anthropologie's fall 2006 catalog is online

my first instinct was that the collection is very late on the whole edie sedgwick trend. lots of black; i thought anthropologie only sold "happy" clothes? don't even get me started on the leggings. i always thought anthropologie was above that.

however, i am liking that anna sui jumper dress. also, i think the styling is pretty cute with the layers and mismatching prints. the colors in the photographs, as always, are wonderfully sumptuous.

anthropologie

some recent purchases

1. ema takahashi heart key bracelet. to answer your question, no, it is not the key to my heart.


2. rebecca taylor fabric knot sandals


3. angevino and florence ruffle tee. although i haven't gotten this in the mail yet. it says that it's been delivered but it hasn't--i don't have it. frustrating!


4. a very overpriced 1960s style tent dress from a local boutique (no pictures). it's cream with thin stripes and contrasting fabric on the pockets. it also has a nautical elements such as a rope belt and rope halter tie around the neck.

i'm still looking for some brown shoes and/or sandals. i went to the mall this past weekend to find some shoes (there are some great sales happening) but didn't find anything i loved. the shops are full of cheap jesus sandals and gladiators. i don't even know why i bother to shop in the flesh anymore when everything i like is online! for example, if i lived in the uk i would buy these f-troupe shoes:




hmm, time to make some friends from the uk to satisfy my fashion fix.

dress like karen o.

i always knew karen o. from the yeah yeah yeahs only wore costumes designed by a friend, but i never bothered to check them out. out of boredom, i visited the christian joy online store. some surprisingly cute and affordable ($140-$175) dresses i found:



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because i'm always looking for shoes, here are some ones i really like from creatures of comfort:

slick-looking jellies. who knew?


i think these are adorable, and i really want to get them, but i'm afraid that they'll make me look like i'm four years old. wait--i like looking like a four-year-old. nevermind, i'm buying them.


sometimes, you can't appreciate a garment/a pair shoes until you look it over a few times, or until you see them in action on an actual person. i never thought much of these marc jacobs oxford shoes, but then i saw a girl wearing them in new york and i realized how divine they were.

from eluxury

new york vintage shopping

every time i go to new york i try to make it to as many thrift/vintage stores as i can. however, i never go blindly; i always do some research before i go because i only want to check out the best ones that aren't ridiculously priced. here are my takes on the stores i visited last weekend:

manhattan
eleven - 11 prince st.
sometimes little stores can be intimidating, because it feels like the shop person is watching you, and then you look cheap for not buying anything. although this store was small, it was a really youthful, casual environment, and the shopgirls were cute and friendly. everything was really well-organized, and they had a sale section of dresses that were now $48 from $70+. i did notice a large selection of cowboy boots, though, so thumbs down to that.

atomic passion - 430 e. 9th st.
this store was sort of dank-looking from the outside but they had a large and excellent selection. however, $80 for a simple lounge dress didn't fly with me. it's hard to find good vintage shoes but they had some pretty cute ones. i tried on some cheesy plastic ones but they were $80. what i liked most about this store were the cotton blouses and camis from the early 1900s. they were so delicate, they were kept in plastic.

tahir - 412 e. 9th st.
this store was okay. i probably came at a bad time, when all the good stuff was snatched up. i think the appeal of tahir is that it feels like a boutique instead of a grungy vintage shop. i actually don't remember too much about this store, except for one plaid barrel bag i liked.

cobblestones - 314 e. 9th st.
the clutter-style of this shop was throughly charming. i also liked how the shop lady looked like a soccer mom, and she was sitting in a chair in the middle of the store. she asked me to pull up my pants so she could look at my shoes. she said they were very cute. speaking of, the store also had very cute shoes, like huaraches and peep toe pumps. but i was really tempted to buy one of the many adorable change purses.


brooklyn
sweet virginia - 164 havemeyer st.
this cute shop has a pretty small collection, but i did manage to find a darling pinafore. the shopgirl was watching "desperately seeking susan", and asked me if i'd seen it. i told her it was one of my favorites, because rosanna arquette rules.

fluke - bedford ave. between n. 6th and n. 7th st.
this unassuming shop is easy to pass by since the only indicator of a retail establishment was a handmade paper sign over the door. the shopgirl didn't greet me. i forgave her, though, because she was listening to npr. this store had quite a few cotton sundresses going for $48-$60. not too bad for new york standards. the decor got me, with vintage wallpaper and high ceilings.

