A Perfect Outdoor Summer Evening (courtesy of Toast)

Toast is having a huge sale right now, and even though the British pound makes items appear less expensive than they are for us Americans, you're still saving a ton.

Combine the following for a fantastic summer evening:


Everything just looks so comfy! I'm really excited for their upcoming fall collection because they never disappoint in that department (although, don't worry, that's the only thing I'm looking forward to for fall, though - this Seattle summer weather has been absolute perfection and I don't want it to leave!).

Happy weekend! We're going camping!

*swoon*
Paige

All items from Toast:
1. Karien Wrap Blanket
2. Gaia Sandal
3. Fine Voile Tunic
4. Bamboo Handle Basket
5. Fire Bowl
6. Handblown Glasses

Looks from Life - Paintbrushes

Today's Looks from Life inspiration comes from one of my favorite up-and-coming photographers, honey.huckabee:

brush.brush.brush.brush.brush by honey.huckabee

Focus on the little bit of shine and the little bit of matte, and you get this dress! A perfect rendering, I must say:

TFNC Tara Zip Dress, approx $74; Dolce & Gabbana Patent Stiletto Pumps, $439

And the black patent leather pump gives the right amount of glossiness, reminiscent of the black ferrule of the paintbrush.

*swoon*
Paige

McQueen's Geometry

Today I wanted to feature this dress from Alexander McQueen's 2010 Resort collection:


It's just so different from other dresses I've seen. Parts of it remind me of an insect's exoskeleton, and other parts remind me of art deco-era detailing. I love the transparent/cut-out sections! Negative space is always key in any art piece, including fashion. McQueen conveys this fact perfectly with this dress.

*swoon*
Paige

Summer Stripes

With the Fourth of July coming up tomorrow, I thought it was appropriate to showcase some cute stripey pieces that channel Old Glory, and liven up any outfit (not to mention they're all rather reasonably priced!).

First there's the navy/gray & white combo:

1. Stripe Puffball Dress, $74; 2. Wooden Handle Clutch, $30; 3. Zebra Scarf, 15GBP;
4. Stripe Bow Tied Flats, $40; 5. Low-Rise Seersucker Shorts, $13; Bandeau Cover-Up via TopShop, $33

And of course, the red & white:

1. Labor of Love Striped Dress, $294; 2. Slouch Bag via TopShop, $50; 3. Striped Origami Dress via TopShop, $58;
4. Stripe Shirred Waist Tunic via TopShop, $33; 5. Stripey Bandeau Bikini via TopShop, $41; 6. Red Stripe Dress, $41

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend, and that you spend as much time outside as possible! (Oh, and remember to be safe with those fireworks!)

*swoon*
Paige

My Newest Crush

I found this photo and my jaw dropped.
I totally crushing on this dress (sorry, Boyfriend):

Calle Stoltz

Seriously, I love it. The color, the way the wide hem floats away from the body, the waistline, the little pleated/ruffly detailing at the top... it's all so perfect in my opinion. But of course, such perfection is impossible to track down or replicate. I tried my very best but I could only come up with these (still) cute options.


Some are obviously very different, but they all capture characteristics of the above dress. If you were to combine all of these together, you would get my major dress crush of the moment.

If anyone does know who the dress is by, please let me know! My guess is that it's way out of my price range, but it would still be wonderful to find out at least a little information about it.

*swoon*
Paige

1. Dorothy Perkins Flutter Scoop Neck Dress
2. Halston Silk Shirt Dress via Net-A-Porter
3. Coral Tie Back Tunic
4. Orange Belted Dress via Browns Fashion
5. Origami Pleat Detail Dress
6. Satin Folded Dress via Karen Millen

The Modern Ball Gown

Okay, somebody needs to have a big, fancy, ball so I can wear this:

Elie Saab Spring 2009 Couture

Or this:

Carolina Herrera Spring RTW

Or this:

Derek Lam Spring 2009 RTW

Who's up for it? Or would any of you in the Seattle area want to put on a fancy (yet inexpensive!) party? I'm completely serious! I love excuses to dress up!

*swoon*
Paige

Preen - Resort 2010

I've got a routine CT scan this morning to monitor my cancer-free status so you'll have to wait for Thrifted Thursday until later this afternoon.

For now, feast your eyes on these pretty things from Preen's 2010 Resort collection:


Wish me luck!

