Summer Brights

The weeks before the Spring/Summer collections are unveiled is always an anxious time for me. As anyone who has seen The Devil Wears Prada knows, that "cerulean blue" that shows up on the runway will inevitably make it into every Gap. So, if Miuccia had decided to go with pastels for Spring/Summer, I would be avoiding every store in New York or risk looking like I have jaundice for the season.

Well, apparently, Ms Prada heard my prayers, because she was all about brights and vivid tones for both Miu Miu and Prada this Summer. Not only do I love the color schemes for both of these labels, I actually have lots in my closet that already fits the trend.

Not surprisingly, most of the color in my closet comes from my shoes . . . 

(Sorry for the lack of posts over the past few months! Life has been extremely busy. I was taking classes, I moved, started a new job, went to Paris, painted my apartment . . . you get the idea. The good news is that I have lots of posts in the works and lots of cool new fashion stuff to share!)


(Bright Shoe photos © Littlehouse of Style)

That's so Last Century!

The dress this woman is wearing, as she hangs a poster in Greenwich Village, could be a piece in any modern New York girl's closet. And the photo was taken in the 1920s. That dress would be almost 100 years old today, and I don't think anyone would bat an eye if you wore it out for drinks in today's Greenwich Village.

In fact, I don't think anyone would bat an eye if a dress like that came down the runway at Fashion Week . . . on a model like Karlie Kloss . . . at a Marc Jacobs' show . . . in a Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear collection, for example . . .

I guess some pieces really are timeless . . .

(Flapper photo from the Hulton Archive, Marc Jacobs Spring 2011 runway photo from Style.com)

Tuesday's Style

My friend Rebecca recently wrote to me, "Idea for your blog... what Catherine wears to work M-F... ?? Bad idea? I don't know, but I am curious!" Now, I've known Rebecca since we were 5-years-old, and she's seen many of my more *ahem* interesting outfits over the years. Rebecca, I really hope you didn't request this because you still picture me in a dress-sized t-shirt with a howling wolf on it and a Blossom hat . . .

Monday was a little crazy for me, and it rained, so I didn't get to take photos, so I figured I'd start with Tuesday's outfit. Let's see if I can achieve T– F or at least 3 out of 5.

As many of you know, I'm a graphic designer. So usually work wear means something professional and put-together, but with a little edge that says, "I work in the creative department." I love this dress because the purple zipper gives it a nice spin on a classic tailored look.

All the other parts of the outfit come from the colors that are in the dress– everything is in the blue/purple color family. I do this a lot— pick one piece to build the outfit around. For example, if I decide to wear black and gold heels, I pick out a black dress and gold jewelry and *poof* instant outfit. It's a pretty simple approach to getting dressed in the morning, because who wants to spend 20 minutes figuring out what goes with what, when you could be getting extra sleep?

(Dress: Edge NY NoHo, don't know the designers name . . . , Tights: Emilio Cavallini, Shoes: Prada, Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs)