High Line

On Trend

Sources for all collages on this post: The Sartorialist, jcrew.com, Parisian Chic, The Glamourai, Altamira: Models Off Duty, Closet Visit,  StockholmStreetStyle. If I've missed a source, please let me know.
It catches you almost by surprise, the idea of radical change. Peering into your reflection is almost like peering into a window almost voyeuristically. There, the object of voyeurism person is the voyeur herself. Peoplewatching.
Those changes happen subconsciously. Unexplainably. Gradually. Unexpectedly. A voice sobers the radically changed image, "Most of our personal decisions are made subconsciously. The phenomenon of awareness lets us rationalize the decisions that we made before being aware of them. But neuroimaging data presents that the ancient animal part of the brain makes the motion first. Then the exclusively human part makes sense of it... or tries."

Doubtlessly the bloggers and stylistas of the world are making certain items nearly irresistible. For many. I can't deny that I'm inspired and spend precious time making collages of these fantastic looks. But, for some reason, they stay in the computer screen, never to cross the virtual world into my physical expression. Maybe this reluctance to start imitating is the reason why my quest to develop and maintain a style is somewhere between non-punctual and never-ariving.

Perhaps it has to do with a long-established penchant for rebelliousness. For some reason, I avoid anything horizontal striped. Maybe it it the association with Picasso'ish breton tops that everyone else seems to be loving. This is despite having worn a white and navy striped long-sleeve tee almost every three days last summer. it is strange, for such frequent traveler, this item gets packed on for every trip but never sees the light of day. The same goes for my beautiful, high-quality, great-fitting, favorite fabric red pants. They were absolute favorites last fall and the fall before last fall. Said previously outrageously red pants used to get stares in the sweet and polite world. Being now trendy, it turns out they are staying in one of my three extra armoires in the basement.

It is undeniable that both of these trendy items actually make sense. They make sense even despite the fickleness of fashion. The striped tee is, actually, a long established classic. It is almost plain, but very interesting. Then there are perfectly chosen red pants. They are unexpectedly versatile, making the raggiest of rags look stylish. From all the red, however, I'm starting to turn to blue and yellow and everything but red and stripes.

I'm starting to crave graphic black and white, vintage Italian knits, and menswear or metallic flat shoes.

Are you craving anything un-fashion lately? Have you felt like wearing all black in a tropical country, bright colors in the land of black, and business classic in a casual place?  I sure do. Perhaps because I should not?

-La Copine

Closet Reformation: The Plan

Some of us would do well with the now-famous Parisian minimal wardrobe method. My life-style involves a good amount of traveling, with a semi-nomadic history. There is always a home-base somewhere, and a notebook, pen, laptop, and toothbrush in my bag. Yet, my homebase is overflowing with things. Really. One girl: 4 closets/armoires + 1 big dresser + 5 storage bins + 1 small rack.

Oui, ce'st plenty to wear. Mais, il ya aussi too much to carry. Perhaps a good way to start are the travel capsules: the I6L, also the 7 easy pieces during the fall with 1 week of outfits, and the
Light Travel series made in preparation for and during a domestic trip in the winter.

Many people have this amount of things (most American girls that I know). I would much rather not. Or at least have them in doses. A Closet Reformation must be put in place. Prepare to be reformed, closet(s)! ;P

I mentioned, "The One-Year Wardrobe Project" in this last post. I also mentioned the 30x30 challenge in which you wear 30 pieces for 30 days. In addition, this will take part in the 21-Day Challenge. I will do a hybrid. It's only logical... Of course it's not logical.

I-Starting from the pieces worn and posted this week and going forward.

1)Add pieces to the wardrobe. The editing process will be selectively additive, not subtractive.

2)The pieces added will follow daily challenges. Initially, these challenges will come from The 21-Day Challenge. Then, they will come from yours truly.

3)The items worn to eventually complete a 30-piece wardrobe. When the 30 pieces are complete, the addition will stop and the 30 items will be remixed.
The wardrobe will be the result of what was worn, thus retroactive.
The 30 items should be complete by the end of the challenge(s).

II- The process will be repeated with or without variations until the initial problem was solved and a wardrobe was reduced enough to accommodate a semi-nomadic lifestyle and a migration-prone history.

Je suis très enthousiaste to start making collages and proposals for this. I was thinking of restricting everything to one palette like in the I6L.

These are the items that I have been wearing for the past week:

(Images from: harpersbazaar.com, etsy.com, and atelierscloset )

What do you think? This is the start, but more transitional pieces should be included, no?

-La Copine Avec 30 Ampoules Sur la Tête.

