image courtesy ilana kohn

it's officially that time of year! the biggest gift giving day of the year is officially less than four weeks away, and this is where i'll be this weekend trying to hone my gift giving mojo. please come out and support local area makers and artists, and come saturday night 6-10 for the free beer and bites, too! more info here.

ermie collection no. 1 / 2012.

all images courtesy of ermie

jennifer has been one busy, busy, busy lady recently.  and while she's known for her incredibly playful and bright textiles in recent collections, i had to dedicate an entire blog post to her upcoming collection as it literally blew me out the water.

some of my favorites are highlighted, but i can't stress how much i love the direction she chose to go with this season by pairing some of her brightest textiles yet with simple shapes and basic separates - one could seriously knock out their entire wardrobe with what jennifer's offering this season.  and jennifer, if you're reading this - i've got dibs on that light of california apron dress and that indigo jacket!  perfection.  see the rest of her collection here, and the word on the street is the shop will be open for business monday, july 9th.

fancy pants.

photos from mnz

hands down my favorite shop, maryam nassir zadeh is in the middle of their summer sale and there's some pretty good stuff up for grabs at some pretty steep discounts - a few of my favorites are above.  even though it's been way too hot in the city lately to wear anything pants, fancy pants are my favorite kind of pants to wear - how amazing is that pair from christophe lemaire above?  see & shop the rest of the sale here.

wiksten shop update.

image from wiksten

hooray! jenny just updated the wiksten shop with all new goodies including tops from shabd and primoeza AND a bonus of 10% off all orders $200 or more with code 'SPRING12'. that's a pretty hefty discount on some pretty awesome stuff. the primoeza sandgrain scarf and shabd huipil blouse are my favorites from this update, and as of right now, everything's still available. see and shop the entire stock here.

spring sale at maryam nassir zadeh.

just got this gem of an email from my all-time favorite shop, maryam nassir zadeh: 15% off everything through 3/22 excluding dieppa restrepos with code 'SPRING'.  kind of a bummer that DRs aren't included in the sale, but if there's anything else you've been eyeing, now's the time to get it as i rarely to never see MNZ items go on sale.

tough decisions.

images via lambs ear shoes

crap.  i had kind of already made my mind up on the steven alan maryjane sandals when lambs ear dropped off this little gem in my inbox this week.  what to do, what to do.  very similar price points, similar colors, basically either would do as a good, multi-function spring/summer sandal...i'm really at a loss here.  i'm thinking the maryjanes would be a good option if i can't keep my toes always summer sandal ready, whereas the ariana bohlings would be a better option for perpetually warm weather with summer ready feet.  we all know i'm too lazy for that sometimes.

spring on the brain.

images from top, left to right:

mohawk general / steven alan

maryam nassir zadeh / creatures of comfort

maryam nassir zadeh / steven alan

maryam nassir zadeh / maryam nassir zadeh

i remember nyc winters being much worse than it has been this winter, but already i can't stop thinking about spring.  everywhere i look, sweaters are slowly but steadily being replaced by flowing tops and blouses, and boots slowly but steadily being replaced by warm weather sandals.  above, a few of my favorite selections i'd choose to spend my warmer days in if my budget allowed me to do so (i'm getting to a point where i need that carven dress).  and man, if i were really rolling in the big bucks, i'd choose to live in maryam nassir zadeh forever - everything there is so utterly, heartbreakingly jaw-droppingly gorgeous.  

rennes handmade.

images courtesy of blog.renneshandmade.com

good grief, this just appeared on julia/renneshandmade's blog yesterday and every single thing she's been working on is absolutely stunning.  it's funny, because february really seems to be a humdrum month for many people, but everyone seems on top of their creative 'A' game no matter where i look.  no exception here, in the case of all new sweaters, dresses and bags - see the rest of the collection here in her newly updated shop.

