There’s certain things in life you’ll never forget because of the way they made you feel. A lot of the time, actually most of the time, memories are made for me and remember by outfits…by fashion. I remember what I wore to my first big interview. I remember what I was wearing the first time I met the boy who I thought almost shattered me. I remember what I wore to every graduation, award ceremony, family gathering….or maybe I have Facebook albums that help jog my memory on some of those but if you’re reading this blog you probably know what I mean. Working in the fashion industry clothing has also meant achievement, lust, disguises, and an endless amount of other emotions.

I’ll never forget….

I’ll never forget the way I felt when I saw my first Dries Van Noten dress. It was a beautiful floral silk pattern with incredibly intricate beading that felt was truly unlike anything I had ever seen. Then I just wanted to frame it  a “handle with care” case and stare it until and when I saw a very mighty editor strip down to her under garments to carelessly throw it on for a news segment she’d be doing that evening I oozed with admiration.  What would be years later I found that same dress in a consignment shop at a price I could finally afford from the original and with overly excited shaking hands I bought it. I adored it so much I didn’t even care that it’s a bit too big for me to actually wear. It felt like a reward or achievement for me from how far I’d come from where I’d been….actually, it still does.

I’ll never forget the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac sequin “Smells Like Teen Spirit” dress I drooled and lusted over it for months. Grunge was big that season but Nirvana, and sequins, in a mini shift dress? It felt like a perfect union of my loves that I was jealous I hadn’t birthed myself. Then, when I finally got to hold it in person I was both shocked and terrified by the large sequin clown on the back…. I’m deathly afraid of clowns. I wanted to cry, but I still wanted to love the dress. I felt torn. Oh. Why?

I’ll never forget the first pair of designer shoes I bought on my own and how utterly heartbroken and defeated I was feeling at that point in my life. Those shoes became my disguise in a way. They were the pep in my step, the extra shine and polish to my outfit to distract from my dulled smile. They brought back my confidence, they made me feel brand new, like if I could accomplish THIS, then I’d already come pretty far, and I could keep moving forward. I’m convinced new shoes can help a woman walk away from heartbreak. They bring her back up on her pedestal a few inches…

What’s a memory that you share with your clothing?

I work in an industry where people are praised for being batshit crazy, where they’re not encouraged but plainly expected to have their own unique out of the box ideas to survive, where bold subtle dark light high low feminine masculine androgynous delicate rugged minimal and overwhleming all intertwine into labors of birthed love, where thoughts emotions landscapes dreams and the breathing taking unexplainable come alive…ah yes, it’s fashion

Every once in a while I dig through my closet and am reminded I need to actually wear some of the things I’ve forgotten I tucked away…hey some call it hoarding, I call it collecting. Have you ever convinced yourself yes, I am absolutely going to wear this single item and I WILL revolve an outfit around it! If you said no I’m sorry I think you’re lying, but here’s my problem, ever done it with a necklace? I found this amazing Alexis Bittar necklace my friend gave me a few months ago and realized I hadn’t worn it yet, which to me felt like a serious crime I’d let it go neglected this long. So I swore to myself I would wear it and I am right this very moment. I woke up this morning though in a completely flog clearly due to a combination of not enough sleep and not enough coffee. I am not entirely sure that the rest of my outfit makes any sense whatsoever, actually it’s pretty basic aside from the necklace. I hate that word, basic, it sounds like boring. Today may have been a failed attempt so expect more promising solutions to come from this necklace. I think I’m going to just have to sum today up with one of my favorite positive quotes,” No bird soars too high that flys with it’s own wings.” I’m unsure yet if the verdict is that I’m guilty of basic or whether it really is just enough on it’s own….tough one to judge.

Sometimes when you feel lost the best way to find your way is to rid of the old and let in the new. Being in such a rut meant one thing only…moving on from some of the things in my closet. Go ahead, give yourself a moment to grieve. Sigh. Don’t you every once in a while just wake up and say yourself, “I never wear this!”, “Why did I buy this?”, or the all dreaded, “What was I thinking?” Although I never took it quite that far I did realize that some things in my closet I either bought for the wrong reasons or that they’ve totally had their fair share of time to shine. Blessed be consignment shops and websites where new and gently used merchandise means you can set yourself up to either exchange for something new, put some money in the bank, or save for a new splurge. So alas although these beauties were loved dearly by me they’ve moved on to be adored by someone new who’ll appreciate them and make them feel brand new.

