Outfit Of The Day (J Crew Townhouse Trench)

First things first!  I received a lot of questions regarding the lace top my twin sister is wearing in the post below so I thought I'd answer it here so everyone sees it.  Her top is from Shop Ruche, and while it's currently sold out you can sign up for the wait list here. It's a fabulous top, isn't it?  Cheap-ish, too! :)

Now back to me. There are two things that I am loving so hard at the moment: crisp white coats and sneaky-snake prints.

When the J Crew Townhouse Trench first popped up online, it immediately became the "must have" item of the fall collection.  Not only does it come in seven pretty colors, but it also comes in petite and tall sizes, too.  Hooray!  No more looking like I'm a little kid playing some sort of drunken game of dress-up in some mom's too big clothes!

Unfortunately this trench has been 'juuuuust-okay' reviews online, and most with good reason.  While I absolutely love it, it is made of a fabric eerily similar to the Rachel Zoe peacoat below--meaning it isn't very warm. 

It is warmer than a usual cotton trench, of course, but this coat isn't meant for super-duper-hero warmth or for taking the pups out at 2am on a subzero, blizzardy winter night; oh no.  It's meant to be a bit of a show stopper, I think. This coat is (really) just like the prettiest sofas and chairs--they aren't for sitting in for hours while reading a good, flimsy, secret-guilty-pleasure-of-a-book, geez. They are for looking pretty so you keep your gosh darn Emily Griffin away from this coat, ya hear?

(I've been doing a lot of furniture shopping and test-trying lately, guys, please forgive.)

This coat is beautifully lined, nicely tailored, and the bold gold buttons draw eyes inward, making it insanely slimming and flattering.  It fits true to size (I'm wearing my normal petite J Crew size below) and in spite of its lack of insulation I think this might be the best coat I've ever bought.

A bold statement for a coat that offers little actual fall functionality?  Eh, what can I say--as J Crew likely knows after the scandalous rumors this week, sometimes true love is a little uncomfortable.  

Sometimes, true love is blind?

Coat: J Crew Townhouse Trench (buy it here) (similar style here by DKNY) (and here by WHBM + take $50 off with code "17652")(and here for under $100!)
Dress: H&M  (similar style at ASOS) (and here at ASOS) (and here at 6pm.com) (and here by Aryn K)
Belt: Miss Selfridge (similar style here) (and here at ASOS)

Hat: ASOS (buy it here) (similar style here) (and in another color here) (and here for $9.99)
Watch: Michael Kors Oversize Runway Watch in Rosegold (buy it here) (similar style here for $125)
Bag: MARC (!!) Jacobs Cooper in Nude (buy it here) (similar style by Marc Jacobs here) (similar style here for under $100)
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Neo Mars Pumps (buy them here) (similar style here) (and here) (and here at UO for $49 + take $20 off on orders of $100+ with code "BOO")

(Play on, playa)

Outfit Of The Day (Las Vegas + Hello Winter)

Well, heavens to Betsy!  Or Etsy.  Or whatever.  This has been a crazy past two weeks!  Just crazy, I tell ya.

My 30th birthday has (er, had) been looming in the distance for awhile now; and as a futile attempt to distract me from spending the entire day in tears while speed-dialing every dermatologist/plastic surgeon/therapist/any other doctor that can somehow fix things in the phonebook, Husband surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas!

And it was fun times.  We invited my twin sister and her husband with too, since you know--we share a birthday. It's a novel concept, this twin thing. Hold on to yer hats.

Here are just a few pics from some of our shenanigans:

This is my so-excited-to-be-at-In-and-Out face, which is very similar to my just-got-off-the-plane-and-I'm-burning-alive face.  I try to keep things easy.

Wandering, wandering, looking for The National Flat Butt Association convention.

Mecca Lecca High Mecca Hiney Ho. World's Largest H&M at Caesar's Palace.

Tween seester wombmate.

The magnetic force field was sucking me in; Husband is a good, good man.

Waiting at Serendipity 3 for lunch!

Sitting under the pink & orange tents outside.

Frozen hot chocolate!  So good.

Not sure who or how or where or why; but ewww girlfrien'.

Jason insisted on a random picture infront of a random bush...

