noteworthy.

I am beyond ready for a new year. Here’s the thing about new year’s resolutions. I get really excited, and end up making a list of like, 30 things I want to change about my life. While that’s nice, it’s not entirely realistic. So this year, I definitely have some resolutions, considering 2011 will be a pretty defining year. I’m graduating in May and have absolutely no clue what’s next. I’m keeping most of these to myself, but here’s some inspiration/a few resolutions that I will share for the year to come:

Laughing. At all opportunities.

Carey Mulligan at the Oscars, photo from Vogue’s Best Dressed 2010 issue, re-affirming that she’s completely elegant, but doesn’t take herself too seriously. Absolute icon.

Refrain, as much as possible, from using the word “last”. 

This is my last semester of college. This could be my last few months living with my best friends. This could be last few months living in California. “Last” is a slippery slope and I’ve learned the hard way recently that focusing on the “last” rather than enjoying the moments is a big mistake. 

Send LOTS of Postcards. 

Don’t get me wrong, I live and breathe the tech savvy world of email, facebook, twitter, blogging…But. I think a brief handwritten note, goofy or sentimental, communicates so much more than anything typewritten ever could. Postcards are the perfect medium to send a brief message. 

Left: Vintage Penguin paperback cover postcards from Anthro. Right: Stitchable map postcard from The Curiosity Shoppe (I am DYING to send this…so cool)

I like this print from 20x200. Lots.

And lastly.. It doesn’t get much better than this. 

Have the happiest and most fashionable New Years Eve! Ladies, wear something sparkly (I definitely am). Boys, wear a bow tie. And if you want to have a really snazzy new years, I suggest downloading this playlist. 

You guys. I have a huge crush on John F. Kennedy Jr. 

Him and Carolyn Bessette made such a stylish pair. *sigh*

I’m not so hot on ‘yearly wrap-ups’ but you should most definitely check out Tommy Ton’s Year in Fashion posts. Beyond amazing.

You may or may not know this, but The Sound of Music is my ALL TIME favorite movie. So last night, when I turned it on ABC, I couldn’t help but come up with this collage inspired by some of my favorite scenes.

1. Speakeasy Fedora, Anthropologie.  3.1 Philip Lim Check Cape, Net-a-Porter. Copper Slouch Dress, Topshop. Wooden Heels, Anthropologie. I love how all the children wear capes for their travel clothes. From now on I think I will only wear capes to airports. 

2. Fleur’s Petal Dress, Nadinoo. Camel Felt Floppy Hat, Topshop. Because we all need a play dress that’s made from curtains (although this one is made from a Liberty of London print)

3. Vivienne Westwood Three Button Felt Jacket, found on Svpply. Gold Field Skirt, Anthropologie. Striped Socks, Anthropologie. I love the 1940s look when women began adapting menswear, pairing structured jackets with full feminine skirts. 

4. Polka Dot Bow Shirt, Topshop. Rust calf length skirt, Topshop. Leather brogues, J Crew. 

I’ve been reluctant to jump on board with the obsession of our First Lady as a style icon (minus her single handedly catapulting Jason Wu to mass success). But. Seeing her in this Marc Jacobs Fall 2010 dress, straight from the runway might have changed my mind. I think because it’s by no means a “First Lady Dress”. It’s unexpected. Well done Mrs. Obama. My mind opinion of your style has grown to admiration.

In other news, you can find me crawling around my house, cooking and curled up in the corner of a couch. I’m onto day 5 of consistently only wearing my hair in a bun. I think this number could reach double digits. 

Lately while getting dressed I’ve been inspired by Alexa Chung. All I want to wear are tights, oxfords, jean shorts, chunky sweaters and peter pan collars. Key in this equation: peter pan collars, which I lack. The other day I wore a standard button up under my chunky crew sweater and realized I matched the majority of my male friends at graduation. In order to add a feminine touch to this look and avoid dressing exactly like the boys (okay, I WAS the only one wearing floral printed tights) peter pan collars do the trick. 

