fear of accessories

J Crew button down shirt--$59
Earnest Sewn Keaton--$80
Henry Cuir handbag--$600 (marked down from $1100 at Barneys summer sale last year)


(new painting from vietnam, finally framed)


i'm not one to accessorize. i have my watch and my rings. sometimes i wear my tagua nut necklace from ecuador. the pearls are too nice to be worn everyday. i also bought a chunky turquoise bracelet in vietnam. i have several scarves, but that's for the cold season. i even have several nice handbags, but i usually use a beat-up canvas tote bag. i have earrings, but what i really want is a nice simple pair of interesting gold or diamond studs.

so, this morning i decided to throw in a shot of one of my bags. but still, i feel like there's something missing. maybe i should find my necklace and put it on? i need some help in the accessories department. i don't want to buy a lot of fashion jewelry because i hate accumulating more things than i can wear. but surely there's some way to complete my outfit with a classic accessory that won't bore me in the long run?

emily of Emily Style is always so good at accessorizing. i love the variety of looks, but i need something that will work with pretty much everything i own. my gut instincts is to go with something from Tiffany's, maybe another piece from the Gehry collection? but i'd much rather support independent designers.

so, recently i discovered how wonderful hannah clark's jewelry is. she's a parson's grad who has a shop in the east village. her website is so uninformative, aside from a few tanatalizing images. she does custom work, and i really appreciate the 'handmade' look to her pieces, especially the snake ring.

kimono necklace, oxidized silver and 14K gold--$255 (all jewelry from www.thisisauto.com)



oxidized silver rosebud on 14K chain--$160


Ouroborus ring, 18K gold with diamonds--$500 (another unusual engagement ring/wedding band option).

i wish i knew more independent fine jewelry designers. it's very important that whatever i buy is gold, with the occasional melee diamond, and extremely well-made (i.e. close to heirloom quality). does anyone have a good recommendation?

lotta jansdotter love

long cafe apron, bunke--$35, from $44


bowl, Tang green--$18, from $24


everyday tote, Prata--$46.40, from $58


big tote, Klara--$60.80, from $76


not only are lotta jansdotter's designs beautifully presented, they are also lovely objects to own. i have two aprons, several linen tote bags that i bought on eBay, little test tube glass vases in printed linen holders (i've yet to find a good place for these), and two brown sofa cushions with dandelions scattered throughout. to say that i am obsessed with her aesthetic would be an understatement. what is it about scandinavian-influenced design?

go to it:
www.jansdotter.com

casbah cafe, silverlake

casbah cafe skirt--$40 from casbah cafe in silverlake (caftans, embroidered slippers, and really good coffee)
rebecca beeson black top--$19 from Loehmanns
sleepy hector--from second chance shelter, jamaica plain

ron herman online sale--50% off

not a huge fan of the bewigged mannequin, but oh what can you do?


Puella dress--$89, from 178



Juicy Couture trench, $175, from $350


Lyell blouse, $149, from $298


Lyell cardigan--$220, from $440

ferdinand

i saw a really cute journal on lena corwin's blog (spoils from the brooklyn renegade craft fair) and couldn't resist a peek at the designer's website.


guy's t-shirt--$24


baby onesie--$15


tote bag--$18


tea towel--$9 (squirrel!!)

www.ferdinandhomestore.com

wedding ring

i am the last person in the world who should be posting about jewelry. BUT, i think this is a wonderful wedding band/engagement ring option for people who are a bit whimsical. it's so hard to find a modern floral design.

Garden Ring, hand-fabricated in yellow or white gold (designer unknown, i saw it at Stuart Moore in Newport Beach) --$2400-3500, available from www.oldgoldjewelry.com

how to dress like you're on vacation

when you rarely leave the house


Calypso pink paisley top--$40 from knit wit, Philadelphia, PA (purchased 3 years ago)
J Crew camisole--$12, suffered a mishap in the washer and is looking a bit grey (1 year ago)
Seven for Mankind denim--$90 during Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale (5 years ago), cut by me



J Crew short--sleeve button-down, $15, from $59
Vanessa Bruno cotton white jeans--$70, from $220 at Dress, Boston (1 year ago, hardly worn)

summer sales (a myriad of possibilities)

Marimekko, classic striped onesie, $37, from $50 (www.thisisauto.com).



