a wee bit of bipolarness... bipolarity?

There are some things I'm really loving today (well, this week) and some things, well, not so much. I'll document them in a list for you! Hooray!

Loving:
1. It's payday. That means I could buy some gym sessions to get my ass back in gear. That also means mani/pedi this afternoon! Now to decide what color to choose.....

2. NY fashion week! Glorious. Some faves:

Naeem Khan.

Oooo I love this dress, and I love me a low side ponytail!
But this one is a little *too* reminiscent of my 4th grade school photo.

Zac Posen.
The perfect evening "power suit." Kick. ass.

Marchesa.
I love the lace, love the neckline.
Make it in a lighter color with some thicker lining, and I'd make it my future wedding dress.

3. It's September. That means only one month till October, my most favorite month of the year. It also means the arrival of pumpkin-flavored things: my ultimate favorite. I'll be keeping my eye to the Godiva on M Street to see when they're precious pumpkin truffles arrive! Hey Hello Cupcake, how about a pumpkin seasonal cupcake?

4. This quote, courtesy of mimi, totally made my day yesterday. It was perfection, in my eyes.

"No matter how bad the weather, soiled the past, broken the heart, hellish the war, I believe all that is behind the universe is conspiring to help us-- if we will humbles ourselves enough to let it."-Kevin Kelly

Not so much loving:
1. Hurricane Ike. Headed for Houston, where the sister and bro-in-law recently moved. They'll be fine, I'm sure, but it's all just a little scary. Y"ike"s! (yeah, I just went there.)

2. Hot weather in DC. How am I supposed to get excited about my fall transition clothes when it's supposed to be 96 this weekend?! Argh.

3. Boys. Why are they so freaking non-committal? Thankfully a co-worker and I are living mirrored lives so we can bitch together.

4. Sarah Palin. She's the first politician I've ever vehemently opposed. Eughhh, she just makes me shudder. I'd post a picture, but it would really bring down the integrity of this blog to a place that I'm not comfortable with. You'll just have to use your imagination.

i know it's 90 degrees outside...

Oscar de la Renta Dip Dye Silk Faille Skirt, $3,250 at Neiman Marcus.

But doesn't this skirt just SCREAM changing leaves and pumpkin pie? Methinks yes. As much as I love being outdoors in the Fall, I love Fall fashion previews even more.

Some other pieces that make me dream of a brisk breeze:Brian Reyes Twill Cape Trenchcoat, $1,995 at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Valentino Ruched Sweater, $1,990 at Bergdorf Goodman.
You really MUST see this one up close!

Alice & Olivia.

Catherine Malandrino.

a pact.

After coming *thisclose* to buying these beauties,
I made a pact: No. Shoes. Till. Laptop.

(should be sung like the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." Duh.)

This is going to be a long, hard road. Luckily I did not cut out impulse buys like this fantastic sustainable umbrella:
A girl's gotta have SOMETHING new for spring, right?!?

more spring fashion finds...

Just because I can....

Elisa Atheniense Clutch. $490

Leopoldo Giordano Open Vamp Pump. $490 at shopbop.com

Peacock Sword Single Earring. $49 at Stars and Infinite Darkness.

Lee Claire '60's Vintage Dress. $155 at Dorothea's Closet.

Nars Lipstick in Dolce Vita. $24 at Sephora.


Synnove Dress. $310 at leanimal.



Jamilah Ruffle Top. $24.80 at Forever21.com

Free People Ditsy Floral & Stripe Cutaway Back Top. $78 at nordstrom.com

this is the best they've got?

After the loss of the Golden Globes this year I was traumatized, but I assumed that the stars and all of the other powers at be would really pull it out for the Oscars. Alas, I was obviously let down by last night's performance.

Before we get to the fashion (or lack thereof) I just want to say how incredibly freaking happy I am that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won. I am so so so obsessed with Once, as I am with the Frames, and this was (in my opinion) the only truly original song up for the award. I had it on repeat for about 2 weeks straight after seeing the movie and never got sick of it. After crying along to their performance, I could hardly stay in my seat when they won. Their acceptance speeches (thanks to Mr. Stewart for letting Marketa say her piece) were genuine and heartfelt. Congrats congrats!

Ok, now to the dresses. I was, in a word, underwhelemed. Apparently the only color choices this year were black, red, and metallics. What, is there a shortage of dyes at the moment? No one could muster a springtime palette, maybe even just a jewel tone? Is it really that hard to step a wee bit out of the box?

Here are my top picks from the evening:

Marion Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier.
Although I wasn't wowed by this dress on the red carpet, I thought it was much more stunning when she got on stage with all of the lights on her. It was one of the few truly special dresses I saw all night.

Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta.
The dress didn't do much for me: just a pretty simple black strapless gown. Plus Jen loses major points from me for gushing about Rachel Zoe and her skills as a stylist. Ugh. On the plus side, Jen's hair and makeup is perfection and I am obsessed with the vintage necklace she's wearing.

Nicole Kidman.
Again the dress was nothing special... I even thought it was a good inch too short. Still, this necklace is faaaaantastic and worthy of a mention.

Eva Herzigova at the Elton John afterparty.
I just loved the soft yellow color and the ruffle along the side. Very architectural yet still soft. I'm not a big fan of her hair and makeup, but the dress more than makes up for it.

And now for the worst:

George Clooney and Sarah Larson.
Yes, of course George looks dreamy as always in his classic tux. But that arm candy is just nasty. I'm not sure what she was thinking when she picked out this pastel disaster that smacks of early-80's bedroom drapery, but if she's going to be on his arm, she really needs to step it up.

Cameron Diaz.
You would think that with all of the people that are involved with getting the ladies ready for this night, someone would have thought to press the dress before Cameron hit the red carpet. The wrinkles are just awful and the dress just isn't good enough to be fabulous despite them.

Petra Nemcova at Elton John's afterparty.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeek. Why is she so blonde? And so fake tanned? And so... yellow and shiny. This is all so very very wrong. The dress is gross, the red lips are awful on her, and there's just nothing worse than the slicked back dirty looking hair. Oh Petra, this is wrong. So very very wrong.

Lindsay Lohan and Sharon Stone.
I just don't think anything else needs to be said here, do you?

wishlist.

Just because this time next week I will be out of this gross ice and on my way to Palm Beach! Finally!

Madison Marcus Funnel Neck Sleeveless Blouse. $195 at shopbop.com

Kenneth Jay Lane Cabochon Earrings. $66 at shopbop.com

Piazza Sempione Organza Honeycomb Skirt. $895 at saks.com

Valentino Zebra Histoire. $2,495 at bergdorfgoodman.com
Via Spiga Monica Perforated Flat. $175 at bloomingdales.com

Two Tone Dress. $292 at builtbywendy.com

Abaeta Rita Two Tone Strapless Dress. $485 at bloomingdales.com
(hat tip to Beth and Jenna for finding this beauty!)

Hale Bob Tie Neck Top. $158 at nordstrom.com

our one year anniversary.

It's Halloween 2006. I'm a little down because my party plans fell through, so I head to Goodwill because I'm broke and bored. I'm a little embarrassed to be doing "real" shopping with all of the people looking for costumes, but considering I furnished my apartment through these stores in Atlanta, I know I can always find some goodies. As I'm on my way up to the checkout counter with my vintage hammered Coke glasses, I see them: 3 and a half inch delicate heels, shimmery pewter Italian leather, sexy wrap around slingback strap at the ankle. I look closer and my dreams are confirmed as the simple white and black label runs down the sole. That's right. Manolo Blahniks. I run to them, eyes on the prize, knocking down small children and elderly women on my way. As I slip them on and realize they are exactly my size, I get goosebumps and tears begin to well in my eyes. I turn my new prize over, examine the barely worn leather sole, and shriek with utter joy. $5.99. As I run to the checkout counter in complete bliss, I can't help but hug the cashier. Vowing to return once a week, I flit out of the store and proceed to call everyone I know to tell them about this miraculous day.

the last thing i should be doing right now.

Ok, I promise-- I'm really, really busy. My computer freaked out on me this morning and I spent 2 hours with the lovely tech guys trying to fix it. Not fun. I've been working like crazy and being really productive until I decided to take a break, pull up Johanna's blog, and find THIS. Oh my goodness. I can put outfits together online? Just like a little paper doll? Heaven!

So, in honor of the first real day of Fall (as in, the temperature will not surpass 90 degrees), I've made a lovely fall outfit for all of you to enjoy. This is something that I hope to do more often (especially when I don't have, you know, a JOB to focus on) and I promise the outfit will always cost less than $200. I know it'd be a lot more fun to put together couture, but I know that my readers (myself included) appreciate a good buy. My closet consists of Forever 21, H&M, and Target and I still love it. See Mom, I'm a bargain shopper, just like you! :)

daily randoms.

1. I am terribly hungover. The Yelp Elite event at Mio last night was awesome awesome, but I imbibed a bit too much in caipirinhas, which is apparently not a good idea. I don't think it was so much the amount of alcohol as the amount of sugar that killed me, although the gin and tonic at Stan's may have done me in. Oops. Needless to say, I woke up this morning feeling like absolute death, almost passed out in the shower, and had to get off the bus early in an attempt to keep myself from getting sick. Not a good start to the day.

