♥ kandee girl.

they say "actions speak louder than words" but i like to think

that good accessories speak even louder--especially if they have lips of their own!

how cheeky are these shoes and bags from british brand, kandee shoes?

methinks i need all of them!! (click pictures for links)

♥ that time i went to take outfit pictures and got fancy pictures of my head instead.

my bbf (best blogger friend!) lei ann and i ventured out onto the roof of the bloomingdale's 

parking lot the other day to get some good outfit shots. but when we got up there, 

it was hella windy!! we could barely take off our coats! (see lei ann's shots here!)

when i got home and took a look at the photos, i found the ones of my hair

whipping around were far more interesting than the ones of me cringing in the cold

in my #allblackeverything. do head pictures count as an outfit post?? haaaaa

♥ TRILLFIT VOL. 5: BRUNCH + BURN, COMING JAN 31ST!

for it's first installment in the new year, TRILLFIT, a fitness movement that focuses on

 beat-driven sweat sessions that celebrate diversity and hip hope culture, will be hosting

a wellness day party at Boston's newly renovated hotel commonwealth 

on january 31st.

the event will include a 60-minute yoga session with the inspiring yogi, LadyDork,

with musical accompaniment by TRILLFIT'S in-house DJ, Nick Bishop,

followed by a TRILLFIT signature workout with amazing dancer, Melisa Valdez.

 and then followed up with a braid bar from beautylynk

as well as a healthful brunch and day party! LOVE!!

while i have been lucky to have been invited to attend an event by TRILLFIT

 founder, Heather C. White the scheduling gods have been against me at 

every turn. i am hoping that one day the stars align and i can go make

a fool out of myself on behalf of this blog ;)

until then, i will share some of my picks for what i would wear if i 

were to attend one of the TRILLFIT events:

maybe one of these motivating stylestalker sports bras?

they're sold out on shopbop- but we have them at bloomies now!

click pictures for links :)

these fitness accessories from ban.do make me laugh-

and express my feelings exactly!!

so whether you're into burning or brunching (or both!)

check out next week's TRILLFIT! you will love :)

get tickets here!

♥ an interview with kat maconie.

in only a few short weeks, UK shoe magnate Kat Maconie will bring her eclectic and

 colorful footwear to the US. her latest colleciton of geometic heels and silhouettes are

 influenced by the 60's and 70's, with over 80 styles ranging from $187-$287. 

i had the opportunity to ask kat a few questions about her transition to the states,

her inspiration, and her favorite shoes (!!) here's what she had to say:

A Glimpse of Glamour: Where and when will Kat Maconie shoes be available in the US?
Kat Maconie: From 5 February (my birthday ;-)!)

AGOG: Your shoes are advertised as a mix of fashion and function, comfort and luxury-- can you speak to how your experience as a woman has influenced the way you design shoes for women?
KM: My shoes are for women who live similar life styles to me- city girls who always need an extra 10 minutes in the day and end up running from meeting to dog walk to after work drinks to a dinner party! My shoes are designed for women on the go, women who live fast lives and who want shoes that stand out, that are design lead, but don't come with crazy high designer price tags; they are to be loved and lived in!

AGOG: I see that you graduated from London College of Fashion. When did you know that you wanted to focus sole-ly (pun intended!) on shoes?
KM: I attended evening classes at London College of Fashion- it was a purely shoe design focused course. I was working on the buying team at Whistles while attending classes and so I got the design experience by night and the business experience by day.

AGOG: You starter your label in 2009 with simple ballet flats- how did your shoe designs evolve over the past six years?
KM: The original concept was pumps that looked like ballet flats, but felt like sneakers. The creativity was a little limiting though and so the collections quickly evolved into platforms, flatforms and high heels, always keeping in mind the core principle of being wearable- with insoles cushioned for that slightly later-than-intended night ;-)

AGOG: Your latest collections have a 60's and 70's feel to it- where do you look for inspiration with each new collection?
KM: Inspiration can come from anywhere, but my design team and I get alot of inspiration from our own travels. It could come from a range of things such as artists that are currently exhibiting in London to Game Boy games such as tetris! We are inspired when we wander around the Victoria & Albert Museum and when we wander around hardware stores for interesting metal details. Our AW16 print is inspired by a little metal dancing man brooch that I found in an antique shop in LA.




AGOG: What is your process for choosing colors each season?
KM: Colour is a key to our collections and something I love. (My kitchen is canary yellow and Memphis print and my bathroom is electric pink!) We attend lots of leather and trim markets in Milan and China. We normally fall in love with a number of swatches we have sourced at the fairs and then we construct the colour pallet around this, linking it back to the season's inspiration and collection.

