spring a ding ding

i'm over winter already so i'm going to focus on all things spring.  if any dire cold-style concerns arise, you can always email me and i will post not entirely against my will - i am here for you after all, dear reader.  anyhoo - spring always makes me happy.   and the spring lookbook from Asos made me way happy.  a little while back, Asos at last launched a site for all of us here in the US of A - it's one England's best one stop shop sites - tons and tons of goodies for the gettin'.  cut to now, and i'm just a bit swoon-y for the GORGE floaty dresses coming for spring. there are maxis and minis and pants, oh my!  i'm still well into my maxi fixation - and though i had previously stated that i might not add to my collection, let's just say right here and now that i have changed my mind on that.  i am particularly partial to the cream number - that one will very likely be calling my closet home... and the orange for my honeymoon... and...

to wear... or not to wear...

spring and summer are slowly creeping upon us.  (not as fast as i'd like, quite frankly.  i'm a bit over this whole rain and chilly thing)  i am READY.  have switched out the wardrobe (perhaps a teeny bit early but i am eager) so bring it on!

the question was posed to me - what NOT to wear this summer.  i mulled it over a bit - and it's more thematic than specific.  what NOT to wear in summer?  anything too tight or too short.  let's be honest.  .01% of the population can pull it off.  and even those girls teeter on looking like a hoochie.  wearing something too tight does NOT make you look thinner - it makes you look bigger.  and too short - well that's just going to show your bits when you move the wrong way.  so DON'T.    another NOT for summer is anything too structured or overly "put together".  a head to toe "look" just "looks" like you're trying too hard.  and summer is SO not the time to try to hard.

this inevitably brings us to what TO wear, to avoid the above tribulations...  for me, summer is the time of the dress. it is the easiest possible piece of clothing imaginable.  it's one thing - you put it on and you're dressed.  how great is that?  then the fun part - the accessories.  add a belt and some heels -  you're dressed.  flat sandals?  you're casual.  but let's focus...  the dress.  aside from being ridiculously easy - it is also nice and cool, which is always a bonus.  there are literally dresses for every conceivable shape and size.  and for every possible occasion.  i am of course a HUGE fan of the tee shirt dress, as a logical extension of my love of the tee.  and they are out there in droves right now - American Apparel has some brilliant dresses for great prices, and the LA Made drapier versions are fantastic.  if you're feeling a little boho, the tie-dye Gypsy 05 tee -- LOVE....  if you're in an office and need to look a bit more "dressed" so to speak - i've become a bit obsessed with this Gypsy 05 silk shirt dress.  i've seen loads of others as well - they are out there in abundance...   you can also swing into the mix the tunic.  they're also out there EVERYWHERE - H&M has them in droves, and i am currently loving on this cute little number from Tolani...  go for an easy fit - not too tight, not too sloppy.  go for a length that works for you - a little bit above the knee works for almost everyone.  if you have killer legs - go a teeny bit shorter.  if you're feeling shy - throw on some leggings!   and develop a loving relationship with belts. makes one dress into two looks!

the bottom line is that spring and summer are the fun months - back to childhood - even if you're not on school vacation for the whole summer (and who doesn't wish we all were?) you can still take it easy a bit and take it down a notch - and that includes getting dressed. 

has anyone worked out the time machine yet?

i would be fascinated in time travel.  i would probably do it as a job if it were an option.  but that is just a bit of a tangent.   today's interest in the time machine is far more specific.  it was sparked by a deja-vue memory.  an ad for Prada's spring/summer collection featuring the photo prints caught my eye while reading this weekend.  i've seen the images, when they were shown, but it never triggered this memory until just now.  and now i am OBSESSED.

when i was young, and when my mummy was probably a bit younger than i am now, she had a bunch of clothes that i thought were "boring" and for grown ups.  but there were a few pieces that completely rocked my young little world.  including a full length orange halter dress made of silk with a photo print of a sunset on it.  describing it is killing me - because of how desperately i wish i had that thing right now.  last year, i went on a maxi dress bender and collected some lovelies.  really lovely ones.  but all the while i could never stop thinking of the orange halter dress form my youth.  and now Prada has kicked the nostalgia up about 39.4 notches with the whole photo print thing.  DAMN IT. why oh why can't i go back in time, to our yellow house, into her room, inside the wardrobe, left hand side, and grab that thing and run right back to now.  why?  is that too much to ask?

the morale of the story here is -- be careful when you prune your closet.  do it - it's good and healthy to get rid of stuff you do not love or wear or fit into.  but keep the gems.  please keep the gems.... 

a peek inside my head

on a tuesday afternoon.... i'm not on the couch on the 18th floor. my hair is not in a ridiculous pouf pile atop my head (i'm just realizing as i write this that i walked my bf's parents dog with this hair. HOT). there is nothing particularly wrong with the sitcho here... but in my mind, maybe i just got it a little more together today...

let's have a lookie, shall we? ah yes, a cute utility dress from the Gap collection...good place to start. and since it's January, even in my head, a toasty pair of Plush fleece lined leggings (no - i'm not kidding. it's like god turned into a fashion designer) then, perhaps a gorgeous belt from Linea Pelle - probs from the vintage collection. and hey, it's not snowing in my mind, so i'll wear my fave suede booties! toss on a scarf or two from the closet, pile on a bunch of bracelets -- and i'm good to go. to another corner of my mind...

