIFE
COOL PHOTOS BANK
BEAUTY OF WILDLIFE
BEST PHOTOS OF THE WORLD