black swan / giveaway winner

Reasons to be excited for this movie:
1. Natalie Portman is awesome in basically anything she does.
2. Both Natalie and Mina Kunis trained for months in order to do almost all of their own dancing in the film.
3. Costumes by Rodarte. COSTUMES BY RODARTE. That fact alone is enough.
4. Same director of Requiem for a Dream.
5. It's dark. No sugar-coated bubblegum pop princess-y ballerinas here.

And in other news:

Congratulations, Nicole!!! I'll be sending an e-mail your way shortly. Big thank you to everyone else who entered my DesignerApparel.com giveaway!

and the sun pours down like honey

Wearing | vintage gold-lined cognac leather blazer • Forever 21 army green dress • oversized aviators from Space 15 Twenty flea market

Started stocking up for the next season, and I can already predict my fall palette forecasts of earthy green tones, creams, camel, rusty orange (ahem, Salvatore Ferragamo A/W 2010), and wine hues... plus more outerwear and chunky knits than necessary for a southern California native's month of September—or, in other words, "the Indian summer, the dead summer's soul." But all these e-mails about back to school sales, new lookbooks coming out (personal favorites so far here, here, and here) and daily fresh arrivals on clothing sites have got me addicted! Anyone else find themselves going through a "shopaholic" phase whenever fall comes around the corner? :(

DESIGNERAPPAREL.COM GIVEAWAY

DesignerApparel.com, as a search engine devoted to fashion, brings together hundreds of designer brands (from Kate Spade to Proenza Schouler to Carolina Rose) and stores such as Shopbop and Net-A-Porter, allowing online shoppers to easily cross-shop by browsing, sorting, and comparing the latest trends and buy them at the best prices. I'm thrilled to say that this lovely site has given all my readers a chance to win this gold-plated, leather inlay sunburst cocktail ring from Nicole Richie's jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960!

To enter, simply leave a comment below with your name and e-mail address. One lucky (and enviable) winner will be randomly picked and announced August 25th. Good luck!

*Contest limited to USA and Canada only

"okay, if we get caught, pretend we don't speak english"

Wearing | Sisley pinstripe blouse • Levi's black denim shorts • Nasty Gal circle sunnies

These past few days have been spent satisfying late night crepe cravings, window gazing coastal sceneries, and leaving suburbia in trade for skyscrapers and city lights. With every trip to San Francisco calls a visit to Union Square, and what a perfect little spur of the moment sweet find this silky pinstripe blouse was while sifting through Sisley sale racks! Although the dog days won't be over for another month, black on black ensembles have become a go-to lately and I'm already starting to fall into autumn...

joie de vivre

Wearing | lace-up floral dress from Suo • vintage Christian Dior double pocket polka dot shirt

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light, and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. Don’t bother concealing your thievery—celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from, it’s where you take them to.’”
- Jim Jarmusch

late afternoon inspiration