Puppy Love

Dress, H&M.  Shoes, J Crew.  Necklace, Alexis Bittar.  Bag, Aldo.  Dog, Monkie.

I can't believe it’s been a whole month since my last post!!  A combination of a broken tripod, a broken computer, and a crazy work schedule kept me away from Hell or High Fashion, but now I’m back and ready to blog!

I found this adorable Scotty-dog-printed dress at Wastleland a while back, and couldn’t believe the price tag: $10, previously from H&M!  The color scheme is so my taste- I'll buy pretty much anything if it's black, white, and red- and the precious printed pups sealed the deal for me.  This piece is more shapless than most of my clothing, but I thought the hard, angular black trim on the collar was a strong enough feature to balance out the billowy cut. 

 I decided to take the dress for a spin while walking Monkie the dog. 

Or rather, Monkie took me for a spin!

I recently started working at the Alexis Bittar boutique in Hollywood, and fell head over heels for the amazing jewelry Alexis creates.  I found this Alexis Bittar pearl necklace on eBay for super cheap and won a bidding war to get it into my hands and onto my neck!  I'm obsessed with how chunky the pearls are- it takes away some of the delicacy and makes them the perfect companion for my funky ensembles.  

 I added my favorite J Crew heels to keep it classy!

Sunnies, Ralph Lauren.

For me, this is the perfect daytime outfit.  It's casual, yet pulled together; a little crazy, but subtly so; comfortable and appropriate for pretty much any errand or occasion that might pop up.  

Monkie is such a model!  Look at him posing with my tassled Aldo bag...this could be an editorial photo!!  

Monkie and I love this dress!!

Birthday Girl

Dress, Halston Heritage.  Necklace, Kenneth Jay Lane.  Bracelet, Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Yesterday I turned 22, and my favorite part of my birthday is picking out a birthday outfit!  This year I wanted to look glamorous, mature, sophisticated, and effortless and ended up in this chich Halston Heritage sheath.  I picked it up at my new favorite second-hand store, Wasteland, a few days ago and knew it would be perfect for my birthday festivities!

Pumps, Zara.  Bag, Ferragamo.

I love the sleek, minimalist style of the one-shouldered gown, and even though it's a bit shapeless- where's my waistline??- I think it works because it shows off the shoulders and legs.  I picked nude pumps to enlongate my legs; this pair from Zara almost perfectly matches my skin tone, fooling the eye into thinking the 4 extra inches added to my frame are natural.  One of my favorite fashion tricks!

My pearl-and-panther necklace from Kenneth Jay Lane lent the right amount of razzle-dazzle, and I threw on a Marc by Marc Jacobs snake bracelent and a few rings to jazz up a simple dress-and-heels combo.

Sunnies, Ralph Lauren. 

A pair of cat-eye glasses from Ralph Lauren upped the glitz factor!

Birthdays are the best excuse to get glammed up, even if your plans don't include a fancy evening out.  While this dress is most certainly an evening gown, I wore it out to a casual buffalo wing joint and felt like I was in a 5 star restaurant!  Fashion is all about having fun, and this dress accompanied me on one of those most fun nights I've ever had!!

Happy birthday to me!

Coast to Coast

Dress, Zara.  Shoes, Jeffrey Campbell.  Necklace, F21.  Sunnies, AO.

Tomorrow night I'm packing up my Mustang and driving across the country, from New Jersey to California!   My big move has got me thinking about the different styles and trends coast to coast, and I'm defnitely an East Coast girl (at least fashion-wise).  

My closet is a sea of little black dresses, which are totally appropriate in New York- but I'll definitely look a little out of place covered head-to-toe in dark colors in the LA sunshine.  Instead of pairing these LBDs with simple black pumps, I tried to jazz up my look with funky booties, strands of pearls, and matching sunnies. 

Sitting on the hood of a yellow car also helped brighten up my style!

When I visited LA a few weeks ago, I found one of my best bargains to date in these AMAZING Jeffrey Campbell booties.  I had been eyeing the shoes online, waiting for them to be marked down from $200, when I stumbled across them in Wasteland (my new favorite consignment shop).  These beauties were mine for only $42!!