Catherine Malandrino, Short sleeve button dress, $304, from $380 (www.shopzoeonline.com).



A.P.C., Bouton Empire dress, $136, from $170 (www.shopzoeonline.com).


Borne, Alex dress, $259, from $432 (www.oaknyc.com)


Shelly Steffee, silk drawstring dip-dyed dress, $300, from $545 (www.refinery29shops.com, "GRECHEN" 15% off)


Lyell, silk button dress, $310, from $385 (www.refinery29shops.com, "GRECHEN" 15% off)


Lyell, Alana blouse, $270, from $340 (www.refinery29shops.com, "GRECHEN" 15% off)



Lyell, short sleeve angora/cashmere cardigan, $270, from $385 (www.refinery29shops.com, "GRECHEN" 15% off)



Lyell, Julie Christie linen dress, $300, from $430 (www.refinery29shops.com, "GRECHEN" 15% off)


Mayle, cotton Wallis cardigan (in Tobacco, not Black), $230, from $385 (www.shopjake.com, "toutie" 20% off)


Mayle, Wallis cardigan in Tobacco (available at www.shopjake.com, photo from www.impulseseattle.blogspot.com)



Leyendecker, Chandelier dress, $124, from $355 (www.traceyross.com)


Rachel Comey, linen animal print top, $203, from $290 (www.shop.creaturesofcomfort.us)


United Bamboo, Black Box jacket, $304, from $433 (www.shop.creaturesofcomfort.us)


Cacharel, linen dress, $264, from $330 (www.letrainbleu.com, "toutie" 10% off)


Vena Cava, Capri dress, $483, from $645 (www.letrainbleu, "toutie" discount code 10%)


Alice Ritter, silk plaid dress, $207, from $345 (www.hejfina.com)



Vanessa Bruno, silk top, $215, from $357 (www.hejfina.com)


3.1 Phillip Lim, wide-leg pleat front pants in antique white, $190, from $318 (www.lagarconne.com)



Vanessa Bruno, silk sweater, $220.50, from $315 (www.lagarconne.com)

on vacation

better without traffic

mathematics reality check

goodbye Room & Board steel frame daybed--$449




hello ikea bed (same one i had in seattle when i was living on $800/month)--$49

so i started with a budget on May 15. $300 for clothing for the next three months. within a month, not only did i meet that budget, i went over.

A.P.C. military dress--$245
Tucker dress--$180
Eliza Gran dress--$170

that's nearly $300 over my budget. in one month. this is ridiculous. and last night i was contemplating buying a $300 sweater. in june. in boston.

reading that the interest rates are going up, which spells trouble for adjustable rate mortgages (like mine), really doesn't put one in the mood to add to burgeoning credit card balances. i need to practice some tough love on myself. i just cut up all of my credit cards except for one (not an easy thing to do with blunt scissors), which is now locked away in a drawer for traveling expenses.

the gas rebate (all of $2 a month) isn't worth it because some stations charge a credit card fee
low APR balance transfers are only worth it if you don't add to the balance
rewards points (bloomingdales gift cards) aren't worth it because you end up spending more
easy credit is great in some situations, but someone making $25,000 a year shouldn't have $36,000 worth of credit. the banks are making a killing of people like me who are incapable of setting realistic goals and sticking to them.

no wonder this country is in such a mess. i remember reading in the NYTimes about John Edwards' war on poverty and his claim that the middle class is disappearing. another editorial included the rebuttal that no, the middle class is still here, it's just more heavily in debt. i'm sorry, if being middle class means $15,000-30,000 in credit card balances (not including educational loans and mortgages), then the middle class has mutated into an entirely different beast. constantly struggling to pay off debt (and high finance charges) while making a decent salary ($45,000-80,000) but having zero savings, feeling dissatisfied with financial burdens and going on shopping sprees at expensive, tasteful stores, and then having to shoulder even more debt, is hardly middle-class. unemployment or rising interest rates can be just as financially devastating to this supposed middle-class as it is to families and individuals making less than $40,000.

i am feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed. not to mention unhappy.

on a lighter note, i now have 4 potential baby names. i'm quite pleased with the results of many years' hard work. oh, and my wallet is much much thinner (minus credit cards and cash, all i have left are student i.d.s, receipts, and frequent-buyer stamp cards).