AGOG: Where do you source your materials for your shoes?
KM: We spend a week in Italy and China each season, finding the lovely soft leathers and special, newly developed designs, my creative director and I always come back with suitcases of references!

AGOG: Walk me through your shoe design process- do you sketch the shoes first? Is there a prototype made? What are the standards that the shoe must meet in order to become a reality?
KM: We start with a starting point for inspiration. We take future trends we love and apply these to the collections, taking best sellers and giving them a fresh new update along with brand new creations. It is so important we keep each season fresh and new. Our buyers want ot see the range evolving each season, so it is important that new and special touches are injected into each collection. We then put all the designs onto Illustrator and manipulate pattern pieces and colour until we are happy with the collection. We then edit the range to create a balance in all product areas. The specs are then sent to the factory. I then fly to Hong Kong and get the ferry over to the factory In China where I work on the first prototypes, making corrections. Once the range is perfect, we product the final samples to sell from. There are many restrictions. The foot creates alot of complications when designing! Straps cannot be too thin or heels too high, especially in our case, we always keep wearability at the heart of each shoe- however high or bold.

AGOG: What is your most popular style? What is your favorite pair?
KM: This changes from season to season- during the day I will normally wear a pair of Megs (our classic court we repeat season to season and are super comfy) with a pair of rolled up boyfriend jeans and a chunky knit. I am currently LOVING my square toe ankle boots, Adeline- they make your legs look way longer than they actually are!

AGOG: Tell me about your collaborations from runways to Nasty Gal!
KM: Each seaosn, we work with London Fashion Week designers and often New Gen winners such as Ashley Williams and Roberta Einer, who is one to watch this season. We love coming up with fresh designs to complement their new cutting edge collections. We have also worked with Fyodor Golan for many seasons. We love their bold use of colour and imagination- they always push creatively to the max, and we always end up developing shoes for them that we never thought possible! We love working with Nasty Gal- we both love a strong, confident woman whose is looking for something special and different.

AGOG: Tell me about your 2016 plans for expansion to handbags and accessories- what will this entail?
KM: Each bag is made from the high spcec sumptuous leather, in a pop colours with signature  gold hardware. Each is very design-lead but with an accessible price point.

♥ my favorite products from lush!!!

while i would never count myself as one of those moms who buys organic-

 i have become hooked on lush products recently, and love the way they have 

added an element of healthfulness and freshness to my daily routine!

for those of you who are not familiar with the brand- the products are 

100% vegetarian, 83% vegan and 60% preservative-free. they are created without

animal-testing, made from fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, and are packaged in

recycled plastic tubs, with labels that include expiration dates and pictures

of the people that actually made them! 

on top of all that- lush products are so much FUN. 

remember when you were a kid and bath time was something to look forward to??

well, with the endless variety of bath bombs, bubble bars and shampoo bars,

lush provides one of the best ways to luxuriate after a long day at work,

or a cold day in the snow (or both!) 

here are a few of my favorite things:

(click images for product links!)

bubblegum lip scrub: are your lips chapped from harsh winter winds or (in my case)

from wearing too much lipstick? well, look no further than this sugary scrub that not

only helps to slough off that extra rough lip layer, but also tastes delicious 

while doing so! 

mask of magnaminty: this ultimate face mask can be used weekly to exfoliate and

re-freshen skin. it feels tingly on the skin and smells sublime. the thick, rough

texture feels so right on your face.

big sea salt shampoo: the lather! the lather! 

whether you use this or the shampoo bars, you will not get over the bubbles

that come from even the smallest hint of product. i am obsessed with the way this

shampoo makes my hair feel and smell and look.  in love.

sympathy for the skin hand & body lotion:

OMG. this lotion is soft and lovely. it's made from bananas-- BANANAS!!!

 i lather myself in it every night before going to sleep and every morning,

and i never tired of the smell or texture. you NEED this.

ps. i was not provided with any of these samples and have written about 
lush purely out of my own obsession with the brand :)

♥ as you are: a poem by the possessed poet.

But I don’t want to be normal.. even if I can be. Whatever I keep losing by being different is no loss.

Take me as I am or walk out the door. 

Free yourself and others by speaking your heart, but more essentially by “being” your heart.

Whatever you’ll express and be will either draw solid walls or break them.  

We’re not all meant to click together, smell the same odors, feel the rareness of magic. 

Do not fear rejection, fear the mask.

Searching for the cure to your wounded soul? Climax on being who you are.

my friend. elissa, writes gorgeous poetry.

this poem in particular struck a chord because it

is such a celebration of being different,

that i had to share. 

i think this year, i will definitely work harder

to speak my heart, and to be it.

♥

♥ the new gucci is EVERYTHING.

these bags are KILLING IT.

these rings are SICK.

and these shoes are irreverent AF.

