Forgive me for a whole week of silence at my blog. It’s a matter of weeks before a long trip so I’ve been a bit tied up with preparations. But even when I’m not writing I’m thinking about how to keep things fun here for you until I’m on the road and photographing the world again. Speaking of the road, a Little Black Dress (LBD) that I’m FITMSOing today is always on my packing list wherever I go. You know it’s the one item that will get you the most mileage out of your closet. Let’s see what I can do with this particular one.
Test Item: Christian Dior black nubby cotton knit A-line dress with spaghetti straps.
Look 1: When you find the dream LBD that both fits you perfectly and is comfortable to wear, you should buy 3 of them. JK. This dress has a very basic cut that will not go out of style. Granted, the knit can be a bit unforgiving if I go off on an M&Ms binge, but it’s black so I’m relatively safe. I don’t really like to fuss too much with an LBD so the most I’ll do is pair it with a pair of fun shoes, like my dark bronze Prada python platform slingbacks.
But if let’s say I’m at the Hollywood Bowl for a summer concert, I like to add a bit of color with a fuchsia silk scarf from JCrew. I may not be able to pull off wearing shocking pink all the time, but I’m all about the bright accessories (but I’d wear black shoes if I have a loud color on top):
Look 2: Now about fuchsia, I actually took a chance against type by buying this lightweight tweed jacket with detachable camellia pins last summer. I know the color is somewhat trendy but when paired with a classic cut, I think I can wear this jacket now and ten years from now. A subtle LBD that I can wear in Look 1 to a cocktail party makes the perfect silent partner to my office look in Look 2. This is why I usually invest in LBDs that are uncomplicated. The simpler, the better. Black peep-toe pumps are what I’d wear here.
Look 3: Lest you think a classic LBD can only work with “ladylike” looks, how about I take you downtown by throwing a shearling bomber jacket over and a pair of Juicy Couture tall motorcycle boots under it for the cooler days?
I think this Fall I should invest in a pair of tall boots with heels. And preferably a peep-toe. If you run across a pair that fits this description, please drop me a line 
.
Tags: Chanel, Christian Dior, FIMTSO, J Crew, Juicy Couture, LBD, Prada
Before I left for law school I was seeing a med student who worked weekends as a parking valet at a country club. He would tell me about the perks of sitting in some of the best sport cars in town (this got my attention since I loved anything shiny, motorized, and fast) and taking home lobsters or steaks from the kitchen (this, not so much since I’d gone vegetarian by then). He was quite an Armani addict on a grad student’s shoestring budget. I got a kick out of looking at his Italian suits but often wondered if he was what high maintenance meant.
One day, we were just sitting around and I put on his gold watch, which was his late father’s. It had a huge face and too many links so it rolled down my arm halfway to my elbow, stopping just where the rolled up sleeve of my white (man’s) shirt ended. I looked at my own reflection in the mirror and thought about designer Carolina Herrera who had always been such a fashion inspiration to me. Her uniform of crisply starched white blouses with skirts, pants, and jeans has resonated with me since I first started reading Vogue.
I relate this memory to you because there are more fashion don’t days than there are fashion do moments in my lifelong fashion chase. So when something looks instantly right, the image gets burned into my brain for later references. A sublime man’s watch paired with your SO’s white shirt is one of those instances. I have not yet scored a similar watch since that summer, but I’ve stumbled on to (and been distracted by) other precious things along the way. In my book, there’s nothing sexier than a strand of Tahitian pearls under a white shirt. Always starched.
So without further ado, let’s showcase the next FIMTSO experiment.
Test Item: Today I’m featuring several white shirts because I know we all have more than one. And with white being a neutral yet finicky color, taking on different persona based on its fabric, it would be easier to show a whole rainbow of whites!
Business: For a business casual look, I’m pairing an eyelet Juicy Couture white tank with a JCrew peach cashmere open cardigan. I can throw this over jeans or slacks or skirts and a pair of slingbacks.
