AKA New York Resort Dress

I LOVE THIS DRESS! Uh-huh. There you go.

Thakoon Spring 2008

This collection is so versatile, I feel like there is a little bit of something for everyone. The colors, prints and styles vary from sleek and tailored to flowing and vibrant. What's amazing to me is that I can actually appreciate the loveliness of every piece despite the extreme variety. Here are two of my favorites.

Cropped Blouses

Ok...I haven't found any pics online yet, but on a recent trip to San Francisco I found some perfect cropped blouses that would look so neo-70s chic paired with high-waist jeans. First, at a boutique called Dylan, I fell in love with a blue silk chiffon top from Corey Lynn Calter. Meanwhile, Two Skirts, a boutique on the same street, had a great indigo cropped blouse from Annelore. Both of these blouses had an even hem line, however a second take on the trend includes hems that are cropped in the front and longer in the back. H&M had a very 80s neon tribal print crop top made of knit jersey in this style. The silhouette was perfection but unfortunately the print was not. Pictured to the left is a Jill Sander top that doesn't quite hit the mark, but might give you a better idea of where I am going with this. I'll post better pictures if I find them.

A New Kind of Quilting

I have noticed something in the season's handbags that I love: panelled quilting on patent and matte leather. I first noticed it in the Isabella Fiore clutch that I posted in September. Now I am also seeing it in Chloe and MiuMiu handbags. No doubt there are more out there. Take a look at the pretty examples pictured above. From top to bottom: MiuMiu, Chloe and Isabella Fiore.

Loeffler Randall Blythe Bootie

These booties' sleek versatility makes them a personal favorite. The cut out on the top of the foot emphasizes their pump-like characteristics, yet their bootie-ness is still undeniable. Although available in black as well, I prefer the taupe. The color is especially perfect when offset by black tights. Buyer beware...the shop girl wearing these booties was secretly taking them off behind the counter in a surreptitious attempt to relieve her aching feet, but then again, what shop girl hasn't been in that position after 7 hours of standing?

Trina Turk Fitting Room

This photo has been featured in a number of decorating blogs. Apparently it is a fitting room in a Florida Trina Turk store. Isn't the wallpaper so great? I think I am finally starting to come to terms with my preferred color palette. LOTS of white contrasted with bold bright accents of blue, yellow, green and sometimes pink. Now picture those colors with dark wood, white and mirrored furniture. And for those of you who know how much I love purple, never fear, that color I am saving for the exterior of my dream house!

Chloe Sevigny and my ultimate groupie moment

So. Cool.

Overlapping Squares Headboard

When I was moving to New York, I had every intention of purchasing the Overlapping Squares headboard from West Elm. Since then, I have settled for my friend Katie's queen mattress on risers. Nevertheless, the headboard is still a favorite. It is an affordable option in the oh-so-trendy world of Moroccan themed, ornate wood cut-out furniture. Furthermore, investing in a headboard seems to be incredibly worthwhile. Afterall, you probably spend more time in your bed than you do in any other place. My color of choice is white, although it also comes in chocolate, which is the more popular option.

Neighborhood ♥ Loves

I have been living in Nolita for nearly three months now. Although there are so many more places to explore, right now I have a few clear favorites.

Restaurant- Barmarche. Relaxed and quaint with delicious food and casually elegant decor, this restaurant makes me happy in every way.

Boutique- Poppy. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is something I would want in my closet. Beca Rory, Madison Marcus, 18th Amendment, J Brand, Karta, Rebecca Minkoff and much much more!

Dessert- PinkBerry (in the picture). MMM...all natural frozen yogurt with fruit. Or, if I am feeling skinny (when might that be?), I will go fat at Rice to Riches where there are a gazillion different flavors of rice pudding, one of my favorite desserts!

Sharon's Sorbet

I was feeling sorry for myself on Monday night, moping on the couch in my pajama t-shirt and watching my 3rd episode of Law and Order, when I decided living vicariously through Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy just wasn't enough. Where would I turn to fill my Monday night void? The answer is food, naturally. So I scuffled to the local grocer and decided upon Sharon's Blueberry Sorbet. WOW! This sorbet is so delicious that I even ate the Raspberry flavor for breakfast this morning. It is all natural...made with pure, raw fruit, and fat-free. Aside from Blueberry and Raspberry, you can get Mixed Berry, Dutch Chocolate, Mango, Lemon, Strawberry, Passion Fruit or Coconut. I plan on sampling all of them, and by sampling I mean eating the whole pint by myself.

