mars attacks!

You may have noticed yesterday that my beloved Jamisons are looking a little worse for wear.  They have been little soldiers, standing up to pretty constant wear for almost two years.  And especially when I think about how little I paid for them, I'm impressed.  But they're dying and it's time to let them go.

Of course, that leaves me with a major gap in my shoe closet.  (My figurative shoe closet.  Wouldn't it be great to have an entire real shoe closet?!)

well made

Oh Madewell, you get me every time.  This rough and tumble yet streamlined utility jacket has me craving crisp fall days when I can romp through piles of crunchy fallen leaves while wearing all kinds of layers.  I know, I was just saying it's still summer, and how great that is, but honestly, when it comes to clothing, I'm all about the fall.

Effortlessly perfect, right?  Course, it's not really the jacket, it's the whole Madewell identity; they're just so good at making us want their stuff.  I know I fall for it every time.

More aspirational fall styling from Madewell...

sleeveless

This is all I want lately.  A simple button down shirt, hold the sleeves.  It's a way to stay cool without looking like you've given up.  Sadly, there's only one of these in my closet right now, and it's silk and reserved for special occasions.  Me thinks me needs more.

Some options on the table...

rashies

How cute is this?  No, not another bathing suit post, but close.  Today I'm talking about rash guards.  Otherwise known as rashies.  Otherwise known as shirts for cool surfer chicks.  Which I am totally not.  Though I would love to be.  One day.  Actually it's one of my top fantasy activities.  Just thinking about learning to surf gets my heart all aflutter.  But I digress...

For now, I can just pretend, and wear one of these super cute rashies to the beach.  And the bonus: they have a upf of 50+, which means they'd be the perfect thing if the sun's beating down a bit too hard while I'm lounging like a sloth.  Dreaming about doing this:

image from beach mentality

More surfer-chic fashion for us mortals to covet...

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...

flat style

Clever, clever, clever.  We know the folks at Madewell are geniuses at making us want need their products; the styling is always so damn good that even if I don't like a particular item on its own, they make me think I have to have it.  (Which is partly why I'm constantly talking about them.)  And now look at what they're doing with their flat styling.  A little hokey, sure, but I kind of love it.  Also interesting to think we don't need to see the whole garment to get sucked in. 

See more...

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...

counting sheep

I am smitten with this cozy sheep sweater from Oysho.  I'm not usually a fan of cutesie animal prints, but this one got me.  Also love the boyish boxy shape, I think it would be perfect for layering over a button-down (with a pop of color on the lips)

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

A few more greys from what is easily one of my favorite spanish fast-fashion labels...

entrapment

A break from my Vancouver posts to say, "Damn you, Madewell."

Seriously.  A few weeks ago in San Francisco I went in to browse and walked out with this blue striped sweater, but of course I tried everything on and fell in love with this shirt as well.  I was still pining over it a week later (which is always a sign that it's meant to be) so I ducked back into the store to pick it up.  But of course they had new things!  Which of course I had to try on.  Which of course I am now pining over, yet another week later.  Argh.  So, at the risk of boring you all (and myself) to death, in what will hopefully be my last madewell post for a long while, I present to you the pieces that caught my eye the second time around.

striped transmission tee - the perfect soft and comfy striped shirt with a bit of spunk in the pocket

biltmore felt fedoras - floppier and slightly rumpled in the store, like an old man's fishing hat

enticing jewelry - dangly earrings that are half elegance, half rock 'n roll, delicate neon rings for stacking*, and yes, again, the llama

*I know I saw a beautiful photo of someone who had slipped a thin neon ring in with her wedding and engagement ring, just a crazy pop of color in an otherwise very traditional elegant stack, and I absolutely loved the effect.  Can't now find it, of course, but if you've seen it let me know where!

couldn't resist

I know I was just talking about Madewell's current offerings a few days ago, so this post is highly inappropriate, but you're just going to have to deal with it.   What's new since then?  Well, I've been into the actual store, touching and ogling and trying on almost everything in there.  This sweater jumped into my bag (I gave them some money in exchange, don't worry), in blue of course, though now that I've seen the way they've styled this photo I want it in pink as well.  Because the main thing I am now coveting is that shirt she's got underneath.  I tried it on and man, in person, that is perfection.

Slightly sheer gauzy silk in this poppy red that reminds me of my favorite lipstick (Nars Heat Wave, in case you're looking for a good red lippie), it's masculine in shape but perfectly fitted and beautifully draped at the same time.  I have to have it.  And then we'll talk about whether or not I need the pink sweater to go over it...

madewell faves

Madewell's done it again, hooked me in with some wonderful pieces, perfectly styled, as usual.  I've got to unsubscribe from their newsletter, it's just so tempting!  Course, now that I'm in the states for a while, I could actually order some of my favorites, like this sweater, or one of these perfect chambray shirts.

Check out some of the other things I fell in love with after the jump...

jamison

Anyone out there looking for ankle booties like the Isabel Marant Dicker, Rachel Comey Mars, or even the Madewell Zipcode but at a much lower price, need look no further.  I have the answer for you in these DV Jamisons.  They're only $119 and ridiculously comfortable.  Available in both black and taupe, I have been wearing mine almost every day for months now and still think they are the bee's knees.  Even contemplating getting a backup pair, which you know means it's true love.

made so well

A few more things I'm mulling over at Madewell.

colorfade ex-boyfriend shirt, half shirt, half jacket, 100% cozy and tough

forest feather fedora, they call it a fedora but it's much floppier, and refreshingly different

shadowspot maxi, paint-splattered sheer silk georgette, fully lined, fully gorgeous

yesterday's temptations

The Bill Cunningham New York documentary was amazing, and I highly recommend it to everyone, even those not so interested in fashion.  His joy and singularity of purpose were mind-boggling, and I wanted to reach out and hug him through the screen.  Such a wonderful and inspiring film.

After the movie my pal and I went shopping, a dangerous thing the two of us together, thank god it only happens once a year.  I fell in love with too many pieces, and as a consequence didn't buy anything (except for, finally, a water bottle).  So I put to you my favorites so you can tell me what I need and what I can live without.

This blazer with its heavy sturdy herringbone wool in this surprising shock of orange (much more textured and rich in person) stole my heart as soon as I walked into J Crew.  This is not just a for-looks blazer, this is a real warm fall jacket, and looks amazing layered with sweaters and hoodies and scarves.  

This soft cotton button-down has the perfect leopard print on it, almost more cheetah, much more casual edgy safari shirt than wealthy old lady blouse.  It fits a little snug on my curvy hips, but as a layering piece it pretty much blew my mind.

more i-think-i-must-haves after the jump...

madewell wishlist

Madewell has a similar effect on me as its sister store J. Crew - I want to be as easy-going and casually beautiful as the effortlessly styled women in the catalogues and lookbooks, but when I actually get into one of their stores I find myself sort of at a loss; nothing seems nearly as tempting.  At least, that's what happened to me last year in nyc when I hit Madewell for the first time.  Maybe this year will be different since I've developed more of a covetous relationship with their goods online.  Here's some of the items I am currently craving:

silk shutterbug top, and above, silk maxi dress

more after the jump...