Cat-Eye

The moment I fell in love with cat-eye sunglasses was in high school as I was strolling through my local Macy's with my Mom. And that was when I saw them: studded, tortoise shell, cat-eye Betsey Johnson sunglasses (they will present themselves in an upcoming outfit post, I promise). Mom agreed with my impeccable style choice and in her ever present shopping wisdom, bought them for me on the spot and they have been my favorite ever since. 

On my break today at work I stopped by the Sunglass Hut store inside my Macy's and tried on the clear Prada cat-eye sunglasses below and I fell in love with this classic shape all over again.

PR 19MS by Prada, $205; Cat Eye Sunglasses with Logo on Temple by Dior, $295; Candie's Bow Cat Eye Sunglasses, $24; Chelsea Cat Eye Sunglasses in Nude by House of Harlow 1960, $138.

Presh TOTES Obvi!

My friend Allie, whom I've known since the 7th grade, is flying into New York on August 2nd to begin interning with Vanity Fair! She'll be staying with me for a couple months in her tenure and I put myself in charge of teaching her the basics of city life. In my own 9 months of living in New York, taking the train (i.e. the subway) is just part of everyday life and it also seems as though being bumped with someone's bag is as well!

To avoid doing the same thing to others, I am in search of the perfect sized tote bag. I usually carry a big bottle of water, a book, and my lunch with me in a little canvas tote bag but it's floppy and not at all stylish. To keep my bag bump offenses to a minimum finding a simple, almost utilitarian tote bag that is not only sturdy but also taller than it is wide is key.

From left to right: Vanston Jackson in Natural by Kate Spade, $475; Tote Bag without Zipper in Tan by Filson, $105; Highline Kendra Tote in Beige/Black by Cole Haan, $398.

You Can Call Me Cupcake

In celebration of my birthday yesterday, Norah and I were sunbathing in Astoria Park and in a surprise turn of events we decided to get tattoos! We found a studio in the West Village and took our turns getting tattooed. As a graphic designer, Norah's favorite font of all time is Helvetica, so on her right wrist she got the word design. I decided on a retro inspired cupcake above my right elbow. And in case you were wondering, the cake under that pink paper is of course Funfetti ;)

Thanks again to everyone for all the birthday wishes!
P.S. A birthday outfit post is on the way!

The Rainbow Chip Icing on the Funfetti Cake

It is officially my 22nd birthday! Sometimes I can't even believe how young I am and how much I've accomplished in the past few years. 22 isn't exactly a milestone birthday but it is my first birthday since moving to New York and I have a whole day planned including a gathering of all the friends I've made here! In honor of today, here are some adorable cake-inspired pieces!

 

From left to right: Cupcake Connoisseur Dress via Modcloth, $74.99; Stocking Stripe Lo Rise Thong in Pussycat Pink by Betsey Johnson, $22; Slice of Cake Pouch by Fred Flare, $14.

Varsity Worthy

As the first of the Fall deliveries arrive at Macy's, I've noticed that letterman jackets are a huge trend, with almost every major brand carrying one and with each one I see I fall more in love! In high school I bowled varsity but never bought a jacket so now here's my chance! Letterman jackets always remind me of Pleasantville when Skip wants to "pin" Mary Sue. What're your thoughts on this 50s prep throwback? I know I'm a fan already!

Letterman Style Jacket by Forever 21, $24.80; Swing Letterman Jacket by 3.1 Philip Lim, $1,450; Varsity Leather Jacket by ASOS, $155.15.

Woody Allen

I was late to discover the magic of the Woody Allen film world. The first movie of his I saw was Vicky Cristina Barcelona in college. But it wasn't until I moved to New York that my Netflix obsession exploded and I found that a large part of Woody Allen's filmography was available on Watch Instantly. My life suddenly became all about Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Manhattan and Annie Hall. And in all the movies he starred in he always wore his signature glasses. Now I'm on the search for the perfect pair of Woody Allen-esque glasses for myself to wear on the daily. Think I could pull them off?

From top to bottom: 01 N/V by Prada, $160; RX 5225 by Ray Ban, $102; The Apolo via Eyeglass Boy, $69.

The Boyfriend

A large part of a successful fashion blog includes doing what is called an "outfit post." This basically means styling an outfit, usually on one's self, and taking a photo of said outfit to post on their blog, thus showing the individual style of that particular blogger. This particular blogger however has a broken camera, yet some amazing personal style if I do say so myself. In lieu of much belated outfit posts on my behalf I've decided to get a little creative and sketch an outfit post. 

In one of my many bored moments at Macy's today I discovered a little gem, the boyfriend shirt. Yes, we've all heard of the boyfriend shirt and may even own one, but I am very picky about my masculine inspired clothing and it was Calvin Klein Jeans that had the perfect one for me. I bought the shirt and haven't been able to take it off since! They key to wearing a boyfriend shirt is going ultra sexy with the rest of the outfit, pairing it with shorts, leggings, tights and anything of the same. Below you'll find my style interpretation of my new favorite shirt.

 

From top to bottom: Denim Boyfriend Shirt by Calvin Klein Jeans, $69.50; Nude Leather Triple Keeper Skinny Belt by TOPSHOP, $32; Cotton Lace Tulip Shorts by Stella McCartney, $965.

Pin-Up Perfection

I've loved cardigans throughout their many phases in the past few years from the bolero cardigan, the boyfriend cardigan, and even the cardigan dress. But my favorite is by far the classic cardigan. One that is fitted and lands at the natural waist makes a flattering silhouette on almost anyone, especially when paired with tailored capris or a knee length pencil skirt. Add a little detail like beading, applique, or embroidery and it polishes off the look. They should always be worn buttoned and worn in lieu of a shirt for an added touch of style. It may seem silly but there is nothing more perfect than a classic detailed cardigan.

From left to right: Dita Rose Embroidered Cardi in Red with Black from Wheels & Doll Baby, $190; High Tea Cardigan from ModCloth, $69.99; Kati Beaded Cardigan from Kate Spade, $295.

The Inspiration

As most designers will tell you, knowing what is going to be in style in future seasons is very important to the success of a line. In college we had access to WGSN, short for the World Global Style Network, which basically forecasts everything- colors, silhouettes, fabrics, prints, accessories, etc. Since graduating I've still, by some miraculous gift from the gods, been able to access WGSN which is infinitely priceless because I've been able to accurately forecast all of the above things for my Spring/ Summer 2012 capsule collection. The silhouettes have been finalized, as of about 15 minutes ago, and now it's just a matter of finalizing the colors and fabrics. My color palette is based off of Rihanna's Only Girl (In the World) video with what I like to call electric pastels.



I knew I wanted to use these colors early on and the forecasting confirmed they would work out. Now it was just a matter of figuring out which prints and fabrications to use. Luckily for me florals, vintage prints, stripes and all things kitschy are on trend for Spring/ Summer 2012. So immediately I started scouring Etsy for a little inspiration and I found some amazing stuff. We'll see what makes the final cut but I think this is an amazing start! Happy 4th of July!

From top to bottom: Screen Printed Vintage Silk from EmilyMe, $55; Blue Floral Linen from admiredhistory, $23; Purple Floral from LittleCabinVintage, $14.50; Pink and Orange Floral Knit from thriftypyg, $15.