*swoon*
Paige

A Thakoon Summer

The Thakoon Resort 2010 line is so bright and perfectly summer (using "summer" as an adjective, of course), especially these pieces:




They remind me of a combination of impressionist painting and Rohrschach inkblot tests. I can imagine throwing the third one over a bathing suit, heading to the beach for the day, and then out for a nice dinner afterward.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

*swoon*
Paige

Looks from Life - Dandelion

The photograph on the right of the dandelion (by kiddishlycute) has been in my favorites file on Flickr for quite some time now. I stumbled upon this dress from Christian Dior's Spring Couture 2009 line yesterday and realized it captures the dandelion perfectly:



Her hips wavers slightly, like the flower's stem; and who could ignore that tufted, feathery hat?

Oh, how I love when fashion and nature collide!

*swoon*
Paige

Chloe - Summer RTW 2009

Chloe has always been a favorite of mine (even the perfume bottles are gorgeous!), and this summer's ready-to-wear line only emphasized my love for the company.


The look above is probably my favorite in the entire collection. I would love to wear it on a hot summer's day, lounging around the house with all the windows flung open!




Metallic touches, like the bow above, keep it from being too dull.



The color palette alone is to die for (surprisingly fall-like in places), and the various detailing - such as the scalloped edges, and the belt-like bows - are perfectly sweet.

*swoon*
Paige

On Safari

One look that was subtly interspersed throughout the various 2009 Resort collections this year was the always-classic khaki safari dress... but with a few twists:

ADAM

Badgley Mischka

Derek Lam

Doo.Ri

Louis Vuitton

Luca Luca

Moschino

Ports 1961

I have a greenish-toned 1970's safari dress from my mom which I plan on updating for this summer! I plan on combining it with a thick belt, floppy hat, large sunglasses, and espadrilles. Maybe even a glamorous gauzy scarf.

Have you ever tried this look? If you can get your hands on any version, definitely try it out. It goes with nearly everything!

*swoon*
Paige

Diane and Her Technicolor Dream Dress

I would love to have this dress in my summer wardrobe. It's got a great '70s feel to it, and that huge tote completes the look perfectly! Belting it is also a fantastic style choice.

Diane von Furstenberg, Resort 2009

*swoon*
Paige

Thirfted Thursday - BCBG Gown

This is one of my most favorite thrifted items. Ever. Not just because it's absolutely gorgeous and well-made, but because it was probably the best deal I will ever come across in my lifetime.

Personally, living in Los Angeles was a bit rough, especially after I was so accustomed to lush and compact Seattle (if you have never been to L.A. let me tell you it is entirely based on car culture because everything is so darned sprawled out!); however, there were a few perks...

...such as the fantastic Fairfax flea market once a month. Somehow I only managed to go once but the memory will stay with me for the rest of my life in the form of this dress:


I had been searching everywhere for the perfect dress to wear to The Boyfriend's company's 2007 holiday party. I thought I had found one (a brown, ruched, satiny cocktail dress), but felt it was just too casual for such a fancy affair (it was, after all, at the Fairmont Hotel in Downtown Seattle).

One Sunday, a few weeks before I would be flying to Seattle for the party (I'm really not a jet-setting socialite, I swear), some friends and I decided to take the drive into L.A. and go to the flea market. Once we arrived, we spent some time perusing the wares, but nothing really screamed "You need to buy me." It was an entertaining trip, but after a couple of hours we were ready to go.

We were on our way out when I noticed a rack of long coats and dresses and popped over to take a look. I immediately spotted two dresses, one vintage-but-not-too-cute dress, which I passed up, and another, which I new I had to have. To by disbelief, it had never been worn. The original tag was still on it - with the original price: BCBG Max Azria, $496


I nearly gasped. I nonchalantly turned to the shopkeeper and asked him how much he would take for it. He said his wife had just gone on her break, but that she said one of the dresses was $150, and the other was $50. "I'll give it to you for fifty."

I tried to contain my excitement. Sure, the "ugly" one was vintage, but definitely not worth $150. To this day I'm sure he had confused the two. All I had with me was $50, so it must have been meant to be.

*swoon*
Paige

P.S. At the party, I got compliments on my dress all night long! Little did they know it was a steal!

Mellow Yellow

Just as the meteorologists predicted, the rains have returned to Seattle. And just as I had predicted, my mood has definitely been affected. Perhaps my pouting is just hormonal (sorry, gents), but I had really started to think that the constant sunshine the past week or so was a sign that summer was near. Sadly, this rain has washed away my optimism like sidewalk chalk.

