Give in Style: All I Want for Christmas Guest List at Capital Style

EmilyKate is one of those ladies I'm so glad blogging brought into my life - she's smart, stylish, savvy, and works her tuckus off for both her DayJob and her blog. So I happily answered her request to join a Whole Bunch of Other Cool Ladies in her All I Want for Christmas series. Jump on over here for some great gift ideas - of things other ladies actually want (and don't forget the other days in the series for more fab ideas).

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Then, my friends, I got a little bit of my wish list - some time. I almost literally snuck out last night to co-host The Shoe Hive's Hive on the Hill Opening Night party with Alison of Wardrobe Oxygen. It was, quite frankly, a fabulous party.

One of my favorite parts? Our wish lists, which we picked out last week when we visited the ladies of the Hive in their Old Town shop. What I want? Pretty much anything by baublist Alexis Bittar, but especially...

My Wish List: What I've dubbed Alexis Bittar's "Coffin Cuff." What badass girl wouldn't want some glittering coffins on her wrist?

My Wish List: More Alexis Bittar (I've been in love since my first piece, bought in South Beach nigh 10 years ago)

Wardrobe Oxygen's Wish List: More Alexis Bittar. Alison and I "negotiated" who would get to put these unusual sparklers on our list. She "won."

My other favorite part? Laughing my red-clad rear end off with some old and new friends. Now that's a party worth attending.

Oh, and if you didn't make it to the party last night, and happen to be in the Barracks Row area through Sunday, make sure you stop by the remainder of the Hive on the Hill Pop-Up Shop and get a friend (or yourself something pretty and sparkly!

Style Inspiration: For My Husband

Usually, he's H. He started out as F, years and years ago (a few of you remember that). But for those who don't remember, he is The Best Husband Ever.

I was so excited to take him out last night. We were going to have a date. We were going to meet Hal Rubenstein at a book signing at Alton Lane for his newest book, The Gentry Man, then go to dinner. We even had a sitter.

Then the Day Job, well, there's the Day Job. So I spent last night editing a a technical document rather than spending time with the love of my life (one of three, I know, I'm effusive at times) and freezing up when meeting a man with impeccable style and one of The Coolest Jobs, fashion director at In Style magazine.

The evening wasn't totally lost. H was in our favorite grey flannel chair re-watching the current stage of the Tour de France (he watched it earlier, too). At least we were next to each other.

So instead of taking him to check out some impeccable menswear, I'm going to have to settle for sharing Mr. Rubenstein's book - it looks positively fascinating. But then, I'm a sucker for historical fashion and historical writing.

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And I also thought that I'd share bits from a board I have over on Pinterest: For H. Some of it is hopeful on my part, but some of it is his style, unequivocably. The Bruno Magli oxfords, for example. H has never met a pair of Italian dress shoes he didn't love.

Clockwise, from top left:

• 1950s spider tie tack pin one of my favorite jewelry designers, Alexis Bittar, pinned
• Burberry jacket that recalls one of H's favorites, his German loden jacket
• Land's End Canvas board shorts short enough for H (he hates those to-the-knee shorts. hates.)
• Graceful Alton Lane 3-piece suit (a girl can dream about her H wearing a pocket square, right?)
• Volcano Messenger Bag by Issi (via Young British Designers), which, in his European heritage, H can carry off, especially in this supple color
• The coolest jacket ever, a Kroon jacket I almost bought H for Christmas last year, with a zip-out insert that makes it seem like you have another jacket underneath (H hates the cold)

Style Reboot: Baubles I Need to Wear, Part I

Now that I have a clean accessories cabinet, it's a Whole New World [cue Disney music]. I've got all these baubles I want and need to wear. Granted, I've also got some that I probably could do away with, but there are memories around many, and most I want to incorporate into upcoming ensembles.

Some take me back - I'd even forgotten some of these favorites - to places, and to places in time.

