Did you fall off the world?

That's the cute, little kid way of asking, hey, where've you been? The answer for me is: right here. And I mean, in the past year since I actively updated this blog (sorry), I literally haven't gone anywhere. Ok, so I do move around, a little, sometimes. ;)

In all seriousness, I'm pretty much in the same place I was one year ago (minus the sweet apartment I technically could not afford). I'm still living in the Boston area, though I was bent on high-tailing it to New York long ago and never looking back. I still visit New York; I wave to it from a distance and yes, sometimes blow it a kiss. I still have dreams of staying there on a more permanent basis. But the longer I'm here in New England, on the south "shuah" (that's "shore," sort of), the more Mary Lou's coffees I gulp down and treks to the beach I make, even - and especially - on snowy winter days, I realize just how much I've become attached to this strange and charming place. The honeymoon isn't over quite yet.

I'm still writing. Still making music. Still telling stories. The fact that my day job involves writing at all still thrills me. Not that it's all roses, of course; on the difficult days, 15 hours in, when I'm ready to flee and do something easier, I remember when things were "easier," when I was doing some job and not my calling, and how much harder that actually was. So at this point, I'm grateful, happy to be where I am and doing what I'm doing. As the saying goes, "Wherever you go, there you are."

And speaking of going places, although I claim contentment in my surroundings, I still feel that pesky ol' travel bug biting me now and then. While I sometimes make mini road trips around the region, truth be told I don't get out much (curse of a writer; chained to the desk). I keep daydreaming about buying a plane ticket to some place far away, or selling my Neon (yup) for a VW van and following all of Route 66. Well, enough of the daydreaming... Dreams are just reality waiting to happen. :)

This is the year I'm going to stop daydreaming and do something. Call it a late New Year's resolution; who says you can't make them in March? After all, the weather has decided that it's still very much winter, so I'm thinking I have some leeway. Besides, I haven't even started my ramped-up diet and exercise plan yet. Whoops. :P

Of the many goals I want to accomplish, including publish a novel (or ten), record an album (or 50), win a Pulitzer, fly to the moon... Traveling to Europe is pretty high on my list. So now that I'm determined to make it happen, soon, it's just a matter of which country (or countries?), and when?

And, oh, yes-- what to wear? (Lest we forget that this is a fashion blog...)

And another "oh, yes"... How to do it on the cheap? See, I'm not a best-selling author or award-winning journalist, yet. I'm not a trust fund kid (although I'm sure I'd be great at that!). I am by no means independently wealthy or, well, wealthy at all. But I have dreams, darn it, and that's why God made credit cards. Er, I mean, that's why I'll search for travel deals and save my pennies. And buy less shoes. ;)

Some of my lovely blogger friends are already in Europe and know of many wonderful places to wander to, I'm sure! Will you help me? And let me know what you're looking forward to this year, and how in the past year you've changed. I'll ask you what I ask all of my story sources when I'm looking for a scoop (I swear, it works): "What's new and exciting?"

I'll tell you what's new and exciting for me... After months of hemming and hawing last spring, I finally caved and bought my very first Taylor guitar. It was a splurge but a calculated one; I cut back my spending and put the guitar on layaway and spent months making weekly payments (the guys at the local music store must've liked me, since usually the layaway policy is for 30 days). I didn't buy the Cadillac of Taylors, but this one still took quite a bite out of my income. I picked one of the least expensive American-made guitars that Taylor makes, because buying American is important to me; that was a priority in my purchasing decision. It was the right decision. I took the guitar home in September, the day after I went solo to a Jason Mraz concert and fell in love with music all over again. The next morning, I couldn't stand just making payments anymore; I wanted to bring that beautiful mahogany guitar home! So I marched into the music store and forked over the rest of the money. Now, I play my Taylor daily. And I've started a band. Life is good.

Wow, a long post, but we've had catching up to do! I hope to hear from you, and how you've been. Tell me, what's new and exciting for you this year?

