Karen Walker ... love ...

One of the wonders from down under... I love everything in her collections. Playful, classic, quirky, colorful, pretty - Karen Walker manages to accomplish these things brilliantly - from the designs, fabrics and construction to the final presentation. ( mwah! ) And can you imagine designing two seasons for each season? The northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere?

all images via: KarenWalker
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Delicate Underpinnings ...

(from top left, counter clockwise: undrest via Anthropologie - Phillip Lim 3.1 - amelie via undrest - Nina Ricci )
(above images via Elle.com)

With all of the cold weather, snow, rain, and wind - Spring cannot come soon enough. These pretty, pretty underpinnings aren't necessarily meant for Spring, but they conjure up the light, playful spirit that I associate with the season.

Until then, I will wish for these lovely, cozy pieces from Toast.

(bottom six images via Toast)

Katharine Hepburn ...

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun" ... The gorgeous, enigmatic, Katharine Hepburn.

This estate sale find reminded me of her the minute I started snapping pictures. Exceptional craftsmanship and such a sexy, menswear inspired fit.

Now in the shop.

... by the way, here's to wishing you a very Happy New Year!! :)

Mixing Patterns...

Another goodie from this months Country Living magazine. A peek inside Glenn Holley's Virginia home... loving the mix of patterns and pops of color.

images: via Country Living magazine

Inspiration ... Ämanda Belle Rogue's Polyvore Sets

After checking Twitter this morning (lame, I know...), I found a new Twitter follower's Polyvore set. Ämanda Belle Rogue is a fashion merchandising student and I'll have you know, I have wasted an incredibly inordinate amount of time perusing her gorgeous collections. Apparently, I still love anything black, and I'm also partial to ruffles, lace, bows, sparkles and shimmer, grays, taupe and muted pastels. Lord, help me.

FYI - All of this loveliness reminds me of Emily ... a brilliant blogger with an insanely well-honed fashion eye (love her [If I Were a Buyer...] posts...) who is also a genius with economics (oy vey!).

Brooklyn-ites ... I am so jealous

Seriously. I'm jealous for so many reasons. But this is the most recent. APC is having a "basement sale" in Brooklyn over the weekend.

Image via APC

Sessùn ...

Oh my ... such lovely inspiration over at Sessùn. (and isn't the model gorgeous? I love her hair...)

all images: Sessùn

Unfussy and refined ...

Loving this new line - Harvey Faircloth. The pieces are unfussy and somewhat relaxed, yet refined and incredibly classic at the same time. (how is that possible?) The website is fabulous, the images are playful and happy, and you must read their "About Harvey" page - the writing style is absolutely entertaining and engaging... actually makes me love the line even more!

(found via Joanna)

Vintage vs Barneys & The Row ...

Cashmere flannel Burford Shirt, made in USA ... $790 at Barneys.



Lightweight cotton blend plaid vintage shirt, made in USA ... $18.00 at the shop.

Similar looks... not so similar prices. (one for summer, one for winter...?)

First image via Barneys. Second image via me.

Helmut Fritz ... ça m'énerve (LE CLIP OFFICIEL)

So I wake up this morning to a message from one of my lovely Etsy buyers, who tells me that a jacket she purchased was used in this French music video. This is so thrilling for me in an odd way ... this little, ol' jacket from the midwest United States, found it's way to France to do something big! The music video is fantastic - gorgeous people, beautifully shot, and the song is fabulous. (I watched it while the kids were getting ready for school - and they loved it, too! Even though none of us know any french, we loved it just the same.)


Here's the jacket ... You'll see it at about 35 seconds into the video - embellished with some medals at the chest pocket.

(P.S. on a side note, but somewhat related... I just sold something to the propmaster for the Sex and the City II movie. I can't wait to see if it makes it to the big screen!!)

Polyvore ... my first time ever

First Set Ever by goodgrace featuring American Eagle Outfitters

So what do you think? I may be addicted. This Polyvore thing is so easy to do ... and it's so much fun "window shopping".

Etsy finds ... oh, the vintage love!

Here's a little bit of Etsy love ~ vintage style... and almost all of them are under $25.