                     

image from steven alan.

i promised myself i wouldn’t post too many “things” that i wanted on the blog this year, but how cute is this sweater? i’ve been looking for a good gray sweater that isn’t terribly ornate or too long in the torso, and this really looks like it fits the bill.  i can easily see this transitioning from cold and gloomy nyc weather to warm and sunny, plus the light gray is in my favorite shade of gray.  now, if only it’d go on sale…

image from blog.shopwiksten.com

did you guys see the shop update from jenny yesterday?  jeez.  my favorite is the Öljett Hat.  if i didn’t look like i had an egg for a head any time i wore beanies i’d totally be up on that.  plus, how adorable does she look?  double jeez.

new etsy shop!

i’m a hoarder…a fact that i try to deny but constantly am reminded of every time i find something else that i forgot that i had.  so, in an effort to purge myself of the unnecessary but pass onto others the treasures that i’ve found in my years of scouring swap meets, thrift stores, estate sales and the like, i’ve started an etsy shop of all my vintage finds!  click to shop the things we keep on etsy, and please feel free to peruse, forward or share the link!  a sampling of what i’ve listed in the shop is above - i plan to an ever-growing roster of new goodies as i find them.

images from vena cava

from the new vena cava online shop.  in love with the dress.

seattle design guide from design*sponge

image from design*sponge

it’s things like these that do make me nostalgic for the pacific northwest, and the time that i’d spent there discovering every little nook and cranny of the city finding spots for hidden treasures i once coveted as mine.  not so much anymore with this seattle design guide from design*sponge; i personally can vouch that i’ve been to most these places, and for all my hometown heroes, this is a pretty exhaustive list of all things good design, food and the like.  and for my non-pnw friends, definitely bring this list in-hand if every planning to visit the city.  

see the list, here. 

20% off at Spool No. 72

 

images courtesy of spool no. 72

spool no. 72, a favorite boutique, is featuring 20% off with coupon code ‘july’ through july 11.  a few that’s going on my wishlist, i.e. might be getting between now and july 11.

mociun jewelry.

images from mociun

the entire spring 2010 collection is perfection.  my hands-down favorite is the hexagon ring - one can dream, right?

new shoes!

images courtesy of totokaelo

i’ve been an awful blogger lately - i’m so sorry!  life has thrown a few excellent curveballs my way in the past few weeks and hopefully i can now finally find some time to get caught up.  in the meantime, revel in the perfection of these b store oxfords that came in the mail yesterday; best part was i only ordered them four days ago and they’re already here = win!

new boots!

super excited for these! i ordered these last week and they just arrived in the mail today - a nice surprise on a relatively humdrum wednesday. i went a little nuts last week with some online shopping - ordered and received an amazing dolce vita cape from gilt groupe, and expecting deliveries from j. crew and urban outfitters in the next few days. i’ll post additional photos soon!

ruche spring 2010 lookbook.

images courtesy of ruche

a few of my favorites from ruche spring 2010 lookbook.

(b)rogue celebration.

really excited about these!  i bought these as a means of celebration - the company i’ve been consulting for for the last 15 months finally made me an actual employee this week, so naturally a little retail celebration needed to ensue.  i’d also been on the hunt for a great pair of camel leather brogues for some time, and i truly believe these fit the bill perfectly.

clearance love.

i’m in sacramento today (and was yesterday) for work, and while in town, there’s not much to do without a car.  there is however, a small westfield shoppingtown plaza within walking distance from my hotel, so i took a small detour there after work yesterday to see what deals were to be had; i did not leave disappointed!  american eagle and gap both had some great clearance items; all clearance items at ae were an additional 30% off - i got the two marled sweaters shown above at $10.50 a piece and the plaid tunic for $13 - and gap had a ton of stuff under $10 - i found the deconstructed cream jeans above for $8.97!  i didn’t get the yellow corduroys shown above as they didn’t have my size, but they were a steal at $7.97, and the black/white plaid shirt above was only $14.  i’d highly suggest stopping by your local gap and ae for some really great basic finds at dirt cheap prices.