the blabbery: 10.11

10.10.2011

me blab: where did the weekend go?

A few of my favorite things from this past weekend...

10.07.2011

fashion blab: layered bracelets

Although my obsession with jewelry has been lifelong, or at least since I can remember, I do not believe that I have always exhibited it in my day to day. I, unfortunately, went through a serious "casual" phase during my blurry college years. A time that myself and a best friend of mine have been trying to not only forget, but to remove from our memories entirely. At the time, we believed ourselves to be "casual chic", when in fact we were light-years from that. Minimal jewelry, if any, old jeans and unflattering flowy tops were daily staples in our fashion diets. The worst version of ourselves yet, as we like to refer to it.

However, with graduation, first jobs out of college and a bit more money we managed to overcome this scary stage we found ourselves in. Today, that phase is a distant memory. One which I tend not to reminisce on. Therefore, my wardrobe has been recovering ever since the demise of that phase and I work diligently to repair and enhance it every day. One item that has been slower to recover than I had hoped is my jewelry collection. Although some may disagree, jewelry is an integral part of my style and needs a bit of loving at this point. While I do have many items that I love and wear constantly, I believe a few, or a hundred, more "staple" pieces would work wonders for my wardrobe recovery efforts. My goal is to be able to step into my closet every morning and have a plethora of bracelets to layer, necklaces to match almost everything and rings galore. My first step to this goal is to slowly but surely acquire lots and lots of layering bracelets. Here are some that I have on my list so far ....

Arches Bangle by Giles & Brother, Parker Leather Wrap by Gorjana, Titan Bracelet by Vita fede (all on ShopBop.com)

Cleopatra Bracelet by Sequin (here) Tanner Charm Bracelet by Gorjana (here), Chunk of Chain Bracelet by Kenneth Jay Layne (here)

Sune Brass cuff by Dream Collective, Turquoise Wrap cuff by Melissa Joe Manning, Etched Mohawk Bangle by House of Harlow 1960 (all on ShopBop.com)

Saba Bangle Set by Antik Batik, Serpentine Bracelet by Felix Rey, Turnlock Katie Bracelet in RoseGold by Marc by Marc Jacobs (all on ShopBop.com)

10.04.2011

fashion blab: Nouvea Cowgirl

While browsing the Spring 2012 Balmain RTW Collection, I could not help but experience strange feelings of fondness and, oddly enough, comfort in the underlying theme of, simply said, good ol' Western Wear. With a serious twist of style, of course. These odd feelings likely derive from the serious, and almost decade long, Western/Arizona/Native stage my parents went through a while back. Long enough ago to where their current style only exhibits whispers of the stage, however not long enough ago for us to forget. Arrowhead, Indians, bronze cowboy sculptures and, much to my mother's disdain, John Wayne books graced the tops of the coffee tables and hallway walls. While somehow fabulous that style was, at the time, Balmain seems to capture the essence of the Hollywood Cowboy spirit with structured shapes, intricate patterns and insane embellishments, all while incorporating the cowboy staple, denim.