statuesque

does the model seem six feet tall to you in this dress? you can't even tell where her legs start! it's amazing how fabric can make you look like a completely different person. i'm sure the model is on the taller side and that's why the dress looks so amazing on her. and unfortunately, i think you have to be at least 5'5" to be able to pull off such a long length. tailoring it down would be an injustice. there's actually a small percentage of metal woven into the skirt of the dress to give it that sheen and probably also to maintain its stiffness, how genius. i like how the top is just as playful and dramatic as the bottom. since you're covering all of your legs, you have to show some skin somewhere. and instead of a whopping load of cleavage, there's some sexy shoulder play instead. who says your clavicle isn't sexy? the only area i might be a little wary of is the bust. the model seems a bit flat-chested because she's either flat-chested or not wearing a good bra. a really good strapless bra would be necessary so your chest doesn't get lost in all the fabric. and to top it off, this outfit would definitely require a clean and chic up-do. heaven forbid your hair competes for attention.

Nicole Miller

techno flutter long dress

ideeli.com
$695

simple yet sweet

it's been strangely difficult this month to organically come across items that i craved. and now that the month is about to draw to a close, i stumbled upon this beautiful vase that's so shockingly simple in its aesthetic, yet wonderful to look at. for whatever reason, i don't currently own a vase. if i could splurge on this one rather than find a typical, boring straight vase that costs $10 at some value-discount store, i definitely would. i would splurge on this because 99% of the time you personally receive flowers, it's a gift of love. it's almost as though the vase will be holding the flowers that came from the sender's heart. or perhaps i'm just being overly poetic. even without any flowers in the vase, you could certainly have it hold a long candle and use it as a romantic centerpiece. point being, it's too pretty to be hidden in the cupboard waiting around for some flowers to be received.

Orrefors
"my heart" bud vase
orrefors.us/index.html
$125

a grand entrance

there are very few designers who make collections where i want every single piece. valentino happens to be one of them. take this dress for example. the ruffles are shaped in a way that from the waist up, it could almost be more of a mens tuxedo top. the ruffles aren't overly girly because it's not arranged in a floral-esque shape. rather, it's more-so a play on volume. it exudes classiness with it's baring shoulders and lack of obvious cleavage, but it also exudes sexiness with it's bare rear. any man would jump at the chance to dance with a woman in this dress just so he could grace the small of her back. i love the added elegance of such a subdued color, although i'm sure you would have to be either very pale (like the model) or richly tanned. valentino is a champion at floor-length gowns. and the way the ruffle is delicately pinned to one side and asymmetrically flows down is a testament to the way he knows how to drape a woman's body. i wish i could see how it hugs my curves- if only it didn't cost five times my rent.

Valentino
silk jabot gown
ruelala.com
$7990

ready, set, bolt

this shoe catches my eye mostly for the artistic appeal. it's definitely a little bit of a stretch from being girly. i guess it's better classified as rocker-chic. nonetheless, the uniqueness and awesomeness of it is still apparent. the patent finish furthers the shining symbolism of the lightning bolt heel. and the pointy toe insinuates where the bolt is coming next. any woman giving a presentation in a boardroom will make a silent but strong statement in these shoes. i would probably wear these on days where i want to send the message- "don't you dare mess with me today." every tile and inch of cement will feel the crush of the lightning bolt heel. i would also be half a foot taller wearing these bad boys (that would make me over 6' tall!); they're definitely not for the faint of heart or faint of foot. to offset the hardcore touch of the shoes, i would probably wear a frilly blouse and a plain bottom. and i would potentially add one tough piece of jewelry to bring together all my accessories. although i would only wear these shoes a couple times a year, i would be happy knowing those were some of my most empowering days.

DSquared2
platform pumps
yoox.com
$335 (yoox price)

wrapped

i am quite the scarf person. as my old manager used to say, "scarves are the "must have" accessory of the season." and he said that pretty much every season. but it's true! summer or winter and everything inbetween, there's a scarf that can easily jazz up your outfit. now take this one from anthropologie- what better way to be reminiscent of spring blossoms during the winter. there aren't too many flowers attached which keeps the scarf from being overbearing. yet they're placed strategically so that you can wrap it around you different ways and still maintain the interest. i especially like the mixture of colors. it's hard to find yellow scarves. and if this were a plain mustard-yellow scarf, i highly doubt anyone would want it. and if the flower buds were sewn onto a grass-green scarf, i think it would have been too predictable. but the light pastels against such a bold yellow works nicely. with it's cozy wool-cotton blend, i would eagerly wait for colder weather to be able to wear this every winter.

