Rock Candy

This isn't exactly the age of decadence, but re-watching period dramas like Downton Abbey and The Tudors have me swooning at the sight of extravagant heirloom jewelry. These modern-day versions aren't worth millions, but I've gone crazy for their vibrant colors that look good enough to eat!

Alexis Bittar, $186

Coralia Leets, $788

Kenneth Jay Lane, $84

Bauble Bar, $28

Oscar de la Renta, $397

Do you rock a mullet?

You're probably hoping for some T-shirts with epic hairstyle images, but unfortunately I'm not obsessed with those at the moment. A "mullet shirt" is apparently the name for tees that are longer in the back (..ohhhh), and they're all I want to wear this fall!

NastyGal, please enlighten the masses:

Laced chiffon blouse, $68

I recognize that NastyGal's styling is unrealistic for 99.9% of the population, but for a moment let's imagine a black or nude tank underneath, some black skinny jeans and tall boots. Voila! My fall uniform.

Now can I get an encore, do you want more? Sorry, Jay-Z has been having a moment in my iPod. Anywho, check these out, and tell me if you're on board with this trend!

Vero Moda snake-print chiffon shirt, $50 at ASOS.com

Wallflower lace jacket, $48

Morphine Genereation mesh-back tee, $36 (was $68) at ASOS.com

Striped mullet tee, $68 at Obvious Clothing

And if you accidentally wandered here looking for an actual mullet T-shirt, today is your lucky day:

Mullet shirt, $30 at Zazzle.com

A Modern-Day Leia

There has been a lot of hubbub surrounding the recent Blu-ray release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI), especially concerning the latest round of changes (Ewoks blink!) and if the 83849th re-release of the series is entirely necessary (of course!). As a somewhat-new Star Wars fan, I'm pretty excited to see what else Lucas tweaked to fit his vision. Honestly, I wish they'd re-shoot I-III with more charismatic actors, but I digress--this is a fashion blog!

Throughout the saga, Princess Leia dons several iconic outfits (metal bikini, anyone?), inspiring legions of Comic-Con copycats and nerd-boy fantasies for decades to come. As a nerd girl, my fantasies are of a different variety--what would she have worn today? Here's my guess:

Halston dress, $675 (was $1,930) /Fantoosherie flower hair accessory, $15 / Laura Mercier Satin Lip Color in 'Sangria', $22 / Topshop tassle belt, $68 / A'Gaci ankle booties, $22

What do you think--does it have the same amount of ass-kicking potential?

Note: This post was also inspired by a Bzz campaign. Become a BzzAgent!

J.Crew Swimwear Sale

I don't quite remember when swimsuits were suddenly averaging $80 bucks a pop, but I do know that I haven't bought a swimsuit in three years for this reason. That is, until last week, when I came across a massive treasure trove--at J.Crew, of all places!

J.Crew is the kind of place where I head straight to the sale section (some day I'll know I've made it when I no longer have to shop online from "low to high"), and even then I can rarely take the plunge. But last week, in the middle of a miserable sick day, I found myself browsing the sale page again and was pleasantly surprised. I'll show you what I mean:

Ruched Betty French top, $20 (was $48) and ruffled bottom, $15 (was $44)

An ENTIRE bathing suit for less than the original price of just one piece?! Madness! And that's not all--there are currently 253 separates and one-piece suits on sale, ranging from $10-$99 in a highly tropical spectrum of colors. I freaking love end-of-season sales.

Needless to say, I got myself a new two-piece for next summer.

Heels with Hardware

Shoes are my favorite accessory--I know, such a typical girl. When I plan an outfit, I almost always start with my shoes. It's a simple process: factor in the weather, the day's activities, amount of walking and a general idea of what I'd like to pair them with. My shoe collection isn't lavish or outlandish, but I do think I am in dire need of some serious hardware this fall. These are my picks:

Dolce Vita "Hamilton" booties, $150 (was $250) at Last Call by Neiman Marcus

UES "Varck" spike wedges, $117 (was $195) at Zappos.com

Sam Edelman "Renzo" booties, $259 at Endless.com

Judging by all the rain we're going to get this week, it seems like we may not get much more time for the open-toe beauties. Is some crisp fall weather too much to ask for, Mother Nature?

Back to Class

I've been out of school for two years, but the excitement of back-to-school shopping has yet to fade. Coupled with the euphoria that comes with wearing my boots again, the end of summer has always held a place in my heart.

If you're entering a new school year, you probably want something pretty to put all of those expensive books in, right? I never carried a legit bookbag throughout college, so my bags of choice were more similar to these:

Fossil Vintage Re-Issue messenger bag, $118 (was $168) at Dillards.com

A sweet camel is my go-to color for fall. I've been hunting down leather bags and boots in this color!

BDG Buckle Tote, $58 at Urban Outfitters

I own this massive BDG tote in yellow, but it looks perfectly fall in this low-key taupe color. This is especially useful if you're a morning-after kind of girl (or guy)--put a daytime-appropriate outfit in this baby and never fear the walk of shame again!

Banana Republic nylon zipper tote, $60

Talk about classy! Ok, bad pun, whatever. But really, if you've moved on from the fact that you can wear pajamas every day for class, because that definitely doesn't mean you should, take it up a notch by lugging this sexy little thing across campus.

Are you still in school? Or do you miss back-to-school shopping? Also--a call for help to those in NYC! My 24th birthday is in 9 days.. any ideas for something fun to do?

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Retail Therapy

Ever have that kind of day where you just need to do something nice for yourself?

Eenie..

"Jenna" bracelet, $88 at J.Crew

meenie..

Lady Grey "Vee" necklace, $265 at Elizabeth Charles

miny..

CC Skye "Lizzie" hobo, $459 at National Jean Company

moe..

"Fearless" mantra necklace, $68 at Dogeared

Just a little bit of filling online shopping carts with wishful thinking today.

Hot hot heat

Lily Pulitzer 'Regency Bubble' dress, $228

BB Dakota 'Annaleise' dress, $34 (was $95) at Dillards

Mirage maxi dress, $68 at NeedSupply.com

Rachel Comey 'Ply' dress, $633 at Saks Fifth Ave

It's so hot, simply existing is exhausting. On days like this, you can't go wrong with a breezy little white dress!

What's your favorite way to beat the heat?

Gimme gimme

Michelle Chang skull ring, $348

GyspySolDesigns turquoise cross necklace, $38

BrideBlu giraffe charm necklace, $18

AmandaDeer mini feather necklace, $24

My obsession with Etsy has never been healthy, but now I feel it's at an all-time high. I fear my friends and family may stage an intervention for my sudden obsession with cute, tiny charm jewelry.

And I don't even care.

GIVE ME TINY CHARM JEWELRY.

Wrist envy

La Mer double-wrap watch, $115 at shopbop.com

Horse-printed bangle watch, $35 at ASOS.com

Michael Kors tortoise-shell chronograph watch, $200 at overstock.com

Timex Originals Modern Easy Reader watch, $60 at piperlime.com

I've had severe watch envy lately, spying a few pieces I'd love to snatch right from favorite bloggers like Krystal and Jessica. Funny thing is, I don't even wear watches! I only own three or so that I rarely throw into rotation, but I've been thinking about amping up my watch collection with prominent pieces like these.

Do you wear a watch? Is it more of an accessory or a necessity?

Tropic Thunder

Kate Spade 'Pineapple Grove' necklace, was $145, now $97 at Nordstrom

Motel 'Rhiana' dress, $58 at RevolveClothing.com

Rebel Yell 'Malibu' romper, $79 at Shop the Trend Boutique

Sorelli multistrand bracelet, $65 at endless.com

Topshop coral rock ring, $25

Lately, all I can think about is a tropical getaway. Since that isn't happening any time soon, I've gathered a few items that evoke that tropical feel. Coral, turquoise, fruit and palm trees.. sounds about right!

Now go get yourself a pretty umbrella drink and sit by the pool. Close your eyes and imagine that the cool breeze is coming from the hot men (or women!) fanning you with oversized leaves.

..can you tell I need a vacation?

Studded lust

Numph studded jersey jacket, was $102, now $49 at asos.com

It is very, very hot outside. So why am I lusting after this very warm-looking studded jersey jacket? Oh yeah, it's completely comfortable AND badass.. like fighting crime in your pajamas.

Am I nutso, or do you suddenly want one, too?

The $275 grocery bag

Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent embroidered shopping bag, was $275, now $213 at endless.com

It's safe to say I'm not the kind of girl who places her groceries in a $275 bag, but if I ever come across one, I'll proudly let you know that I gave her a good punch in the face. Just kidding..

I'm assuming that the "grocery bag" title leans more toward the aesthetic than the purpose, but then again, the ostentatious people without hired help do need something to take to the supermarket, right? Paper or plastic? No thanks, I'd rather a bag that costs more than an entire month of groceries!

Enough hating.. I'd totally use it. Wouldn't buy it, but if it came to me by any kind of generous windfall, you bet my groceries would officially be ridin' first class.

Rather spend money on food, but still want a stylish bag? Check these cheaper alternatives:

Envirosax Botanica bag, $9 at The Green Life

Eddie Bauer market bag, was $35, now $20

American Apparel medium emergency bag, $24

Do you use reusable bags when you shop? Would you use a $275 bag for groceries?

Tucker on sale at Gilt today!

 

Trust me, you need at least three more flowy printed girly dresses to get you through this summer. Gilt, being the enablers that they are, knows this, and is prepared to fuel your addiction today at noon with the Tucker sale.

Tucker frocks generally run in the $250-$400 range, so I expect to find these gems fetching for $150-$300 on Gilt (blouses and skirts are probably even less!). Still pretty pricey, but if you are in search of the perfect summer/interview/wedding guest dress (remember how easy-breezy their Target collection was?), it's worth the splurge.

Gilt is invite-only, so if you're not part of the greatness that is discount designer shopping, feel free to join with my code (referral: melawesome). I'll get $15 when you make your first purchase, and the same goes for you when you invite friends! Woo, full disclosure!

Alexander McQueen under $100

Alexander McQueen enamel skull keyring, $80, and skull-print logo scarf, $95