Top of the Tops

A couple of Christmas treats to myself (my rule is one present for me for every 3 that I buy for other people), a perfectly bohemian bag and wide knit cardigan, both from H&M.


It's that time of year again, time for year end lists, I had contemplated doing a list of my favorite lists but instead I'm opting for something a little less cynical. So here are a few of my favorite things from 2010.

My best dressed goes to Marina Munoz, stylist extrodinaire and a girl so confident she can pull off mens wear with a sex appeal I only dream of.

My favorite album without a doubt is Teen Dream by Beach House, Victoria's husky voice and those melancholy melodies kill me every time.

My most worn outfit has to be this little Butter Toast dress with my Aldo boots, it's my go-to brunch/work/Saturday/Sunday/shopping/lunch/Monday/drinks outfit.

My can't stop watching TV show of the year goes to Top Chef All Stars, only a few episodes in and it's clearly amazing.

My new blogger crush obsession is the divine and quirky Frou Frou.

This time tomorrow I'll be ringing in the New Year with some dear friends, hope you will be too, so until 2011, toodaloo.

Studded Christmas

I know it's a little late but here's a gander at my Christmas outfit. The studs felt equal parts glitz and rock and the flat boots were a practical decision based on the amount of time I'd be spending in the kitchen. I had a divine long weekend with all the British trappings, turkey, paper crowns, mince pies, copious amounts of booze and a snooze in front of the tele. Hope you all had a brilliant holiday :)

• Dress : Joie
• Boots : Forever21

It's All About Me

I tend not to divulge too much information about myself on this blog, or anywhere for that matter, so I was a little hesitant when the lovely Chelsea of Tea Talk asked to interview me for her blog. Chelsea is a Phoenix gal and I'm all for supporting local, not to mention she's adorable so....
Read all about me, on someone else's blog.

• Dress : H&M
• Lace Shirt : Nordstrom
• Boots : Forever21
• Belt : Thrifted

Sheer Maxi

Upon the advice of Cracking Good I bounded off to Cheap Thrills last weekend for a look at their vintage bounty, and boy was it bountiful. I found a couple of maxi dresses, one of the lace variety and this sheer one, both of which fall into my current 'be the Free People catalogue' look that I'm channeling. In an effort to keep it PG for work I wore a slip underneath and popped on this boyfriend sweater (which was never my boyfriend's). Apologies for not making the effort to pull a brush through my hair or slapping on some makeup for the photos, I was (as usual) running late.

• Dress : Vintage
• Sweater : Target
• Belt : Zara
• Shoes : Seychelles

Man Repelling

MAN·RE·PELL·ER¹  [MAHN-REE-PELLER]

–noun

outfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include but are not limited to harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls (see: human repelling), shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.

–verb (used without object),-pell·ing, -pell·ed.

to commit the act of repelling men:

Girl 1: What are you wearing tonight?

Girl 2: My sweet lime green drop crotch utility pants

Girl 1: Oh, so we're man repelling tonight?

Taken from the genius that is The Man Repeller blog.

So many of my fashion choices could be described as man repellers and, really, it doesn't bother me. I dress to please myself first and foremost but I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge the women in my life who I seek to impress, most of whom I don't even talk to. I don't know which is worse, dressing to appeal to the male gaze or dressing to dazzle that stylish girl in the coffee shop whose name you don't even know.

So I decided to jump on the sandals-with-socks bandwagon. Pretty sure most men would find this outfit tantamount to castration in the sexiness department but what the hell, it kept my feet warm and I got to bust out the Zara platforms again. For added unsexappeal I should mention that the jacket has Howard Moon-tastic elbow patches.

• Jacket : Vintage
• Blouse : H&M
• Skirt : Forever21
• Platforms : Zara

A Serious Coat

Your outfit doesn't have to be up to much if you've got a coat like this to wear over it.

• Coat : Ted Baker
• Jeans : Earnest Sewn
• Blouse : H&M
• Necklace : Banana Republic
• Shoes : Forever21

Holiday Frivolity

Every year my most glamorous friends throw a fabulous holiday party where there is no room for under-dressing and sequins abound. I'd like to look like this gal please (via Purple Diary).

I found this copycat outfit at BCBG, what do you think?

The Skinny on Slovenly

I wouldn't say I've mastered the art of casual dressing yet. Stick me in the middle of a cocktail party or a museum function and I can dress to impress, but Saturday morning brunch or at work on a photo shoot and I'm always dismally inappropriate. So imagine my joy when I managed to put this little number together. To anyone else it would be their easiest, dare I say mundane outfit, but to me this was like winning the bloody lottery. You see, it took me 2 try's to find the perfect pair of skinny military pants (the first pair will no doubt languish in the my closet, a sorry attempt at being this pair), the sweater, a blindingly good find at Target having soured thrift stores for months prior looking for the perfect boyfriend fit and the jacket, that dynamite little vintage piece that was just waiting for the right outfit to feel wearable. So there you see, it's not so easy to look that perfect amount of devil may care and still be chic.

• Jacket & Necklace : Vintage
• Sweater : Target
• Pants : H&M
• Booties : Seychelles

Mod Like

Due to a spat of overindulgence over the holiday weekend my outfits have been on the stretchy/baggy side and therefore, not that inspiring. What's a fashion blogger supposed to do during these less-than-inspired slumps? I mean, I couldn't even be bothered to browse the Cyber Monday deals! I must be coming down with something. So here instead is an outfit from last week. A little modtastic dress from Ted Baker, I love the drape of the sleeves.

