Any of these would make an excellent 6th pair...

By 6th pair, I don't mean shoes in general...I just mean mary janes. For some reason I've always had a fascination with them and actually had to make a conscious effort to not buy any more for a while. But certainly if I had the dough, any of the shoes below from Chie Mihara would make a fantastic addition to my collection.

(top row) Oda Heel $338; Crio Heel $316; Gina Heel $316, (bottom row) Mihara Jane Heel $310; Fina Mary Jane $318; Mihara Gonda Heel $336

Found via Shoewawa

Before we wave goodbye to summer...

From Wet Seal (for the low-low price of $22.50!) comes the Voile Plaid Tube Dress. It just screams that it needs to go on a picnic, no?

Link (found via Catwalk Queen)

Pale foundation, red lipstick and White Christmas

Last night I visited my local Sephora to try out some mineral makeup. I realize that I'm ridiculously behind the times on this one, but honestly until recently I didn't really wear foundation consistently. So far I am liking my purchase of Tarte pressed mineral powder and I am extremely excited about my new Make Up For Ever lipstick (color pictured at left).

While I was perusing the different stop-engine reds, I noticed their ad campaign advertising lipstick being back to the scene and blah blah blah...and then I saw their model for the campaign (pictured left).

Maybe it's just me, but she has quite the odd resemblance to a young Rosemary Clooney, no?

Who's completely excited about an upsurgence of 40's/50's fashion trends? Oh right, that's me.

Fall and Winter are fast approaching

And this year I will be attempting to buy two things to get me through the cold times: a nice swing coat and a pair of boots. Today I've been looking for a coat. Unfortunately, last year I found one of the most fantastic coats ever from Dorothy Perkins and could not buy it because I am not located in the UK (nor do I know anyone who is). Sadly, that coat has now disappeared from the Dorothy Perkins website and I am left with the perfect vision of a funnel-neck, grey, just-to-the-knee, assymetrical-buttoned, fantastic coat that will haunt me forever more.

But it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all, and in that spirit, I am looking for a new coat. The goal is that it can be just about any of the more neutral colors, well-fitted (this in itself is a task because my arms are very long, my hips are rather large, but my waist is relatively small), and classically cut (so no crazy fads that will last but a month). Here is what's been found thus far:

(from left to right) Swing Funnel Coat from Topshop about $131; Black Cotton Snap front belted coat by Genera from Bluefly $179.99; Ameretti coat by Via Spiga from Bluefly $228.99; Tall lady trench from Banana Republic $228; Double-cloth boulevard coat from J. Crew $298 ($308 for tall)

For Jess and other Fairy Tale-loving Fashionistas

This immediately made me think of a recent post on Folk & Fairy about bringing the whimsical into every day life (and still being generally accepted by society, i.e. not wearing your fairy wings to the gas station, etc.). This is the Prarie Underground Cloak Hoodie in truffle by Doe. Although the price is a bit steep ($174), it is made from 100% organic cotton and I love the fact that people are finally starting to change up the normal hoodie.

Link via Outblush

Dresses to make heads turn

I've got a wedding in a couple weeks and I haven't the foggiest what to wear. Definitely want to wear a dress, but I definitely don't want to wear all white or all black. Here's some possibilities:

FUN & FLIRT Shirred Polka Dot Halter Dress $15 from Amazon.com (also comes in red with white polka dots); 50's Rockabilly Black & White Polkadot Halter Sundress $34.99 from Amazon.com; Vintage 70s Rust Hooded Maxi Duster Cloak from Ebay (starting bid $9);

Lux Hollywood Dress $29.99 from Urban Outfitters; Isaac Mizrahi for Target Bateau Neck Pleated Dress $39.99 from Amazon.com;

"I am not a plastic bag"

The newest "it" bag? Nope, not a Louis Vuitton or a Prada...it's a canvas shopper by Anya Hindmark. The bag that's now going on eBay for upwards of $200 is this:

Looks like a normal bag, works like any canvas shopper in that it should be cutting down on plastic and paper waste (provided people will actually use them for their intended purpose rather than carry them alongside their over-flowing Nordstrom paper bag as they scream that they have cash to burn). The problem with this latest "it" bag? It's made in sweatshops. Yes, there's certainly nothing like buying a bag so that you can proclaim that you are going green and supporting unfair labor practices at the same time. The solution? Don't buy the damn Anya Hindmarch bag. Try these out instead:

From left to right:

Proclaim that you did not pay a ridiculous amount of money on eBay for a canvas shopper with this bag from Marissa V. for about $41

From The Container Store, you can keep your shopper with you in case the need arises because this bag folds up into one of those itty bitty pouches that are pictured, only $5 each!

Via The Bag Lady, this 70's-esque imprinted (adorable) tote is $9.70 from Lady Luck Rules OK

Also from The Bag Lady, if you don't want to stand out in the crowd, Uncommon Goods has this shopper made from Tyvek that looks just like a brown paper bag (but is much more strong and durable), $65 - $80

Jaw-dropping

This beautiful dress is the Sunburst Cocktail Dress by Carmen Marco Valvo Couture. The classic silhouette makes the lines of the fabric just pop and scream high class.

$1650 from Saks Fifth Avenue

Simpson goodness

I'm a huge Simpsons fan and am absolutely tickled to see some shots of the most recent Harpers Bazaar:

They make my little Simpson avatar look so plain:

Harpers Bazaar found via CatwalkQueen (picture comparisons found here

Avatar made at the Simpsons Movie official site

RedTango (no, it's not a flavor of Kool-Aid)

I recently purchased this purse (which is hella more pink in real life than this picture) from a small store in Berkley Springs, WV. I am supremely happy with my purchase! It's the perfect size to hold all of my crap (I usually carry an iPod, iPod charger, large cellphone, wallet, and book with me) and is proving to be very durable.

If you have never been to RedTango's site, I suggest that you go now. They have a cute flash animation and lots of merch with the kitty pictured on the purse and other cats. Everything has the 50's-art-deco-retro feel to it.

Link