Rainy days and nights

The rain has finally stopped, though the day is still a bit cold and drizzly. I'm sick with chronic sinusitis (ew) and am about to start a second round of antibiotics. The sunshine and warm weather we're supposedly due to experience Easter weekend can't arrive soon enough! I'm hoping the solar charge will renew my strength, Superman-style. We shall see.

No new outfit posts till I'm healthy! Pale and red-nosed (though frequent) is not a good look for me. :P Instead... Polyvore! I'm afraid I too often let my little collages fill in all the blanks... when I've got nothing relevant to say... uhh... Polyvore!

This post does, however, reflect my mood. A little quirky, a little bluesy, with a dash of Lewis Carroll-esque whimsy stirred in for good measure. Drink me:

Teatime by erincathleen featuring Fendi shoes

Items in this set:
Quotation: Yumi Kim Love Blossom Silk Dress, $205
Field Game Cardigan, $120
Molded & Melded Tee - Anthropologie.com, $48
Raffia and suede pumps, $695
Paraty medium python bag, $3,825

I never wrote my "Favorite Things: March." So I'll be lazy and combine months for a "Favorite Things: Spring." Then it's back to Green Cotton blogging, and hopefully some good news to share at the end of the week.

Everyone stay warm and dry! The sun is coming!

Hey mama, welcome to the sixties

Of course I'm talking about the warmer temperatures... and this retro-inspired jacket.

Urban Outfitters beret and sweater dress
Self Esteem jacket via Kohl's
Charlotte Russe viscose scarf
Paul + Joe for Target purse
Target (?) tights
Old Navy flats

This coat was another gift from my mom. She finds me the cutest things. I think the fun print works well with my equally retro pom-pom bag. Makes me feel like going downtown to the soda shoppe... or frolicking around a garden, singing sixties French pop. Ahhh.



I realize that spring is but hours away, and March is nearly over, and I have failed to do a "favorite things" post this month. So I'll get on that. Soon!

This weekend is a busy one. I'm trying to both tackle a cold (an unfortunate residual effect of the new nice weather, darn it) and rehearse a song and monologue for an audition on Sunday. Wish me luck!

Is spring emerging in your area?

I'm going slightly mad...

... because spring is just a few short days away! I'll take these 60 degree days over the nonstop rain we've been having here. The deluge of the past few weeks has given me a major case of cabin fever. These photos capture my own kind of March madness...

Clearly this is a cry for help: Help me escape Suburbia! The hippie longs to be free to frolic... I'm so dazed and confused, man.

Outfit details, for the curious...
Loft sunglasses
Charlotte Russe necklace
Kimchi Blue scarf
Old Navy tube top
Grandma's cardigan (for real)
Loft jeans (in "distressed modern slim")
Old Navy flats
Socks from my mama

I gotta get out of here
I'm stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake
I gotta get out of here
And I'm begging you, I'm begging you
I'm begging you to be my escape

(By Relient K. That was my ringtone back in college! Wow. That dates me.)

So much craziness. Could be a calling from the Old Country. Yes! I think 'tis.

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Anthropologie, Naut

As promised, here is my little Anthropologie-inspired photo shoot. These pictures were snapped on a rainy night last week; the next day, the sun finally came out of hiding. Too bad I just couldn't wait one more day to shoot these outfits; the sunshine would have been a welcome addition (No need to adjust the brightness/contrast or hue/saturation)! Ah, well. I think the rain and indoor lighting add a certain moodiness to the... eh, who are we kidding? Anyway, I put these outfits together because I'm in love with the nautical looks featured in Anthro's January 2010 catalog, but cannot personally afford to buy anything from it. Maybe someday, when I am a wealthy lady who lunches (ha), I will waste oodles of cash at Anthro so I can buy just one more frill-adorned cardigan. Until then, I will continue to happily waste all my cash on Starbucks and shoe sales!

Wet Seal polka dot tee (from 4-5 years ago)
Borrowed pearl necklace (Thanks, Mama!)
Loft pencil skirt (last spring)
Target (?) tights
Jessica Simpson Mary-Janes

Loft ruffled floral cardigan & floral-patterned shorts
Old Navy striped tee & ballet flats
Charlotte Russe viscose scarf

Lately I've been experimenting with photo locales (hehe, mostly indoor due to less-than-favorable weather), but I'm not sure I'm crazy about this room with the dressing screen. I really like it as a vintage-y background, but I hate how posing against it makes my proportions look awkward! Photographing outdoors is always the preferred method, so I think I will just wait for sunny days before my next sartorial post.

Most of the looks seen here are comprised of a few newer Loft pieces mixed with some old favorites. But the last photo contains an H&M dress I snagged last week because I simply couldn't leave it at the store...

H&M striped tshirt dress
Gap ruffled scarf
Apt. 9 boots

There you have it: my interpretation of the spring nautical look, my official guilty pleasure for this month. Which items are you having a hard time resisting for spring?

P.S. Just read that Anthropologie plans to launch a bridal collection. New York Magazine's The Cut blog reported the story as "Urban Outfitters to Make Wedding Gowns," calling the would-be clients a whole new subculture of shoppers: "bridesters." But keep in the mind that the dresses will be Anthropologie, not Urban, and that the prices will run from $1,000 - 5,000. That's more than the cost of many dress styles at David's Bridal! My thought is that if the gowns are at Anthro, they will have to be pretty, not hipster-y. I can see it now: tufts of tulle, layers of lace, bunches of beads.... and I say, if they happen to be covered in ruffles, vintage-y buttons and nautical stripes, sign me the eff up! But what do you think of this development?

Love that: Vaute Couture

Sitting here working on my fashion week reviews, listening to the latest Muse and, as always, contemplating the future. Planning to post an outfit (or two) later on, but for now I just want to share... a line I love.

Yes, it's March and therefore almost springtime (at least in my mind), but Fall Fashion week is still going strong in Europe, and so I'm dreaming of warm, cozy coats.

Vaute Couture is based in Chicago (I used to live out there!) and creates beautiful, classic coats that are warm enough to withstand winters in the Windy City... but are, suprisingly, not made of wool (or any other animal-derived products, for that matter). Instead, designer Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart did some major research to find ethical and eco-friendly materials that could stand up to freezing temps. She uses recycled Polartec fabric, along with leftover waste from soybean farming (lots of that in the Midwest, let me tell ya!). Deadstock vintage buttons finish off the look. Sound unbelievable? You'll just have to see these beauties for yourself.

I've been ogling all the droolworthy runyway looks at The GreenShows Fall 2010 exhibition and will probably share a few more here. Full disclosure: I do not get paid to blog about Vaute Couture; this is simply a fangirl gush, from one veggie to another. And one day I really do plan to own one of these fabulous coats!

And maybe this sweatshirt, which has its own sheep but no wool... Cute!

Stay tuned... next time I'm sharing some Anthropologie-inspired nautical looks (that are not from Anthro at all!).