Tocca Fall 2011

Ever since Lyell closed last year, there's been a bit of a hole in my fashion-lovin' heart. Each season, it was always the collection I looked forward to seeing the most. I'm not sure exactly what the deal is, but when you go to the old Lyell website, it redirects you to the Tocca website where these photos of a new collection are presented. Whatever is going on, I'm happy about it!

Confirmed via Nylon magazine... Emma Fletcher is now the designer at Tocca. Yay! (Thanks for the link, W)

End of Summer Etsy Sale!

I'm trying to make room for lots of fall items that I'm excited to list in the Etsy shop. So... I've marked down over 100 pieces in the shop to less than $18. Ready, set, shop!

Twenty-seven Names Winter 2012

photos by Guy Coombes

I've been trying to keep an eye on the collections from New Zealand Fashion Week as they're being shown this week but it's more difficult to find good photos since there's no typical style.com coverage of the shows. I'm super excited to see the Juliette Hogan lookbook once it's shot since the few photos from the runway show look really great. If you have a moment, check out this video of the show featuring an interview with Ms. Hogan.

OK, this is not a post about Juliette Hogan, but rather the Winter 2012 collection from Twenty-seven Names. They opted out of the traditional runway show in favor of an exhibition in the form of a party. You can see lots of behind the scenes photos of the festivities on Katherine is Awesome. I really like the navy and mustard color palette of the collection.

photos by Tom b.

- H&M dress
- UO fatigue jacket
- Hunter Wellies
- sunglasses courtesy of BonLook



This weekend we were all prepared for a visit from Hurricane Irene. Fortunately all we saw was a lot of rain and wind and a few branches down in the backyard. Yesterday when the rain finally stopped we walked downtown to the Spring House Taproom to celebrate a friend's birthday. I wore my rain boots in hopes of splashing in some puddles but everything was already dried up. The wind, however, was still going full force which made for some pretty interesting photo-taking.

I was also wearing my new sunglasses from BonLook. I am blessed with good eyesight so when they offered to let me try out a pair of their glasses, at first I almost declined since I don't need to correct my vision. Then I realized they also offer nonprescription lenses and sunglasses so I gladly took them up on their offer. I'm wearing the Weekend @ Bernie's style. If you check out their site and see something that catches your eye (no pun intended!) you can use the coupon code BONLOOKGIVE to receive $10 off your purchase.

Whistles A/W 2011

Whistles Autumn/Winter 2011 from WHISTLES on Vimeo.

I love all the slow motion prettiness in this video featuring the fall collection from Whistles. I'd been meaning to gather some photos from the collection for a post, but I think seeing them in motion is even better.

Mt. Gretna

photos by Tom b.

- Topshop sailor shirt
- Fletcher for Lyell shorts
- Topshop boots
- Fieldguided tote

Earlier in the week Tom and I took part of an afternoon off (a pretty novel idea for the two of us in the middle of the week) and drove up to Mt. Gretna. We'd been there once before the first summer we moved to PA for an arts & crafts festival which was packed with all sorts of, well, arts and crafts. This time the place was a bit more subdued and reminded me of the summer resort where Baby and her family stayed in Dirty Dancing. That's a good thing, by the way. There was a little man-made lake with a diving platform built in the middle. You could rent a canoe or a paddle boat but Tom and I just opted for a walk around the edge of the lake. After our walk we treated ourselves to an early dinner at the Jigger Shop. We had the only two vegetarian options on the menu, a portabella sandwich and a hummus wrap. Or course we were still hungry after that so we added a scoop of chocolate almond and butter pecan ice cream.

Dear Creatures Fall 2011

The other day we got a little sneak peek at the fall collection from Dear Creatures. Now all the pieces can be seen on their Facebook page. I was instantly obsessed with the wool jumper that has the buttons down the side. Now I can add to the list of must haves; that sailor collared coat (in camel wool or olive corduroy?!), the herringbone cape and the pleated blouse with the bow at the neck.

photos by Tom b.

