A Foretaste Of Fall For These Shoes

That title is so 'Before and After' on Wheel of Fortune.  I just have to take a moment to give myself a WOF shoutout.  I love that show.

Moving right along.  I got out of bed at 2pm today.  That's a bloody shame (only kinda seeing as I needed rest badly).  There's been just too much going on lately - some I've mentioned here and some, well, it goes without saying this is not the place to be my own personal Dear Abby so let's just leave it at that.  Okay let's not.  My birthday's coming up and I'm having a breakdown.  There.  I said it.

Now we can move on.  So anyway, last night I was totally exhausted.  I told myself I could sleep in until 9am.  Of course the telephone then proceeded to begin ringing at 4am.  Seriously?  Seriously??  Seriously.  Not amused.  And it did not quit until well after 10am so I just started answering in a complete and total daze.  I had conversations this morning the content of which I have little to absolutely no recollection of.  That's effective.  This hazy daze of mine was quadrupled by my loving cats who have recently decided to rekindle an old habit of theirs...galloping up and down the hall in the middle of the night, crashing into my room at top speed, running up to the closet door, opening it by pulling the underside with their little paws and then wrestling in the closet all night long.  This morning I woke up to a stray t-shirt in the hallway, a couple pairs of socks hanging out from under the closet door, a random watch I haven't seen in 2 years lying by the bed and a mumble jumble of shoes, belts and scarves strewn about the closet floor.  Presh, isn't it?

Can't say as I blame them though...I know what they were after.

  They're heee-eeere.

Truth be told, when I blogged about these last week I had no idea they would live up to and exceed any expectations.  You can never tell what you're going to get when you order online. When I opened the box I was elated.

 It's ironic that I'm standing on a 'Yield' sign because bikers, rollerbladers 

and walkers alike stopped and commented on them. 

They are absolutely perfect for now and for well into fall...meaning they are a completely justified purchase (not that I've really given much thought to that when it comes to shoes...).  Hel-lo transition!

 You can even scale walls in them.  Okay low walls, but still.

I wore them with a pair of my go-to Current/Elliott Boyfriend Shorts, an Alexander Wang Pocket-T and (don't judge) an Abercrombie & Fitch fabulous sweater I picked up last winter for next to nothing.  It was the perfect outfit for late evening just before the sun went down.

From the length of the drape on the sweater you can get an idea of how perfect the shoes will be with any dress.  I'm already dreaming of wearing them with leggings, harem pants and a pair of long lost military shorts I found during Closet Excursion 2010 this past Saturday.  

I kept it simple with a rope necklace and primarily silver jewelry, but mixed it up with the chainlink ring and the turquoise stone on one of the others.  I'm finding it's getting much easier to mix silver and gold - or at least a tarnished version of gold - which is growing on me every time I wear it all together.  

Before I zip off, here's another picture of the shoes.

And now there's some money fairies I need to catch up with...I've got my net out so there's no escaping me!

Outfit details:  Abercrombie & Fitch Sweater, T by Alexander Wang Pocket T, Current/Elliott Boyfriend Shorts, Dulce Amsterdam Clog, Club Monaco Necklace, Melinda Maria Rings, Dean Davidson Turquoise Ring, Nicole Miller Sunnies

Draping for Summer through Fall

I thought I'd better bust a move and get this post up here now that it appears heat wave 2010 could be on the horizon.  Today we hit 76 degrees and I seriously considered turning on the A/C (wimp!).  For a mere moment I almost whined that it was too warm in the house (oh what a difference a couple days makes).  Dallas Raines, our local weatherman, said something about 90 degree possibilities over the weekend...I didn't have time to hear if that was at the beaches or inland because Nancy Grace was coming on and I adore hearing her bellow out, "BOMBSHELL TONIGHT..." before she blasts off on the latest child abduction, Joran Van der Sloot atrocity or Mel Gibson debacle.  I secretly wanna be BFF with her.  I guess that secret's out.

All that being said I don't have confirmation of the heat wave, but it is July, right?  Well you wouldn't have known it just a few days ago when I donned one of my new fall pretties a full 3-4 months early (we're usually warm in SoCal through October) for an early evening out.

I've basically gone overboard for anything baggy for fall.  I'm a little person, but I just love being swallowed up in oversized clothing.  Boyfriend anything, big sweaters, jumpsuits, caftans - you name it and there you'll find me swaddled up in the middle. 

My favorite thing about this sweater is the drape.  The sleeves are fitted and meant to be pulled up causing the top portion of the arm to flow over creating the illusion of a shorter sleeve over a longer sleeve.

When I first put this on in the fitting room I squealed with delight.  Ever have those moments?  It looked so big on the hanger (why God why do they insist on hanging these fabulous flowy garments just begging them to stretch to the floor??) that I did not have high hopes of the top making it home with me.  But when I turned around all I could see was Irene Cara with her top hanging off her shoulder Flashdance style and it was a done deal!!  What a feelin'! (cue the soundtrack)

If I were to hold my arms out and not hike up the sleeve, this top has a dolman effect rather than the short sleeve over long sleeve appearance.  From behind it covers the derriere making it an absolute winner with leggings that are sans pockets.  See why I'm in love with it?  Well all these things and I love gray, too.

I confess that I've worn this piece 3 times since Saturday - first with dark skinny denim and a black leather wooden clog, next as seen here, and tonight hanging off the shoulder paired with leggings and a sandal.  When it warms up more I have every intention of wearing it with white frayed Siwy denim shorts.  And then in fall it'll make an appearance in one of my many military inspired dreams.  Seeing as I'm on wallet restriction, versatility and planning ahead have become my new middle names - whether I like it or not.  Thankfully I've been able to find a few pieces like this at Brandy & Melville that have saved the day - and the wallet - to begin to carry me into fall.  But in the meantime, I think I'll go enjoy summer.  There's a lot to be said for living in the moment and enjoying it.

Maybe I'll run into Justin Bobby and get his opinion on it...did anyone else cry when Kristin and Brody were saying goodbye on The Hills tonight?  I seriously need to get a grip...or the box sets.

Outfit details:  Brandy & Melville Sweater, Gap Camis, Current/Elliott Boyfriend Denim, Cynthia Vincent Wedges, Nicole Miller Sunglasses, Foley + Corinna Handbag

She Wore Lemlem(on)

Have you heard of Lemlem?  How about Liya Kebede?

Lemlem is a wonderful line of gauzy, easy-breezy clothing and accessories, and it is the brain child of supermodel-turned actress-turned designer (and also Goodwill Ambassador for the World Health Organization), Liya Kebede.  She founded the line in 2007 as a way to provide traditional weavers in her native country of Ethiopia with a means to escape poverty.

I have to say I'm usually highly suspect of models-turned actresses-turned designers-turned home interior decorators-turned whatevers - and not without good reason.  A lot of of the time these people are selling their name as an alternate way to make more money (and there's nothing wrong with that in and of itself), but many have very little to do with the actual product that is turned out - or the process it undergoes to get to the consumer.  However this is not the case with Lemlem or Liya at all - and who doesn't want to get behind a woman who is trying to make a difference in the world?  The word Lemlem means "to bloom or flourish":

And I suspect that this is exactly what is occurring for weavers in Ethiopia who are partaking in the construction of these delightful items.

Just prior to Memorial Day I did a post on beach cover-ups.  Prior to doing the post I had been eyeballing a particular Lemlem tunic for weeks in a favorite haunt of mine, so decided to include an alternate dress style in the post.  At the time I was unaware of the history behind the line and more concerned about the price tag on the garment because it was by no means inexpensive.  But after learning a little more about the people my purchase would go to support I jumped off my wallet and got the Tiru Open Weave Tunic and honeys I have not regretted it once.

                                                                   image via J.Crew
      
Examine it.  The one at J.Crew is identical to the one I bought except mine's not on backorder until August 24th - instead it's resting comfortably in my closet.  In the past couple weeks it has gotten a lot of good use and I'm very happy with it because it can be worn for much more than just beach attire.

Think: lounging around your house on a Saturday afternoon wearing denim shorts and a tank.  It's a little breezy, but you'd like to sit outside and read a magazine.  What's a girl to do?  Throw on the Tiru Tunic and relax away.

Maybe it's a super gusty day at the beach. The sun's shining brightly, but you fear a sandstorm might come up and catch you off guard.  No problem.  Tiru's got it covered.

                                  Seriously.  We damn near blew away this day, but it was still rad.

Perhaps you've endured a rather balmy yet somewhat muggy afternoon.  You're going to meet your girlfriends for a cocktail, but don't feel like wearing a dress (sticky legs = no can do) and jeans will be too warm.  Why not try the Tiru over a light cami and a pair of cropped leggings completing your look with a cute heel?

    (Yes the Swedish Hasbeens are on maximum overdrive over here.  If you own a pair you know why.)

Worked charmingly for me.  And this is only one of several options that Lemlem has to offer for Spring and Summer.  You can check them out here, here and here for lots of different styles - there are also plenty of adorable pieces for children.  But if you are interested I would recommend acting fast - these pieces are handcrafted and appear to be selling out quickly.

Outfit details:  Nicole Miller sunglasses, GAP tank, Lemlem Tiru tunic, Splendid crop leggings, Swedish Hasbeens super-high peep toe, Rebecca Minkoff studded rocker