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.
On
Opening Ceremony's site just now I was surprised to find they still have a lot of spring stuff that's majorly on sale. Among the deals is
this Vena Cava dress covered with hand-stitched metallic pyramids and beads. This is one of those pieces you're guaranteed to rack up compliments on every time you wear it, and it's been reduced from $750 to $225—a totally justifiable price for something so beautifully detailed and special. I'm also loving
the sporty but sophisticated shawl collar anorak (I'd use this to add some edge to a floaty slipdress underneath—now $198 from $660) and
this sweet soft pink knit shift with a banded skirt, both by the store's house label ($87, was $290). Also not worth missing:
this pouffy, awesomely tutu-like mini by Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair ($95, was $315).
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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?
It's not too late to get in on the trend—a bunch of
Steven Alan's sweet Liberty florals have made their way to the sale racks. I love it all, from the
shrunken oxfords (I'm seeing this with rolled up sleeves and a lace trimmed camisole underneath, plus a battered denim mini; were $158, now $109) to the
boxy tanks (were $98, now $59) to the
swingy button-front high-waist skirts (were $205, now $79).
You wouldn't guess judging from the name—which sounds way more like an animal superhero from a kid's storybook than a really stylish, Upper East Side boutique—but the specialty at
Roberta Roller Rabbit is resort-y, exotic imports from around the world. And despite the total chicness of her inventory, the prices are actually reasonable. I don't get to the store nearly enough, only because it's a good 70 blocks away from my apartment and I'm lazy, so I was thrilled to hear that they just took their goods online at
robertarollerrabbit.com. There's a huge supply of lightweight cotton voile tunics ($70) that come in a range of gorgeous prints—these would be especially great for travel, given that they pack well, go with basically anything, and can be easily dressed up (dangly gold earrings and slim white pants) or down (over a bikini and denim cutoffs). I especially dig it in
this slightly mod red and white pattern with contrasting trim.
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Click here to check out a slideshow of my other favorites from the site!
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.
I want an under-the-radar bag to take with me
when I travel abroad—something lightweight, durable, and compact. Low-key is a must, but even though I'm not really looking to score major fashion points here, I don't want anything that looks too outdoorsy either. And for the sake of making me less of a target for pickpocketers, (I was mugged once in
Florence—by a gaggle of little girls no less!—and have been paranoid ever since) I'd like it to have zippers and I'd like to be able to wear it slung across my chest (which is also the most comfortable, convenient style to carry for any extended period of time). This LeSportsac bag checks all my prerequisites. I love that it has several different compartments for organizing my stuff, and the nylon material it's made out of is exceptionally rugged though weighs next to nothing.
Buy it here for $38.
The Soho fashion mecca recently kicked off a
major sale, and there's a lot to soak in. I'm loving
this Gaultier bandeau bikini—verdict's still out on whether or not I'm actually gutsy enough to pull it off, but the print is such a cool, original mix of stripes and intricately layered feathers.
From Proenza Schouler, there's this elegant strapless top done up in oyster-colored silk (especially chic with white jeans for a summer evening out), and I can never resist a classic French girl top, especially one made from cashmere as fine
and lightweight as
this piece by Lutz & Patmos. Meanwhile,
these Repetto flats with metallic polka dots 
are kind of nutty, but coupled with canary yellow suede they're so uplifting it's hard to resist.
