Bon voyage...

 

 photos: Free People catalog via knight cat

I fell in love with this shoot from last month's Free People catalog, and as I'm about to leave for my own voyage à Paris, the images feel even more magical right now.  I can't wait to create my own story book of photos and memories from the trip and to finally just walk around, discover and be in the place of which I've lusted over and fantasized about for years.  It really is a dream come true and I couldn't be more excited!

Au revoir!

xoxo

Outfit inspiration: wardrobe inVESTment

Mr.Newton

As I'm gearing up to head to Paris next week, I've been trying to shop rationally and practically for pieces that are multifunctional and will easily transition into spring.  And while I've been obsessing over the coat in the above photo, it just doesn't seem practical for right now, not to mention, I haven't been able to find anything like it left in stores.  That is, until last night when a light bulb went off as I stumbled upon a little wardrobe dream piece in the form of this perfect utility vest by Club Monaco (below).

I usually wouldn't gravitate towards something like this, as my style is a bit more feminine, but once I had the idea to layer it over a leather jacket, I was immediately in love with the whole concept.  Normally I'd only consider a vest to be worn over my clothing, not as something to top my outwear, but it totally works!  I can't wait to rock various renditions of this while in Paris (daily outfit photos to come).  I already tried pairing it with a tan leather jacket of mine as well, which gave it a completely different, but equally cool look.

utility vest: Club Monaco, $169,  leather jacket: Old Navy, $149,  utility coat: Veda (sold out)

This amazing Veda coat was another obsession of mine this season, but had sold out everywhere online.  Now I'm excited to sport an almost identical version and have the added bonus of mix-and-match sleeves!  I chose this leather coat by Old Navy to pair with all the looks because it's made of real leather, has a great, classic cut and only costs $149!

vest: Rag & Bone, $174.99,  leather jacket: Old Navy, $149,  coat: Veda for Opening Ceremony, $288

This is another gem of a coat by Veda, which I had selected as one of my dream coats last month.  This option, however, is a much more affordable and versatile interpretation of the style.

sleeveless trench: All Saints, $75,  leather jacket: Old Navy, $149,  trench: Burberry Prorsum, $2,795

I've never really understood the point of a sleeveless trench before, but now I can't wait to get my hands on one.  This leather-sleeved Burberry trench has been a favorite among celebrities since it walked the runway, and now we can all afford to get the look.  Most women have at least one leather jacket lying around, even if the details or cut are outdated.  That's the great thing about this concept, layering these pieces will cover any unwanted details and breathe new life into items you already own.  So do yourself a favor this weekend and head to Club Monaco to try one on... you won't regret it.

Happy weekend everyone! 

xoxo

DIY: rope necklace

A few weeks ago I spotted the above necklace by 3.1 Phillip Lim while shopping online (here) and decided it would make the perfect addition to my Spring wardrobe.  However, once I spotted the $225 price tag, I thought, "...psssh, I could make that myself!"  And so I did.

I headed to some local bead shops (if you live in NYC, go to the trimming district around 37th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue, there are a ton of bead and trimming stores all within a few steps of each other!  M&J Trimming is my favorite though!) with a print-out of the necklace in tow to purchase the necessary materials...

I started by feeding the smaller-widthed rope through the shorter curved tubes.  I used scotch tape to tightly bound the ends of the rope so it was as thin as possible to more easily slide through the tubes.  For the longer curved tube, I was unable to push the rope all the way through, because of its thickness, so I wound up using the grey rope instead.  If I were to do it again, I would have ordered wider beads online (this was the widest they had at every store I went to) but since I'm more of an instant satisfaction type girl, I made do with what i had.

After I had one grey rope and one white rope strung through the curved beads, I taped the ends of both sides together, again binding as tightly and compactly as possible to feed them trough the shorter straight beads on each side.  I then knotted the grey ropes around the white ones by repeatedly typing simple loop knots in the same direction, similar to the method used to make friendship bracelets.  Once the sides were even in length, I taped them again to be fed through the last set of beads.

The next step was to add the pearls, which I did by cutting the strands I bought into smaller pieces, equal in length to the exposed sections of white rope that I'd be attaching them to.  I used white thread to sew through the string of the pearls, into the rope and back again–a few times for each space between pearls, to make sure everything was secure.  The last step is to add the clasps and secure the loose ends with leftover pieces of grey rope–then you're finished!  The project was even easier than I imagined and I couldn't be happier with the result!  Here's the side-by-side comparison with Phillip's on the left and mine on the right... what do you think? 

A little piece of Paris

Hope everyone had a great weekend and Presidents' Day!  It was definitely a much needed break for me.  I leave for Paris in exactly one week and although I'm extremely excited, I've also been really stressed.  On Sunday I realized I was putting so much pressure on myself for everything to be perfect, that I wasn't actually taking time to relish in the excitement of it all, so I decided to try a different approach. 

I recently found this adorable charm of the Eiffel Tower for just fifty cents at a bead shop (while gathering materials for another DIY jewelry project I'll be posting this week!), to which I added a connector and old chain, making it my new favorite necklace.  I wanted to photograph it, but decided it would be cool to have something Parisian-inspired as the backdrop.

