vintage leather bomber jacket!!

I was SO excited to find a vintage leather bomber jacket while thrifting on Friday. It was only $5!!!! There are definitely a few knicks and holes, but that just gives it a more rock n roll vibe. I am so in love with it. I'm wearing it with some wide leg gap jeans (with the cuff messed up, argh), white american apparel tee, and a diane von furstenberg scarf that I also thrifted for $6! I absolutely love the thrift stores here in Danville.

amazing vintage furs

As I said yesterday, I have had some amazing luck thrifting here in VA. I found the above vintage faux fur on Friday for only $19.99! The sleeves are a tad too short but for that price I couldn't pass it up. It's also missing a button so I think I will redo all the buttons. Otherwise it's in great shape and I just love how 60's/Edie Sedgwick it looks!

Then this morning, I went to another thrift store in town and found this black fur coat for $15!! I couldn't believe it; the collar is actually real fur of some kind. And it has the name of the original owner stitched inside which I have pictured below. I'm so thrilled over these two coats--a vintage fur was something I was hoping to score while rummaging the vintage racks here in Danville. I had no idea I would find two lovely coats.

What I Wore--Christmas Day

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas!! I have been meaning to post Christmas pictures for the past few days but have been too busy enjoying being lazy at home--so here they are! Above is a picture of my lovely Mom and I on Christmas day (hi Mom!). And below is a more detailed picture of my entire outfit....I ended up cropping my face out because I looked so goofy in all the pictures my Mom took of me. Anyways, I am wearing an Alexander Wang sweater dress, vintage levi shorts, tights, and these adorable Calvin Klein booties from Santa. I have had the most AMAZING luck with thrift store shopping since I've been home. I will post my finds tomorrow once I snap pictures of everything.

inspired the by the sartorialist-part 2

Two weeks ago, I posted about this layered button up look that the Sartorialist had snapped! I was really excited to try the look out the same way the guy in the navy shirt did, but I didn't have a tie. So when Mr. Q came up for the weekend, he was so kind to loan me one of his ties so I could complete my look, which I wore to work yesterday. I began the day with the tie inside the blue shirt, but then decided I liked this look better.

For some reason, I feel like I look so young in that picture. Maybe it's because I took it first thing after I walked home from work in freezing cold weather, and my cheeks and nose are red. Anyways, happy holidays everyone! I'm off to Virginia tonight and can't wait!!!!

this witty unpredictable shot is critical to analytical analogy

This weekend Mr. Q was in town and it was freezing and snowing the whole time! I pulled this ushanka type hat (above--goofy picture of me, but that's beside the point) out of my storage bins for the first time in years. I instantly fell completely back in love with it. I have no idea why I haven't worn it in so long, it's super cute and really warm. While we were out Christmas shopping this weekend, we went to these little vendors in Union Square, and I saw the most adorable trojan-esque snow hats! I really wish I had bought one for myself, but I have the worst habit of buying things for myself when I am Christmas shopping for others so I refrained from purchasing it. But they reminded me of the hats from the F/W 02 Christian Dior collection. I was a junior in high school when this collection came out, and I remember watching the runway show on the Style Network on tv and being completely fascinated with these hats! I think it was the first moment that I really started paying attention to high fashion designers and their collections. After all these years, almost every winter season I think back to those hats. I wish I owned one--they're quite fabulous.

she leaves only good wishes behind....

edie by LeaAnne

Last weekend, I brought Factory Girl out of my DVD vault. And since then I've basically been watching it constantly. For some reason when I love something, I will watch it/listen to it/wear it constantly and then I grow amazingly tired of it. Anyways, I've become quite hung up on Edie Sedgwick again--as I was when the movie first came out. She is such a captivating person with a mesmerizing personality and amazing sense of style. And Sienna Miller does an incredible job of portraying her in the movie.

my dream shoes

So last night, I was lucky enough to score my dream shoes of F/W 08! I have been drooling over everything Stella McCartney has made on the curved wooden wedge bottom! I thought that outsole was just genius and art like, I am in love with it. And I also love that all of Stella's products are animal free. But alas, they are almost always still way out of my price range, which is why I was sooooo happy to get these amazing boots for a great deal! I basically sold my soul to my Mom for them, but small price to pay, right? I still can't believe I actually own these beauties. They truly are like a work of art. I danced around my room in them for like an hour last night with Rihanna's "Disturbia" on repeat. I know I'm a geek! My pictures are not that great, I was having a lot of trouble with the lightin and getting the whole shoe in the picture so I just decided to take pictures of them on my step ladder--which doesn't really do them the justice they deserve.





