skirting the issue

A simple outfit that's becoming my go-to uniform for summer weekends: a T by Alexander Wang classic pocket tank, a jersey maxi skirt from Zara, Rag & Bone Vespa sunglasses, Hawaiana flipflops (invisible, but there), a great big silver cuff from a market in Peru, and a solid leather tote I picked up at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul many moons ago.  Most of that's not available anymore, but you can come pretty close.

Some options, and some secrets...

light layers

It's officially spring here in Madrid.  We've done daylight savings time, there's little blossoms blooming everywhere, it's chaotically alternating rain and sun in a totally unpredictable way, and it is finally warm enough to go outside without a big coat on.  Rejoice!  Since it's been a while since my last outfit post, and nothing makes me happier than lots of layers (they call me an onion around here) and I thought I'd show you how I've been piling it on lately.  Nothing fancy, just simple, comfy, easy lightweight layers.

On the left: hat - Anne Demeulemeester // sunglasses- Paul Frank // necklace - mashallah pendant I've had (literally) since I was born // hoodie - American Apparel // parka - Filippa K // t-shirt - T by Alexander Wang // pants - Zara //  sneakers - Zara

On the right: hat - forte forte // jacket - the kooples // scarf - zara (ancient, but it's just a sheet of jersey fabric - DIY anyone?) // bag - cos (last season) // blouse - zara // jeans - fidelity // boots - moma

As you can see, a lot of these items have been in my closet for ever, so you might not be able to get the exact same pieces now, but here are some other options currently available...

harrow two ways

I spent the entire weekend in my new boots.  So good.  They are indeed as comfortable as I'd hoped, and I can in fact walk for hours in them.  Saturday night my boots and I even stayed out til 3 in the morning (a huge accomplishment for a homebody like me) and my feet barely complained at all.

black bootie

Yes my friends, this is for real.  I alluded to it before, and it's been a long time in the works, but The Great Black Boot Experiment of 2012 is finally finished, and the results are in.  I researched hundreds (pretty sure I'm not exaggerating here) of black ankle boots, narrowed it down to 8 candidates, and after careful scientific analysis, have made my decision.

I'm sure you're dying to know all the gory details...

dear santa

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11

Sometimes shopping for others leads to certain, ahem, distractions.  So in the process of putting together my gift guides and getting my christmas shopping done, I've come up with a little wishlist for myself.  These are the things, great and small, that would make me extremely happy to find under the proverbial tree this year.  Hope Santa reads my blog. 

The details...

mad hatter

I've been wishing for a new hat for a while now, and while I was lusting after this one from Madewell, I missed out, leaving the country before I could convince myself it was a reasonable expense (it totally would have been).  It actually worked out for the best because I found me a hat that went beyond all my expectations for what a hat can do.  This guy can sit low on your forehead, or high and back, it will handle hair sticking out from under it or tucked away underneath.  It's part fedora, part grandpa's fishing hat, part Pete Doherty rocker hat.  I don't usually post too many self-portraits here but I figured, what's a hat without a head to put it on?  So here it is in action:

There you go, I've outed myself for the love of a hat.  It's by Italian brand Forte Forte (creators of a lightweight jacket which totally bewitched me this summer), which sadly is extremely hard to find online, but it has made me really really excited about hats in general for fall.  Here's a few other options worth considering...

beach essentials

I'm back!!  Almería and Málaga were ridiculously beautiful and relaxing, and through it all I ate like a champ and rested like a pro.  I'll tell you more about the trip later (with a few recommendations in case any of you find yourselves in Southern Spain any time soon), but for now I thought I'd post what turned out to be my beach essentials.