Anthropologie
pond lily scarf
anthropologie.com
$68

show off that one limb

oh man. if you want to make a killer entrance that will make heads turn, but you don't want to wear some kind of flashy dress that you know you'll never take out of your closet again, here is the shirt you've been looking for. those are bows running down the right arm, not just big knots of fabric. and i think it's genius that chloe made the right arm into a cut out as well. otherwise it would have been too fussy. and the bows would have been awkwardly placed. with the cutouts it gives the impression that the bows are necessary to hold the garment together (i hope that's not really the case, i can't really tell by the angle of the model). it looks great with skinny pants on the model, but i think it would be better paired with a great pencil skirt so that the volume in the blouse is played out more. plus i think you could do a funkier shoe if you went with a skirt. then again, you wouldn't want your shoes to compete with such a fantastic top. i'm not sure if this came in another color, but chances are high that this shade of gold would be a washout on a lot of complextions. but i would still love to strut down the street in this and have my right arm get allllllllllll the attention.

Chloe
assymetrical- sleeve blouse
neimanmarcus.com
$1995

a new kind of bling

i started to really get into cocktail rings about two years ago. since then, my collection has been a mixture of girly pieces with just straight-up cool pieces. this ring is straight-up edgy. it hits you from every angle in a different way; i mean, you could literally do a 360 degree rotation and get a new glimpse of the ring. being too girly all over can definitely be overkill. so it helps to have a harder accessory like this to even things out. i personally like to convey the message that i'm girly with my clothing, but i can still kick your butt with my accessories. then again, that's not the case with my outfit everyday. i'm glad the designer didn't try to overdo the design by using a colored quartz. since the quartz is clear you're able to focus more on how he cut the rock and maybe formulate an understanding as to the method of his madness. if it were colored, then you'd be obsessing over how pretty the color is and what specific outfit you're going to wear the ring with. it's a ring i'd love to wear everyday regardless of what else is on my body.

Diane vonFurstenberg by H. Stern
DVF power quartz ring
neimanmarcus.com
$4300

omg, shoes II

i gasped a little bit when i saw these. they're completely impractical with pants, of course. but i would gladly throw out all my pants or tailor them all to a cropped length if i could wear these everyday without a chance of major back problems later in life. how exquisite are these from every angle?!?! most designers wouldn't even put this kind of dramatic ribbon detailing on a dress, let alone a shoe! it truly takes the mastery of christian louboutin to understand the limits and balance of footwear to be able to pull something like this off. i think this shoe is a perfect example of why so many women are obsessed with shoes. they just make life...prettier. it seems like an odd area to place so much attention. but every woman wants to be complimented from head to toe. and unless you have super attractive toes (and i think 95% of women will not list their toes as one of their cutest parts), you need shoes to bring at least a little bit of a good attention down there. and you would definitely get a lot of attention wearing these around town. overall, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this shoe other than the fact that they're not on my feet at this very moment.

Christian Louboutin
satin anemone pumps
genuine-louboutin.com
$695

trenched out

when it comes to trenchcoats, i often come across two problems. one, they're almost always double-breasted. i feel no matter what your body type, double-breasted anything will make you look wider. not only does this coat have a single breasted row of buttons, it also cleverly makes a turn into your left shoulder blade, which will help not define your body so rigidly. two, most trenches come in two colors: black and beige. b-lah. i know a lot of people shy away from white, especially if majority of the garment is white, but it's really not that much harder to maintain than a beige coat. sure, it may require an extra trip to the dry cleaners, but your fabulous-ness donning the coat will certainly make up for it. my only qualm with this jacket is that you can't easily slide your hands into the pockets from the side (unless there's a secret side pocket entrance that is not viewable through the online pictures). but i would sacrifice that one features and buy an equally awesome pair of gloves to go with the coat. all this mannequin needs now is a pair of ultra sexy black heels. oh, and a head would be nice, too.