• Dress : Ted Baker
• Boots : Aldo (last year)
• Ring : F21

To Ted and Back

I sauntered into Ted Baker last weekend for a gander at their fall collection (really, it had nothing to do with the Tedtini's they serve) and after a couple of gin based beverages I sauntered out with a bag full of stuff (I'm guessing that's the point of aforementioned 'tini's). They have some really great accessories and 60's inspired pieces in there at the moment. 

• Blouse : H&M
• Shorts : F21
• Boots : Aldo
• Bag & Belt : Ted Baker

Bejeweled

The only way I can make jeans and a t-shirt tolerable is to over-accessorize.

Faux Show

This fur is so faux it took me 1/2 an hour to rub it down with Bounce sheets before I stopped sticking to everything within a  2 foot radius, at least I smell dryer fresh. This outfit really appeals to the 60's girl in me... the girl with the massive vinyl collection who has a crush on Lindsey Buckingham (the way he looked back then) and knows all the words to Aquarius. It also makes me look a bit like Rachel Zoe if she put on 100 pounds.

• Fur Vest : F21
• Top : H&M
• Jeans : Vintage Levis
• Boots : Seychelles

Slacks

My reaction to a weekend of burlesque shows and a play about vibrators was to wear something decidedly unsexy. Should I read something into that?

• Trousers, Top & Shoes : F21
• Bag : Butter Toast Vintage

Too Cool To Bare?

It was 59 degrees outside when I left for work this morning, a temperature so long overdue after the sweltering Phoenix summer that any and all women I know have been donning their tights in rejoice. I, renegade that I am, dare to go bare for little bit longer and feel the chill with pleasure.

• Jacket, T-shirt & Scarf : H&M
• Skirt : F21
• Booties : Seychelles
• Necklace : Dolly & Boy
• Cuff : Charlotte Russe

Cargo

I drank a bit too much red wine while I was making meatballs last night. As a result I had little motivation for anything, let alone glamour, this morning. So, having downed a couple of cups of tea, I shimmied into these skinny cargo pants and donned a vintage scarf and called it a day. Ladies, on mornings such as these the head scarf is your best friend.

• Scarf, Belt & Bag : Vintage
• Shirt : H&M
• Pants : Ann Taylor Loft
• Shoes : F21

Cuffed Jeans

I tend not to wear jeans too often. I find them slovenly and a little lazy. My aversion has inadvertently made them a challenge to me and, in doing so, has taken all the laziness out of denim. So here they are, starting to feel fresh again, with something as simple as a cuff (oh, and the military vest doesn't hurt either).

• Vest & Shoes  : F21
• T-shirt : H&M
• Jeans : Levis
• Cuff : Charlotte Russe

La-ti-da

So I was Annie Hall for Halloween. I stood out among all the Scottsdale women because I was wearing clothes. I've got to admit, some of those slutty bumble bee costumes were actually pretty scary; some things should really be left to the imagination ladies.

Ladylike Lengths

I'm jumping on the longer skirt bandwagon. I remember a time, oh about 3 weeks ago, when you wouldn't have caught me dead in knee-length anything. Then Paris fashion week happened. It was all over. Stylish lasses were working their Celine minimalism and demure hemlines to such heights of sophistication it made my mini's look downright last season (gasp). So here is my foray back into more ladylike lengths.
As a completely unrelated side, what is everyone planning on being for halloween? This nutty holiday has been growing on me since moving to the U.S. and I might even say I'm looking forward to it this year :)

• Shirt, Bracelet & Bag : Vintage
• Skirt : F21
• Booties : GoJane.com
• Ring : Banana Republic

Get Used To It

I'm going to be wearing this jacket a lot.

• Jacket : H&M
• Dress : Butter Toast
• Boots : Aldo
• Rings : Old and Banana Republic

His 'n' Hers

I'm a bit obsessed with mixing masculine and feminine pieces at the moment. Every early fall outfit I'm envisioning is some combination of a girly dress or skirt layered with manly jackets and tough boots. Sadly, this might be my only girly dress (everything else I own tends towards the slutty end of the dress spectrum) and it's still a little bit hot for jackets. So, a cardigan will have to suffice, layered with this vintage fur (which was promptly discarded after the photos were taken due to over-heating).

• Dress : Karl Lagerfeld (old)
• Cardigan : H&M
• Fur vest : Buffalo Exchange (old)
• Booties : Seychelles
• Belt : Zara
• Bag : Aldo
• Watch : Urban
• Charm bracelet : Anthropologie (old)

Fall's Maxi Skirt

It's around this time of year that I begin to gloat about where I live. The balmy 80 degree days meld into perfect patio nights. And as much as I'd relish the chance to wear my coats, I really embrace the transitional dressing this weather affords.
Maxi skirts allow that extra day between shaving that this summer's shorts didn't (oh yes, I went there), and my knits are coming out from hibernation. And as a charming aside...the rings were on sale at Banana Republic, good god I love their jewelry.

• Top & Skirt : H&M
• Bag : Vintage (stolen from my sister)
• Necklace : Thrifted
• Rings : Banana Republic
• Booties : Seychelles

Starting To Feel Like Fall

Photos by David Bellemere for Marie Claire Italia.

I adore this shoot and, with the storm that hit Phoenix yesterday, it finally feels appropriate to be lusting after that first outfit.