1) Adorable little family of brass penguins: $24, WeThinkWeCan . 2) retro modern Royal Blue Enamel Cuff: $8, ColorField Vintage . 3) I'm in love with this sun dress, the color - the print - the cumberbund band: $64, ColorField Vintage . 4) chic, embossed Croc Handbag: $24, Dewberry Vintage . 5) colorful, mod print apron: $14, OliveVintage.

All images via their respective shops.

Quail by Mail ... Fair Trade, Eco Friendly

Top Row: Tulip Skirt, 3/4 Sleeve Shirt, Lucy Dress

Bottom Row: 1940s Shirt, Panel Skirt, Emily Dress

I am intrigued by this lovely clothing line from Britain, called Quail. Founded in late 2006 by husband and wife team Jason Clark and Shauna Chapman, they produce ethical, fair trade and eco friendly clothing for women and men. Their pieces are beautifully constructed, in gorgeous colors and prints - with amazingly reasonable prices and low, low shipping prices ... free shipping on orders over £49. (Current conversion is approximately 1 British pound = 1.48 U.S. dollars)

They even have some adorable, eco friendly plushies!!

By the way, Shauna has an absolutely delicious looking recipe for Lemon Poppyseed Cake on her blog. It looks sooo yummy... or as they say in Britain, scrummy!

all photos via: Quail by Mail website

Kate Spade and the best email campaigns ever

I don't know about you, but my email inbox is completely out of hand. However, no matter how bad it gets, I will never unsubscribe from the Kate Spade emails. (I actually save them online in a special little "inspiration" folder.) They are absolutely delicious in so many ways. Cheeky, fun, cheerful, nostalgic and glamourous! And if you've never peeked behind the curtain, you really must go take a look. Loads of inspiration, free desktop wallpapers, information on their charity events and projects, NY in Spades shows you around the city, and "the things we love" section has loads of links to other fabulous websites.

Speaking of glamour, as in old-school, I really liked this post.

(photos: via Kate Spade)

White House Black Market & Clothes Off Our Backs Charity Auction

The White House Inaugural Collection ... stunning!! Created by White House Black Market and inspired by soon-to-be First Lady, Michelle Obama. I love the names given to each of the designs: The Jackie, The Eleanor, The Ladybird, The Abigail. Very regal, indeed.

You can bid on them at Clothes Off Our Back Charity Auctions. Auction proceeds benefit Clothes Off Our Back’s charities including Feeding America (formerly named America’s Second Harvest), The Art of Elysium, Hope North and H.E.L.P. Malawi. What a great way to support some really worthy causes ... and in the process, possibly score a gorgeous couture gown ~ including the designer's original sketch!

Orange Crush

I just found this unique site called Hel Looks that reminds me of the Sartorialist, but a little edgier and only from the streets of Helsinki, Finland. The website reads: HEL LOOKS is a hobby project of Liisa Jokinen and Sampo Karjalainen. The project is a tribute to Fruits and Street magazines, the pioneers of street fashion photography. I'm a new fan.

The adorable gal on the left is Riika and that FABulous coat is vintage Courreges. I think I love everything about her outfit. Of course, the color is a standout, but the timeless cut and details make me swoon. I like the scarf (I love scarves!), and the hat is so chic - very Julie Christie in Dr. Zhivago. I love hats, but I just can't "do" them because of my abnormally large noggin. (Photo by Pieni Roobertinkatu, Dec 7 2008)

And then there is the darling Marja on the right. A classic, yet chic outfit ~ I really like the cream, navy and black color combination. And those mittens are DARling! They remind me of the pretty nordic pieces at Thistle and Broom. (Photo by Iso Roobertinkatu, Jan 2 2009)

Every Girls Crazy 'bout a Sharp Dressed Man

Dapper, don't you think?

Shameless self promotion: find some similar looks in the shop right now....

A.P.C. is having a sale...

Sometimes I love my inbox. Today I received an email notification from A.P.C. about their current sale. Oh my... so many pretty little dresses for half off. Not to mention the cute trenches, trousers, shorts and shoes. Lovely.

Currently coveting...

transitive verb
1 : to wish for earnestly

I love this dress. Strapless, pleated Chloe dress. Found on Net-A-Porter. Was $5,425. Now... $2712.50. Beautiful. Although, waaaaay out of my league.

Now. This probably won't happen, but I have a hankerin' to bust out some gorgeous vintage chiffon fabric I have in storage - and try crafting something along these lines.

Unless I find $2700 in the sofa cushions.