DVF = Dressing Very Fabulously

As I've been trawling my retail sites, I've become smitten with a whole bunch of recent offerings by fashion legend Diane von Furstenberg.  Yes, she of the classic wrap dress.  But, oh, there's a lot to love besides that iconic style.  Lots.

Here are some pieces I sure wouldn't mind snagging...  Starting with this simple yet lovely stunner in red (my favorite color):

A beautiful pine-green number:

Are those colors giving you a Christmas-is-only-185-days-away anxiety attack?  Researchers claim that blue calms the frazzled shopper's nerves:

I enjoy the blush color of this little dress:

It comes in a fun pattern, a la Tory Burch, as well:

The Grecian-draping of this dress is quite nice.  Unfortunately, I'm not 5'10"+, so I would drown in this one:

For whatever reason, button downs and I don't really get along.  I have the worst time with them!  But I'd give this one a chance:

OK, this one is a little over the top for me, but I love the unabashed glamour of it.  Not really your "wear-to-work" staple.  Hmm, maybe bringing glamour to the jobsite isn't such a bad thing.  Complicates using the port-a-potty, though ;)

Because that is how I would *totally* walk around a place like this:

(Yes, I'm joking.  Maybe.)


This cute dress popped up recently on Shopbop's site (which is where virtually all these fab DVF dresses magically appeared):

Not content to rely on Shopbop alone, I went straight to the source and scoped the DVF website as well, where she's got her vintage print collection available.

Remember this print from an earlier post?

Yep - from her website.  And yep, bought it.


You know, I have to say I'm likin' the color and pattern clash of this outfit:

And finally, Diane's designs expand beyond the closet to the dinner table:

I can't believe Diane's (and pretty much everybody else's) pre-fall collections are coming out already.  Sheesh, it's not even July yet.  Give me a chance to enjoy my summer duds (and summer weather)!  It's a short season we Northerners have to run around in something other than down coats and Hunter wellies.

In closing, I'm super duper excited because I just booked our trip to none other than New York flippin' City - yay!!!  I haven't stomped around NYC in over 10 years, so there's a lot of ground to walk, cocktails to sip, delicious and oh-so-not-nutritious foods to savor - and of course - boutiques to visit!

And if I might ask you a favor, if you're familiar with the current scene, please do share your favorite spot for food/booze/shopping/sight-seeing!  The best recommendations come from the locals :)  I'll be sure to post my 2nd city recap (Denver being the first) once I am back.

Til then!
Maggie



P.S.  How did I know that Christmas is under 200 days away, lurking, lurking?  Thank this website.  I'm not sure if it's good or just plain scary that page exists.  I shudder to think of the day they combine the start of Christmas shopping with Back-To-School...  They've already taken over Halloween!



Photo credits:

In order of appearance:  Red dress, green dress, blue dress, pink dress, red patterned dress, Grecian print dress, white shirt, gold dress, gold and white dress - all from Shopbop

White sundial dress, shirt & shorts, table setting email image - DVF.com

Construction site - own

News of the Weird... And Some Normal Stuff, Too

As I attempt to catch up on all the emails that are running amok in my inbox, I've been coming across some good stuff besides all the "new arrivals" of clothes and accessories.  These are mostly little fashion news tidbits.  Since I'm sure the holiday weekend (for my fellow USA'ers) has left us all tired, sufficiently BBQ'ed (um, not literally of course), and laaazy, I decided I'd be short-ish and sweet today, sharing a few of my finds.

To start, a new retailer has started sending me emails.  This isn't unusual, and I'm sure retailers are sharing my address with each other in hopes of netting some of my cash.  Scottsdale, Arizona-based Lindsay Lou sells your typical boutique-y fare:  knits from Vince, cute frocks by Amanda Uprichard, and the clothes from Jen's Pirate Booty that still make me say,"Aaaarg!  Who the heck wears that?"

I had thought LL was independent, until I saw their email image on another retailer's site.  By the way, the image wins its own award for "WTH?"  I suppose they were going for sexy.  With a pretzel.  I just think it's creepy.  With a pretzel.

