What do bikes, turtles and ropes have in common?

Last summer I was all about the bike t-shirt; a year later, I'm in love with the bike dress.

From Anthropologie, naturally, the Two-Wheeler Shirtdress,$128, is parked happily at the intersection of whimsical and appropriate. You have a very modest, business-like shirtdress silhouette, and from afar you might this is a simple navy fabric with a white circular print. But get closer and...
Penny-farthings as well as classic bicycles! Penny-farthings, if you're not up on your antiquated methods of transportation, are the bikes with the giant front wheel that the rider perches atop, with a smaller wheel behind. The Penny-farthing has been on my mind Cafe Deville, on the corner of 13th and 3rd Ave, was just replaced by a restaurant called The Penny Farthing. My first year in New York (almost five years ago!), I used to walk by Cafe Deville on my way to the gym and was also impressed by the young, attractive, interesting-looking people drinking wine at the sidewalk tables. I thought, "When I'm an attractive and interesting New Yorker, I'll drink wine at a sidewalk table at Cafe Deville." But I never ate there--if The Penny Farthing has sidewalk tables, though, maybe I can fulfill the spirit of my dream if not the letter.

Anyway, the dress--it's exactly the sort of thing Anthro does exquisitely. It reminded me of another dress that Anthro is sadly now sold out of, the Turtle-Print dress.
If you had asked me a month ago if I would ever wear a dress with turtles on it, I would say, "What do you think I am, some kind of manic pixie dream girl?" And, let's be honest, this does look like something Zooey Deschanel might wear while singing old-timey karaoke to a boy whose heart she will eventually break. But hey, it's summer: maybe I want to break some hearts while singing old torch songs at a karaoke bar (no, I definitely don't want to do the latter--I want to sing "Oops I Did It Again" in Koreatown). The dress is designed by Moulinette Soeurs, and while it may no longer be on the Anthropologie website, I will definitely be keeping an eye on Ebay to see if it pops up.

So there's a dress that I can't buy because it's too expensive and a dress that I can't buy because it's sold out. Anthropologie is all, "Ok, you've done a good job resisting thus far, but what about this?"

Also by Moulinette Soeurs (a name I'll clearly need to keep an eye out for in the future), the Know the Ropes dress is on sale for $69.95. Really, the reason I want it is because it looks like Burberry plaid--so much classier than regular hipster or lumberjack plaid. But the asymmetrical neckline is hot, especially for showing some unexpected skin in the summer. The nautical name alone is enough for me to get out my credit card, but then I realized what the "ropes" were referring to...

The "plaid" is actually coiled ropes! Man, if I ever get invited to a party on a yacht, I'm going to be prepared.

Wrapped in Plaid

I think I found my new go-to summer work dress. You know, for when it's 86 degrees and completely muggy, and the thought of wearing pants makes you want to crawl inside your fridge and hide from the world.

It's casual, yes, but I think it's just dressy enough to pass at the office (especially on Fridays). Since Target has the worst models in the world, it looks really unflattering and bulky, but I swear the Converse One Star Ruffle Sleeve Dress, $27.99, is actually very flattering towards your curves. I felt a little Sofia Vergara (Gloria from Modern Family and, for my money, the hottest woman on TV right now) in this dress--wrap dresses are famous for creating the perfect hourglass figure. And what I love about this dress is that the wrap portion isn't too meager; the two sides overlap enough so that if a breeze comes and blows up the top portion, the bottom portion will still keep you covered. I tend to favor the faux-wrap dress for this reason (and I always wear a slip, just to be prepared for when I walk over subway grates), but this dress has the benefit of being totally adjustable. I also dig the tiered ruffles at the bottom, which keep this from being just another plaid dress.

