Pine Away

Levi’s vest. 3.1 Phillip Lim skirt. Vintage pinecone belt & Florenza/cameo bracelets. Miu Miu sandals.

"A small Jean Genie snuck off to the city / Strung out on lasers & slash back plazas / Ate all your razors while pulling the waiters / Talking 'bout Monroe & walking on Snow White / New York's a go-go & everything tastes right" - David Bowie, The Jean Genie

I usually wear this jean vest open as a bikini cover-up, but here I wore it as a top (streamlining two potential layers into one). My dove grey skirt's ruffle transforms it into a faux wrap-skirt & its silkiness billows like a sail in the breeze. I found this gold belt at a country fair awhile ago & finally narrowed down its clasp to a few possiblities: a pair of pineapples (or pinecones) or bumble bees - thoughts? My vintage Florenza gold pearl bracelet is sweet worn almost alone but also mixes well with delicate bangles.

Crinoline in the Country

Lil dress. Vintage Rotvonni sunglasses, enamel/chain/sun necklaces & bead necklace (worn as bracelet). Chanel sandals.
My grand dress makes me want to dance Barefoot in the Park... Paired with these aviator sunglasses, I become Scarlett O'Hara wandering Tara in Margaret Mitchell's book Gone with the Wind mixed with Michelle Pfeiffer's wild child in the movie Grease 2. This frock is a flowery lace confection with plenty of fabric to lift over my head if I feel so inclined; a strip of linen crested with a butterfly bands the waist. I bought these tortoiseshell sunglasses years ago at Screaming Mimi's (such a fun vintage store in downtown NYC - I helped my sister pick out her prom dress there). I have my eye on another pair of aviators by Tom Ford I spotted at Barneys' Mens - sunglasses are sexless, but sometimes boyish is better: Charlotte Rampling's easy English style in the mysterious film Three (based on Irwin Shaw's short story Then We Were Three) makes her the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

Hearts of Clover

Marc by Marc Jacobs spring 2008 RTW fashion show, look #36
Marc by Marc Jacobs dress in March 2008 Harper's Bazaar
Marc by Marc Jacobs dress. Judith Jack belt. Vintage feather headpiece & YSL espadrilles. Glam Rock watch.
My Marc by Marc Jacobs dress from the spring 2008 runway is one of Marc Jacobs' greatest hits from his secondary line; actress-cum-jailbird Lindsay Lohan wore it for a 2008 cover story of Harper’s Bazaar. I used to blindly love the label's retro colorful chic, but now fewer styles speak to me - I wish Mr. Jacobs would resume designing fur collar coats & delicate dresses. This feather flora fascinator + A-line frock were made for Tea for Two circa 1950: it's patterned with hearts folded in the shape of four-leaf clovers & dusted with sequined circles. Here's my Glam Rock watch redux in a camel alligator strap & Pucci-esque purple/green bezel... It was the height of luxury to learn how to accessorize my accessory from CEO Enrico Margaritelli himself - a designer for fickle fashion girls like me.

Celery Go? Lettuce Leaf!

Vintage organza dress, flower headpiece, bead/pearl necklaces & bakelite/enamel bangles. Deena & Ozzy belt (worn backward). Diane von Furstenberg sandals.
An organza frock + a flora headpiece = 1950s bridesmaid cavorting after a backyard ceremony... Inspired by runaway bride Katharine Ross from the film The Graduate + gentle flower Mary Lennox from Frances Burnett's book The Secret Garden. Sometimes a story helps me embody Who I Want To Be (which changes daily); daydreaming about alternate lives rather than simply pondering clothes generates outfits seamlessly. Here I was drawn to the surprisingly groovy color combination of pale green & megawatt orange - organic produce from a community garden. Old fashioned girls accessorize with gloves & hats, but I opted for a pair of necklaces & trio of bangles (all from different eras) for some jeweled faerie magic.

Cirque du Soleil

Anna Sui spring 2010 RTW fashion show, look #29

Anna Sui dress. Vintage leather belt & flower necklace. Loeffler Randall sandals.
"I hate dainty minds,' answered Marjorie. 'But a girl has to be dainty in person. If she looks like a million dollars she can talk about Russia, ping-pong, or the League of Nations & get away with it" - F Scott Fitzgerald, Flappers & Philosophers
J'adore Anna Sui… Model Snejana Onopka pranced down Ms. Sui's spring 2010 runway in this gloriously gilded frock, daring to wear it over an Easter striped turtleneck. I styled the golden orange lamé more neutrally by brown belting my waist & slipping on some studded gladiator sandals. I found this rock bead necklace at a tag sale before the dress, but its tropical flowers serendipitously mirror the material's colorful varnish: lurex starry paisley patchwork embellished with a duo of bows & thigh-high slits. I'm channeling model Jean Shrimpton on a lark to the circus (the fashion show's theme) with fiancé photographer David Bailey circa 1960.

Alice in Chains

3.1 Phillip Lim skirt in Nov 2009 Teen Vogue

Vintage Micheline top, Omega belt (worn backward) & amethyst bracelet. 3.1 Phillip Lim skirt. Chanel clogs.
My prizefighter belt is emblematic of the best of 1980s' excess - I wore it backward to display its heavy metal charm: a dungeon padlock buckle (reminiscent of Maid Marian's chastity belt in the movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights) & a trio of chains. The Tough Love belt segways into another lacy outfit: a sheer crochet top & a crocheted lace skirt (Teen Vogue borrowed a page from Phillip Lim's resort 2010 lookbook by styling this skirt similarly on model Chanel Iman). Glass shards in the shape of a flower form my vintage bracelet (its underside is cunningly crafted with hand-twisted wire); luckily I discovered it for pennies at an estate sale - a contemporary piece of the same caliber would cost much more.

Beige to Beige

Vintage lace blouse, cameo necklace & flower bangle. Jill Stuart skirt. Banana Republic belt. Jamie necklace. Vera Bradley bag. Chanel sandals.

Recently I read 'Shoppers on a 'Diet' Tame the Urge to Buy' in The NY Times' Style Section, an article extolling people who wear six pieces of clothing (plus accessories) for one month. I couldn't participate in an exercise that makes wondering what to wear moot (it's my raison d'être); I exercise my creativity by wearing an abundance of clothes in a variegated fashion... This beige vintage lacy linen blouse & Jill Stuart lace skirt look like a dress together - my favorite piece of clothing (I'd pick six frocks for the abovementioned challenge). I strung a pair of cameos on the same chain: one is framed with seed pearls & the other shows a trio of sirens against a blue background. This quilted patchwork Vera Bradley bag & I have a storied relationship: I carried my books in it as a student, I tote it as a beach bag now & I'll use it to hold my knitting when I'm a biddy.