Yesterday a friend of mine sent me
a link to the Gap commercial we were both obsessed with years ago starring the ridiculously cute ballet dancer Will Kemp. Watch it. For real—is he not one of the most crush-worthy guys ever?? The same friend had also emailed me to rave about their just-launched premium denim line. I haven't checked it out yet myself, but she says the skinny jeans are the best she's ever tried, and are indeed leg-lengthening and butt-lifting as
Gap's website claims. They're $69.50 and come in some really good washes, like
charcoal,
distressed white, and
my usual go-to indigo. I'm making a run to the store this week for a closer look. For those of you out there who beat me to them, I'm curious to hear what you think too.
Many of you know
I'm a huge fan of Virginia Johnson's gauze wool shawls—I pretty much never leave the house without one. I just noticed that a bunch of them are half off on her site, and in the product descriptions it says that the material she used this season is even softer than it's been in the past, making them that much more tempting. I love
it in smoky purple floral, and also
the apricot version with a cool, half-botanical, half-geometric print. Both are now $97. The totes and cosmetics cases also half off. For gifting purposes, I suggest stocking up on
toiletry bags like this one, marked down to $16.
I don't know what it is with us Lucky girls and stripes. It's truly an office-wide obsession, and none of us can get enough! I definitely share
Anne's love of striped dresses, and am equally hooked on nautical, French-looking tees. Just now at Urban Outfitters I found another one to add to my collection:
BDG's Boatneck Sailor Stripe Top. It comes in the essential cream and black, as well as cream and red (I'm all about sticking to classic colors when it comes to these), and the fit is nice and relaxed. Since the price has been slashed to $14.99, I'm thinking about snapping up the pair and making them my uniform for the rest of the summer.
A couple nights ago at a cocktail party someone commented on how the days are already starting to get shorter—summer always passes by way too fast, and the thought of letting go of the season always depresses me to no end. Since then I've been trying to remind myself of all the things I love about autumn, and have gotten as far as apples and sweater dressing. The latter lead me to poke around on
J. Crew's site for inspiration, and I've totally fallen for this
Maya cardigan. At first glance it's a straightforward, slim cut knit, but look closer and you'll see how the fabric gathers ever so subtly at the front placket, a detail that's at once arty, feminine, and high fashion. It's made of their merino wool, which is great for it's smooth, lightweight feel and lack of pilling, and comes in the prettiest shade of rose-tinged, goes-with-everything nude.
For me, the Holy Grail of t-shirts is
the James Perse casual tee.
You've heard me say it before, but it's perfection. It's made of the softest, sheer-but-not-see-through cotton, and fits snug up top and roomy in the midsection, with a nice deep scoopneck—all of which amounts to a great balance of comfy, flattering, and sexy. Just now on the company's site I saw they're doing
a dress version of the this style, cut from the same material with the same neckline, only with three quarter sleeves and a scooped bottom hem. This is one of those pieces that you could wear all year (with flip-flops now, and wool tights and lace-up oxfords later), dresses up easily (I like the idea of adding an elaborate statement necklace), travels well, and is easy to care for in the wash.
More from Luckymag.com:
Fashion CopyCat: Yes, It Really Happens!Confession: I'm Crazy for Striped DressesHow Old Is Too Old To Be Wearing A Mini?
Designer Meg Cohen has long been
my default for winter-weight scarves made of the most lusciously thick, supersoft cashmere (the only reason you haven't heard more about her here is that her stuff is very hard to come by online!). I stopped by her jewel box-size Soho shop yesterday and discovered that she's now also producing shawls in a lighter, wear-them-year-round knit. They're available in a range of solids from buttery yellow to magenta-ish plum, as well as a whole bunch of neutrals. They have delicately sheared edges—a detail I always love—but it's really all about the perfection of the cashmere, which is fine and silky smooth like nothing else. Meg told me to watch out for the marbled cashmere shawls she's doing this fall, and in the meantime, she's also stocking gorgeous, brightly patterned versions by Me & Cashmere in her shop. Styles from both lines are $165 and though they're not online, locals can drop by her store:
Meg Cohen Design, 59 Thompson Street, New York City, or call 212-966-3733 to place an order.
I was on a real tear to settle
my white jeans search this weekend. I zigzagged all over the city on Friday and Saturday trying on as many as I could find, and the winner was the
cropped skinnies by Helmut Lang I got on sale at
Barneys. They're as close to perfect as I could find: made of really soft cotton with a nice amount of stretch, the waist hits the right not-too-low, not-too-high spot (plus the wide waistband makes them that much more comfy), and they're completely devoid of any sort of embellishment or branding. They're really well cut, with a fit that's slim without being overly tight, and since they're cropped at the ankle, I don't have to worry about mucking them up against my shoes. All in all, just what I was looking for.
High on the list of things I find really, really hard to resist are lacy white blouses. Especially lacy white blouses as outright gorgeous as
this. It's handmade, which is particularly impressive considering all the details, from the smocked collar to the just right for throwing over a bikini, though it's definitely dressy enough to pair with skinny jeans and heels to wear out for drinks. On sale now from $195 to $129 at
Calypso.
Maybe it's a holdover from being a kid,
but I have a real thing for patterned
socks. I love letting something graphic peek out from under my cuffs—why opt for a boring solid when there are so many fun prints out there? My favorites are generally colorful and striped, and
Gap has some particularly good options at the moment. Like
this blue and black version, and
the color blocked ones that come in these warm tropical hues. They're a bargain at $6.50 a pair, or even better, $5 each when you buy two.
I’m crazy obsessed with all things by
British luxury goods company
Smythson. Yes, their stuff is totally pricey, but the materials are so exquisite and it’s all so beautifully constructed and timelessly chic it’s worth the investment. Especially now, since I just happened to log onto their site and noticed that they’re in the middle of a huge sale! My head is spinning with all the possibilities. Should I spring for
this lilac leather zip-around wallet (it would also make a fine little evening clutch—was $430, now $129)? Or, for
my upcoming trip, there’s
this handsome leather passport holder (was $170, now $51) and also
this bright lemon yellow version with a jeweled clasp (was $185, now $92.50)? Both have pockets to hold your boarding pass too, a detail I
really love. Or else there are
these correspondence cards with pink borders and matching tissue-lined envelopes (from $50 to $33.50 for a set of 10) which would be great to add to
my stationery stockpile.
There’s tons more to choose from, click
here for an overview of the collection.
