Prim and Polished

By now I think I’ve well established my love of all things leggy, but, there is a time and place for everything. Sometimes a demure knee-length skirt and an equally restrained blouse are what’s called for. For example, if you’re planning a corporate merger or lecturing in a hallowed hall of higher learning. My lavender wool skirt, a Cornell Collins original, and Forever 21 blouse convene atop an Aldo pump worth parading. I’ve tucked all this hair up and away in a modified chignon for added sartorial impact and just like that, I feel a steely if feminine confidence. (This is where I conjure my imagined alter ego who is crushing it in the worlds of both finance and academia.) If you’re wed to a certain skirt length, I say mix it up a little! You might be surprised by the way it changes your walk, your talk, and your plans for the immediate and perceived future.

With love,

Amanda

More to love… Herve Leger cage stitch skirt; A.L.C. skirt; Forever 21 chiffon top; Manolo Blahnik Pumps

Flights of Fancy

Couture! What’s it all about? Why, it’s about everything that fashion can be in the extreme. It’s about the most luxurious and meticulously crafted thing you could ever put on your beautiful body. It’s about French artisans and hyper-specialized craftsmen and women. And it’s about time I got to go to see the couture presentations. I’ve always wanted to experience first hand these flights of fashion fancy, but it’s a dream that’s yet to come true. Alas. Until then I’ll wear things like this little Lanvin number (ok, it’s Lanvin for H&M) in homage, and celebrate from a distance the wild and wonderful creations that are, at this very moment, parading down catwalks and around salons at the Paris Haute Couture shows. Chanel, Elie Saab, Giambattista Valli, they’re all in the throws of last minute prep before revealing their most decadent designs to a worldwide audience. I’ll be watching with wide eyes, much enthusiasm, and high hopes for my couture moment-still-to-come.

With love,

Amanda

More to love… MLM Label off shoulder dress; Rochas ballerina dress; Self-Portrait high neck lace dress

Menswear

Paris, if it seems as though I’m always looking for reasons to talk about it, well, you’d be right. And here again, I have a very good one! The Paris Menswear shows are underway in the City of Light. Yippee! And so, in honor of the testosterone-heavy occasion, I’m having a Ruby Rose by way of Madeline menswear moment. This jacket was custom made in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for my father many moons ago (in the 1960s to be precise). It’s the top half of a rather spiffy blue pinstriped tropical wool suit and I love it. The oversized silhouette lends just the right amount of laissez-faire to make it oh-so-casually cool, and a tiny mini skirt and shiny oxford shoe provide the necessary girly touches. Now I’m off to scroll through loads of images of handsome men in stellar designer clothes. All in a day’s work!

With love,

Amanda