tom scott sweaters (down to two)

impulse is having its summer sale (30% off all spring). they sold out of the tom scott sweater i really wanted (so did stel's on newbury st.).

two completely different looks. same weight knit, cashmere. lofty, airy, effortless, if i remember right.

check out the detail in the back view. i love how the sweater is shawl-like and hugs the shoulders. very elegant, but also versatile. it could be punky, preppy, or refined.



i'm not liking it so much on tom scott's website (www.tomscottnyc.com). it looks generic. it reminds me of a sweater i could buy anywhere (except, of course, for that back detail). i also have a sweater that does a similar thing, but not really.



kind of sort the same thing, except i can't really button this one (it's called an envelope cardigan because it buttons all the way shut, but when worn open, the bottom part drapes curled inwards. does that make sense?) at any rate, it's a sleeveless cardigan. as is this tom scott twist cardigan.



but anyway, here's the other tom scott sweater. i love the taupe color (it's so seasonless), but i'm a little worried that it's too form-fitting. jill tells me it isn't super tight in a size medium, however.




but check out how gorgeous it is when paired with katherine hepburn-esque trousers. it would also look very sophisticated and a little bit artsy with a skirt (pencil line or full volume).



the back detail is what makes this sweater so brilliant.

i wish i had lots and lots of money so i could buy both. obviously i can't.

all the pretty dresses (indecision)

so a while back i saw this photo of keri russell looking very pregnant in a very pink dress. i loved the color on her and knew it was something that would look good on me, too.


(from www.celebrity-babies.com. yes, this is one of my favorite sites. embarrassed silence)


and then i discovered that Jake in Chicago was selling the exact same dress, now on sale for $230 ($184 with toutie discount code) from $330.

Tucker by Gaby Basora dress in Night in Lalonde (www.shopjake.com)


here it is on a regular (non pregnant) model, from www.pinkmascara.com. the color seems off to me, but these images raise a few key questions.



1. should i exchange the Vanessa Bruno dress for the smaller size? the customer rep at Jake thought the dress might be a little baggy on me.
2. should i return the dress, pay $60 more, and buy the Tucker dress instead?
3. do you think i would encounter the same waistline-annihilating problems with the Tucker dress? (note the somewhat undefined waist on the model in the front view. the back view is not as bad)
4. oh merde, i've run out of thoughts for the evening. i'm going to sit in bed and read my new novel now. . . .



hmmm, i think Jake is no longer accepting the toutie code on sale items. double merde! i guess that answers my question: exchange the VB for a smaller size, if it isn't fabulous, return it and use the store credit later. maybe the Tucker's price will be reduced further. maybe not. whatever.

vanessa bruno disappointments

my vanessa bruno dress arrived today. it does not flatter. in fact, i look fat, short, and dumpy, with a wide ass. maybe the dress is too large (bought a size 2/small). the fabric also clings to my underwear (sorry, i don't do thongs).

the front is not so bad.



nor is the side view.



but the back side. oh dear.


the problem with being poor is that you have to buy things on sale. this means i can only return it for store credit or exchange. i will also have to pay for shipping ($12 to get to me, $5-10 to return to the store). the shop (Jake) is not cheap, so now i'm going to have to spend an additional $100 or so to use up my store credit. i should never never buy things while drinking.

lesson learned: short girls with small waists, short torsos, and wide hips should wear things that nip in the middle. thank god for Eliza Gran, and damn this fat ass of mine.

here i am wearing my new hoodie and apc jeans that are too tight in the waist (damn you food). the back says "neighborhood". this is the softest, most wonderful hoodie in the world. i begged my mom for it, and she bought it for me. you can only buy them in Ron Herman shops, the Scoop shop in nyc, and the Free City Supershop in Malibu. mine cost $148. love it. worth every penny.

Mociun v. Lela Rose (fashion copies)

i love caitlin mociun's dresses. especially her tie-front dress, which she does nearly every season with different fabrics and patterns.

$288 from www.beklina.com


so i'm pretty annoyed that Lela Rose is doing the virtually the same dress.


$795 from www.bergdorfgoodman.com "The in-demand dress with a unique, oversized tie."

i know there's been controversy about fashion design and intellectual property law, especially with cheaper knock-offs by Forever 21, H&M, etc. even places like Banana Republic have been known to tweak ideas from designers like 3.1 Philip Lim.

granted, this mociun design is pretty simple. but it's also one of her signature dresses. i find it disturbing that a really smart and inventive designer like Lela Rose is basically copying another smart designer.

don't get me wrong, i love Lela Rose. her wedding dresses are the perfect antidote to factory-produced big-name designers. her attention to detail is impeccable, the shapes are modern and interesting, and unconventional fabrics are often employed.



i can't decide what makes me more depressed: a favorite indie designer's idea was copied by another favorite "upscale indie" designer OR someone at Lela Rose thought that people would pay nearly $800 for a very simple dress when she's known for quirky details and luxurious fabrics (i.e. not cotton-acetate-metallic nylon).

