Friday, July 29, 2011

Pleats Please









skirt: gift / vest: H&M / shoes: Steve Madden / bag: H&M

This is the pleated skirt that I received as a belated birthday gift…ain’t it grand? This afternoon I’m headed to New Haven’s Flights of Fancy shopping event … I plan to get all fancied up and act very fancy.

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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Big News!!!!

Big news people, I made a hair appointment for this Saturday to chop off all my hair and have it colored. I mentioned a month or so ago that every summer I get really frustrated with the insane heat and humidity in Connecticut and usually wind up cutting my hair short. Well last week’s heat wave totally broke me and so it’s off to the stylist for me! And, in the interests of really mixing things up, I haven’t colored my hair for over six months (as you can see in the photos below where my lighter colored roots (aka, my skunk stripe) are really coming in) and, now that most of a the dark hair dye has come out I plan to color it a reddish shade. So stay tuned!









Pants: Express / velvet tank: INC via Macy’s / shoes: Keds / cardigan: Zara / purse: Roxy

In other big news (THIS IS HUGE), a long unenforced Parisan law bearing women from wearing trousers in public (passed in 1799) may soon be repealed. That's right people, it will soon be legal to wear pants in public for ladies. Ah, progress!

And finally, did anyone get in on Gilt Groupe's sale of the Banana Republic Mad Men capsule collection? I was drooling over some of the pieces (hello leopard accents) but I am happy to report that I was very good saver and stuck to my shopping ban.





Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Things that Sparkle: A Product Review

I am lucky to have a lot of close female friends and family members in my life – from best friends to sisters-in-law to cousins, I have a great many lovely ladies in my life who are very special to me. And I think I may have found the perfect for all those special people. I was recently approached by Anjolee (a jeweler) to review one of their products, a lovely gemstone bracelet. And I have to say that I was really impressed both by the quality and delicacy of the item itself and by the company.






Anjolee is the manufacturer of all the jewelry items featured on their website which means that they are able to provide their customers with the best customer service and fast delivery. They also have a absolutely vast collection of pieces including diamond tennis bracelets, gemstone bracelets, diamond earrings, diamond necklaces, diamond pendants, and wedding and bridal rings. They are also an ethically responsible company both in terms of the sourcing of their gemstones and the production of their pieces and lots of information on their practices is accessible to the consumer (they even offer you the option of having diamonds certified by a third party to ensure they were obtained ethically).

They are also the only jewelry website with a unique customization system which gives customers the ability to custom-build each of jewelry based on taste and budget. This is one feature of the company that I found amazing – you can build your own jewelry either for yourself to make a special and personalized gift for someone (say maybe a birthstone bracelet) and cater everything to your individual budget, it’s a fantastic feature! And they offer free shipping and insurance with overnight delivery on all items, free gift packaging and 30-day, 100% money back guaranteed return policy. So really, one has nothing to lose.

And now, onto the piece that they sent me to review, a lovely amethyst and white gold bracelet from their collection of gemstone bracelets. I am just blown away by this piece – the style is so elegant and graceful; it’s just a fabulous piece. And I also just have to throw in that I love the clasp on this bracelet – so often I find bracelet clasps difficult to fasten or to keep securely shut or to prevent from catching on things but this clasp was unlike any I’d ever encounter! It was super easy to close and had a double clasp feature that kept it securely fastened and also prevented it from snagging on loose bits of fabric, etc.

In sum, I was greatly impressed with the product that was sent to me and with the company (it’s policies, business practices, website, customer service features, etc.) So, if you’re looking to treat yourself or have a special gift to buy, I strongly recommend Anjolee.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a bracelet for the purposes of writing this review but received no other compensation and all opinions voiced here are my own

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Velvet

I really wanted to wear this vintage velvet jacket that I picked up in Edmonton but it is just too damn hot here in New Haven so I opted to split the difference and snap some outfit shots indoors before losing the jacket and hitting the streets.









blouse: Gap / jacket: Decadence / shoes: Tory Burch / jeans: Express / necklace: Laila Rowe


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Monday, July 25, 2011

Odds and Ends

Have you seen the new Topshop lookbook? No you say? Well get on it! Filled with chunky and cozy fabrics, lots of layering, and delightful detailing, it's a fantastic series of fall looks.



I love the stunning artistry in these made up looks. Gorgeous.





And as I am about a month away from the end of my shopping ban, my eye has been wandering to Asos, Dorothy Perkins, River Island, and Free People.


Asos Crinkle Pleated Maxi Skirt


Asos Camp Wedge Court Shoe


Asos Passion Peep Toe Court Shoe


Asos Vero Moda Pleated Dress


Dorothy Perkins Green Pocket Front Blouse


Dorothy Perkins Ginger Color Block Dress


Dorothy Perkins Geisha Girl Maxi Dress


River Island Brown Embellished Tunic


River Island Red Jewelry Print Shift Dress


Free People Love in Chiffon Top


Free People Wrapped in Pleats Maxi Skirt

Friday, July 22, 2011

Heatwave

My friend moved to Italy for a year of dissertation research – this is what I wore to her going away party last week (sorry for the poor quality indoor photos but it was dark outside before I finally got my crap together and got ready to leave for the bar).





pants: thrifted, Banana Republic / shirt: ModCloth / tank: F21 / watch: La Mer / lips: Revlon Firestarter


Oh, and check out these sweet shoes I snapped up at Goodwill in early July!




We are in the middle of an insane heat wave here (have I mentioned how much I hate summer weather? Fall’s where it’s at for me) so I plan to spend my day sitting in front of my air conditioner and working on the concluding chapter to my dissertation. Good times!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Firestarter

Yesterday started out so overcast I was bummed out that it was going to rain and I was going to have to forgo riding my bike that day (BTW, some ass hat busted my bike basket when I had it parked on campus yesterday….not cool!!!) but then things took a turn and it was a lovely, if overly hot, day. But WAY too hot to ride my bike.






Dress: Target / tights: Target / cuff: Ann Taylor / shoes: Tory Burch / necklace: etsy / lips: Revlon lip gloss in Firestarter

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In other news, I bought my own domain name so visiting Sartorial Sidelines just got easier - all you have to do now is plug in http://sartorialsidelines.com and you will be directed here.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Chiffon

Stunning. The mesmerizing and enchanting elegance of chiffon.