While at Target I also tried this dress from the Zac Posen collaboration. FYI, the Atlantic Terminal Target in Brooklyn had a surprisingly good selection of Zac Posen stuff, and a lot of sizes, but it was a bit weird because they didn't have the words Zac Posen on any of the displays. I'm going to make a wild guess and say that they sold out, took down the promotional stuff, and then unexpectedly got another shipment. Not that it benefited me, because the dress I was hoping to score didn't fit right in either a medium or large.
The Snap Tape Dress, $69.99, just wasn't flattering to my boobs in either size, and with that neckline, you have to make sure your decolletage looks its best.
If it were cheaper I might have done that really, really stupid girl thing of buying something that doesn't fit but telling yourself, "I can totally lose enough weight to zip this up in a few weeks!" But I don't plan going up or down a cup size, so, alas, I had to leave without it. I just wish there was some stretch to the fabric--instead, it's a very unstretchy polyester that reminds me a bit of a raincoat, but it works for the design. Sigh. I love the "sailor by day, dominatrix by night" associations of this dress. Maybe in a few months I'll add it to my regular Ebay search rotation, along with a Proenza Schouler for Target dress (the aqua and white palm tree one) and a Vena Cava for Gap dress (the zip-up tank dress; for some reason, the other dress they did pops up on Ebay every day, but the zip dress is much more elusive).

Flowers and stripes and plaid at Lulu's

Want to stop shopping. Need to stop shopping. Can't stop shopping.

But if I'm gonna keep shopping, I might as well shop for holes in my closet. And right now, I'm sensing a distinct lack of patterned dresses. I am saying no to solids for at least a few months! And I'm saying maybe to these cheap but adorable patterned dresses from Lulu's:

Lucky Break Dress, $35. I'm a big fan of solid bands to break up a pattern; it helps get the dress from getting overwhelming, while also highlighting your banging curves. And that back! It's like bondage meets garden party.

Home Sweet Home Dress, $45. Could this be any sweeter and more charming? It's like if Betty Draper weren't such a spoiled princess. But it has all these great modern details, like a gathered belt and buttoned cap sleeves. It appeals to the part of me that wishes I could just make sugar cookies all day instead of working under florescent lights in an office.

Picnic in Plaid Dress, $57. Are you sick of all the hipster-Brooklyn-type plaid? I'm not quite, but I'm still in favor of dressing outside the L Train platform in something like this. Bright colors for spring? Pleated skirt with tulle underlay? Perfect fit and flattering cut? It's way more 4/5 Uptown.

Neopolitan Sundae Dress, $31. I will admit that colorblock is not a pattern. But who wouldn't want a dress named after an underappreciated flavor of ice cream?

Confessions of a Shopaholic, about 9 months late

So this post is pretty belated. Confessions of a Shopaholic came out when, last February? And I rented it last August, which is when I fell in love with the below outfit. And I've always believed that only foolish people think that wearing a past season's style is a sin--most things don't become dated in six months, and sometimes cute is cute forever. I'm not saying this outfit is timeless, but I am saying that I love it and want to recreate it.

I mean, right? Look at how adorable Isla Fisher is! As previously discussed, I have a mad-crazy girl crush on her, and I think she pulled off all the silly outfits in Shopaholic with admirable aplomb. Most weren't doable for real life, but I think this one is.

Start with an adorable plaid dress that's not too cowgirl--from Fred Flare, the Lois dress, $45, has a sexy eye-hook closure in front and an attached belt to tie in the back. Hide that with an oversized corset belt...
...from AMI, for $19.99. As a lover of belts, I have to recommend thick waist belts only in situations when you don't plan to sit down or eat. But if you're planning an evening in which you'll be standing around and looking cute, wear that belt and cinch it tight.
And then finish it with some black thigh-highs, to expose just a little bit of your legs. Those maroon platforms that Rebecca Bloomwood is rocking? Those, you're on your own. I would go with riding boots, since I go with the riding boots in about 80% of all situations.

Nine West's Vintage America Collection

As evidenced by my last post, I've been planning to go into fall kicking and screaming, wearing white pants and backless tops and hiding my tights under my bed. Since June was so rainy and cold, I feel like Mother Nature owes me an extra month to wear sundresses and sandals.

But then I saw this month's Lucky, and I started to get a little excited about putting my sweaters and corduroys back into rotation. And then I saw pg. 189, which featured items from Nine West's new Vintage America Collection. Lucky is doing a giveaway of $200 gift cards to Nine West, and I'm in it to win it. So what would I blow $200 bucks on?