cat on a hot tin roof

there is something particularly sexy about the lingerie of the bygone era. these days it all looks a bit trashy, if you ask me. and by reading this, you have - so there - i said it! a lady lounging around in a chiffon robe, ever so slightly undone, with a silk nightie underneath, hair a bit messy - THAT's how to do it if you ask me. very cat on a hot tin roof sexy. hot, languid - all WOMAN

there is a lot of lingerie influence going on right now in clothing - and i LOVE it. in the OH-SO hyped (so hyped that it sold out stock and re-stock) Rodarte collection for Target, there is a nice healthy dose of it. i know i've gone on about the collection more than once - but i had to mention it just once more because i FINALLY got my shipment (ordered the first day it came out!!) and i am obsessed with this dress for all the above mentioned reasons.

the pics barely do it justice. it was not one of the majorly photographed pieces in the line, plastered everywhere in ads, so i almost overlooked it. i'm SO glad i didn't. i liked it enogh in the pics to order it- but when i pulled it out of the package - i actually said "OOOOOH!" out loud. it reminds me of something that might be hidden in a corner of my granny's closet. it looks and feels old-fashioned in the best possible sense of the word. and the fit goes right along with that - it's perfectly fitted and flattering, and drapes in an extremely sexy retro way.

the long and short of it is - i LOVE this dress and am a little giddy with thinking of the next piece i will find for the tenessee williams spring/summer version of myself!

you really got me

dear people of Balenciaga,

how would you feel about maybe letting me have one of every bag you produce? seriously i adore them. above all others. oh and this dress would be super fantastic too. because i really love the zipper sleeve accent and i'm all about the 60's groove, man.

thanks.

love,
the-e-stylist.

the interior of my mind

it's a little kooky in there, let's get that out on the table right here and now.

as a little girl i read books voraciously about princesses and fairies and goblins (my absolute favorite book - the princess and the goblin). castles with secret rooms, secret passages to secret gardens with labrynths and mazes - that formed the foundation of me. (add to this the annual summer trips to England to see the family - where there are real castles - dots connected)

back to now. as i have mentioned often, i see dressing as costuming. style reflects what you are feeling on the inside - it reflects your ideas and turns it inside out for the world to see. it is fun. every once in a while i get stuck with a theme. and it shows up in what i wear. about 2 years ago, i fell in love with the show The Tudors. fell. in. love. and it re-awakened my obsession with Elizabeth I. (and yes i watched the sublime Cate in both movies. my heaven.) obliquely connected to that i became obsessed with pirates. (you know - go plunder and bring me the riches of the bastard country that betrayed my third cousin 15 years ago, and so on)

i began braiding my hair all the time (and YES this was before it was "boho" to do it. i was doing it for princess reasons, thank you very much). i got a necklace with a tiny silver sword. i got some foldover knee high boots that felt very piratey. in short - i channeled my inner pirate and put a princess spin on it.

this is a rather long winded way of describing my LOVE of this Prada dress. every time i see the dress (or the coat in the same brocade fabric) it kills me. i love it so much it hurts. the likelihood of me ending up with the exact dress is slim... you know, self employed, recession, blah blah blah. but you can bet your sweet ass i am going to end up with something gorgeous and brocade, and i am going to braid up my hair and put on some boots and rock a slightly new version of my run-away elizabethan pirate princess.

and you know, if you feel more lady like, wear some brocade with some lovely pumps and well coiffed hair, and nice red lips. very proper, still gorgeous! you can style something in any way you feel - whatever is you. oh style i love you so...

summer is not yet gone!

i'm a bit taken aback by the fact i keep thinking of boots and i dared mention a sweater... so in an effort to keep summer here - for a bit longer (June doesn't count this year, the weather was crap - so i figure we are owed an extra month) i hereby declare i shall shift my thinking.

behold the cute summer-y dress! for all the mags that said maxi dresses were "out" this year - i say "BAH" to you. these babies aren't goin away - so deal with it. mix it up, i say. mini, maxi, rock it any way you feel when you wake up in the morning. a dress is a dress and they look nice. the one ms. jennifer aniston is sporting here is from Calypso. a dreamy store if i ever did see one. kind of an "i woke up on a tropical island where we all wear floaty things" dream. the best dream ever! there are maxi dresses abounding out there - one in every single price range. well worth looking for, and if you have any particular questions - of course i am here to guide.

i'm diggin on the fact she is carrying this tote bag as well. i saw this yesterday at Bergdorf's. (i was winding my way home from lunch with my love... and a particularly intense PT session). and i thought "i'm glad people are doing this more these days". as with the dress - there are charity bags at lots of places these days - a do good tote... Hayden Harnett is doing them, and have a new one coming out soon. whatever your cause may be - there is most likely a tote bag out there to support it!

that's my lecture for the day. do good. shop, but do good as well. good is good.

underthings....

summer is about comfort and staying as cool as poss in the NYC humidity. (well, it's actually all about the beach - but life happens and i can't be on the beach 24/7 so this post is about reality)

over the last 2 years i became obsessed with dresses. it's one piece of clothing. it looks nice, and it's super comfy. i went on a rampage, and now have a happy little collection from which to choose when i get dressed every day. one glitch in the system is what might need to go UNDER said dresses... there are a couple that are a teeny bit sheer in bright sunlight. not ok. i have no desire to show my butt to the streets of NY. i don't feel they deserve it.

armed with the challenge, i went on the hunt for the perfect slip. it felt kind of glamorous to tell you the truth. very 1940's languid movie star. i perused every website and every lingerie section possible. i tried about a billion slips on. the creme de la creme has turned out to be Commando slips. you can buy them online, but they also do sell them at Saks, Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. the one annoying thing is that they are a bit expensive - but they are worth it. i bought a mini full slip and a half slip, and i wear them CONSTANTLY. i don't know what the fabric is, but it never static-sticks to anything, and each piece has teeny little weights in the bottom, so it doesn't ride up like so many other fabrics do. the dress extravaganza of my summers now feels complete.

that's about all i have to say about that....