Tote-ally!

What's In Your Bag?!

Birthday gift to myself two years ago!

My bag dumped out on the floor...minus the laptop!

*make up bag, 2 books, Dolce and Gabbana light blue pefume, Tarte lip gloss, pen, H&M sunglasses, Rescue Beauty concrete jungle nail polish, sequin change purse, Rihanna's new cd, psychedelic print wallet, and Louis Vuitton key chain, fish lighter (aka great convo starter and house sitting for Becky until she returns from London)*

I'm not much of a bag lady in the sense that I collect them. I tend to stay tried and true to one bag for as long as it will last me. Two years ago for my birthday I purchased a Marc by Marc totally turn lock tote and have recently realized it needs to be given a bit of a rest. It's the perfect bag for my life style. I carry my life in my bag which consequently looks as though I'm constantly toting around luggage with me. At any given time you will find absurd items like extra tights/socks, shoes, oatmeal or tea packets, fashion emergency kit, and an obscene amount of sunnies stashed in my bag. I'm always on the go so before I leave in the morning I'm stashing one last "just in case" item in my bag. I don't require a lot to take center stage as my "life carrier" but I do insist that you have:

1- a few different compartments

2- enough room to lug my laptop

3- a fun/interesting color/pattern

Spent a few minutes searching online for three totes that make my wish list at different price points!

Great by Sandie Fringe Tote

My favorite part of this bag is the wraparound fringe

Found at Shopbop

$578

Deux Lux Colorblock Tote

I love the color combination here and that fact that it can play double duty as a messenger bag.

Found at Urban Outfitters

$78

lululemon leather gym bag

For a gym bag this has to be one of the best. It is available in great colors and has storage and compartments like you wouldn't believe including a removable/washable dry pack to store dirty clothes/shoes. Enough room for my gym gear and laptop.

Found at lululemon

$78

DIY: Cowboy Booties Complete

It is finally complete! The DIY cowboy bootie project was finalized this morning. I still need to have the boots resoled but so excited for my new get ups! I was terrified to cut them, I think held the scissors in my hand for a good 3 minutes before I even picked up a shoe. Immediately threw them on with navy tights, green plaid skirt, jean jacket, and fur vest...simply to go grocery shopping. Now to play dress up and find more in the WEARdrobe to pair them with.

Before

After

Thighs the Limit

As skirt and dress hems started to creep upwards, shortening to new lengths, boots have decided to follow suit. I'm loving this trend right now and anxiously awaiting Christmas morning to see if they walked their way under the tree!

Melba Toast Monday...

Welcome to a new, and what will hopefully be a reoccurring feature on this blog, Melba Toast Monday. The feature is inspired by my dear Texas loving, footloose dancing, harmonica playing friend Ms. Shuffle. And this week it is brought to you by the talented Pop Rocks!

So why Melba Toast?! Well Webster defines the frequent soup/salad companion as very dry, crisp, and thin. I understand it to be unattractive, tasteless, plain, and more often than not...insufficient! I believe the over dried bread lacks all nutrients, stimulation, and consequently falls into the same compartment as cardboard in my brain.

So why/how a weekly blog post dedicated to such an unappealing snack?! Well, thank you for asking! Mondays seem to be the hardest days for me to figure out what I'm going to wear. Much of my creative energy has been sucked up all weekend from conjuring up elaborate weekend ensembles. While most people catch up and re-energize on the weekend, that's what my week is for! Since my Monday wardrobe seems to always fall in the lackluster department I'm challenging myself and focusing my look(s) on one key component. It has to have style, personality, a sense of humor. It needs to be able to stand on its own but also commune with the rest of my wardrobe. And above all else, must look at me and reflect upon me pure genuine honesty.

Yesterday's post was going to be reflected by my current favorite shoes, my purple booties (side note: I'm starting to hate the word booties, we need to find a new name for them)! All day I kept thinking about how much the heels spiced up my basic look until I met with Roxy (aka Pop Rocks or Pops). We attempted to bundle up on the High Line and chat and midway through the conversation I was handed a gift wrapped in purple tissue paper. Getting a Christmas morning warm up in I ripped through the paper frantically to reveal the PERFECT fall/winter accessory...

a black and gray scarf with neon dinosaurs that glow in the dark!

Pops made the scarf for me in her screen printing class at New School. Officially obsessed with it!!!! Immediately I threw off my flimsy, gauze scarf and replaced it with this uber soft, cool and cozy one. It completely filled my MTM requirements as a focal point to my outfit. Will try and post a wardrobe diary incorporating it.

Shuffle and Pops... thank you for the inspiration!!!!

DIY: Bejeweled Military Jacket

On Friday I don't remember where, but I stumbled upon this image of a military inspired bejeweled jacket. It was an easy, no brainer DIY project and I knew I had all the components to complete it. Went to my closet and grabbed a green jacket I picked up a few years ago at H&M and from a drawer, two vintage brooches I acquired from my mom last year when I was home for Christmas.

H&M jacket

Vintage brooche

H&M scarf and sunnies

Bottoms Up

My current obsession stems from a revisit I took to Balmain's Fall 2007 collection. I was scrolling through the collection and when I stumbled upon the first pair of over exaggerated leg flared pants I shrieked! It was almost like my fashion life flashed before my eyes. Instantly I started seeing bell bottoms everywhere...on style icons I worship, musicians I adore (***cough***Lenny Kravitz***cough***), and even visions of my teen years when they briefly resurfaced on the retail circuit aka Limited Too. I regularly don a pair of slim or skinny fit jeans but so does everyone else! Williamsburg has infiltrated Manhattan! And my boyfriend jeans, like most men, have just lost their appeal lately.

Bell Bottoms are the answer I've been looking for. I quickly jumped up and dug to the bottom of my pants drawer. Right as nervous anxiety began to creep in, I came up with a pair of bell bottom jeans I purchased at Gap last fall. I slipped into the baby blues and sighed with relief. Dark washed, leg lengthening, ass hugging, heels required, extreme flared perfection! I'm now obsessed with this single, lone pair and hoping to update my denim collection with more of this retro silhouette.

Show me some shine and glitz and I melt. Love that the pants look like liquid gun metal or something dangerous like that! Gives off this, don't mess with me, bad ass I'm too cool to be a Harley chick vibe!

This tie dye pair might be the fairest of them all. Effortlessly cool and killer with the sequin top. Exactly how I want to dress everyday for the holidays this year!

So excited for my new, reincorporated second skins! Planning on a wardrobe post tomorrow!

(all images from Style.com)

Wardrobe Diaries: SPD Event

Last week I attended an event for The Society of Publication Designers with a couple of friends. The event was this social networking opportunity for all different types of creative minds related and involved in publishing from graphic designers, editors, photographers, and stylist.

This is my dear friend Adri, talented graphic designer extraordinaire! And he's from an Island like me! Sometime I like to pretend that we are twins separated at birth! Love him dearly!

(image by I Think You're Swell. Check out the site, he's uber talented!)

Dress: Diane von Furstenberg

Belt: Lela Rose

Not Pictured Shoes: Purple Suede Steve Madden Booties

Dirty Martini: Delicious!