From Ogle to Own, A Cinderella Story: How Chalayan and YSL Became Mine.

I have a lovely friend.  She's getting married to a lovely man.  She gave me a lovely reason to shop because her friends and family are throwing her and her future hubby an engagement party this weekend.

I've thought about this before, but why do people feel the need to get super dolled up for someone else's wedding?  I mean, it's not like the people are going to see you- they're going to see the gorgeous bride and the dashing groom.  Alas, I also fall prey to the school of thinking that you have to look your absolute best when you attend someone else's wedding/wedding events.  Why am I not posting about the dress I'm wearing to the wedding?  Well, I'm going to be a bridesmaid and the bride allowed us to pick out our own bridesmaids' dresses.  Curious which one?  Well, you'll have to wait.  We're going to talk about my outfit for this weekend first.

I know how I want to look at this party.  I want to look like a put together young lady (it's at a racquet club, after all) without being uptight.  I want to be chic, not sexy.  Smart, but not corporate.  Fashionable, without being unapproachable.  Tall order, right?  Or wait- I think this is what I want to look like all the time.

Anyway, lots of styles like this are far out of the price range for one event.  Not saying that I'll only wear the dress once, but we all know that is a possibility (though I'll try it on plenty of times in the future for other events and probably opt to buy a new dress for those events...eeek tsk tsk to myself.)

So let's get to the reason why you're here at all!  THE DRESS.  THE SHOES.  THE LOOK.

First, the dress, of course.  I had a credit sitting on Yoox, so naturally I started there.  After hours and hours of sifting through pages and pages of dresses, I found the One.  This One:

This picture doesn't even do it justice.  When I put this dress on, it cinched perfect at the waist and the slit up the leg was just enough to make me say "oh my."  There are slight shoulder pads which make the dress just a little more "fashion."  The v-neck in the front can be opened up to be more sexy (if I feel sassy) and the whole dress is simple enough that if I wanted to dress it up with some serious bling, I could.  Win.  Win.  Win.  Want more?  Well, when I found it on Yoox, it was at a price so low that I didn't even have to think twice about buying it.  I don't even think I blinked- I just clicked and it was mine.  Later, when I was looking for images for this post, I found it on Opening Ceremony, it was WAY MORE.  I bought it without knowing the original price.  I had found a gem and I didn't even know it.

Then there's the story of these shoes.  It really was kind of a Cinderella/Glass slipper kind of deal.  I walked into the YSL store and immediately saw this shoe on the shelf.  When I asked if they had it in my size, they didn't.  I was ready to walk away when the lady asked me to just try on the display pair since it was the only one they had left.  I slipped it on and IT FIT.  I think my jaw might have hit the ground.  The best part?  The shoe was marked down something ridiculous- so ridiculous that I worry if I tell you, you simply won't believe me.  Just know it was enough to take it from Ogle to Own!  

Now that I have the basis of my outfit,  I just have to dress it up.  I just got painted my nails a deep, deep red in honor of the first day of Fall and I'm so excited to really dress this outfit up with some fall accessories and make up.  Do you guys have any suggestions for lip color??  I'm always terrible at picking the right makeup to go with an outfit.  Any help is welcomed! 

Obsess: Mandy Coon's Spring is Dark and Lovely

When I think of spring in New York, I often get this image in my head of pretty girls rubbing their eyes and shedding all the layers of black that they piled on in the winter.  When the weather isn't quite warm enough, but the sun is shining bright, they emerge in shorts to show off their well-hibernated legs.  They braid their hair and wear beach waves.

Well, Mandy Coon's Spring 2013 collection just slapped me in the face, woke me up, and shoved leather and greased-back hair in front of me.  And I liked it.

You know what else she had in her show??  THE BUNNY BAG!  I love that bag!  It's so lovely and adorable.  It's a nice contrast to the tough lines and the shiny leather.  The floppy ears are awesome. Take a look at my favs:

Loving the slicked back hair, too!  To see the whole show, you have your trusty slideshow on Style.com.

Obsess: NYFW Jenni Kayne Spring 2013

Jenni Kayyyyne.

You've heard me go on about how much I loved her D'orsay flats, but her most recent Spring Runway show has driven me deeper into my love for her design and awesome use of color.  Let me share with you a few of my favorites:

I love the shorts and I love those FLATS (of course).  High-waisted shorts are awesome for shorts girls (like me) AND those lucky, leggy girls as well.  I love the colors and the throwback patterns.  Needless to say, I'm totally excited for Jenni Kayne next spring!  After all this time that I'll have to obsess over those flats, I might just have to Own them (soon).  Oh, and, that pink dress is stunning.  If you want to see the whole collection, you can find it at Style.com.