Five Points Friday: The Tao of Talbots.

The number one most frustrating thing that my friends hear me say when they’re commenting on something I’m wearing: “Guess where I got it.  Talbots.”  More than one of my friends has thrown their hands up to towards the sky and said something along the lines of “You have got to be kidding me!”  After a few times of this occurring, followed by a brief stage of frustration the question always becomes: “Okay, one of these days you’re going to have to explain to me how you do it.  How do you actually find things like that at Talbots?”

So here’s a few pointers so that this conversation can go from “I don’t know how she does it.” to “Ah…so that’s the secret.”

{Trellis Lace Pencil Skirt, Seersucker Blazer, Red Striped Blazer, …a compendium of blazer collars…,  Floral Faille Skirt, Piper Coloured Denim}

1. Focus on foundations. These foundations being pants, blazers, skirts, the occasional printed dress.  The store is not my solution for basics (eg. T-shirts, jeans, oxford shirts), but instead things that are borderline bold or that really ground an outfit (eg. green cable cardigans, maroon cord blazers, cherry red denim).
2. When nowhere else fits, stomp a path to Talbots.  Given that they range from Petite to Regular to Woman in sizing, and that they have a variety of fits of pants, skirts, and jackets, the odds are often in your favour to find something that fits here.  My favourite fits right now (and I really do love the cute style names) are the Audrey pants and the Kate blazers.
3. Think bold printed skirts.  These are my essential and my staple from Talbots.  Every Spring/Summer I always go through the racks to see what they’ve got in stock.  What’s lovely is that the skirts are (more often than not) lined, and well-made.  Their fabrics are not cheap and chintzy, and they retain their shape and hang year after year – just update the styling.
4. Right…styling…this is a big one.  I would highly advise against attempting to build an entire wardrobe from here.  A mismatched totally Talbots ensemble can definitely have the distinct opportunity to look frumpy.  The key is to pick a classic (or bold…most of my coloured pants and denim are from here) single piece and mix it with more current pieces.  (hem, hem…take a look at the commentary at the end of this post or head over here)
5. Keep in mind the general aesthetic that the store has.  These are preppy or classic basics, with fun feminine trends running amok.  This is the place with the history of pearls and pastels.  If you’re looking for flowy maxi dresses…probably not.  Bright pink ankle-length chinos, or a kelly green blazer?  Sold – to the girl of great style and an open-mind.

And a bonus note: get over yourself and just go in the damn store.  Just look.  You are not always going to have perfect luck here – even I sometimes leave the store empty handed, or damn-near hurling over certain styles/prints – but it’s worth glancing through the racks and adding to your arsenal.  A great trick as well is to get on their email list, this store has sales galore – meaning very rarely do I buy anything at full price.

Hopefully I’ve done the trick of beginning to de-mystify the basics of how to navigate these waters, and I do wish you the best of luck on your next shopping excursion.  Who knows…perhaps one day you to will begin to get the “You got that where!?” line…and silently chuckle to yourself  that you were once in the same boat.

…and just in case you’d like to hear a little more…

To see how I unexpectedly (or expectedly) worked a terribly modern and current piece of Talbots (bright red-orange cropped jeans) into an outfit head on over to…drumroll please…Shopping’s My Cardio.  That’s the announcement I was alluding to earlier in my “Miss Me Much?” post.  I’ll be writing a weekly column over on SMC called “All in the Details” – so be sure to check over there for my byline.

(And of course a sincere salutations to those of you who’ve ended up at AnonymousChic from Becki’s blog!)

Footwear Friday: Aaden Mid Heel from Tory Burch.

Dear class, we’ve been through this before…I’m not a heels girl.  Despite a number of years in ballet class, all I ever got out of them was poise, grace, and turned out hips.  Which essentially means that I’m a gracefully clumsy duck.  Making me walk on an incline (as the wearing of heels does)?  More often than not it’s a sufficiently awful idea.  That being said, in the instance that I am capable of walking in heels…that’s the test to say that essentially everyone can wear them.

{Aaden Mid Heel, Tory Burch, $275}

My most recent find also ranks as one of my most comfortable: the Aaden Mid Heel from Tory Burch. These were the solution to a brief hunt for a pair of neutral (note: not nude) pumps that would suffice for both work and play, that were a reasonable height and above all else: sturdy.  Stillettos, regardless of how un-effing-real they make one’s legs look are not for the sprained ankle prone.

The particular pair of Aaden’s that I found were courtesy of an impulse trip to Holts following an annual birthday brunch with a dear friend of mine.  A dear friend who’s Tory Burch heels I’ve absconded with on a regular basis might I add.

