balenciaga lust

I haven't lusted over a bag in awhile. I haven't really shopped in a long time either. I've got my mind (and money) focused on other things these days, like trips, adventures, and yummy things to fill my belly with. But today, a bag did make me stop and salivate: the Balenciaga City Classic Craquele, exclusively done for Neiman Marcus. It's really the bois de rose color that I fell in love with. The material is suede with a metallic finish. It is LOVE.

The damage: $1,395. *sigh*

That money can buy me a ticket to Ibiza, a skydive + photo and video, and dinner at Per Se, so I guess I'm not owning this bag ... ever. My rule for how much I can spend on a bag is this: If I can't even get myself to pay that amount for one month of rent, I am certainly not spending it on a bag. Reasonable, right?

So I will just appreciate this bag for the beautiful specimen of calf leather that it is, and move on with my day. Thank you for indulging me.

In bag love and lust,

emma watson makes me want a new trench

It's the same thing every year. When Spring rolls around, I find myself wishing I had a really good trench coat. I have a cute one from Imitation of Christ designer Tara Subkoff's line for Bebe last year. But nothing really measures up, in my opinion, to a Burberry trench. That's the dream. One day, I will invest in one ...

In the meantime, I will salivate over Emma Watson's outfit in this Burberry ad. So adorable. And damn. So YOUNG! Isn't it amazing how designer brands are aiming younger and younger these days? Or am I just getting old?

*drool*

starting them young

Aaaah Louboutins ... There's nothing more desirable to women than those distinctive shiny red soles. Can you guess who owns these beauties?

Surprise, surprise, the Louboutin-shod feet belong to Barbie! Pretty cute campaign with Mr. Louboutin himself appearing alongside the chic redhead.

As if the Louboutin fixation hasn't already reached epedemic proportions, now they're trying to get them while they're young. Barbie by Christian Louboutin is now for sale on Net-a-porter for $150. This Barbie comes with 4 red-soled pairs of Louboutins each with their own boxes and shoe bags.

I would imagine Ms. Suri already has one of these.

I don't know how I feel about it. Extremely envious of uber rich 5-year-olds who get to play with Louboutins, I suppose. The fashion world never ceases to amaze me.

today i'm loving: rm by roland mouret for net-a-porter

I am drooling over the RM by Roland Mouret collection for net-a-porter. Wonderfully detailed cuts with just the right amount of pleating, nipping and tucking to make a solid piece of clothing incredibly chic. I am dying over that beautiful teal colored, one-shouldered dress shown above, which will only set you back $3,070 (yes, I am being sarcastic).

I wonder, how can one wear a $3,070 dress when that amount of money can cover rent in a 3-bedroom in Manhattan? Or take me on perhaps a weeklong trip in Paris? Always baffles me ... I might, in a really insane moment, be able to talk myself into buying a bag for that price because you can at least use the bag everyday. But a dress, even one as gorgeous as this, can only be worn so many times ... What it must feel like to have that much money to burn ...

As for me, back to the salt mines!

leica m7 hermes edition

As if a plain old Leica camera wasn't covetable enough. Now they've gone and teamed up with Hermés to create the Leica M7 Hermés edition, which is really JUST. NOT. FAIR.

It's a super limited edition, of course, with only 200 pieces to be sold. As a camera, it's a standard M7 with a Leica SUMMILUX-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH. wide-angle lens, lens hood, and LEICAVIT M winder. The Hermés touch comes in the calfskin leather accents in either orange or etoupe (pictured here). I much prefer the discreet look of the etoupe to the loud Hermés orange—not that my opinion matters because I will never own this piece of gorgeousness. I mean, the Leica M7 Hermés only costs ₤8,550 (roughly $14,000). More droolworthy pictures below.

*sigh*

get that warm and fuzzy feeling

After a few days of almost summery weather,the winter chill is descending on Manhattan today. I got my wool winter coats from the cleaners today and received the new down coat I ordered yesterday. I guess you could say I'm over the denial and anger stages, and have now come to accept that it's winter again.