I just found this picture on style.com which shows the details a million times more than my crappy pictures.

the oldest shoes in my closet

Today, I FINALLY brought my old school doc martens out of the closet. They are the only shoes that I have kept from my adolescence--I've had them since 8th grade!! I've seen so many people lately doing such cool things with doc martens, and I had my Mom dig them out of the attic and send them to me so I could enjoy them once again. But they've been sitting in my closet for many months, and it wasn't until I saw a photo of Lindsay Lohan earlier this week wearing some that reminded me to drag them out! So here they are!

monkey see, monkey do.

When I was little, my Mom used to always say "monkey see, monkey do". No doubt because I was probably copying things she was saying and doing. But this phrase is most appropriate for this post. Earlier this week I saw the above pictures on the sartorialist. I loved the way the NYU student used the small plaid button up as outerwear but was even more intrigued by the young man wearing the navy button up as a cardigan over another button up shirt! I quickly emailed the photos to Mr. Q since I thought this look was right up his alley style wise. Then last night I decided I should re-create the look for ME! So inspired by the sartorialist, today I am wearing a plaid button up cardigan style over a white button up. I wanted to wear a silk scarf as a necktie of sorts with the plaid shirt buttoned all the way up....replicating the man in the navy shirt above. But I didn't have time this morning to dig my silk scarves out of the storage bins they are in. So I will save that inspiration for another day! Or maybe this weekend, I will go searching for the perfect vintage necktie to complete the look. Either way, I am really digging this layered button up look.

my most favorite jacket of all time.

There are so many great jackets out right now with such amazing details-feathers, layers of draping wool, band detailing, etc! I want them all. I really love jackets and have quite a collection but don't wear them as much as I should. A lot of times they just sit in my closet. For some reason, I have been on such a jacket kick this fall and it really made me start dreaming about the Balenciaga F/W 07 collection. It's one of my all time favorite collections EVER, and the blazers on the runway that season were TO DIE FOR! See below at how exquisitely amazing these blazers are! That whole collection was just genius, I wish I owned everything from it! I try not wear real fur but the collar on the purple blazer is just divine. For me, I think these just might be the most perfect jackets ever made! I adore them.

and we're hittin our records like a tennis player

I got this blood orange coat from J.Crew a few weeks ago (that I inserted on the magazine spread!!). I mainly bought it because I liked the color and it was super cheap, and I was in need of a short winter coat. I laughed when I saw this spread in Lucky magazine about blood orange being "huge" for winter. I really had no idea, and honestly have not seen that much of this color thus far this winter season. I also thought it was weird they used a picture from Ann Demeulemeester Spring 09 on the "huge for winter" spread. I think I posted that same picture on here a few months back regarding Spring collections I was in loving.

When I was diggin through my closet this weekend, I found this leopard pencil skirt. It's Trina Turk, and I got it about 4 years ago but have never found the right time to wear it. I really love it, but for some reason I just find it really hard to wear! I decided it wear it with a black button-up, black belt, and black shoes. Maybe I find it difficult to wear because it's a lot different than my usual style. But I think a pencil skirt is one of the more flattering silhouettes for my figure. The outfit picture would be a lot better if my pink sports bra wasn't sticking out the top, but I had already gotten ready for ballet when I decided to take a picture of this outfit! This shot also does not flatter my shoes at all, it looks like I'm wearing my grandma's orthopedic pumps, but they are cute platform pumps. I guess the lighting just doesn't really show that.

back to the future. break the sutures on your septum.

I have been meaning to take oufit pictures this week because I have worn some outfits that I really loved. But work has been so hectic, the only thing I want to do when I get home is throw on some yoga pants! I will hopefully not be lazy this weekend and snap some photos of things!

I found the above picture when I was flipping through my inspiration notebook here at work so I figured I would post it. I forget what magazine that shoot is from but I really loved it all!

