A week or two ago my bag broke…again. I haven’t made a big bag investment in a few years, but think it might be time.
After I had Oliver, I ended up hauling my Kate Spade bag everywhere simply because it could hold everything I needed. It was navy & black and I really didn’t mind it that much, but a co-worker of mine did. She sort of freaked out each time we went out for drinks and seemed deeply concerned that I wasn’t going to buy the latest YSL masterpiece. To make a long story short, I ended up buying a great bag by Bulga (a company I had never heard of before) through a contact at a showroom to literally shut up my co-worker. But since I’m so rough on bags, I’ve already had to sew it’s handle back together once, and just the other day, the stud that holds the strap to the body popped off. Now I’m walking around with a big white thing from H&M that I’m growing attached to, even though I bought it as a picnic bag for Sundays spent at the park and it really is just a little too huge.
I’m hoping to make it down to the garment district to have my Bulga repaired, but I’m also just ready to move on. Now, I am a true Prada girl at heart, will always love Miu Miu, but lately I’ve been feeling Lanvin – although spending over a thousand dollars on a nylon bags seems like a little much. Anyway, I’m debating and still sifting though all of the options out there, but what do you think: How much is too much to spend on a true everyday bag?
This winter I want it sleek, layered, and a bit slouchy…all at the same time.I’m loving Calvin Klein, Burberry, Marni, Stella McCartney, Nina Ricci. I keep wearing nothing but gray and black and navy and that’s it. I try to put on a colorful sweater and then rip it off, proclaiming it old, ugly, simply not modern at all, although I do think a burst of color in the form of a belt or first-layer-cami works. I even wore black and gray for new year’s eve, but I bling things up a bit with a pair of silver Costume National sandals and shiny Dior cherry blossom earrings.
Now, I must admit that I’m not exactly ready for real winter weather yet. I enjoy tights, heels, and little jackets. I like wearing little dresses, paper-thin cashmere, see-thru long sleeve tees, and fierce leather booties. I do not love wearing generic knit beanies that smash your hair down and make you look like you’re 5 years old. I do not like wearing my puffy coat (actually, I hate my puffy coat, although it is warm) and I do not like covering every inch of skin on my body.
But the weather will be getting worse and you know, when the weather outside is frightful, we should all just go to Barney’s and shop…or Prada where a decent amount currently is 50% off. Speaking of sales – I got the most lovely pair of Miu Miu heels at something like 40% off of 40% off at Saks.
In New York City there are moments when you feel indestructible. I often have them when I’m leaving work, walking down Broadway, wearing some perfect outfit, on my way home after a satisfying day of work. I always feel better when I’m carrying a newspaper and have just had a cup of coffee. For some reason those simple days when I have nothing to rush off to are the most real and powerful, perhaps because they are also rare moments of calm in my life.
Last week was one to plague the fashion industry. We had days of 60 degree weather (which was wonderful), followed by days of sadness due to the chilly snow and wind once again. Now, I don’t usually mind the snow, but I left the house in satin boots and my toes ended up wet and freezing. As I went through my day, meeting with various editors and stylists, I realized everyone else had made similar fashion mistakes, and that we all looked a little more worn than usual.
Later that day a friend stopped by my office to work on his cover letter (i.e. have me write him one) and I haven’t seen someone look so lost and beaten in a while (maybe it’s the fact that he’s 27 and has never had a job), but I think the snow had something to do with it as well. He was wearing a hoodie, baggy jeans, and a yellow puffy snow jacket, and until that moment I had only seen him dressed while attending various fashion/charity events. So while he was already in a bad professional state, he couldn’t even look the part due to the weather.
The weather certainly dictates what you wear. And what you wear directly affects your attitude, self-image and worth. There are certainly reasons why everyone in Hawaii is ten times happier than the average Joe living in Manhattan.
With all of that being said, sometimes I do have perfect fashion moments during bad weather, and that is usually when I end up predicting it perfectly and my outfit is both practical and stylish. If the day starts off beautiful and then ends with those cleansing little afternoon showers, and if I manage to leave the house with my trench coat, I feel like I’m in control of things once again.
I used to be more snobby about fashion (when I was busy getting myself into debt during college), but now I have a much more open eye, and actually a much better closet. In Manhattan, there is really no reason to not be well dressed simply because here you have access to everything.
About a week ago I bought the most simple gold ring from H&M and I’ve probably received 10 comments on it already, and yes, from fashionable, snotty girls who wear those awful Tiffany hearts around their necks.
I am actually a silver girl at heart, but I was inspired by an intern we had working our sample sale a few weeks ago: She came in wearing silver on one hand/arm and gold on the other, which looked AMAZING…so I stole the look! Yesterday I went back to H&M to buy 5 more of those rings (since my other one is already turning pink at the edges), and I found a few other great pieces. So now I’m all about the silver and gold and it isn’t even the holiday season!
And when I adopt a style, I usually stick with it, so I’m sure by the time fall comes around I’ll be still into the silver and gold thing and the accessories from Louis Vuitton are the things my dreams are now made of – hmm, I know Roberto Cavalli just signed up as H&M’s next guest designer, but when will Marc Jacobs do it?
