i lack art...

...and kirby's shop has an adorable selection of it. the paintings are starkly striking and almost ironic with an english lady twist. see also the small selection of necklace pendants and throw pillows featuring marie antoinette, mary queen of scots, and even king henry viii. painted genius.

Willpower

I'm not buying things. I'm not, not, not, not. I'm saving for Liberty of London for Target.

But....

This sweater is finally on sale.

Le sigh.

print-o-licious

the kudos today goes to Chadwicks for their bevy of beautiful spring prints at reasonable prices...so lovely...

so affordable (check out their clearance section for really amazing prices. i'm talking about $14 dresses and $20 trenches)...and they come in petite, women, and tall sizes for all you lady birds. brava!

i heart new york (magazine)

...for this week's amazing cover featuring the fantastic Christina Hendricks, in spring's newest lingerie-as-outerwear trends, complete with her eternal accomplice...that mane of blazing red hair. i can honestly say that i believe this is the first time in my years of reading New York Magazine i have seen a cover feature on a her-size woman* and i am thrilled. pick one up if you can to support her, support the magazine for featuring her, and to read her refreshing take on body image that summed up comes down to: why are we always talking about it? there are so many more less boring things in this world...and i concur.


*no, i am sorry for those of you who adhere to the phrase "plus-size" but i will not use it for Ms. Hendricks nor other women who fit a size 12 or above. plus-size is a convention created to maintain a separate-but-equal beauty status for women of differing sizes, and honestly, if it didn't work for racial equality in the era of segregation i see no reason to continue its inane reign any longer. WOMEN COME IN A CONTINUUM OF SIZES. those who fall in the size 12, 14, 16, 22, etc. categories are no more a 'plus' version of a 'natural' size than the numbers 12, 14, 16, 22 themselves are 'plus' numbers outside the continuum of 'normal' numbers 0-10. that would be ridiculous. i cannot legitimize the plus-size standard because as a size 16 woman i have to fight society's media, images, standards, stupidity, and sample sizes, just to name a few, before i can get to a place on a daily basis where i can feel good about myself and my measurements...and i think i have it pretty easy because most of the time i can end my day feeling pretty sure that i am still a pretty girl. not all women have that so i prefer not to stand by societal conventions that talk women out of considering themselves to be beautiful and to instead let you know that i know that you are a pretty bird too. thanks for reading the tirade. much love.

"Why do you want to dance?" "Why do you want to live?"

Last night the husband and I took the subway into the city to see The Red Shoes on the big screen. As has been increasingly common for any evening expedition, I chose to zip my id and subway ticket into my pockets instead of carting my daytime handbag.

Today I was out thrift shopping and picked up this teeny ... well, I don't know what to call it, but it will be much better than risking pocket fallout. The strap is long enough that I can wear crossbody, camera style. $8.95!

Speaking of The Red Shoes, I loved the clothes. No wonder: Moira Shearer's wardrobe was apparently by Jacques Fath. I couldn't find screen grabs of the elegant daydresses, alas (there's never been a decade that flattered figures like the '40s), so these two evening gown peeks will have to do.

(The cape and tiara, not so much, but the one-shouldered tiered ballgown: stunning.)

No Zoolander, she.

One of my favorite models is the beautiful Canadian Coco Rocha. She's gone public on her blog about the recent debates regarding models' weights. I found what she wrote to be eloquent and moving.

"Surely we all see how morally wrong it is for an adult to convince an already thin 15 year old that she is actually too fat. It is unforgivable that an adult should demand that the girl unnaturally lose the weight vital to keep her body functioning properly. How can any person justify an aesthetic that reduces a woman or child to an emaciated skeleton? Is it art? Surely fashions aesthetic should enhance and beautify the human form, not destroy it."

Read more here.

Tromp a la la la

I adore these shoes for spring. They're like daintier Oxfords, but not quite so lacy as to be a '90s throwback. Lavender's my favorite, but they also come in white, which I like, as well as potentially more sensible (but not half as enchanting) navy and black. Via Steve Madden. 

watercolor for the water...brilliant

what better way to get my floral fix, in a more artistic way, all summer long?

sundance's watercolor bikini (also in a one piece) is at once pretty, childlike, and sexily french feeling. pair with a floppy sunhat or some loose-fitting trouser shorts and you are tres chic without even trying.

Waterflowers Bandeau Top $50, Bottom $45

Move me in!