Last weekend when I was in DC, Mr Q gave me my Christmas present early! The new purple iPod nano! I was so excited to finally get a new iPod, especially one with a color display. And was completely bummed out when the thing stopped working like 4 days later! AHH! I was so upset, and I went to the Apple store to see what could be done to fix it. Of course nothing is easy in New York City, SO I had to schedule an appointment for 2 days later to have them look at my iPod. But last night, I finally got it replaced and everything is good to go! I love it so much....the two days when it was broken were awful. After having this fabulous new iPod, it was so hard to go back to my old, large, non-color display iPod. I know that sounds greedy and ridiculous, but the new nano was a much needed upgrade for me. Here's a picture of it....with the Kanye album cover just like in the Apple ads! It looks blue in the picture but it's purple.



I have also been meaning to post for some time now about some new magazines I discovered that I am in love with but I keep forgetting. But the main one is Tank Magazine. It's a London based magazine, and it is amazing! There is this random magazine cafe on my street and I love to go in there and scour the magazines because I have quite an addiction to buying them. I was intrigued by the African model on the cover because I think African models are just too gorgeous for words. And of course, the article/shoot with Mary-Kate sealed the deal on me purchasing the magazine. The fashion is amazing, the people they chose to feature are amazing, and the subject matter of the articles is amazing. Lately, I've been convinced that everything is better in the UK. Better fashion, better music, and now better magazines. Mr. Q says its just a "the grass is always greener" thing....but I don't know.

thanksgiving weekend.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving. Although, I didn't get to go home, I was thankful to spend the long weekend with Mr. Q and his family in DC. We had a great time and lots of yummy food. I always bring my camera everytime I go visit him, but I am so bad at taking pictures. I only took one outfit picture, above, and since Mr Q was the photographer he got to choose the pose. So that's why I'm standing that way. I'm wearing an old Led Zeppelin tee, j.crew cardigan, american apparel leggings, and Steve Madden boots! The only other pictures I took were of these gingerbread houses at the town center....so random I know! Below is a picture of a gingerbread church.



We didn't really do too much besides relax all weekend. I watched Jon and Kate plus 8 marathon, and I am completely in love with that show! I don't have cable tv so I miss out on a lot of cool shows! We got to eat at my favorite French restaurant and hang out with some friends we haven't seen in a long time! It was smashing fun! And now back to the grind....

I am so antsy for Christmas break I can hardly stand it!!

you can find me by the speaker bouncing in my skull.

So my vintage shopping this weekend was not as great as I anticipated but I did walk away with something. The top that I was so excited for was WAY too small for me, and I was pretty bummed about that. But I was able to snap a picture of the top and my Mom said she would help me construct one of my own over Christmas break!

Above is what I purchased. I think it's sort of like a briefcase but I got it with the intention of using it as an oversize clutch. But it's so large, so I decided the best way to use it was to fold it in half. I am thinking about splatter painting it in neon colors? But I can't decide. What do you think I should do? Splatter paint or leave as is?




Above is the outfit I wore to work yesterday. Splendid dress worn as skirt, junk food tee, h&m blazer, fuzzy tights, booties, and the most fabulous necklace ever designed by my lovely roommate. Below is an upclose of the necklace. I am so IN LOVE with it! She actually made it sometime last winter, and I am always asking to borrow it. I think it's just fabulous!

What I Am Currently Lusting Over

These are three things that I am totally in love with right now! I am trying hard to find the perfect pair of harem pants. They just look fabulous on everyone. Reminds me of wearing MC Hammer pants as a child...haha. Last weekend, Mr. Q went to the eye glasses store to pick out some new frames. While there, I couldn't help but try on some for myself. I completely fell in love with the tortoise shell round glasses! I am definitely going to get them as my eyeglasses for 2009. And while, I have almost seen enough of the YSL tribute platform, I was pleasantly surprise to see this neon yellow pair captured by the Sartorialist! They are simply divine in neon yellow. Maybe it's because I have been on a neon yellow kick for sometime now, but I think they would punch up almost any outfit.

I am going vintage shopping on Saturday, and I am so excited for this piece that I found on the mannequin at one of my favorite stores. They won't let you buy off the mannequins, but the top is hitting the sales floor on Sat. morning and I can't wait to try it on! I hope it's as fabulous as I am hoping it will be! Hopefully I will find some great vintage to post about though!

I spoke too soon....

My iPod arose from the dead this morning! It must be a thanksgiving miracle or maybe she just needed a day off!

Thank GOD SHES BACK!