I'd definitely start with the Roll Tab Boyfriend Tunic, $59. Plaid continues to be a personal obsession, and I plan to rock it in full force as soon as the temperature goes below 60 degrees. This top looks perfectly cozy, and it has that "I'm too confident in my sexiness to need to show all that skin," while still being form-fitting and cute. The roll-up sleeves and bib front give it a little more character than your typical button-down. I'm digging the tunic length, although if it were dress length I might love it a little more.

Ok, so buying these boots would already put me over the $200 mark, but I don't care: I need them, I want them, oh baby, oh baby. The knee-high Fiddle Boot, $169, does a fantastic job of mixing in Western inspiration with everyday style. Having grown up in Arizona and ridden horses for half my life, I tend to be a little suspicious of anything that tries to imitate Western style. I've worn chaps, and riding boots, and spurs, and I have no desire to bring that look to the East Village. But the cowboy influence is subtle in these boots--just some silver studs up the side and a practical mini-heel. I also like how these appear to have a good amount of structure, so they won't slouch down your calves and make your legs with stumpy.

These boots would get ruined in about five minutes on a real ranch, and that just makes me love them more. The Frollic boots, $99.99, come in three luxe suede colors, and I want the lightest brown, in order to form a perfect set with the medium brown boots I already have and the black boots above, that I own in my imagination. Sure, I'd have to put in a bit of work to keep them clean from sidewalk slush and subway grime, but looking killer in suede boots is the ultimate reward.

But a girl can not live in boots alone. Enter the Coby flats, $69.00. My passion for shiny studs and girly patterns is well documented, but I have to confess that I'm digging this gunmetal green color. It's so unexpectedly pretty, and will match nearly everything while not fading into the background. I'd love to wear these with a cranberry red dress, or maybe a loose cream sweater with super skinny jeans.

Vintage-Inspired Plaid Dresses

You know how much I love plaid? And how much I love Mad Men? The twain have met!
Ok, so this is a pretty old photo--from the end of season 2, even. But it's been on my mind thanks to Modcloth's awesome new Look Book, titled "A Mad Affair." It's all Mad Men-inspired outfits, some of which are vintage and some are just vintage-inspired.
The Kenley Dress, $199, is named after the former Project Runway villain who had great vintage style but a bad attitude. But it really reminds me of something our favorite female copywriter, Peggy Olson, would wear (although she would never go that low-cut, being a good Catholic girl).

Here's another fantastic plaid dress by Anna Sui:The bright colors are a little more "bored housewife" than "working woman," so this dress reminds me more of Betty. The Wilcox Dress is $289.95.

Builty by Wendy Sample Sale

I've never bought anything by Built by Wendy, but I think they have a pretty good reputation. Through tomorrow, March 4th, they're having a massive sample sale on their website, and it's definitely worth checking out. Everything is $10 to $70, although it is non-returnable, so you have to be careful. Here are a few things that caught my eye:

Great Lakes Tee, $20, and Boatless Sail Tee, $20. You may have noticed how rarely I blog about t-shirts--my interests tend to be 75% dresses, 5% shoes, 5% purses, and 15% everything else. I wear plenty of tees to the gym or lounging around the house, but I just don't feel as cute or confident wearing a tee as when I'm wearing a dress or nicer top. However, two weeks ago I happened to buy, for $4, a band tee from a friend of a friend. It's a really soft, comfortable American Apparel crewneck in a nice purple color, with the band's name (Mancrush) and logo on the front. I won't lie, I wore it for a good 48 hours straight (I even slept in it!) before forcing myself to put it in my laundry basket. So now I'm thinking that I should revisit the world of t-shirts, and I'm digging these two options. The Great Lakes tee appeals to my inner Midwestern girl (shout out to Northbrook, IL!), and the Boatless Sail tee reminds me of my secret dream to sail around the world. (To Madelyn: Doesn't this model kind of look like Jill S.?)


There's lots of snow on the ground here in New York, which means I only want to buy clothes that remind me of tropical islands. This Greek Motif Top, $20 (originally $135) is perfect for lounging around Santorini and flirting with a boy named Kostos. No pants needed-- throw over a bikini and go. Sadly, only available in XS.

This glitter miniskirt, $20 (originally $164) is such a great Studio 64 throwback, while still being totally modern. The sheen of the fabric isn't too flashy, and I like how the model is styled with a slightly prissy top--with the wrong outfit, this skirt could make you look like you're on the way to do coke in the bathroom, so avoid halter tops and satin and the like.