Via DesignSponge.

flat out adorable

i have to give pause to this little magazine called soft surroundings i have been getting in the mail for some time now. they were one of the periodicals i flipped through while pasta was boiling or coffee was brewing but never one i had to rip into the moment i get through the door at night (Me + LUCKY = love). however, i must say that they have been slowly growing on me and particularly in the shoe department. they have quite the assortment of tongue-in-cheek flats that make a tshirt and jeans look chic and pulled together as if you are saying to the world, "yes, i know i have rumpled hair, smudged mascara, and my boy's tshirt on, but you still give me a second look because my shoes say i know who i am and i have style." and yes, these are the monologues i go through in my head when dressing. no judgments, please.

amanda nisbet designs

if fashion were housing labels i would be wearing amanda nisbet. everything is clean yet textured and visually stimulating yet un-chaotic. her designs feel like everything i aspire to dress like and yet i often end up looking just the opposite way. however, i think maybe if i started my day by getting dressed in a home that exudes graceful calm it would rub off on me. maybe i will start by recreating the stenciled mirrors above the bed...oh and also maybe just by making the bed so that my clothes thrown (stylishly) on the floor actually look...well...stylish.

the ultimate lbd

what is it?
the ultimate lbd by who else but dvf.
the sheer cover is both demure and sexy,
the tie waist makes the dress more unique and fluid than many lbds
and the past the knee pencil length...too chic.

As Featured in the March Issue of Lucky Magazine
Available at Select Barneys New York, $375

gentle (men) birds

the post below from The Sartorialist made me cry when I read it and its comments. i don't know why and we may not ever have the time to get into those levels of neurosis.

however, i do want to make the time to acknowledge that we know that being a bird doesn't have to be tied to gender. and though at pretty bird smart bird most of our fancy leans toward the traditionally feminine (though it is often inspired by men and their menswear!), we want all of our visitors to know that the ideal of being fantastic, elegant, inspiring, and inspired is universal and all are welcome because if there is anything that will not harm the world nor waste our time and resources it is love via beauty. as such, i offer you this post as a chance to make something in your life more beautiful today.

A Graceful Man, A Gentleman

Spring will come again

pretty tough

what better way to be a pretty tough bird than to embody both while still being incredibly comfortable? ... by wearing this outfit which i am lusting after for a number of soirees that do not even exist yet like a salinger memorial/ literature reading, a wine tasting event with some friends coming into town soon, an outdoor movie screening when the nights warm up or oh say...my imaginary birthday/poetry/champagne party? regardless, it would be less than perfect in very few settings.

the grey leather would be infinitely utile due to its soft nature and color-both less harsh than black and less expected than brown. and what really can we say about the dress? every little girl wanted to be a little bit mermaid growing up and JCrew just made it possible without it being ridiculous.

Grey Leather Jacket, JJill.com, $349 (See Catalog)
Sequin Dress, Jcrew.com, $169

damn these winter winds

and the dry, splitting, dull, boring hair that comes with it. my solutions: lots of creme and lots of cover. the tools: Terax Crema-like a daily shea butter bath for your strands; and pretty pretty distractions in the form of bands, clips, and hats for a bit of Houdini's magic in the form of misdirection. voila!



Gold Band, Banana Republic, $19
Feather Band, Itsthelittlethingsut, $25
Straw Clioche, Urban Outfitters, $24

dropping the gauntlet, pretty bird style

how am i getting through the asthma-inducing cold this week: by imagining myself decked out for spring in florals with studs and neutrals with chunky gold jewelry. this fantastic Burberry Gauntlet piece will take care of both those requirements while not overwhelming the short-wristed forearm of us petite birds. for you long birds, grab a few, or mix and match with other gold watches and maybe a charm bracelet or two and stack away...

Sassy springtime outfit

Red shoes would also look wonderful. All from ModCloth.com.

I blow dry twice a year, so that's out

I'm getting my haircut on Thursday evening. Any suggestions?

It's pretty long right now, which I sometimes like, except that most of the time I pull it back into an ugly bun held with a clip. Also, the ends are horribly shaggy and uneven. And usually when I get my haircut it's just a trim...so maybe I should be more adventurous...but maybe I don't want to be. I'll have my whole thirties to have short hair, right?

Was thinking briefly about a long pageboy, but my hair is so thick that it never winds up looking like this.