Bib Necklaces: Aranaz out of Manila

Little Miss Dress Up posted about her family's accessory business Aranaz, based out of Manila, and I immediately fell head-over-heels for these amazing floral bib-necklaces...

No wonder the Little Miss girls are so stylish -- it's in their blood!!

Monday Mischief: Valentine in Fur

I had two eye-opening revelations this weekend:

1. If you wear two pairs of tights, they will keep you warm AND they will look completely opaque! I'm a little sad it took me 30+ years to come to this realization.

2. Dying my hair a bright red is going to take a lot of upkeep: I dyed my hair barely two weeks ago and already had to do it again! Does anyone have a suggestion for a good drugstore hair dye that looks good and lasts longer????

This is what I wore for Valentine's dinner; not quite as fabulous as my dream outfit, but inspired by it nonetheless [click to enlarge images]. I finally got to wear the dress that I bought at H&M in NYC last Fall...it is a wonderfully silky, nude-pink color that I'm in love with right now. I'm also digging this Target jacket with pointy little shoulders [and it cost $5!!!]. I also carried my great-grandmother's vintage beaded purse and donned my big red rose ring and favorite vintage necklace that doubles as a timepiece.

After a delicious and insanely filling Valentine's dinner at the new local restaurant, Oscar's Gastropub, my BF and I met met up with our always-fun friends Sarah and Ryan. Sarah and I were both wearing our vintage-faux-furs... it's all about being tactile on the day of love, right??

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The Curious Case of the Creepy Shoe Psychic

These two pairs of shoes featured on Fashion156's monthly "Most Wanted" list make me feel a little violated, as if someone has been spying on me and my boyfriend and secretly making a checklist of the ingredients we imagine our perfect dream shoe to be made up of...

His Checklist:
1. Must be something that Crockett on Miami Vice would wear.
2. Must be something a color-blind old man would wear.
3. Or, must simply be pink.

My Checklist:
1. Must be black or gray; splash of color is a bonus.
2. Must look like something a time-travelling flapper or a Gibson Girl might wear.
3. Or, must look like something a librarian-by-day / dominatrix-by-night would wear.

Creepy.

Have a Loving Weekend...

[Man combing girl's hair, c. 1960's. Source unknown]

Weekend Reads: Links to the Strange and the Beautiful

♥ Valerie Steele --Fashion historian, genius, and my new idol.

♥ This post by Ashe Mischief lead me to the amazing discovery of the medieval dancing plague [the greatest way to die I can imagine].

♥ Next to the beat-up Joy Division t-shirt I used to wear in high school, this tee from Every Little Counts is probably the coolest ever!

♥A streetstyle blog for HAIR styles!!!! MopShots is a genius idea!

♥ Chicago Chic exhibit runs through July and features amazing dresses from 1861 to 2004.

♥ In honor of Black History Month, Edwardian Promenade looks at the interesting history of the popular early twentieth-century dance, The Cakewalk.

♥ Nick Olsen [formerly known as The Deal Hunter] from my beloved deceased Domino looks as if he is starting his own blog here.

♥ Blogtrepreneur just published a list of 100 Must Read Blogs by Women -- so much good stuff to explore!

Mutual Makeovers...

My BF and I have changed up our looks quite dramatically these past few weeks: I have red hair now, and he got new glasses and chopped off his shaggy locks! [I snapped a picture of him after his hair appointment yesterday.] Looking snazzy!! What better excuse to play around with the the new Poladroid program for PC!?

Send a Cheeky Valentine...

If you're like me, you don't send many letters or cards to faraway friends and family via the postal service any more. Whether this hints at an inherent thoughtlessnes, or simply laziness on my part, I'm not sure...either way, I DO TRY! And by trying, I mean sending cute e-greetings! Kate Spade has some adorable, quirky [and free] e-Valentines on their website. So, my fellow lazy-bugs, don't forget to send a cute, cheeky, sexy, funny greeting to your loved one[s] this V-Day. Or, if your honey lives with you, you could just write a dirty note on a napkin...

[via A Cup of Joe]