...so we insisted on this random picture next to a random air conditioning unit. Am I throwing gang signs or gimpy arthritic hands from Lupus IT'S HARD TO TELL VEGAAASBABYYAH.

My gramma keeps complaining that she doesn't have any nice photos of the two of us, no idea why.

The lucky bracelet forgot to work, but only 'cuz he wasn't high rollin' on Kitty Glitter.

Prettiness in The Cosmopolitan.

Wicked Spoon Buffet.  SO GOOD.

Bad iphone pic of a pretty birthday gift from Husband. The Michael Kors Blair watch in espresso--love!

Weiners.

Nothing gets between me and a corndog, dogs.

...and late night desserts at D Bar.  I'm focused hard on the drinks menu. Later that evening, I would attempt to run down a dangerously dark alleyway to catch a cat so I could name him Bradford Monkey McCheeks and give him to husband as a sign of my undying love I got druuunk.

Okay, enough of that--on to some outfits!  Time for me to get back in the fashion bloggy game, hm?

The weather here has turned frosty which means it's officially jacket season. One of the things that I love about Colorado is that we do make darn good use of our coats and jackets here; we have ample opportunities to wear them, which helps rationalize any OCD-type behavior I have towards collecting them. Fist-bump, pow-pow!  Aaand it's the only thing I can do to keep myself from throwing a proverbial punch to winter's face by hibernating in my bedroom and underneath the covers for the next 7 months straight.

So first we have the Rachel Zoe "Lauren" Military Jacket. I grabbed this coat nearly two months ago when the collection first launched and Neiman Marcus was running some sort of promotion; I had been on the prowl for a pretty camel-colored jacket and this one is perfection. It is definitely a jacket and not a coat, however--so don't expect it to keep you warm in below freezing temps.  I am wearing it in a size 0, which I think fits perfectly although it should be noted that I like my coats to be fitted with very little room for bulky layers. The fabric is a stretchy ribbed wool that's a bit on the thinner side, but the coat is nicely lined and can be buttoned up, buttoned down, an buckled for lots of versatility.  Love it.

Also--my nails match the dark burgundy/red/black color of my snood!  So fancy, I am:

Coat: Rachel Zoe Lauren Military Jacket (buy it here) (similar style here for under $100) (and at ASOS for under $100) (and here in 13 colors!)

Top: Banana Republic Long-Sleeve Pleat Front Blouse (buy it here + take 20% off with code "BRSAVE20") (similar style here at F21) (and here in magenta)

Belt: J Crew (similar style here) (and here for $11)

Skirt: Forever 21 (buy it here)

Ring: H&M (similar style here)

Snood: ASOS (buy it here) (comes in blond/tan, too!)

Pumps: Old J Crew (similar style here) (and here for under $100)

Bag: Lanvin Sweet Dora (buy it here) (similar style here, on sale!) (and here for under $100)

Nails: OPI for Sephora I'm With Brad (buy it here!) with Butter London's Chancer on top (buy it here)

(Currently listening...)

Coming up tomorrow - a review on J Crew's Townhouse Trench! Sit tight! <3

Outfit Of The Days (t+j Designs)

For me, one of the very best things about fashion blogging is meeting other awesome fashion-bloggy people from all over the country that I otherwise would not have met. Some I've met in person, others only through e-mails and blog posts over the past three years (it has been that long--eek!)...but all are amazing.

Tiffany from I Am Style-ish is one of those people. Not only is she kind and stylish (of course!) but she is incredibly talented to boot. Along with her fashion/style blog she also runs an insane photography business with her husband, and so when she announced a few months back that she was following one of her dreams and launching a jewelry collection with her sister I was excited--WAY excited.


And now we have t + j Designs!

Tiffany was wonderful enough to send a few pieces my way from the newly launched collection and she has also offered a promotion for you guys, too (15% off on everything {except stylish steals} with code "CHLOE15"--through 10/31!).  It is extremely pretty-pretty-pretty stuff, and I'm reeeeally hoping that none of my family/friends are reading this 'cuz I've pretty much made up my mind (and have been saving my pennies) and ya'll are getting jewelry from her collection for Christmas. And Easter! And birthdays! And National Glazed Doughnut Day! And any day that you don't accidentally get a paper cut. You know--any day that is worth celebrating.