(click pictures for sources.)

i want ALL OF IT!!

check out their beautiful new website & inspirational instagram too!

♥ how to beat the winter blues: accessorize the $%^* out of your outerwear.

the freezing temperatures are finally upon us, and with that comes the utilitarian layers of down

and fur and fleece that keep our bodies warm, the boots that we may not want to wear because 

of how basic they look, but in the light of a cold morning feel like a necessary evil, 

and don't even get me started on the dickies!!

while we may not have a choice over how puffy we look in our puffer coats,

 at the very least- let's try to put on some pink lipstick and a few exciting 

accessories and forget about how everything else looks.

today i am pairing my vintage, fur-collared coat with a few new favorites:

kate spade sunnies (c/o visionworks)

stupid love pink lipstick from melt cosmetics

bird cage-veil beanie from aqua (similar!)

♥ fun at THE PAINT BAR !!

last month, i met my girl, lei ann, at the paint bar on newbury street for a 

midori sour event that involved sipping yummy lime green cocktails,

while decorating ornaments and wine glasses with holiday-themed splendor!

having only heard about painting parties from my friends and sisters, who

have all come home with artwork that immediately screams, 

>>>"oh, you went to one of those events"<<<<

 i went into the paint bar with an anti-basic b*tch mentality- but after sitting down 

in the warm glow of  all these happy strangers, coming together for the mutual enjoyment of 

making art, eating yummy appetizers, and sharing in each other's company, my cynical grinch 

heart began to grow and i saw what all the hype was about!!

i made some awesome fabulous new friends to boot! 

(hey heleena & tamy faye!)

♥ MORE. IS. MORE.

maybe it has something to do with the size of my BIG round head,

but tiny, slender pendants have never done anything for me,

which is why my philosophy, when it comes to accessorizing,

 has always been: 

the BIGGER the BETTER.

with that said, you can imagine why i have been obsessing over the

 one-of-a-kind, playfully nostalgic creations from french costume/fashion/ 

jewelry designer anne-sophie cochevelou. 

these veritable works of wearable art would have me smiling all day! LOVE!

(click each picture for details!)

♥ one of many resolutions: eat more soup!!!

winter is the season of soup- or "choup" as henry calls it!

(it's a combination of "chip" and "soup"-- two of his favorite things to eat!)

with the cold weather actually here, i thought there was no better time 

to get down to cooking up a warm batch of delicious lentil soup.

one of my favorite recipe books is definitely isa chandra moskowitz's 

appetite for reduction, which has hundreds of easy vegan recipes made

with simple ingredients (most of which i keep on hand!)

this year, i want to get better at making soups because:

1) they're easy. duh! ( do i look like i have time??)

2) they're filling! (you can eat alot without feeling guilty/bloated!)

3) they pack a punch of vitamins when you fill them with vegetables!

4) my uncle made the best soups in the world, and i must do my best to honor 

his memory and keep the soup-making tradition alive in my family!

5) nick is a meat-eater (but is vegetarian by association!), and he will totally

 get on board with any soup that i try. and he's very good with spices :)

6) i still don't have a "go-to" recipe for anything. and it makes me feel like a bad mom,

maybe soup could be my thing??? 

7) did i mention how easy they are?

there you have it, my reasons behind why i will make the task of trying new soups 

more often (and share them with you!) and also, the recipe:

♥ new year, new dress.

hello, hello, and happy new year!!

it's 2016. a fresh start. a time to wipe the proverbial sleight clean and

make good on promises you made to yourself long ago.

with that said, i want to hold up my part of the bargain with this blog, 

and actually share some of what i am wearing with you--

when i am not bedecked in black on black on black (due to my work uniform!), 

or covered in peanut butter (due to my mom uniform!) you will probably find me 

in this amazing dress, from the makers at morf fashion. 

cleverly stitched with layers of stretchy cotton and nary a zipper or fastener in sight-

this frock flips and unfolds into multiple colored dresses within the blink of an eye!

-- just watch and see for yourself!

i put together some of my favorite iterations, but as you can tell, there is no 

wrong way to wear this piece. it is easy to wash, comfortable to wear,

and pretty simple to accessorize. AND it comes in size xs-xxl,

so everyone can wear it :)

accessories:

beanie: aqua (similar), bracelet: vince camuto, bangle betsey johnson (old), 

belt: h&m (similar)

accessories:

cat ears: forever 21 (old), blanket scarf: target, baby: stylist's own :)

ps. want your own??  use the code "DRESSME" to get it for just $120!

(it usually retails for $150)

pps. check out the morf shirt-- which offers 24 astounding ways to wear it! :)

headpiece: cultgaia

* morf fashion sent me this dress for review, but all thoughts

and opinions expressed are my own! thank you for supporting

that brands that partner with a glimpse of glamour! *