Here's LL's:

And here's the one from Singer22, which calls New York state home:

Boy, again, the pictures kind of ick me out.  Maybe there'll be a good ol' catfight between the retailers for image rights.  Or not.  I did check the "About Us" for each store and don't see a mention of associated stores.


OM Records, a great music label which specializes in tunes with a groovy beat (electronica, dance, hip-hop), has released a new CD that caters to the yoga crowd.  Partnering with San Fran-based Yoga Tree studio, the music is geared to accompany vinyasa/flow practices.  As someone who almost always likes to work out to tunes, I'm curious to check this out.  Might help me quit cursing the instructor for the 110th downward dog while I'm supposed to be all about peace and serenity (NOW :)

Obviously, I was tired when I glanced at this email from Lord & Taylor.  As I quickly looked over the outfit, I thought the two shoes on the left were a pair and couldn't for the life of me figure out what that salmony-colored flat was for.  So I decided it was for throwing at people.  Right?  (I'd use it).  Did I mention this weekend put me in a food-coma?  A food-coma that has apparently rendered me color-blind?

Mmm, speaking of food, Gilt Groupe has launched its epicurean-focused website.  Yeah, that's all I need.  Fashion and food regularly vie for the #1 spot in my cholesterol-clogged heart.  Here's a shot from the homepage.

They already get points for having their own "cheese & dairy" category.


And last but OMG-so-not-least, jewelry from cat hairballs.  That's right.  Someone found inspiration from something most people find, um, disgusting?  I'm not sure whether to thank or hack on Refinery29 for sharing the love.  Judging from the severely underwhelmed expression on Mr. Whisker's face, he (or she) also finds the products a bit...  odd.  Read all about it here.

Talk about organic and sustainable fashion.  Heh heh.

PASS.

Well, I can barely keep my eyes open anymore.  Time for me to toddle (or maybe waddle) off to bed (nope, I'm not about to nap at noon - I write the bulk of these on the previous night and do some last-minute next-day editing before posting...  just what you were dying to know ;)

Cheers,
M

Image credits:  images are credited by associated websites mentioned (yes, I'm also too lazy to write the list)

Back From the... Well, Not the Dead, So Maybe the Lazy?

Hey there.  Remember me?  Yeah, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.  Indeed, it’s been awhile.  A crazy Spring here.  And all of a sudden, summer is here.

No, really, it's here.  See?

Not a pathetic, half-melted snow mound in sight...  but a few storm clouds are visible (seems these days we can't get a weekend without severe weather).

I digress.

So, I had considered launching back into the blog by bringing up a couple of heftier topics…  Asian models being all the current rage and the social/cultural implications that it raises…  The whole eating/shopping/whatevering “local” movement and really, what does that actually mean?

Then I decided that all I really wanted to do is show you more stuff that I like.  Things I’ve seen over the last few months.  Clothes.  Images from retailers.  Same ol’ drill.  The problem with starting into a discussion about the weightier themes is that, well, it kind of opens up a can.  A good can, I do believe.  But it steers away from what this blog is about…  liking stuff.  Of course, you can like things that make you think instead of making you simply drool.  It’s good for you, really, to make that hamster in the wheel known as your brain do some exercise.

For now, however, a month-plus of inactivity calls for gentler efforts.  And perhaps I’ll bring back the other topics later.

With no real rhyme or reason, this is what’s been “gefaelling mir” during my absence:

First off, check out these great Tory Burch espadrilles.  They come in other color combinations, but the architect in me is attracted to that OSHA yellow and army green striping.  Hey, at least I’d stand out at the job site, right?

Tory also has a mini-messenger bag I’ve been coveting for over the last half year.  Black is such a basic yet elegant staple color.  It also converts to a clutch, which makes it even more drool-worthy.

Diane von Furstenberg, she of the famous wrap dress fame, launched a vintage print collection earlier this winter.  I like this one…

And speaking of dresses, gotta love this Milly dress.  While it looks notoriously high-waisted, in person the waist sits a little lower.  I enjoy the mixture of colors, pattern and texture, all wrapped into a neat little work option.  Note:  I’m short-waisted, so I typically steer the hell clear of dresses with the whole “empire waist” style, a few exceptions being a grey Anthropologie dress I’ve worn to death and a nice belted Banana Republic work dress that I pair with a shrug.