Here’s the thing about these heels.  When in the “Sand” colour, they’re a great caramel-toned brown that really re-defines neutral.  In this colour as well, the lightness keeps the shoe from otherwise being a little heavy looking – meaning that you can style them with everything from pants to breezy floral skirts.  The gold accenting is subtle, and though the logo is done completely in gold, because it blends so nicely with the leather it doesn’t come across as flashy as the TB logo often can.  Additionally, I quite enjoy the leather strap-esque detail that holds it in place on the front.  A very sturdy and solid stacked wood heel means that walking on these is a breeze, and at 2.5″ it’s enough of a lift to give your legs a little length without making you teeter above the masses.

{A brief outfit example: Ralph Lauren Chambray Shirt, Floral Tommy Hilfiger Skirt, American Flag Free People Scarf, and a Navy Coach Clutch}

Tried and tested?  You bet.  I’ve worn these both out to dinner and a show, as well as for a full day of work (minus the commute to and fro…which one should never truly be expected to do in heels), and have never felt unsteady or as though my feet were aching for flats.

Available at Holt Renfrew in Canada (and now at Tory Burch if you’re in Toronto!), online through Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, and for those of you south of the 49th at ToryBurch.com as well.  These retail for about $300…but considering they’re good with everything from black to brown and denim (and a few patterned in between for good measure), they’re worth looking into investing in.

Miss me much?

Three things that precluded me from posting for 2 months (listed in chronological order): finishing the first year of my Master’s degree (read: exams and papers), a brief vacation in California, and starting a new job.  Excuses are really useless on the interwebs, but considering I feel bad about being more than a little MIA when I was on such a roll for a while…rationale you shall have.

School’s out for the summer…please don’t start singing the associated song…grades are back and it looks like I passed.  California was lovely, though my stay was infinitely too short.  It did allow me the early opportunity to rock outfits like this though:

{…a fairly good representation of what I wore while on vacation…}

Oh, and yes…that’s lovely new midnight blue addition to my handbag arsenal.  Commentary on that purchase coming soon, seeing as I know there are more than a few handbag junkies that follow this blog.  That, and we all know that I’m a bit of a fan of babbling about bags on this blog.

My gig for the summer is also pretty excellent.  I’ve somehow managed to fuse policy, business, and arts all into a single internship…part of which happened as a fluke and some of which happened as a result of me applying myself to land the spot.  Thus far I couldn’t be happier, and I really don’t forsee my tune changing about that one anytime soon.  It has, however, reminded me of the conundrums one can face when balancing a work dress code, summer, and personal style – so I’ll be sure to share any tricks or suggestions that I manage to come up with as the summer progresses.  In the mean time, I’ve been finding some serious inspiration regarding the topic on Capitol Hill Style – so be sure to check that out if you find yourself in a similar predicament.

Needless to say, you’ll be seeing more of me (or I suppose reading more of my online musings) on AnonymousChic now that I’ve managed to understand what my schedule is going to be like for the summer.  Additionally, you may be seeing my byline show up another place on the interwebs as well…but I’ll wait to make that announcement once it starts occurring.

Well, I’m off curl up with a book and a cup of tea…that book being a notebook that is to be filled with blogging ideas and posts to be typed up that have been stored in the recesses of the right hemisphere of my cranium for far too long.

PS:  And don’t worry…I missed you too.

Essentials Saturday: What’s in my makeup bag.

It’s a phenomenon known only really to the female half of the species…the innate compulsion to want to know what’s in someone’s purse or makeup bag.  As though it’s some window into the psyche of your fellow females, as though their life can be distilled down into the material objects that they carry with them on a regular basis.  I’m sure there are infinite sociological and psychological explanations and implications for this phenomenon…but realistically I’m usually just a little bit snoopy, and blatantly curious.  So when a friend of mine asked to take a look through the makeup bag that I lug around with me in the various incarnations of my daily handbag, I was less than hesitant to oblige…I actually found it to be an interesting exercise.

Just in case you’re interested, here’s the run down (and the corresponding rationale) of what’s in my makeup bag.

#1 – The fresh sugar tinted lip balm lineup:  Yes guys & dolls, the whole lineup of the tints (there’s only four, calm down).  These absolutely substitute as lipstick for me on a regular basis and are ideal for treatment and moisture while delivering the perfect wash of colour at the same time.  A bit of an indulgence, but one that I have made countless times. (Sephora, $22.50 each)

#2 – Chanel Matte Luminous Powder Makeup & Retractable Blush Brush from Sephora: In a shade that’s just dark enough to be “corrective” as opposed to “translucent”, this powder is what’s been sitting in my makeup bag for a fair amount of time.  It’s particularly helpful for touchups, and can even be used with a damp touch as an impromptu concealer.  The brush is great because you can keep the bristles contained so that you don’t have anything getting on the brush…and you don’t have powder flying all over your bag.  (Powder from Holt Renfrew, $63, Brush from Sephora, $22)

