Look of the Day: Fall Preview

A couple months ago, Redbook contacted me again and invited me to be part of their September issue. I was lucky enough to make it into the article about pattern mixing for Fall. It was a challenge as a lot of the obvious mixes had already been taken care of. Stripes & polka dots woulda been a cinch for me, but I was given the challenge of combining herringbone with animal print. I didn't think I owned any herringbone, but it turns out this herringbone plaid cape counts! 

I found the cape at an amazing estate sale in the earlier part of this year. It was like I was walking through my own estate sale in the future. There were piles as tall as me; all clothes. Tons of stripes, polka dots, and classic pieces, like this cape. I joked with my husband that it's what will happen if he dies before me. I will have nothing to do but spend his money.

The blouse is from another estate sale that I went to in West Seattle. I think it's quite possibly my favorite piece I've bought this year. I wear it so much and I love how unexpected the color looks with most other colors. It will be perfect for Fall, too. I have yet to compile my wish list for Autumn, but I'm starting to get some ideas. I know I'll be wearing this cape a lot! What are you looking forward to wearing?

Friday Fashion Fact:
Herringbone is the pattern and tweed is the cloth. That means my cape is a tweed herringbone plaid O_o

Vintage handmade cape (similar) - Vintage Dior blouse (similar) - Forever 21 skirt (similar) - Maison Martin Margiela for H&M wedges - thrifted Coach 

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Look of the Day: Jersey Dress + Printed Denim

 Happy Friday everyone! It's been a rough week at work, but I had to ice cream at Cupcake Royale twice, so I can't really complain. I'm looking forward to seeing my mom tomorrow and visiting with my in-laws on Sunday. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

I love these vintage glasses. I can't stop wearing them! The funny thing about them is that they look better in photos than real life. My timing on this post was perfect, since this week's IFB Project is all about sunglasses!

Friday Fashion Fact:

On this day in 1965, the world welcomed the ever-talented Nina Garcia. 

What would we do without her words of fashion wisdom?

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Madewell Sweatshirt Dress - Forever21 Printer Denim Jacket - J.Crew Belt (similar) - Tortoise Shell Cuff (similar) - Vintage Nordstrom sunglasses - Neon bag (similar)

Holiday Gift Guides: Girls & Guys

It's that time of year again! Like me, you're probably already flustered and overwhelmed with holiday plans (or the process of making those plans). Well, I've got a few posts that will hopefully make your holidays a little easier and maybe even a little cheaper. For instance, all the gifts in my Chicks Gift Guide are under $30! The gifts for dudes are even cheaper!

Gift Guide: Chicks by fleur-d-elise featuring tote handbags

1. Bobby Pins by Kate Spade $18
I'm a sucker for cute packaging, and these bobby pins come all decked out like matches. They even have red tips!

2. TokyoMilk French Milled Soap in Waltz No. 14 $11
Now, this doesn't happen very often, but all of TokyoMilk's soaps smell gorgeous! They last forever and aren't as drying as most bar soaps. This bar smells delicate and clean and features notes of Linden, Honeyed Rose, Wisteria Petals & White Musk.

3. baggu® duck bag tote from Madewell $24
It's covered in polka dots. What other reasons do you need?

4. Face Stockholm® for J.Crew lipstick in French Martini $20
This bright, daring shade was custom-made for J.Crew. It's a great gift for the fashion-forward ladies in your life.

5. Striped Merino Hat from J.Crew $29.50
Warm, soft and on sale! It also comes in two other color combos.

Gift Guide: Dudes by fleur-d-elise featuring beanie hats

1. J.Crew Collars & Cuffs Stain Bar $7

Maybe this will encourage a certain dude in your life to do his own laundry. Other reasons to buy it: nontoxic, biodegradable, dye and allergen free. It's also not tested on animals!

2. "Fuck Yeah Menswear" by Kevin Burrows & Lawrence Schlossman $12

This book, by the creators of the blog Fuck Yeah Menswear, is fashion satire at its most hilarious. If you know a man who has any sort of interest in fashion or dressing somewhat presentable, get him this book. It's on sale for $11.62 at Amazon right now and will bring some instant crispiness to your holidays. (My husband is the archetype on page 23.)