My goal for today is to crawl outside of the house, bun in tow, and search some local thrift stores for some feminine collars. That, and finish my Parsons grad school application. PS: If anyone out there has an eye for editing, contact me. I’m drowning in my verbiage. 

I’m a big online shopper, but I sometimes get tired of making the rounds to my go-to sites (Anthropologie,Topshop, Net-A-Porter…). And then there’s the ongoing bookmark folder of things I find that I always forget about. Svpply is a website that allows its users to create an online wishlist of products which you can either add from products you find on Svpply or directly from a retail website. In essence, you basically curate your own online boutique. It it allows you to find unique items and good designs you might otherwise spend hours searching for, hence my obsession. To top it all off, there’s a social aspect to it- you can follow your friends’ accounts and watch them add items to their own Svpply. I’ve noticed that a person’s Svpply is a decently accurate reflection of their personality. So now that it’s Christmas break and you have gobs of time on your hands…go and create your own Svpply and be inspired by lots of great products you otherwise wouldn’t have found. 

Oh, and P.S.- it’s not just clothes. They have great art, home goods, tech items, and all sorts of things. In fact, my friend Greg sells some of his art through Svpply. 

And check out my Svpply here!

A poster that I found from my friend Leighton’s Svpply.

A top I found from a Swedish boutique. 

Today’s Sartorialist post features my beloved Marc by Marc Natasha Crossbody bag in my very same army green color! Also this lovely video was posted, done by the New York Times. Scott talks about his inspiration for capturing interesting people. The reason I love The Sartorialist so very much is that it’s not necessarily fashion- it’s not who’s wearing what and so forth. It’s strictly style. It’s how people put things together. It’s not all waify 6 foot tall 15 year old girls, it’s real people. There is such a romantic element to the raw style he captures, that I think a lot of people miss. There is such a difference between style and fashion. I love when he does a photo of a house painter or a unexpected crazy old lady. I think the reason I love my Natasha bag so much is because of how beat up it is. The leather is stained from an absolute rain shower that victimized me in Pisa this summer. One of the straps has been repaired, and the inside smells like cinnamon gum and holds random coins, maps, tickets, and at least 22 bobby pins. I love that bag because that bag has so, so many stories. To me, it’s a style icon because of the memories it represents. Fashion is wonderful and great and beautiful, but to me style is more sentimental. It’s all about how you wear something and why you wear it. 

Me embarrassingly cheesing it up with my Natasha bag at Blenheim Palace, somewhere between Oxford and London this summer. 

It’s dead week, and in the school of business, that means students who normally wear sweats to class are forced to dress professionally for presentations. Normally dressing up makes me excited, but I get finicky when it comes to business attire because I am utterly opposed to looking frumpy. 

I have found a simple solution: polka dots. 

Polka dot tights say, “Yeah, I’m wearing a suit, but also, I’m not a total prude.” Worn here by myself and the ever-so-classy Sarah Harden (Bottom: mine, J Crew. Top: her’s, Target)

And then we have Gregory Christian, the owner of the world wide web’s widest horizontally stretching blog. Greg wears this polka dot shirt; the polka dot shirt does not wear him. How dapper (he will roll his eyes as he reads this)! Love ya Gregor. 

Today’s lesson: business attire does not mean frumpy; let your personality show through, no matter the dress code. 

Boys Gentlemen:

5 reasons why you should wear a tie. 

1. You will instantly look cute cuter. 

2. You will look something like a J Crew model, which will instantly make us believe you are a little bit intellectual, witty, successful and clever. 

3. It will make you look charming, and make us want to twirl.

4. It will give us something to grab hold of when a kiss is being given. 

5. And if you’re feeling extra cute and stylish, make it a bow tie. I, for one, will surely be taken aback. 

One last note: don’t be fussy about the tie being ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘stuffy’. I can assure you platform pumps, bodycon skirts and corseted tops and significantly more painful. So go! Wear a tie!