guilty pleasure: zara

i love zara. let me just throw that out there.

always on trend without being sacrificial, over-the-top literal. rather, there is a timeliness that allows them to be more than just a one-season wonder. i also appreciate the fact that the clothes won't self-destruct after a few wears. i think that's always important.

truth be told, i came to the zara party a little late in life. i have since made up for lost time with unbridled enthusiasm and weekly visits. okay, since i'm in the confessional booth...it's actually more like a twice-a-week ritual (to coincide with their deliveries, of course).

i've also been known to visit multiple zaras in a day. there are 7(!) within a three-mile radius of my apartment. you do the math.

now, before you judge, let me assert that i am in full control and can stop at any time...but why would i want to?

acne scars

the nude shoe. the merits of it i get. finding the right shade. not so easy.

for some reason, acne is the only company that manages to get flesh tone just right. maybe it's the fact that they're swedish, and therefore sensitive to my pasty hue. whatever the case, getting my hands on the perfect nude (see: acne) shoe continues to elude me.


this is two-year old iman and she is glorious. after four seasons, it still hurts. the wound, still fresh. while they don't seem nude in the traditional sense, they have just the right amount of gray to actually make my legs look less ghoulish.

i know this because my sister owns these. my sister who lives on the opposite coast. the opposite coast thing is not the deterrent. i just like throwing that in for effect. geography actually plays no part since she wouldn't let me wear them even when she was just visiting. (not because she wouldn't share but because in spite of packing multiple shoes, she chose to only wear this one. this one lovely pair.) no amount of bartering would she entertain and i've tried countless times.

i get it. trust me, i do. i think mourning is just part of the healing process.

paris: a moveable feast

i'm back. truth be told. i've been back for AWHILE. managing paris withdrawal has not easy. the lovely box of laduree macaroons (a gift intended for my sister until i realized delivery to SF would only compromise the integrity and deliciousness of this sweet confectionary and then i am being fair to no one) has only made the pain slightly manageable.

LC, my paris-partner-in-crime, and i spent the better part of our trip eating our way through the city. in between meals, we also managed to get some sights in.

a rewind to some of my favorite things...



1. the many farmer's markets for the reddest strawberries and girthiest asparagus i have ever seen
2. tea salons for some afternoon delight of tea + sweets
3. vanilla with chocolate cake ice cream at berthillon
4. raw egg in everything
5. the croque madame at angelina
6. LC's Pretty Woman moment at Les Deux Magots
6a. the woman who picked up the flying snail from the floor, dropped it on her plate, picked up her fork and then cheered us for the delicious treat that came her way
7. taxidermy at Deyrolle (no pics allowed but lusted after a giraffe for 45000 EU)
8. mashed potatoes at apicius
9. when bonjour doesn't work...the always appropriate "konnichiwa" (a nice alternative to the stateside "chinita"). total count for the ambiguously Asian duo: 6.
9a. the shop girl who responded to LC's request for a pink Eiffel tower with a Japanese-flag themed version of the trinket. (her thinking, of course, was that white and red makes pink. OBVS)
10. waiting for the shimmery lights of the Eiffel Tower to dance in the night

isabel marant

no allegiance to french style could be complete without mentioning the cool girl's patron saint: ISABELmarant.

she doesn't just get it. she makes you psychotically obsessed with getting IT.

fall-eleven. no exception. just when you think she can't possibly top herself, she does. season after season after season. my must-have-or-die wish list runneth over.

her source for inspiration: the american southwest. my inner pocahontas prayers have been answered. the navajo print, the fringe, the suede over-the-knee boots (a subtle nod to cindy mancini's outfit from can't buy me love?).

now, if only fall were available right now.

BRRR

geraldine. she makes being cold look chic. is there anything she can't do???

geraldine saglio

geraldine saglio. for me, she's fashion without being "fashion-y." she's relatable. the veronica sawyer in a sea of heathers.

plus, there is that whole intangible french thing. it's never trying too hard, never a spectacle. it's just perfectly chic. a delicate balance of done and undone. it's all in the subtlety and a perfectly trained eye for detail. there is almost a casualness. like her handbag. it's never on full display but often quietly held in her hand.

her wardrobe is timeless yet current and always fashionable. it's all the 'perfect' items you would want in your closet - mostly blacks and grays - with the occasional dash of army, leather, leopard, fur and camouflage. the drape and silhouette of the jackets are spot-on, the jeans are the right cut and fit, and the basics are perfectly curated. she gets it every time.

here is your step-by-step guide to getting it right.

step 1: build a wardrobe of the best of the best jackets. (see: isabel marant, balenciaga, givenchy, rick owens, etc.)

combine with the following...

must-have 1: a short hemline. impossibly long legs required. (black tights optional.)


must-have 2: thigh high boots


must-have 3: skinny jeans.


must-have 4: the pointy heel.


must-have 5: the wide-legged trouser jean.

heading straight to the source

alexander wang just relaunched his website and it's all wang all the time. now i can drool over his every everything in its entirety.

can't say i'm digging the whole glowing faceless models. they make a point to explain that the illuminated mask is a collaboration with artist terence koh.

i get it...it's art...but i still don't get it.

what i do get (and would get) is this...