Somewhat similar to the Milly dress is this lacy but not too lacy dress from Beth Bowley.  The simple but classic styling reminds me of good ol’ Tory Burch, too.  Work!  Brunch!  Weddings!  This dress could do it all.

Summertime means the return of white jeans.  For whatever reason, I’m partial to Citizens of Humanity’s offerings, and these Avas will pair well with a variety of tops, plus the straight-leg styling of the Avas work best for me instead of bootcuts, cropped and skinnies.  I’m not even going to mention jeggings (or jorjeggings – yeah, not only is this an actual word, it’s an actual item).  Anyway, here are the Citizens:

From white jeans, I bring you to a fabulous white dress (with patterns) that screams Summer.  It might also scream Tennis Match!  Or, um, Confused Decade Dress?  The voluminous skirt seems to recall what I think the 50’s would look like, the color scheme and styling feels like tennis, but in the 20’s?  (Remember when I said I’m not a fashion historian?).  Well, whatever era it make you think of, I just think it’s a great dress for sipping cocktails on a patio surrounded by lush greenery.  Once again, the designer is Milly.

Now, summertime up here in the Midwest does not guarantee four straight months of heat, humidity and sun.  Considering it took summer so dang long to get here, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a “cold spell” in July with temps topping out in the 60’s for a few days.  This makes people nuts (mostly because happy time in the sun, warmth and green stuff here is short-lived compared to those of you in, well, the whole rest of the country – except maybe Fargo and Bangor, Maine).  Anyway, the cool down always feels more severe after hot weather, so we dig for jackets to carry us through the spell.  I would pick this one.  Coming from Urban Outfitters, it’s a little bit edgy campus kid, but I can still wear it to work with one of my Milly/Tory dresses.

Ever have one of those days where the less people you have to talk to, the better?  Days when that Dilbert comic strip that snorts, “I like my coworkers until they talk” rings all too true (oh, c’mon you guys, you know I love you…  I’m jus’ sayin’)?  Well, here’s the shirt for you!  It’s got a cat.  It’s got attitude.  What more do you need?

You say you want a dog?  That cats just make you sneeze?  You’re allergic to hairballs?

Here you go.  You can thank Radley London for this adorable purse.  Avec pooch.  And a seagull.

Or…  domestic pets not your thing?  Are you one of those peeps who goes gaga for anything panda?  This backpack is for wee ones, but it sure wouldn’t stop me from buying it.  Oh wait, I did buy it.  Because I’m one of those panda people.

I also love Spongebob Squarepants.  Oh, and Space Invaders a la my old Atari 2600.  So, this Nooka watch is perfect because it’s like Spongebob Invaders.  

Too bad they didn’t pepper the pattern with Sandy the Squirrel (I love Sandy because she's a karate-choppin' spazzy chick from Texas).  Or Patrick (I love Patrick because he's just Patrick).

In neighborly news, Local Motion (a boutique that offers items made both near and far) is having a fashion show at the Lexington Restaurant in St. Paul on Monday, 5/23.  Here's the e-flyer showing some cute clothes (I particularly like the middle dress:

I'm not sure what's funnier...  the melding of two cities that just love to hate each other, or the fact that young fashion is coming to the home of 5:00 prime rib dinners for the early bird crowd.  Sounds like fun.  Too bad I'll miss it.  I love the crazy decor and coconut shrimp at the Lex.


Falling asleep?  Too much stuff gefaelling Dir?  (quick German lesson, Mir = me, so Dir = you…  in the dative case…  nevermind ;)

Well, I hope this parade of recent finds makes up for over a month of being MIA.  As you can see, I’ve been e-browsing like crazy this Spring, but I fell off the blogging wagon for a bit.  Time to climb back on and get busy.  Some upcoming posts I want to share include recent food and booze finds here in the Twin Cities, patio dining favorites (now that it’s quit snowing), and just maybe taking the dangerous dip into the topics I mentioned at the start of this entry.