1. black bikini - ok, mine's from H&M, but I dream of having a luxurious yet basic Eres swimsuit like this one day
2. kindle - loaded with tons of fiction and nonfiction, something for every possible mood
3. baseball cap - again, mine's from H&M, the men's department, but anything to block the sun while you're napping face up will do.
4. a coverup - this sheer cotton shirt from Zara was perfect (especially since, unlike the model here, my legs are not 5 ft. long, so it was much longer on me), both for when the sun was hitting too hard, or when the wind was sandblasting us.
5. sunglasses - these, picked up in Madison last summer, are still my favorites.  My other countless pairs are feeling neglected, but I'm trying to reduce object-induced guilt.
6. sunscreen for your face - this one by Kiehl's is still my go-to here in Spain, but in the US I also swear by Peter Thomas Roth
7. peshtemal - turkish bath towels are the best for the beach; they take up very little room in your bag and are great for laying on, drying with, and wearing as a wrap.
8. notebook - for recording all the ins and outs of your trip, your thoughts or dreams, or for planning that novel that you're gonna write, one day, you swear,
9. sunscreen for your body - something with a high spf, applied liberally, every few hours.  That's how I went from Snow White to Beyonce.  Ha!  Seriously, I came back with what I thought was a savage tan but literally NO ONE noticed.  Just goes to show you how very very pale I was to begin with.  Now I just look normal.
10. a favorite pen - not your father's cherished mont blanc fountain pen, just a good solid fat pen that makes you happy, that you can scribble with even when you're weakened by hours of sun and sea.
11. flipflops - havaianas for me, always.  They never give me blisters.  But that part about them not getting hot in the sun?  Lies.  Nevertheless, I love them.

blood sucker

Last night our bedroom was invaded by an Evil Mosquito.  She tortured us all night long, with her buzzing, blood-sucking, poison-injecting ways.  At some point I looked over at husband, who had covered his entire face with the blanket, and I worried that he might suffocate to death, but my primary concern was still surviving the night myself.  Eventually I got up and turned the living room light on in the hopes that she would go to the light like a lost soul, and I think it may have worked because I did get a few hours' sleep towards dawn.  But when I woke up, my right eye was swollen shut.  Seriously, why would she bother?  I mean, how much blood can there even be in an eyelid?  Got up, looked in the mirror, and a monster stared back at me.  Not much I could do at that point except whine and complain, take some benadryl, and put on some fabulous sunglasses to hide behind.  Thank goodness I have these:

Rag & Bone vespa sunglasses, in a beautiful subtle green, available at Twigs for 50% off the original price.  (Again with the good shopping in Madison, what's up with that?).

Hideous bulbous eyelid concealed.  Now I just have to go take a nap from all that Bendaryl.

sweaterscapes

See my newest purchase in its entirety after the jump...

boot evolution

These Rag & Bone boots are so lovely. Just the right blend of elegant yet tough, streamlined yet substantial. The color, the texture, the seaming, the heel, I just think they're perfect.

Interestingly enough, this version, from a previous season, seems so far from perfect to me.  And I find it fascinating how just changing a few details can have such an impact on the overall effect.

bottom braids

I've been thinking about braids a lot lately.  I think braid-mania as we know it started with the A Wang spring 2010 show.  You know what I'm talking about, you've seen it a million times by now, and it's still going strong.  I'm not complaining; I'm a big fan.

But recently I saw this ad again in Vogue España.  It's from the Givenchy spring 2011 campaign.

 image from fashionista.com

It kind of blew me away.  They just braided the ends of the hair!  This is revolutionary stuff, how could I not have noticed it before?  And how come this didn't catch on like wildfire?  Why wasn't everyone doing this?

 On the runway the 'dos were a little more over the top, and actually I think all those old school glam waves around the face somehow detract from the gorgeousness of these bottom braids.  But still, the bottom braid (I just made that term up, don't go around saying it like anyone will understand you) is very appealing to me.

 Would it work in real life?  Will someone with less layers in their hair please try it out and tell me?

For those of us who do have tons of layers, both the side braid and the bottom braid are pretty much impossible to achieve in any meaningful way.  But then I found this at Rag&Bone FW 2011:

 

Random messy braiding joy.  And the other day it was even featured on Refinery 29 in a bit they did on easy new hairstyles.  They called them 'deconstructed braids'.

What do you think?  Pretty cool, right? And I think even with layered hair it would work well, maybe weaving in a few more small braids in with the larger ones.  Then again in real life it might just look too disheveled for anyone to believe you did it on purpose.  Then again, I might not care.

all runway images from style.com