Booties, Jeffrey Campbell.  

Speaking of bargain hunting, I decided to do a little shopping in my brother's closet- "borrowed from the boys" has been a huge trend for the past few seasons- and came out with the perfect aviator frames.  Joey had ordered these a few years ago from American Optical, the company that supplies military pilots with their sunglasses, and never wore them.  I tried them on and instantly knew I had to borrow (or steal) them.  They looked just right with my new boots!

I threw on jumbled pearls and toted around my Lulu Guinness lips clutch to top off the outfit. 

This particular little black dress has quickly become my favorite, because all of the simple little details balance each other out beautifully.  The high neckline plays against the short hemline, the pleated skirt keeps it from being too stuffy, and the cutout back gives the dress some sex appeal!

I'm confident that this outfit will travel seamlessly between the east and west coasts- wish me luck on my drive!!

American Beauty

Sweater, Ralph Lauren.  Shorts, Vintage.  Belt, Pierre Cardin  Shoes, Mossimo.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

I wanted to celebrate the great USofA by wearing red, white, and blue (which just happen to be my favorite colors anyway...) for a lovely Saturday of exploring Boston with an old friend.  The Ralph Lauren sweater and vintage shorts combine to create a casual chic look; I was comfortable enough to walk around town all day, but I still felt pulled-together!

This first picture could totally be a snapshot from the 1950s...I love the timelessness of classic pieces!

Lately I've fallen into a rut of sorts, choosing to exclusivly wear dresses.  Dresses are an obvious choice for me because they provide a full outfit in just one piece- but I've decided to challenge myself for the next couple days and focus on mixing and matching seperates to create new and exciting looks!  It definitely makes getting dressed in the morning more fun.

I've also been neglecting to indulge in the outfit-changing power of accessories.  So today I piled on the pearls, cinched my waist with a belt, and carried around my navy patent Ferragamo tote bag to add some intrigue to the simple sweater/shorts combo.

Then I added some vintage sunnies!

Went for a little stroll along the Charles River...Boston really is a beautiful city and I'll be sad when I leave it soon!  Although I've lived here for 4 years, I feel like there is so much I still haven't seen...

A big thanks to Patrick for snapping these pics!!

And an even bigger thanks to all the troops who keep us safe every day :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Here Comes the Sun

Skirt, belt, and bag; vintage.  Jacket, AG.  Tee, F21.  Sunlasses, Ralph Lauren.

Boston was spoiled by 60+ degree weather the other day, so I threw on one of my favorite springtime outfits and celebrated with a photo shoot in the park!

These pictures were taken by the wonderful Zash Chinhara, and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.  Finally, some fancy pictures for my loyal readers to look at!

Shoes, F21.

While not a week goes by that I don't add something to my closet, whenever spring rolls around I find myself reaching for the same old things.  This skirt, for example, has been a staple for almost 2 years now, and I think the reason the picnic-blanket print gets worn over and over is the fact that it's vintage.  It's not trying to look like a current trend; it's very plainly something from another era- and that's always in style!

I belted a vintage waist-cincher over it for a paper-bag feel and threw Nanny's old 60's purse into the mix as well.

Once the weather starts warming up, almost every one of my outfits gets topped off with my denim jacket.   It's another piece that really never goes out of style.  Granted, an acid-wash, oversized, shoulder-padded denim jacket isn't going to cut it in 2011, but a classic, cropped style like my AG jeans version will last you for years to come.

As always, pearls and nude pumps go with any look.

Also, look what I finally broke down and bought myself:

Ring, Alex Monroe.

My mouse ring!!  I wear it every single day...since the detail is so small and inobtrusive, I feel like it's a private joke that only I'm in on whenever I look down at it.  To the outside world, it looks like a simple and sophisticated gold ring;  little do they know, it really cements my status as a crazy cat lady.  :)

I might be overloading you with pictures, but I think my outfits look so much better through Zash's lens!! Don't you?