vince

It was about a year ago that I posted those surreal sweaterscapes I'm so partial to and extolled the virtues of Vince knitwear.  Season after season they manage to just keep churning out high quality knits in totally covetable designs.  (And they last!  All of my Vince sweaters look impeccable even after years of constant use.)  But as much as I loved them, I was kind of convinced that was all they did and never paid much attention to the rest of their goods.  Until now.  So many good things on hand, like pony hair sneakers and oversized military coats:

And also t-shirts, leather jackets, silk shirts, and yes, of course, knits...

o'2nd

Just stumbled onto Korean clothing line O'2nd and am so excited about it.  I love the playful use of unexpected patterns and textiles that still somehow manages to feel subtle.  So smart.  Just look at how this riotous mix of prints, colors, and textures seems so quietly wearable:

Apparently they've been very successful on Korea and in China, but the rest of us are only just beginning to hear about it.  It's about time!   

Their Fall/Winter 2013 lookbook has me drooling over so many pieces...

vpl lusting

I've talked about VPL swimwear before, and yes, a year later, I'm still lusting after the majority of their suits.  Not quite as wacky as the We Are Handsome suits, but not the minimalist Eres either, these bikinis seem to strike a perfect balance between playful and subdued; they're simple but thoughtfully designed, sporty but elegant, and I love the extra bit of coverage in the bottoms.

More VPL goodness...

da bomb

What the what? This insanely intricate, decadent, shiny and gorgeous bomber from Zara stopped me in my tracks.  Practical?  Possibly not.  But I seem to care less and less about that lately.  It also reminds me of a black and hot pink satin bomber I had when I was a kid, embroidered with sunglass-wearing cherubs and the word "Angelinos".  Yeah, I was that kind of a kid.

It also got me thinking about bombers in general, the new incarnations we're seeing (again, obviously), and then when I saw  this neoprene one from T by Alexander Wang I was convinced this issue needed further investigation.
Most folks online are showing it mini and shrunken, which is very cute, but I'm more inclined to wear it like the lovely Ivania does, oversized and cozy, like a big neoprene hug.  (If you're not familiar with her blog check it out, she is a brave minimalist if ever there was one.)

More bombers...

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.

tassels and fringe

Back in Spring 2012 Ann Demeulemeester went a little tassel crazy.  While I honestly have no desire to look like a lampshade or drapery (Carol Burnett's Went With The Wind anyone?), I do think that this distilled version of it is totally beautiful and absolutely wearable.

Granted, it's sold out everywhere but here, so obviously I'm a little late on this one.  But doesn't it seem like we could just loop a beautiful long tassel through a buttonhole somewhere?  Doesn't that seem like a wonderful idea?

Barneys layered the blazer over some more tassels, and even though that's a lot of fringe, I actually think that works beautifully too.  What do you think, will you add a tassel to your life?

vpl swim

If I were in the market for a new swimsuit I would seriously consider one of these from VPL.  I know they're borderline lingerie, but on the other hand VPL lingerie is borderline sportswear, so I think there's a lot of wiggle room there.  I love the way this one looks at first glance like it's mesh and sheer panels, ultra revealing, but it's actually just very clever use of color and texture giving that illusion.  The one piece looks gorgeous too.

cartography bikini top and bottom, fracture one-piece

By the way, all of these are seriously on sale right now.  Just saying.