Madewell comes to Bird

According to our beloved WWD, J. Crew brainchild Madewell has joined the ranks of Alexander Wang, Acne and Proenza Schouler to extend its offerings toward the heart of hipster paradise, also known as Brooklyn's Bird, with three locations in Park Slope, Cobble Hill and most recently, Williamsburg. Being one of the first retailers in NYC to obtain a LEED certification, Bird kicks off this strategic alliance with a shopping event tomorrow night co-hosted by Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem, as WWD proclaims, "Hipsters welcome."

I want dat.

So while I may or may not be able to attend this baller opening event seeing as how Midtown will monopolize my time, a girl can still lust after the monochromatic wonders that (along with Rumi, of course) have inspired a gradual yet soon-to-be-complete shift in my design aesthetic. Let's step outside of the box now, shall we?

Cotton Asymmetrical Zip Jacket

Ligne 6 - Martin Margiela, $255

Perfect Tencel Button Shirt

Current / Elliot, $198

Dianetta Melange Cashmere & Silk Scarf

Faliero Sarti, $339

Sun Spike Necklace

Wendy Nichol, $405

Striped Silk Tennis Shorts

Rag & Bone, $255

Large Leather Zip Pouch

Comme des Garcons, $135

3 Stitch Knit Brass Cuff

Wendy Nichol, $310

Sazerac High Heel Ankle Boot

Rachel Comey, $425

On a slightly unrelated note, Bryanboy has the very best taste. How unbelievably awesome are these Mugler F/W 2011 booties? Yum.

At Kenzo. How could you possibly not love him?

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

Dedicated to the girl who loves horses

I enjoy being a pioneer as much as Fayettevillemandy enjoyed learning about them as a ten-year-old tomboy (she admitted to me over our romantic Valentine's Day dinner that these two phases did in fact coincide). Pioneer meaning an admitted trailblazer within the Business and Enterprise Management major. Me creating my own concentration basically translated to, "Yes, bitches, I'm serious about this being a viable career." Whether it's merchandising, buying and planning/allocation or brand management, by conducting my own time-consuming research and reaching out to those far more educated than myself, I've learned a shit ton about the fashion industry and the careers that lie within. That being said, as the second half of OB has taught me, it's now my turn to step into the mentoring cycle to provide knowledge to my own little minions of fashion within business. Exhibit A: Raquel Scharyj.

Oh, herrrrrrro.

I seriously applaud Raquel's willingness to wear six-inch heels to finance class (in B-02, of course-- the practicality factor of Murphy's Law), as well as her effortless employment of my two most essential philosophies: balance and layering. From the scarf over sweater over dress top-half to the just-above-ankle socks / cognac footwear contrast, it's as if all my principles have come together before my eyes in a single cohesive form, a stylistic execution that approximately 98.27435% of girls at Wake Forest have yet to learn. And from the trials of Theresa Breitton, we all know just how damn comfortable these Aldo oxfords are... naaahhhhttt. So let us raise our glasses to the future fashion trailblazers of Kirby Hall, and wish Raquel well on the final half of her semester before she begins a kick-ass internship at Oscar de la Renta in the greatest city in the world.

Scarf: (Roman street vendor)

Cardigan: Urban Outfitters

Belt: Comptoir de Cotonniers

Dress: Splendid

Socks: (own)

Shoes: FORNILI, Aldo

Wait. Jungle king. I'm totally not done. Aldo's shoe collection for Spring is quite good, minus those few bad apples, notably these and these... just no. Also, while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, trying to overtly channel the one and only Jeffrey Campbell does not earn Aldo cool points. Stowing the negativity away for just two seconds, here are a few of my favorites.

CAPECORAL, $80

URQUIZA, $90

DESTIME, $90

AIME, $80

DONILON, $110

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

This is kewl

SAAAUUUU EXCITING! Follow my blog with bloglovin'.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

Winter Wrap-up: Part I

It's March. Damn. How did I make it here? Meaning when I return from so-called spring break, darty season will be in full swing, I will be taking a grand total of three classes and my since-endless quest for fur and the perfect pair of lace-up heeled combat boots will be rendered obsolete. Regardless, Shopbop's self-proclaimed Long-Awaited Winter Sale has been the source of not one, but many lady boners. Lush fabrics, intricate beading and airy draped blouses? Drool.

Warning: thanks to midterms/being 21 consuming my life, I've slightly neglected my poor little rich blog. As a result, this is kind of a loaded post.

Asabi Strapless Dress

camilla and marc, $790 $553

Tulle Ballerina Skirt

Haute Hippie, $395 $277

Scalloped Dress

Robert Rodriguez, $594 $416

Karolina Dress

Sachin + Babi, $425 $298

Piper Top

Joie, $368 $258

Texture: So much three-dimensional movement here. I'm positively in awe. The first camilla and marc dress is actually so elegant it hurts. The drape and flounce potential of these looks reminded me oh-so-fondly of Man Repeller's "vag couture post", and warrants opposite bodycon separates to strike an appropriate balance. Just envisioning a cup of Everclear-and-God-knows-what-else punch defacing the virginal white accordion-pleat tank pains me, but I would definitely make it a point to somehow assimilate that fun black ballerina skirt into real life. Pretty sure Carrie Bradshaw would approve.

Little M Jacket

Diane von Furstenberg, $565 $396

Sequin Blouse

Elizabeth and James, $365 $183

Simone Dress

Karen Zambos Vintage Couture, $254 $178

Signature Blouse

Equipment, $252 $176

Bias Sequin Miniskirt

Haute Hippie, $295 $207

Oil Slick Sweater

Mara Hoffman, $398 $199

Metallic Chain Clutch / Cross Body Bag

Olivia Harris by Joy Gryson, $325 $228

Sparklies: What a fantastic name for an apparel category, if I do say so myself. This brings me back to Last Resort circa two Thursdays ago: Senior Spring Bar Night, AKA when I slightly damaged the left side of my body and thus was forced to employ the use of band-aids in the form of Dora the Explorer, Toy Story and Hello Kitty (the Ni Hao Kai-Lan ones were unfortunately nowhere to be found). If college has taught me anything, cuteness trumps the pain of frat wounds. Always. It's also the night when a certain frat star (Face? Name? Recollection? Nope.) exclaimed, "I like your sparklies!" Practical application of the term "it's not gay if you're in a frat." And to think I wasn't even going to go out that night... But I digress. A good metallic fabric will make a world of difference in any and all situations, even if the name of the piece is "Oil Slick"... questionable yet awesome.

Noel Trapeze Velvet Blazer

Club Monaco, $249 $75

Plush Sleeveless Top

Madison Marcus, $218 $109

Plush: I used to really not be a fan of this texture, but when I saw the likes of Rumi Neely working her magic on some thick crushed velvet, I began to view it otherwise. I hadn't noticed how well the material reflects in the light and how it's draping potential lies somewhere between delicate and dramatic. And who would think of creating a beyond-foldable velvet blazer? Greatness. Thanks, Club Monaco.

Tiger Skirt

Gryphon, $285 $143

Embellished Faille Jacket

Haute Hippie, $795 $239

Whistler Faux Fur Jacket

Kova & T, $330 $99

Zipped Fur Vest

Adrienne Landau, $595 $298

Fur Wedge Sandal Booties in Amber

Opening Ceremony, $520 $260

Royal Spots Fur Collar with Chains

Haute Hippie, $695 $487

Zoo: There's no denying that people (even mainstream mall-ers) became super comfortable with rawr-esque prints and textures this past season. While there were some who insisted on wearing fur vests with the wrongest of bottoms (let's say, for instance... American Eagle jeans and UGG's) and sporting leopard print on otherwise demure blouses, Shopbop shows us that there is absolutely a right way to wear zoo prints and a huge return on investment to be gained when done correctly and in good taste. To be honest, my favorite of this entire set is the fur collar with chains. Sure, the piece's name sounds like something more appropriate for a large dog than a small Asian, but I'm lusting for it though Spring is upon us. Also, those open-toed Opening Ceremony booties are so fluffy and weird that I can't help but want them.

And we'll save the rest for later. Time for homegirl over here to indulge in some cheesecake and discover the enhanced wonders of music through my pristine white Studio Beats (thanks again, Gilberto... love you xoxo). More coming soon... I promise I'll try my very best until then to refrain from happy Asian bouncing in all of my sincere excitement.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.