Style Inspiration: Holiday Sparkle

I think I've mentioned that I'm in the holiday spirit. Big Time. That being said, December is the busiest month of the year in my DayJob. The most Christmassy I can get right now at home is The Elf. And making a big traditional Romanian Christmas dish today with my MIL.

Decorations and parties? Yeah. Sometime this week, they'll start to make they're way out of the basement and into our home.

In the meantime, I'm absolutely infatuated - really, in love with - sparkle. So in the interest of sharing the Christmas spirit and all of the glorious glitter of the season, here's a little bit of what's making me smile right now.

Clockwise, from top left: Retro chic glitz in a sleek Chloe shift; The Original Le Smoking; pretty, gingery bubbles; gleaming mid-century modern; LBD + Big Sparkly Earrings = done; T + sequins = perfectly copyable; pink glittery sweets; classically gleaming table; elegant DIY fingers; structure + shape + sparkly

Style Dilemma: What Happens in Vegas...

My baby sis is a marketing manager for a large company. As a working mama in a mostly-male environment, her daily dressing is fairly straightforward. She pairs classic, grounding pieces like well-fitting pencil skirts or tailored trouser, with modern but conservative trends. Accessories and shoes are major points of expression for her.

Yup, we're sisters.

It's not unusual that she sends me links to potential purchases. I do the same. But 2 weeks ago, she sent me an email. In the email, there were about 6 links to cocktail dresses. She needed my help. Starting this weekend, she has a work trip to Vegas. On Sunday night of this trip, there's a cocktail party. In her own words, it's her one time each year to remind her male colleagues that she's a woman. Nicely.

So what to wear?

To be honest, the choices in her first email left me wanting, well, I went on my own search. (And I've told her this directly, no worries) To be honest, I was a little disappointed. For a woman as enamored of sparkle as I know she is, there was nary a sequin in the bunch. Nor was there any real color. The closest she got was "midnight blue." Granted, it is exceptionally easy to get sucked back into the LBD choice when searching for cocktail dresses. You can easily talk yourself into "but the shape and the details are so unique" when, in fact, it really is a LBD.

But a girl going to Vegas needs to go to Vegas. So I put together a set of some of my favorite choices past, hoping to inspire her towards sparkle or color. As a bizarre sort of experiment, I left in one of her (was it 3?) one-shouldered selections from her email. We'll see what she picks.

polyvore set here

Lastly, if you've been following me on twitter, you may have picked up on vtgracie. Follow her as well as me, and maybe we can convince her to do a twitter #fashionshow, where she tries on her choices (I know at least one of them has shipped already - she announced it on twitter) then tweets a snapshot of herself, and we, um, give our opinion. It's fun. And she gets the benefit of 60 best girlfriends offering their stylish opinions.

Lastly again, thanks to Alison of Wardrobe Oxygen for helping me with my technical issues. This post's for you!

Finding Mojo - Thwarted!

As I emerge from the anti-style world of not being able to wash and dry my hair, pick out my clothes without a little diva hanging on my leg, and take more than 2 seconds to "do my face,"* I'm trying to push the envelope. Granted, my closet isn't in the best of shape right now, but it's a little better than it was, so as I get ready each morning, I'm trying, trying, trying to not do the Washington Frump. Don't always succeed, but I try.


My memory's not long enough to go all the way back to Monday, but yesterday I managed to update my LBD a la the 500 style mags proclaiming "redo your closet with no money" (so nice of them to be cost conscious in these difficult economic times. gimme a break): black wool knit shift with a black ribbed turtleneck...and my beloved Daslu boots.** I was a very happy camper.


Today's another day of Very Important Meetings (ok, not so, but everyone generally tries to dress as if they are), and I was all excited. I decided yesterday I'd do some take on what I consider the Real J's*** signature look: a buttoned up suit paired with a fun printed T. I've yet to attempt it, but figured my newfound love of a Metallica Death Magnetic concert T would work perfectly.