Eliza Gran liberty of london dress

this is how my new Eliza Gran dress was packaged: pink tissue paper with white grosgrain ribbon, invoice on letter-pressed stationary. too lovely. and it only gets better.




Eliza Gran Ursula dress in red Liberty of London fabric--originally $283, marked down to $169. purchased from her website: www.elizagran.com

i am wearing the grosgrain ribbon tied around my head like alice in wonderland. it's been one of those days.

cape cod is overrated

looking for perfectly smooth stones

drunk shopping (mayle and vanessa bruno)

this morning i received an email from Jake boutique in Chicago that their Spring goodies were marked down 40%.

i want this dress. it is perfect. it is white. the fabric is heavy (i tried it out at the mayle boutique in nolita), the embroidery and detail work is exquisite. i want. it would be perfect for a courthouse wedding. or renewing vows in piazza navona, rome. so 60s, so chic. at $308 (with 20% off toutie code), how can you say no?





but i said no. not because of the price (though i should) but because it is white. i am really really really bad at keeping white clothing nice. impulse in seattle had it in black. oh well. $600 or $300, it doesn't matter, i'm so broke, why even think about it?

so i bought this instead. how did it happen? i don't know, but my finger kept pressing the mouse button, and i kept typing in credit card information, and when it asked me if i were sure i wanted to buy a sale item, i kept clicking "more debt please" and in about five days it will be sitting on my doorstep waiting to be worn (can i wear it while pregnant?? i hope so. it has an elastic waistband...). vanessa bruno is well known for her clever draping and use of fabric to make you feel better about yourself. this is why you should spend hundreds of dollars on her stuff rather than buy cheap knockoffs at h&m. i'm not kidding, you know.


vanessa bruno dress, www.impulseseattle.blogspot.com (i'm pretty sure they're sold out, but www.net-a-porter.com has it on sale for $180).



vanessa bruno dress, in grey, originally $268, $155 on sale, with toutie discount, $124 from www.shopjake.com

i really wanted it in the green color, but it would cost $70 more. and i don't even have $124 to spend on this dress except that it is the epitome of the "interesting" staple wardrobe item.

so i went over my clothing budget within 3 weeks. i'm so disappointed in myself. at least i've managed to cut down on my diamond-hunting habit. chipping a diamond really lowers your morale and makes you question whether you'll ever deserve something like it again.

Day Two: am i too fat for skinny jeans?

my self-confidence is plummeting already. i'm like a poster-child for anti-feminists. i've been feeling very hippy since i regained weight post-Vietnam. i need my boy to tell me that i look good but should go for a run if i'm feeling less than fabulous because exercise makes you feel better.

or maybe i've been enjoying my boot-cut earnest sewns so much that these skinny jeans are starting to look ridiculous to me.

i should give in and do yoga. think long and lean. long and lean. but how long and lean could i possibly become if i'm only 5'5"? even kate moss looks stumpy in her skinny jeans sometimes, and she's 5'7".

why some people don't deserve expensive jewelry

shit, did i chip this diamond? in two places? they are not, contrary to de beers, forever. and they do break, especially if there are inclusions or thin girdles that make the stone particularly vulnerable when struck against a piece of furniture.

i keep telling myself it isn't my fault. maybe i did hit the ring against the desk, but why is it chipped in two, possibly three, different places? how could one little person do so much damage? i hate you diamond.

Day One: trouble is my business

i spent 8 years in catholic elementary school. i love wearing a uniform. this button down top is like a knock-off of the Steven Alan shirts i can't afford. it is roomy and somewhat shapeless, but that's the price you pay for affordable goods. i'll never be able to buy a Nili Lotan or Steven Alan button-down without wincing and thinking of J Crew. i would have bought 5 more of this shirt if the store had stocked them. maybe i'll buy the white version online. maybe not. when you only have $100 left to spend for the entire summer, it's difficult believing that something is really worth chipping away at the budget. like quoddy trail moccasins? at $140, already over budget.

a part of me keeps wanting to buy things because i know that once i have children (soon), i won't allow myself to buy things unless it's for them. and i say this not because i'm a selfless, maternal, loving person, but because i'd be more embarrassed by my poorly dressed and underfed children than by my 5 year-old Dries Van Noten blouse and Lyell jacket.



Day One of being on my own. 3 months to go...

J Crew short sleeve button-down--$15, on sale from $59 (mom gift)
Earnest Sewn Keatons--$78
Insanely bright yellow cashmere cardigan--hand me down from mom, bought at Kate Spade 2005.

