City Steps

Dress- vintage { 1940s }

Sweater - vintage { 1950s }

Bag - Elliott Lucca

Shoes - Roberto Clergerie for Barney's

Walk On By

Top - Moschino Cheap & Chic

Skirt - vintage { 1950s }

Earrings - my godmother

Necklace - vintage

Shoes - Lanvin

Blown Away

Funny what little gusts of wind can do.

Dress - vintage { 1940s }

Earrings - my godmother

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

And the Oscar Goes To...

Me!  Kind of.  Ok, not in the literal sense, but in the inspirational sense.  I got an eyeful of a sumptuous Oscar de la Renta frock in a Neiman Marcus catalogue that recently came through the mail slot.

It reminded me of something I wrote a little over a year ago about how a certain de la Renta dress (among others) gave me the courage to try a new silhouette, something that (if you've been paying attention) I have been rocking for the better part of twelve months.  It's funny how the one-off experiments are the ones that end up sticking around.

A nipped waist, a full skirt, and a fitted bodice. It's my go-to these days.

In the Pink

Dress - vintage { 1950s }

Sweater - vintage { 1960s }

Earrings - my godmother

Shoes - Miu Miu

A Bit of Brightness

Dress - vintage { 1940s }

Sweater - vintage { 1950s }

Earrings - my godmother

Shoes - Cole Haan

Gimme Five!

Tonight was the five year anniversary party of the blog of one of my dearest friends, Annie.  Poetic and Chic has been her love and joy for half a decade, so she threw a sweet soiree at La Boutique to celebrate.

So many of my favorite locals came out.

Little extra touches of Annie were everywhere, if you knew where to look for them.

I found myself taking notice of the hot pink worn by some of the guests...

I could have stood around sipping bubbly and gabbing all night.

But as dusk fell, I had to jet.

I also finally got to wear my Ceil Chapman dress out in the wild!  It was an exciting night indeed.

Apple Custard

My apple blouse was built for summer days like these.

Blouse - vintage { 1950s }

Skirt - vintage { 1980s }

Belt - J. Crew

Shoes - Roberto Clergerie for Barney's

A Summer Place

Blouse - vintage { 1980s }

Skirt - vintage { 1950s }

Belt - J. Crew

Shoes - Pour la Victoire

Brown Bagging It

Dress- vintage { 1950s }

Necklace and Earrings - my godmother

Bag - Chloe

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Bubble Up

Suit - vintage { 1950s }

Brooch - vintage Ceil Chapman { 1950s }

Earrings - my godmother

Shoes - Salvatore Ferragamo

I Have Found My Shoe!

Every season I hem and haw for what seems like a good long while, trying to decide on the one shoe I will buy new and add to the family.  Well, for this coming fall, I think I have my answer.

There's a lot going on with these Miu Miu booties.  And, a lot of it is stuff that I usually hate when it comes to footwear! Case in point: the sparkliness, the inside zipper, and the fact that it is a boot with an open toe!  Everything wrong is right again.  It will be interesting to see which color combinations (see below) actually make it into stores/online for the regular consumer to have. I hope they don't water it down too much.  Don't you hate it when that happens?  So much magic can get lost in the shuffle to make things approachable and safe.

Top photo via the August issue of US Vogue 

All other photos via style.com

Optic Nerve

Cape - Isabella Tonchi

Trousers - Helmut Lang

Bag - Elliot Lucca

Shoes - Lanvin

Vintage Drawstring Handle Purse Hack

A few months ago I acquired this purse at the Vintage Expo.

I never liked the drawstring handles, they were plastic twine with metal clamps that felt awkward to hold and their stiffness looked very out of place with the soft body of the bag.

So, I went to Britex Fabrics and got some fabric cord as a replacement.

When I snipped the twine, I saw that the handles were actually comprised of two individual loops. I re-created those two loops with the fabric cord and threaded them through the purse one at a time.

I tied each of the ends in a simple loop, then quickly applied clear nail polish to all four of the ends to keep the fraying to a minimum.

I couldn't singe the ends and melt them shut; this is the wrong kind of cord for that trick.

I wound clear packing tape around the edges to keep everything tight, then let it dry for a day.

I can't wait to take it out on the town - no more tacky plastic handles on this purse!

Buttoned Up

Dress - vintage { 1940s }

Earrings - my godmother

Shoes - Manolo Blahnik

Let's Try This Again

I wore a similar outfit over the weekend, and felt the need to tweak the color scheme a bit. Sometimes I don't get things right (in my eyes) the first time, and that's okay. One of the purposes this website serves is to keep a log of what works and what doesn't.

Here's some close uppiness...

Dress - vintage { 1940s }

Sweater - vintage { 1950s }

Sweater clip - vintage { 1950s }

Earrings - my godmother

Shoes - Salvatore Ferragamo

Four Photos

1. Five of my vintage hats

2. Bee houses at Hayes Valley Farm

3. Reader board outside adult video store

4. Photographer and ballerina on the roof of a parking garage

Pieces of Sparkle

You'll have to look close to see them.

Oh, okay, here's some help....

Dress - vintage { 1940s }

Sweater - vintage { 1960s }

Rings - heirloom and House of Harlow 1960

Earrings - my godmother

Bag - Kate Spade

Shoes - Salvatore Ferragamo

Green Lantern

Sweater - vintage { 1980s }

Trousers - Isabel Marant

Ring - Burberry

Belt - J. Crew

Bag - Chloe

Shoes - Celine

The Great Mannequin Misconception Strikes Again!

A few years ago I had an unexpected yet completely hilarious encounter in a fancy store downtown.

I was standing next to a marble pillar checking my phone when I felt the slightest, faintest tug on my tote bag.  I thought nothing of it until another tug came a few seconds later, this time with a little more force. I turned my head and looked down to find a very short teenage girl meticulously inspecting my bag.  When I moved my arm, she jumped a foot, screamed and, well, it's become one of my favorite stories to tell.

Well, lightning has struck twice for me on this one. Earlier this week I was in the complete opposite location of a big fancy store (a Goodwill!) standing still and staring off into space.  A voice piped up behind me.

"Oh wow, I LOVE your dress!"
I turned around and saw two ladies, and one of them immediately shrieked.
"Oh my GOD!" the shrieker said. "I thought my friend was talking to a mannequin. And then you...turned around!"
I thanked the non-shrieker for her kind comment.

For me, this whole exchange begs the question: What did the shrieking woman think her friend was doing, exactly? I mean, what is the point of complimenting a mannequin's outfit? So she can magically come alive and say thank you? Oh, wait.

Later, when I relayed this story to my friend Greg, he suggested that the next time this happens (who am I to say it won't?) I should say 'Only you can see me like this' and then stop moving when anyone else walks by.  Maybe it can be a new thing.

Somber Fiesta

Sweater - Miu Miu

Skirt - vintage { 1950s }

Bag - Elliott Lucca

Shoes - Prada

Who's Going to Ride Your Wild Horses?

Dress - vintage { 1950s }

Sweater - vintage { 1960s }

Earrings - my godmother

Bag - Kate Spade

Shoes - Salvatore Ferragamo

Boardwalk Photo Diary