You never thought that hip hop would take it this far Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been super busy with work and traveling. I went to DC this weekend kind of last minute to see Mr. Q. Above is the only outfit picture I took. I had this get up on to go to the gym, and Mr. Q thought I looked like Lady Sovereign. The hip hop chick outta the UK a few years back, remember her? I guess it was the necklace and oversize hoodie that brought her to mind. I usually don't wear hoodies ever, but since I didn't bring ANY jackets to DC and it was cold, I had to borrow that one.

We also saw modern day Herbie the love bug.....




Also, my poor iPod totally bit the dust this morning, which totally sucks! Good thing I'm getting a new nano-chromatic soon! You never realize how much you depend on technology until something stops working. My mini has been so faithful for the past 3 years. The walk to work this morning was quite lonely without her.

I come with that ol' loco Style from my vocal Couldn't peep it with a pair of bi-focals

Outfit 1 by LeaAnne

Above is the outfit that I WISH I was wearing today. It's pretty neato-burrito, huh?

Some friends and I were talking the other day, and the question came up "has anyone ever told you that you look like a celebrity?". And one of my friends answered no. I was kind of shocked that there are people out there who have never been told this, maybe because I get it all the time. Ever since 8th grade, people have always said "Has anyone ever told you that you look like XYZ?". In 8th grade, I always got Alanis Morissette, basically because I had really long hair and kind of wore it like hers. But I have also gotten Kate Beckinsale (I wish I was that hot!), Angelina Jolie (they were obviously blind), Anne Hathaway (last month the flight attendant told me he did a double take because he thought I was her, and asked if I got that all the time?), Katie Holmes, but mostly I get Alexis Bledel. I don't see any of them but hey, it's flattering.

'cause my seconds, minutes, hours go to the all mighty dollar

Shoes by LeaAnne

Above are some of my favorite shoes out right now. I am so so so in love with those Rick Owens boots. Everytime I see them in a magazine spread, I just think "those are SO amazing". If I had those boots, I would wear them everyday. It's hard to put into words just how genius I think they are. I am also really loving the Emanuel Ungaro branch heeled shoes! All of them rock. I am quite surprised that the only spread I've seen them in was for Elle Accessories though. I am not the biggest fan of the items Elle Accessories chooses to showcase so I was shocked when they featured TWO pairs of branch heeled shoes. And the middle pair are Givenchy! Just fabulous.

While I was searching the internet for my must have shoes, I came across this picture of Pattie Boyd, isn't it just lovely? Her style has been such an inspiration to me lately, and maybe subconsciously inspired my hair cut. If you haven't read her book, Wonderful Tonight, I highly highly recommend it.



And on a hip hop note, I have been listening to Tha Carter III a lot this week. For those of you who don't know, I'm a HUGE Lil Wayne fan. I think most, not all, but most of his stuff is incredible. He's extremely talented and I adore his style. Anyways, the album has been out for a while now but just now am I really starting to love some of the tracks. Especially A Milli....I think it's great. And I found out that it was produced by Bangladesh, who got his break with producing Ludacris' What's your Fantasy...an old favorite of mine. After reading that, you can definitely pick up on their similarities. I think A Milli might be my favorite weezy track to date. At least for now anyways.

Gucci on the feet, Marc Jacobs on the thigh.

As you all may know, feather accessories are quite the rage right now. And I have been meaning to post pictures of my favorite feather accessories but like I said a few posts ago, I get too lazy and never do it! But I have turned over a new blogging leaf, and will hopefully get better about these things!

Anyways, above are my favorite feather things. A feather clutch I purchased at the young designer market, I always find the most fabulous things there! A DIY peacock feather headband, which has obviously seen better days....and some gold and red feather earrings from Banana Republic about 5 years ago! I bought them because they were on sale for super cheap and haven't worn them that much until this season! And that little red guy with feathers for hair is a valentine's surprise from Mr. Q a few years ago. He was too cute not to throw in the picture.

Below is me in my feather headband with Mr Q.

This-this-th-th-th-th-this is real and not for play.

