12.12.2011

"Satisfied" - Cee-Lo Green

froofroo

I so very much wish I had an occasion that demanded an ivory tulle tea length dress. If we're being honest, I wish I could wear a poofy dress every day of my life. "But you can!", they say, "wear what you want!". No. I work in a corporate setting. I cannot walk in wearing a dress as wide as it is long. Not until I get promoted a couple more times. 


Until that day comes, I will fantasize about an alternate reality in which it is perfectly acceptable to twirl instead of walk from place to place. Oh I can't wait. This would be my dressed down version, hence the denim and thick scarf. A girl can't be dressed to the nines every day - she has to slum it once in a while. 


Side note: whenever I see dresses like this I always think about Lea Thompson's dress at the Under the Sea dance in Back To The Future. If it weren't for the casual accessories I may have made this about the song "Earth Angel". It may or may not be a dream of mine to dance to that song. That's a pretty achievable dream, you might think. Oh really? Then why hasn't it happened yet?

But instead while slumming it on a lazy Saturday in this ensemble I would have Cee-Lo's "Satisfied" playing in my head on repeat. His album "The Ladykiller" was one of my favorites in 2010, and this song is one of the main drivers of that. It has such a retro feel and I can't help but feel happier when I hear it. I shoo-bop and doo-wop in my head every time, and this dress has doo-wop written all over it. 

Listen to the song here.


12.11.2011

"Gangsta" - tUnE-yArDs

Gangsta

Proenza Schouler is fantastic, is it not? It never ceases to amaze me how they can come up with these mesmerizing and innovative patterns season after season. These pants are like the chic lady-version of Zoombas, and I totally mean that as a compliment. I didn't want to upstage the pants (as if that's even possible), so I tried to keep the rest of the outfit understated without being boring. The simple and classic Givenchy flats were perfect, and the Burberry Prorsum blouse has exquisite shoulder detail, and I rarely say no to a strong shoulder. 

As I was putting this look together, I couldn't help but get the tUnE-yArDs song "Gangsta" in my head. I recently had the opportunity to see the tUnE-yArDs live, sort of on a whim, and I'm so glad I did. Easily one of the best shows I've ever seen. Merrill Garbus, the woman behind the band, has such and incredible energy and her ability to write and perform such unique songs is really something to see. I think "innovative" was I word I used to describe her as well, because her drumming and vocal stylings and overall melodies are unlike anything I'd heard before. It's only natural, then, that she get matched to these remarkable pants.


Listen to the song here.

12.10.2011

"Eve, The Apple Of My Eye" - Bell X1

grayscale

So, anyone remember a little show called "The OC"? Like many people my age, it was my favorite show when it was on the air. From its debut in 2003 through the glorious finale, I never missed an episode. Aside from the fabulously soapy plotlines and sexy broodiness of Ryan Atwood, another big draw for me was the music. 


Bell X1 sort of got their US debut on The OC - maybe some of you remember the episode in which it was featured? Marissa finally gave into her girl crush with Alex, the cool chick who worked at The Baitshop, and they made out on the beach as the tide turned on Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, Ryan was realizing he'd never get Caleb's approval to date Lindsay and Seth seemed to completely ruin everything with both Summer and Zach and their comic. Oh, and Kirsten found that Sandy was secretly hiding his ex-fiance in his office. It was a really profound ending. 


After getting the season 2 soundtrack for my birthday, I found myself listening to this particular song on repeat. I took it with me to college, and I have distinct memories of listening to this song as I walked to class through the cold Chicago winters. Whenever I listen to it today, I'm brought back to that place. Not The OC, unfortunately, but a place where it's quiet, and cold, but beautiful. And I think about missing someone, and desperately wishing they were with me. 


This song has such lovely and simple imagery. "The only thing that we share/is the same sky". You realize that it's best that you're apart, but it's still so hard to accept. That's what I hoped to embody with this ensemble. The color palette is somewhat muted and dreary, but there's hope that comes from the bits of color and oh-so-fabulous fur. I can see myself wearing this as I wander through the snow, despite the seasonally inappropriate footwear. This is about looking forward, past the sadness, past the cold, to a brighter spring.

Listen to the song here.

12.08.2011

"Go Do"- Jónsi

Go Do

It's nice to have that rush of energy hit during winter, when it's so easy to get bogged down with the short days, frigid weather, and grayscale wardrobes. Not to knock the gray on gray look, it's very chic, but a little color never hurt.

Pantone just released its Spring 2012 Fashion Color Trend Report, and Tangerine Tango was the top color for the season. I couldn't be happier. Winter is really starting to hit hard and I can't think of a better to way to start looking forward to spring. The color is so fresh and inspiring and makes me think of swimming and riding my bike and taking naps on the beach of Lake Calhoun. 