Seen or bought a dress, purse or other fashionable find that's got you all fired up for summer?  Please share!  (Totally shameless appeal to you international readers - I know you're reading this...  I'd love to  hear from you guys :)

Oh, crap.  Speaking of dangerous, the tornado sirens are going off.  Again.  Off to the basement I go (again)!

Happy Summer!
M



Photo credits:

Our friends' backyard in summer - my own
Tory Burch espadrilles - Shopbop
Tory Burch messenger bag - Tory Burch
DVF dress - Diane von Furstenberg
Milly dress - Revolve
Beth Bowley dress - Beth Bowley
Citizens of Humanity jeans - Shopbop
Milly dress #2 - Bloomingdale's
Sparkle & Fade jacket - Urban Outfitters
Wren t-shirt - Revolve
Radley purse - my own
Beatrix New York backpack - Gilte Groupe sale
Nooka watch - swirl.com
Local Motion e-flyer - Local Motion (while I would provide a link to their website, it seems to be out of date)

Green Thoughts on a Grey Day

As I sit inside my house today, recovering from a 3-day trip to Cold & Sinus Hell, I'm not even sure what to think about tonight's prediction of another 2-4" of snow.  Part of me wants to say, "Are you !@*$% kidding me?"  This is the same part of me that hasn't left the house since Friday night, thanks to being sick.  I'm starting to go a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs in here.  Then again, part of me wants to say, "Meh.  We live in the Upper Midwest.  It snows in May.  Getoverit."  This is the same part of me that figures I might as well enjoy being house-bound if the flakes are gonna start fallin'.  The fridge is stocked, I've got a surplus of Pier 1 candles, and there's a wonderful thing called pizza delivery.

The impending snow and overall crappy, cold weather does make me think about the climate in general.  Which then makes me think about the Earth.  And Earth Day.  Which is on the 22nd.  How timely.

If I'd forgotten about Earth Day, a hazy memory rolled into the college experience of years past, then retailers have definitely made sure I remember it this year.  From promotions to "go green," to offering "upcycled goods," to simply asking what you might do this year to make the Earth a little more healthy, stores are making sure to participate.  I guess selling green = seeing green (and, on a slight tangent, it feels like countless retailers are attaching themselves to all sorts of causes, the Japan tsunami/earthquake being the latest example).

OK, without further ado...

Daily Candy's limited-sale site Swirl offers an Earth Day-themed pop-up boutique this week (I can't guarantee how long this sale runs, so check it soon!).  Among the brands on sale are vegan bags by Matt & Nat, a great handbag line I ran across years ago in Chicago.  Glad to see they are still going strong.  Here are a few of their items for sale:

Poketo, a fun and quirky retailer known for collaborating with artists, sent me an email today about their upcycled leather accessories.  Fun, cute and salvaged!  Take a look:

The second image is a bag that was created from a leather sofa - the vintage (as in Brady Bunch-era) fan in me got a kick out of it.  I even spied some bags that look like they're crafted from suits - you'll have to check it out.

Anthropologie tells me it's hosting Earth Day events at many store locations with this crafty email:

Click here to see if there are any events at your local store.  Weirdly, they don't seem to have anything here in Minnesota.  Odd, since this state prides itself on green initiatives.  Their email also says:

Mega-retailer Target spread its word on Facebook today, asking:

Over 600 people liked this question, but man, over 1200 had something to say about it!  Personally, I always hold on to their bags.  If it's paper, we use them for recycling day (the city of Minneapolis has a  nice program which I really appreciate...  from plastic bags to junk mail to, um, cardboard boxes from Nordstrom and Zappos, they haul it all).  If it's plastic, well, I do this:

Why, NO, that's not a big bag of...  shoes.  

Hey, I wrap 'em up in my TGT bags and throw a pair in my purse to take to work.  They're also great for stuffing wet umbrellas into while on the bus.

Kate Spade's "color of the month" is a very kelly green for April, but I have no idea if that anything to do with Earth Day.  It seems to have more to do with lush lawns and the general celebration of the return of all things green and summery.  Sure is purty to look at, though:

While we're on the subject of green-colored treasures, you might want to glance at my earlier post dedicated to such finds here.

And finally, Threadless has a great little Earth Day shirt for sale on their site:

I wuv.  If you do, too, check it out here.  They're also promoting tree-planting and other nature-friendly wares.