For my 30th birthday, I celebrated in New Orleans. I organized a room block then, sent an email out to all my friends and family. Not everyone could come, of course, but we ended up with this delightful group of people that made the celebration truly special: my mom and stepmom, H and his mom, my brother and his girlfriend-now-wife, a friend from Vancouver, WA, and a friend from DC and his Brand. New. Boyfriend. Our parents are still madly in love with said boyfriend. Oh yeah, and the friend. And we shopped. In between Preservation Hall, dinner at the now defunct 201 Decatur, and beignets, we shopped from the artisan to the funky - and I came home with both in bracelets and rings.

Just after H and I tied the knot, we "celebrated" Labor Day in South Beach with BlueSuitGirl. We shared a room one block back from the beach in a classic Art Deco hotel, dined at Cafeteria, and did Nikki Beach and the Delano in one night. And we shopped. In addition to 2 pair of shoes, I fit in last minute purchase - then and now one of my favorite pieces - of a Alexis Bittar stone pendant. When I wear it, I think of those carefree times. A couple of months later, H had a business trip back in Miami, and went to a little boutique we'd visited, bringing me back a jeweled chain that I've worn both as a looped necklace, a lariat, and a belt.

Then there's Austria. As I've said before, it was a life-changing 9 months. I made friends, I perfected my Austrian - ahem - German, drank coffee and wine, and was lucky enough to have 3 host families I adore. In the first, I had 3 sisters and a mom and dad who were just, well, Austrian. She made me schnitzel and knoedl on my first day, and sat with me every day after school, listening to my developing German and teaching me how to cook her Tirolean fare. When I left the country at the end of the year, they gave me a traditional Austrian pewter, brass, and garnet necklace.

My second family was a husband and wife - and their dachshund. He's first-generation Austrian from Czech parents, raised in Salzburg. She's one of the most elegant women I've ever met. At the time, she worked part-time for a dermatologist as a medical esthetician. She was never without her lipstick or a scarf tied at her neck. Can we say "intimidating" to a just-graduated-from-high-school-and-not-sure-of-her-style-at-all 18 year old American? They, like my first family, truly took me in, taking me all over Europe (Christmas in Salzburg, New Year's in Maastricht), teaching me to ski (after laughing at what I called "skiing"), and treating me like the grown-up I wanted to be - when I behaved like one. They love the States, even considering it as a retirement location for a while. He's often here on business, and on one of his trips, he brought me the ultimate Austrian sparkles: Swarovski. Even though they're clips, I love wearing the brushed gold with crystal "polka dots."

I have a little habit. A few, really, but the one relevant here is picking up something sparkly and pretty where ever I travel. It's easy, it fits in the suitcase, and often won't break the bank (though somehow my eye keeps inching its way up the dollar scale recently. not good. not good at all). There are certainly more travel purchases in my closet, but these are the ones that somehow, in some way, just take me...

Take Me Back...

...to the day we spent frivolously and ended up with lovely trinkets.

It was hard. We were in South Beach with BlueSuitGirl - a Labor Day Hurrah, chancing the hurricanes and staying at the adorable South Beach Deco Hotel Nash. Cafeteria, B.E.D., Delano (on a slow night - who're we kidding? we wouldn't have gotten in otherwise - so not cool enough), Nikki Beach...sigh.

Those were the nights. By day, it was a whirlwind of those odd little pseudo-Euro-Russian boutiques and fabulous little stores. BlueSuitGirl and I snapped up more than our share of bargains, including handmade sandals, silky tops, and jewelry. Especially the jewelry.

It was nearly the end of our trip, and just around the corner from the hotel was this sweet little shop full of baubles. Alexis Bittar, Tarina Tarantino (whose lucite beads I bought in NoLA, even longer ago), and Tova, to name a few. We spent nearly two hours in the store, trying on this and that, deciding, buying gifts, and gifting ourselves. In the end, we walked out with more for others than we did for ourselves (prettyinpink got a white leather heart cutout clutch for Christmas that year, and Mommy got a dainty little necklace of aquamarine and amathyst drops).

But then there was the necklace. Anymore, I can't remember whether it was Tova or Bittar, but the pale green stone and droplets cascading around it remind me of something a fairy would make. To wear to the most stylish places. (I'll try and remember to post a pic soon.)

