I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 10 out of 30 - 2nd Mardi

Gold square aviator sunglasses, Armani Exchange; White shirt/dress, ebay; Gray angora skirt, Vintage; Leopard tights, no idea; Brown Merino socks, dkny maybe; Beige wool coat, Vintage; Olive green suede and shearling boots, Latitude Femme.

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 9 out of 30 - 2nd Lundi

Black acetate sunglasses, Prada; Golden necklace attached to sunglasses, my mother's; Blue silk scarf, old; White shirt/dress, ebay; Black tights, DKNY; Black flats, Tahari diy-ed deconstructed; Navy silk dress, Mint by Jodi Arnold.

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 8 out of 30 - 2nd dimanche

Quite simple. The Vince cardigan dress with the wide-leg jeans.

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 7 out of 30 - 1st Samedi

Black square sunglasses, Burberry; Black silk and leather sash, not sure; Black tights, DKNY; Blue silk dress, Mint by Jodi Arnold; Black leather shoes, Frye.

 

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 6 out of 30 - 1st Vendredi

Black acetate sunglasses, Prada; Camel wool hat, Vintage; Pearl studs, very old purchase from high scool; Gold necklace, mom's; Beige belt, Valentino; Red leather purse, very old thrifted; White shirt dress, ebay; Blue silk dress, Mint by Jodi Arnold; Black and camel fur and patent leather shoes, Franco Sarto.


 

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 5 out of 30 - 1st jeudi

Black acetate sunglasses, Proenza Schouler; Yellow silk scarf, worn to death Oscar de la Renta; Blue jeans, very old Ann Taylor; Blue silk dress worn as blouse, Mint by Jodi Arnold. So, instead of putting together a coherent few sentences, which may not happen in the current state, here is part of the lyrics to the current hit "Little Lion Man" as performed by Mumford and Sons.

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 4 out of 30 - 1st mercredi

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 3 out of 30 - 1st mardi

 
Black acetate sunglasses, Prada; Tiny shiny earrings, Israeli?; Red silk scarf, old; White cotton shirt/dress, ebay; Black wool/cashmere cardigan, Vince; Black tights, DKNY; Black pumps, Frye; Blue silk dress, Mint by Jodi Arnold.

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 2 out of 30 - 1st lundi

 
Black acetate sunglasses, Prada; Red leather bag, my mother's; White shirt/dress, ebay; Black tights, DKNY; Grey angora skirt, vintage Belgian; Black pumps, Frye.

I6L - Six Items or Less : Day 1 out of 30 - 1st dimanche

Black acetate sunglasses, Prada; Golden necklace attached to sunglasses, my mother's; Blue silk scarf, old; White shirt/dress, ebay; Black tights, DKNY; Black flats, Tahari diy-ed deconstructed; Navy silk dress, Mint by Jodi Arnold.

Proposal for The Minimalist Wardrobe Project: Pt. II - I6L Chosen pieces

Hello!

So, I spent the last 3 of my daily 6 waking hours per day making collages and trying things on. IIt' is a strange feeling when you are doing something and look at the clock and it's three hours after you thought you'd be done!

The challenge is exciting but also intimidating. Yes. "Mari, decide only six items which you will wear for an entire month for all your various activities, from working, to studying, to traveling, to meetings, to little nieces and nephews and errands and chores indoors and outdoors. "

Mes chers lecteurs, thou shalt know that most of the items from the tiny capsule have been chosen! Yay! Right? Ehem. Well. Making sure of one's choices may take the natural-high out of this one, but may save some headaches later on. Alors, let us examine a thing or two before engraving the choices in stone, lifting the anchors, and untying the ropes, and turning on engines for cette voyage. Oui?

If you read the previous post regarding my indecision, the skirt and jeans were chosen as the two bottoms. The skirt is just soooooo comfy and warm and hugs my body in a very feminine way. The jeans were chosen because they are the most casual piece in the capsule, are the only non-near monochrome piece (the dress is a very dark blue) and thus are very unique. The trousers  would have definitely been my choice if the silhouette were slimmer and cleaner.  

Allright! Ready. Set. Go...

I6L Clothing Challenge: 6 Pieces or Less

Sooooo. Hm. Imagine that your wardrobe is taken away for a month for some sort of inspection and you are only allowed to keep 6 garments other than coats and underwear, having no option for replacing the taken pieces, and these 6 had to last you a month, at least, which would you take?

Hello, mes chers. We are doing it! Oui, les six pieces have been chosen, mostly.  On the previous post, we took inspiration from some superbly stylish women from around world and brainstormed a rough idea of the tiny capsule. It is winter. In New England. And, we have to look mostly professional at work,  be comfortable enough to play with/babysit kids, and attractive enough on the weekends, and put quality to the test by having to do laundry more often. As for laundry, some of us cashmere and silk lovers know to extend life and looks by hand-washing and flat/line drying. The plan is to make use of long underwear to extend life in between laundering and to provide insulation on these snowy days.

Speaking of snowy, mon premier choices were cashmere et soie. Mon silk undershirts have been keeping me, tropical bird that je suis, warm for several North Eastern winters now. They are the detachable lining to most if not all clothes worn per moi for late fall, winter, and early spring... Half the year, almost every day. Excellent secret weapon.

La premier choice was a pretty cashmere cardigan in black from J.Crew, but it has these lovely sequins and bow pattern that everyone will notice by the fourth time it is worn within a month. Comme ca, il n'est pas practical, right? Then the

Proposal for The Minimalist Wardrobe Project: Pt. I

Dear Readers,

What would you think if I told you that I am volunteering to participate in the S6L (Six Items or Less) experiment? Would you think that this is a public fashion-suicide letter? Perhaps a plan to murder my dress-up and shopping excitement? It could be all of this. Or maybe better. 

This letter may, however, be more similar to a birth certificate or a proof of pregnancy (from Ms. forever auntie hahaha, but I digress), if you will bear with me. This is very moi-ish. Yes, Quite characteristic. Je plan to embark on a super exciting project! Can and will we be able to wear only 6 pieces of clothing.. for a Month?

Even when we do not include shoes, accessories, underwear, or winter coats, it is still enough to stop any normal person (let alone this clothes-horse) stop and rewind. I know of Luckymag.com marketing a genius 10-piece based month of outfits with the label "In Add Minus". I think that they did a great job. However, I can only use 6. So far, here is the plan: a

Pretty Happy Duster

It was summer in Tucson, AZ and I was bicycling out without sun protection (shame on me). I stopped for cold drink and next to it, there it was. The perfect little vintage store was next to the restaurant and this little duster was misplaced right near the door by the Mexican day-dresses and the Guatemalan cloth-belts. I am considering having it lined or sewing buttons to go with my tench coat's removable liner. I will keep you posted!

Blue Sky Gaviotas en el Aire

This is another take on chambray. It seems to pair with this skirt that Mom and moi thrifted a few weeks ago. It has the prettiest seabird print. It is reminiscent of the country club in the caribbean where we used to throw all of our parties. As kids we were too bored to stay inside, so we'd go out to the beach area and count the birds, scare them, and play with the little crabs digging holes in the sand.
The print is really the interest in the skirt. Mon premier reaction was to cut it and make two skirts out of it. It is, perhaps, too voluminous for the length. A temporary fix was the side knot to reign it in. But there is something in moi wanting to keep the alteration temporary. That something wants to keep it long. Perhaps it's mon lunacy?

Fur and Chambray

Curve-ball: Plaid Flannel and Chambray Conundrum

Hello Everyone!
While the Sunday night blues started to set in this weekend, a mild desire to indulge will take some of us to gilt-ridden delicious food, anything luxurious or anything good and in excess.

The Sunday blues is also tempered by a curve-ball from

It is not you, c'est moi!

So, A few weeks ago, I dropped mt dearly beloved laptop. If you ask me, it is a sturdy one, since it did not give in until the second time it fell from my one-armed attempt at opening my house's entrance double door down the solid concrete entrance steps. I managed to temporarily fix the screen, but, of course, it was a matter of time. My apologies for the absence.
Also, seem somewhat fixated on some of the coolest, understated, chic, "French way of dressing" pictures/items/ideas/books and have been reading/browsing for the last 4.6 hours.
Oui, Je suis amoureux de toi, élégance intemporelle!! Dire que tu m'aimes aussi.

Hugs and Kisses,

Une fille editing l'Atelier's Closet.

Black Pants: Part Trois

Mes chers lecteurs,

La vie est tress stress and busy suddenly with work and a flurry of entertaining occasions. However, what fun is life if one does not have, well... fun?
So, while my favorite aunt was staying with us, representing her university to sign an international studies program with one in the USA, she took mom and I thrift shopping!

"Why so excited?", you might ask. "After all, that is one of your favorite mother-daughter activities for every weekend." Well, true, mes chers, it is and so is looking at car sales. But it is always so exciting! Even though, this time, I carried all the bags, I was in luck: We found this gorgeous top!
...well, I quietly found, purchased, bagged, handwashed, dried, and tucked away this gorgeous top. Oh, but you shall know that many a pretty beaded piece over a size 6 seems to end up in someone else closet as soon as it arrives home.

A secret? Well, it will no longer be a secret that this one is a si

Juxtaposition

Yes, je confess, je suis still obsessively into the minimalist trend, epitomized by that pair of perfectly-cut black pants. Je vraiment covet all things Jill Sander-esque, and have a career wardrobe to confirm this. But, at times, [ok, mor often lately] minimalism is starting to feel like baking/admiring the perfectly made plain bagel in comparison to the panettone, brioche, and angel cake that the opulent, glam-luxe, and floaty-pretty respective trends have to offer. And, while comparing bread types to runways may seem a bit out-there for most, it seems to offer evidence for the following point: je suis une fille eccentrique. Donc le minimalisme,

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.

Current Obsession: The Skinny Black Pant

While we have all seen and loved the pretty and feminine trends of summer, the warmer diet of pretty and soft has left some of us are ready and maybe on time for a more utilitarian and cleaner approach.

La fille writing to you now is an absolute fan of the little silk dress. I live in them because they are such light travel pieces and surf through the summer with an extra pair of shoes and a blazer/cardigan, or scarf for the night chill. They work from a date to an afternoon with family and from brunch to cocktails.

However, the cooler winds will soon arrive to the Northeast, and the

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.

Golden cuff watch, Relic; Black watch, my brother's; White silk blouson, Beyond Vintage; White cotton shorts, Ann Taylor; Bracelet, vintage necklace wrappe Brown flap bag, Vintage Coach; Black t-strap shoes, Frye.

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.