2. Up until lunch about an hour ago, I hadn't eaten in about 24 hours apart from 3 or 4 little hors d'oeuvres I had at Mio last night. This might explain the way I was feeling this morning. At around 12:30, on the edge of passing out, I decided to make my way down to the Corner Bakery for their Turkey Frisco sandwich. This is not a meal I usually partake in-- it's carby, fatty, oily, but oh-my-god-so-freaking-good. I was pretty excited about the artichoke hearts, sauteed onions, and yummy bread. I walked in and looked at the menu and couldn't find it! It's been replaced by some crap-tastic Turkey Harvest sandwich. Ew. So disappointing.

3. I was just invited to a fashion show at Neiman Marcus that's hosted by Paul Hastings. I'm going.... with my boss. It was really sweet of her to invite me as she knows I love fashion, but I still can't see how this isn't going to be awkward. Just a little too worlds-colliding or something like that. I mean, it's not like she and I ever hang out outside of the office. Ever. She's nutty. And more importantly, what the hell am I going to wear!??!?

4. The girlies begin to arrive on Thursday! Woo! I can't believe its already here and October is nearly half over. It's been so busy that the time is seriously flying. It also doesn't feel like October outside (cough 90 DEGREES cough) but I'm hoping that changes over the weekend. I'm so excited to have all of the girls in town (we'll miss you, Jenni!) but to be honest I have no idea what we're going to do, besides play Kings and make goals, of course.

Quote of the day: My grandmother, while I'm driving down a cobblestone street in Georgetown: "Oh, wouldn't this just be an AWFUL street to ride on if you had hemorrhoids?!"

My family is one of a kind. One. of. a. kind.

more fall fashion.

Fall is undeniably my favorite fashion season. The colors, cuts, and rich fabrics and textures just scream luxury. I love Fall in general. October is my favorite month of the year with the temperature dropping, a crisp breeze, colors changing, Halloween, and pumpkin pancakes at Billy Martin's. It doesn't get much better.

Here are a couple more of my favorite picks for this season (and yes, there will be many, many more posts like this in the coming weeks-- I just can't get enough of online "window" shopping)

Gucci Indy Large Top Handle: $3,990 at Neiman's

Marc Jacobs Satin and Python Pumps: $845 at Saks

Rick Owens Lilies Padded Funnel Neck Jacket: $640 at net-a-porter

Lux 2-Button Swing Jacket: $68 at Urban Outfitters

Rachel Pally Sweetheart Dress: $238 at tobi.com

Mike & Chris Nigel Jacket: $187 at tobi.com

Wish Charm necklaces: $38 at redenvelope.com

a girl can dream.

Now that Restaurant Week is over (for me at least!) and I am at my fattest and brokest, what's better than a little online browsing? Fall is by far my favorite fashion season and this year is looking like a great one.

Here are a couple of lust-worthy things that I've put in my shopping bag, fully knowing that I'll never be able to push that "checkout" button.

Christian Louboutin Lady Gres Platforms: $865.00

Derek Lam Asymmetrical Holster Coat: $2,890.00

Dior Tweed Kimono Dress: $3,240.00

Nanette Lepore Tantalizing Trousers: $215.00

Zac Posen Iris Blouse: $900

Ralph Lauren Black Label Casey Metallic Silk Ascot Blouse: $698.00

Le sigh.

"she dresses like a gypsy!"

Sorry I've been so MIA with posting this week. There's no real reason for it, just feeling lazy in the summer.

I've got a particularly crazy coworker who is, quite possibly, one of the meanest people I've ever known. Let's call him Crazy Bill (I'm obviously not feeling creative here). He says bad things about just about everyone in the office whenever he's annoyed with them, which is often. He confides in Erin pretty often, so I asked her if he had ever said anything about me. The quote above was from yesterday, when he was trying to show his displeasure in my taste. I found the comment absolutely hysterical. In comparison to the things I know he says about other coworkers, this is very tame and I find it (though unintentional) rather endearing.

I spend far too much time thinking about my style and how people may perceive me in that style. I like to look different, but my budget doesn't allow me to delve into anything too fancy: I'm usually stuck at Forever 21 and Gap like the rest of the world. My roommate (let's call her Bex) and I were having a conversation about this not too long ago. I hate how style has become so casual and laidback: I really don't like jeans and flip flops. If I had my way, I would wear dresses and heels every day with matching hats, maybe gloves. Basically, time warp back about 60 years. Unfortunately this just isn't practical today: people wouldn't care, wouldn't appreciate it, etc. Also, the time-honored tradition of custom made clothes as been completely uprooted by the ready-to-wear business which makes it difficult to find clothing that doesn't look like everything else out there. I wish dressmakers were still affordable, where I could bring in my fabric and get something that fit me perfectly and totally matched my style. Instead, I've got to buy run of the mill things and attempt to make them look special, but I find myself falling in a rut all too often.

Now, maybe if I could learn how to sew decently, I could enjoy working on some of these: