Bucket List (To Buy) volume 1

I have two types of bucket lists:  A to-do list and a to-buy list. Pretty self-explanatory, right?  I was perusing HauteLook, one of those daily omg-it's-already-gone sale websites, and I saw they were selling Cartier watches!  My heart stopped when I saw this perfect watch.

Things I love:

• The oblong face
• The red croco band
• The Roman numerals
• The 18K gold case
• Slightly oversized but still feminine
• Timeless and versatile. It will surely make me beam every time I look at it.

I wouldn't mind one of these either...

 

Forever Searching...

for the perfect pump.  I'm not really much of a shoe girl, not because I don't like shoes, but mainly because most of the shoes that I love and admire are half a month's paycheck {oh wait, I don't have a paycheck}.  I spent much of my exciting Friday night  scouring the Internet for the perfect neutral pump with the caveat that it needed to be reasonably priced.  My criteria:  

• Neutral colored - grey, bone, or beige
• Minimum 3 inch heel - any shorter and it's unflattering on my 5'2" frame
• Not too pointy, not too round, it had to be juuuuuust right {a la Goldilocks}

I was surprised that I found these at DSW's website!  I know it looks kind of old lady by itself, but picture it with a printed spring dress or with a great pair of black trousers.  Are you with me now?  

Then, I found this adorable pair of flat sandals.  I really love the turquoise color.  It will add a bit of color to my normally neutral colored outfits.  Pair them with these jeans or this skirt, and voila! 

Both pairs are well under $100...mission accomplished!

Dog and Man Proofing

I'm on a quest to give our apartment a little facelift upon my return back to the Big Apple in 1 month and 1 day.  It's nothing major, but just a few changes to make it look not so ho-hum.  I was perusing countless design websites, making note of amazing rugs and pillows for my said project, but then realized...I have a dog and a man that live with me.  What does that mean?  The colors and patterns I choose have to hide dirt REALLY well.  Because I probably won't end up buying any of these due to the abundance of white, I figured I'd post them.  A girl can dream...

Love this ikat-ish print pillow found on Etsy.

And how smart are these pillows?

And I've always loved these rugs, but these would look a dismal shade of brown/grey/nyc grime in about 12 hours in my apartment.  

Spring Time

After a long blistery winter in Boston, nothing makes me happier than signs of Spring...Does this mean I can dry clean my wool sweaters?  please say yes, please say yes.

(photo of cherry blossom trees in the Boston Common found here)

A Trend I'll Never Get

I understand fashion is up for personal interpretation, so it's rare that I ever come out and say, "Whoa. Whoa. That should never be worn."  Even with the crazy haute couture stuff...in my opinion, those pieces are considered artwork and should be admired for their beauty and handiwork.  

I will never get the menswear trend that is hitting WOMEN's fashion.  I am a WO-MAN, with an emphasis on the WO.  There are a few things I take issue with:

1.  No man in my life has items like this in his closet.  Granted, if I wanted to execute the menswear trend based on the "male muses" in my life, I'd be wearing hooded sweatshirts, vintage t's, a lot of fleece, and running shoes.

Example 1 Wing-tipped Oxfords

Example 2 Boat Shoes

These should only be worn by a woman if she is manning a ship or some other type of aquatic vessel.  I get the preppy trend, but I can't get on board with these (pun intended).

Example 3 Pleated High-Waisted Khakis

This item is wrong for so many reasons.  Not until a few years ago was I successful in banishing all pleated pants from my husband's closet.  #1. They're not flattering.  #2.  1984 called and they want their pants back.  

2.  Women should dress in a way that is body-conscious and flattering.  I'm all for gender equality, but it should stop when it comes to clothing and accessories.  I've never been one to dress for male attention, but men don't want to look at a woman wearing baggy, pleated pants and boat shoes!  Unless they are of the ilk who keeps the September issue of Vogue on their coffee table, they won't get that you're trying to be on trend.  They'll just think you raided your father's closet c. 1982.  Not cute.  

3.  I get that not all women love pleats and ruffles, but there's a way to dress that is chic and minimalist without looking like you are a dude.  Here are some of my picks from my favorite line Theory.  Theory does a great job of making amazingly flattering clothes that are appropriate for even the most conservative office setting.  Their pants are pricey ($250+), but I assure you, they're worth the investment.  I've had mine for 5+ years and I will cry on the day I retire them.  

Her shirt is fitted in all the right places and the pants are loose enough to be comfy but cut in such a way that makes her legs look like they go on for miles (okay, that might have something to do with her being a model).

This blazer is double-breasted (a nod to the menswear trend), but made feminine with a wide belt and a girly blouse underneath.  

Lastly, if you are compelled to take part of the menswear trend, I suggest offsetting the dude factor with sweet ballet flats like these:

Chills!!

I don't think it's any coincidence that Sex and the City 2 is coming out on my birthday this year!  SATC is one of those shows that I can watch at any time of the day and be enthralled in each and every episode regardless of how many times I've watched it.

The newest SATC2 trailer is here and I got chills.  It looks like Aidan's back, who for the record, was one of my top fave boyfriends next to Big.  I mean, look at him!  Does she finally give Big a taste of his own cheating medicine?  I will honestly not be able to handle it if they break up in this movie.  I've been on that emotional roller coaster through several seasons (and one movie) and my poor heart will not be able to endure any more pain.  If they Big and Carrie go kaput, look for me checked into the mental ward at the hospital down the street from the 86th Street movie theater.

Without further ado...

Art is in the eye of the beholder?

After a week of trying to do everything BUT find a job, write papers, plan my life, etc., I had this urge to make the apartment over.  I won't go into details of all the things I would want to change in our apartment, but let's just say that my other half thinks this poster constitutes as artwork.  I'll also add that this is attached to our bedroom wall with athletic tape underneath a New York Yankee sign made by a child 20 years ago.  (Don't judge, I have to choose my battles wisely, okay?)

(image found on this educational site, not an ARTWORK site)

The hubs loves maps and we both love traveling, so we have not one, but TWO world maps in our 900 square foot apartment.  One map is nicely framed, the other is shoddily taped to a Crate and Barrel mirror with more athletic tape.  Hubs had a great idea to mark each of the spots we've been to on this second map, but I'd like to take this idea and make it a more legitimate piece of art in our space.

I stumbled upon this map on Etsy, and I think it's genius and chic all at the same time.  The challenge will be for two of the un-handiest people to get this on the wall properly.  

(image found here)

Sunday Funday

I packed my bags for NYC in a bit of a rush, and I just realized that I forgot my dress for Easter Sunday.  It wasn't a new dress, but I wanted to wear a dress to church and to a family gathering.  I'm sure I'll see people dressed in jeans at church and at my in-laws, but my mom drilled it into my head to be dressed up for holidays. I can't say that I disagree.  I distinctly remember getting a new dress for every holiday.  I liked the tradition more when someone else was paying for it!

I discovered this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G website a few months ago, and I had to stop visiting it because it was such a time sucker!  Daydreaming for an Easter outfit for this Sunday, I put together this outfit on Polyvore.

It's going to be 60 degrees on Sunday which means it will be warm enough to rock a frock sans tights.  And since this dress is sleeveless, I decided to pair it with this military-inspired cropped sweater.  

The dress and cardigan are from Forever 21, where I'll surely wear 4 sizes bigger than normal since their clothes are cut sooo tiny.  I own the patent black flats (in at least 4 different styles because one can't have too many black flats).  Sadly, I don't own the Chanel quilted bag...one can dream, right?