3. Men's Camp Socks from J.Crew $17

What guy doesn't like new socks?

4. American Apparel Cuffed Acrylic Lined Beanie $20

Practical and warm and made in the US! And it comes in 24 other colors!

Friday Fashion Facts:

You may already know this, but bobby pins were named for the bobbed hairstyle that was popular in the 1920's

Have a great weekend!

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crewneck chic: how to style a sweatshirt

You can't deny it, crewneck sweatshirts are the epitome of relaxed casual. It might seem like they would be the farthest from fashionable, but their simplicity makes them the perfect edition to any outfit on any day. With the right styling, they're even appropriate for the office.

Here are 4 tips on how to style this classic piece:

1. For work, layer a sweatshirt over a collared shirt for a preppy look.

2. Stick to a size that fits similarly to the way a crewneck sweater would. 
Not too baggy, but not skin tight.

3. Look for sweatshirts in the kid's department!

If you're 5'6" or under, or particularly slender, buy your sweatshirt from the kid's department. The length will be a little shorter and the sleeves will be a little more flattering. They're usually cheaper, too. Land's End carries a classic sweatshirt for only $20 which comes in 3 different fits and 21 different sizes! According to the sizing chart, the regular XL will fit up to 174 lbs!

4. Treat a simple grey sweatshirt like a blank canvas.

Pile on those glitzy necklaces and bracelets, don some bright lipstick, and layer on as many layers as the weather permits. The sweatshirt will remain a subtle anchor no matter what direction your styling goes.

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Friday Fashion Facts:

"Schrank" is a German word for a grey crewneck sweatshirt. 

This word is still in use in some German neighborhoods in the North East U.S. (Source: Wikipedia)

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Thrifted sweatshirt (similar) - vintage gingham blouse (similar) - Forever21 trousers (similar) - Steve Madden wedges (similar) - GAP denim jacket - vintage necklaces (here's a neat one!) - Forever21 midi skirt (similar) - vintage stachel

Look of the Day: Pants Season

The weather has cooled down a bit, so it’s time to break out the crazy pants. I always seem to wear them around this time of year. I think it’s probably because in the Spring I’m sick of pants and excited about wearing skirts and shorts. Now, the tables have turned, and it’s pants I’m excited about!

What are you excited to wear this Fall?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! It ends in 4 days!

CLICK HERE!

H&M Coat - Vintage striped shirt - Diesel denim vest - Vintage abstract print jumpsuit (similar & cuter) - Forever21 sunglasses - Vintage leather satchel (similar)

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And now for my poor, neglected feature, Friday Fashion Facts!

Friday Fashion Facts:

As of 2011, American Vogue had a readership of 1,248,121. That's about half of Glamour's readership!

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Look of the Day: City Slicker

I am happy to say that the only thing in this outfit that I bought brand new is the flower pin. I've gotten some good use out of it, too!

Everything else is vintage, or at least thrifted. The sunglasses were found at a rare English yard sale on the way back from Bournemouth. They usually have huge boot sales out in fields, where everyone parks their cars and sell things out of their trunks (i.e. car boot), but this one was in someone's actual yard. These sunglasses were my favorite for quite sometime, but the lenses started falling out, so I retired them from regular use. Aviators seemed like the perfect style for this outfit, though.

After I had put the outfit all together, I realized that I looked like some city girl trying to fit in on the ranch. I’ve got the right combination or leather, denim, and gingham, but the accessories say something different. Heels in the barnyard? Ridiculous!

 This is a charm bracelet I've been working on for a while. It has a lot of vintage charms and ones found at garage sales; charms I bought in Scotland and at Stonehenge; one from my friend Tiana and a multitude from my dad. I'm pretty sure the Texas charm is a garage sale find. It's one of my favorites.

Friday Fashion Fact
Like the word "calico", the name for gingham was brought over from East Asia by English and Dutch traders. Read more about it here.

