Lil' Update!

So, the party was AMAZING. Tons of great people. Tons of great cookies. Tons of great clothes. (My three favorite things, natch! Saying "natch!" is my fourth favorite.) I had a wonderful time meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends and signing my friend Kyle's book as "The Beaver." (I think he meant Woodrow, but we'll never be sure.)

I need to track down all the photos of the event and then I'll do a more comprehensive post. In the meantime I wanted to encourage you all to enter the Closet Confidential giveaway over at the Handbag Heaven blog--they're giving away FIVE copies, so your chances of winning are reeaaalll good!

Next week I'll be back to blogging more regularly, and I'll try to get a chocha post up asap!

Awesome Affordable Etsy Find of the Week + Party Invitation!

Purple Hydrangea Stretchy Headband, $10

Bella Fiore, an Etsy shop based out of Portland, is stocked with the most beautiful handmade headbands. This purple hydrangea number makes me want to have dark curly hair because how gorgeous would it look with dark curly hair? And wasn't that an eloquent sentence?

Speaking of Portland and hair accessories, I'll be wearing one of Bella Fiore's beautiful headbands to my book launch party tonight, and I'd love to see any Portland-area readers there! Here's the info:

Time: 6:30 to 8:30 tonight (stop by any time!)

Place: Mabel & Zora, aka The Cutest Lil' Boutique Ever, 748 NW 11th Ave, P-Town.

Sustenance: Pretty cookies, champagne, sparkling cider, and a lovely vintage two-buck chuck.

Shopping: Books will be available for sale and guests will also receive 15% off any one item in the store, which is super exciting!

Freebies: We have some awesome lil' favors available for guests, along with giveaways including a Bella Fiore headband, a free book, and a fabulous necklace from Bambi and Snowflake!

Shameless pleading: Please, please, please come out, and feel free to bring a friend or three. I'd love to meet you!

Tuesday Top 5!

My body type is often referred to as an "apple." Sometimes a "watermelon." Sometimes "James Gandolfini." Put simply, my belly is bigger than my hips. Every fashion tutorial I've ever read for "apple bodies" firmly dictates that our kind should wear only structured garments, lest we end up looking like, well, James Gandolfini.

A couple weeks ago, I defied these orders and bought a big, shapeless cozy sweater. I bought it even though the sales clerk advised me not to buy it, saying it was "big" and "shapeless." I bought it because wearing it is like wearing a blanket with bell sleeves and cute little tassels around the collar and it's perfect for winter and I love it and also I get a thrill out of rebelling from fashion rules. So there. Bada bing, bada boom.

Top 5 Super-Cozy Shapeless Blanket Sweaters

Blue Draped Cardigan, $24.80, Forever 21

Cheap Monday Robyn Cardigan, $98, Urban Outfitters

Love Change Open Front Cardigan, $42, Macys

Laurie B. Allure Cardigan Coat, $198, Nordstrom

Turtleneck Cape (awesome!), $49.99, Ann Taylor Loft

Are you guys as excited about sweater season as I am? Do you have a favorite sweater?

High Fashion Haiku

If Batman dabbled

in cross-dressing, I'm guessing

he'd be into these.

Giuseppe Zanotti swarovski-embellished sandals, $1,150 (just the right price for this economy, no?), here.

Blogback Mountain!

The Sunday Best takes us on a rollicking romp through a lifetime of hairstyles, culminating in his fantastic present-day coif.

I think this is the first pair of leggings my dad and I could both gush over. So gorgeous.

The sweet and stylish Becky of Gilding the Frilly was kind enough to set up a giveaway of my book--please pop over for a chance to win, and to check out her persuasive endorsement of the cute nightgown.

What is in your life portfolio?

Amber helped create the most beautiful jewelry shoot I've seen in a long time. Go, girl!

My Portland peeps need to check out The Neat Sheet for the scoop on local fashion, events, and shopping opportunities. Karen, the creator of the site, totally rocks so show her some love!

Ambika as 1940s nurse = awesome.

Clare as Waldo = adorable.

Haley as Beth Ditto = amazing. (OK, OK, I'll stop with the Halloween fashion blogger formulas, but seriously, I could go on all day!)

To do: DIY my own pair of badass fringed pumps.

The Art of Wearing Wigs

Sarah Von has some fabulous advice for conquering the uglies.

Sal's weekly outfit roundups are fun to look at and fun to read and just generally inspiring and delicious.

"How to wear colors without looking crazy."

Some nanowrimo inspiration (and some nanowrimo opening night fashion!).

Michelle bought a pair of counterfeit Vivienne Westwood shoes and wants to make sure it doesn't happen to you, too!

I would most definitely wear 7-pound pants if they involved leather and chainmail.

Speaking of leather and chainmail, Nubby has a great post on Style Essentials.

Also maybe speaking of leather and chainmail: How to spot a flicker fetishist.

And finally, this is probably the best blog post ever written. Ever.

I Heart Halloween!

I'm finishing up my Nancy Wilson (above right) costume, getting ready to head out to meet my friend Katelyn (aka Ann Wilson, left), who will attempt to crimp our hair and then off into the night we'll go. I've gotta warm up my vocal chords, too, because god knows how many times we'll have to sing "Barracuda" to answer the question, "What is 'Heart'?"

Have a safe and happy Halloween, everyone! What are/were you going as?

UPDATE: Here's our best Heart impression:


Also here's me with my new friend, Drunk Guy in a Poncho: