Quote du Jour

A memo from the Bank of England on how to "Dress for Success." Ladies, pay attention:

"Look professional, not fashionable; be careful with perfume; always wear a heel of some sort — maximum 2 inches; always wear some sort of makeup — even if it’s just lipstick.” Shoes and skirt must be the same color. No-no’s include ankle chains — “professional, but not the one you want to be associated with;” white high heels; overstuffed handbags; an overload of rings, and double-pierced ears." ~ The Cut

Perhaps, we should all go back to the wonderfully coordinated oufits of these professional [though not bankers] ladies. Hair & makeup! Placements, everyone! Smile!
Ahem. Or not.

Inspiration: The Sartorialist's Boys

Some of my favorite Sartorialist pictures of late have been of men. The little things that these fellas do in terms of accessorizing & stylizing themselves puts me to shame. Let's hear it for the boys.

Velvet scarf, awesome boots and that bag!

This may just be the definition of dapper. I want his sunglasses like whoa.

Patter-mixing master

An extra-large safety pin as a brooch? My next "must find" accessory, methinks.

Pile it on/Bring it on

These looks, with all their layers, almost makes me okay with 2 more months of winter. Almost.

Found here.

wish list (no. 5)

I have a self-imposed shopping ban in place until February 15th. I was trying to see how long I could go without shopping (hadn't bought anything since right before Christmas), and I figured a month was a good goal...especially, since I literally have no money right now. Anyway, I made it all the way until January 15th and then fucked it up, and so restarted the ban until February.

The upside is I have not had any guilty "shouldn't have bought that" moments in a while, the downside is all the things I've found on the internet (damn topshop.com) and cannot (will not!) buy. At the moment, am I feeling very prone to a minimalist (as much as I can be) aesthetic, probably because of the grey weather, and the above wish list fits that precisely. Once the ban is lifted, I think I will buy one thing from the list -- only one I must remind myself -- as a pat on the back for a job well done. Who knew abstinence could be so trying.

Velvet-knees

I got some velvet pants a couple of months ago (somewhat trepidatiously) because I wasn't sure if I would actually wear them. Turns out, its pure velvet love. I wear them all the time -- and because I always forget not to cross my legs -- they are beginning to wear at the knees. The consequence of velvet-on-velvet action? I'll take it.

Mind-numbing & Calm

Gah. I've been kinda of out of sorts lately. Like I should be way more focused on school than I am. Aw, shit. Loads of work to do, very little motivation, and the internet to assist in procrastination. When I am mildly stressed, I like to rove the internet for as long as mind-numbingly possible. Today, instead of reading a case, I found these lovely pictures that I find to be strangely calming, and reasonably priced to boot. More (for sale) here.

McQ McLooks

Alrighty, so the 'McQ Alexander McQueen collection for Target' look book is up, and I'm sure there will be bunches of twittering about it 'round the blogosphere and elsewhere, so all I'm gonna say is I'm a fan of the stuff below...and the rest is...fine, I suppose. I do love the grey jacket, the grey boots (not an actual part of the collection I am assuming) and, my favorite, the black cardigan, go figure. I guess I don't have the energy to have an elaborate opinion since I know I won't partake anyway being on a Target-less continent and all. You can see the rest here.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun...Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me! (PLEASE)

The sun came out today! For a wee bit.

Blech, being back in dreary old London makes me miss the States a wee bit more...I can handle the cold, but its the grey sky that bums me out. Here its mild, with grey. There its freezing, with blue...sky that is. Win some, lose some. These pictures make me dream of summer, hopefully London will actually have one this year.

I Stand. Corrected.

Yay, I was finally able to whip out my favorite (and only) sale purchase from this December...an A.P.C. plaid dress complete with peter pan collar and the essential pockets, all the better to shove my hands in and keep warm my dears... (I rarely find myself liking a dress without them nowadays).

Now if only I could do something about my posture...I tend to stand feet inverted, and while attempting to stand straight, almost toppled over, finishing with a cheeky grin. Graceful, I am not.

jaunting down the road

I was in New York last weekend to visit friends. I ate loads, saw Harry Potter's dinky and got lost in Brooklyn. 'Twas fun. Except for the getting lost which was ridiculously frustrating. Going back to London on Saturday...maybe then, I'll be a good little blogger once more.