almost autumn…

It’s about one more week until autumn, and I am really hoping that the weather cools down. My A/C could use a break!  Lately I’ve been shopping for fall clothes (both for work and otherwise), and I’ve found that I am really drawn to loose pleated pants with a matching tie belt, just like in the summer when I liked the same style in shorts-form.  I like these pants because they’re cropped and lightweight.  They seem appropriate for the sometimes warm, sometimes cool weather of September. The same goes for the suede platform sandals. I am also drawn to sequins, and have already bought a sequin cashmere blend tank top that was on sale at J. Crew.  I like this sweater above.  It’s definitely an outfit I envision wearing on a cool evening in early fall, perhaps for dinner or a play.  I really love Reed Krakoff bags, particularly this tote bag that is available in a number of different material and color combinations.  Reed Krakoff if a fairly new brand by Coach – the design has a modern look that’s quite different from Coach bags, and the bags come in at well over $1,000.

I am liking the glitter trend in nail polish right now, but with my job, it’s just not practical to wear that to work, nor is it practical for me to put it on on a friday evening, for example, and then remove it at the close of the weekend. For that reason I will be sticking with plain, old-fashioned solid colors.

a new favorite designer….Rachel Roy

Ok, I dont know if she is “new” necessarily, but she is new to me.  Rachel Roy has a great line of clothes, bags, shoes, and jewelry called RACHEL by Rachel Roy.  Her Fall 2011 RRR lookbook reminds me somewhat of a Free People-type style, although the clothes in general have their own unique feel.  I particularly love the shoes and bags, but I guess I am sort of a shoe and bag nut anyway!  Right now she is offering 25% off all shoes, and if you sign up to get her emails, you get another 20% off.  I ordered a pair of her Pepino heels in Nubuck.…

Cute, huh?! Since I just signed up for email AND the sale is going on, I got them for about $66 plus tax and shipping instead of $110!  I am excited to wear these with skinny jeans this fall. They’re suede, so here’s hoping that  it does not rain too much.  I seem to love suede shoes – does anyone have a suggestion for a good suede protector???  Anyway, this particular pair also comes in purple…

Source: http://www.heightmagazine.com

I love the purple, too, but this style seems like a very casual, “every day/wear with everything”-kinda style, so I am going for a more neutral tone that I can wear with everything.  I also love this Quilted Large Satchel – I am not sure, but it seems like it may be big enough for my laptop.  A highlighter leaked all over my leather bag I usually use to carry my laptop to class, so I am in the market for a new bag or two to replace it…definitely keeping thing one in mind.

How about you? DO you have any new designers you like for this Fall??

The Great Bedroom Organization of 2011….shoes, bags and IKEA Besta

I previously had a large number of shoe boxes on a sagging closet shelf. I complained about my lack of closet space here. The  shoes were hard to reach and I couldn’t fit even one more box into the space.  That’s when I decided to clear it out to make room for other things in the closet.  Consequently, the shoes sat on the dresser at the foot of our bed for about 4 months or so…..

I saw some ideas for shoe storage in Ikea Billy bookcases both over at the Purse Blog on their Purse Blog Forum, and also over at the I am Style-ish blog.  Since we also needed somewhere to store the bf’s shoes, the 11″ deep Billy bookcase just wouldn’t do.  We ended up getting the Ikea Besta bookcase instead, which, at 15.75″ deep, is deep enough to hold the bf’s shoes, some other storage containers and my bags. We got one 47.25″ wide one as well as a one 23 5/8″ one – just wide enough for the spot where they are supposed to go.  We haven’t gotten any doors yet, but we’re going to get the Besta Vara doors. They aren’t quite as nice looking as the many door options the Billy series has, but they will suffice.  We plan to get some decorative knobs to spice them up.

After lots of inventorying and planning, I determined we needed 21 total shelves.  The narrower one came with 4 and the wider with 8, so we needed to purchase 9 extra shelves.

I am still working on the bf’s side – he’s got quite a few shoes and other things that need to be sorted out.

Chuck love.

I have loved Converse Chuck Taylor’s since the first grade.  It was 1988, and my aunt was a buyer at a major grocery store chain. For some reason some vendor gave her a huge box of Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops.  I was six years old and had no idea what they were, but there was a nice half-salmon, half-mint green colored pair in my size.  The next day I wore them to school with my blue plaid Catholic school jumper.  As I sat at my little desk, the boy next to me looks down at my feet, eyes wide, and says “you have AWESOME shoes!”  This got the attention of the other boys around me, and they also found my Converse’s “AWESOME”.  Haha.

Jump to the 6th grade, 1993 – the Chicago suburbs.  My mom was unwilling to shell out the money to dress my growing feet in “real” Converse, but the Chuck Taylor style was huge back then and you could get knock-offs for about $6 a pair at Payless and other discount stores.  I had a pair in every color – blue, black, red – even a white/yellow/lime green plaid pair.

In high school in the late 90’s, I recall telling my friends that the style was one of my favorites and I wish they would come back in style.  At the time, they were definitely SO 1993 and therefore SO not cool!  Lucky for me, fashion is cyclical.

 

Relaxed Denim by 7 For All Mankind
Athletic Shoes by Converse

 

Classic White Low-Tops

Slip-on Black

Double-Tongue

Milk-White Printed

WINTER STORM WARNING!!!!

We have yet ANOTHER winter storm warning for tomorrow – last winter and this one have been unusually snowy for my city.  I have always loved snow so that’s fine for me.  My love of snow was compounded by the fact that last year I “invested” in some Hunter boots. “Invested” never really holds true for fashion really, but it felt like an investment since I have saved many pairs of shoes from salt stains and my feet from freezing cold wetness almost daily for two winters now.  The first time I really thought about rain boots after the 2^nd grade was when I was visiting a friend of a friend in 2007, and she had not one, but TWO pairs of Burberry rain boots.  At the time, rain boots/rubber boots were more on the fringes of mainstream fashion, so to have a $200+ pair of rain boots seemed so extravagant.

Last year I took what felt like an indulgent leap and got the Hunter “Original Tall” Rain Boot in Navy. For $125, it seemed a bit steep, but I love the utilitarian look of them – and at 100% rubber they seemed pretty durable. I was honestly not sure how much I would wear them, but then extra snowy winter #1 came and I was in those boots every day for months.  I love my boots so much that I am starting to think about getting a second pair.  Here is a short list of the ones I am considering:

I might want another pair of Hunter Originals – I have the no-gloss navy now – perhaps a high gloss black or a color, maybe violet?

I also am considering the Burberry House Check Rain Boot – post-Christmas I have seen these on a lot of people recently.

Since I am so indecisive about color and already have one pair of boots, maybe I should go a more cost-effective route?  I do like these Anna Solid Rain Boots from Target.

DESIGNER OF THE WEEK: TORY BURCH

The best part of the Tory Burch line is the shoes and accessories, which I love.  Tory Burch items are generally very clean and classic. I am not usually very big on conspicuous logos, but the Tory Burch “T” logo was excellently designed. It adds visual interest to otherwise very simple and easy to find silhouettes. Surprising to me is how inexpensive the shoes and accessories are compared to the clothing. Tory Burch herself has a blog where she talks about her own inspirations and ideas regarding fashion and beyond.

One of my (probably obvious) favorites is the Reva flat. I always love ballet-inspired fashion, so I am pretty thrilled about the current ballet flat trend.  The Reva is available in so many different colors and textures.  I have yet to purchase a pair because I am constantly changing my mind about which to get.  Since I am so indecisive, I think I will go with the Tumbled Leather Reva in Bleach if it is EVER back in stock again.  I am a sucker for neutral colors, and the white with gold seems like such a perfect spring/summer alternative to sandals.

I also love these Glitter Revas in Black – I have such an obsession with glitter right now and it is a great way to add sparkle to dark dreary winter:

Tory also has some small accessories I love, like this Mirrored Crinkle Small Cosmetic Case in black gunmetal.  Maybe it is my obsession with grey, but I love gunmetal.  It is a nice change of pace from the usual gold, silver and brass:

I am a little too obsessed with watches recently – this Neon Studded Logo Cuff is a nice alternative:

This Tiny Jewelry Zip case is currently on sale for $39.  I am not traveling any time soon, but I am tempted to find a reason I need to transport some of my earrings sometime soon just to get it: