LBD #3 and an example of why I am not a model

LBD #3. This is why I am neither a model, nor a photographer. HH is still at church, so I am forced to take my own pics today. I want to hurry and change out of this dress because it is like a million degrees in NYC today. I was feeling crabby earlier, but nothing a photo shoot couldn't cure. I hope you enjoy.

This dress is from H&M, and the shoes are Naughty Monkey, one of my VERY favorite brands. Wearing 5" heels in NYC is kind of a hazard. So, of course I wore flats most of the way to church and changed into theses bad-boys when we were only half a block away. They are cute, but not worth breaking an ankle over.

Oh where is Vivianne? Well, she couldn't make it today, she totally busted it on the sidewalk. Yeah, but did you see her shoes as she was laying there all mangled? Um, hell yeah I did, they were friggn awesome.

LBD #2

LBD Day #2. This dress is simple and easy for Saturday. The perfect example of what an LBD should be: basic enough that you can wear it casual, or dress it up with accessories for a night out. The silhouette is typically short and the styling and details are minimal, so that it won't go out of style quickly. Although it may not be necessary to have so many LBD, because they are so versatile, it is damn fun. Right?

Coco Chanel is credited for "inventing" the LBD in the 1920's. Every woman should have a little black dress. One that makes her feel sexy, confident, elegant.... and also skinny. One that transitions from day to evening, from season to season and even from year to year. How many do you have?

How many does Vivianne have?

A. 11

B. 4

C. 6

HH is really getting good at this photography thing... although he did chop off the top of my head in one shot. He said it looked "artsy", I did not agree. Of course it was also his idea for me to hold the Calculus book in the last pic.

And now some LBD shopping... All these are from Revolve, one of my fave online shopping destinations. Enjoy!

Black Halo

James Perse

Literature Noir

RVCA

See By Chloe

Hope you love them all!

See you tomorrow... I wonder what I will wear...!

LBD for Friday

SOOOO, CC was so sweet to do a guest post for me and I was inspired by the Back in Black to do more theme focused posts. I thought Friday would be a good day for an LBD day! I actually have a small collection of black dresses in my closet. So maybe I will just wear them all weekend and keep the theme going for a few days. Hmmmm....

This is pretty much my fave LBD. And you already know my fave flats.

Of course the dress is from Club Monaco and the shoes are Irregular Choice. My blue watch is kinda hidden, but it is Diesel.

HH was happy to take my pic this morning, which was nice. He got a little creative, as you can see by the middle pic. Whatever, I am not complaining. So much easier than propping up my camera on the dresser, setting the timer button, running across the room and trying to pose all cute. (At least half the time getting more couch in the shot than Vivianne. UH!) And of course doing all this while he is at the gym or in the shower... I mean, seriously, as if I would have a one person photo shoot in front of him. Oh. No no no.

Stay tuned for more pics of me, LBD and hopefully none of my couch.

Guest Post by Couture Carrie: Back in Black

So, you should be super excited about the fact that TODAYYYY I have a guest post by my FABulous friend, CC. Be sure to check out her blog Couture Carrie and follow her asap, to see more posts like this one. Thanks, CC!

Hello, darlings, it’s CC! I was so excited when Vivianne asked me to do a guest post for her! This survey focuses on chic black pieces to round out your wardrobe, as our lovely Vivianne adores dressing in head to toe jet!

First photo: Japanese Vogue, August 2009. Consider a black miniskirt, either in leather or silk!


CC loves this Tibi silk mini skirt from theOutnet.com. It has a minishorts underlay beneath the crepe de chine bubble hem skirt ~ perfect for sultry summer nights!


Just pair with a sexy pair of gladiators or platform pumps. How about these Fendi chain-trimmed suede sandals from net-a-porter.com?


Or try these Rock & Republic Alayna chain pumps from shopbop.com.


A staple of CCs wardrobe, these J Brand 10” ankle skinny jeans are pure stretch denim perfection. Find them at shopbop.com.


