♥ a wedge issue.

via jak & jil.

it has been years since i have worn a pair of wedges, and i believe that this year it is time to put an end to this self induced act of self deprivation.

"why would i give up wedge sandals and shoes?" you might ask.

"they are so much more comfortable to walk in than heels," you might say.

"they add height but the sloping effect makes your foot look smaller," you may add.

and to each of these comments, i would have to nod my head in agreement, but play the one card that trumps all of these statements: and that is, the boyfriend card. he hates them!

he says they make women look trashy and inordinately tall. and for the longest time, i have sort of agreed, but with the recent resurgence of fabulous wedges in every color, size, shape, not to mention the fact that they are now toeless, and strappy and studded, and still so much easier to walk in (on cobblestones especially) i have to agree with r. kelly when he says,

"my mind is telling me no. but my body, my body's telling me yes," because this spring, everything in my being is saying yes to wedges.

yes.

yes.

HELL YES.

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do you ever choose to wear something even after people (whose opinion is important to you)

tell you that they don't like it? is it more important for you to feel true to yourself or for you to feel like you look good to your significant other?

♥ 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.

source.

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....

source.

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.

♥ what she liked was simply life.

i am a big sucker for stationery, so you can imagine why i would love this candy-colored collection of she notebooks and cards,which have just about the simplest, most encouraging messages on them. they make me say yes to life.

♥ you can only perceive real beauty in a person as they grow older.

timothy always jokes that i am going to grow up to look like boston socialite & former fashion retailer, marilyn reisman, who if you are not familiar with is never seen without her signature full face of kabuki makeup and blunt black bob.

i have actually passed by her on more than one occasion at a number ofevents in the boston design center, and i have to say that living to a ripe old age of 80+ while maintaining my own sense of style like the inimitable ms. reisman seems like a pretty lucky fate to me!

when she was named one of boston's 25 most fashionable people in 2006, she described her style, "i like to have a total look. it has to all go together. it has to have the right proportions. it has to spell "you." it has to portray indepdenence and individuality and that i'm not a follower. no one's ever accused me of being a follower." she is certainly a woman after my own heart.

on a similar note, the new york times magazine recently featured advanced style,

a blog completely devoted to the personal style of new york's most stylish and creative elders.

according to blogger, ari cohen, "my eyes have always been drawn to older people and from a style point of view, i find them more interesting because they are of an age where they don't

have to impress anyone and can wear what they want." now that is a perspective i can get behind!

what i have learned so far in my twenty six years,

(and what i have heard repeated many times on movies and in boooks)

is that who we are as children is the same as who we are as adults,

so develop your personal style now, my darling readers,

it is something that no amount of time can take away from you.

♥ i always believed that paradise would be some kind of library.

what is my favorite scene in disney's beauty & the beast, you ask?

why, it is the scene where the beast bestows one of the most

amazing gift upon the bright eyed belle: his entire library.

{ jealous!! }

although i do agree that one should never judge a book by its cover,

i also believe that it is ok to judge a person by the number and

breadth of books that they have in their library.

my apartment is literally littered with literature;

configurations of books are stacked everywhere serving

both utilitarian and decorative purposes.

here are some libraries that i think would easily rival the beast's:

if this were my bedroom, i would never leave. source.

books in the rafters. what a grand use of small space. source.

books in the fireplace. so farenheit 451. source.

also, love the vertical book stacks, source.

which are held together with the help of a sapien bookcase.

love this glamorous book display. source.

i believe that book shelves should double as mini art installations. source.

or be completely over the top like this

alicia martin streaming book installation.

sooo inspired by this anthropologie store display.

i totally might nail a few novels to my ceiling tonight...

i love this genius stack chair, although i feel that

its more about the concept and less about comfort.

this trompe l'oeil style stacked paperback wallpaper

and genuine fake bookshelf from artist, deborah bowness

are my own personal brand of eye candy!!

if only they were scratch and sniff...

which is why i must have:

in the library perfume,

made for those of us who agree that there is nothing more

wonderful than the scent of a much loved book.