ClandestineChic

One thing I have always said about fashion is that you never say never.  You may have your personal style resolutions down pat, but there can always be an item or two that pulls you in and you just must concede.

I religiously wear my ballet flats when there is no snow on the ground.  I wear them out like Amy Winehouse wears her light pink ballet slippers.  I only try to buy one new, durable pair once a year.

However, flats are not easy to wear during Chicago winters.   Walking in piles of snow that turns into dirty slush leaves precious flats open to ruin.   Yes, boots are the best solution, but how about an alternative?

So I’ve opened myself up to a shoe that I swore I’d never wear: oxfords.

There really isn’t a good reason as to why I swore off wearing oxfords.  They just never really were my style, I suppose.  However, as my own personal style continues to slowly evolve, I’m becoming more open to wearing items that I’d otherwise never considered.   My biggest reason for opening up to oxfords is practicality.  I think they are the next best pair of shoes to wear when I want a break from my boots–and when I want to remain comfortable.

Here are a few pairs that I’ve had in mind:

Aldo Chasten Oxfords

Sam Edelman "Kat" Oxfords

Boutique 9 "Brazen" Oxfords

Marais USA Oxford

Your visionary talent will truly be missed.

I miss spring.

I miss wearing peep-toe shoes and the cycle of getting pedicures on a regular basis.  I miss the blossoming flowers and  the grass turning green instead of the dirty, brown slush that used to be snow.   For me, the Easter holiday always marks the return of Spring and as a little girl,  my biggest treat was buying an Easter Sunday dress.

Now, I am older and no longer go through the bells and whistles for Easter celebration, but a colorful dress always signifies spring weather to me.

I am feeling a sense of this when looking at pieces from Chicago-based designer, Jess Audey, and her Audey line.  Jess is also part of  the Chicago Fashion Incubator program (a yearlong mentor ship  that assists up-and-coming designers) and is a graduate of Columbia University Chicago.   Her “About” page describes the look and feel of her cocktail  dresses perfectly:

Dresses that are at once whimsical and romantic while maintaining the highest level of quality.

Looking at her S/S 2010 Preview pictures makes me wish spring would hurry up and arrive so I can wear my cocktail dress and peep-toe shoes.

Image Source: We Heart It

Over the holiday break, I decided to start taking up DIY projects again.  Although I would love to fancy myself as such, I’m honestly not a very crafty person.  Although I might approach projects with a lot of gusto, they always end up looking…quite different from was intended.  This goes for scrapbooks, jewelry-making, knitting, collages, sewing, painting, gluing and …anything that requires the use of the left and right brain.

However, during my Christmas break, I decided to give a few DIY projects a try.  First, I decided to take up knitting again.  Keep in mind, I only know how to do a knit stitch and that knit stitch will output a scarf.  That is, if I hang around long enough to complete the scarf.  What kept me going is the fact that I needed something to keep me occupied while watching trashy reality television shows (Bad Girls Club?  Eek!).   Plus, I couldn’t find a scarf to satisfy my taste in stores, so a light bulb went off and urged me to make my own scarf if I didn’t like what was out there.  Simple, eh?

I have decided that I do want to start more DIY projects in the future.  Along with the fact that I’d have my own unique creation, I’ve also realized that my shopping practices have changed over time.  I’m more apt to support small businesses and indie designers now before going to a larger retail chain.  To sum up my reasoning perfectly, I would direct you to Ms. Birdie’s blog to read her post about retail hell, which perfectly sums up my frustration with retail chains right now.  With DIY,  if I can, I’d like to try and make something myself and have it come out the way I want it.  As stated above, my entire reason for starting knitting again was because I just wasn’t satisfied with what was in retail chains.  So I thought, “I have yarn and needles at home, so I’ll make my own damn scarf!”*

Do you DIY?  What are some of your favorite DIY projects?

*Please note: scarf is not yet finished.  I am working on having it done before winter season officially ends.

Not long ago, I blogged enhancing getting my jewelry collection and expressed my desire to buy some nice pieces for myself.  My goal for the end of the year was to buy a great piece that I could wear everyday and that would embody my personality.  I also knew that I wanted a piece from Wendy Brandes, and after a lot of deliberation on my part, I settled on a piece:  the Juana skull necklace.

The necklace is named after Juana of Castile.    I remember hearing her name thrown around briefly during a lecture in a college history class, but we only spent about 5 minutes discussing her before moving on.  However, was her nickname: Juana “La Loca”.  Many people like to focus on the fact that she had a passionate marriage with her husband, Archduke Philip, Duke of Burgundy, or “Phillip the Handsome”, whom it is said she was obsessed with.  At his death, she periodically asked for his coffin to be opened to get another peak and reportedly refused to allow any women near his coffin.  His death is rumored to have contributed further to her mental deterioration.  However, let’s not overlook the fact that said husband continually attempted to usurp her birthrights to her crown while he was alive.  Just to wrap this charming story up, she was later confined to a windowless room for the rest of her life–almost 50 years– where it is believed she really earned the nickname “La Loca”.

Looking at the Juana necklace and remembering the story, I could definitely feel the inspiration for the piece.  The two sparkling white sapphires and the sterling silver compliment one another so well.  I’ve been wearing “La Loca” with everything and it never feels out of place to me.  Exactly what I wanted in a great piece of jewelry.

So thank you, Wendy B, for making the very awesome Juana “La Loca” necklace!

It’s here.  The designer collaboration that we’ve all been waiting for, right? Rodarte for Target is now in stores!