You’ll also need some wet look leggings. CC is a big fan of these ones from blackmilkclothing.com. Perfect for layering under a tunic or minidress!


Frolic on the beach in this Red Carter eyelet bikini from shopbop.com.


Opt for an adventurous asymmetric LBD this summer like this Whistles ruched bodycon dress, at asos.com.


Looking ahead to fall: consider this Michael Kors leather-paneled crepe dress from net-a-porter.com.


Pair it with some strong and sweet accessories. CC is smitten with this chunky Nixon brushed stainless steel watch from net-a-porter.com.


CC also adores this ribbon rosette clutch from J. Crew.


Hope you’ve enjoyed this bodacious black post, darlings. Thanks again, Viv!

xoxox,

CC

Not Stylish

I'll tell you what is NOT stylish or fashionable. A mosquito bite on your FACE. Do you want to know how many times this has happened to ME? Way too many. Why, my friends, when there are so many other body parts available for the little buzzing jerk to bite, does he always choose to attack my face? Why? WHY?!

Saturday morning, I woke up early, much too early to be awake on a Saturday. I went to the bathroom, and guess who followed me in there. No, not HH, he was fast asleep. A mosquito. Or maybe he was in there waiting for me all night. He knew I was coming. I saw him in the mirror as I was washing my hands and suddenly I was wide awake. There was absolutely NO way I was going back to bed now. You know why? Because as soon as I doze back into sleepy-land, I will hear the soft little sssszzzzzZZZZ in my ear, just AFTER the tiny beast has bitten me on the EYE. This is what always happens.

So what do I do? I wait. Perched and ready to attack, on top of the closed toilet seat. Eyes wide open staring into the bright lights of the bathroom. I'm staring at the walls and the ceiling and the floor and the mirror reflection, just waiting for him to make a move. 10 min, 20 min... nothing. Uhhh. Finally I give up and take a shower and get ready for the day. But I don't forget about him, I know he's in the apartment somewhere.

Saturday night, I think of him as I'm falling asleep. And what do I do? I friggin sleep with the sheet over my face, friends. Again I must do this on Sunday night. I know what will happen if I don't. This is what it has come to!!

Finally! Monday morning, again in the bathroom, I seem him. He tries to escape, but I am too fast and too excited and too angry at his relatives that invaded my apartment in the past- hovering over my pillow and having a bite of my cheek, my lip, my chin, my forehead- for their midnight snack! What is it with you!? There are perfectly delicious arms and legs here for you. Sometimes I even leave them exposed as bate, to try and save my face! What the hell, Mosquito!? I smash him against the tile. I am so happy, I want to wake HH up and tell him about my victory! But we both know it will be short-lived...

As I'm typing this I've just noticed another one buzzing by. I might scream.

If the next outfit picture that I post, mysteriously has the head cropped off... you'll know why.

Monday Man-day

Its Monday! Boo. But yay that I have good pics of stylish men for you! You're welcome. Man-day is a perfect reason for you to Follow my blog, now, don't you think? Yes I do.

Don't know where he's headed but I like his red shoes and his hat! Love a bold look like this, don't you?


I am pretty sure he woke up this morning and thought he was in Miami. Like? No like? PS his shorts are sheer.


What is this guy looking at? I don't know but its the perfect chance for me to get a close up, right? Thanks Puma guy. He also has on an uber cool Man-bag. Clearly, I am a fan. What do you all think of this look?


Happy Monday everybody, from me and the Men!

Print Mix Up

I am not the best at mixing prints... I wish I were better. Some of my blog friends are so good at it, I am jelly of them, and I look at their pics with such admiration, hoping to be inspired. But, since most of my clothes are solid black, there really isn't a lot to mix. So wtf. And when I say wtf, you all must know that I am saying wt freak, ok, I do knot use the eff word. =) ANYway, This weekend I have been taking pics of people who also have trouble mixing their prints. There is a very fine line between Print Mix Pretty and Print Mix Poopy. K? Beware.

