Zippered Skirt and Dress

Apologies for falling off the face of the earth this past week! I got a bit slammed by homework, which left little time for fashion blogging. But the long weekend--and President's Day sales!-- should give me time to catch up both on my school reading and online shopping.

I've criticized the Sartorialist in the past, and I stand by everything I said about the people he photographs being out of reach of your regular fashion-conscious girl. This girl, for instance, is beautiful and looks great, but look at those shoes: I'd bet a lot of money that she works in the fashion business, based just on those crazy shoes. Also, the tank top/scarf combination is stupid. If it's warm enough to wear a tank, it's too warm to wear a scarf.

However, I LOVE her skirt. I think it's wickedly sexy and very innovative, and I adore how she's wearing it unzipped a just a bit (but not too much). This girl obviously doesn't have much in the way of curves, but the slope of the zipper makes her look way more shapely-- very flattering.


I haven't found a zippered mini as hot, but this dress is a decent alternative. From Larsen Gray, the black zipper dress, $96, is the epitome of not-trying-too-hard cool. Wear it zipped all the way up with tights and flats to class, unzipped a little bit with boots and a colorful jacket on the weekends, and unzipped to the waist with an embellished tank underneath to go out. Also, if you care about this sort of thing, the cotton fabric of this dress is 100% organic and, thus, very eco-friendly.

Pretty Photos!

I've been trying to clean up my desktop a bit, and I decided it was time to tackle my folder of photos I save for this blog. And since I'm sure everyone could use a break from shopping for a few days, here are some photos that I found sartorially inspiring in the last year:Amy Adams is rocking my world with her shiny turquoise t-straps. Such a great compliment to a black dress that's a little on the boring side.
This photo of a chic Brazilian woman is from the Sartorialist. I love the ribbon sash at the waist and the intricate lace of the rest of the dress.

In my opinion, Sienna Miller's style is a cheap, tacky rip-off of Kate Moss's. But I have to give her props for this unfussy, fresh white dress.

Speaking of Ms. Moss: she makes me want to get married in a Burberry bikini, no small feat considering how much I adore dresses.

Ok, so Lauren Conrad looks a little fake n' bake in this photo. But she is rocking the ultra-mini dress and intense platforms. I would kill to raid her closet.

I was gonna post about Robin's shirt, because I thought I found it on Anthropologie, but then it sold out and I had no use for this still from How I Met Your Mother. But Robin and Barney looks so cute, and I do really like her shirt, so I refused to trash it until I could share it with the world.

I know that these sort of across-the-head braids a bit played out, but I'm still determined to master them. They look so fun and easy on Reese Witherspoon! I wish I had that sort of braiding skill.

Speaking of hair, this random Dove model has my dream ringlets, even though I'm unwilling to spend an hour of quality time with a curling iron every morning.

And Kate Hudson has my dream straight hair-- it looks so shiny and soft! And I want to play with baby lions, too.


I didn't see Iron Man, and I hate giving Gywneth any props, but I'm in love with her strawberry blond hair color in that movie.

Gap Holiday Cruiser

On more than one occasion I've considered getting a bike to help navigate these tough city streets, but for every reason in the pro column (get places faster, exercise and fresh air, would look cool) there are two reasons in the con column (theft, helmet hair, would gives myself a panic attack, would get myself killed). But during the summer I would see these beautiful New York women riding their vintage-style bicycles, wearing dresses, looking as fresh as daisies and poised as beauty queens, and I'd start to want a bike again. Here's a classic example, from a photo essay the New York Times did called "A Field Guide to the New York Bicyclist:"

She's gorgeous, of course, but that bike adds an extra bit of charm to make her irresistible.

Gap, of all places, is selling a bike this holiday season that's almost worth risking my neck over.
Designed by the Electra Bike Company, Gap's holiday cruiser is $499. It's pricey, but it's ARGYLE! Before my plaid fixation, I was all about argyle, and I still stalk argyle cardigans on Jcrew.com and go nuts for a boy in an argyle sweat vests. I would feel like the most stylish person in the world riding around on this bike. I have only one problem with it: no front basket in which I can put my purse (if I'm being practical) or fresh flowers/baguettes/a puppy. A bike with a basket is the dream, so: close, Gap, but not quite.

If you want to see more cute fashion-y girls on bikes, check out the Sartorialist. I wish this photo (which he took) was of me. You can just barely see the pink ribbon ties on the back of this azure dress, but I bet the front is knock-me-down adorable as well.