Moved

Just wanted to say that I have moved to blogspot and renamed my blog!

Sunday Brunch

One of my last sets of Summer 2009 pictures (maybe I should save a set for the bleak days of January?), these are pictures from a brunch I went to with my parents and sister, plus lattes later with my friend Mel, who is a make-up artist for MAC. Oh, for those hot summer days. Weather.com has generously given me the temperature at 41F. Brr. Sadly it isn’t supposed to be much warmer in California! Sad day.

Dress: Maggie London, Shoes: Michael by Michael Kors,  Necklace: : Cancer Charity Shop

Tunic: Nordstrom BP, Jean Shorts: My Sister’s, Necklace: Cancer Charity Shop

43F Feels like 38F

Up until last week, the weather was really nice and now all of a sudden it seems like England has remembered it’s supposed to be winter soon and London has been FREEZING. Okay, maybe I’m a wuss (I’d like to think otherwise, though!), but yesterday it was 38F, feels like 30F, with a 8mph wind! Brrrr! Needless to say, I’ve quickly swapped my trench coats and leather jacket for some proper jackets. Today wasn’t nearly as cold, thankfully, so I got my pea coat out for the first time in awhile. I love peacoats, thought I’m not sure if they are the most flattering shape on me. Due to having large shoulders, I have to buy my jackets much bigger than I would a shirt or a dress, which means they hang a bit off me, but this coat is so cozy and warm and there is something delightfully rustic about the wool and the plaid. Sometimes I wish I’d gotten a gray coat, but then I see pictures of this jacket and it makes me smile. Perhaps when I’m at home I will do the rusticated country version of this outfit with Wellies instead of over-the-knee boots.

Pea-Coat: Boden, Cardigan: French Connection, Shirt: Kors by Michael Kors, Jeans: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Boots: Steve Madden

I was supposed to lunch with my friends today, but one of them had a horrible hangover, so we postponed it until another day. I’d washed my hair (as you do) before going out, but when I got back in, I decided to put it up and tried out this bun that I read about last night. I mean, buns are pretty no-brainer, but I enjoyed the look so I thought I’d give it a whirl. My hair is getting ridiculously long (this is the longest I’ve ever had it) and desperately needs a trim, especially my fringe which is about 1-2″ longer than it should be and hangs in my eyes like a sheepdog’s.

Mmm, delicious coffee! What could be better then that on a cold day?!

Christmas in July (July in Christmas?)

Unfortunately, my tiny closet of a room, despite having a small built-in shelf, has defeated me in all my attempts to take pictures of my outfits in any semblance of attractiveness or photographic merit. So I am resigned to waiting till I go back to California next week and get my tripod. Until then, enjoy this outfit from July/August of this year. I’m really excited to get those shoes back on my feet, as I foolishly did not bring them to England!

Top: Nordstrom BP, Cardi: H&M, Jean Leggings: H&M, Shoes: Charles by Charles David, Necklace: Cancer Charity Shop

Cross-body Bags

My cross-body bag died this weekend. Let us mourn it with a moment of silence. It was a leather envelope from TopShop that I got in 2007 for £18 instead of £25 because it was mismarked. It was gold and faux-snakeskin embossed. It came with a long skinny leather strap with clips on either end that could be attached to rings inside the bag or you could use a shorter tab-like strap and turn the bag from a cross-body bag into a clutch. It was glorious and lived a very rough life as my going-out bag of choice.

This bag, but gold. RIP.

Needless to say, I need a new bag to replace it. I know I want another leather bag, because it wore pretty damn well considering the price, abuse, and frequency of use. I feel a PVC bag wouldn’t hold up quite as well.

I was considering just going out to TopShop and getting a new bag, but scrolling through their site, these are the only two bags I’m really seeing that I fancy the look of:

Left: Pewter Ruched Leather Bag £35, Right: Gold Leather Ruched Flap Bag £25

However, that being said, neither of those bags really speaks to me and since I am not planning any nights out in the near future, I was considering holding out til Christmas and asking for a more expensive (and hopefully more durable and/or nicer) bag from Nordstrom. These are my picks (shown in black if available, though I’m not sure I want to get a black bag):

Clockwise from Upper Top Left: B. Makowsky $85.90 (on sale), B. Makowsky $118, Badgley Mischka $145 (also available in python prints!), Nordstrom $128 (amazing colours!), Kooba $195

Sewn at Home

My sister made this blouse for herself, but unfortunately when she finished it, it ended up not fitting right. She had me put it on to show off how ridiculous it was, but it actually ended up looking cute on me. Sadly I lost about 10lbs between these pictures and when I went to sew buttons onto it, and now it doesn’t look as good, so I just left it buttonless and forlorn at home.