beacon's closet - 88 n. 11th st.
for those who don't know, this is like a buffalo exchange, except ten times better. they carry vintage, last seasons clothes from the mall (gap, h&m) and a few designer items sprinkled in. i never leave empty-handed here, ever. however, it takes a long time to go through everything if you're a sifter like me. it's almost too overwhelming for the casual shopper. i was probably there for about an hour and half, and i came out with three dresses. the price points are also really great for new york. the most expensive dress i bought was $24, and that's because it was built by wendy. the others were around $15 each.


overall, the vintage stores had amazing collections that most people could only dream of. i do like visiting them but i'm a very calculated shopper and so far, i haven't found anything i couldn't live without. maybe one day...

less is more

i love simple things. that is probably why i'm attracted to these steven alan lightweight cotton skirts. for the summer they'd be great for keeping cool yet covered up. a much fresher alternative to the ubiquitous cutoff denim miniskirts.

thin stripes in black and white


plaid


also, while browsing around barney's i discovered my love for the jewelry label giles & brother. very simple and delicate necklaces and bracelets. i wanted to buy a black metal bracelet but the $118 price tag turned me away. my online picks:

fleur de lis and anchor necklace


horseshoe chain necklace


dagger bracelet. i love this!


and last, but certainly not least, i'm going to find a way to get this bag. i'm not a bag person at all, but i can see myself using this bag all the time. it's made of calfskin leather, and is modeled after those plain plastic bags you get from stores. it's such an anti-fashion bag, it's great. it costs a lot more than i want to spend, and it's sold out in the US, but there's always a way to get things if you really want them.


my friend suggested the anna corinna city tote as an alternative to the above bag.


the top also folds down like this:


i checked it out in person and it's actually really nice. buttery-soft leather, and a thin strap. i was afraid that it would be too big for my frame but it looked fine on.

but still, my heart is with the other bag. even though i can't sling it over my shoulder. even though there are no compartments. even though it's delicate and i can't just toss it on the ground. i've always been the girl who goes with her gut feeling.

built by wendy built by me

already got the summer blues? tell boredom "begone!" by whipping up your own built by wendy clothes. it turns out wendy teamed up with simplicity and now has simple patterns available of some of her designs.

little plaid jacket


capri pants


i actually wanted to buy this top. now i can make my own, with my own fabric!


pretty blouse


they're also very affordable, at $11.15 a pop. i'll take one of each.

buy here

amazing dresses

yesterday at work i got bored so i went to chill outside. i was walking around the square, and on a whim, went into this consignment shop that mostly carries designer stuff. within 20 minutes i came out with these two dresses:
this dainty little slipdress is by paul & joe. i loved the mocha stripes right away; they give a simple dress such a modern look.


then i saw this beautiful blue strapless prom dress and had to have it.

yeah, i know i'm too old for prom but the design was so pretty and artful i couldn't pass it up. all the light, floaty layers and ruffles make me think of flowers. i felt all romantic inside. the tag says it's from saks (back in the day) and it retailed for $895. i bought it for $42. the front needs to be sewn up a bit but once i do that this dress will be suitable for the red carpet. i still haven't figured out if i'm going to keep it or sell it on ebay.

on a less-than-amazing note, i bought these steve madden flats.

they're okay. i still don't know why steve madden shoes are 70+ dollars. they aren't high-quality or anything. but, i've been dying for cobalt shoes since i missed out on some anthropologie ones i wanted. so i went ahead and bought these, but i feel like i settled. i only have 8 pairs of shoes and i'd like to keep the number down, so i've been trying to make calculated choices. maybe i'll grow to love them. they're a decent alternative to sandals, since i haven't found a pair i love yet. warm weather is here. will this be my first summer sandal-free?

my future's looking bright...

so i'm gonna need some shades. i was thinking i ought to take care of my eyes and start wearing sunglasses. i'm liking the look of these ray ban wayfarers because they don't look too trendy (at least not yet) and they're iconic (think tom cruise from "risky business"):

the coolest shoes ever

i'm probably going to new york this weekend for the renegade craft fair. while checking out the vendors on the site, i came across kristen aronsson, who makes adorable dumpling bags in tons of colors. i'm really excited to take a look at them in person at the fair. right now she makes bags, but if you take a look at her previous collections you'll notice her shoes that double as works of art.

internet update

ok, so for the last six months my roommates and i have been "borrowing" internet from our lovely neighbors. unfortunately, our source moved out of the building, so we've been internet-less losers for a few weeks now. we've been waiting for new neighbors to move in and spread the love, but so far, nothing. i look at my clunky frankenstein computer and despise it for not being a sleek little laptop i can bring to a cafe that has wi-fi.

but!

i ordered myself some basic phone service so i can revert back to dial-up! i think everything should be in place on june 9th, so i can finally start working on the site again. as the old saying goes, something is better than nothing.