{ black + gold }

{ lanvin for h+m sunnies, vince top, primary skirt (i wore the solid black version of it HERE), michael kors watch, rebecca minkoff bag, hue tights, gifted jean michel cazabat boots }

i'm deep down in the dizzying depths of an extremely busy week ~ and like most new yorkers, when life gets extra harried, i resort to wearing mostly black. hey, it's easy.

{ colorblocking } continued

as i promised earlier today, to follow is my finest shot at fall colorblocking. yesterday was one of those perfect, picturesque days in new york, when a girl can get away with wearing open-toed shoes and a jacket. that's my kind of perfect, anyway. the leaves are starting to turn and drop, but there's still a bit of green left on the trees. in other words, the city is in on this season's sartorial spirit, colorblocking along with us!





{ tiffany sunnies, necklace from catbird, lamb jacket, zara dress, primary clutch, gifted B brian atwood shoes }

look { sharp }

still on a printed knits kick!!
{ vintage emanuelle khanh sunnies, gifted INC sweater (find it HERE or HERE), primary skirt (i ordered THIS VERSION too!!), gifted juicy couture bag, banana republic socks, B brian atwood boots (last seen HERE) }

{ versioning } black skirt / white shirt

as i get a little older (and a LOT busier), my style seems to be getting more streamlined and defined. along the way, i've come to understand the value of truly great basics, and on mornings when i'm pressed for time, a black skirt + white shirt combo never fails me. i love that the look can be taken in so many different directions! here are a few iterations that i hope might inspire you to think of ways to elevate your own plain jane faves:

VERSION I // ruffled blouse + leather skirt
{ elizabeth + james sunnies, self-made necklace, theory blouse, h+m skirt (recently seen HERE), marc by marc jacobs clutch, stuart weitzman shoes }




VERSION II // man's shirt + fringed skirt
{ lanvin for h+m sunnies, american apparel shirt, (borrowed from the boys), vintage embroidery-turned-brooch, coach classics bag, primary skirt, banana republic socks, corello shoes }



VERSION III // polo shirt + knit skirt
{ vintage yves saint laurent sunnies from ebay, american apparel polo shirt (as above, it's from the men's department), zara skirt (i'm also lusting after THIS SIMILAR STYLE), vintage studio ferre belt, michael kors watch, banana republic socks, loeffler randall boots }

{ primary } spring 2012

if you follow me on twitter, you know i've been away from home all week, working on a job in puerto rico. it's been fun but challenging ~ each day has started at 5am and ended around 11pm, with most of that time spent on hot strips of sand or deep in muggy jungles. in other words, if you've emailed me, i probably have not responded. but this is what i live for, and i can't wait to show you the results! in the meantime, here's a little something i styled during new york fashion week, for the spring 2012 primary collection:






{ all clothes + bags by cleo schroeder for primary // photos by greg swales }

{ goodbye bare }

{ gifted kelly wearstler necklace, club monaco blouse, alexander wang shorts (also seen HERE), primary clutch, gifted pour la victoire shoes }

i actually wore this outfit nearly two weeks ago and hadn't gotten around to posting it yet. now, it's way too cold for me to wear bare legs like this! oh well, perhaps you west coast gals can get a little inspiration here. over on this side of the states, i'll be frantically pulling all my pants out of storage.

{ grazia }

i'm currently writing to you from milan, where i am honored to be a guest of grazia magazine for fashion week. before coming over, they asked me to shoot a story and share a few words for their website on the topic of grace ('grazia' is the italian word for this). it's a trait i certainly aspire to exude, albeit one i don't always achieve. anyway, in case you don't speak italian (me neither!), i've included excerpts from the piece i wrote below:



{ karen walker sunnies, primary blouse and skirt, forever21 cropped cami, gifted corello bag, alexander wang shoes }

GRACE. Grace is a virtue that’s far-too-infrequently celebrated these days. It’s not about stature or prominence or even glamour. Grace is elegance. It is deference and authority in equal measure. It is good manners, it is kindness and it is a sense of propriety.

But grace is not stuffy. It is being comfortable in one’s own skin, while conscientiously allowing others to feel equally at ease around you. In fashion, this means dressing in a way that is appropriate to your lifestyle and surroundings. That is, embracing your age (at any age!) by combining femininity with a dose of mystery, plus a necessary nod to functionality.



{ nine west sunnies, club monaco jacket, kelly framel necklace, vintage dress (last seen HERE), corello belt, yves saint laurent shoes }

Happily, graceful is the perfect word to describe this season’s long-skirted look. Full and pleated, or languidly bias-cut, it matters not. Either way, the look is simultaneously timeless and contemporary. It harkens back to the silhouettes of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, but can be paired just as easily with a utility jacket and wedges as a trench coat and pumps. Modern mid-length skirts can veer fairly formal or incredibly casual – this is not a 1950’s sort of femininity. It’s current in that it’s comfortable and it’s elegant because it works in nearly any situation. You’ll rarely feel under-dressed...



{ juicy couture sunnies, halston heritage trench, meg dress, gifted corello clutch, lamb shoes }

please CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article and see many more pictures of these looks on grazia.it. then, CLICK HERE to check out my up-to-the-minute updates from milano!!

{ disco dream }

{ kelly framel necklace, primary silk dress, dedegumo watch, khirma eliazov cuff, tiffany & co clutch (last seen HERE), yves saint laurent shoes }

wore this dress to shows on saturday, then snapped these photos upon my return to the w hotel ~ my fashion week home-away-from-home for the second season now. more on that coming soon!!

{ the fashion ranger }

{ i wore: primary blouse, zara skirt, camille zarsky clutch (my wardrobe's fashion week MVP!), corello shoes }

getting a cab when you need one is among the hardest parts of fashion week (that and the lack of sleep), so i was happy to team up with mercedes benz's fashion ranger on saturday. they drove me around to shows, and in between i prowled the town, scouting for the fiercest leopard-spot-sporters on the scene (including superstar stylist june ambrose, below):



you all probably know that leopard is by far my favorite print, so this was a fun project to be a part of. click over to my facebook page for TONS more street style snaps!!