I first stumbled across The Carrotbox a number of years ago, when a
friend who is allergic to metal (yes, such allergies exist!), asked me for some good jewelry resources. This web store only deals in lucite, plastic, glass, resin, etc., which made it a bit of an accessories lifeboat for said friend. And everything here is super well-priced, too: Maybe I'm nuts, but I really like the leopard print of this ring, and all the great colors of these faceted glass options.
In case you missed it in my Web Pages section of the May issue of the
magazine, I am really, really smitten with these trompe l'oeil t-shirts that the Metropolitan Museum is putting out. I have the Egyptian collar version, but I think I want the Calder one, too (which also nicely coincides with the Calder inspiration page that's also in Lucky's May issue). While clicking through their site, I stumbled on this Faberg?? ring, which is really, really stunning—and $75! Need a last minute 
Mother’s Day gift? This might be the ticket.
And I like it! I went to see them play last week at Terminal 5 and it was bananas. Ratatat is one of my favorite bands to see live if only because their particular sound is made for a huge space. Plus, they do a tremendous job of tossing their hair and diving around (if you've never heard them, think, to quote a friend, who knows a lot more about music than I do, "metalhop"). Anyway, I was up on the second level and had an excellent perch from which to take in the chaos down below, which was all feathered hair, deep v-neck shirts, leggings, and booties. Obviously, American Apparel is a bit of a mothership for this aesthetic, and so feeling inspired, I logged on this morning. And lo and behold, I love this online-exclusive, Dolman sleeve T. If you have upper arm issues, this is a super-flattering choice (i.e. It hides everything and gives you a really surprisingly slimming shape).
There’s nothing more shocking to the system than the extreme temperature variations we’re having in NYC: 50 degrees one day, 88 the next. It has all of us at Lucky HQ scrambling, and feeling wildly unprepared. Normally, it's nice to ease into exposing all of those parts that haven’t seen the sun for however many months—not to go from wearing layers of wool one day to paper-thin tanktops the next. (And did any of you New Yorkers get fried this weekend? The tops of my feet are beet, beet red, which is wildly embarrassing.) Even though it sounds like a sick joke, I feel like I have NOTHING to wear, which has me on a frantic buying spree for cute summer dresses, like this one and this one, from Mink Pink, care of Penelope's boutique in Chicago. What are you all thinking of doing as your unofficial summer wardrobe?
I am really, really into the perennially-affordable, retro-inspired line Dear Creatures, so into them that I just spent two hours searching for pieces online. Le Train Bleu—who is incidentally having a big spring sale—has this adorable sailor-inspired top. And though babydoll dresses really don't work for my body shape, I'm loving this version at Shop Nasty Gal. And finally, this cheerful yellow number at Mod Cloth is wildly appealing, particularly now that spring seems to finally be here.
I have a fetish for rings that feature the gaping maws of various animals. I have a lion with a small diamond in its mouth and ruby-studded eyes that I picked up at a car dealership in Missoula (the owner of Bitteroot Motors sells vintage and estate jewelry out of a back office, which is awesome and hilarious) and I have a huge ram's head ring that I bought for $2 at the Lagunilla flea market in Mexico City (if you're ever there, it's definitely worth the trip even though it's in a slightly sketchy neighborhood). I get tons of compliments on both, and am thinking about making this some sort of trademark thing, if only because I love to start collections. Do you guys know of any secret resources? Obviously, if money were no issue, I would buy this ring, from 1stdibs.com. But it's out of my budget. Shopthelook.net, which is an excellent spot for super-affordable, on-trend jewelry has this option.
I've never, ever felt comfortable in a strapless dress (any tips for holding them up guys?) but I think this Hawaiian-print is kind of irresistible, so if you all can pull it off, by all means. Meanwhile, I love this ikat-y shift. It needs a bit more of a waistline, I think, so I'll definitely be adding a belt.
If you're in New York, check out the month-long sample sale/pop-up shop Save Fashion, which is spearheaded by Refinery29.
Matthew Williamson hits H&M, chaos ensues: You guys buy anything?
Free Mavi jeans, if you email the girls at Fashionista by noon on Friday about your denim preferences.
In an excellent peg to Earth Day, Loomstate's eco-friendly pieces are up at Target, and some of them are exceptionally cute. Unsurprisingly, I'm loving this little shirt dress, and this slouchy top is inspiringly sexy for something made from organic materials. 
And finally, this T-shirt-like tunic looks like it could be one of those items you wear every weekend this summer, though the reviewers mention that it's way too short to work as a dress, so keep that in mind. Thank God for reviewers!
Most women, if asked, can rattle off a list of their top five, constantly-in-rotation pieces, from their most butt-flattering jeans to their perfect cashmere boyfriend cardigan. I have three pieces that always make my list, regardless of season: a watch my parents gave me, an awesome black blazer that I bought at the discount department store Century 21, and my worn-in, slightly skinny black jeans. But as the weather gets warmer I have some noticeable gaps. Like spring jackets. My friend (and fellow blogger) Emily Hsieh collects overcoats and jackets the same way that I buy lottery tickets, but I think if you asked her to distill her collection down to her favorite, it would be a cropped khaki trench. Which makes me think that a khaki trench could make it onto my list of favorites, too—I like the crisp quality of this one, from JCPenney. So what items are on your top five?
