Gosh I love me some Haute Hippie, mostly because they design amazing dresses like this one.

It’s totally party ready. I mean, really…How adorable is this silk ruffled tiered dress? I need, want, must have this dress…

Like the rest of the world,I’ve been checking out Madewell for a while. As I browsed the stores and perused the website, I’m really loving what I see coming J. Crew’s kid sis. For instance, this frockin’ number caught my attention something serious.

For fall, I’m looking at adding more navy to my wardrobe than black and a little feminine ruffle action always makes my day.

Oh how Mango temps me so! First, DWJ sent me this dress, which I adore but was no longer in my size. Whew… I made it; or so I thought. Silly me kept looking and then I found this dress:

{dress bombon via mango}

And yes, this perfectly belted,  slouchy, comfy dress does come in my size. All I need are these boots to go with it. Then, I guess I would be ready for fall.

Lately I’ve been looking at a lot of offices and studios. Today, I’m inspired by the charming modern/traditional mix of Milly designer, Michelle Smith’s NYC showroom.

Clean and serene but with pops of color and pattern, I just can’t get enough. I thought I’d through these picks just for more fun and color.

{images via traditional home}

I love a little color to reinvigorate a gloomy Wednesday!

Two weeks ago I headed to Phillips after 5 at the The Phillips Collection, the first museum in the US dedicated to Modern Art. In a collaboration with Project Beltway and  Neiman Marcus,  the museum,  put on Fashion Follows Art, an abbreviated showing of Jason Wu’s Fall Collection 2010 for TSE with the art of Robert Ryman. Jason Wu’s fall collection was inspired by Ryman’s art and an exhibit of his work in on view at the museum. It was a great event, but it was really crowded, partially because of torrential downpours.  So you can get a feel of the beauty that I saw, I must share this wonderful slide show comparing the two.

I found myself in awe of Ryman’s abstractions and his exploration of  impermanence and the layered, tactile nature of them, even more  than Jason Wu’s  collection. I actually felt the yearning to reach out and touch the art but luckily I refrained.  However I can’t shake the feeling that I really need to go back and see these small scale paintings again. This teaser of the exhibit is helping me in the meantime.

Sometimes, all I want to do is sit in a gallery and just absorb all the creative energy around me.  I can see why Jason Wu was so inspired.

Confession: I’ve never owned/worn a red dress in my life.  I have decided that needs to change. I think the best way to go about it is  with a dress that exudes sexiness without being overt. Something like this dress would do nicely:

I love how this Rachel Rachel Roy Twisted Tight dress accentuates the body on the bias. That’s always flattering  and comes without the self consciousness of wearing a skintight dress. This might be my first red dress. What do you think ?  Should I go for it? Are you the Red Dress type?

Hello. I love you. You are special to me… Just thought you should know…

{image via modcloth}

Meet the Private Cabana Dress. It’s kinda awesome and I kinda want it.

Today, we’ve got an early morning design presentation at work and I’m really excited about it.  Before I run out of the door, I wanted to share something really pretty with you.

Can we talk about how gorgeous these Mar y Sol clutches are? They are from the collection called The Girls. The combo of the  natural textures and the rich colors are stunning. These  are the colors that are inspiring the design schemes we are presenting.

Mar y Sol is dedicated to socially and environmentally responsible design. The bags are made from renewable resources in Madagascar by artisans who are paid fair wages for their work.  Don’t ethics and fashion look good together?

This is just the last minute color and style inspiration I need before we present.  I’m so excited you’d think I’d never been to a presentation or presented before (I have), but t there’s something  special that I connected to in this project. Wish us luck.

I “met” designer Mia Jafari via twitter. When I saw her limited edition silk scarves, I absolutely fell head over heels for them. A graduate of London’s famed Central St. Martin, Jafari’s collection, fancifully called Ladybirds Strawberry Cosmos, weaves her Persian heritage with her London sensibilities and iconic fashion elements  (suggestions of Cartier and Christian Louboutin are used as printed design features). What you get are beautiful, fun scarves that are ready to bring a little color and happiness to the simplest outfit.

{slam dunk}

The scarves are created with her signature style of “digi-broidery”, a style that takes traditional Eastern embroidery techniques and reinterprets them with digital stitching and printing techniques. Hmmm…I wonder if this technique will be used in textiles for interiors. I would love to see that. But I digress…

{midnight mojito}

{berrypolitan}

If you’ve been reading a while then you know that the scarves have 3 of my design elements, whimsy, wit and wanderlust.  Everything from the living room to the wardrobe should have a touch of those three.

To check out more from the Ladybirds Strawberry Cosmos collection click here.  You can also buy them here and here. Jafari’s site hints that dresses may be on the way too. I can’t wait to see those!

Well, you already read about my Friday Night at the The Textile Museum. Now I thought I’d share what I wore. Right now, I’m all about easy one piece dressing,  a romper here, a dress there. That includes  my Rachel Rachel Roy harem jumpsuit.

I’ll tell you a little secret about this one. On the hanger it scared me a little. No matter how much of a brickhouse I feel like in my head, in reality I have a petite frame and it’s easy for me to get lost in lots of fabric. But, I was intrigued and I tried it on anyway.  When I put the jumpsuit on, I just fell in love with it.   It just  made me feel pretty and feminine  and it’s definitely one of my favorite additions to my summer wardrobe. Paired with  gold heels,  my vintage costume jewelry and an oversized clutch, I thought it would be perfect to wear to  Interwoven.

You should know that even in the summer, I always bring a light jacket as well especially if I’m going to be indoors, as I often catch a chill. My crisp white boy blazer seemed to work out fabulously for that  “just in case” moment.

So here I am, a convert to the harem,  jumpsuit that is.