"Green retailing" aside, Earth Day does compel you to give serious pause about the state of the environment today.  While the forecast snowfall for tonight is fairly benign and mostly scoffable, other areas of the US have had far more serious weather:  wildfires burning in Texas and tornadoes that marched a lethal path through the South.  You do have to wonder how much is linked to climate change and how much we've contributed to that.  And whether Mother Nature is giving us a stern warning to clean up our act.

On that didn't-mean-to-be-so-somber note, are you celebrating Earth Day?  Do you try and incorporate sustainability or recycling in your daily life (like my shoe bags)?  Is there an event you're attending in your state or country?  Or, simply, is there a favorite retailer of yours that's promoting Earth Day themed awareness?

Cheers (til the snow starts to fall anyway),

Maggie

Image credits:

Matt & Nat purses - Swirl.com

Upcycled leather clutches and "sofa" purse - Poketo.com

Anthropologie email excerpt - Anthropologie.com

Target Facebook status - Facebook

Shoe mountain images - my own
Kate Spade bags - Kate Spade

"Let's Plant" t-shirt by Chow Hon Lam - Threadless.com

Telling Your Inner Mean-Girl To Take A Hike

I know.  I've been MIA.  Bad me!  Life's been a little busier than usual, but that's a lame excuse, right?  Well, then I'll blame it on our prolonged winter.  After enjoying a few glorious days of temperatures in the, gasp, 60's...  we're headed right back to the mid-30's tonight.  Even better?  Snow is forecast for Saturday.  Guess I'll delay shoving the winter coats and boots into the hall closet.  Hmm, also means I can delay the quitting of comfort foods:  creamy mac-n-cheese, pillowy gnocchi, big ol' burgers, and the to-die-for lobster and eggs concoction at Bar La Grassa.  Oh, and cheese, cheese, cheese!

However, I did want to rouse myself from a self-induced weather pity-party (with cheese) to pop in here briefly and give another shout-out to a fabulous blogger and friend of mine.

Whether we want to admit it or not, all things fashion inevitably link to something a little less fun and sparkly:  body image.  Arguably, all those trendy magazines, e-tail sites, and billboards, down to the pretty pictures of clothes that I post on here, saunter hand-in-hand with an evil twin.  Even if said wares are not being modeled on a Photoshopped, size 00 nineteen year-old, it's hard not to automatically ask yourself, "I wonder if I could pull that off?" when you're facing that image.  And unfortunately, that question often spirals towards giving yourself a less than flattering once-over.

To add insult to injury, the arrival of warmer weather (ahem, for some of you anyway) means warm weather fashion.  Retailers parade swimsuits, shorts, and other skin-baring ensembles before our summer-starved eyes.  It's hard not to laugh/cringe/smirk when imaging some of those outfits on our own bodies.  Someone save us from ourselves already!  Sheesh!

That someone might just be Sally McGraw.

Armed with a background in creative writing and a heartfelt mission to quash all the negativity, Sally writes an impressive and thoughtful blog dealing with the many questions, perspectives and yes, positive takeaways, that come from such a loaded issue.  I invite you to check out her blog this week:  Already Pretty.

Ms. McGraw has become quite established in the blogosphere.  She's been invited to attend blogging conferences, she's appeared on local TV and print to share her advice, and her blog/full-fledged website garners many admirers who are excited to add to the conversation.

And it's not just serious stuff - Sally takes the hefty subject matter and then applies it right back to fun things.  One of her blog's highlights is her outfit of the day.  It's great to see how she styles the many items in her closet, and it's hard not to envy her collection of shoes and boots.  In fact, here's an image direct from her blog, showing off some of those great boots, on her great legs, I might add:

As I scan recent headlines from fashion news sites that yap on about the curviness of Victoria's Secret models and calling Kate Moss "fat," Sally's blog is a timely read and I daresay a bit of a life buoy in a sea of relentless body critique.

And while I've been guilty of the self-criticism, it's sure as hell not going to stop me from eating all the cheese I can unearth in this house while I wait for Spring to really, really arrive.

Happy reading!
Maggie


Image:  courtesy of Already Pretty