winter wardrobe

Phillip Lim cropped sweater, Bassike asymmetrical white dress, Burberry Prorsum coat, Henry Holland for Pretty Polly super suspender tights, Fleet Ilya clutch, Made Her Think earrings, Barbara Bui mary janes, Alexander Wang goddess dress, Fleet Ilya belt, Mark Fast hot shorts, Lanvin ring, Miu Miu embellished knee socks, Ann D. earrings, Ann D. triple-laced boots, Bottega Veneta scarab ring, Ann D. bracelet

I've already got the black dress and the tights, I have some black knee socks I can embellish. I have a plain white t-shirt dress but it might be too transparent for winter, especially over black tights, and I refuse to wear a slip.

What I need is the super tight, cropped ski sweater (I've been stalking that grey Phillip Lim number for like four years), and those delicious Ann Demeulemeester triple-lace boots (if I can ever find them...). I'd take the Burberry coat, but I have a pretty sweet Rag & Bone equestrian coat that could stand in for it. My plan would be to wear the cropped sweater over the white dress with tights and boots, and the black dress with the mary janes. The knee socks I'd probably just wear over plain black tights with the mary janes or flats.

In reality, what I'll be wearing this winter is exactly what I wore last winter - black on black on black, with my Alexander Wang hobo jacket over it and Chucks. But I have good news - yesterday I wore a dress that was NOT black, so things maybe changing, one infinitesimal bit at a time.

i'm back bitches

preen leggings, givenchy top, preen leather bag, pamela love stalactite (?) earring, proenza schouler bracelet, lanvin necklace, natalia brilli glove, alexander wang leather vest, givenchy shoe, harakiri jaw necklace, fleet ilya cuff, dries van noten bag, betony vernon 0-ring.

Time has flown. I graduated college and stopped caring about fashion for a while. But I'm back. For all none of you who read this, I've missed you. Things haven't changed much, I still like gothy looking shit, and will even when all magazines, runway shows, and uppity teen bloggers demand that I wear florals and pastels, or worse, anything from the early 1990s.

the slow introduction of color

from top left: natalia brilli necklace, vpl insertion bra, alexander wang sunglasses, helmut lang cotton moto jacket, lanvin tulle and pearl ring, repetto oil slick flats, proenza schouler metal cuff, delfina delettrez rubilie stone hand ring, marni top, givenchy brooch, nicholas kirkwood x rodarte heels

I tried on that Helmut Lang jacket at Bloomingdales about a week ago, right before I came back from break and I nearly swooned in the dressing room. It is so soft, the collar draped perfectly (not pictured), it was like a hug from Herr Lang himself. But it's also $400, so I parted ways with it with quiet grace and dignity. BUT THEN I found a fairly similar black version, also by Helmut Lang, for about 25% of the price, so I went for it. I am most pleased.

Anyway, everything else pretty much speaks for itself. Yves Klein blue leather-covered necklace? Delicious and would look fetching on top of one of my many all-black ensembles. VPL bra? Sure, why not. P.S. their stuff runs TIGHT in the chest. Delettrez hand ring? You had me at hello. Lanvin tulle/pearl ring? It kind of looks like an opulent bird's nest, and it's made from a somewhat non-traditional (although not for Alber Elbaz) jewelry material, so yes, I'll take it. The Proenza arm cuff looks like slightly modeled asphalt, which I love, I'll wear anything Givenchy and spiky, and I pine for Rodarte and Kirkwood to such a degree that I make myself slightly ill.

I can't promise anything more than a thank you note in return, but if you're feeling generous, my wishlist is above.

accessorize

alexander wang mini brenda camera bag and givenchy wedge

my two favorite items from candy pratts price's interminable spring 2010 accessories report, that i actually clicked through. i'm having a bit of an "i die" moment over both of them, but quite frankly i'm a little more in love with the mini brenda because it's a little more attainable and because i don't wear heels, and because i think purses should be as minimal and tiny as possible. i've actually wanted a vintage camera bag for ages. perhaps perusing ebay is in order...

source: style.com

winter whites

Being that I generally wear black all year round, I feel the need to stand out in some way when the winter rolls around and everyone else dons their darks. Every time I see a photograph of someone in copious amounts of white in the winter, I can't help but be mesmerized by the chicness. Especially if that person has white-blonde hair and they become a monochromatic vision. Actually, that might explain why I wear black so much (seeing that I am far from blonde).

Anyway: some fantasy winter whites for you


wangster one-shoulder dress, vivienne westwood anglomania sweater, jasmine di milo white dress, pleasure principle white scarf top, lanvin alpaca cardigan, delfina delettrez skull ring (this looks so much like a día de los muertos calavera de azucár), wool & the gang oversize scarf, wangster slit/cage shouldered top

basic black

ann demeulemeester asymmetrical shirt, alexander wang cutout jersey skirt, comme des garçons asymmetrical wool top, alexander wang sheer top, y's asymmetrical cardigan, alexander wang cage skirt, gareth pugh top, thakoon sheer dress

pieces of flair

from left: bittersweets baby vamp rings, alexander wang x abraxas rex cuff, burberry barb wire ring, made her think chain rings, rando glasses, comme des garçons x stephen jones sunglasses, mark walsh & leslie chin x rodarte bracelet, natalia brilli bone bracelet, fleet ilya belts, miu miu patent flats, mark walsh & leslie chin x rodarte ring, natalia brilli chicken foot brooch, thakoon mosaic mirror shoes, natalia brilli heart bag

which shoes?

Gary Graham leather jacket, Hope Merry cropped t-shirt, J Dauphin gold necklace, Iosselliani pendant necklace thing, Marios Schwab leather sandals, Etro gladiators, Ann Demeulemeester sandals, Pamela Love cuff, and, most importantly, Philip Lim skirt.

Phillip Lim's designs are generally a little too feminine for me, but when he does it right (i.e. according to my particular aesthetic) it makes me weak in the knees. [Side note: I'm beginning to wonder if I haven't replaced romantic relationships with a tortured lust for clothing?] A lot of people are playing around with the idea of athletic gray sweatshirts and how to dress them up/make them more interesting - par example, Alexander Wang's version, which I love from the front, but am not quite as enamored of the back. Phillip Lim's take on classic athletic heather gray is easily the freshest of the lot, and I want it. I want something that could potentially be described as having ruffles (wtf).

I also have to admit that I'm liking the return of crop-tops. I'm not advocating a return to the 90s custom of perpetually-bared midriffs, but frankly most of my shirts are so long I could sit on them. Whenever I contemplate wearing a pencil skirt my pool of tops shrinks drastically because so many of them are too long or too lumpy to tuck in. Of course, I'm not going to go out and buy a cache of cropped shirts, I'll just cut some down to size and re-hem them. As soon as I re-learn to operate a sewing machine. Actually, I could just buy American Apparel's scrimmage shirt, which I've been eyeing for a while, on TrendyBlanks and be done with it.

So anyway, which shoes? I'm leaning towards the Ann D's myself.