♥ it was one of those march days,

when the sun shines hot,

and the wind blows cold:

when it is summer in the light,

and winter in the shade.

charles dickens

it was raining cats and dogs today.

my (un)waterproof knee boots were filled with sloshing water,

my umbrella flipped inside out in the wind more than once,

and my new trench provided little to no actual warmth,

but that is no matter because spring is in the air, march

is marching it's way on out and the world is getting ready

to burst with color and laugh in flowers.

♥ it's all in the wrist.

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one of my favorite accesories from dvf's spring 2010 ready to wear collection

were these brightly colored bangles that she playfully piled and stylishly stacked

up the wrists of all her models.

true showstoppers, these intricately woven bracelets pack a wild punch of color into every look

that dvf sent down the runway. not only that, but they add cultural cache as well.

for, you see, these are no ordinary baubles, but are actually hand crafted pieces by zulu artisans, associated with the vital voices network in south africa. fashioned out of recycled telephone wires and beaded copper wires, these bracelets are available now on gifts with humanity. and at less than $25 each, you have no reason not to have an armful of your own.

as dvf's spring collection proves, they go with anything and everything in your closet.

♥ it's old hat.

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trends come and go and then come back again, but one big trend that i have yet to see a real revival of in my lifetime is hat wearing.

there used to be a day when leaving the house without a pair of gloves and a proper hat was considered to be inappropriate dress, and though i am pretty sure that society will never be that conservative again, i do hope that in the future, people will once again want to add a touch of glamour to an everyday ensemble by capping off their look with a fabulous cap.

one thing that i should say about hat wearing is that it is a true commitment. you should know that just like deciding to put your hair in a pony tail first thing in the morning, once you commit to wearing a hat for the day, you should be prepared to keep it on all day long or risk the tragedy of having hat hair in public.

i once had a nearly devastating experience with my boyfriend one night at a russian restaurant. angry because i wanted italian food instead, i used my floppy straw hat (which did not alot for any peripheral vision whatsoever) to my advantage, refusing to turn my head and look him straight in the eye mid fight. he then made the fatal mistake of pulling my hat off my head so that we could face eachother, which just added insult to injury! needless to say, we both learned our lessons that night: i will try to expand my dining horizons and he will keep his hands off my hat.

but i digress....

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milliner eugenia kim, whose hats are sold at $200+ in high end stores from barney's to saks to bloomies and beyond will be launching hat collection for target on april 18th and i am waiting with baited breath. as you can see from the sneak peak {above}, this exclusive collection has an old cuban inspired look that has me wishing it were summertime right now.

according to ms. kim's recent interview with fast company, "everyone can wear a hat. you just have to find the right one." check out her website, where you will undoubtedly find a topper to suit your look– here are some of my favorites:

they say to get ahead and get noticed, to get a hat.

i could not agree more.