I really love the color blocked pattern on this Bauhaus Jumper, $40 (originally $205). It reminds me of something you'd see at MOMA, except it's an easy to wear silk dress instead of a confusing abstract painting. While it's still cold, it'd be perfect to layer over a slip and thick black long-sleeve top.

It doesn't get any better than this Plaid Strapless Dress, $40 (originally $202, also comes in a lovely blue/white plaid). The sweetheart neckline gives it pin-up girl appeal, and the boning in the bodice helps everything stay where it's supposed to. And doesn't this look like something Charlotte York would wear? The other day, a friend asked how I came up with my blogging alias, Julia York, and I explained my love for the style of Sex and the City's Upper East Side Princess. So maybe it's fate that I came across this dress just a few days later, and I should accept the will of the universe and buy it!

I'm not sure why Robin Tunney (from 90's classic The Craft and current hit show The Mentalist) is modeling for Built by Wendy, but I do know she looks adorable in this Wool Jumper, $50 (originally $279). The outfit is very retro That Girl-- maybe a bit costumey, but she's working it. This double-breasted wool dress is a perfect addition to any work wardrobe, even as the drop waist and flouncy skirt gives it some fashion-forward cred.


Sooo lovely, right? This Garden Flower Strapless Dress, $60 (originally $256) is also pretty Charlotte York-- I can see her wearing it to an opening at the gallery she used to work at. It's simple, classic, but undeniably chic. There's also a equally lovely version with green flowers, and I want both.

Robin Tunney is back with a supercute Cashmere Tunic, $70 (originally $270)! She looks surprised. Anyway, this is the kind of piece that, if you take care of it, you'll wear for the next fifty years and then afteryou die your daughter will wear it. I'm especially digging the gold buttons on the waist tabs-- they add a bit of bling while preventing your torso from looking boxy, so win-win. I like her little gold key necklace, too.

Finally, the Seersucker Sport Jacket, $70 (originally $272). Seersucker fits right into my fantasy "Let's take the yacht out today!" life, so of course I want to wear this blazer with some boat shoes and a white swimsuit. It looks a little big on this model (and she also looks pissed... and a bit emaciated. She's possibly upset because she wants to eat a panini), but the menswear look is very trendy right now. I might love it a bit more if it was cropped and fitted, but it's still a great jacket.

Gifts for Me, You, and Everyone We Know

I'm pretty much done with my Christmas shopping, but it just feels wrong to spend these last few days at home, relaxing with family, instead of elbowing other frentic shoppers out of the way and fighting over the last Princess Unicorn doll at the mall. So I'm feeling the urge to spend, like a good American, but it also feels a bit wrong to buy things for myself. So I've come up with a compromise I like to call, "One for them, one for me!" I hear that George Clooney takes the same strategy when making movies (aka, Ocean's Thirteen for them, Good Night and Good Luck for me).

I was in J.Crew the other day and everything-- sale, full-price, free if you shoplift-- was 20% off and fully returnable. That's a really impressive deal, if a bit smacking of desperation. Unfortunately, they didn't have this Onyx sequin dress, $79.99, which I'm dying to wear on New Year's Eve. I love how the cozy merino wool sweater dress is fancied up with sequins at the neckline, waist and arm openings. A nicely subdued take on glamour, so you can wear it for a special occasion but also dress it down for everyday. Sure, I already own plenty of little black dresses, but this seems like one I'll keep wearing for the next five, ten, fifteen years. Plus, empire waist, v-neck, knee length? It's a no-brainer.

For my imaginary male friend who has the taste and sophistication and balls to wear a cardigan, this solid cotton-cashmere cardigan, $39.99. It is one of my New Year's Resolutions to befriend a dude who wears cute cardigans, so I can parade him in front of my roommates and show them how cute they'd be if they only stopped being so close-minded.

I love browsing Swell, this website geared to sixteen year old surfer girls in Southern California, even though 22 year olds living in Manhattan probably shouldn't be wearing Roxy. But I do think I could get away with carrying this Hurley Rock Chic Tote, $32.99. The red flannel is way more East Coast than West, plus the faux-leather trim and silver hardware adds some grown-up attitude. I also love the front pocket, because otherwise I'll constantly be losing my keys and ID.