See below Hat Lady. While I love her hat, the rest of the ensemble is not working out. Skirt= cute, and I understand what she was shooting for, but the stripe + the texture in the ruffle is too much for the busy print of the skirt. Also the sky blue in her top is not a match. She needs a solid or a flat-non texture to tone down the look. When mixing prints we need to mix colors of the same shade or complimentary shades. Am I right? I can imagine this look working if her top had been a solid white, off white or even soft pink. Can you see it? What do you think?

Next: Yellow Geo. I'm curious what you all think. Maybe if the print of the skirt was a larger scale it would work, and if the skirt were A LOT shorter. There is just too much skirt coverage. She almost had it!



And finally, a look that really works! Sorry you can't see it well, but the colors work well together and the proportions are all right. Pale yellow stripes combined with soft blue-grey, with vintage shades together in a floral print... Love the shoes too. The dark belt really completes the look, don't you think?


So glad we end on a positive note right? AND get ready for Man-day Monday tomorrow! I have pics of some very nicely dressed MEN for you!! Look forward to it.

Hose Exposed

Before I was able to snap a pic of this girl, she was grasping onto the pole right there next to her seat- with both hands- and smiling- teeth showing and everything. It was the weirdest pose. I wish I had captured it for you... ah well. This girl has no clue that she is exposing her hose to everyone. Please, girl, I know its late, and you're tired, and there aren't many people on the train- but there are still people. People with eyes, eyes that can pretty much see right up your dress.

Not bad for a Hold-Out

So my Photg is at the gym and I have to DIY this morning... I think I did a pretty good job, right?

Sweater and woven top: Club Monoco
Leggings: Club Monoco
Boots that you cannot see: this boutique down the street from me
Necklace: BP Nordstrom

Monday Man-day

That means on Monday I will write about Men's style. Ok, maybe not every Monday, but at least some Mondays.

So today I was in Herald Square, trying to snap some candid shots of men that were walking by - and what did I see? A dude HOLDING a friggin pigeon! No, the pigeon was not hurt or in need of someone to carry it around... this guy just snatched it up and was holding it and the poor bird was trying to flap and flap and get away from the weirdo. Can you imagine? I was too shocked to get HIS pic- sorry. Fortunately, he let the poor thing go. Like 100 feathers scattered all over the place and the guy just walked off like huh huh... the poor bird is probably traumatized for its entire lifetime. We all just stared at the guy. Still, I did not take his pic. His outfit sucked. I do remember that.

This guy's outfit does not suck. He looks quite stylish. Although I am normally not a fan of mixing black and brown, he is pulling it off very well. Extra points for the chic shades and the cuffed jeans, right?

Runway to RTW

I found this pic from a runway show and loved it. But, how many times have you watched a runway show and said to yourself or your friend "Ok, who actually dresses like that?" Like 100, right? I KNOW! Nobody dresses like that. That is why they created Ready-To-Wear. We love RTW because we are normal girls who wear normal clothes, not runway clothes. In our dreams and fantasies we can imagine ourselves wearing runway clothes, but they are really only appropriate on the runway, and most of us actually have to go to our jobs and the store and the bank and stuff....

Some girls are drunk and high when they are getting dressed and still try to look like they got ready back stage of a runway show, which is stupid. Oh, I dunno, how about putting in effort, but still looking natural?! Weirdos. If you tell someone that you got your dress at a Costume shop, that is your first problem, ok?

RTW is clothing from the runway altered so that real people can wear it. OBviously my tutu skirt is NOT off the runway, its from Urban Outfitters. I was just inspired to wear it and style it and write this blog from the runway shot of this tutu dress!

Get it?

Fashion VS Function

I learned after moving to New York that people here dress for function as much as they dress for fashion... Yes, wearing all black looks cool, but it also doesn't show dirt or wear, and uh, you all did see the garbage piles right? We are OUT, walking in our city so much, our clothing gets dirty- it just makes sense to wear dark clothes! It gets worn out from the elements faster!