- 60s cotton dress
- vintage hat
- Topshop oxfords
- Field Guided tote

Tom and I were out for a drive and decided to check out a trail we'd heard about that leads to an observation tower. It was one of those beautiful days that felt more like fall than summer with bright blue skies and big puffy clouds. We found the trail with no problem but not long down the path we discovered a long fence with a blocked gate. Fail! We weren't able to make to the observation tower so we just wandered around through the fern covered paths for a bit. I could have stayed out there all day!

Etsy Collection: Summer Blues

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I'm working on adding lots of pretty blue pieces to the Etsy shop. I think this will be the last of the summery items that I'll add to the shop. I'm really itching to get started sorting all the fall and winter pieces I've been collecting. While we're talking about the shop I wanted to mention a change to the Etsy search feature that you may have read about. Up until now, when you searched for an item on Etsy, the most recently listed items appeared in the results. Now the items are sorted by "relevance". That's all well and good, but as sellers, I think we're all scrambling to figure out how to make our items more "relevant". For one, that means I'm going to have to change the way I title and tag my items. Anja talked about it on her blog as well and she probably explained it a bit better than me. Just remember that if you want to see the most recently listed items when you do a search, you'll have to choose that option manually.

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Alexa Chung for Madewell Fall 2011

I was lucky enough to snag a few pieces from last year's collection and hope to do the same this year. I'm already spying a few things I'd like to try out. I've read that the collection has an American road-trip vibe and was inspired by girls in bands who live in their looks. I've already marked Sept. 22 on my calender!

photos by Tom b.

- vintage dress
- Topshop boots
- H&M sunglasses
- vintage Coach purse

Yesterday Tom and I walked downtown to Character's Pub for brunch with his family to celebrate his mother's birthday. I had the wild mushroom and parmesan omelet with an heirloom tomato salad. Yum! I wish I had another one today. On the way home we stopped to take a few snapshots.

This outfit came about in a backwards sort of way since I was determined to wear these boots but couldn't pick out a dress to go with them. I ended up throwing on this vintage one that I've been wanting to wear for a while. The colors are a bit more fall than summer so it's perfect for how I'm feeling right now.

Peter Jensen's Anna Karina

I realizes there's nary a chance that you haven't already seen these images floating around the internet by now. Regardless, I couldn't resist the chance to document it here. Peter Jensen's fall collection was inspired by the ultimate French New Wave muse Anna Karina so of course I was bound to love it.

29 Palms

photos by Tom b.

- vintage dress
- H&M sunglasses
- vintage Aigner flats

I just realized I have a couple more sets of photos from our trip to California in May that I haven't posted. I better get to it before summer is over! These were taken on the day that we drove from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree. We arrived at the motel a bit too early to check it so we took a short drive down to 29 Palms to waste some time. While we were in 29 Palms we discovered this abandoned motel so we stopped to take a look around. Mostly what I remember about this little event was how incredibly hot it was out there! I had just picked up this gauzy vintage dress at Wasteland on Melrose the day before and was soooo happy to have something so light and airy to wear. It's been my go-to dress for the rest of the summer on days when it's been too hot to think.

Etsy Collection: Summer Skirts

lilly striped skirt /// margeaux chambray skirt /// charlene striped skirt
evelyn patchwork skirt /// mildred striped skirt /// edna plaid skirt

louise culottes skirt /// alice floral skirt /// peggy pleated skirt
florence plaid skirt /// lillian wrap skirt /// gladys plaid skirt

pauline plaid skirt /// annie plaid skirt /// helen plaid skirt
francis floral skirt /// dorothy floral skirt /// etta floral skirt

strawberry fields skirt /// rose hips skirt /// berry picking skirt
plum button skirt /// lavender plaid skirt /// prairie floral skirt

seaside skirt /// samantha skirt /// rainy day skirt
genevieve skirt /// amelia skirt /// southern magnolia skirt

Fall Collections

My folder with fall/winter collections is quickly filling up! Rather than let them slowly trickle onto the blog, I thought I would do one big round up post. Here it is! There are still a few collections that I'm looking forward to seeing (Nadinoo, Dear Creatures) but all of these have caught my eye for one reason or another.

