Repetition

This outfit is comprised of the somewhat odd combination of burgundy, orange, and pink, and hopefully I'll be able to effectively explain how I got there. It all started with the burgundy and orange skirt (and I realize it probably doesn't look burgundy and orange on your computer screen, but trust me, it is!), which I purchased while Jess was in town.

Let me just digress here for a minute, because this actually happened to us while we were shopping at the Skunkfunk sample sale on Haight Street: the sales girl came up to us and said, and I quote, "Ladies, would you like a cocktail while you shop?" I can't make this up, kids. Jess and I looked at her, then at each other, then back at her, and asked, "Have you met us? Ah, YES!" So we had cocktails while we shopped. And it was... inspiring.

So this skirt is what I bought. It is saturated shades of orange and burgundy, and when I put it on I was actually stumped for a few minutes because although I've got plenty of other burgundy and orange things to go with it, I knew I needed a third color. What goes with burgundy and orange? I struggled for a few minutes before I came up with the solution, which is: What goes with burgundy OR orange? Well, lots of things. Pink, for instance, goes with burgundy beautifully.

Now you might think that with this skirt being one of the players, orange is automatically one of the main colors in the outfit. NOT SO! The "main" colors are determined by repetition, not so much by surface area (the same is true in interior design, btw). By adding the burgundy boots and cardigan I repeated the burgundy color 3 times; by choosing a pink scarf, belt, and bracelet (I could also have put a pink shirt under the cardigan), I repeated pink 3 times. How many times does orange appear? Once. And since it's already incorporated alongside burgundy in the print of the skirt, it totally works. So as long as I pull one color out of this skirt and pair that color with a suitable mate, I can make this skirt work with just about anything. And so can you.

Do you have an item in your collection that has an odd color pairing? Do you have any new ideas for what to try it with?

Scarf, belt, cardigan: gifts
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Shirt: Michael Stars
Skirt: Skunkfunk
Boots: Miz Mooz

Frankenstein

For quite awhile I had my eye on these Jeffrey Campbell shoes:

But then I saw these...

aaaand finally these....

Hey, it's not like you didn't already know I was a shoe fiend.

Now, early on I ruled out the Potion sandals (the top pair), for a few reasons. For one thing, open-toed shoes are tough for me, and I figured that with all those straps there'd be plenty of opportunities for pain. And then, I'm not super comfortable with a solid wedge that's that high -- I think they look great on other people but I have a thing about my feet looking like Frankenstein's, which I fear they might in those. And finally, everybody seemed to own that pair, and I didn't want to be like everybody.

When I saw the Clinic wedges (the second pair), I was really in love. They solved the problem of Frankenstein feet because the metal siding makes it look like the wedge isn't such a massive hunk o' shoe, and they obviously solved the problem of the open toes. But by then they were sold out everywhere, and there was just no tracking down a pair in my size. So I used Solestruck's nifty feature of an automatic email notification if/when my size became available again, and kept looking.

At last I found the X-Ray boots, the third pair, the one that wasn't too hot or too cold but juuuust right. Bless you, Jeffrey Campbell, for making so many variations on this style (there's also a tall boot version, a clog, and a mary jane!). With these there are no Frankenstein block-feet and no skin-scraping open toes. As an added bonus, you can tuck jeans into them. Though they were also sold out at the online shoe retailers, I found a brand new pair in my size on eBay without any trouble, and a happy ending was made.

I wore my towering wedges to work last week and achieved a full 6'1" height, causing multiple coworkers to do double-takes and one of my employees to cower in fear when I stood up from my desk (I'm pretty sure he was only half joking). Because these shoes have the potential to look a bit over-the-top, I wore them with jeans (tucked in, of course!) and a relaxed menswear blazer/tie combo.

These shoes are, believe it or not, remarkably comfortable. Though the angle looks steep, they don't really feel any taller than a regular heel. There was one interesting drawback though, and that was driving my car. Though my legs grew by 5 inches, my arms certainly didn't, so while I could slide the seat back to a comfortable position for the pedals, I had to stretch my arms to their fullest extent to reach the steering wheel. Next time I'm definitely driving in flats and changing when I get there.

In the end I loved these shoes so very much that when I eventually got a notification from Solestruck letting me know that the Clinics were back in stock, I snapped them up too. The Clinics are going to be a little more challenging to wear because they're a bit more daring than the X-Rays, but nevertheless I'm pretty excited about the possibilities for bad-assing up my bare-legged summer outfits.

Blazer: Nanette Lepore (thrifted)
Tie: thrifted
Shirt: Max Studio
Jeans: Acne
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell

Goodbye to a Visionary

What can I say that hasn't already been expressed about the tragic loss of Alexander McQueen? The fashion world has lost a truly gifted individual.

RIP Mr. McQueen; you will be sorely missed.