What about layering? Hello... We have to layer, not just cuz its cute and trendy, but because we are walking to work when its 50 outside and we need a jacket. We are taking our lunch break when its 60 and we just need our cardigan and top- and then when we're waking home we have our sleeves rolled up and its 68... See? Function.

Or how about jeans tucked into boots? Duh, of course this looks cool, but when you're walking 15 blocks in the rain, you HAVE to do this! WE do not have the luxury of walking from the kitchen to the garage and to the car, driving through the rain, and then wearing the boots with the jeans tucked into them, into the office. We look like this for a purpose!

I have so many of these, but I will only talk about one more. My favorite. LEG WARMERS... I know, its summer now. But this is my absolute fave. I only really came to love leg warmers last winter because that was my first winter here and I thought it would be my last winter on Earth. I only actually survived because of Leg Warmers. Dancers wore them, I dunno, like forever ago, over their tights, to keep their muscles warm or something. (I think I may have just made that up.) But oh my gosh, they are so warm when you wear them over tights or even jeans and pull them up over your knees. They started trending again a few years ago, but honestly I don't know why they ever went away... as long as I live here, I won't stop wearing them. In the winter. Obviously.

So, that is your Fashion lesson for the day.

Guess what! I actually got my pic taken on Sunday morning before church and I think my look illustrates my "all black" and "layering" points pretty well. If it doesn't, who cares. I like this outfit. HH called me "Hammer" all day though. Whatever.

This is how I do color

I don't wear color. I only wear black. HH only wears black. We share a closet, a compact, but very well organized sea of black fabric- in only slightly varied shades, of course. Its difficult to decipher where his clothes end and mine begin. But, we manage. Most of the time. I told you all how I came to give him the name HH (Howard Hughes) and it is because he is so flexible and laid-back... ;) he he. Well, one time I used one of his multi-level pant hangers without telling him... (you know the kind I'm talking about? With 3 or 4 parallel bars across?) and I hung a pair of black dress pants on it. I rarely wore them and forgot about them for several months. HH put them on the other day by mistake. He freaked out for about 3 minutes, thinking he'd suddenly gained 10 lbs, until he realized that they were mine. I had to try them on IMMEDIATELY so that we were sure they were mine, and then IMMEDIATELY put them on MY OWN hanger on MY OWN side of the closet. It really is better this way- my things separate. Otherwise, I would have had to change his nickname. I love that guy.

Back to the POINT. Wearing black. My wardrobe is all black, black/white, black/grey, and a little teeny bit of navy. I dress like this because when I wear all black I feel most like ME. If I were to wear pink, or some floral print, I would feel weird. I would be in a bad mood, most likely. Its not worth it, clothes are supposed to make you happy. Here is my attempt at color since it IS Spring...

PS- I am pretty sure, the only day of the week I will be able to get a pic of my whole outfit for you all is Sunday. HH is just not into it. I took this my own self and I made a collage. Hope you like.

CROCS

I knew I would see this, sooner or later... Crocs. Friggin Crocs. I hate them. I hate them SO bad. It was worse a few years back, when they first flooded the universe! But, apparently they're still around... I guess, now that its getting warmer they're coming out again. Clearly, this is a tourist wearing them, which does not make it any better. Unless you are a DOCTOR or a TODDLER, PLEASE, DO NOT WEAR CROCS.

Oh, how bout we ask my Panel of Judges how they feel about Crocs, shall we? This will be fun.

V: Tim? What do you think of Crocs?

TG: Dreadful. Utterly dreadful. I don't want them in my presence. I think the box they come in is more attractive.

V: Stacy? Crocs? Hello... Stacy?

SL: (silence)

V: Clinton?

CK: (silence)

V: apparently Stacy and Clinton are still at Saturday morning brunch having mimosas. They probably heard I was going to ask them about Crocs and they kept drinking.

V: Anna, what do you think about Crocs?