For my friends who actually do live in California and don't need to worry about frostbitten forearms, I'd give this Hurley Hartigan Pullover Hoodie, $52. Perfect for throwing on over your (I'll try not to die of jealousy in the process of writing this sentence) bikini after a day at the beach.


For me, from Urban Outfitters, these super fun Dolce Vita Equestrian Boots, $154. I'm a firm believer that the challenges of matching your clothes to a uniquely colored accessory is worth the rewards of having a stand-out outfit. And so, while these boots also come in black and tan, the hunter green is were it's at.





I would buy this Silence and Noise Speakeasy Mini, $98, for myself, but I know that I wouldn't be able to pull it off. Therefore, I want to buy it for my waif-y, leggy friend with a daring fashion sense. On me, it'd look like the bottom half of a figure-skating outfit; on her, it'd look like something Daisy Buchanan was wearing when she captured Gatsby's heart and made him pine for her for decades.




However, I do think I could rock this Anthropologie Oblique Pencil Skirt, $88. Trying to psych myself up for another semester of interning, which means getting up early and wearing business casual, would be a lot easier if I had this cranberry-colored skirt with slimming buttons down the side. However, I hate that it's all cotton and still dry clean only. Although, I did accidentally machine wash an Anthro cotton cardigan that was supposedly dry clean only, and it came out fine.


For my friend who is way too cool to make photocopies all day, this Over-Under Cuff, $24. I love how the gold glass beads look on the interwoven wires-- it's a little bit Paris, a bit Berlin, and a bit Cape Town. She can wear it on all of her amazing adventures.



I don't really need anything from Insound, but in order to keep with the theme of this post I'm picking out this handy silver Posterhanger, $16.99, for myself. I don't have any posters of indie bands that no one's ever heard of, but I do have this poster of Central Park that keeps falling off my wall, so this would help.

The real reason I'm including Insound is because this Shower Mike Sponge, $6.99, is the COOLEST gift ever! It's a sponge, shaped like a microphone, so your tone deaf friend can really rock out in the shower. I personally like belting out "Take a Change On Me," and I'm not ashamed.





From the She Boutique, I would kill for this Suede and Georgette Dress, $290, in "blush and honey." I love the ultra-touchable fabric--the light pink body is silk and the tan trim is suede--and the simply sweet shape. It's a very girlish, wholesome look, but the low cut back and front is equally sexy.




For a friend who'd rather cover up (it is December, after all, hardly the time for strappy pink dresses), I'd give this Hooded Wrap, $315. This ultra-soft and warm wrap can be worn countless ways, all of them cozy. And honestly, who isn't bored with pom-pom hats and knitted scarves?




So, yes, I already have a pair of pinstriped mary-janes. But those are closed toe with red accents, and these are peep-toe with green accents! Totally different! These Navy Pumps, $75, are very Modern Career Woman, with an Old-Fashioned Twist. Perfect for chasing after a hot story for the front page or pumping your co-workers for gossip.





I don't know if I have a friend who loves bacon as much as I do, but if I did, I'd get him or her these bandages, $9. You can also buy pickles, toast, and unicorn bandages!

Weekend Shopping Review

It's been particularly blustery in New York lately, and I'm personally suffering from a monster cough that's causing my roommates to call out "Julia, don't die!" across the apartment. So it is little wonder that when I venture out into the drizzle and wind, I want something soft to snuggle up in?

I bought this softest pullover hoodie, $49.50, at the Gap yesterday, which would have made a nice addition to my post on Adult Hoodies. It really is incredibly soft, and the fabric is satisfyingly heavy without being bulky or suffocating. I also love the longer length-- it's almost a tunic, which always makes me feel more luxurious. This is a sweater that'll work anywhere: with pajamas on the couch, over a basic black dress at the office, with jeans and a nice cami for dinner. And the red color couldn't be more ideal for the holiday season. I'll probably wear it on Christmas morning with my favorite red and green plaid flannel pajama bottoms!

Speaking of Christmas, I'm about 80% sure that this reversible robe, $68, will be on my list. One side is light blue jersey (good for throwing on over my pj's when I need a little more coverage or warmth) and the other is super-soft white terry (good for putting on after showering when I don't want to get dressed).

