{ top ten / twenty ten }

{ top ten / twenty ten }

last year around this time, i did a recap of my ten favorite costumes of 2009. it was really fun to look back on my first full year of blogging, and i've been excited to do it again this year!



while working on this post, it was interesting to note evolutions in both my personal style AND in my blogging style. besides my hair color, a lot has changed in the past year. in a way, i feel like i've come into my own, and it's been incredibly creatively and professionally rewarding. i can't wait to see what 2011 brings ~ i already have some life-altering projects in the pipeline, and quite simply could not be more excited about the future. so, this peek into the past will be fairly brief:



{ above left: seduced by sparkle // above right: fresh perspective }



{ above left: the lightness // above right: fethers falling }



{ above left: taffeta and tulle // above right: condiment colors }



{ above left: of flocks & feathered frocks // above right: citizen/bazaar }



{ above left: a few favorite things // above right: a vision softly creeping }



have you been reading long enough to remember them all? if so, thank you! if not, thank you too; i'm glad you're here now!! did you have a favorite look ~ either listed above or left out? let me know in the comments below.

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of course, the last year has been about a lot more than just outfits. i welcomed a new love into my life, in the form of one very cuddly papillon puppy:



i also had the immense honor of designing my own handbag for coach (which sold out in just a few short days!)...



...as well as appearing in an ad campaign for the same brand, plus similar projects for forever21 and 12by12:



i poured blood, sweat and tears into the launch of an eponymous jewelry emporium:



i moved into (and decadently decorated) a new apartment, joined (and wholeheartedly embraced) facebook, and teamed up to collaborate with really fabulous brands including ralph lauren, erin fetherston, josie natori and primary|new york (whose next collection i'm already consulting on!). all told, 2010 was really a banner year!! 2011, bring on your best.

{ block party }

{ block party }

{ karen walker sunnies, kelly framel necklace, nümph sweater courtesy of modcloth, stella mccartney corset, dedegumo watch, coach classic duffle, banana republic socks, alexander wang shoes (best seen HERE) }

had a pretty spectacular week, but man am i ready for the weekend! slouchy dresses are my jam for the next few days.

{ grazia }

{ grazia }

i'm currently writing to you from milan, where i am honored to be a guest of grazia magazine for fashion week. before coming over, they asked me to shoot a story and share a few words for their website on the topic of grace ('grazia' is the italian word for this). it's a trait i certainly aspire to exude, albeit one i don't always achieve. anyway, in case you don't speak italian (me neither!), i've included excerpts from the piece i wrote below:



{ karen walker sunnies, primary blouse and skirt, forever21 cropped cami, gifted corello bag, alexander wang shoes }

GRACE. Grace is a virtue that’s far-too-infrequently celebrated these days. It’s not about stature or prominence or even glamour. Grace is elegance. It is deference and authority in equal measure. It is good manners, it is kindness and it is a sense of propriety.

But grace is not stuffy. It is being comfortable in one’s own skin, while conscientiously allowing others to feel equally at ease around you. In fashion, this means dressing in a way that is appropriate to your lifestyle and surroundings. That is, embracing your age (at any age!) by combining femininity with a dose of mystery, plus a necessary nod to functionality.



{ nine west sunnies, club monaco jacket, kelly framel necklace, vintage dress (last seen HERE), corello belt, yves saint laurent shoes }

Happily, graceful is the perfect word to describe this season’s long-skirted look. Full and pleated, or languidly bias-cut, it matters not. Either way, the look is simultaneously timeless and contemporary. It harkens back to the silhouettes of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, but can be paired just as easily with a utility jacket and wedges as a trench coat and pumps. Modern mid-length skirts can veer fairly formal or incredibly casual – this is not a 1950’s sort of femininity. It’s current in that it’s comfortable and it’s elegant because it works in nearly any situation. You’ll rarely feel under-dressed...



{ juicy couture sunnies, halston heritage trench, meg dress, gifted corello belt, marni clutch, lamb shoes }

please CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article and see many more pictures of these looks on grazia.it. then, CLICK HERE to check out my up-to-the-minute updates from milano!!

{ auburn }

{ auburn }

{ vintage yves saint laurent sunnies from ebay, self-designed necklace, gifted tory burch blouse, dedegumo watch, gifted bulgari bracelet, vintage bag, zara skirt, christian louboutin shoes }

it's officially that time of year when we're straddling seasons: summer brights suddenly feel silly, but it's not yet cool enough for full-on fall layers. so i've got a little of everything in here: lace-up sandals, meet color-blocked skirt (black and navy, every new york girl's favorite combo!), meet autumn-auburn blouse. plus a bag passed down from my great-grandmother ~ for me, the best part.

{ disco dream }

{ disco dream }

{ kelly framel necklace, primary silk dress, dedegumo watch, khirma eliazov cuff, tiffany & co clutch (last seen HERE), yves saint laurent shoes }

wore this dress to shows on saturday, then snapped these photos upon my return to the w hotel ~ my fashion week home-away-from-home for the second season now. more on that coming soon!!

{ from quieter times }

{ from quieter times }

{ karen walker sunnies, kelly framel necklace, elizabeth + james top, corello belt, shades of grey (men's!) shorts, anya hindmarch clutch, alexander wang shoes }

this was my uniform last week, as i prepped for the calm before the fashion week storm. and now the storm has arrived ~ figuratively AND literally. it's raining, it's pouring, and the fashion pack is never boring. updates from the front coming soon!!

{ little tramp }

{ little tramp }

{ vintage ray-ban sunnies, kelly framel necklace, helmut lang blazer, forever21 tank, alice+olivia pants, primary clutch, prada shoes }

this is one of my favorite outfits lately; the way that it sits at the intersection of layered-but-subtle, tailored-but-easy, and dressed-up-but-dressed-down is so my speed. also, i think these shoes really need to come out more often.

{ rest stop dress }

{ rest stop dress }

{ karen walker sunnies, kelly framel necklaces and wrap bracelet, miu miu dress, michael kors watch, anya hindmarch clutch, gifted corello shoes }



a few weeks ago, i was driving back from newport, rhode island, when i suddenly had to use the loo. after pulling off the highway at the nearest exit, what should i find but a barneys-equipped outlet mall?! i ran in to use the facilities, and ran back out with this new miu miu dress in tow. didn't cost much more than a tank of gas!

{ after } the storm

{ after } the storm

{ vintage umbrella, kelly framel necklace, helmut lang blazer (last seen HERE), rachel rachel roy blouse, alexander wang shorts (last seen HERE), kelly framel wrap bracelets (coming soon), dedegumo watch, gifted tiffany tiger's eye clutch, chloe sevigny for opening ceremony boots }



in the end, hurricane irene passed rather uneventfully through new york ~ for which i am quite grateful (so many other cities were less lucky). also feeling pretty giddy about: this so-gorgeous silk clutch, scoring 3 great pairs of shoes at the barneys sale (these boots included!), and the fact that today is my birthday!! and my blog's almost-anniversary ~ you see, three years ago today, at my 25th birthday celebration, my friends dubbed me 'the glamourai' (they all got party names too), and the basis for this whole blog project accidentally began. who'd have thought we'd all be here today?! what a ride.