I've always loved illustrative maps of cities and decided painting my own would be a great way to indulge my creativity while getting acquainted with Paris at the same time.  I used this beautiful map by Alice Tate as a guide, but added my own points of interest (such as my hotel and important shopping destinations!).  While painting, I put on some pretty French music (thanks again to my twitter friends for the great suggestions!), sipped some red wine and enjoyed a rare day spent doing something completely purposeless.

If you decide to do some painting of your own, you might want try utilizing old or blank CD cases, like I did here.  They're a practical and inexpensive alternative to traditional artists' palettes and are especially great for acrylics because you can save any leftover paints just by misting them with water and closing the case.  It may not be glamorous, but it'll get the job done!    

Dream #46: Oscar-worthy

Happy Friday everyone!  This has been a whirlwind week for me, but thankfully it is coming to a close, and with a three-day weekended light at the end of the tunnel, no less!  I've had the opportunity to see countless inspiring pieces and collections though, and I can't wait to share everything with you!

One particular highlight of the week included crossing another item off my bucket list, as I attended my first Oscar de la Renta show (#46).  The clothing, venue and people in attendance were all just as beautiful as I expected, and to commemorate the occasion, I decided to dedicate this post to my favorite part of the collection... the earrings!  

Oscar de la Renta Fall 2011 via style.com and Vogue.com

Long, tasseled statement earrings made a comeback last year after appearing in Chanel's Spring 2011 show, but with more of a '70's, disco flair to them; whereas Oscar's have a decidedly more '20's bend.  I was so enamored with the boldly-silhouetted ear candy that I immediately began searching for a similar pair.  Below are some of my current contenders, but I think I'll have the best luck scouring through my favorite vintage boutiques this weekend!

1. Oscar de la Renta, $375.  2. Jennifer Elizabeth, $147.20.  3. Talullah Tu, $29.22.  4. Iosselliani, $295.  5. Oscar de la Renta, $257. 

6. Aldo, $11.98.  7. Dannijo, $300.  8. Erickson Beamon, $430.  9. Silvana, $42.95.  10. Glamour, $39.95.

11. Suzanna Dai, $175.  12. Dannijo, $370.  13. Kenneth Jay Lane, $75.  14. Dannijo, $338.  15. Dannijo, $370.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo 

Outfit inspiration: bold brights (Part II)

I recently discussed my love of bold brights and wanted to share some of these inspiring photos of the stylish women at fashion week who have already begun embracing the trend....with flying colors!   

Tommy Ton for style.com

Phil Oh for Vogue.com

Tommy Ton for style.com

Tommy Ton for style.com

Tommy Ton for style.com

I especially love the color and pattern layering and the refreshingly unexpected charm of wearing rainbow shades during the winter.  Below are a few bright objects of my obsession at the moment.  This tangerine-colored Tron Legacy Opening Ceremoy coat is by far my fav, and the surprise contrast of the darker shade under the collar is just icing on the cake.  All of these pieces are a little loud and definitely make a statement, but that's exactly why I like them.  

1. Tron Legacy Opening Ceremony bomber, $276.  2. Equipment blouse, $180.  3. Missoni necklace, $575.  4. Stella McCartney jacket, $568.50.  5. Zara sandals, $109.  6. Rebecca Minkoff bag, $495.  7. Reiss skirt, $215.  8. Kate Spade satchel, $425.

Heart-y cookies

I know you're probably over Valentine's Day by now, but I wanted to quickly share these adorable heart-shaped treats I made over the weekend, since I think they could be cute for other occasions as well, such as anniversaries, showers, birthdays, etc.

I decided to make whoopie pies after seeing this post on Camille Styles' blog.  I loved how the mini desert sandwiches in her photos resembled macaroons, but were described as being much easier to make.  I decided to put my own spin on the presentation though, by using cookie cutters to cut the pies into a more festive heart shape!

It took me a few batches to get the colors right, which I finally achieved by using egg whites, as opposed to the whole egg that the recipe calls for.  I'd recommend doing the same if you're planning to color yours, but really, they taste amazing either way!

I was so inspired by how these turned out, I decided to make a second creation.  Since I love black and white cookies, I thought it would be cute to do a twist on them by making black and pink cookies (also cut into hearts, of course).  I used this recipe, but added a few drops of red food coloring to the vanilla frosting.  

 

The last step was to bag them up and add these little tags that I designed and printed from my computer.  I then hole-punched the tags, along with the bag, and added a string to tie it all together.  The result is a sweet (in both taste and sentiment) way to show your love!

xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day!

bijou and boheme

frou frou fashionista

frou frou fashionista

frou frou fashionista

we heart it

this is glamorous

this is glamorous

sea of shoes

making magique

frou frou fashionista

bijou and boheme

frou frou fashionista

bijou and boheme

dress, design, decor

making magique

bijou and boheme

Hope it's a sweet one!

xoxo

Fashion! (turn to the left)

Today is the first official day of NY Fashion Week, and while I'm extremely excited to see the new collections and what's in store for Fall 2011, I'm also aware this means being even more busy than usual, so I wanted to apologize in advance if the updates on here are a bit less frequent.  I'll do my best to keep up with a regular blogging schedule, and in the meantime, I'll be live tweeting and keeping up with facebook on all the exciting happenings, sightings, falling models, peep-worthy collections and more, so be sure to follow me if you aren't already!  (twitter handle: @dreamanddress or click here, facebook name: Dream and Dress or click here.)  

jak & jil

jak & jil

jak & jil

Happy Fashion Week!

xoxo