Why write about this now? Well, even though it was years ago, Tova was collecting emails (I think they must have been the store owners, ultimately) for when they went online. And I just got an email this week - they're opening a sample store - unfortunately up in Montreal (just one more reason to visit the European city this side of the pond), but it reminded me of all of their great pieces. The DC area sports a couple of locations - one strange retailer (must be a parent company) on Wisconsin, and South Moon Under, but they do sell online, so snap up a reasonably priced piece or two to celebrate the almost spring weather.

Style Dilemma: What Not to Miss in DC

Vivien wrote in, asking for tips on what not to miss in her upcoming 3 weeks in D.C. She's a saavy shopper, and wanted to know what 'hoods she should hit...and the best way to get there. From Vancouver, British Columbia, she's got some of the same stores, but...

Because she's going to be close to Georgetown proper, I'm sending her to our indie places like Sassanova, Wink, and Urban Chic. She also can't miss Barney's CoOp, H&M, and Intermix. I've practically made her promise to do Kafé Leopold, and recommended Hook, Rocklands, and DolceZZa.

Getting to and from Georgetown, sans Metro, feels really far to a non-Washingtonian, but I've assured her that, if the weather cooperates, it's a lovely walk from Foggy Bottom with lots of places to stop and "freshen up" along the way (Mie N Yu springs to mind, of course). Or, should she be laden with packages (or it's just too darn hot, or storming, like it has been lately), taxis are plentiful and not terribly expensive.

She shouldn't miss the U Street corridor, either, or islands in the downtown corporate stream, Alex and Apres Peau.

What else shouldn't Vivien miss in her time here? Help a girl out?

Shop in Style: The Purse Store Sale

Our local source for All Purses Fabulous (not to mention all the other accessories, like my personal favorite, Alexis Bittar), The Purse Store has a home in Bethesda, and is a frequent vendor at sample sales and other charity shopping events.

If you can't make it to Bethesda (though it is not too far from some of my favorite casual restaurants), shop online through May 20th and get 30% off everything, sitewide (except for the usual caveat of clearance items and prior purchases). Just use code SAVE30 at checkout.

Think they have diaper bags?

Style Dilemma: Black & White to a Nearly-Spring Baby Shower

31204ever writes:

Have wanted a skirt like this for a long time and finally found it at H&M last week. I maybe would like to wear it tomorrow to a baby shower. But I think that the skirt still screams "spring" and the weather's not quite there yet. What could I wear to make it less springy? Or should I just bag it for now and maybe wear it to another event when it really *is* spring? (Ahem, your shower.)

I have various long sleeve black tops, I have a corduroy black blazer, I have various black tights (textured and non), I have various black heels and knee-high black boots. I don't have anything nice that's pure white (all are off-whites).

Dear 31204ever:

First, great selection on the skirt. B&W is always, always, always stylish. And there are so many ways to wear it.

Second: to your dilemma. Part of it is solved by the fact that tomorrow is going to be very, very spring-like in the Baltimore-Washington area. So no need to pile on a big sweater - or even to wear your boots because you feel like it's "too springy."

That said, the boots and a fitted black sweater would work well and be appropriate. But only if you promise to throw on a piece of big, primary colored jewelry - like a big red or blue cuff bracelet. Yellow or green would work, too. Other jewelry, like the D.C. insitinctual jet beads would just blend in with this. You need a piece to "pop" alongside of the beautiful, strong pattern of the skirt. Either one or three (always an odd number, in my book) Alexis Bittar big bangles at left would work.

Black pumps - or better yet, flats, would work, too (with the black sweater, above), and be perfectly acceptable and lovely. Even better than that would be to take advantage of the weather and go barelegged with a brightly colored pump - again, primary colors (like the Taryn Rose peep-toe, at left, or a pretty pink, too, doing a monochromatic thing on the legs, and letting the skirt stand out). The colored shoes would take a little more fashion chutzpa, though. And if you have even more, drag out the colored (not textured) flats or low pumps and pair with plain black tights (as long as you can't see the tights through the white skirt). But if you do the bright shoes, go gold or silver (preferably gold) with a big bracelet.

And, of course, let us know...