#3 – Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer: Re-application of a full face of makeup is usually not in the cards mid-afternoon, but on the days when my skin in misbehaving I’m always glad that this little compact is in my bag. Considering it’s a fairly dry concealer it often doesn’t require setting with a powder, so it’s a quick step. (Sephora, $28)

#4 – Cream Blusher:  As a fairly pale person, blush is one of those things that I have a distinct tendency to touch-up on a regular basis.  The need to look the opposite of drained and lifeless is quickly corrected by a swipe of blusher on the cheeks.  Cream to powder finishes are usually my go-to, but whatever floats your boat.  My favourites are from Merle Norman and Bobbi Brown. (Bobbi Brown at Sephora, $24)

#5 – Miniature Mascara & Eyelash Curlers:  Really it’s whatever sample size I’ve recently acquired, or something that caught my eye in line at Sephora.  Often times a quick curl and a swipe of mascara can really do the trick in terms of opening up your eyes and making you look more awake.  Since eye contact is such a large part of how we communicate, might as well keep them looking fresh and lovely.  (Diorshow Best in Show Duo at Sephora, $20)

#6 – Bobby Pins & a J.Crew Hairclip:  Ponytails and I only recently started getting along, so throwing my hair up in a bun has always been a go-to solution (remnants of the large number of hours I spent in a ballet class when I was younger I suppose).  The claw clips from J.Crew are also indestructible and the tortoise shell colouring helps it to hide in my har.  Self-explanatory lifesavers really I suppose. (J.Crew Clip, $14)

#7 – Hand Sanitizer:  The world is not the cleanest of places.  Occasionally my inner germaphobe kicks in and this is necessary for those times when washing one’s hands is just not an option. (Bath & Body Works Pocketbac, $1.50)

#8 – Tide-to-Go:  Many of us are clumsy, or have accident or spill-prone friends.  While absolutely not a substitution for washing and spot-treating, it can be helpful to have on hand.

#9 – Travalo:  Newest addition to my bag, and something that I’m still on the fence about but love the idea of too much to nix it completely.  Essentially a pocket perfume atomizer that’s incredibly simple to fill and reuse.  (Shoppers, $10)

So…what do you deem to be your essentials?  What makes the cut to be a part of your makeup bag?

Interwebs Wednesday: Matchbook Mag.

Occasionally I find a place on the interwebs that suddenly seems to speak to my style so innately that it floors me that it exists.  It also baffles me that once I find it, why on earth I hadn’t found it earlier.  This proposed love affair (who’s blog arm has actually taken over as my homepage) is with Matchbook Magazine…and all of its various components.

Matchbook Magazine started celebrating classics – shaken and stirred – in January of 2011, and contains two primary components:  a monthly online magazine publication Matchbook Mag, and a blog called The Daily Spark.  They describe themselves as the field guide to a charmed life “from lipstick to letterpress, gelato to grosgrain, and Paris to Peru…”, and I have to agree that following this kind of field guide leads to something infinitely more charming than the images of camouflage green and safari helmets that you’ve inevitably conjured up.

{...the matchbook girl...}

Put simply:  the monthly online magazine is great.  While I’m constantly flipping the traditional glossies, there have been very few online tomes that have really captured my attention.  Matchbook is clearly an exception.  It’s reminiscent of the tragically cancelled Domino and the Kate Spade style books, but don’t even get it twisted for a second that this is merely a regeneration of that.  Matchbook Magazine is the best mix of quirky and pretty, funny and cool, fascinatingly forward yet balanced with classic preppy cool.  It’s a lifestyle magazine…which means that you get everything from cooking to fashion, books to music, and a great balance of interviews and human interest pieces on fabulous little boutiques and those interesting people who’s heads you wish you could just get into.

{...the daily spark...}

While I do go through the magazine monthly from start to finish, what has really caught my attention (and has since become my homepage) is “the Daily Spark”.  The blog is a great mix of high-end and accessible brands, and serves as brilliant daily inspiration.  The amount of mint green, bright pink, and pale yellow in my wardrobe (and my world for that matter) is slowly increasing as a result.

With every sincere honesty, what caught me hook line and sinker though, was the adorable ode “A Matchbook Girl is…”.  If you take a read through this and catch anything that sounds like you, believe me, you’ll want to be come a loyal reader.  Some of my favourite phrases include…

What I find consistently surprising is that there are so many of my friends that aren’t reading Matchbook already.  Whenever someone catches me browsing through this, they’re always intrigued and it’s ended up in many an email as of late.

Right now if I could name a one stop shop for every girl who’s equal parts sugar, spice, and all things nice…with perhaps a dash of cayenne pepper for sass…I’d send her off to Matchbook.