brutally rebuffed!

I suppose I didn't pay much attention to this D&G romper when it came down the runway on Siri.


via style.com

But then something about this image stuck in my mind:


Edita Vilkeviciute by Camilla Akrans for Numero 116, September 2010

Over time I realized that I, too, really needed a sweater romper thing. What else would be so perfect for standing around in a forest of cherry blossom trees in the midst of an autumn sunset? I mean that describes my plans for fall like, perfectly.

But no, I thought. Eventually the cherry blossoms will fall, and then what? Then how will I wear it?


Anouck Lepere by Pablo Delfos for Elle Belgium, September 2010

Oh.

Well, that's perfect then. I sit around on the floor looking pensive way more often than I frolic amongst the cherry blossoms. Suddenly this is a look I realize I could take anywhere - whether lounging decadently around my apartment, or taking it out with a pair of boots and being perfectly, insouciantly daring in a way no one would question, or adding a full skirt over it and nodding cleverly to the fact of winter while acknowledging that my West Coast zip code means I'll barely feel a chill.

So now a grey sweater romper has become a thing I need to own.

My journey takes me to the D&G store at the Forum Shops, where I've passed many a soft hour trying on all the runway pieces and sashaying around like I'd ever have reason to purchase a corseted ballgown. It's August, so fall should be trickling into stores already. I get there, though, and there's nothing that looks remotely familiar from the FW10 runways. Upon questioning this I find that much of the fall collection came in three weeks ago and sold out nearly immediately, in Las Vegas, in August. Maybe the people behind the accelerated fashion calender have something there.

I explain my quest to the shopkeepers, describing the romper in question. Nothing comes up in the computer search, so they bring out the runway lookbook. I find it, but the page only says where to get the cardigan worn over it. More searching ensues. Now we're committed; we will find this romper.

Well, there is one. One. Available on consignment, from the showroom, for editorials and the like.

Because it was never produced for proper sale.

nearly witches

I like to think of this outfit as the evil twin to this look.



Tank top, gift from Fluxus. Vintage skirt. Doc Martens.





Details on the accessories:




Antique ring.


My grandmother's old bracelet watch, vintage skull cuff, fake pearl bracelets stolen from a friend.


Vintage fake pearl necklace, grosgrain ribbon from a Lanvin bag.


And finally some of the inspiration for this look, all sources can be found by clicking each picture:

a deep and primal yearning

I picked this dress up a few weekends ago after stalking it for awhile, waiting for it to go way on sale...final score 75% off. Triumph! I've been wanting one like this for awhile, it's a common style from the label and I still regret not picking up the grape-printed Atlantic Sunday dress from a few seasons back. This one is pretty bonkers though, I love it. I was looking in my closet today mulling over the perfect occasion to wear it, and then I realized that Monday was a perfect occasion, so I decided to go out and start researching my next story for one of the magazines I write for. Fortunately this aspect of my job involves shopping. Not bad, life, not bad.




Dress, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania. Shoes, Marni.

My travels led me to Neiman Marcus, where I discovered that the Prada FW10 dresses so far are epically, stunningly, stupidly beautiful. This one was my favorite, but really they're all beautiful, the fits divine, the skirts just swingy enough, the whole collection made me yearn for fall. And money. Mostly lots and lots of money.

I also lurked the Marc by Marc Jacobs section at every department store I hit, and I'm pleased to report that so far it is all seriously covetable in person, the white Bronte lace dress in particular, and don't even get me started on the sweaters. I could have sworn I heard autumn calling to me, but it was just the mercury breaking through the thermometer again. Alas.

until i fall away

I just got back from a two and a half week trip to California. The first half was spent with family in Clovis, and the second was in LA with my BFF. I neglected to bring my camera with me, so the only evidence is in the form of multiple Sidekick photos on my Tumblr. Visiting the area where I grew up always Stockholms me really effectively, and that was especially true this trip, when we spent all this time driving around in my great aunt's sweet Mustang convertible, heading up to the mountains and driving through all these dinky little mountain towns that leave me in alternating states of why would anyone ever want to live here??/oh my god, I want to live here. Surely it can't be as romantic in reality as it is in my head, right? Cheap rent with a great view, hot sun, artistic inspiration, small town suntanned boys? No, right? It wouldn't just be an endless idyll where I get to dress like this all the time -


Dress and shoes, vintage.




Do you know how hard it is to find vintage shoes in my size? It's literally only ever happened one other time in my life.

It couldn't be quite like that, is the thing, because the dress came from a shop in Silverlake and I just found the shoes in an antique mall here in Vegas. So I'd probably go nuts living in some poky little mountain town with nothing to do and nowhere to shop. (Right? Right?) On the way out of Clovis I totally stopped downtown to hit up all the antique malls we'd missed, and ended up leaving with a stack of 1960s Cosmopolitans, a hat, a dress/lace jacket combo, and some weird accessories. I feel alright about it. I also attended my mother's 30th high school reunion, where I was deluged by questions ranging from my marital status (augh) to what grade I'm in (wtf). Everyone was really nice though, and my mom was adorably jazzed to hang out with her friends. It was an awesome trip all around for sure.

Anyway, here is photo evidence of one other thing I did:


Me and BFF! I'm wearing a vintage dress, with pink ankle socks and sparkly Oxfords out of frame.

That was at The Like's show at Bardot on the 11th. It was really fun and full of attractive people, and I danced a lot because this dress has the swingiest skirt. So good. The next night we went to see The Black Apples in Long Beach, and it turned out they were playing at Alex's Bar, where the Fangtasia scenes were filmed during seasons one and two of True Blood. Um, amazing. (Also Jon Hamm from Mad Men was at the show at Bardot. At this point I just accept that every experience I have in the LA area will be in some way bonkers.)