Just gorgeous:

{l to r: gunmetal luxe necklace, crystal encrusted earrings, purple teardrop earrings}

And now some outfits with the new sparklies, of course.  Ta da!

Cardigan: Martin & Osa (similar style here in "olive melange") (and here at Madewell) (and here at Target)
Tank: Wyatt Ruffle U-Neck Blouse (buy it here) (and in a short-sleeve tunic here)
Belt: J crew (similar style here)
Jeans: Old Navy Rockstar Denim (buy them here) (similar style here) (and a splurge by Rag & Bone here)
Shoes: Alexander Wang Isabeli Leopard Print Mules (a fierce pair of pumps by Tory Burch) (similar style here) (and here for under $100)
Bag: Chloe Paraty in Rosewood (similar style here) (and here) (love this by DVF, too!)

Necklace: c/o t + j Designs Gunmetal Luxe Necklace (buy it here + take 15% off with code "CHLOE15")

Blouse: GAP (buy it here) (similar style here at ASOS) (and here in "rose dust")
Skirt: J Crew Dorrie Skirt (similar style here at J Crew) (similar style under $100) (and here at ASOS in "cafe creme")
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Greissimo Knotted Pump in Camel (a pretty pair of camel pumps here) (similar style here by Steve Madden) (and here for $49.95)
Bracelet: GAP (buy it here)
Watch: Michael Kors Runway Large Rosegold Watch (buy it here) (similar style here for $135)
Bag: Lanvin Metallic Python Happy Mini Pop Bag (buy it here) (similar style here by Michael Kors) (and here for under $100)
Earrings: c/o t +j Designs Purple Teardrop Earrings (buy them here + take 15% off with code "CHLOE15")

Cardigan: GAP (similar style here) (similar style here + take 30% off with code "GAPSALE") (and similar style here at Target)
Top: Miss Selfridge (similar style here) (and here at Banana Republic) (and here at Free People)
Pants: Madewell (similar style here) (and here at ASOS) (and here for $40)
Bracelet: Ann Taylor (similar style here)
Booties: Prada Harness Booties (similar style here, on sale!) (and here) (and here for $109)
Clutch: Kooba Josie Clutch (similar style here) (and here for under $75)
Earrings: c/o t + j Designs Crystal Encrusted Earrings (buy them here + take 15% off with code "CHLOE15")

Outfit Of The Day (Faux Fur And Yellow Pumps And Tiger Faces, Oh My!)

Here I am!  Again!  Kinda!

Colorado had its first blast of winter this weekend, with about 5 inches of (extremely) heavy snow.  Blah!  Gross!  I'm so not ready for this!

Except..I kind of am ready for this.  It's always fun hauling out winter sweaters, coats, and jackets and wearing them for the first time, isn't it? Whether it's for the first time ever...or simply the first time in a few months, it's fun to have some "new" pieces to play with.  

As brilliantly captured by all of the faces I'm making below, cougggghhh:

Sweater: Madewell Bird's-Eye Pullover (buy it here) (similar style here) (and here by Elizabeth and James) (and here for $39.60)
Tank: American Eagle Outfitters (similar style here) (similar style here at Banana Republic) (and here for $12)
Pants: Old Ann Taylor (similar style here) (and here at J Crew) (and here for $39.60)
Coat: Topshop (buy it here) (similar style here in black) (and another rusty-hued coat here)
Belt: J Crew (buy it here in bright cobalt)
Bracelet: c/o Kendra Scott Audra Bracelet (similar style here)
Bag: Marc Jacobs Cooper Crossbody in Nude (buy it here) (similar style here) (and here for $59.40)
Pumps: Manolo Blahnik Uliepe Pumps (similar style here at J Crew) (and here for $45.50)

Speaking of some new pieces--how pretty is the Audra bracelet from Kendra Scott? I had been searching high and low for something to soothe my obsessive compulsive freaky-matchy-matchy matchiness go with my yellow pumps--and I had nearly given up. This bracelet is perfect! And while it appears to be no longer available to purchase online, the Petra bracelet is similar or you can head over to the (overwhelmingly huge) color bar to design your own.

