Lunchtime musings

I'm enjoying summer (now that it's reasonable 89 degree heat and regular old humidity, vs the mid-90s/swampy mcswampsalot we had going for a few weeks there) and not looking forward parTICULARLy to fall, but I do like thinking about fall fashion, as the other bird mentioned. Burgundy tights ... brown tweed skirts ... cardigans and brooches ... lovely.

Here's what I'll be watching for in thrift stores:

a plaid coat

lace blouses

simple a-line and pencil skirts with unusual and vivid patterns

cardigans, always

stacked heels (did you see the August Vogue? '70s revivalism is on like ... well, like mid-calf skirts and aviator sunglasses)

a ladylike satchel

watches with a thin leather strap

simple chain jewelry

anything soft gray ... plus navy and dark red

interesting belts

Grandma brooches sold cheaply

and here are the clothes...

left to right they are: the bethesda fountain dress, the bugle boy dress, the giverny dress, the jitterbug dress, la tour eiffel dress, the liz and darcy dress (must save for this), the rendezvous dress, the tulleries dress...see what i mean about the fantastic names? all at www.shabbyapple.com. enjoy!

not so shabby

so my oldest friend, h, (oldest as in we've been friends since second grade not like she's decrepit or anything), sent me the link to www.shabbyapple.com, which she discovered through her groupon. and quite frankly, birds, i love it. we'll get to the clothes later but first let's discuss the site and company.

first, i must say that the site is adorable; it takes the time to add the little flourishes that will eventually make me a devotee. also, they have plus size, maternity, and pre-teen lines in addition to their general women's wear which means you can multi-shop the site as your body, or the bodies of those around you, change. third, they donate to a women's charity that helps make third world women financially viable. awesome. fourth, fifth, and sixth pluses are that each dress falls under a category (central park, 1934, paris), comes with an adorable name (aspen, la tour eiffel, liz and darcy...the one i am now lusting after), and they each...wait for it literary birds...come with a hand written story about the mood and moment and lighting and glamour in the air. it is like literary fashion porn. and i think i have an addiction.

however, i have yet to find a size chart that does not come in the form of a fashion quiz and the site takes an interminably long time to load. and yet, i am willing to forgive them bc their price point is super reasonable ($50-130 as far as I saw) and they gave us this free widget for our blog:

ut-oh...

so my anniversary is coming up and here is what i am thinking... would it be ridiculous to ask for this as my anniversary present and have it count for, like, THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS, or you know until I die...and just wear it once a year on our day?

is that crazy? 

maybe. 

but is this creation worth it?

i think so...

jcrew.com

parting ways...in the middle

so. in the midst of my summer meltdown, right around this time every year actually, 

i start to fantasize about fall. 

that is right, birds...what am i thinking about in july? not christmas...

AUTUMN...

lovely, breezy, sweater vested, trench-coated autumn. 

but, alas, i step outside and feel the wet, thick air all around me and know that i am not there yet. and since i don't want to start my annual autumn beauty fest just yet bc the sun is still so blazing hot that it will turn any lovely chocolate color i put into my hair to a rusty orange and because any makeup that i buy will be tossed in the garbage on the sweat-covered hanky, i have decided to use this month to play with my part in a way that me and my round face never-before dared: the middle part updo. and i must say...it doesn't look half bad, as long as don't do the tight part a la nicole richie-though kudos for you if you can bc it is quite adorable in a swiss miss kind of way.

Hahaha

I was just trying to list these Steve Madden boots I got on clearance for $40 years ago and I was like, wait, why am I selling THESE? Chris concurred. Although, now that I have one on and one half on, I'm starting to remember why. (Picture Cinderella's stepsisters in reverse...trying to get these things off requires a team of men and horses.) Keeping 'em anyway. Lots of outfits for fall! Shop your closets!

Haha

I bought this on J. Crew final sale clearance for $30 last year to wear as either a going-away dress from my wedding or to the brunch the next morning...but I never ended up wearing it. I thought it looked funny on me. It's been hanging in my closet and today I decided enough's enough, I'm listing it on eBay.

As I typed the description, mentioning it would make a great eloping dress but could also go to the office with a different colored silk flower, a blazer, and some funky shoes, I thought to myself ... wait a minute. I went and tried it on again, first unpinning the chiffon flower.

Yeah, I'm not selling it. It's adorable!

