It may be the hottest, sweatiest, and nastiest day of summer in New York yet, but it's not stopping me from thinking about all the things I want for fall. And one such thing is a
fur vest. Maybe I'm
still fixated on all the cute French girls wearing them on the streets when I was there in November, working on the
Paris shopping trip (to watch a hilarious—and random!—behind the scenes video that the photographer, David Land assembled,
click here. We filmed it entirely on our
HD Flip cameras.). Anyway, not only were the girls-in-vests so chic, but it was freezing, and I desperately wanted an extra layer. I'm jumping on the bandwagon this year, and I think it will be by way of this
B.B. Dakota option at
Fred Flare. In fact, I may head out to
Greenpoint to their
newish boutique to try it on in person. Fake fur, $60, and pretty adorable—it definitely seems like the sort of thing that will be blasting out of stores, so I'm inclined to pull the trigger now.
So for some reason, completely unbeknownst to me, a friend is letting me borrow her brand-new
Audi Q5 SUV this weekend (I only know exactly what it is because I love their
Identity Theft ad series, complete with cute kids in Converse). Living in New York City, I rarely find myself behind the wheel, much less behind a fancy wheel, and so I'm a little bit flummoxed by the fact that she's so trusting. Also, I'm taking said car to the
Elephant Trunk Flea Market (an amazing cache of awesome steals, every Sunday, in a field in New Milford, CT), so I plan on filling its trunk with all sorts of random scuff-creating treasure—last time I was there, I bought a gigantic Marie Antoinette-style painting, some African trading beads, 15 silk scarves, and a chair.
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If you don't think that this season's
pencil mini is for you, then what
about this
full-skirt ($85) by Cheap Monday at
Need Supply, one of my
favorite sites, ever (also part of our Top
100 sites for pieces under $100 list). I love the exposed zipper on the side, and the slightly off-kilter cut—plus, it sits high on the waist, which is the best way to carve out a really flattering silhouette when you're working with a lot of fabric. I'm kind of obsessed. What do you guys think?
I own a pair of antique earrings—small, dainty, understated—that I pretty much
never take out. This could be interpreted as loyal (my parents did buy them for me), or just lazy. The funny thing is, though, that it's never inhibited me from stocking up on oversize earrings—I buy them compulsively at markets across the globe, whether it's silver filigree chandeliers in
Mexico City or brass Fulani hoops in
Kenya (strange, right, since Fulani earrings are actually from Mali) even though I never seem to wear them. I just found the latter when I was organizing my jewelry this weekend and I put them on immediately. They're big, but fun—and the bright yellow shade makes them kind of glamorous, too. If you have no plans to travel to Africa in your future, you can snap them
up here. Meanwhile, going forward, I'm forcing myself to swap out my earrings at least twice a week.
As reported by
Vogue, Jil Sander is back—as in the original Jil Sander, of the eponymous line (which is now designed by Raf Simons). Her collection of signature, menswear-inspired shapes for
Uniqlo, called +J, is hitting the U.S. flagship in October—and there's already so much excitement, I can't imagine that they won't sell-out almost immediately. Sadly, Uniqlo doesn't sell online yet, but if you happen to be in
New York, it's probably worth lining up. Meanwhile, check back, as I'll post an update as soon as they announce an exact date.
Emma Fletcher, the designer behind the much-loved, deeply feminine label Lyell (you can read about her New York flagship
here), has created a capsule collection for Urban Outfitters. Aptly enough, it's called
Fletcher (Lyell is called after her mother's maiden name), and it has all the pretty details that
we adore about her original line (pintucking, lace, pretty buttons and finishes)—at insanely good prices. The full line hits the stores and websites this Saturday, August 15th, but there are four items on sale already. I'm really digging this
vivid red silk dress ($88)—so pretty for summer. Snap them up now before they sell out! (Meanwhile, if you haven't checked it out yet, don't miss Sunshine & Shadows collaboration with the mega-chain. It's called
Yellow is Gold, and I'm obsessed!)
I
read with great glee this morning, that
Pendleton—launched out of Pendleton, Oregon in 1909—is planning all sorts of collaborations and re-releases to celebrate its 100th birthday. To say that
I love their
iconic patterns is a bit of a understatement: I tend to go on and on and on about them. So will I buy a piece from their upcoming collaboration with
Opening Ceremony? Yes. (To read more about it, check out our September issue). And will I line up to snag something from the collections they've just announced they're planning with Vans, Nike, and Hurley? Obviously! (
Pendleton Nikes might make my heart explode.) In addition, according to WWD,
Bloomingdale's will host a handful of vintage-inspired Pendleton pop-up shops this October—the emphasis will be on menswear, but I've never had a problem shopping the boys department before. While I wait for all of these new collections to hit stores, I might do some pre-fall shopping and snap up this
check coat ($98). And rest assured, I'll keep you posted as I learn more about what they have planned.
While there's been a considerable amount of consternation here at Lucky that
Madewell—
J. Crew's sister store—is not yet e-commerce, it is a small consolation that
Shopbop is carrying more and more of the line. Most notably (beyond the jeans that Madewell is known for), they have a handful of the always-excellent scarves. They may be a bit price-y ($50), but these pieces are pretty spot-on amazing: I find that I wear mine enough to justify the pricetag (i.e., all the time). I'm loving
this cheesecloth-like version in pale blue. (For tips on how to wear them,
click here.)
I can add very little to the
Twilight and
True Blood fanaticism that's raging around the Lucky offices—I haven't participated at all (eek!). But I can understand why everyone is obsessed with Gothic jewelry.
Victorian Trading Post is one of my favorite, under-the-radar resources for reproduction period pieces—a total guilty pleasure (they do, after all, sell truly bizarre things, like witches shoes and maid costumes). I love this
two-finger, crystal ring. Am I crazy?
I'm mildly infatuated with the new capsule collection, Yellow is
Gold, which just hit the
Urban Outfitter's website. I'm allowing myself one dress this week and am torn between this subtle-striped
tank dress (I love the color and the oversize pocket) and the lightly-patterned
t-shirt dress in yellow (it also has a pocket, plus offers a bit more coverage). Thoughts?
It may be the hottest, sweatiest, and nastiest day of summer in New York yet, but it's not stopping me from thinking about all the things I want for fall. And one such thing is a fur vest. Maybe I'm still fixated on all the cute French girls wearing them on the streets when I was there in November, working on the Paris shopping trip (to watch a hilarious—and random!—behind the scenes video that the photographer, David Land assembled, click here. We filmed it entirely on our HD Flip cameras.). Anyway, not only were the girls-in-vests so chic, but it was freezing, and I desperately wanted an extra layer. I'm jumping on the bandwagon this year, and I think it will be by way of this B.B. Dakota option at Fred Flare. In fact, I may head out to Greenpoint to their newish boutique to try it on in person. Fake fur, $60, and pretty adorable—it definitely seems like the sort of thing that will be blasting out of stores, so I'm inclined to pull the trigger now.