And finally--here is a continuation with my little blast from the past. Did you know that Homemade Knitted Tiger Face Sweaters™ come with an invisible cloak of bravery?

And a really bad perm. That's all I have.

Outfit Of The Day (Click Click Saddle Up, See You On The Moon Then)

So unless you have been hiding underneath a rock, you have probably already heard about all of the Target/Jason Wu collab news. Another designer! At Target! February 2012! 

And If this collection goes the way of the Great Zig Zag Zilch of 2011, Target, I'll motherfucking cut you.

(I mean, after I politely go through the check-out and pay for my items and then spend my usual two minutes standing next to the weird teenage Target security guard, studying my receipt and wondering why I can't ever seem to get out of there without spending at least $100 even though I swear I just bought two packs of gum.) (Oh! And after I fashion a shank out of some old clearanced Isaac Mizrahi for Target shoes.  Obviously.)

So let's discuss the goods! Jason Wu is a relative newcomer to the fashion scene so a few of you might be saying, "Wu, Chloe, who?" In brief: he got his start designing dresses for dolls, launched his ready-to-wear collection in 2006, won the Fashion Group International's Rising Star award in 2008, and designed Michelle Obama's inaugural ball gown...all before the age of 30. Wait! Oh. Ohhhh geez, hold on here--my own lack of accomplishments in life has suddenly become obnoxiously distracting.

I have discussed Mr. Wu on this blog before; usually around the fashion weeks because his collections are just so pretty and some of my absolute favorites to oogle.They exude everything that I both love about fashion and try to apply in my own adventures in personal style: his designs are pretty, feminine, sophisticated, and chic...with a fun bite of sauciness.

(it's a lot harder than it looks.) (via style.com)

The problem? Price points for pieces from his collections range anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 (unless you get this lace top for a steal at $850!), which makes it fairly unaffordable for most of the real world.

And while there are a million different arguments as to why high-end designer collabs with low-end stores like Target and H&M are both good and bad, as most of us learned during the recent Lanvin and Missoni mishaps, I do love the idea that I will soon be able to support one of my favorite designers without having to dress Petunia in her hotdog costume and send her back off to Ellen Degeneres to make some extra cash. Last time I did that she came back home with A BAD ATTITUDE...and some bizarre, incoherent story about Ellen dating Selena Gomez. Whatever.
 

On to the outfit! The tie-neck blouse is perhaps one of my current feminine faves; I think that I literally own dozens. This is mostly because it pairs well with all sorts of things, from high-waisted trousers to skirts to peeking out from underneath blazers and cardigans. Want to keep your look from looking too sickly-sweet?  Try pairing the blouse with leather shorts, skinny jeans, moto jackets, studded jewelry, or even a pair of fierce booties as a fun juxtaposition from the fluffy-froo-froo norm.

Since I had been looking for a black bow blouse to add to my arsenal, I picked up the Secretary Blouse from J Crew when it first popped up online.While it is definitely a splurge, the bow is removable (and can also be tied in different ways) and the splash of dots keeps the blouse from looking too gloomy and dark. I love it!  (Not a fan of the price tag? You can head here to see 15 bow blouses that are more wallet friendly, too!).

Take a bow, guys, take a bow:

Top: J Crew Secretary Bow Blouse (buy it here) (similar style here at ASOS) (and here at ASOS) (and here for under $100)

Skirt: Forever 21 (buy it here) (a longer style here) (and another style at Topshop)

Belt: Forever 21 (similar style here)

Pumps: J Crew (similar style here) (and here) (and here on sale + take 25% off!)

Clutch: ASOS (buy it here + take $30 off on orders of $150 w/ code "FALL2011")

Bracelets: Forever 21 Zig Zag Bracelet (similar style here)
Watch: Michael Michael Kors Rose Gold Runway Watch (buy it here)

Also! My twin sister and I are gearing up to celebrate a big milestone and so I will be sharing some old (fun!) pictures in my posts this month! And just so ya'll recognize, I've been side-pony-tail-giddy-upping since '85. As if you doubted:

(I'm the one photo-bombing on the right.  You know--in the prettier dress with her inexplicably weird-and-awkward-gangsta-game-face ON. It's like I was born to be a fashion blogger?)



(Currently listening)