Yesterday evening, while waiting for the bus, I tried to cope as best I could by taking in a good dose of color: standing under my bright yellow, duck-handled umbrella, savoring my last piece of yellow candied ginger (left over from my disaster-turned-delicious cupcakes last week), and hoping I would get just a peek of some yellow sun through the cracks in the clouds.

It helped a little, but I would have preferred to have looked down to find myself wearing these yellow lovelies. Yes, I know these would definitely cheer me up instantly:


*swoon*
Paige

1. Zac Posen sleeveless picot-trim dress
2. Diane Von Furstenberg Tasha tunic dress
3. Jason Wu silk embroidered shift dress
4. Twenty8Twelve Monette A-line silk dress
5. Catherine Malandrino cotton petal-detail dress

Looks from Life - Stove Burner

Today's Look from Life title may have you a bit puzzled, but I found this photograph of a stove burner and immediately fell in love with the contrast of grit and grunge and the bright, shiny white enamel:

Tick-tick-tick-tick by Tian

How do you turn this image (in need of some serious Mr. Clean) into an outfit?


The heavy, dark grey-green cotton of the dress has the same weighty feeling as the grit on the stove. While I'm generally not a huge fan of booties, I think I could handle these; plus, the strappy cut-outs echo to the gas flame holes of the stove. For the white enamel, I chose a beige belt with white patent leather and silver detailing. The beaded clutch might otherwise be considered too dainty, and not fit in at all; but it has a beaded, "gritty" texture to it, and the colors tie in with the belt, making it feel like it actually belongs. This look could use a bit more of a brownish gray, though. How about a cardigan when it gets chilly at night?

Happy Friday!

*swoon*
Paige

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Greek Dress
Nude teardrop clasp waist belt
Booties (via geekshoes.com)
Vintage beaded clutch (via shopcurious.com)

Looks from Life - Light

I came across the photo below awhile back, and just recently found the accompanying dress in Jaeger London's Spring 2009 ready-to-wear collection. The concept of light is truly amazing, not just for how it brightens dark corners, but for how it floats through the air, and how it really is made up of many different colors like the dress below (have you ever played with a prism?).

Patience by PavlaEva; Dress by Jaeger London, Spring 2009 RTW
(click picture to enlarge)

*swoon*
Paige

Orange Love

I've always had a soft spot for orange, even before I attended my alma mater, whose colors are orange and white. I love the pinky-oranges, the red-oranges, the tangerines, and the burnt siennas. There are many (many) people who are absolutely terrified of this color, but I always enjoy a little orange highlight during fall to brighten up the typical browns and grays, or even the shock of an entirely orange dress to spice up those hot summer nights!

The only orange dress I own is one I purchased last summer at a little boutique called Dream in Fremont, a fun neighborhood north of downtown Seattle. Despite it's vibrant color it is the most versatile summer dress I have ever owned. I was able to dress it up to attend a friend's wedding, but also wore it on casual trips downtown, and I can always throw a cardigan over my shoulders when the evenings get chilly.

The dresses below are all from various Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear collections. Oh, how I wish I could afford these pieces!

Basso & Brooke

BCBG Max Azria

BCBG Max Azria

Chris Benz

Lanvin

Monique Lhuillier

Monique Lhuillier

Oscar de la Renta

Valentino (via coco+kelley)

How have you worked orange into your wardrobe? Have you ever dared to wear an entirely orange outfit like the ones above?

It may be a bit daunting, but give orange a try! After all, as Frank Sinatra once said, "Orange is the happiest color."

*swoon*
Paige

Looks from Life - Perfume Bottles

Scientists say that smell is the strongest sense linked to memory. To this day, I can walk into my first grade classroom and it still smells the same; or I will catch a whiff of someone and they smell nearly identical to my first crush. Funny how just a quick inhalation can trigger such strong memories.

Now that warmer weather is on its (slow) return back to Seattle, I'm more likely to wear perfume. Whenever I put it on, it immediately puts me in a good mood. Maybe it's because I'm already in a better mood due to the weather, who knows. But a spritz of my favorite fragrance always brightens my day.

I wish I could say that I were judging today's looks from life based on smell, but to be honest, I picked these perfume bottles because I think they are absolutely beautiful!

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle; Miu Miu

Chloe; Jasmine De Milo

Guerlain Vol de Nuit; Ella Moss

The Body Shop, Vanilla Eau de Toilette; Bottega Veneta

24, Faubourg, Hermes; Giambattista Valli

Which combination is your favorite? Have you tried any of these fragrances?

*swoon*
Paige