After having a strange dream that I saw the Rodarte for Target collection in store and the prices were astronomically high (for instance, I dreamed that I picked up a dress for $3,499.00), I had to shake it off.  I lumbered out of my bed and drove over to my local Target to check out the collection.  I’d previously written about the Rodarte for Target collab before, so I was very anxious to touch and feel the clothing for myself.   What did I think?

Can I be honest?  I mean, really honest?

I was surprised at the quality of the clothes.  Yes, I know, what was I thinking, right? The prices are low and it is Target, but I was really shocked.  Some of the items, such as the leopard print dress, didn’t look or feel at all like I’d thought on the pictures.  Even with the prices (at my local Target) ranging from about $14.99-$44.99, I still couldn’t imagine paying that for a few of the pieces.

While  browsing, I was able to snap a few pictures on my Iphone (sorry if the quality is not stellar):

I did end up buying the black lace cardigan, because for me, I’d had my eye on it since the pictures of the collection were announced and after seeing it, I still really wanted it.  I’m still mulling over the tulle skirt, but I don’t think I’ll be greatly upset if it sells out before I make up my mind.

Have you checked out the Rodarte for Target line?  What are your thoughts?

This is Vol. 2 of my freak out over boots that I’m having.  See, other than looking for snow boots, my other big obsession has been finding a pair of lace-up boots.  I’ve been on the fence between finding a pair of  “granny boots” or a pair of combat boots.  My main objective is that they lace-up.  I posted a pair of boots on my Twitter to see what others thought of the particular pair, and a honest and caring friend told me to my face that they looked “wrestler chic” (thank you!), so we are back to square one.  Here are a few choices for boots that I’m thinking of:

Loving these LD Tuttle boots from Oak NYC. Not loving?  The price tag at $889 is too rich for my blood right about now.

I also like these Jeffrey Campbell “Acme” boots, but I’m really not 100% sure about them:

And I REALLY like these boots from Modcloth.  However, they wouldn’t work out in terms of practicality.

Now, can I show you the boots I found and thought were winners and   I mean, they pretty much hit the mark on everything I was looking for and the price is right?  They are here:

Image Source

However, I had concerns about buying these from Ebay  and the ever fabulous and kick ass  Wendy Brandes was nice enough to look the shoes  and agreed that I should look for some other options for something quite similar to this shoe since I’m really in love with them.    I’m looking for alternatives that will be kind to my pockets (I’m not supposed to be shopping for myself unless it’s for winter boots!) and have the same aesthetic as the boots above.

So I am asking you, dear reader:  do you know of a similar shoe? Think I should say “Eff it” and go with one of the above options?

And yes, I know, I still have got to do better

Snow
It won’t be long before we’ll all be there with snow
Snow
I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow

This is a picture of what greeted as I l opened my door to leave for work this morning.  I’m pretty much an angry hermit in the mornings, so that means that I don’t look out of my window, I don’t watch the news or check the weather to see the forecast for the day. Not smart, huh?  Well, that’s exactly why I was surprised when I walked out to find snow covering my car yesterday morning and its continuance today.

My first thought?  “Dammit!   I STILL don’t have any winter boots!”

I have fashion boots; but here in Chicago, they aren’t going to cut it.  I need winter boots.  Boots with a great grip on the bottom and will absorb the snow.  In the past, I’ve worn Ugg boots   (don’t judge me), but not from a fashion standpoint.   My thoughts?   They were extremely comfortable and worked extremely well in protecting me from falling on my butt in the icy conditions.  Con?  Even after using the protection guard, my boots still became worn down after a harsh Chicago winter.

So I’ve been researching options for boots.  Durable, snow absorbing, ice-defiant boots.   I’d still like them to be pleasing to the eye, but they don’t necessarily have to be dainty.   That won’t cut it for a morning of wiping snow off  my car and carefully plotting my way to and from destinations.    A friend recently suggested rain boots:

“Would they be durable, though?” I asked her.

“Uh yeah, snow is still precipitation!  Plus, they have nice grips on the bottom”, she replied.

So I did my research. Yes, the rainboots will keep my feet dry, but warm?  Talk about doubling up on the socks!    I’ve never been a fan of rain boots, even the trendier Hunter boots, so I searched for awhile before I settled on this pair from Urban Outfitters:

But these suckers might just be on their way back.  I’ve been cursed with wide calves and underestimated the fit.  So that leaves me with no winter shoes in hand right now.

I’ve got to do better.

Earlier this evening, I visited my friend, Ms. Sister Baby at her home to work on a project.  I hadn’t been over to visit  for some time, so when I walked into her room, I immediately noted her jewelry collection.  I noted that she always wears at least one piece of jewelry every time I see her, but I didn’t know that her collection was this large. Also, most of her items have been handed down to her by her grandmother. As I’ve been working on  my sparse jewelry collection, I definitely admire her assortment of jewelry, especially her vintage pieces.   She let me snap a few pictures, although she objected that the jewelry layout was “messy”, but I thought it was really cool:

As my hair has been a hot mess as of late and it doesn’t seem to have any intentions on changing and I don’t think I have any intention on making it change, I’ve come to appreciate the ornate headbands and hair accessories that are out and quite popular these days.  To be quite honest, if someone thinks I have a bird’s nest on my head, I’d rather them be distracted by that than the state of affairs that is my hair.  Hair clips, headbands, hats, I don’t care–I want it all.

Image Source: Bitching & Junkfood

Image Source: Urban Outfitters