The Chanel coral/turquoise necklace is simple enough for me to also wear a JCrew encrusted wide enamel cuff with it. I like large cuffs with short sleeves:
Casual: for warm weekends, I like this stark white lightweight knit ruffled henley shirt from JCrew (no, I do not work for them) that I’ll accessorize with a Gucci silk scarf and Balenciaga leather bracelet. Jeans and strappy sandals will complete this outfit for me.
On cooler days I like to layer a white handkerchief linen shirt (Max Studio) under a rugged cotton jacket. A white feather-weight linen shirt is the only white shirt I will launder and not iron because the wrinkles make the shirt less sheer! Let’s leave some things to the imagination, shall we?
Fun, long necklaces, like this Chanel dog tag one, complete the look.
I’d wear skinny jeans or a slim miniskirt over leggings with this. On a side note, I need to find a mannequin with legs so I can show the entire look with bottoms!
Play: It’s actually difficult to find the perfect dressy white shirt. My favorite ones are of a stiffer silk but all of these shirts in my closet verge more on ivory and beige than white, so I can’t include them here. I’m still looking for that perfect white-white silk shirt to pair with a floor-length black silk taffeta skirt. But I digress…
This is a Dolce & Gabbana white tuxedo shirt; it’s a man’s shirt but at least some Italian labels run on the slim side, making it easier for us gals to poach menswear. I’m pairing it with a pair of velvet low-rise theory pants and killer stilettos. As I mentioned above, I’ll only need a strand of shiny pearls and a patent python clutch to head out to dinner. And just think, I could also tuck this shirt into capri skinny black jeans and some ballerina flats and instantly go from Lauren Bacall to Audrey Hepburn .
Tags: Armani, Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, JCrew, Juicy Couture, Max Studio, white shirt
Last week I wrote about my flight suit. Today let’s examine the anatomy of my flight bag, which I affectionately call my Little Buddy because it basically totes my life around for me when I’m on the road. After multiple attempts at trying carry-on bags of different shapes and brands, from hard cases to soft duffel bags to designer totes, I’ve settled on a simple black computer rolling bag with just enough room for my essentials while compact enough to be easily lifted into the overhead bin. Unfortunately it only fits under the seat in first class cabins.
So what are these essentials besides my laptop, phone, ipod, digicam and their respective chargers? An international converter block that’s seen me through 6 continents–best invention ever besides the Internet:
A set of cashmere blanket and eye mask so that I don’t have to use the public ones on the plane; I’ll stick to my own cooties, thank you. This particular set was from the Banana Republic holiday collection a few years ago:
A pair of burnt orange silk and mink-trimmed Prada slippers in their matching case pretty enough to double as a clutch; I got this on a trip out to the Prada outlet mecca just outside of Florence, Italy almost a decade ago! I’ll wear these in my seat (or the hotel room) but put my shoes on to walk around the bacteria pod otherwise known as the airplane:
A change of clothes in case my suitcase gets lost. As there’s not much room, it usually means underpinnings, extra pair of socks, and another black shirt or knit dress that can be neatly rolled up. I’ll also include a floppy hat that’s good for sun and rain (Burberry and Juicy Couture offer great choices). You never know exactly what kind of weather awaits you when you exit the airport.
A Ziploc bag of essentials that pass TSA muster:
As you can see, mostly skin care products and things to battle germs. My favorite item is that single-use toothbrush; awful for the environment but super convenient for me! No makeup concessions except for the lip gloss (my toiletry bag always gets checked in) so I just have to pray my face doesn’t melt by the time I land.
As for entertainment, I already have books and music downloaded to my smart phone. At most I might stash some fashion mags inside the outside pocket of my bag and blow through them on the plane so I can lighten the load by the time I reach my destination.
It’s hard to imagine that my whole life can fit inside my Little Buddy, but basically my work is on my laptop, my memories are in my digicam, and my contact to the outside world is my phone. Everything else is replaceable if my luggage doesn’t make it. And yep, that’s a perfect excuse to go shopping .
Tags: Burberry, Juicy Couture, Prada
