Now Wearing...

Happy Easter! Hope that you all had a fab day soaking in the sunshine and perhaps a good meal in your belly with those you love. Today, I had a chance to reflect a little and hang out with my NYC family, Nicole and grab a relaxed Sunday morning brunch.

Easter makes me think of Spring flowers, happy colors and a bonnet is a must. With these requirements in mind, I ended up with a very 80s (perhaps early 90s) Easter outfit. Nicole ended up coordinating with me and it made for some fun photo ops! Just call me Blossom and her Six LeMeure!

Erin:
Polka Dot Floral Dress - Vintage via Housing Works
Tights - We Love Colors (a freebie thanks to Fashion Pulse Daily)
Straw Hat - H&M Men's Department with a floral pin added
Boyfriend Jacket - Club Monaco
Flower Patent Shoes - Innu

Nicole:
Graphic Print Dress - McQ for Target
Opaque Tights - We Love Colors
Boyfriend Jacket - Norma Kamali for Walmart
Belt - ?
Fedora - Urban Outfitters
Fringe Boots - Botkier
Chunky Bracelet - Marc Jacobs Special Item

Featured Friend: Brit

Meet Brit. Her style is vintage, girly, and bohemian. She's usually in a vintage (or vintage-inspired) dress or skirt, but from time to time, I'll see her in jeans. Whatever the ensemble, her style always comes through.

I choose to feature this outfit because it's a perfect example of how accessories can make a look. She started with a basic white tunic and slim black jeans, and by throwing on statement pieces like the scarf, bangle and red boots she created a look of her own. I also love that Brit's outfit was cohesive without being matchy matchy. Her scarf, boots, clutch, and coat weren't the same color but all had shades of red or blue - not to mention their own story, very bohemian.

The piece that caught my attention was the scarf. I found it amusing and fascinating that she managed to find a 1950's floral keffiyeh. She didn't actually find it. It was a gift from her friend Melissa. You can check out more of Melissa's scarves and designs at her shop on etsy.com.

Embellished print scarf - melissaloschy.etsy.com
Multi-color coat - Kenzi, a gift from Mom
White tunic - Min Chan Hollywood, a hand me down from a friend
Silver bangle - vendor at Pike Street Market in Seattle
Red leather boots - Aldo from a couple years ago
Blue leather clutch - a hand me down from from Grandma

Featured Friend - Allyson

Though her collection of J.Crew sweaters and collared shirts might lead you to believe otherwise, Allyson lives in southern California. I love her style because she does classic and fun well. She mixes a lot of preppy staples like collar shirts and non-skinny pants with fun sneakers and menswear.

This outfit in particular caught my attention because it was festive and fun without falling back on the cliche Christmas sweater. Plus I am a sucker for menswear accessories like suspenders and the bow tie. While the thought of green pants with a red shirt might seem a bit crazy, she made it work by pairing her outfit with white sneakers that had matching colored piping and balanced out the white shoes with white suspenders on top. Well done, Allyson!

Featured Friend - Ashley

My friend Ashley always is wearing some great vintage find. Today her outfit is all vintage but modernized by a pair of dark wash jeans. I particularly thought her jacket in the velvet brocade was super cute and paired surprisingly with a crochet top. I loved the contrast between her refined vintage mother of pearl necklace & roughed up vintage cowboy boots. She finished off her look with the very now boho braid.

Featured Friend - Sandy

My Co-worker Sandy is back for round 2 as Featured Friend. I loved her how her outfit consisted of not so basic basics! A button-up shirt & jeans is nothing new, it's a classic look that always looks crisp & fresh. But when you change the shirt to an nontraditional silhouette and the jeans to a grayed wash it looks new again. I loved how her purse popped her monochromatic outfit. I also thought her boots & brass necklace finished off her look nicely.

Volume Sleeve Blouse - H&M
Jeans - H&M
Bag - Aldo
Boots - Nine West Darby
Necklace - Street Vendor

Featured Friend - Rosalin

This is Rosalin. Originally from California, she had to learn how to dress for chilly weather, and I have to say she's done really well!

I loved this outfit. She took a summer dress and layered to make it fit for a brisk fall night. Her scarf, dress, coat, shoes, none of the items were the exact same color, but her outfit looked cohesive because she played with neutral earth tones.

I wish there was better lighting or I had a better camera to capture the contrast of textures - the smooth, shiny coat vs the wooly scarf and organic dress. Playing with textures is a subtle way to keep things interesting. Bravo, Rosalin!

Dress - Rogan for Target
Coat - MICHAEL Michael Kors
Scarf - H&M

Featured Friend - Carla

It's true. New Yorkers love to wear black, especially once it gets cold. Carla's outfit is a perfect example of how to wear all or almost all black. She had on a long black coat pair with a black scarf, black Anna Corinna hang bag, and black L.A.M.B. flats. Carla's a pretty savvy shopper too - found her bag for less on eBay and her flats for $20 in Arizona! $20 for L.A.M.B. Unreal.

Her overall look was cool and classic, but it was her fun and subtle use of olive-colored tights and funky footwear that called for a picture. Triple strap Mary Janes can be difficult to wear without looking like a child or shortening the legs, but Carla made it work by pairing with textured and darker tights.

Featured Friend - Suzie

Suzie always the best vintage finds. She often has vintage dresses tailored to better fit her.
This dress with the asymmetrical cut-out detail that is filled in with draped spaghetti straps really got my attention. She kept the look elegant with interesting accessories in gold & black.

Cut Out Spaghetti Dress - Vintage
Gold Trim Shoes - Vintage
Earrings - She made them
Ring - Bought at a Bead Store

Featured Friend - Gauri

"Good morn... Gauri, I love your scarf!"

Earlier this week, my coworker Gauri caught my attention immediately with her beautiful and intricate scarf. She wore it with a black tunic and thick black coat. Without the scarf, she had a nice, classic look; by adding the scarf, she was stylin'. The scarf provided her outfit with the contrast in color and texture - dark verses light, tough verses delicate.

She found her scarf at Jessie James, a boutique in the West Village. I've never been their myself, but I've heard good things from Gauri and others. Based on the list of designers, it seems to be a great place to pick up vintage-inspired looks. Looks like I'm going to have to add this one to the list!

Featured Friend - Rachel

Rachel's Outfit today was perfect for the fall transition. I loved the autumn tones and fall floral with so many varying textures from her pleated skirt, textured tights, to her beaded soft volume blouse.

Blouse - Diane Von Furstenberg
T-Shirt - American Apparel
Skirt - Blumarine
Boots - Calvin Klein
Belt - Urban Outfitters
Earrings - Botanical Bird (Etsy)

Featured Friend - Sandy

My Co-worker Sandy is one of the cutest dressers I know. She always combines great vintage pieces with more affordable options for a pulled together look that is uniquely hers. Today, I loved the play on texture and the color palatte was very Dries Van Noten.

Super Chunky Sweater - H&M
Tank Top - American Apparel
Skinny Jeans - Forever 21
Boots - Aldo
Necklace - From the streets of Soho
Belt - No Name
Dip Dye Pleated Scarf - H&M
Clutch - Lolly???

One of my fave pieces she was wearing today was a vintage cuff bracelet that she received as a gift. Apparently, it dates back to the 1800's.