Gloomy Rainy Day

Oh, to live through a rainy day. I mean to really live it. To enjoy the perfect break from heat-waves in the summer. Just hearing and watching the water fall like a giant shower onto the city.

Office Appropriate

Summer Day

Favorite Summer Outfit

Lately there has been a lack of personal outfit photos. Well, I've been wearing some variation of this outfit.

Tentative weekend uniform II

The early morning started with an outfit quite different from this. It was actually a repeat of this one. However, after a quick trip home to get some items for my niece, this is how the outfit transformed. The boldness did not turn into a regret at all (surprisingly), even after meeting an awesome med resident who reminded me of my super-missed friends now in med-school or recently graduated. Hearing nerd-talk was even cooler with an officially/deceptively non-nerd uniform on.
I am still planning to hem these pants as wisely advised  by  the very writers of the blogs that I admire most.  I still have not put the time aside for this particular task. However, the lack of hemming did not pull away from the strong interest in hemming.

Kisses,

La copine bien trop occupé

Tentative weekend uniform

Khaki silk shirt, vintage; Black wool cardigan, bcbg; Black/silver pants, Alessandro Dell'Acqua; Black peeptoe leather shoes, very old.

While we loved the beautiful maxi skirt and wide-leg pants trend, there is one classic that will always come to the chic girl's rescue almost unconditionally. This classic's underestimated style power has been reviewed previously on this blog: The skinny black pants. Oui, la maxi of this season is lovely. But the black pant goes beyond, as a staple. What I never thought was that adorned skinny black pants would become a staple, my perfect alternative to the intolerable leather pants.

Last year I bought my first pair of perfect, skinny, black trousers. They changed my attitude toward dressing. My attitude changed even more so after completing the Six-Items-Or-Less Challenge. The lack of recent posts is due to this change, refocusing energy and planning from whim to realism.

Oh Miu Love!

So these shades quietly exacted my ownership from their little pink box behind the glass. I strolled by, feigning disinterest. She winked knowingly. I came back and pretended to look at the sales part next to it. She flirted in a pretty, powdery, eyelash batting way. She had the polished chicness of a Parisian and the softness of a southern belle. My face turned away gently, but the gaze was locked. She came home under the pretense that she'd leave as soon as I did not love her anymore... Oh pretty, flexible, scratch-proof Miu Miu, I'd love you even if you had no name.

Summer Fever and Giveaway!

While a good number of us are already concuspicently taking in this falls gorgeous collections, this little finger is still grasping on to summer like a lover to the letters from the object of her affection. Why, yes, summer is the way life tells moi of her love and winter is like a yearly breakup letter. 

Of course, winter brings the richness of fall's pieces: lush cashmere, leathers, velvet, feathers, fur (faux or real), and deeper use of reds and leopard prints, not to mention the layers, wool hats, and the gorgeous coats and jackets that I am dying to wear. Red lipstick looks more glamorous, boots are back, and heart-warmingly hot cocoa comes in decadently, gluttony-sheltering scents and mixtures, which compete only with hot cookies and molten chocolate lava cakes. 

However, the ease of a little silk dress and a red fruity sorbet win my heart. 

To mock a mockingbird

Black sleeveless blazer, Alessandro Dell'Acqua; Blue ruffled dress, Mint by Jodi Arnold; Peep-toe pumps, Nine West; Red lipstick, Urban Decay, Silver dragon ring; from Bankok.

Monday may be an awful way to spend 1/7 of your life... Unless you wear heels and red lipstick to the library, the post office, the book store, the fabric store, and the local farm-stand.

So happy Monday! Not as the oxymoronic

But if I loved you

Yellow shirt-dress, Escada; Caramel stilettos, Miss Me; Red lipstick, Urban Decay

Hello dearest readers. After a while of travel, moving, and living as a modern nomad, repelling men and reading huge history books... well, where was I going with that? Hmm, let's resume documenting the reasons why people in this tiny town have a tendency to stare a lot. We might argue that my personal and shared eccentricities could justify the thought. But would it not be much too easy to just blend in a little? Um, the answer is "yes, it would!"

So after the long, unmapped, unplanned nomadic weeks, here is a post of a recent acquisition and a familiar horizon. Hello, again ^_^!

Possibly my most stylish friend ever, the gorgeously blossoming E., commented that the look reminds her of a

yes.

Blue larimar cocktail ring, from Israel; White leather and mesh dress, Poleci; White grossgrain headband worn as cuff, diy; Brown strappy sandals, Kenneth Cole; Black Sunglasses, Yves Saint Laurent.

