Heron and Ombre

The other evening, I went on a date (Isabella's, this great tapas bar in downtown Frederick). I wanted to make an impact while remaining low-key, and this is what I came up with:

Sweater: Anthropologie. Jeans: Vintage One Revolution. Shoes: Biviel Couture. Cuff: The Textile Museum.

I also like how my hair turned out. I smoothed some Giovanni Frizz Be Gone Serum (an affordable organic brand at my co-op) on the upper half, and scrunched Jonathan Dirt Paste through the bottom half.

You can see how my dye job is totally growing out. I'm so happy ombre hair is in right now; a few more inches and it'll be perfect. Thank you, Alexa Chung.

Back to the clothes. The jeans are a brand I came across in Velvet Lounge downtown, and they're the ultimate cigarette jeans for narrow-hipped girls. The sweater is the popular asymmetrical concoction by Anthropologie that came out in like half a dozen colors (I have it in dark gray as well), and it's thin enough to wear on a cool spring evening. It covers up, but the shoulder drape makes it sexy.

The heels, I got on sale from Anthropologie. They are a beautiful butter leather, and the almond-shaped toe is precious.

The highlight, however, is the wrist cuff. I found it in the Textile Museum gift shop, and it is actually handmade from a genuine vintage Japanese kimono. The photos don't do justice to how the colors glow and shimmer. The red crest on the heron in particular explodes off the glazed surface.

The whole combination had the intended effect on my date.

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I'm an F-18 and I Will Destroy You In the Air*

For the sake of fashion, I gave myself the world's biggest blister today.

It's smack dab on the great toe joint of my left foot, a perfect hemisphere of tender skin and pressurized fluid. I keep glancing at the thing, expecting it to explode any moment. The culprit, of course, is a brand-new pair of shoes.

I got these Raeburn suede pumps by Rag & Bone at Shopbop for 70% off plus a $25 off coupon. At such a steal, I can forgive these shoes some pain. They're not even particularly uncomfortable: I simply should not power-walk five blocks to work in brand-new heels. Halfway there this morning, I found myself wishing I'd brought along some flats. I hobbled into work and cadged a band-aid from the secretaries, then spent the day bravely strutting the halls.

I tried not to grimace whenever I received a compliment. They do look good.

One reviewer on Shopbop called them the "stealth bomber" of pumps, and she has a point. That curved heel is show-stopping.

I would call this shoe a F-18, though. Sexy and streamlined, but also chunky and obnoxious. You cannot ignore these on someone's feet.

These are only my trying-on photos. This is what I wore today:

Top: Anthropologie. Pants: Alexander Wang.

Aren't these pants insane? Holy MC Hammer daddy parachute silk, Batman!

I wanna bust a move in these. But not with this blister.

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*With apologies to Charlie Sheen. Winning.

In Black and Cream

The school play ate my life. Now the run is over, though, and it was a good one. My triumphant (or just meandering) return deserves a beautiful outfit.

I wore such a one yesterday to work. Most apropos, since it turned out that I had to make a last-minute announcement at the school assembly regarding who had won most outstanding actor/actress. An ensemble fit for an assistant director:

Blouse: ESPRIT. Shorts: JNBY. Shoes: Pedro Garcia.
Clutch: Alexander Wang. Tights and ring: J. Crew.

All this sophistication has a skew, however: what looks like a skirt actually is a pair of shorts.

These voluminous pleated wool shorts by JNBY caught my eye during Shopbop's recent transitional spring sale. I wasn't quite sure how they'd translate from the model photo to real life, but the result is spectacular and comfortable and utterly cool. The trick lies in the creased pleats, which stand out a mile from my sides. Paired with black tights, these "shorts" are the haute alternative to a skirt during cold months.

Throughout the day, for some reason, I kept getting a Japanese vibe off my outfit. It has something to do with the weighty folds of the shorts and the loose-hanging silk strips of the blouse. (From ESPRIT. Who would've thunk? The material is a lovely drapey sheer.) I got it. Yes, it's like a hakama. 

I took a kendo class once.

French-Japanese fusion, perhaps? What with the ruffled blouse and quilted leather clutch. I did not, of course, bring the clutch to work, as it would be a bit silly for me to carry it while teaching John Donne's "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" to a roomful of high schoolers. I'm just bringing it out for this shoot.

This Elsa quilted leather clutch by Alexander Wang came from the Outnet. It was just so beautiful and intricate that after weeks of looking and looking, I finally bit the bullet and bought the last unit I could find anywhere on the Internet.

I would say I'll never have to buy another black clutch as long as I live, but then I remember that I have somehow ended up with at least six pairs of black heels in various permutations. One of which in fact I am wearing in these photos:

These Pedro Garcia suede ankle booties stole my heart with their peep-toe cork soles. They're practical, too, as the cork platform absorbs some of the impact and takes an inch off the 4.5" heels. This pair looks great with just regular skinny jeans as well.

Now if I were wearing this outfit to, say, an opera at the Kennedy Center, I would switch these booties out for my epic Proenza Schouler corset wedges.

Tres belle.

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