Love,
Erin

Mindy Kaling is my hero, and other news

Bummed about missing NY Fashion Week? I sure am. There's nothing that sounds like more fun than cramming into a crowded room at the Lincoln Center, standing in the way-way-way back because you write for your own blog, not for Vogue (even if you wrote for Vogue, you'd probably still be in the back-ish because your name is not Suri Cruise) to watch the gazelles strut their stuff in feathers, sequins and scary-high heels.

What, that doesn't sound like a good time to you? Are you kidding me?

I've never been to an official Fashion Week show before. I've worked backstage on smaller-scale stuff, having once aspired to be an editorial assistant (ok, I still kind of aspire to that). Basically I was Whitney on the Hills before she moved to the City, except I didn't intern at Teen Vogue. [Hmm, what's with the Vogue brand getting all these shout-outs from me today? Yeesh, you'd think they paid me or something. By the way, see their eensy-weensy ad somewhere on this page if you'd like a subscription. :P].

But I digress.

I used to follow various fashion weeks religiously and blog them for both Ip & Audrey and a site called Green Cotton, where I would try to cover the "green" angle. In mainstream fashion, that was tough. Despite all the knowledge out there about sustainable fabrics, why they're better than conventional ones, and why everything else really sucks for the environment, designers still use nasty chemically-processed textiles and cheap labor to fashion their wares. And that's a bummer, but hey, clothes are pretty. 

Back when I blogged more extensively, I was either working part-time retail jobs (I used to work at Borders, Ann Taylor and as a writer/assistant for an independent online fashion retailer) and freelance writing or working nine to fives that allowed me plenty of free time to blog (and 'journalize' for local papers) at night. Then last year, I landed a full-time news reporting job, and as I've said many times, just got too darn busy to keep up with the fashion world. I'm much more focused on the happenings in local government these days, but I definitely miss fashion. It's fun and frivolous, sure, but we all need a little frivolity now and then, don't we?

That's why I love the hilarious contributions from Mindy Kaling over the past week, who tweeted on Fashion Week in abstentia. Her fantasy version of events seems way more fun than actually attending NYFW in real life. Here are a few of my favorite tweets:

Was late to Alexander Wang bc couldn't drag Adrien Brody out of bed at Trump Soho. Fearne Cotton put her backpack on my seat, tho yay #nyfw

 At Y-3, Joseph Gordon Leavitt asked who made my bra. "they're bespoke, of course." "Huh?" he responded, unable to hear over the din. #NYFW

Great, nearly blinded by a rhinestone flung off a gown at Jenny Packham. Adrien and I now at Columbia Presbyterian. #NYFW

Took off heels and pretended to be Malia Obama to sit front row at Prabal Gurung. It worked until Tavi & Anderson Cooper ratted me out #nyfw

Anderson Cooper ‏@andersoncooper

.@mindykaling ummmm.... I wasn't at any fashion show. think you mistook some other pale grey haired guy for me. Probably Tim Gunn 

Is this a joke? Ryan Lochte is sitting in my seat at Tory Burch! Texted Ronan Farrow about it, he was giving a symposium or something #nyfw

Aziz Anari got in on the fake tweeting, too:

 @mindykaling got you & Skaarsgard on list for Alex Wang party. Secret location is Whole Foods on Bowery (VIP area: frozen foods.) #nyfw

Seriously, what would we do without comedians to provide hilarious faux-insider fake fashion week tweets? The world truly is an inspiring place.

How not to blog

Chloe's found her top napping spot.

It is a truth (almost) universally acknowledged that a successful blog is one that features near-daily updates; not once every six months. I ceased updating Ip & Audrey on a regular basis once I accomplished a long-held career goal: to start a full-time reporting job. I've been reporting for just over a year now, and told myself months ago that I'd get used to the pace and things would slow down, eventually. Well, I can report (ha; pun!) that I have yet to get used to the break-neck pace - in news, there's always a feast or a famine, and during a famine you have to scramble to find worthwhile morsels of information - nor has the pace slowed long enough for me to catch my breath. But! I miss blogging and have pledged to post more regularly.

I was ready to abandon this blog altogether and start over somewhere new; while I still maintain my tumblr, twitter and Pinterest accounts, this site remains to be my main outpost, and I hate seeing it neglected. So here's to getting back into the swing of things. I hope to make some changes to the layout and format of my blog posts, and I can't promise that Ip & Audrey will stay at this URL forever... but according to my traffic tracker, this page is still getting traffic, which shocks me, quite frankly, so I'm willing to keep giving it a go if some of you are still with me! And so: fashion posts, and so forth, coming soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

March loves

Springtime is in the air... or should I say summer? I don't know about your corner of the world, but in mine, it's been downright balmy. And I say, bring it. We've had an exceptionally mild winter. I've kept most of my itchy sweaters and clunky boots stashed... and I prefer to keep them that way. Break out the bare legs and ballet flats... here's to an early spring!

A few things I'm loving right now...

Lace dresses + sparkly shoes

Lavender polish...Lavender macarons. Mmm...


Robin's egg blue

Nautical-chicA good listen...

A good read.

A frilly apron...

And vegan eats!

Last, but not least, a yummy treat! (This stuff is so good, it's insane!)

These are some of my picks for early spring. What are yours?

Oh Taylor, my Taylor

To me, musical instruments are like fashion accessories. For one thing, they can be expensive; the higher the quality, like handbags - obviously - the higher the price. And the right guitar can really make your outfit.For as long as I've been playing guitar (almost 18 years now! goodness!), I have longed to own a Taylor. Think of it as the musical equivalent of a quilted Chanel bag: gorgeous, stylish, classic, timeless. Taylor guitars are quite simply the best, in my opinion; you simply can't rival the feel and the sound. They're often made from Indian rosewood (doesn't that sound lovely?) and emit a warm, folksy tone. This is why they're often favored by country musicians:

Taylor probably gets free Taylors since her name is Taylor. Hate her.

Alas, I'm not a big fan of this Taylor. I prefer her Norwegian equivalent, Marit Larsen, who also plays Taylors. In fact, I saw Marit last month at Cambridge's Club Passim; she walked right by me carrying her Taylor in one hand, a mug of beer in another. And she was dressed in classy, head-to-toe black and white. Chanel would approve.

Marit Larsen, totally playing a Taylor.

This year, at the ripe old age of 27 (going on 28!), it's my goal to finally own one of these beauties. I have my eye on several different Taylor models. I won't bore you with the details, but trust me; they're all equally decadent and sheer joy to play.

Me with my Ibanez guitar, circa 2004, 2005. Sadly, not a Taylor.

For the price of my favorite Taylor, I could buy a brand new Chanel bag; or several dresses from Anthropologie; or pay off my car; or a student loan (blah). I will probably go with a lower-end model (happy tax return!), but Taylors are wonderful in that even the "entry-level" versions sound better than many higher-end guitars. They're just that good.

Like a good knockoff bag, cheap guitars still look pretty. Shhh.

Anything will sound better than my current guitar, which squeaks annoyingly as I slide up and down the fretboard. I prefer an instrument that's going to sing right along with me. Recently, I took my first vacation in my new reporter job, and I spent nearly the entire week trying out Taylors in various music stores. Heaven. It may seem like a waste of precious vacay time to some, but I'd do it all over again.

The dress: a $5 steal from Gap. The guitar? A $25 steal from a yard sale. I kid you not.

I will keep you posted on my quest for my dream Taylor... sigh. Next up? My search for the perfect non-leather tote... that is big enough hold all of my stuff - reporter's notebooks, pens, recorder, press pass, makeup bag - durable enough to throw down anywhere, and somehow looks, feels, and generally behaves like leather. Impossible? I beg to differ. I'm hitting up Aldo, H&M, Fossil, Modcloth and Macy's to compare and contrast. Any other destinations I should try? I'd love to know your suggestions... sound off in the comments!

Lovelovelove,
Erin

Hello, hello!

Dear readers,

New themes and templates are being explored to get this here fashion blog back up and running. Also considering a domain change, too. As always, I will keep you posted! Thanks for visiting.