Diesel denim vest (similar) - Vintage gingham blouse (similar) - H&M flower pin - Belt by Bianchi for L.L. Bean - Vintage pleated skirt (similar)- Vintage Nine West heels (similar) - Vintage Wrangler sunglasses (similar)- Vintage leather satchel - Sterling charm bracelet

Jewelry Primer & Friday Fashion Facts

I don't know about you, but I love vintage jewelry. It usually has more character than brand new stuff and is, quite frequently, more affordable. The best places to find reasonably priced vintage jewelry is at garage and estates sales and thrift stores. Costume jewelry is just fine and dandy (the above pieces are nothing more than base metal and glass), but sometimes you want a higher-quality treasure. The trick is knowing what you're dealing with. 

I have the advantage of calling a coin and antique dealer "Father", but not everyone is so lucky to have a family member who will give them free appraisals (or free jewelry). So I've compiled a list of the basic jewelry marks you will find on finer pieces. You need a keen eye, since the markings are frequently very tiny and are usually punched in the metal in inconspicuous places

Silver (most common & most affordable)

925

.925

"Sterling"

"Sterling Silver"

Gold (In order of  highest to lowest quality)

24k or 999

22k or 916 or 917
18k or 750
14k or 585
10k or 417 or 16

Platinum
I'm not as familiar with platinum and rarely see it at thrift stores or garage sales. If you want to learn about it, this article from eHow is very useful.

When you get into really old or really fine jewelry, you may start to see hallmarks and stamps alongside the codes. These vary widely depending on maker, country of origin, etc. I recommend getting a book of hallmarks if you're interested in learning about them or have some pieces that are hallmarked.

Update: My dad emailed me and said I should also recommend you bring a small magnet with you when you're shopping for vintage jewelry. Test any pieces you find, because sometimes even stamped pieces can be fake. If it sticks to the magnet, it's base metal. Just make sure to keep the magnet away from your bank cards!

Friday Fashion Facts
The numbers stamped on jewelry usually refer to the percentage of gold or silver they contain. For instance, sterling is marked "925" and is 92.5% pure silver.


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Look of the Day: jersey maxi dress & floral lace

Haven't had one of these in a while...

Friday Fashion Fact

The leather used for Coach bags was developed based on baseball glove leather, and not saddle leather (like I always thought it was!)

Read more on the Wikipedia page

 Forever21 moto jacket (similar) - Forever21 bracelet (similar) - H&M lace top (similar) -  H&M jersey maxi dress (similar) - Vintage Coach Mini Willis (similar) - Thrifted hat and shoes - Forever21 sunglasses

vacations are so tiring

I spent all week on my mom's farm. It was so tiring.

Playing with my niece, eating croissants every day (really good, locally made ones), playing Drawsome with my sister, going to the Olympia Farmer's Market, etc. You get the idea; it was a really strenuous week.

So today I recuperated by going to acupuncture and having lunch at my favorite cafe here in Seattle, Cafe Presse. The cafe was full of  chattering diners and bright April sunlight. I enjoyed a cup or two (or three) of the strong chocolately Vita coffee they serve and munched on grilled sardines and a fresh baguette. The latest issue of Marie Claire kept me company.

And now for Friday's Fashion Fact. Today it's a new word that keeps popping up in magazines.

Soigné
 

adj. -\swän-ˈyā\-

(As defined by Merriam-Webster)

1. Well-groomed, sleek

2. Elegantly maintained or designed

Glad I looked it up cuz I woulda pronounced it "Soy-nay"

Friday Fashion Facts #2

Selvedge denim is made on looms that weave the fabric with one continuous piece of cross thread.

This creates the signature "self-edge" from which the name is derived.

Friday Fashion Facts #1

And now for a new feature: Friday Fashion Facts. Sometimes they will be useful and interesting, and sometimes they will just be nerdy and/or trivial.

According to the March Issue of Harper's Bazaar, 

Tom Ford takes 4 hot baths a day!

Have a great weekend everyone!