At the Gap I also tried on the black ruffled strapless dress I posted about on Friday-- it was too tight in the chest but too lose in the hips, and I looked a Christmas tree. Poorly played, Gap. However, I did think the blue color it also comes in looks much better in person than it does online, so there's one plus.

I also went to H&M yesterday. Can I just say how much I hate that you can't shop H&M online, because it makes blogging about it so much harder. Photos and links are the funnest part, right? My descriptive powers just don't do clothes justice, but I'll try. I ended up buying a simple navy blue cotton tank dress, empire waist with white stars on the top portion (very patriotic). It was $10, and I think it'll be perfect for when I take a late-afternoon shower and then don't want to get dressed for real (I hate the feel of jeans on freshly lotioned skin), but feel that it's a little early to put on my pajamas. This dress will perfectly fill the position of clean-but-lazy uniform for now, and when spring arrives and I can wear it with metallic sandals and a ponytail and be effortlessly adorable.

But there was another tank dress I tried on, a way nicer one. It was black, empire waist (I realized that the reason I'm so obsessed with empire waist dresses is that my torso is sort of oddly proportioned, and my real waist is higher than any on a wrap dress or belted top. The empire waist is way easier to match to my body, as long as there's room for my chest), with a satin top with three black buttons down the chest and thicker, matte fabric for the skirt. I put it on and immediately knew it was way too small to buy (advice: never go to H&M, where everything is sized cruelly, after going to the Gap, where everything is sized generously. Not only will you take all the wrong sizes into the dressing room, but you'll feel like a heifer). I could zip it up, but I could barely breath and there was no way I'd be able to sit down. And yet... it looked hot. And the fabric on the skirt was so forgiving that you couldn't tell how tight it was; it didn't get all creased and stretched across the hips like most small dresses do. Despite the fact that it made me look surprisingly skinny, I knew I had to go get the next size up. But when I went back into the store, there was a girl (about my size, maybe a little bigger) browsing the same dress, and she took two before moving away. I swooped in, but, of course, my size was gone. Bitch! I considered following her around until she went into the dressing room and then grabbing her rejects, but decided to just come back later.

Our next stop was Victoria's Secret. The friend I was shopping with had both a VS coupon and a new boy toy, so she had way more motivation to buy some lacey new undergarments than I did. I wasn't in the mood to try anything on, but I couldn't resist their Beauty Rush colored mascara, 2 for $12. I got it in purple and blue, and while I don't think they'll replace my everyday green mascara from Almay, it's always have to some new makeup to play around with. I was disappointed that it seems like they stopped making their So Sexy shine serum, a hair product I've run out of. After every Victoria's Secret fashion show, I get the urge to buy all their hair products because those supermodels have incredible tresses (in addition to perfect bodies and faces. Sigh.). If I could get my hair to look like Caroline Trentini's, I would be pretty much ready to die happy.

While I didn't buy any lingerie, this bra and garter set did catch my eye. The balconet push-up bra, $34 and garter skirt, $26, isn't as over the top as some of VS's stuff, but it's undeniably glamorous and sexy. I love the stripes on the cups and the scalloped lace edges, and the garter skirt is irresistibly old-fashioned (question: would you still wear panties under that or is the garter itself count as underwear? Questions like this are why I can't have nice lingerie).

I've been wanting to buy something from the Intimissimi line VS carries (I know, such a cheesy Italian name), because it seems a bit younger and is definitely a bit cheaper. I'm obsessed with this plaid plunging push-up bra, $29.50 and matching bikini, $14.50. How genius is it to put a print typical for flannel jammies on a hot-as-hell push-up bra? (My obsession with plaid is only growing, you guys. Expect a post including a bitching plaid purse sometime this week.) Imagine unwrapping this on Christmas morning, wink wink, nudge nudge. The other thing I like about the Intimissimmi bras is that they all have a little pocket inside each cup, so you can buy these gel inserts, $12.50, for some extra oomph. While I'm normally very happy with my god-given oomph, I rewatched Casino Royale on Friday with three boys and they were hardcore drooling over Eva Green's decolletage. There's no debate that she has an awe-inspiring body, so I think the gel inserts will help make bring me a little closer to the Bond Girl level.