If there's one thing keeping my spirits up despite the plummeting temps, it's the idea of cozying up in a beautiful glamorous fur. This fox fur jacket by Pologeorgis at Saks is super cute and only $500.

Ok fine, for me and my rapidly rising credit card bill, "only" and "$500" don't really belong in one sentence together. But if you've got better finances than me, you gotta admit this is a good price for a fur. And here's a great deal to motivate you: from today, October 23 through Sunday, November 1, Saks on Fifth Avenue in New York will give you 25% off a woman's or men's coat, fur, or men's suit if you donate a gently worn coat or men's suit to One Warm Coat, an organization that has donated over a million coats to people in need. For more information, call 212.753.4000 or visit The Fur Salon on Two Women's Outerwear on Four Men's Suits and Outerwear on Six and Seven.

Talk about getting that warm and fuzzy feeling!

fall for fur

I was hating on fall a few days ago, but as I thought more and more about how dressing up is at it's most fun this season ... well I guess you could say I've warmed up to the idea. I have a deep yearning for some fur to nonchalantly throw over my fall outfits right now, thanks to this Marie Claire editorial:

The looks are so chic but also utterly comfortable. I love the effortless élan of it all—the scarves and the fur toppers have the feeling of being haphazardly thrown on yet they are perfectly placed all the same. So where I was once furrowing my eyebrows in confusion at all the fur vests cropping up in stores, now I think, "Why not?" Saks has two very cute options in faux and genuine varieties. Can you guess which is which?

If you guessed the vest on the right, then you're correct! For $448, you get a two-in-one vest from LaRok. One side is this plush lambswool and the other is an embroidered suede that's a tad too folksy for my taste. The one on the left is an acrylic/polyester blend by Joie, priced at at $318. I think the price is asking a bit too much considering it is faux, but I do like the style of it more than the LaRok vest.

The truth is, if I was gonna buy anything fur, it would probably be one of these:

These beauties are by Adrienne Landau at Saks. I am particularly in love with the racoon fur loop on the left which sells for $240. The raccoon fur warmer on the right is way attainable at just $175. But the fur loop is totally calling my name ... let's let the weather cool down a wee bit more, and then we'll talk Adrienne, then we'll talk ...

maria, maria ...

The new Maria Sharapova collection for Cole Haan is causing pains in my pocket! I badly want a shoe or two with those super comfy Nike Air soles.

The Air Milano tall boots are gorgeous, trimmed in suede and oiled vachetta (vachetta is the same kind of leather used in the handles of LV monogram bags). But I'm afraid they might be too delicate for the rough New York streets. And for $328, I should hope they'd last longer! The Air Bacara Ballet flats are too tempting at $158. It sits on these raised rubber pods, which sound perfect for walking around NY even in inclement weather. But considering how I manage to scuff the tips of my flats in less than a week, I should probably wait for these to go on sale before I even think of buying them. The Air Milano booties and Air Milano sandals are super covetable too because the thought of having a pair of super comfy heels is just a dream! I'm really considering the Air Milano sandals because they're a tad more attainable at $198 and would come in very useful for formal and cocktail events, which require a gold heel but also lots of standing. Here's hoping a sale comes quickly!

the schoolboy blazer

It's always mildly bothered me that it's so much easier for Mika to look pulled together but still comfortable. I think about it everytime we're headed to the airport. He puts on jeans, a shirt and sneakers, and then at the last minute throws on a blazer and ta-daaa! He looks ready for an upgrade. Me? Utter confusion. Last night, it hit me. Wait, it's all about the blazer! All I have to do is get a cropped blazer and I can pull the same tactic! (Yes, I'm three years too slow on the uptake)

Tonight, as I browsed the J.Crew website, I saw this picture and now my mind is set. I must have a schoolboy blazer!