Karen Millen
twill cotton coat
karenmillen.com
$425

adorned around your neck

now, i'm not one for loads and loads of jewelry. the pieces i have are unique items that i hope you can't find somewhere else or they're just basics that every woman most likely has (e.g.- silver hoops, pearl studs, etc.). obviously, this necklace falls into the unique category. i mean, just look at it! what stands out most to me are the lamé flowers. lamé is a type of fabric woven or knit with thin ribbons of metallic yarns where the ribbons are wrapped around a fiber yarn. they make the sparkling and edged crystals seem delicate. and they make the whole necklace inviting. the one qualm i have with the piece is that the edges of the ribbon as well as the edges of the ribbon bows seem to be frayed. i don't know if this is vera wang's intention to make the necklace look less uptight. but it really just looks sloppy. plus, if you're shelling out one month's rent for one necklace, i would want everything to be spot-on. right? anyway, wearing a statement necklace like this would call for a very simple outfit, maybe even a dressy tee with a pencil skirt. but no matter what you wear clothing-wise, you will be turning heads with this around your neck. oh, and i would double knot the closure ribbon so that nobody tries to five-finger-discount you.

Vera Wang
lamé & crystal necklace
saks.com
$650

every layer counts

so i didn't think underwear would ever be so amazingly cute that they would make it onto my blog. i guess i thought no matter how much lace or satin was stitched together, underwear would still be sexy versus cute. but i think these definitely reverse the game. how cute are all these bows? i applaud whoever designed these because instead of being safe and making the bows the same pattern/color as the rest of the underwear, they went with a completely different design. the designs would never match as an outfit, but they so adorably go together in this small portion of fabric. the only downside is the bows would leave a very obvious bulge in your lightweight pants and skirts. you would probably only be able to wear them with denim. but i'd gladly have that limitation to wear these. regardless of what i'm wearing on top, i would feel super cute all day (and it would be my secret).

Victoria Secret
satin bow thong
victoriasecret.com
$16

ruffles everywhere

it was only going to be a matter of time before i featured something from banana republic. i fell in love with this dress the moment it hit the stores. it's such a simple cut, but the ruffles are perfectly placed. 1) they're diagonally in the front so that you don't look too wide or too long. 2) the ruffles are different sizes so there's a bit of drama in the dress. 3) the ruffles continue in the back so that you look amazing from every angle. it's a great twist on the LBD (little black dress). this would definitely be my go-to LBD so that everyone could automatically see my girly sense of style. maybe this one will make it into my closet one day.

Banana Republic
silk ruffle dress
bananarepublic.com
$150

an unordinary peacoat

not only is this jacket tres cute, but the entire outfit that they put together is quite something. but i digress. i normally don't like double-breasted jackets, but since the buttons are located in a completed different spot, it doesn't serve as a double-breasted jacket at all. it's just a really cute jacket! i like that the belt is nice and wide and that the buckle is the same white fabric so it doesn't compete with the buttons. i also like the belts on the end of the sleeves. some people might get annoyed that it's a bracelet sleeve length (yes, that's what it's called and yes, there is such a thing), you would wear in the spring/summer anyway. besides, do people's wrists get cold easily? the one detail that irks me is that the pockets are not easy to get into- you go in from the top instead of the side. but it makes sense with the style of the jacket. oh, and where does the girliness fit in? mmm...the white will definitely add an angelic quality to whatever outfit you pair with it.

alice + olivia
"penelope" cream belted coat
aliveandolivia.com
$325

omg, shoes

so you probably think the obvious reason why i love this shoe is- the bow. but anyone can make a shoe with a bow on it. what makes this stand out is the plaid. i think plaid is understated as something cute. it's coined with other adjectives like preppy, rural, laid-back. but paired the right way it can be super cute. i think having the shoe as a slingback as opposed to a full-on pump makes it look more delicate. plus the silver reflective heel is a nice touch and keeps it from being too delicate. and you know what? the bow does stand out too. it's not just an ordinary black bow. it's double layered with the thinner dark grey ribbon on top. ahhh...it's all so well-balanced. i would definitely wear these at least once a week.

J. Renee
Jenell plaid slingback
www.dillards.com
$89

my quintessential shirt

nothing could be simpler and more attractive to my eye than a ruffle shirt. it can be paired with virtually anything on the bottom, doesn't require a single accessory (although a pair of understated earrings or a link bracelet would be nice), great for any occasion day or night, and usually comes in a variety of colors and/or prints. the ruffles down the middle are also flattering regardless of your boob size. i particularly like this one because for three reason. 1) the ruffles extend wide across as opposed to being confined down the middle. 2) the puff sleeve and the wide arm band sleeve opening help balance all the volume. all the detailing isn't isolated to the ruffles. 3) it's a traditional collar as opposed to a mandarin collar. mandarin collars rarely look exceptional. sooner or later, i'll have a shirt like in virtually every color.

Victoria Secret
ruffle front shirt
victoriasecret.com
$38