So I tried it with black pants and a tweed jacket. Eh. Alright, but not finished enough. Jacket is a little too bulky. Next attempt: grey pinstripe pantssuit.


Perfect.


All proud, I meander over to the bathroom to show off to H.


"Whaddaya think?"


"Great, but too much." He thought it would be just too much for my colonels to bear, so he convinced me to tone it down.


"Friday," he consoled.


So off came my tribute to Lars and James, and on went the (alright not so, but still) staid teal sweater. I did throw on my mommy's gift of topaz earrings with my grandmother's topaz ring and her 70s-style medallion to make myself feel better. And my new(er) peep-toes help too (a little hardware goes a long way for this girl).


Friday, here we come.


*We were a little cramped in our lovely home, and The Bean was sleeping in our bedroom, so I couldn't get ready until she was up. Ditto for the shower/blowdry thing.


**I have some retired colonels who love my boots, and they're in town this week, so, well, flaunt what ya got, I say.


***Yup, she's still out there, allbeit far away...she's rockin' Addis Ababa style right now.

Style in Print: The Black Dress

What: wapo.com describes it as "Valerie Steele, author of the new book, "The Black Dress," discusses what arguably could be the most important item in any woman's wardrobe." Steele is Director and chief curator at New York's FIT - and undisputably an authority on the topic.

When: Tuesday, 4 December, 11am EST

Where: Online - if you can't "attend," post questions ahead of time and read the transcript later

Staying Relaxed...and Catching Up (Warning: Could be TMI)

One of the joys of motherhood is spending quality, quiet (usually) time with your little one while she eats. In my case, that means she's attached to me - quite literally. This also means that, now that I'm back at work full time (nearly through my second week of heartbreak, now), I get to spend time locked in a closet masquerading as a - ahem - women's lounge.* It also means, that since said closet has no TV or radio, a girl's gotta do something to keep herself occupied for the 15 minute stints sprinkled throughout the day. And, despite what our one supposedly enlightened VP says, I am not working on a proposal while pumping. I think my milk would dry up in about 2 seconds if that were the case.

So instead, I'm reading.

I'm an avid reader - always have been. From the womb through infancy (mommy dearest read me East of Eden when I was an infant - no wonder I'm so f-ed up) and beyond, I've got a bedside stack and a not-so-mild addiction. Needless to say, with The Bean's arrival, about all I can manage is a few pages of a magazine. Until now. These 15 minute sessions are going to let me catch up on all of the fashion and style books I have waiting for me in my stack. I've decided to dedicate that time to bettering my knowledge of The Industry.

First up - and first done: Justine Picardie's My Mother's Wedding Dress. Just finished in my last session today. An absolutely delightful collection of essays on the meanings we hold in clothing. Her career has introduced her to some pretty amazing people, and her family stories hold some incredibly touching - and stylish - moments.

Next? I'm going to have to dig out the style books, but I've got a history of the LBD and other fashion favorites, Madame Dariaux's Guide to Elegance, and a couple of biographies I've been meaning to read (Coco, Diana Vreeland, to start). I've also got two big honkin' coffee table books I'd love to add to the pile, but I'm already looking pretty conspicuous walking down the hallway with my oh, so stylish black backpack. So Anglomania and Elsa Schiaparelli will have to wait.

I'm open to suggestions, too, so let 'em rip...I promise to report in on favorite parts. And yes, this is the same list (sort of) that I recommended ages ago. Notice how many I've read since then.

*For the non-faint-of-heart, a Lactation Room. They're all the rage, I promise.

Style in Print: Tomes for the Stylish Nightstand and Coffee Table

My H is the best H ever.

(That sound you hear is his chest puffing out with pride.)

1) He pushes me to go shopping when I need to.

2) He understands style (most of the time - "joke" Christmas gift of jean short shorts excluded, of course).

3) He's got an incredible memory - especially for things I like. (Yes, H, I just said you have an incredible memory. Take that one to the bank & hold on to it for dear life.)

4) He buys me presents just because.

5) Lots of other, non-vapid reasons.