Above is the A.P.C. collection which always has nice, simple pieces. I'm going to be on the hunt for a mustard colored sweater like that one.




The Margaret Howell collection also has nice, simple pieces and makes me want to wear flat shoes with everything. On my wishlist: the perfect pair of chelsea boots.



Eve Gravel has lots of cute little black dresses, but I think the striped pieces are my favorites.



The photography accompanying the Fischer collection is every bit as good as the clothes themselves.



I'm so glad I discovered the South American line Greens on Starr's blog. That toggle coat is utter perfection!



This might be cheating a little bit since ASOS isn't exactly a designer's collection but I'm really loving the styling of a lot of their fall pieces. Again, the toggle coat is my favorite.



I've noticed there are a lot of shorts in these winter collections. I really like this tailored pair from Sandro.



Seeing the Portland Collection from Pendleton is making me look forward to breaking out all of my cardigans.

Moving Pictures: Danse Serpentine c. 1896

I'm entranced by this video, shot around the turn of the last century the Lumière brothers and hand colored frame by frame. The unknown performer is sometimes mistaken for the modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller.

Photography: Bright Young Things

Photos by Jeff Bark, styled by Kate Harrowsmith, Marie Claire AU April 2011

It's not often that I see an editorial from a major fashion magazine that catches my eye. I guess this one from Marie Claire Australia has been floating around the internet for a few months but I didn't really pay much attention to it back when spring was just beginning and I was getting excited about the prospect of sundresses and sandals. Now that I'm beginning to think about the inevitability of fall's arrival I'm looking at it in a whole new light. Let's go over the checklist: prim and proper skirts, pretty white blouses, striped knits, muted colors, sailor inspired details. Yep! I think that just about sums up my entire fall wishlist!

- H&M blouse
- thrifted silk skirt
- vintage hat
- 70s Thom McAn WoodWorks sandals
- vintage woven tote

Today we woke up to what felt like could have been the first day of fall. We quickly opened up all the windows in the house to enjoy some fresh air after weeks of living in the air conditioning. Even though it quickly warmed up outside I knew it would be the perfect day to finally wear this fall-hued silk skirt. It sat in my shop for ages and no one snatched it up so I decided to keep it for myself after I saw a similar one in Secret Squirrel's new Botanica collection. I'm sure it's going to be a favorite this fall.

Picker Sisters

Have y'all been watching Picker Sisters? I first saw the previews for the show while watching an American Pickers marathon and I was a bit dubious about a show trying to be too much like American Pickers but just switching out Frank and Mike with two girls in short-shorts. Theses gals better know what they're doin', I thought. So far I've been pleasantly surprised. Although at times I want to yell at them to just get in there and get their hands dirty, their genuine friendship and love of all things rusty come through in a way that makes them endearing. And instead of just rescuing old junk they are finding ways to repurpose each piece; an old gate becomes a headboard, pieces of farm equipment become a light fixture, a meat saw becomes a bathroom vanity. No, I didn't make that last one up. It's making me look at things in a new perspective when it comes to decorating my own home.

Hudson

Ever since looking at the Olive & Orange fall collection I've been thinking about the perfect pair of oxfords. I have a vintage pair that I like but it would be nice to some day invest in a well crafted pair that will last forever. When that day comes I think it will be a pair of Hudsons that grace my feet. They have a really nice selection of classic shoes with just the right amount of details. I don't like fancy shoes with lots of embellishments so these are right up my alley. I really like the "washed" collection where the leather has been treated to give it a vintage feel. Right now they don't deliver anywhere outside the U.K. but for us Stateside gals, UO carries a few of the styles.

Etsy Collection: Summer Pastels

seafoam lace dress /// ray of sun dress

intersecting lines dress /// meriweather stripe dress /// summer skies dress

begonia pink dress /// victoria dress /// alice gingham dress

pale as ice dress /// venice beach romper /// margeaux lounge suit

brighton beach romper /// lemon drop top /// peaches and cream dress

first frost blouse /// plum sheer blouse /// lollipop plaid skirt

over the rainbow top /// shady days blouse /// carnival stripe top

williamsburg plaid top /// rose crochet top /// summer best blouse