Inspiration: Dolce & Gabbana

I am really loving this look from Dolce & Gabbana, from the Sartorialist. I have been wishing for more gold earrings and these big hoops are simple but dramatic. I also like the clean, sexy silhouette, despite the fact that I have zero occasion to ever dress like that.
These weird images are from D&G's Spring/Summer 2011 ad campaign, the same as we saw from the runway shot. They give me a weird feeling, perhaps they play too much into the Madonna/Whore dichotomy or a hyper-sexualized portrayal of female jealousy. But anyway, I like the big gold earrings, the chandelier ones are especially cool.
The shirt in this photo reminds me of a still from The Leopard that is on the cover of the February schedule at the Siskel Film Center downtown. The print dress the actress wears in the film is less seductive, but it has a really fitted, pleated bodice with a little black drawstring around the scoop neckline and a full skirt. I really like this look, and think I need to add more fitted waistlines into my everyday wardrobe. This kind of fitted peasant top is so Italian-sexy, but it might be hard to find one that didn't look too costume-y.

Rainbow Shoes

So, I arrange my shoes by color. It's true, the secret's out. I've got every color but green, and I have teal sort of to replace it. My collection of high heeled shoes I rarely wear lives on an inverted drawer from a dresser that I found in the alley. I never got around to painting it, but it adds some much-needed storage. Black and brown and everyday shoes are on the bottom, along with some sewing supplies in boxes.

What I actually wore for new years eve

So this is a two-days-later picture of what I ended up wearing for New Years Eve. We had a party at my apartment, not a big one, but I was still baking carrot cake and wearing what I'd worn that day when people started showing up, so I never changed. It was a bit too cold during the day to not wear tights, sadly, and just the right weather for a short-sleeved sweater, which is rare and must be taken advantage of. I did switch out socks and LLBean boots for the sparkly gold flats you can just barely see in the picture. Try to ignore my cluttered little room and poor quality picture, as these are taken with my computer and it's hard. I didn't take pictures then because I don't have a camera, but mosey requested one, and you know I can't say no. If you care, you can see behind me the lavender boxes that I painted and now use as a desk drawer/closet.

What did I wear? The sweaterdress and herringbone leggings come from Express but I got them at a yard sale, the sparkly flats come from Old Navy but I also got them at another yard sale. The top hat I swiped from a sleeping guy at a party I went to later on (party stories are much too incriminating to put on a blog...)! The dress was a funny shape-- pretty loose on top and tight on the bottom, but it's actually really comfy for a party. I still felt dressed up but everything stayed put and I stayed warm.
Haha, this is a ridiculous picture. I went to go get my driver's license this morning and should have made this face for the ID! Or this one (taken as my computer starts to fall off the stack of magazines on my windowsill):

New Years Eve: What to Wear

This Friday night is supposed to be warm (well, 50s during the day, but trust me, that counts as warm)! So I think I'm going to try to wear a skirt when I go out on the town, without tights. I know, bold move. I've been looking at these images for inspiration. Maybe I'll try out socks with heels?


Maybe not. I can't really see myself having a good time stumbling around on heels all night. It's supposed to be really rainy too. I looked at my closet and I think I'll try just a short dress and some sparkly flats (the rain will probably ruin them though). Bare legs is enough daring for one night!

But I do love that look with the short dress, tights, and gold flat brogues. They're all from Lauren Moffatt's Fall 2010 collection, which I found via This is Glamorous, and I seriously love every single thing on there and will be posting more. Well, all but the tiny one which is from Sally Scott's 2009-2010 Fall/Winter collection, which for obsessive referencing karma, I found via fieldguided.

Or maybe I'll go with thin tights (otherwise unthinkable on cold days) and a sparkly dress, like this one from Urban Outfitters. Wait, I don't have thin tights. But I do have lacy ones!

Afrikan Boy: Lagos Town

Recently I've been digging this song. It includes my favorite rhyme in the history of ever, which is "1 2 3 4, 5 6 7 8, I'm great." Also the girl dancer is my life and fashion idol, I want to have her moves and her technicolor style. This dude, Afrikan Boy, is somehow affiliated with M.I.A. (I think he's on her label and toured with her). Can you tell? Yeah, it's pretty clear, but nevertheless, I like him, and he's adorable. My coworker is from Lagos, too, but she never sang me an adorable rap about it, so I'm less interested. Finally, check out his Obama t-shirt and then, check out this fact: I saw the President himself with my own two eyes on Saturday night!

Venice, Spritz: Drink Recipe!

So, my friend, we'll call her T, has a radio show. She plays classical music from 12-1:30 on Tuesday afternoons. You can tune in online! Anyway, I've been hanging out with her during the show, and kinda learning how it works and bumbling around giving announcements. It's great fun, but we only get like 5 listeners online, so you should listen! We play good stuff, and it's a very chill mid-day break. Especially for us.

Anyway where was I going with this? Oh yeah, T & I looked at the internet while our records played, and were looking at the Toast blog (again), and found these gorgeous pictures of travels in Venice. This picture made T swoon because she works as a barista in a bougey coffee shop and is really good at making excellent espresso and foam, and wishes she had such a beautiful machine with which to work.This last picture made us both swoon, probably because we're alcoholics. (Just kidding. Alcoholism is a real and serious disease, and we do not have it. We just like us some booze, preferably European booze in elegant glasses with atmospheric lighting. We will not say no if some sexy Italian bartender makes it for us, either.) So anyway, the next post had a recipe for Spritz, a common drink in Venice, so that night we went home and made it. It is very easy: one part Campari, one part white wine, and top it off with soda water. I had all these things at home, since I bought Campari this summer for aperitivo-making inspired by ReadyMade magazine's recipes for drinks like the Americano and Negroni. Anyway, the spritz was delicious, easy, cold, kinda bitter, and a great mix between T's-roommate's-grandmother's-favorite-drink and sophistication.

Coming soon: T & I swoon over all things Portuguese, and T & I have California Week in preparation for my first trip to the Pacific Ocean!

Listening, Watching, Reading, Wearing, Wanting

Listening: eh, you know, Beyonce, stuff like that. Whatever is loud enough that I can hear it on the train to & from work.
Watching: Lolita, the Kubrick version. Maury on the TV in the Nigerian restaurant where I had lunch. The leaves change color. The interior of offices.
Reading: sure as fuck not my homework, unfortunately. The first part of this post is hilarious, and I completely agree.
Wearing: forget trying to look cute, I'm back to my uniform: cords and button-down shirts, preferably plaid. Actually over the weekend it was hot and I went swimming, and wore my beloved ratty cutoff jean shorts and a uber-hippy loose tank top I stole from my cousin, and a red cardigan from a yard sale.

Rainy Saturday Night by amyinegypt

Wanting: balance