6) He's mine.

The real reason I'm running on about him today, in particular?

He and MIL took a trip to Jersey & NYC this weekend (I was resting quietly at home; The Bean ordered me to). They hit The Met, and took along a wedding gift certificate from a family friend. It arrived just after our honeymoon last year, and we just haven't been back to check things out since.

So what did he get?

A gorgeous blue-swirled handblown bowl;* a replica of ones made in South Jersey (home territory for both of us) in the late 1900s. Its color is exactly the color we had for our wedding, along with the lemons (which, though we never started out having "wedding colors," inadvertedly ended up being so - cobalt and sunny yellow), and which somehow shows up in almost everything we buy for our home. It also pairs well with subtle lines of the Simon Pearce pitcher a dear, dear friend gave us as a wedding gift.**

But the real reason for this post is that H spent part of our gift certificate on the exhibition book from an exhibit we saw when we were on our honeymoon in NYC. The Anglomania book wasn't available when we saw it in July (it's the type of exhibit they have to photograph in place, then produce the book, rather than use photos of paintings or sculpture from previous exhibitions). The book is a paper tour of what we saw in July, with much appreciated detail shots of things we just couldn't catch viewing from behind the railing in person - like the pinup girl embroidered on the cuff of a Paul Smith shirt. The exhibit notes were lovingly detailed and woven with history, philosophy, and whimsy; the book reflects that, as well. I highly recommend going online & buying it. I'd put it in the top of fashion & style tomes.

While we're at it, also atop my list of favorite style tomes is Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli, the record of the roving exhibit's visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Schiaparelli somehow escapes the average style follower's notice, and if she makes it on the radar, it's in comparison to Coco (Chanel, that is). True, she was a contemporary of the woman many consider to be the grande dame of style, but she used architectural in her designs well before Dries van Noten or Donna Karan were even a twinkle in their grandparents' eyes. Her collaborations with some of the greatest fine artists of her time surpass anything we see today, in my estimation. Lastly, she has a color named after her - Schiaparelli pink. Any woman who pioneers a color shade is one to emulate.

True to their nature as exhibition records, Shocking! and Anglomania are lots of pictures accompanying a fair amount of words. If you're up for a little more of a read - something perhaps unexpected, when it comes to modern writings about style & fashion - try one of these:

A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions. (Geneviere Antoine Dariaux) Olsson's cites the classic as the "orginal what not to wear." It's a delightful read, and looks ever so pretty in a stack of books by your bed (which is, of course, a very good reason to buy a book).

My Mother's Wedding Dress: The Life and Afterlife of Clothes. (Justine Picardie) This gets a little deeper, wondering about what we wear, how our clothes define us (or don't), and how or why we attach so much meaning to them - all through the vehicle of her mother's wedding dress - a black cocktail dress bought in 1960.

The Classic Ten: The True Story of the Little Black Dress and Nine Other Fashion Favorites. (Nancy Macdonell Smith) Every girl should know the history. Need I say more?

*Unfortunately, no pics are available - it's beautiful, though, and you'll just have to trust me.

**I know Simon Pearce is overdone, but I get to like it, as it's made on the banks of the Brandywine River.

The Pain Ain't So Bad - It Hurts So Good

I washed all my tights last week. They'd been piled in a corner, then in a bag, then...well, H finally held me down 'til I washed them. Such a royal pain in the rear, handwashing them.

Of course, it means I can wear them. Novel idea.

So this morning, I decided I really wanted to wear The Incredibly Painful Shoes.

I figure maybe, just maybe, with tights, they won't be so painful.

So in the bag they go, and on go the flats for the commute. Change at work - oila! No pain. Walk to get my breakfast. No pain.

All day long, compliments roll (ok, 2 people said something) in. No pain.

About 3:30-4 o'clock, though it starts. A leeeetle tight. Just a squeeze.

They're still on, and darn! do they look good (black baby fishnets & an LBD), but my tootsies are definitely eagerly awaiting escape.