golden

behold-- my answer to boring office wear:

rescued from a truly horrible outlet mall. don't get me wrong, outlet malls are one of the greatest things on this earth (perhaps a slight exaggeration), but this place... i shudder just thinking about it...

short

pre-order item from urban outfitters.

the hard part with pretty much anything leather is that if it's not juuuuust right it can look so wrong, but done right there's pretty much nothing better (well, according to me). too tight and you look like a skank, too loose and it's just bizarre, too much and you look like a dominatrix, etc etc. these shorts take a preppy, feminine, classic shape and use leather to give it a new twist. leather trouser shorts. yes please.

dree

dree hemmingway.

yes, she's ernest hemmingway's granddaughter.

yes, she has incredible street style.

yes, she has incredible red-carpet style.

yes, she has incredible runway skills.

yes, she has incredible editorials.

so basically she's incredible.

boot

these strike me as so wrong yet so right at the very same time...

jeffrey campbell black boxxy heel

la(wl)

leaving for LA tomorrow morning bright and early for essentially a 24-hour trip.

mermaid hair, short shorts, and the best coffee ever. mmmhmmm.

label alert

current obsession: australian label shakuhachi. prepare to drool:

seriously-- i had to hold myself back from posting their entire collection and stock list. their use of materials, from sweats to leather to mesh, is to die for. yes, i really just used that phrase. the cut-outs, twists, and oversized cuts are just perfectly placed, not overdone, and yet just enough. so unique and great silhouettes that are still practical and kind of subdued... i could pretty much just go on and on.

i also completely appreciate someone who can pull of ultimate casual and formal so well. their neutral palette is also completely up my alley. alexander wang-- consider your throne officially threatened. the pricing is also pretty decent for the amount of style and versatility in each piece. i could literally create an entire wardrobe out of their stuff. did i mention they have killer wedges too? oh, come on...

working girl

going along with my fashion rut is also this horrible new dilemma hanging over my head: a real career girl wardrobe. during my internships my go-to outfit was a pair of straight-legged jeans and a cardigan. i didn't care to invest in a real work wardrobe because it was so temporary and i would much rather have worked up my collection of fake snake skin leggings and sick wedges for going out with friends.

but now that my future holds a real-life job i need to try and figure out what a real-life working girl wears. how do i actually translate my real style into something appropriate for the workplace? i don't think i can quite handle pulling on a lame cardigan every morning. nothing can be quite as soul crushing as facing a heinous sweater set each day at the crack of dawn. yet how do i wear something that says "hello world, i'm a young lady coming into the office in something stylish that says don't mess with me, i've got a personality and i'm not afraid to show it (but still take me seriously)"? how do i still look my age without looking like i'm walking into a club?

the most inspiring thing i've found thus far is this, minus the (albeit amazing) lace bodysuit top

now the question of how i can accomplish this while still having money to feed myself arises...

rut

in a total clothing rut. i need to dig myself out of here stat! i have a feeling that relocating to los angeles will do wonders, though. it did completely cement my obsession with all things leather and fantastic when i lived there before...