Hugs!

E

Oh, these times are hard...

... and they're making us crazy, don't give up on me, baby...

The simplest things in life are often, I think, the very best things. They’re the things we rely on for hope and comfort in times of trepidation and sorrow.

Though many things have changed for me this year – new job, new apartment, new opportunities – and will continue to change, and I’m excited to see a new horizon, there are still plenty of things I’m going to miss.

Sometimes you gain one thing only to lose another. I suppose this is the universe’s little balancing act. One minute we smile; the next, we dissolve into tears. We may not understand what’s happening at the time, until one day it all falls magically into place and makes perfect sense. At least, we hope it will.

Reasons to rejoice on a cold, rainy winter evening: comfort food (vegan chick’n stew with “clouds,” featuring a "gravy" base made from scratch, seasonal root vegetables, and dumplings made with almond milk), Christmas lights, the company of a loved one, the companionship of a furry friend.

We may not ever know what the future holds. And while there’s fear in the unknown, there’s joy to be found in surprises.

Happy early Christmas to you and yours…

-E

Bringing back the blogging!

Hi all!

I've missed my friends in the fashion world! Even though I no longer work in the field (I'm a full-time news reporter now!), I would like to dive back in, pick up where I left off, and immerse myself in the fashion blogging universe... if, of course, you'll have me! My hiatus was much-needed. The break wasn't for too long, thank goodness! I saw many of you over at my tumblr, This Gal Friday, so I don't feel as though I missed too much! :)

Blogging has always been a great outlet for me. As a professional writer, I tend to get bogged down with work, and miss the creative side (though I do have plenty of freedom at the newspaper where I work, and pretty much set my own schedule and chase my own story ideas each day). My intentions in bringing back Ip & Audrey are twofold: 1) to break back into the fashion industry, to perhaps transition to magazine editorial work and 2) to serve as a portfolio for my photography, fashion writing, and perhaps even my music. I am pursuing my music career on the side more and more; recently, I landed a paid gig that will see me performing at a large venue in Boston this spring, recording some tracks and touring India a year from now! I am an "indie" singer-songwriter-musician, however, and do not have a recording contract (but if that ever changes, hey, I won't complain!). Somehow, I'd like to continue climbing up the ladder as a reporter, whether I wind up at a fashion magazine, working for a fashion website again, reporting from red carpets and fashion shows or landing some TV work, I'm open to it all! The future, as always, is wide open, and I'm excited to embrace it all.

So, this blog is back and will see some changes, and I hope you'll be here to take this journey with me! Stay tuned. And if I don't see you soon, Happy Christmas!

Love love love,
Erin

P.S. Yes, the photo I posted is from last year; I cheated! New stuff coming SOON!

Ip & Audrey has moved!

Greetings, fashion bloggers and friends!

My apologies for the lack of updates. I was hoping to keep my fashion blog up and running but, alas, real life has gotten in the way. After landing my dream gig as a full-time news reporter, I no longer have time to cover runway shows or pull together outfits and photo shoots. Maybe, one day, I will again. But for now, it's all local government and school committees and tropical storms from here on out!

But if you miss me and my blogging (I miss you, too!) feel free to follow my adventures and musings in a new space. I will be chronicling my day-to-day reporter adventures, joining the ranks of tumblrs worldwide with This Gal Friday. I hope to see you there!

Peace and love,

Erin (aka "Audrey")

Water, water

On Saturday I took a trek to the tip of Cape Cod at Provincetown to gaze at the sea. It is the coldest, deepest part of the ocean I have seen on this coast. The waves crashed violently as the wind howled, icy, still, for March. I scanned the horizon for an end in sight; silly me, there is none.

So easily and so often, I am struck by the powerful force of nature. Cold, unrelenting, unstoppable. As beautiful as it is frightening. I am humbled by its vastness and awed by its majesty. It makes me feel so small, and well aware that everything around me could be struck, shaken, crumbled, vanished in an instant.

