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...

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...

attached at the wrist

What?!  Rei, you are crazy.  Seriously.  This is the sweater that would simultaneously keep me toasty warm and turn me into a cartoon character.  How do you come up with this stuff?

 Surprisingly enough, it actually only looks insane with the gloves off.  I mean, with those gloves on I think this is actually an incredibly elegant look.

Comme Des Garçons sweater at Farfetch.   

At least you'd never lose a glove again.  Did you ever have mittens on a string through your coat sleeves as a kid?  I never did, but I like the idea of it.  Yeah, free-associating a bit.

forte forte

I'm a little bit in love with this blazer.

It's so simple, just a well-cut jacket in a slightly rumpled gorgeous rust colored cotton with a delicate barely-there sheen to it.  It's slouchier than any tailored piece in my closet, but much more tailored than any slouchy piece I own, striking an impossible balance, and shocking me as I realize that I have a deep need for exactly such an item.  How did I not even know this until now?  Sadly, I tried it on in a far away land in a size 2, and only can only find it in a 0 and a 1.  I don't honestly even know what those numbers mean, but I think they mean that, for now at least, it is not meant to be mine.

stackable

I love the idea of these sets of stackable rings from Ioselliani.

The weird irregular shapes make them layer so nicely.  Also available in a blingier version (yes, blingier is now a word.  Cause I said so.)

See more stacked rings (even blingier yet) after the jump...

the perfect beanie

It may not look like much, and you might be thinking, who in their right mind would pay $135 for a beanie?!  But I, my friends, have found the holy grail of hats.  This baby soft alpaca knit hat from Ann Demeulemeester has the perfect weight, the perfect slouch, the perfect ribbing... What I'm trying to say is, it's perfect.  So who would buy such a thing?  Me.  That's who.

after the jump a few Demeulemeester items that haven't yet made their way into my closet...