Oh happy day, this has been a long 18 months or so and I can't believe the election is finally over! I am so proud at the choice I made, that Virginia made, and that America made! It's no secret that I am big Obama supporter, but I am also a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. So even if McCain had won, I would like to think that I wouldn't have been a sourpuss about it. However, I believe Obama won for a reason, and hopefully our country will see some change that we really need. I couldn't be more proud of Virginia than I am today! Being from a small conservative town in VA, it really amazed me that they would vote blue for a change! For the first time in my life, so many of the people I know in VA and in my family voted democratic. So I am confident they were voting for the person they thought was the best candidate for our country and that makes me smile! It also warms my heart that so many people got out and voted yesterday! So many people that I know and across the country waited in line for hours! I was lucky and only had to wait 10 minutes, but I give mad props to those who waited!

Above is my outfit from yesterday-election day! Everything I am wearing is super American, which I didn't plan but noticed half way through the day! I am wearing a button-up, belt, and shoes from GAP and levi 501's! The shoes were an extra sample pair that was laying around the office that I scooped up on Monday! They are different from my usual style but I am kind of in love with them!

This is real and not for play. Imma vote Obama way.

I always have so many things that I want to blog about but never actually get around to posting so I am going to make an effort to get better at that. Of note in the past week was meeting the Olsens. I was lucky enough to go to their book signing in Union Square. I had been waiting for a while for Influence to come out on Oct. 28. But when I was flying back to NY from Raleigh, I found it at Border's in the airport 10 days early! I was so excited to get the book early and devour all the interviews in it! It's no secret that I am a huge Olsen fan but often times I don't really say why. I think they are some of the most fashionable people in Hollywood and that they each have a distinctive and creative sense of personal style. I feel they have been accepted into the fashion world as independently stylish young women and not just cutesy teeny bopper twins that some people still view them as. Their clothing lines are both genius in their own respects, and you can see their style reflected in each piece. Their book is basically compiled of pictures and interviews with people that have inspired them along the way. I was pleasantly surprised by the people that they chose and why. I think it's always important to give props to those people that inspire you in any way. And I need to get better at that as well because I am constantly influenced by so many different people from so many different walks of life. Here is a picture that I took at the signing, we weren't supposed to take
pictures so it's not the best but anyways....



Also of note is this fresh to deaf necklace I got at the young designer market this weekend. It's by a sister design team and you can check their stuff out at www.brookadelphia.com! I am so in love with their stuff!


And I got to spend my weekend with this hunk! =)




One more thing....I really hope that Obama does work tomorrow at the polls! And no matter who you guys are voting for make sure to get out there and VOTE!!

Amazing Vintage Jacket

So after being so inspired from the fabulous vintage finds that I scooped while in Danville, I decided to hit my favorite vintage stores in NYC. Vintage shopping here is a lot different than in Virginia. In VA, I can find great pieces for dirt cheap, but like everything in NYC the vintage shopping also comes with a high price tag. So while I always see amazing pieces that I would love to add to my closet, I usually cannot afford them. So I was so happy to find this jacket on sale! It was marked down to $25 because it does have some fading and stains, but I didn't care because I love it! It has the greatest angular shoulders and bead detailing with big gold buttons! It's from the 1940's and has the most amazing craftmanship I have seen! The lining is silk and hand sewn in and the fabric itself just feels so different than anything you can buy in stores today! I wish I could see it on the original owner in the 40's and see what she wore with it! Don't you always wonder what other people did with vintage pieces before you bought them?

What I'm Wearing

So while I was in Danville, I had tons of time to scour the thrift store racks. And I decided to post about the amazing things that I found! And the best part was that ALL of these thrift finds came in at under $30. I can't decide which piece is my most favorite of all because I adore each one. but I think if I had to choose I might pick the red riding jacket. the details are amazing and I am in love with the silhouette. And it was only $4! ch-ching!

Bored. Bored. Bored.

Being in Danville has given me plenty of time to catch up on all of the S/S 09 shows that I have otherwise not had the chance to look at. Here are a few collections that I think are just simply genius.
1. Rick Owens. I don't even know how to put into words how great I thought the collection was. The flipper shoes, the nun caps, the simplicity of colors and silhouettes.
2. Maison Martin Margiela. We've seen a lot of exaggerated shoulders this season and it was no different at Margiela. I love love love the way the model's faces are all hidden. Puts way more focus on the brilliance of these clothes!
3. Ann Demeulemeester. OH THE SHOES! and the draping of layers and layers of fabric in such perfect colors.




Rick Owens himself just looks like a genius, doesn't he?



I am also in loooove with this Margiela ring.