black & khaki is the new black & white

this details shoot by jennifer livingston is so hot right now:

how the everyday guy can incorporate this color combo into his wardrobe:

{a slim-cut utility shirt (brooks brothers), worn with a tie, is office-appropriate but can also be worn with jeans on the weekend.}

{plain-front khakis with a built-in cuff  (prada) can be worn with virtually any kind of shirt.}

{the henley (john varvatos) is the new pocket tee. casual and effortless without being lazy.}

{this combo of a canvas jacket (robert geller), white button down and black jeans shows us girls your superb sense of style without trying too hard.}

{the best dressed man at any spring/summer wedding this year will be wearing a khaki suit (bottega veneta) paired with a black tie.}

wanted: one magical pair of shoes

the seasons are a-changin’, and i just did a major evaluation of my closet. not surprisingly, i own a TON of cream, olive, and gray. how can i spruce these colors up for spring without totally restocking (with the money i don’t have)? the answer is one word.

coral.

and shoes. if i get 2 words.

i got the idea from kendi:

for the next few months, the right pair will totally revamp my current wardrobe options. now i just need to find the ones that won’t totally bankrupt me…

{space wedge}

{forever 21 canvas cone heels}

{rafe naomi mini wedge sandals}

{dolce vita toni espadrille}

{pas de rouge nori wedges}

during my search, i found the most adorable pair of peep toe flats. they’re so daintily mary poppins…i had to share:

{rupert sanderson netty lack peep toes}

croakies are back, balenciaga declares

as seen on gisele in their spring ’11 ad campaign.

(via the cut)

spring is in the air!

what can i say…my mind works in mysterious ways.

take a look at some shots from the spring ad campaigns of: d&g, prada, proenza schouler, louis vuitton, jil sander, marc jacobs, and miu miu.

nothing says “i’m ready for spring!” quite like a fabulous, eye-catching print. what better season to be bold, bright ,and beautiful?

{dvf floral-print shift dress}

{joie perrier b embellished silk mayan print dress}

{tucker cross front flowy dress}

{nanette lepore sleeveless dreamland dress}

{issa london cap-sleeved draped dress}

{marc jacobs za za chevron dress}

{blu moon summer lovin dress}

{aqua sleeveless printed jersey dress}

{tibi cap sleeve dress}

on my wishlist: tory burch katyrna leggings

oh man, i loved country strong. it was seriously one of the best movies i’ve seen in awhile, and the soundtrack is pretty much all i’ll be listening to for weeks.

being from the south, i am totally partial to any and all country music-related attire, but the leather leggings that gwyneth paltrow rocked in several scenes…i want them.

i love the idea of being able to wear these without looking like a total dominatrix. you can wear leather and still be flirty and feminine….and dare i say it, classy, too.

obviously, anything made of genuine leather is really pricey, so these will be staying on my wishlist forever.

{tory burch katyrna leggings}

and in case the idea of wearing an all-leather legging freaks you out (it should probably freak me out too), here are some other alternatives that contain leather elements so you can embrace the trend without diving headfirst.

{tt stevie leather insert leggings}

{factory by erik hart faux leather leggings}

why can’t you be blue over me?

lately i find myself being drawn to all shades of eye-popping blue…

{equipment signature blouse}

{milly sailboat printed amia boatneck top}

{piccadilly pleats dress}

{winged blouson}

{silky trouser shorts}

{dolce vita selma dress}

{aryn k. kerala blouse}

{see by chloe long sleeve tassel frill dress}

{gf by geren ford ruffle neck top}

gq’s spring style preview

{office appropriate plaid ties}

{woven belts}

{muted pastel socks}

{suede baseball jackets}

{brown!!!!!!!!!!!!! is the new black.}

{dressy high tops}

{earth-toned bucks}

{gray jeans}

keepin it girly with the ankle moto boot.

this is a trend that has taken me a loooong time to warm up to. i’ve finally convinced myself that i can maybe pull it off without looking too butch. (i have huge feet.)

i think the key is to play up femininity as much as possible…choose a boot with a slight heel and obviously avoid dressing like a lumberjack. (apparently that’s a top man-repelling technique.)

i’d also advise against splurging on a pair of biker boots. i think there’s a problem if you’re wearing these out too quickly; no reason to be clunking around in them on the daily. (although they can indeed be worn year round.) here are some i like for under $50:

forever 21 leatherette ankle boot

deena & ozzy leather harness boot (these are the ones i have. nine west makes a similar pair.)

aldo dellamore

mia sergeant ankle boots

madden girl exciting buckle bootie

the art of pairing tights & shoes

lucky offers 7 “prettiest-of-the-moment combos” that you might not have come up with otherwise (not sure if i’d ever have the guts to try #5):

1. gray + pale pink

2. mustard + brown & black

3. burgundy + black

4. black + bright green

5. red + red

6. white crochet + leopard print

7. light brown + mauve

what really repels men. SUPPOSEDLY.

awhile back, i told yall about my new favorite blog, the man repeller.

well today, a man chimes in on the trends that we women love, but that men HATE.

1. Animal print: I know it’s coming back because I see more Zebras and Cheetahs  walking around the streets of New York every Saturday night. Sparing a limited array of feathers, anything that makes you look like an animal does not make me want to sleep with you  It makes me want to shoot you, but not in the “Oops I didn’t mean to” Dick Cheney way
2. Shoes: It is often hard to fathom that something so important in your minds eye may mean nothing to someone else, but it happens. That’s right ladies, most (straight) men don’t care what shoes you are wearing. We usually only look at your face. But big army boots are unappealing. They make you look more masculine than I am.  Shoes with 1,000 buckles are a bitch to take off when we want to finally know one another biblicallyand multicolored neon sneakers that scream ‘NOTICE ME’ fall into this category too.
3. Pants: I don’t know where the belly button covering pants idea came into play,  but us men like a nice belly button.
4. Capes: They are for super heroes and Halloween costumes. Keep them at home unless you plan on becoming ‘Cockblock’, the ultimate super villain who can’t get laid and therefore makes sure that none of her friends do either. Time for a “girls night out!” “F*ck boys!” is your slogan. Go buy some matches for your cape.  This goes for big black ponchos as well.
5. Oversized shirts: All men love when their girls looks like they just got out of bed and slapped on the button down he wore to work to make them cereal. But this trend has gone a bit too far. Some of the shirts you Repellers are wearing make you look like you just got ravaged by 3 Brad Pittscirca Fight Club. Some are enormous and don’t look like anything Fat Bastard would have worn. Some just look like your ex-boyfriends shirts that you loved too much to throw away…
6. Big Bags: My mother once told me, “all girls have baggage Lee, just pick the ones with carry on.” I hold this true when it comes to fashion as well. There is no need to carry around EVERYTHING in one bag. Looking for shit takes you an hour, especially the keys to your apartment at 3:30 in the morning when you’re drunk. You are not Harry Potter and you don’t have a magical-fit-everything bag. When you go out carry a clutch and leave everything else at home.

i left out “holy shirts” and “american apparel bras” because those are both SICK. (read the whole post here.) as for those listed above, it bereaves me to know that this is how men feel…

does this mean i’ll start dressing differently?

HELL NO.