Black sunglasses with metal inset, Proenza Schouler, White tuxedo shirt collar, diy; Black silk tee, Jones NY; Blue stones necklace, gift from India; Silver branch necklace, flea market; Black t-strap wedges; Charlotte Ronson; Gray pepita "play" trousers, Acne.

Sometimes a girl can get carried away by a seductive idea. But those can be the best mistakes. A good mistake? Yes. It's the ones that don't lea to the expected negative results but take you on a different path, so that you can move on. Or at least, results are unexpected. They frustrate you. So mad and confused, they put you back on square one, and test your creativity.

There was a certain fancy men's shirt. Perfection for a new shirtdress. It would be turned into the one. It was fancied and flirted with. A peek would be taken from inside a red duffel where it lived. Je would glance, bat eyelashes and pretend je was not looking. A romance was born. "Oh, oversized tuxedo shirt, you will be made for me.", je whispered. "I am all you want and more." it would smirk with a hint of shyness.

The time came when the measurements and the pattern. It stroked my hair and said,

because there was no "after"

Tree bark print silk tunic, A Common Thread; Black embellished silk skirt, Robert Rodriguez; Men's black Leather band watch, yard sale; Silver branch necklace, flea market; Burgundy patent bag, Marino Orlandi; Black t-strap pumps, Charlotte Ronson; Brown sunglasses, Gucci.

After spending way too much time researching on irrelevant topics... pffffff --there was no after.

This brain does not function under sleep deprivation. It puts up a sign that says "Gone fishing" and hangs it right on the door to the place where I can make cohesive thoughts and not write run-on sentences like this one.

Therefore, today is a strange day in which bicycle riding becomes a hazardous and potentially lethal activity. And this girl was so excited to meet with her awesome Dr. research boss sir. Mhm. Mhmm. I hear ya. Mkay brain. Manana will be a new day, mmkaay?

Besos y abrazos,

The Girl who obsessed too much at The Atelier's Closet

Lavender chiffon dress, See by Chloe; Velvet on wood platform sandals, Nine West; Black enamel on golden ring, F21 (go baby!); Tiny silver vintage watch, Bulova;

When a young woman thinks she's seen it all under the sun, the time has come for her to change her perspective. Fast. Especially if we refer to a certain town's sun. Say, if we live in a pretend-city kind of bigger town. Perhaps said lady must look at the particular town from a different height?

Sure, the height can change with pretty velvet and wood heels. Or maybe through the airiness of the perfect floaty little chiffon dress. Or maybe with winged little swallow jewelry. But how about height that makes a lady happily more fit? Perhaps that height can also eliminate any gym membership (to open funds for shopping!).

Well, yes, mon amour, a new old bicycle has been acquired and repaired. Can you read me smiling? It looks something like this =D !!!

After the mandatory 2-hour bike ride that every new bike owner must demand... and the consequent fall, said old bike had to be repaired yet again.

Can you still read me smiling? =D. Yes, Je suis covered in bruises and feel more in shape, and love this this little acquisition. Of course a small town is much better on bike! This is a wonderful new perspective, indeed.

Floral silk dress, Poleci; Brown patent handbag, Cole Haan; Turquoise giant ring, Made in Israel; Caramel stilettos, Miss Me; Black sunglasses, Yves Saint Laurent.















So this is what I wore to... go to the library to get some ancient texts, to the post office, to the local fabric store, and to stay at home... sewing. Cutting. Hot-glue-ing. Ruining my mom's sewing machine. Hah. But the crafts are so addictive! Je have not made anything post worthy yet. lol. It can be rather embarrassing. But this is coming from the girl who burned water and now bakes amazing artisan breads. Ok, but they are edible. And people like my lentils. Are you there, P. and A.? Haha. Well, who said we have to be talented and pull a Martha Stewart on the first several tries anyways, huh? ...mmm... you do? hmm, well. Ok. Well, who said we have to be talented? lol.

Besos y Abrazos, mis amores!

-The Girl at the Atelier's Closet

Khaki silk blazer, Liz Claiborne thrifted; Brown cashmere cardigan, Vince; Cream silk shirt, Brooks Brothers thrifted; Blue skinny jeans, Taverniti SO; Brown and khaki shoes, vintage men's; Brown sunglasses, Armani.  

Bolder Shoulder Folders

Certainly, it is not news to us that bold shoulder silhouettes are, well... big, this season. This top may just be the perfect balance between the bolder shoulder details and realistic practicality. The water-like waves makes the details softer and trend-proof while still being on trend.

Speaking of waves, today was the absolute perfect day for another pool party. Yes, Kerplunk!