lucilleduquette:

i was not lying when i said i was excited about my thom browne shirt. i’ve worn it twice this week. in today’s instance, i was feeling rushed and lazy, and the shirt happened to be strewn over a chair in my bedroom, so on it went, and out i went, and my outfit is pretty boring.

i had only a minute for the indecision of tucking in vs. not tucking in. looking at these photos, i think i made the wrong choice. but when i tuck fitted things into a skirt, i think it accentuates the fact that i don’t have a real waistline. such a conundrum!

since this outfit is so blah, i won’t go on and on about it. however, it got me thinking that i haven’t been doing nearly the number of white-on-white outfits that i used to do. so i figured i’d finish this post by showing some of my oldie but goody all white outfits from the past few years.

from 2 years ago- so ruffly and fluffly! last weekend i sewed some of my grandma’s old buttons onto this jacket so i should be showing it here again soon. 

same jacket again, with the ruffled bib (arguably a ‘dickie’) that i made a couple years ago.

clearly i really like wearing vintage table runners around my waist! this is from last year.

finally, my creepster vintage wedding dress. best dress i own.

a few inspiration photos from the 2011 runway shows from elle.

today’s outfit: thom browne shirt, vintage skirt, ann demeulemeester boots, balenciaga bag

first off, i want to say thanks to all of you who have checked out or started following my new site this week! if you haven’t been there yet, i followed through with one of my goals for it, and posted an extra outfit there. so take a looksie!

since i’m going to try posting outfits a bit more often, that means i’m going to have to spend less time taking and processing the photos. so today’s pictures were taken in 5 minutes on my roof before i headed off to work for the day.

this struck me as a very new-york-ish outfit (maybe more specific to the financial district where noel and i work): dark colors, simple silhouette, subtle details.

in fact, thanks to my quickie photo shoot, the details may be too subtle for these pictures. you can see that the skirt has built-in ruching (i believe last time i showed it on the blog, i vowed to never wear it again). the sweater also has some crazy ruching and ribbing, and the sleeves are slightly rounded around the wrists. i will have to re-wear it soon and take a nicer photo, because i think it is a very special sweater.

anyhow, i chose to wear what i thought were some nyc-esque pieces, because i am headed off to LA for a long weekend with my lady friend mimi! i hear it is going to be 80 degrees there, so i’m super psyched. if you have any suggestions for places we must see around west hollywood, it would be much appreciated.

uniqlo wool coat, marc by marc jacobs sweater, vintage nicole miller skirt, ann demeulemeester boots, balenciaga bag

it’s my birthday today. hooray!!! 

it’s hard to believe this one is the last of my 20s. but i’ve never been one to stress over getting older. i think that’s because, at heart, i’m 65 or so. 

65 and hanging little doll brooches from my handbag.

i didn’t mean to look so somber for such a happy day, but i wanted to wear this dress, and it seems like a somber piece of clothing. it’s another piece from alexa chung for madewell. i was unsure if it was too much like a french maid outfit, but with the addition of the big heart necklace, i thought i could avoid looking too costume-y. what do you think? 

my actual birthday involves an entire day AND night of work- the regular job for 8 hours or so, then 2 hours of class, then leading a study session for the students after. i won’t be home till past 10. bleh.

so the man-friend made sure my weekend was extra nice. saturday i got the most delicious AND beautiful cake from nine cakes in red hook. we had dinner at my favorite italian restaurant in williamsburg. then we rented a zip car and drove to astoria park at night, and watched the skaters in the skate park, and looked at the creepy old pool, and walked along the water front. it’s silly but driving around makes me very happy. a day without public transportation is a real treat.

sunday i ran a 1-mile race down 5th avenue. most of the new york road runner’s races are in central park, so it’s fun and different when they’re able to block of a street for a race. i also think it was the shortest of the marathon qualifying races- nice to cross another one off the list in under 10 minutes. then the man-friend and i ate at city bakery, took these photos in washington square, got manicure/pedicures (his first manicure- it was pretty cute), and massages in chinatown. 

now i will spend today shoveling various types of bakery and candy into my face to take away the sting of the fact that it’s storming, and i’m working. it’s 10am and i’ve already had some candies and a giant cupcake. so it’s another great day.

alexa chung for madewell dress, rachel leigh necklace, balenciaga bag, vintage ballerina brooch, marc by marc jacobs sandals

lately i have given some thought to the fact that, at the age of 28, having worked three jobs that i consider to be ‘serious’ jobs, i have never once owned or worn a suit.

even when meeting with my most stuffy clients, i have always been given the instruction to look ‘nice, but creative- don’t wear a suit’. 

now, don’t get me wrong- i am 99% grateful for the fact that suits are not encouraged. however, every once in awhile i feel a small pang of jealousy when a friend complains of having to carry a pile of freshly pressed and tailored suits back from the dry cleaner, or of having to starch and iron a stack of blouses. this is all foreign to me (i once accidentally wore my slippers to work, and no one noticed), and thus, gives all suit-wearers an air of importance.

so, as of late, i’ve found myself looking through my closet and trying to put together my own version of a suit. i don’t have any of the right pieces, so the definition of ‘suit’ becomes verrrry…. relaxed. it seems to mean ‘anything that involves a jacket and pants’. that’s as good a definition as any, right?! right.

so here is one of my ‘power suits’. the pants, on their own, i thought were somewhat professional looking- mostly because they are made by vince, which sells professional clothing. however, they’re cropped, so i put on the boots to mask the length.. because cropped pants are NOT professional and ann d boots ARE, of course. and we all know every good suit needs a jacket! so i donned my favorite velvet one from elizabeth & james. the jacket gives this power suit it’s powers- WIZARD powers.

i’ve noticed that people wearing suits tend to keep their jewelry simple. thus, i limited myself to this one necklace. i found the pendant a long time ago in a thrift store- it is supposed to be a belt buckle. i could never figure out how to use it on a belt, and just last week realized that it was REALLY meant to be a necklace. i still need to find some nicer chains for it, but i’ve been wearing it a lot anyway.

i know i always post a close-up shot of these boots, but i can’t resist. i think they are some of the prettiest boots ever. and, you know, that neutral shade of plum adds a hint of color to one’s super professional suit without being too much.

i will most likely get mistaken for a lawyer in this ensemble, don’t you think?

elizabeth & james jacket, uniqlo tank, vince pants, vintage necklace, ann demeulemeester boots, balenciaga bag