I've seen this look work tremendously well on men and really, why can't women do it too? I'd need a thin hoodie though, maybe a cashmere or merino wool one, so the silhouette doesn't get bulky. And I think I prefer a velvet version. Looks snazzy on the men, so why not for me?

Uh-oh, the shopping trigger finger's starting to itch ...

why, thread social, why?

I'm almost offended that Thread Social keeps making this super cute one-shoulder dresses in fabric after fabric because I can't afford it!!! Why must it be priced at $561? Come ON.

I love the double straps at the back and love colors on this fabric. Always so cruel, Thread Social.

there are no words ...

... to describe how much I love this dress from Alexander McQueen's Resort line. *sigh*

those darned paul smith stripes

Of all the sneaky, underhanded things to do ... Why, Paul Smith, why? Why would you create a cushy armchair with those awesome stripes and then price it at $2,498? Seriously. I hate you.

everything's better embellished

And it's even better when you discount it. Of course, it would be the best if money was no object to me because even at the deepest discounts, I can't afford these! But if YOU can, Eluxury is lopping off an extra 30% from already discounted wares today. Which means these gorgeous shifts by 3.1 Phillip Lim are now priced at $279 (from $795) and $353 (from $850). Not bad at all if you have a trust fund.

being an adult sucks

I applied for the very first loan of my life today to cover expenses for my move, and so I'm the bank's b*atch for the next two years. Thus, I'm not allowed to splurge on anything for the next two years, as well. Not even gorgeous Herve Leger dresses on sale at Gilt Groupe like this one that's going for $528 (from $1,490). Not even the super beautiful ombre Herve that I've been coveting forever (not that I ever had a chance; it sold out in minutes). Sigh. Double triple sigh.

mmmm missoni

Splurging on an M Missoni dress is itself a dream for me, nevermind an actual Missoni (dear lord, one dress costs as much as my rent!). This M Missoni on sale at Neiman Marcus for $507 (from $845) would be such a dream to own, but will have to remain a fantasy for me since I have about that much money going towards a deposit and credit check fee v. soon for what I hope, hope, hope will be my new home ... crossing fingers, toes, eyes (?!) for luck ...

l-o-v-e

... this embellished tank dress by Stella McCartney for Net-a-porter. L-O-V-E. That's all ...

40% off at saks

I die a little bit when I see sales like this and know that I can't buy anything. I'd kill for one of these Chloé sandals but their prices are still pretty steep at upwards of $500. I'll have to make sure I save up for the Chloé sample sale this year!

pleats

I love pleats. Probably as much as I love ruffles. Ironing pleats makes me want to cry, but thank god for boyfriends who are excellent at ironing and have no patience watching me putz about with anything pleated (my sweetie once ironed a pleated miniskirt for me pleat by pleat after I messed it up by throwing it in the washer—how can you not love him? But I've totally digressed. I just wanted to share this lovely top by Pencey from a Shopbop lookbook. LOVE IT. Don't love the $271 pricetag though. But that's alright. Prettiness makes my day a little brighter, even when I can't bring it home with a swipe of my plastic.

stuff on sale that i still can't afford

Eluxury has a clearance sale going on with lots of amazing clothes, but I still can't afford it. My rule is that if the pricetag on a piece of clothing shows an amount that can either a) cover my rent, or b) buy me a bed and mattress, I cannot even consider buying it. So since that's the case, I'll just have to do gratuitous posting on the blog ...

Zac Posen seersucker blouson dress at Eluxury (now $899 from $1500)

stella, stella, stella

Thank you Paul McCartney for giving us two of the most amazing British exports ever: The Beatles and your wonderful daughter, Stella. I will always and forever heart Stella for her infallible understanding of what women want. Today I'm drooling over her new collection for Net-a-porter. Love the gorgeously detailed and sculpted neutrals. I wish I had a trust fund.