i'll just say

yes.

yes.


yes.

i love these beyond words. the bulldog is my favorite, although i am also partial to the greyhound.

the shop that carries these gems? atelier abigail ahern

ps. new york times proclaimed that the store is a "hard edged wonderland"

i don't understand

why i don't have a dressing room. i could even work with a walk-in closet, as long as it's enormous. or at the very least, big enough for this guy.
serena and lily ottoman here.

i spent

too much time (about 5 minutes) in the steve madden store recently. looking for a nude pair of flats. i know, i know, i am really late to the nude shoe game. but what can i say? it takes me a while to warm up to most things (except dogs). i don't want to spend a fortune on these, and i don't want embellishments. just simple, relatively comfortable, and able to go with anything. s.m. was not my first choice of retailers, but it had come to this.

alas, there were some questionable characters: a guy speaking way too loudly and way too bossy to his girlfriend and some girls whose nasally voices hit at the exact spot in my brain to cause a headache. but nude flats? nope.

so i took to the internet, my trusty shopping companion when all else fails. but as is the case in so many other aspects of life (see the paradox of choice, one of my all time favorite books about human consumption and satisfaction), the internet presented way too many options, which turned into confusion.

which shade of nude? there is a yellow nude, a tan nude, and a pinky nude. eeeek.

i finally settled on these cole haan puppies:they are definitely on the pinky side, but i'm crossing my fingers they're not tooooo pink. they're as simple as they get, and cole haan is usually pretty comfy. and they were on sale for my huge sized feet, so i was in luck (shoe luck rarely happens to us bigfoots. i'll take what i can get). they're better quality than anything from steve madden...and no nasally voices anywhere.

even though

i'm still on the fence about those open toe booties, i love everything else about this outfit.


especially the coat. and that knee length skirt.

{from chris benz s/s 11 collection, found here}

in. love.

with this.

aackkkk. just look at it.
are you peeing in your pants with glee like i am?

this has to be one of the most splendid bookstores in the world.

opened as a theatre in 1919. obviously. learn more here.

if this doesn't warrant a trip to buenos aires, i just don't know what does.

typography

who knew?

harvard educated lawyer matthew butterick makes his case for why lawyers should care about typography and how it can make a difference in the legal world.

find out more on his website here.

he already has my vote.

a belated

mention of the new online home-decor magazine rue.

i have mixed feelings about all these online magazines. but they do have some great inspirational pictures. i find that i'm rarely drawn to the entire picture - the rooms are a bit much, a bit too done, a bit too thought out.

but i often can find some detail that grabs my attention.


like those fantastic dog pillows. WHERE CAN I FIND THEM??????

i used

to be more prissy than i am now i think.

brown wasn't to be worn with black. silver and gold should be kept far away from each other.

but then...who knows what happened. two years in india, a chunk of time in italy, a blog world full of fashion inspiration...and i got with it. i love black and brown. and i am perpetually looking for an elegant silver and gold ring - one with some oomph but still understated.

this juliet & company mixed metals bracelet?


delectable.
$49, available at shopbop here

after

a day of atoning and no food, D. and i went to a relatively new restaurant in our neighborhood.


it was more than just we were both ravenous.

the food was DEEElicious.


if anyone is in the philadelphia area, i would highly recommend barbuzzo, the lastest in the long line of welcome and well thought out shops and restaurants on 13th street by duo marcie turney and valerie safran.

on the hunt

i've been searching for a nice pair of animal-friendly fall shoes. i want something durable that is unoffensive to the eyes.

converse are certainly an option. they're a teensy bit too ubiquitous for my liking.

there is also a similar pair from keen {found at zappos here}:
eh. not exactly impressed. a bit too clunky.

i'm somewhat interested in these puppies from sanuk {found at zappos here}:
too...surfery?

i'll keep prowling.

there are

few things - clothing wise - that i love more than sweaters.

from big and bulky to elegant and ethereal, sweaters pull together an outfit like no one's business. i'm all for streamlining one's closet to the essentials. it is, without a doubt, a sincere goal of mine. but when it comes to sweaters...it proves extremely difficult.

don't give me ruffles. forget the sequins.


i want boxy yet refined {arrow sweater jacket from jcrew here}



i want nautical and striped {navy stripe jersey from zara here}



i want loose sleeved and tunic length {tory burch birgul sweater here}

ohhhh, the options.

i won't lie

i am not floored by her music. a little too bubblegum for me.

but inna modja's sartorial choices? her sweet, fresh, retro yet still oh-so-in-the present, all with a touch of sass?


music to my ears.

oversized

i love this oversized print.



i have a thing for either teensy weensy objects or oversized ones. the play of proportions is what gets me everytime. i would hang this on a large stark wall. or on the dimunitive wall in my super cozy bathroom.

if i ever

have a sunroom, i will need to decide how to decorate it.

one idea is the calm-inducing perfection of this spot:


the grey softness is inviting, and the mix of textures helps it from becoming cold. this whispers lounging to me, in the best possible way.

{excellent photography by dan duchar}

i have a somewhat

love/hate relationship with garance dore, the fashion writer/blogger extraordinaire. i don't always agree with her take on fashion, and i sometimes get annoyed with her somewhat ditzy writing style.

but i do think she has a good eye, and, more often than not, i just love her drawings.

case in point.
while the topic of her post today (see here) revolves around what she won't every try, fashion-wise (the above picture illustrates her refusal to try a cat-eye) i adore the drawing and the style of this gal.

part '60s hippie, part '70s out-there, all with an updated feel. unlike ms. dore, i will try very very very hard for this look. i love it.

be still

my heart.


this is my style. old, loved, weathered. not too fussy. romantic.



these go in my inspiration folder. immediately.

from here, found here.

looking for waves

i've never been very knowledgeable about hair styling. perfecting a french braid was finally achieved. about a year ago. too bad it comes about fifteen years too late for middle school.

now i'm looking for a relatively easy way to create some waves in my hair.
this guy (available here) looks a bit like a cattle prong to me, and it's $179. yowza.

but does it work?

i wish there were a store devoted to beauty tools with employees who would spend fifteen minutes teaching you technique (i would pay!) and then you have the option of buying the tools.

i think it would be a goldmine.

yummmmyyy

oh my.
how delicious.

drool over more of satomi kawakita's work here.

and that initial calligraphy? just delightful.

found through this great blog.

while i'm at it...

another artist who is big on style and small in scale.




this artist is so fantastic. i cannot get enough. dalton ghetti does all his work by hand, without a magnifying glass.

whatttttt.

it is out of control, i love it. i was also lucky enough to see it in person at one my all-time favorite museums in the country, the american visionary art museum (its site is hokey; the art there is crazy good). his work, and the museum are both stunning.read more about his creations here.

first day

of september.
woohooo!

also back to school. boo.
my last back-to-school in a long while i think.

though only marginally related to the return to school (new school year = new crayons, no?), and not at all related to the hopefully cooler weather that's on the horizon, the work of diem chau floors me.
love the girl and her dog. just love.