Love love love – sometimes it is in the air, but more often times, love is on the foot. But for $1,398.00, I’d better be ready to commit.
What: Azzedine Alaia, Maris – patent gladiator heeled sandal
First Seen: today while wandering through Bergdorf’s
What would I wear them with? Easy, breezy summer shifts…and everything else!!
During the summers I always get the mag drag. You know, that period (usually may/june/july) when the magazines are ok-at-best and you simply hang on until the fall collections start popping up. Last month I happened to meet a lovely woman who happened to work at ELLE and (of course) I had just received the June issue and told her exactly what I thought of it (that it was a rather awful issue), and then she preceeded to tell me that the next issue would be even worse. First things first, she was right, music should be left to Rolling Stone, not to ELLE. But, my mag drag was released today by Harper’s Bazaar, which is rather surprising. Talk about a breath of fresh air!! The looks were great and interesting (except everything on Anne Hathaway), I wanted almost everything in the “at every age section,” and the main story was actually interesting and shot differently (not just some girl snapped half-way between a jump in the air with a surprised expression on her face). I even took a few tears out…and i’m now dying over the Thakoon dress that looks like it could be pulled from Prada fall 2003. So my mag drag has come and gone, at least until December…
I can’t help but notice that soooo many mags are highlighting their editors lately. The editors are becoming so much more than editors were, their jobs and lives becoming a bit more mtv altogether. And with the online sites, we have little editors who are blogging constantly, becoming the voice of the mag, spilling the inner workings and making it all seem so, well, I don’t know, sort of junior actually. When I moved to New York three years ago, I was in complete awe of the magazines – I loved the little that I knew and in my head it became glamorous and so aspirational. Like working at Vogue was sooo much better than ever being in Vogue. Now it has changed – working at a mag seems more about maintaining a “realness” the readers will be able to relate to. The editor now seems to be that girl who goes to every event (no matter what it is), who wears h&m and every designer collabo, is thrilled to drink fruity drinks, loves music as long as it isn’t too mainstream – she’s fine. She’s ok. She’s certainly not Anna Wintour. But what is she really and who will she become? She seems almost a teen crush, a teen dream – not the stylish professional I wanted to be in the later part of my college years. She loves people recognizing her (as we all do/would) and always wants to be known as the nice, cool girl. She’s energetic and excited about things. She thinks she’s a better writer than she really is, but she’s still good and getting better by the day. She wants to be excepted in every circle, but also to be the little celebrity among the group. She wants it all – wants to stay young, have a career and a following. And I actually like her, I do, but I’m already growing bored of her – she seems exactly like the next one and the one prior. I hope she grows up and into fashion, becomes somewhat as fashionable and stylish as the industry she wanted to join when she was first an intern. And I hope her magazine realizes that while we like seeing the ‘real girl’ fashion stories, we also love the amazing editorials, locations, models, the couture. We want to be inspired and sometimes we need more than the average editor to do that…please don’t push for these girl to be the next “it.” Let it be natural and let them evolve.
what would i have worn?
well, this is exactly what a beautiful and lovely girl i work with was trying to answer for herself today, so i jumped right in and tried to figure out what i would have worn.
now i understand that there are themes to these met galas, but if i could just wear something amazing to the best, free fashion party, i think i would have to choose between these looks.
(to be perfectly honest, i’ve obsessed about that alexander mcqueen little number – the ombre lace, the structured sleeves – ohhh!)
well, i have to say, the met was inspiring…just not in the way i had hoped.
i was so excited to see the pictures and as soon as they flew online, well, they were less than exciting.
there were a few who did stand out…jessica stam was absolutely brilliant. loved claire’s prada. vera wang looked elegant, sophisticated, and just stylish. meredith was simple and stunning. bee actually looked very pretty too. ok, next event. this one just didn’t deliver half of what i was hoping for, but did inspire me to begin this blog. we’ll just have to see where it goes…
1. the miu miu bag i might kill for, and there is only a handful. hello beautiful. very cool, very chic. going to be a bag always noticed.
2. the perfect marni heels for the spring. awesome with all of the full skirts, girly embellishments, trapeze lines, and even with some skinnys.
3. and the hermes of the season…pretty and soft, just like a peony.
4. yes alexander mcqueen, we love you. a girl always wants roses at her feet.
5. marc jacobs answer to the perfect white sandal…he also did a killer one for louis vuitton’s rtw.
1. red and blue ombre, draped and simply gorgeous…ooh marc jacobs, you do the most perfect things for louis vuitton. now where would i wear it? walking through the west village, with a bouquet of white peonies, and a basket of fresh fruit…*sigh*
2. little black riding hood – so good. the first time i tried on a blumarine piece was in honolulu at ala moana and i felt instantly both sweet and envied.
3. alexander mcqueen is amazing. love the clothing, love the make-up – the combination is to die for, we’ve got an anuksunamun face, with slight star wars hooded draping. made me look not just once, twice, but three times.
4. miu miu was soft and ladylike (which i’m always a sucker for)…yes, a bit see-thru, but in an ethereal-work-a-holic way. perfect.