AW: No answer.

V: Anna Wintour doesn't know what Crocs are, ok, that's how bad they are.

End of discussion. Please never wear Crocs. And if you see this guy, tell him.

Mother's Day

So, I know Mother's Day is coming up- I don't actually know exactly when it is... next Sunday? Shoot. I need to know this information. Fortunately, my Mother lives in Dallas, and she isn't expecting anything from me, other than a phone call. But the approaching day made me think of her, and some other mothers that I wanted to give a shout out... NO, I don't give "shout outs"- I am not a hip hop radio DJ.... I wanted to give recognition to!

Of course I am giving recognition with regard to these Mom's STYLE! What else would I write about? Mothering skills? I don't know anything about being a mom- Please. I don't have a clue about formula or diapers or nap time or teething. I know about birth control, ok? Every kind. Anyway, my 2 best Mom friends here in the city are Heather (mentioned last week) and Deandra. Both have babies, age 2 and under, both staying at home to raise them while their husbands work full time outside the home! NEITHER of them pushing their strollers around the city in their gym clothes or velour lounge sets to meet their friend Vivianne for coffee! Now before you start posting comments like "O Dear Viv, you have no idea what its like to have a baby and try to put together a cute outfit! You are right! But when I see women doing it- actually having a baby AND putting together cute outfits- I know it is possible! Heather and D both wear ACTUAL stylish outfits, complete with accessories and styled hair each time I meet up with them- which is on a very regular basis. So don't think this is just a special occasion that they get out of the house and have a Girls' Mimosa Brunch and get spiffed up or something. I know it can't be an easy thing to do... Where the heck is the kid when they are showering and getting dressed? In a play-pin? Crib? Box? I don't friggin know! Hell- he's somewhere long enough for them to get cute, and I am damn proud of them for making it happen.

The other Mother I want to recognize is, of course my own. Last time I saw her was a few months ago, when I was in Dallas for a visit. I noticed how she had really improved her look, and I had to pay her some serious compliments! She was getting all cute every day, even when she didn't have anything to do except run errands or wash dishes ... I mean, cute shoes, cute jeans, shirt, cardigan, hair done, make up done (and no coral lipstick either!) ... Wow Mom! She was really making and effort and looking super hot. My mom has always understood great fashion and knows how to dress, when she decides to put in the effort. Her style is unique. She hasn't cared much for trends, but there is nothing wrong with that- sometimes it is more important to wear good quality clothing that fits your body and your taste. I definitely learned my sense style from her, and I am grateful for that. I learned to express myself with what I wear from my mom. (Who do you think got me to wear Saddle Oxfords in Kindergarten!?) I am proud of her for the way she makes looking good a priority. I know she is looking good for my Dad and for her self - I think she is wise, and such a great example- I am lucky to have her.

If I could also be so lucky as to win the uber-awesome Flat Iron that my blogger buddy Elaine is holding a give-away for .... I might give my mom back the one I took from her like 5 years ago. Now, wouldn't that be a nice Mother's Day surprise!?

(do you really think I'd give her the one from the give-away?)

Flashback to Kindergarten

Why didn't I love these shoes back then? Why? I don't remember. But I love them now. And I especially love them paired with knee socks. I wore this combo to work yesterday- It made me feel so youthful. I was surprised at the ...looks I got walking down the street. Even in the Garment district to NYC. Don't you think that is weird? I wasn't in some super crazy outfit or anything.... well, whatever. I can't wait to wear this again, but I have to pace myself or I'll wear it out. PS, the socks are navy. I love to wear navy with black. When done correctly, I think this looks awesome- so forward. When its not done carefully, it is obviously Barf City, and just looks like you got dressed in the dark.

I don't mean for all the pics on this blog to be of my feet. Tomorrow I'm going out to try and snap some shots of people with GOOD style. I do feel, though, that it is more fun to talk about those with hideous attire...and there are more of them, unfortunately. Well, we'll see what I find.