Total--$93 (cheapest outfit to date, not counting cost of cardigan)

in search of a daybed/sleeper sofa that is neither ugly nor uncomfortable

today i went to crate and barrel with a friend who is visiting from nyc/graduating from the phD program. we made the sales associate pull out the sleeper sofas, and then we made honest yet mean comments about how ugly the sofas were and how uncomfortable and cheap the spring mattresses are. the only one we liked had a thick foam mattress, but it was still an ugly sofa. anyway, my friend told me about room and board in new york. they also have a store in south coast plaza, which i ought to have known about but didn't. they seem not bad, really.

anyway, here are the front runners:



Parsons twin daybed, steel frame made in minnesota, $449, plus $119 for mattress cover.
plus a high density foam mattrees, $400-600 ish
total: $1200 give or take a few

Desmond, 52", $1699


Claremont, 53", $1199


why is everything in beige???

my suspicion is that the Modernica Case Study daybed would not be appropriate for everyday use as a bed. if i remember rightly from the one time i saw it in person, it didn't feel very firm.

i've been staring at page after page of information on apartmenttherapy.com and still cannot decide what would be the cheapest, stylish, and comfortable option. it needs to work as a couch and as a bed for long-term visitors (including potential roommates).

some days i hate the world. all because of a stupid sofa to be placed in an equally stupid room.

a.p.c. dress

i set a $350 clothing budget for the next three months. the day after i set my budget i spent $240 on this dress. it has long sleeves. perfect for the summer.

i like it better with pants.

a.p.c. military shirt dress, from Stel's Boston

memorial day weekend -- home improvement

IKEA PS Boda solid wood shelf, 78" x 9 7/8", $29.99 / ea.
SIVERT bracket, $4 / ea.
Steel bookends, $7 / set of two

Total--$234

i need to buy a daybed for my spare room / office. something like this Modernica reproduction of the Nelson designed Case Study daybed manufactured by Herman Miller would be nice. something that costs less than the $1500 would be even nicer.

summer wardrobe solution--nieves lavi

dress, $229 (originally $375) from Nordstrom, present from mom


wrap skirt, $200 from Bio in nyc

spring cleaning = wardrobe purge

every season the wardrobe purge happens.

i have a few criteria for deciding which items are donated.
1) have i worn it in the past 2 years?
2) does it have sentimental value?
3) was it a gift from my mom / will she notice if it's no longer there / will i feel guilt either way?
4) will i lose enough weight to wear it in the next year?

i forgot to document each item that i'm throwing out, but here is a sampling:

camper mary jane heels in tan and periwinkle
anthropologie turtleneck sweater with intarsia of wolves and pine trees
tomato red ella moss cargo capri pants
tocca psychedelic print boatneck sleeveless top
jcrew strappy wedge sandals that always make me twist my ankle
anthropologie hooded sweater coat with giant patchwork flowers
ella moss periwinkle corduroy skirt
la made puff sleeve black t shirt

my goal is to slowly weed out all the things i don't like, buy fewer items each season (especially shoes), and hopefully these wardrobe purges won't be so depressing. everyone makes poor decisions about clothing purchases or changes enough over the years to no longer want to be that person who used to love those skirts and sweaters. but i really hate the idea of cheap disposable fashion because it implicates us in this crazy capitalistic game of exploitation, pollution, and short attention spans. the thought of throwing away clothing after a season or two is really repugnant to me. yet somehow over the past two years i've accumulated four pairs of ballet flats. granted they're all different, but why do i need four pairs? i feel like a well-edited wardrobe is an indicator of how well you know yourself. right now i feel like i'm a pretty messy, redundant, and indecisive person.

estimated amount spent on clothing and shoes--$900

two neutral outfits

Siu Yin Chan merino wool sleeveless envelope cardigan--$190, Impulse Seattle
George modal/cotton boy t-shirt--$20 (originally $50), Stel's Boston
T Luxury extra long camisole--$14, eBay
Earnest Sewn Keaton jeans--$78 + AmericanExpress 'gift' card (originally $190), Bloomingdales
Total--$302


Custom made tunic--$20 from Ya Ly Couture in Hoi An, Vietnam
Petit Bateau camisole--$34 from Petit Bateau
Earnest Sewn Keaton--$78
Total--$132

an Ann Wood bird

after numerous (10) attempts to buy an Ann Wood bird, i have finally succeeded. her name is Liberty, per the vintage Liberty fabric that the artist bought at a flea market. i can't wait to take all sorts of charming photos with Liberty outdoors.

Ann Wood bird, "Daily Bird" series, $44

by the way, if you've seen Junebug, the 'outsider' artwork was done by Ann.