My mind and heart is with the people of Japan. I may be far away, distance-wise, from their tragedy, but I am keeping their pain and sorrow close. As I gaze at my calmer coast, I can only imagine what they have been through and pray for their stamina and safety. I have yet to go over there but I will soon and, when I do, I want to help.

Here, you can view the Boston Globe's coverage of last Friday's earthquake and tsunami. Or watch the chilling footage, below.



And if you feel compelled, please offer Japan your help, here.



There is always hope.

Best of the Web Award!

I'm excited and honored to announce that Ip & Audrey is the recipient of a new award: Careers in Fashion is bestowing its Best of the Web award for Ip & Audrey's green fashion coverage.

Yay!

This is an amazing honor and I couldn't be more thrilled for my little fashion blog! Thanks to all of your for your continued support. Let's party!

Chasing Unicorns

See, I used to play with unicorns... and feed them coffee. And yes, I am a dork.*

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post! I am happy to report that, yes, unicorns do exist... because I got the job! Ok, well, it's not the job, it's a job, but it's a journalist one, and that's what I'm most excited about. It's only taken me, oh, three and a half years to get here, but I'm here now! And everyone has to start somewhere!

I am still working at my current job, and will be for the next few weeks, but pitched my new editor three stories today. He picked one of them, and then assigned me nine more. Nine?!? I freaked, which included tears and hysterical laughter (I was by myself staring at my laptop in bewilderment, so no one knew, thank goodness!). I mean, I'm excited and all, but it's been a few years since I've written anything besides a blog post! My last published paper article was in 2007! A little freaking out is definitely in order. But, hey, this is what I wanted! So I'm going to calm the crap down and just go for it.

My first front-pager, back when I was 21. I was a baby!*

And because I have a tendency to blather on about things that have very little to do with my, oh yeah, fashion blog, I am creating a space to blog just about work/writing stuff... because wouldn't reading the witticisms and woes of an aspiring reporter be fun? Or something? I'd like to think so! And if you think so, you can check out This Gal Friday. Yup. Super original, I know. ;)

Thanks, again, for all of your kind words and support! And do check back soon for a few new giveaways, plus a super-cool all new blog layout... I've been dying to unveil the new designs for a while, and everything is finally coming together!

Have a wonderful weekend... I'll be in New York, and hope to throw a little Oscars viewing party! While we're on the subject, who are your favorite nominees? I am firmly entrenched in Camp Franco. I'm also on Team Portman, simply because I like her... and haven't seen all the other nominees' performances. And hey, it'd be cool if all the big winners this year were twenty- and thirty-somethings, no?


*Please note that these horribly embarrassing images are from my college days, when I was horribly embarrassing and unabashedly dorky on a daily basis. Well, ok... Some things never change... ;)

This Gal Friday

I'm a big believer in dreams coming true, even if they take a little while. Since childhood, it's been my dream to write for a living. And since graduating college (a few years ago now), I've been trying to break into the newspaper business. But a big and nasty villain called the economic recession decided to gut that business in particular and make it nigh-on impossible to find work in the field. Nowadays, full-time writing jobs are so elusive that I'm beginning to equate them to unicorns... as in, it would be cool if they actually existed, but at some point we have to grow up and face the fact that they're nothing but a myth.

If only there existed a job where one can wear pink, and type on a pink laptop and, ooh... unicorns!

Well, not anymore.

Call it a comeback! More and more publications seem to be opening their doors to new writers once more. As I've spent the past few years freelancing, working odd jobs, just trying to "make it" as a writer, I'm more than ready to brush up the ol' resume and take the paper business by storm.

Yes, I'm a dreamer, but I really feel that this is the year "my dreams will match up with my pay," to quote Feist. Not that journalists get paid a lot... but at this point, any salary would easily fit into my dreams scale; all I require is a roof over my head, some Ikea furniture, a few whimsical odds and ends from Anthropologie, and some Trader Joe's groceries in the fridge.