Oh I am oh so very spoiled! A very dear friend of mine had these boots which I completely gushed over when I saw them go down the runway. Jealous much? Absofreakinlutley. When she made a vow to her very pained feet from wearing heels for so many years and because these boots particularly may exceed even 6 inches ( the pictures do not do them justice) she so very very very kindly passed them on to me. She knew I would love the hell out of them and love the hell out of them I did. I am so in love with these Burberry boots that I wore them into a little bit of trouble. Since the bottom of the shoes are so large and heavy they started to separate from the top starting at the heel if you can imagine that…yikes! To revive them I gave them a much deserved vacation and some rest and relaxation. Thankfully a very handy shoe repair man (aka every woman’s like best friend and necessity in life) they are back from the spa and ready to join the group again and party on. Reunited and it feels so good….

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you wake up and think to yourself …internal monologue,” I can’t deal with today, I should go back to bed. Why am I awake right now? It looks like there’s a tornado outside….yes that sounds like a valid excuse, screw this.” …oooor something like that? Pleeease don’t even try to tell me you wake up like Cinderella everyday with perfect hair and the birds are chirping and little mice are running around singing songs and prepping your garments for you….which if you have little mice running around you should consider calling an exterminator and if they’re singing maybe you should lay off the booze/drugs/ hallucinogens- and go see a doctor…or call the Guinness Book of World records or something. Anyway today was absolutely one of those days where I rolled out of bed and needed to just face the music that was booming from my alarm clock, throw it against a wall and get on with it.

Next thought: JEANS. So necessary when running late/in a bad mood/overtired/ and easy to pull out of the dirty laundry. Today however these came fresh from my closet and yep even put a smile on my face. I’ve talked about how denim particularly for some reason ( maybe because they’re usually one of the most worn, longest lasting items in most people’s closets) can make you so nostalgic about the good times you’ve had wearing them. This pair particularly involves a funny story involving the Gansevoort Hotel roof bar, a very handsome football player (don’t sweat it- not going to name you…for now ..haha), and falling asleep in a taxi- and no it doesn’t include anything racy so get your minds out the dirty laundry I won’t be airing out here. Naughty. Sooo like I was saying…. it was refreshing to find these jeans tucked under all the others I wear more frequently and have a laugh when I put them on. A soft shirt, some boots, and one of my bags I’ve used so much that it actually has holes on the top….or was it the mice? …hmmm…another nostalgic clothing moment, they’re a great way to start the day. I guess today won’t be so bad.

Now that it seems to have officially cooled off I’ve been able to introduce leather back into my wardrobe. -And all was right again with the world.- Okay truth be told I may have snuck in these leather shorts a few cool summer nights but it was for the most part a pretty incredibly hot summer so it was a bit of a rarity. The other issue is that I like to pair my leather with more leather….and I didn’t even add in my leather jacket and leather purse in this post! The one piece here that I’ve desperately been waiting to let loose from my closet though would absolutely have to be my Fendi leather bustier. When I saw this piece go down the runway over blouses and beautifully fitted dresses I knew the possibilities (should it ever make it’s way in my wardrobe) would be endless. Over button down shirts as pictures below, not just fitted but flowing loose dresses, even t-shirts, it would instantly add chic badass go ahead and stare yes I’m wearing a leather bustier appeal. Swoon. I don’t even know how I got lucky enough to find one I could purchase but I am ever so grateful I did. Here’s the introduction with some more to come…

In a previous post I showed you this top and purse that I find during some of my vintage adventures. While considering how I could possibly pair them together I came across this T by Alexander Wang dress that looked like it would seriously tie the two together in a beautiful and unexpected way. I definitely will be wearing this to one of the holiday parties I have coming up! So as promised see how it all came together…..

Top & purse- vintage, dress- T by Alexander Wang