European Collection at Gap.com

In an effort to boost U.S. sales, Gap is offering a new "European Collection" only available at Gap.com. The clothes are actually very stylish, and the price points are equivalent to their other merchandise. The collection is full of chunky knits, cotton cashmere and refined silhouettes in shades of blue, gray, brown and black. This dress is my most loved piece.

Fall Color

Ugh, I feel so over gray already. Fuschia and purple I still like, however, the most refreshing color in my opinion is pictured here. Although it may not be the most flattering hue for every complexion, Spring and Summer's Canary Yellow has turned deep Amber for the fall. (Top to bottom: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Brooklyn Industries, Erotokritos)

Anthropologie Towels

Has anyone else noticed that Anthropologie has the best selection of towels lately? They have a great mix, especially since I am starting to move away from strictly modern design. While the lava swirl towel (middle) is definitely contemporary, the other two seem to be a revision of the shabby chic that was so popular in the late 90s, early 2000s, using bolder brocade and bright blue and yellow to keep from appearing too cutesy.

Porthault Linen

So we have seen my aspirational clutch, now check out my aspirational linen. What could be more lovely than a bed made with Porthault sheets? My only hesitation (besides the fact that I'll never afford them) is that they only come flat, not fitted. Is that ethnocentric of me?

Lime Wax

Ok, this one comes straight to you from Domino mag's Nick Olsen, who writes the Deal Hunter's blog: http://www.dominomag.com/daily/blogs/dailydose/the_deal_hunter

I couldn't resist reposting it. Check out this lime wax and the pics he took after he used it. Such a cool finish!

Black Clutches

In the name of clutches, the top one by Isabella Fiore is the King Kong. Not just because it is big and black (it's 13" wide and 11 1/2" high), but because it must be one of the most unique I have seen so far this season, and it's selling out fast.

The Marc Jacobs clutch at the bottom is aspirational. Ahhh, one day...

Foley for Foley and Corinna

In a desperate attempt to establish street cred, I am posting this picture I saw in perezhilton.com of Kim Porter wearing my New Year's dress at Diddy's White Party in the Hamptons. After crazy popularity in the Fall Winter 2006 season, the dress, designed by Foley for Foley and Corinna, has made a comeback with a higher price tag for 2007. Eventhough I am over the sequin trend, I still love the dress and will try and squeeze a few more wears out of it this Fall.

Plaid & Le Mont Saint-Michel

Plaid is back...again. I have noticed the reoccurance of plaid for the past three seasons, although undoubtedly it appeared prior to being caught by my bourgeois fashion eye. It started out with a few accents, like plaid scarves and clutches, and has now grown into full-blown plaid-o-rama. At the moment, I am craving a plaid silk taffeta dress to celebrate Chistmas. I still haven't found the perfect one, but you'll know when I do.

While I was in France last winter, I was immediately enthralled with every piece I saw by French label Le Mont Saint-Michel. Unfortunately, I have had difficult time finding anything about the label anywhere until the NY Times mentioned these sweaters in a piece entitled "Secrets of the Stay at Home Jetset".

Hmmm....plaid and Le Mont Saint-Michel, what's not to love?

Josh Goot

I don't know much about Australian designer Josh Goot, but my first glimpses at his Spring Summer 2007 and 2008 collections have me obsessing over his color-block assymetrical mini-dresses. To top it off, apparently all of them are made with super-soft jersey. Perfect for my January vaca in St. Thomas (thank goodness for the Dyson-Lester nuptual fiesta!)

S.W.O.R.D.

Ok, so this is old news to a few but this blog just started and I have a lot of catching up to do!

S.W.O.R.D. leather jackets, made by a Milan based design duo, have been selling faster than my boyfriend can spot a Cracker Barrel on the highway (that is lightening speed for those of you who don't know Payton).

My favorite is the LUCCA bomber in a super dark chocolate brown. Shopbop.com has been reposting different sizes sporadically as items get returned. Blaec.com is also selling three different styles on their site, including the fitted motorcycle jacket in both black and brown pictured here.

Martha Stewart Collection for Macy's

I love so many items from Martha's collection for Macy's, but here are a few of my favorites:

The "faux bois" towels- a masculine and modern wood grain print is softened by an elegant color palette of aqua, taupe, honey and cream
The "coral spray" sheets in seashell and stream
The "bloomery" tufted lilac rug - demure yet edgy

All these items give me a clean, cozy and comforted feeling. So lovely.