inspired by: the D&G runway

i think i started drooling when i saw these pics.... this is the dolce and gabbana spring 2011 show:

 photos: style.com

holy floral goodness! i want every single one of those long dresses. i'm also partial to the mixed floral prints. i've seen some examples of mixing floral prints in 2010, but this is the best version i've seen yet.... now i have to try it!

inspired by: marilyn, not jackie

while i was holed up at home sick all last week, i watched a lot of netflix. and i do mean a lot. i started watching the "pushing daisies" series (which is fabulous, by the way), and more importantly, my first marilyn monroe movie! i know, i know, shame on me for never watching one before. but seriously, i never understood the world's fascination with her. but i had nothing better to do last week, alone on the couch, so i thought what the heck.

it was "gentlemen prefer blondes", and of course, i loved it! i was mesmerized by the glamourous clothes and the rich, glossy red lipstick. oh, and this outfit (more specifically, the color combination):

in the movie, the colors were much richer gem tones....

don't you love the combo of teal, lavender, and navy?? i already love lavender and navy together, but i would've never thought to add teal. here's my (feeble) attempt:

shirt: target

belt (it's really a scarf): gift from mother-in-law.... i think from spain??

skirt: ralph lauren, thrifted of course!

shoes: somewhere in tokyo

the skirt and scarf around the waist reminded me of something princess jasmine would wear.... so i added my princess jasmine shoes! i bought these way back in 2006, and wore them all over tokyo. i still love them, but i kind of forget that i still own them. i need to break these out more often....

oh, and i also added red lipstick, of course! i never would've paired red lips with a green shirt either, but i don't hate it. if it's good enough for marilyn....

a truly gritty outfit

only i, ever obsessed with aesthetics, could go see "true grit", a bang-em-up shoot-em-up western, and come away with inspiration for an outfit. that's how lame and superficial i am. ah, well. good for the ol' blog, i reckon.

do you see that jacket/belt combo?? i'm partial to the drab color of the jacket paired with the warmer color of the leather belt.

ok, my turn:

jacket: another ugly college choir outfit.... it had a matching skirt but i lost it

belt: thrifted

t-shirt: target

skirt: my mother....?

beads: ??

boots: forever 21

you know what pairs great with a western-inspired outfit? rugged boots, of course!

i'm kinda diggin it. of course, you could wear any kind of bottom with this look- jeans, cords, a maxi skirt, my new red pants i just found at goodwill.... here's another take on it:

second skin

inspiration: kenzo fall 2010

holy moly, this collection is definitely my favorite for fall. stunning.

all photos: style.com

suddenly i have a new wishlist for fall:

1. an indiana jones hat. won't my dad be proud. he loves both indiana jones and women in hats.

2. a floral maxi skirt. an elegant one, of course, at the risk of looking too little house on the prairie.... 

3. a classy silk scarf. what kind of grown woman am i? i don't even have a silk scarf. shame on me.

i would pair these new items with my cognac cross-body bag, and my structured brown blazer.

new york outfit inspiration

my husband and i are going to nyc next month! i couldn't possibly be more excited. we're gonna do some sight-seeing, but most importantly see a broadway show! i had a fun (and pretty easy) time picking out a fancy outfit for "phantom of the opera", but packing all of the other outfits fills me with a frightening number of questions. for example, is it true that all new yorkers wear black all the time? i don't really wear a lot of black, so will i look silly wearing colored clothing? where do i find shoes that make a statement but will still hold up to trekking all over the city? will my sight-seeing outfits be too casual if daniel and i stop somewhere nice to eat for supper? will the weather in nyc be a lot different than in nashville? these are all of the important questions in life.

i've collected tons of pictures from various websites that might make it easier. street style pics have been the most inspirational.

for the plane ride:

photo: college fashion

white henley + dark jeans + flat riding boots + pretty scarf

this is perfect for a plane ride, because you wanna wear your bulkiest shoes while traveling so you don't have to pack them. the white shirt is clean but still comfy, and the scarf keeps you warm and keeps your outfit from being boring. 

photo: fabsugar.com

crochet shirt + cargo shorts + tan sandals + cognac bag

looove this outfit! i would probably swap the heels for a flat version, but i love how it looks casual without looking schlumpy. i'm thinking it needs some hippie beaded earrings....

photo: luckymag.com

long tunic + shorts + gladiator sandals + hat + fringed bag

i'm not really into leopard print (or any animal print, for that matter), but i have other printed tunics that would work great. i like this outfit because i have all of these elements, i just have never worn them together!

photo: camp comfort

long-sleeved T + khaki paper bag shorts

i've always loved the contrast of a long-sleeved shirt with shorts. i also really like mixing different colored neutrals these days (gray and khaki). although you can't see the shoes in this photo, i'm thinking either brown oxfords or gladiator sandals. it's also kind of plain, so i would layer on some eclectic rings and bangles.

photo: luckymag.com

plain T + maxi skirt + hat

this is my favorite! she's got the right idea with the random bangles and rings. plus it looks so comfy but still city-cool!

inspiration: trekker style

this is a trend that ran in this month's issue of instyle. when i was chowing down on macarons and cinnamon dolce lattes at the bookstore the other day, i flipped through several magazines, and this "spread" totally jumped out at me. i say "spread" because it was only like 1 page. but oh well, i really like the concept.

without further ado...

~the trekker trend~

from instyle:

WHY WE LOVE IT
This fascinating yet daunting amalgam of safari, global, hobo, ethnic, eco and military elements incorporates homages to Japan, Peru, Morocco and India, as well as trends like softness and exotic prints. The result is a highly individualized riff on casual clothing.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
Like the image it projects, the trekker look revels in a sense of adventure and risk. We see it as weekend/vacation wear (although bright beads or a patterned bag could enliven a suit or work separates). If you’re more intrigued than committed to joining the caravan, use khaki tones or camouflage prints as a base and add one or two hot shots of sun-drenched color.
  

i like to think of this as an updated hippie-bohemian style. like a cross between boho and a sophisticated world-traveler. it's no shock that i would like this, because i'm a huge fan of mary-kate and ashley's style from a few years ago. here are some other pics that i think fit right in:

all pics above: kenzo spring 2011

i love how kenzo added menswear-inspired hats and blazers to up the chic factor a little bit.

boy by band out outsiders 

jane from seaofshoes

hermes ad

teen vogue

what do you think? tired by the boho trend? i, for one, love it. makes me want to wander around some little towns and see what i can discover.

indian sari meets american blue jean

 

photo: ralph lauren spring 2010

just wanted to post a quick little inspirational post. isn't this great? i never thought that you could make denim look ethereal. love. yeah i know, again with the medium blue. i can't help it- it's like once i became obsessed with it, i see it everywhere! i know that doesn't only happen to me....

well, it's been a good weekend. i finished all of my program notes for my senior voice recital, which really takes a load off. my husband and i had fun watching several back-to-back episodes of "twin peaks", and he also introduced me to this bbc sitcom called "keeping up appearances." how have i never heard of this before?? it's hysterical. the series is about this pretentious middle-aged british lady who's completely full of herself and says the most ridiculous things to people. i have to laugh because i know a couple of people like this in real life (except for the british and middle-aged thing). except there's no laugh track in real life, and condescension definitely isn't funny, especially when it's directed towards you.

netflix is awesome, by the way.