Now I'm back in glorious Henderson, NV, where it's hot, and also hot. I have purchased tomatoes and later I will go to Barnes & Noble to do some writing. I kind of just described my entire life right there.

come on now sugar

I came back from Pennsylvania last week and have been practically immobile ever since, the better to stay cool in my always 78 degree apartment. This has involved a lot of sitting in my room in front of the fan, lately rewatching season one of Veronica Mars. I've also been working, which means a lot of writing about fashion while sitting on my bed in my pajamas. I'm getting pretty stoked about Fashion's Night Out, apparently we're going to have a lot going on here in Las Vegas. Yes! I will try to go to all of it, and if I can't find someone to pay me to write about the experience, maybe I will just write it all up for this here blog.

I got a recent formspring.me question on the Perfect Outfit, and in the course of answering it I realized that I'd never posted about my current favorite outfit. Since I'm wearing it again today, here we go:


Skirt and top, both vintage.


Sometimes I can't believe I can just walk out the door and see this.





On a purely utilitarian level, I like that I can wear the skirt up high when I'm out and about, but if it gets too hot (it was 112 degrees yesterday. 112 degrees) I can just bare a little more midriff and prevent an ignoble death by heatstroke. I was recently at a vintage clothing dealer's, and in addition to giving me a sweet discount on the dress, top, and hat I purchased (coming soon: how to wear hats in 2010?), she informed me that this top is actually Victorian, which I hadn't realized. An undergarment, presumably, unless the Victorians were much freakier than I thought.

My friend Sara and I spent a lot of time in Adamstown, PA, which is fantastic town for antiquing and gorgeous besides. I came out six dresses richer, but I think the mercury needs to drop a dozen or so more degrees before I feel up to those necklines. Here's hoping.

dos

I recently returned from a week long trip up to Oregon to visit my grandparents. We did a bunch of antiquing, so I did a bit of shopping, scored some ridiculous deals and got excited about non-Miu Miu SS10 fashion again. Oh vintage, how you satisfy my soul.

Here's a shirt I picked up, with my face cropped out because I looked terrible in literally every picture I took in this outfit. Coooool.


Shirt, vintage. Skirt, Diane von Furstenburg.

Worn with these heels, again. (Who's ever mad at a close-up though? Ignore the fact that my feet are, you know...feet.)


Shoes, Miu Miu.

Then today I felt a yen to break out this one, which I usually save for more formal occasions, but sometimes it's nice to just put on a pretty dress and go to the mall, you know?




Dress, vintage. Shoes, YSL.

I decided that documenting my life in pictures is worth it even with the exceedingly poor Sidekick camera, so if sporadic updates here aren't enough, then here's some candid action for you: http://yourdailysara.tumblr.com/. Get into it!

and there is only the dance

American Apparel tank top, Flying Tomato shorts, Miu Miu bag

Home again after five days out seeing shows, a personal record I'm comfortable keeping. Cute dresses every day are fun but it's nice to be back in my room, lying around and catching up on internet things. Dragged my friends to South Coast Plaza so I could see the Miu Miu store, and found that this bag I'd been eying finally went on sale. It's light to carry and the perfect size, love it. My friends thought I was weird for cuddling it but hey, it is printed with kitty cats...

five ways of looking at a Miu Miu shirt

Okay, basically this post is fashion porn. I've been obsessing over this collection since the runway show last fall, and I'd consider this my first ever real investment piece purchase. As Carrie Bradshaw once said, "I like my money where I can see it...in my closet." But, actually, I like it in my wallet and bank account too. So I'm gonna let it chill there for awhile now. Unlike the rest of me, which will be DYING OF HEAT. 106 already, Vegas? Really? California's calling my name in more ways than one.

Tomorrow I fly back to LA for a record store performance, then back here to hang out and do some work, then back to California for a couple more shows, then to Oregon to visit my grandparents. I will probably wear this shirt everywhere.


Shirt, Miu Miu. Skirt, vintage. Sunglasses, Buffalo Exchange.






Sweet wall, bro.



This is pretty much my outfit of the summer...I'm super into this skirt right now, it pairs well with a ridiculous number of things, plus it's floaty and pretty and light. (Did I mention the 106 degrees thing?) And though heat rises, I still can't resist a nice pair of platforms to send me skyward.

I do want to shoot this shirt again at some point, maybe when I'm not wincing from the heat. Maybe I will take it to LA (again) and see if I can't coax a friend to take some halfway decent shots of it.

Hope you are all well, and staying cool. ♥

werk~

My fashion writing print debut is finally out, and since the whole magazine is online, you can read it! It's for Desert Companion, the Nevada Public Radio magazine, and hopefully the start of a long career for me with them. I'm pretty jazzed. \o/

That's my article starting on the right page there. Open it in fullscreen to read, enjoy, and let me know what you think, dudes! ♥

friends, Romans, etc.

Life has taken a demoralizing turn this week, but the show must go on...and it's all a show.


Dress, Miu Miu. Necklace, Prada. Boots, Gap.


Awkwardly framed shots: apparently a thing I do.

This is one of my favorite dresses from my second favorite Miu Miu season, Spring/Summer 2009. Yoox still has a couple of pieces from that collection up, which have been taunting me regularly on practically every website I go to despite decookie-ing my system. Thanks a lot, internet marketing, for making things creepy.

A few of my other favorites from said season:









Conclusion: the way to my heart is, always and forever, a good print. Miu Miu tends to be one season on, one off for me, so I'm stoked on SS11. Here's hoping for something sweet as well.