Do I sound like a hipster-writer-blogger, or what? ;)


Of course, as a fashion blogger, I just had to create a journalist's dream wardrobe. Thank goodness Polyvore allows me to indulge my love for Kate Spade and Anthropologie without actually spending my whole paycheck on their lovely wares...

Gal Friday by erincathleen featuring slingback pumps

I would love to sprint around in an outfit like this, whether I become a big city professional or remain a small-town typist. But no matter where I end up, I know one thing for sure...

I need an iPad so I can rock this sweet case by Kate Spade!Kidding. Mostly. :) But I do love the newspaper print, and black, white and red happens to be a favorite color combo. Perfect for the aspiring writer, no?

So. I plan to be dashing off to interviews here and there over the next few months. Of course, I will continue to post updates here... and get back to blogging as usual. And you'll be happy to know that I have a few goodies up my sleeve before the month is out... more exciting giveaways! Stay tuned!

I hope wherever you are, you're enjoying the middle of February, inching ever closer to spring!

There can only be one...

... winner of the $100 Shopbop giveaway, but I wish there could be more! Thank you all for entering, and for following my blog! I appreciate each and every one of you and like to take any and every opportunity to say thanks and give back.

That said, I put all of your names into a hat (some of you earned multiple entries!) and have found our winner... Carmen! Congratulations!

I want to thank Shopbop for this amazing contest!

Again, thank you all for entering and for keeping up with my blog! I have some exciting new content on the way, so stay tuned!

Shopbop Giveaway!

Just what you need to ease the winter blues: a $100 giveaway courtesy of Shopbop! Read on for all the deets...


During the frigid winter months, your coat is arguably the most important piece of clothing you'll wear. A great coat should be three things: stylish, versatile and warm. As temperatures drop this season, Shopbop's got you covered-- literally!

One lucky reader will win $100 to shop the Shopbop sale. Shop for the latest trends from your favorite designers, like Alexander Wang and Michael Kors, or browse the site's collection of cozy winter outerwear.

Whether you want to keep it classic, set a trend or hit the slopes, a coat from Shopbop's designer collections will help you do it!

Classic

There's nothing more classic than a pea coat. Wear one to the office or for an evening out and you'll look refined and professional.

Trendy

If you really want to make a statement, a faux fur vest like the bold HHN by Haute Hippie Mongolian Vest should be your go-to piece.

Sporty

Puffer jackets are a perfect choice if you lead a more active lifestyle (or just live in a frigid place!). Casual and sporty, puffer jackets from Shopbop will keep you warm and stylish on the slopes or on the street.

Enter to Win!

Just leave me a comment telling me: when it comes to winter style, do you go for classic, trendy or sporty? Winner will be chosen at random, to keep it fair. Bonus: If you follow me on Twitter, Google Friend Connect or BlogLovin', you'll earn an extra entry! Just tell me in your comment which one you've opted to follow. And if you follow all three... that's three extra entries! Woo-hoo! Oh, and muy importante... this giveaway is also open to international readers! So what are you waiting for? Enter this awesome contest!

The giveaway will close on Sunday, February 6th at midnight. Good luck!

Wherever you are, I hope you're staying nice and toasty this season!

Goofy and giddy

Hi y'all,

I am home all week recovering from a wee little surgery. No worries, all is well. :) I get to lounge around and find ways to entertain myself. So I was beyond happy to stumble upon the new She & Him video for "Don't Look Back." It's very retro, very bright, and very, very giddy. Just like me, on oxycodone! In fact, I'm thinking this video looks even better on oxycodone. :D Nope, I'm not crazy. Just really, really happy. :)

Enjoy!

She & Him - Don't Look Back from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Let it snow!

The phrase is used to death, but when the earth turns winter white and the winds won't cease to blow, there's nothing left to say but... let it snow!



Taking these pictures proved to be quite the challenge yesterday. I (optimistically) set my camera on my tripod, and scampered to my "posing areas" as quickly as possible... quite a few times, the camera was knocked over. So. Not the best idea to use a tripod during a nor'easter.



