Two for the Road: 12/7/09

Date: 12/7/09

Bag: Rafe canvas vertical tote

Shoe: Naturalizer black leather motorcycle boot

Worn with: Simply Vera by Vera Wang scribble sleeveless tunic with black jet bead neck detail, Plenty by Tracy Reese black long sleeve tunic top, Forever 21 black leggings, American Apparel black fleece mini skirt

Yes, I'm rockin' Naturalizer boots and I love 'em. I got these at a Brown Shoe press breakfast and ever since I took them back to my office, I promoted the crap out of them. For one thing, these boots were comfy. But they were also really stylish, practical, with a fabulous lug sole, perfectly rounded pointed toe and two simple silver buckles that weren't showy, flashy, western in styling in that tacky Donald J. Pliner way. No offense but I have never met a DJP shoe that I have thought was editorial or something I would carry in my boutique. I know they're a huge retail moneymaker; but retail sales don't necessarily mean fashionable and stylish. I'm just sayin'. Sorry. But give me a well made Naturalizer boot and let's just say my editor-in-chief asked for a pair as well as my assistant at the time (shout out to my L'il Fleege). Editors stopped me asking me where I got my boots. And the best was when Hal Rubenstein, one of my colleagues at the mag, asked me if my fantastic boots were from Chanel. CHANEL! Can you believe it? Naturalizer boots disguised as Chanel! Then the Rafe bag is another freebie editor gift; my friend Vicky carried hers a lot and it was in a different color combo that was very chic as well. This bag has been in my wardrobe for a very long time and it's a great bag for a laptop and magazines. Really functional and just plain awesome. Go Rafe! I am wearing some Vera from Kohl's, my stand by AA merch and a great long sleeved top from Plenty, bought at the Tracy Reese shop on Hudson Street in the West Village.

Two for the Road: 10/28/09

Date: 10/28/09

Bag: Nancy Gonzalez hunter green crocodile tote

Shoe: Joie black leather over the knee double zip boot

Worn with: Free People animal print long sleeved dress, American Apparel long cardigan, Forever 21 black leggings

It was my first day back at work after missing 5 days in a row due to a killer cold/flu. It's also the first of many days I will be sporting these new boots from Joie. Even though they are brand new to the store and brand new to my closet, they are quickly becoming a classic. The perfect go-to boot. I wore them with my animal print sweatshirt-weight cotton dress (a fave of mine that I picked up at Bloomie's right before taking off to Europe one season), my handy-dandy cotton cardigan from AA (I love the contrast beige buttons) and my usual black leggings. The "eyes" in the animal print on the dress are an emerald green; so yes, I matched back the green to my tote: my Nancy Gonzalez crocodile one (large enough to fit my laptop), a gift from Santiago Gonzalez, Nancy's son, PR-magnet, President and spokesperson and general bon vivant. I wonder how Santi is. Last I remember him, he was being über-fabulous at the Plaza Athénée in Gay Paree, with Nina Garcia and the gang...oh, the days of being a fashion editor with a giant expense account...

I'm not the only one who is sporting the new Joie boots. Cygne, shown here, was wearing hers the same day (and has been addicted to them since getting them a couple weeks ago). They have this great, contrast gray lining that folds over that makes them really versatile...she's wearing them with her new Botkier Rio tote.

Two for the Road: 10/15/09

Date: 10/15/09

Bag: Chanel black quilted with white stitching and long silver chain shoulder strap

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik gray flannel with black rope detail

Worn with: Madison Marcus black sleeveless shift, Aqua gray cashmere with black piping, Forever 21 black leggings, Dior black wool scarf

I've been away from the store...playing a little hooky as of late so haven't had outfits to blog. But I have to admit I forgot to take my photo on 10/14/09 so will have to rewear that outfit another day. The bag is from a Chanel sample sale from long ago. The shoes are also from a Manolo Blahnik sample sale held twice yearly where pretty much every shoe is $100 a pair. I think I've gotten at least a 1/2 dozen if not more Manolos that way. The dress is from Talulah G, a boutique in Las Vegas that I adore. This one was from their Red Rock outpost. The cashmere sweater is from Bloomingdale's in NYC and the scarf was a gift at the DIOR fashion show from "28 Février 2006" at "Le Grand Palais" (both were embroidered in black on the black scarves and were with our Run of Show program on the cold metal bleachers in the very, cold, restored Grand Palais). They kept our butts warm and then made a great wrap for every day, planes, you name it.

Two for the Road: 10/7/09

Date: 10/7/09

Bag: Marc Jacobs ivory tote

Shoe: Miu Miu python and metallic leather kitten heel

Worn with: Ralph Lauren Polo button down, Sonia Rykiel cashmere sweater, H&M bubble skirt, Forever 21 leggings

I've had a few days off from the store and it's been nice to have a brief respite from logging my outfits. I didn't realize how much work is involved in putting together these looks but I am enjoying the process of weeding through my closet. Soon I think I'll be able to purge many things. Anyway, I digress...

The bag is the only MJ one I own. I have never been a huge MJ bag fan; I find them to be way too heavy for my liking. The PR folks at Marc Jacobs (or should I be more specific, at KCD, their PR agency) were always really generous at loaning out bags for fashion week. I remember carrying one of the more popular styles (the one with the big coin purse closure that was quilted) and like Cinderella, returning it when the NY-Milan-Paris extravaganza was over. This ivory tote is a classic MJ that they gifted me and I decided that I needed at least one bag from each designer for my archive collection. On the bag is a keychain of gold Louis Vuitton "cherries" from Spring/Summer 2005. The Miu Miu shoes are yet another purchase from Milan fashion week (I guess I really did buy at least one pair of shoes when going to the shows). The sweater is a steal from a sample sale; it's one of my faves. The button down short sleeve window pane patterned shirt is from the Ralph Lauren store on Madison Ave (with my 30% discount). The skirt is from H&M that I got last month and the gray leggings are my latest purchase for $4.50 from Forever 21 at Westroads Mall.