Slightly overexcited

I have never in my life wanted anything from West Elm before, and now there are not one but two side tables that I must have someday!

A bookshelf side table! GENIUS!

A tree stump side table! Imagine this as a bedside stand. With a little tiny lamp and a book! Gahh! Adorable!

Ruchie Ruch

Have you guys checked out ShopRuche.com? Worth keeping in mind :)

julie nolan designs

so, browsing the bleeker street fair with t, my little bird sis, i came across this designer that i just now love.

her name is julie nolan. 

her pieces can be super delicate which is not usually my style but i find as i age (uber gracefully by the way,  in case you were wondering) i am liking the texture of delicate things layered and also the option of wearing them alone. i think my wedding ring started this trend for me. she casts molds out of real twigs that she finds in the park and she re-purposes vintage pieces to fit her aesthetic. arty, nature-y, and environmentally friendly...so all around lovely.

little bird t. wants the tourmaline necklace with the gathered drops on the bottom (hint hint to her boy!) and what do i want you ask? i will be saving for the gold twig pinky ring...however, i will not have to save for long bc julie's pieces are incredibly affordable with nothing topping over $100 online. stylish and saavy..i love her! and kudos to the super cool business card too...brava.

Rumor has it

I was feeling a little guilty about the striped dress in the post below, wondering if I ought to return it, because I bought it full price and I've certainly never bought anything at Anthropologie that hadn't been marked down, and then I was going through my wardrobe and realizing that almost nothing in it was bought full-price (unless it was from a thrift store, which COUNTS as buying it on sale) and this brings me in a roundabout sort of way to this one pair of jeans I have that I bought on mondo clearance from J. Crew.com and when they arrived (final sale, don't you know) discovered that I guess I have body dysmorphia disorder because I totally could have gotten the next size down.

But, they're super comfy and soft and they're that nice dark indigo that looks so classy, so I wear them a lot, even though Chris HATES them. And when I see pictures of myself in them I completely understand why he hates them. They make me look like I weigh an extra twenty pounds on the bottom. But I already paid to have the hems tailored so I can't stand the thought of getting rid of them and buying new jeans. It makes my frugal blood boil.

I just read this tip where if you sit in a boiling hot bath tub in your jeans it will shrink them to your body. I might try it! Does anyone know from personal experience whether it works?

In any case, Chris says it will be funny to watch. Hey, I like baths. Also, I'm keeping the dress.

Kept the receipt

For my birthday, for the first time ever I got a gift card to Anthropologie. With some birthday cash from my grandma in the envelope as well, I headed to the store this afternoon.

Even though my weakness at Anthro (via the website, as I really can't afford to buy things in real life) are the neutral, lacy, creamy tops and the silk printed blouses that would rack up a separate fortune in dry cleaning bills, I made a rule for myself that I had to splurge on a statement piece rather than choosing sale rack tank tops. I have two weddings to attend the weekend after next, so in the absence of any skirts or cardigans that I fell in love with, I tried on several dresses.

Too housewifey

Too arm-ey and hip-py

This is the one I loved on the website, but again: I felt too hausfrau in it. I don't even know what that word actually means. Basically, I felt all beefy arms and wide hips. Pretty colors, though.

This one was really pretty. I might watch it to see if it ever gets marked down a lot a lot. What made me eventually put it back was less the narrowness of the pencil skirt and more the worry about the sweat stains in the silk top. Hey, I'm being honest here!

I am absolutely in love with this shirt but I could NOT justify spending $68 on a knit tee, even if it was $68 gift card dollars. Still, if it ever goes down to $40...I lurved it.

This is the one I stunned myself by getting. I know, right? I mean, I know I'm a stripe monster, but when I think of Anthro I think of watercolor florals. Plus, preppy much? But I loved the way it looked on me. And it has pockets! So, should I keep it? What do you think? Vote now. Here's another photo:

(That's obviously not me, but I wouldn't say no to that wallpaper, that's for sure.)

From the files

It's so hot out that it's hard to think of dressing at all. Skirts and dresses are a must--pity the men who are stuck in button downs!

Above photo, Refinery 29; bottom, can't remember.

good reviews?

has anyone ever ordered from lulu's? t. asked me a question about their service and speed and reliability etc.? also maybe the quality of their products? just asking bc i love the stuff online but have never ordered from them. thanks, birds!