The blizzard-like conditions also required a change in footwear. I started out (again, optimistically) wearing a pair of brown lace-up sweater-lined booties (all faux leather and acrylic "wool," FYI, fellow vegan fashionistas!), which have treads on the bottom but also stiletto heels. So. NOT the best idea to wear stilettos in a nor'easter! The things you learn... ;) I switched to my waterproof rubber duck boots, which also have heels, but chunkier ones. Yes, my "snow boots" have heels. My co-workers at the Environmental Police like to tease me over this.



These boots complement what I consider to be a practical winter weather ensemble! My Anthropologie Southward Stop dress is corduroy, and therefore quite warm (side note: I wanted this dress for months; eBay score!). I added a draped, cranberry-colored cardigan for a little extra warmth, along with eggplant-hued sweater tights. When that still proved a tad too chilly, I added a faux leather jacket. No puffer coat required! Really! Ok, truth: I was frozen solid after mere minutes, as my entire outfit was covered in snowflakes. But for a winter wonderland photo shoot? Worth ever freezing second!

And because today was sunny and slightly above freezing, I celebrated with an iced coffee. Yup. Guess I'm more of a New Englander than I thought!

What about you? Did you get buried in snow?

Shoes Got Sole: CSN Stores Product Review

New year, new shoes, new product review!

CSNStores.com was kind enough to send me a voucher for one of their online stores. I chose ShoesGotSole.com, and after much perusal, decided on this pair of beautiful red booties! I have always wanted a pair of red shoes; I'm usually a pink kind of girl, but red is such a power color!

I decided to build the rest of my ensemble around the shoes. The rosettes are my favorite detail, but to balance, I kept the rest of the outfit a little more menswear-inspired with straight black cords and an oversize vest.



I'm also obsessed with my Eiffel Tower pendant! It goes with everything, I swear. Oui, oui!



Overall, I'm pretty pleased with these sweet new kicks. Thank you to CSN Stores for this great opportunity! For you readers, I hope to kick off the New Year with a new giveaway, soon!

Fashion ballet

Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in Black Swan.

Thanks to Black Swan, ballet style is finding its way back onto the center stage of fashion. Dancers and their lithe, graceful figures have long been envied and exalted by the fashion industry, but this spring, we're expected to see a lot more dance-inspired looks on both the runways and the streets. The New York Times recently highlighted this in a 'Ballerina Chic' slide show, where you can view the inspirations behind the costumes in Black Swan (designed by Rodarte) and glimpse how ballet was big in the Spring 2011 shows, and will therefore be all over retail in the coming months.

A department store opening in the U.K. last year, featuring a resplendent ballet theme.

Feeling the dance wear craze coming on? You can get started now... Just pop over to American Apparel for leotards and tights, dust off those old dance shoes and pull on a cozy shrug... You'll be pirouetting en pointe in no time!

Here are a few ballet-inspired looks I cooked up on Polyvore... I love seeing an array of pinks and grays in dance wear. Nothing screams "dancer off-duty" quite like a slouchy gray sweater, sweet ballet flats, and a giant pink bag!

Prima Ballerina by erincathleen featuring long sleeved tops

Of course, I had to include a nod to the darker side of dance, as depicted in both "Swan Lake" and Black Swan's sinister version of the tragic tale...

Paint it Black by erincathleen featuring a feather handbag

But if you find Black Swan to be too twisted a portrayal of a dancer's life, why not look a decade back to Center Stage?

Nina Sayers, meet Jody Sawyer... Now who would win in a dance-off?

Center Stage is a much lighter take on the world of professional ballet, and is one of those films that's so bad, it's good! If you care more about costumes and dance sequences than actual acting, this flick is sure to delight!

An Academy Award winner it is not, but who needs Oscar when you've got happy feet? And, you know, a normal-ish psyche...

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to lace up the toe shoes and don some legwarmers... Dancing makes for great exercise, especially during the winter months when it's too cold to go outside (I'm a cold-weather wimp and won't work out in the snow... unless, of course, I'm skating!). So... Anybody dare to wear a tutu?