Shoes: Michael by Michael Kors, Legging Jeans: H&M, Shirt: Sewn by my sister, Sunglasses: Nordstrom

P.S. Expect some more current outfit pictures in the coming weeks now that my black eye is gone!

Black Eyes and Broken Hearts

I currently have a lingering black eye from two weekends ago, so I haven’t been taking many pictures of myself. Ergo, I am going to post some backlogs of old pictures from this summer that I never got around to posting.

I thought these would be apt because I dressed up as Lady Gaga for Halloween (my friend’s camera died, so I’m not sure if there are any pictures) and these were the shoes I wore. This isn’t really a summery outfit, but I was test driving my then-new jacket for fall. I do not regret buying a leather jacket AT ALL. I wear it pretty much daily when it isn’t rainy, which hasn’t been very often lately, even in London!

Wearing: H&M Headband, Nordstrom White Button-Down, Nordstrom Leather Jacket, H&M Acid Wash Legging Jeans, Michael by Michael Kors Heels, H&M Necklaces, Essie Nail Polish.

Booted Out

I will confess: I own a lot of boots. Well, sort of. As an equestrian, it’s sort of a given that you’ll have 2-3 pairs of boots lying around by your back door or in a coat closet in your house, dirty and a bit smelly. Which is part of the reason I just can’t get on the riding boot trend: I own the real thing and it’s just somehow not cool or interesting to me. My boots are expensive, crusty with mud and horse sweat, and, in the summer, torture devices that stick to your calves and refuse to come off (I refuse to buy zip-on riding boots; I am a traditionalist and wear pull-on ones that require boot hooks and boot jacks). Ditto paddock boots, only they’re often even grimier because you never wear them to a horse show or a clinic, so cleaning them becomes a very very very low priority.

Left: Ariat Challenger Field Boots, Right: Ariat Heritage II Paddock Boots

That being said, I have recently become fixated on acquiring a boot that I have seen recently. I don’t know what exactly it’s being called (work boots? I found them in the motorcycle boots section of Nordstrom.com, so I am unsure) but they’re a sort of hybrid between work boots, Doc Martins, paddock-style short riding boots, and hiking boots. But where the former two and latter are bulkier shoes, these boots are more streamlined like a riding boot. In fact, I have been pondering appropriating an old pair of paddock boots to use as a test-drive for the style. Unfortunately, I am in London and my boots are in California, so I will either continue to lust until Christmas Break or I will have to go on a hunt for the perfect hybrid. Here are some I like:

Left to right from top: Diesel Vintage Flat Lace-Up Boot, H by Hudson May Washed Laced Brogue Flat Boot, Steve Madden “Corley” Boot, Solea Samira Frill Detail Ankle Boots, Top Shop Albert Fringe Lace-Up Boot

Missoni Prints

Two weeks later and I’m in London and FINALLY have internet. It took forever to get my student account set up, but as you do. Walking from my accommodation across the Waterloo Bridge today, I suddenly was struck by this weird visual of a Missoni dress with a leather jacket or cardigan. I don’t know why, but later I saw a sort of knock-off print on a simple jersey dress and I felt like it was fate.

Missoni Pre-Fall 2009

Missoni Fall 2009 RTW

Missoni Spring 2008 RTW
Images: Style.com (click to enlarge)

I have to say that I am not Missoni’s hugest fan. I understand the interest in their prints, but I am usually not wowed, but something about that distinctive knit struck me as perfect for the balmy late-fall weather London is currently experiencing, especially with tights and a pair of chunky boots and a cardigan or a leather jacket.

Or maybe booties?

Boots: Frye, Jacket: H&M, Booties: Proenza Schouler

The Hangover

I’m supposed to be packing for London, but all I want to do is take a nap.

Legging Jeans: H&M, Top: Nordstrom BP, Necklaces: H&M, Dragon Sheets: Garnet Hill Kids