Anything that makes me think of summer is my favorite thing. Swimsuits? My favorite. Sunglasses? Favorite. Watermelon? MY FAVORITE. Some music selections have a tendency to remind me of summer as well, and one album in particular that does so is Jónsi's 2010 debut solo album "Go". The first release from the album, "Go Do", was played on repeat in my car when it first came out last year, and the mile a minute pacing and enthusiastic woodwinds always put a smile on my face. I thought it would be the perfect match to this mega-cheery ensemble. 


Listen to the song here.



H M flare dress
£30 - hm.com

Senso shoes
$175 - solestruck.com

Reed krakoff handbag
$490 - net-a-porter.com

Kenneth Jay Lane gold plated jewelry
$75 - net-a-porter.com

12.07.2011

"Kiss That Grrrl" - Kate Nash

Kiss That Grrrrl

So this Lela Rose skirt is the best, right? I cannot possibly imagine a more perfect skirt. The layers! The colors! Just the best. The absolute girliest skirt of all time ever. I saw this and immediately had to create a look around it, but I couldn't go totally girly; it needed some edge. Enter skull scarf and Alexander McQueen skull clutch.

That's how I feel about Kate Nash's "Kiss That Grrrl". I remember the first time I heard this song, how I thought it was positively delicious. I mean, the title alone gives a less-than-subtle hint at its ferocity. It's the less obvious version of "Before He Cheats", and it doesn't take long to get past the retro-inspired beat to hear lyrics that explicitly warn "kiss that girl/and I will shrink up/and I will die/and I will think up/a thousand ways/that I can hurt you/and you will never touch my hand". 

I think if I owned this outfit I would constantly twirl and bounce and adorably threaten my boyfriend to never even think of looking at another girl.

Here is the song
VPL crop top
$133 - lagarconne.com

Lela Rose full skirt
£3,665 - net-a-porter.com

Lanvin wedge shoes
$896 - kirnazabete.com

Alexander McQueen pink handbag
£1,345 - matchesfashion.com

TopShop scarve
$45 - topshop.com

TopShop bow glove
$36 - topshop.com

Thierry Lasry brown shades
£290 - brownsfashion.com

8.15.2011

I'm sorry I've abandoned you

I know my demographic is small. It mainly consists of my sister and my brother's girlfriend (now my new roommate). But if that's all I have, then my ENTIRE fanbase has been badgering me for months to begin posting again. I had some good excuses. I was really busy with work, then I was on vacation, then I was up for a promotion, then things got extra busy with some new friends, then I moved, then I didn't have internet, and now here we are.

Well, I hope it was worth the wait. Because I have quite the queue of looks ready for the posting. And a new layout to boot. And I have expanded my music collection and can't wait to feature some more songs.


Here it is. Take two. For reals this time.

3.06.2011

"Summer in the City" - Regina Spektor

spring

 "I start to miss you, baby, sometimes".


So we all know that this winter has been the absolute worst. I mean, really. Enough? Enough with the snow? Please? I'd like to have it be summer now, please. But I suppose all I can do until this frozen garbage melts it lust over spring trends and plan my ensembles in advance. What better to ring in the warmer season than this delightful Chloe frock? The salmon color is perfectly lovely and I added the jacket because, who are we kidding. As much as I'd love to jump head first out of winter, I know it's going to take some easing into.


We also know that summer is about showing off how much we worked our ass off for a killer beach body. I myself have a plan to do some intense bikram yoga and diet of primarily nonprocessed foods (ugh, do I sound like I'm writing for GOOP right now? Sorry.) to get myself ready for a little trip to Mexico. But whether there's an actual trip planned or not, I think motivation can also come from the possibility of seeing that someone that you used to love. Fantasies of casually running errands and passing on the street, looking utterly fabulous. "Oh this? It's nothing, just a little something I threw together - felt appropriate for this great weather we've been having! But how are YOU?"


That's the external. But that doesn't always match what going on in our head. This song is heartbreakingly beautiful in its tales of loneliness. "I've been hallucinating you, babe/In the backs of other women/And the tops of their shoulders/And they turn around and smile and/There's no recognition in their eyes". It's some of the saddest nostalgia to imagine, but I can't not love it.


"And don't get me wrong,  dear/In general, I'm doing quite fine."

Listen to the song here.


spring
Chloé sleeveless dress
1,410 GBP - matchesfashion.com
Miss Selfridge printed jacket
38 GBP - missselfridge.com
Linda Farrow metal sunglass
247 EUR - luisaviaroma.com