School Supplies

"Don't you just love New York in the fall?  It makes me wanna buy school supplies.  I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.  On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms." ~Joe Fox

No matter how old I get, there will always be something about the air turning crisp that makes me think about replenishing desk accessories.  When I was a peanut, this mostly consisted of yellow #2 pencils, which I hated and still do, brown paper bag book covers, a Trapper Keeper and plain composition notebooks.  I am not nostalgic for any of them.

With the advent of the internet, Pinterest, Etsy and the plethora of other available resources, the sky is the limit for great desk accessory loot.  As an adult, I have little to no use for pencils (for artistic purposes, I use mechanical drafting pencils because I can't stand a dull tip), but I do use note books, note pads and to do lists.  Love Letter Designs, an Etsy shop in Adelaide, Australia has come up with some truly take your breath away items.

The stripey grey had me at hello.  Adorable.

The black stripes are also quite choice.

And for the party girl who likes to sparkle, there is a spotty version...

Almost enough to make me wish I were a teenager again...oh that I might have paid better attention in Algebra class if I had notebooks this cute.  Nah, probably not.

The one thing I probably use most often are personal note pads and the choices here are endless:

This one lives on my desk at home and looks perfectly smeshing...

And another spotty choice, with calling cards to match.

Or for the princess at heart.

For those with long to do lists:

A classic choice...

And a sparkly choice.

Also a great staple are my coveted Raval Page Flags.  These super sticky suckers are great for marking pages in cook books or magazines, etc.

And what chic office space would be complete without a great stapler?  Check out Design Darling for this model.

And last but not least on the subject of...duh...why didn't I think of that?  The lowly paper clip.  In gold.    Instantly transform any mundane piece of paper or desktop with this one simple item, available dirt cheap at..well, just about anywhere.  You're welcome.

~ESM

Still in denial...

I woke up this morning to pouring rain.  And freakish rampant humidity.  There was only one thing to do to cheer myself up:

I imagine myself sipping either tea or a cocktail on the veranda of The Virginia Hotel in Cape May.

Unlike so many of the other B&B's they've toned down the Victorian lace and chintz theme.  Leave the kids at home for this one.

It is impossible not to feel elegant in this setting.

Ladylike, polished...just like Gwynnie (don't you love this shot?).  This is the look that I strive for all summer long.  In order to effectively channel this vibe, I reached for this dress in my closet:

The Vineyard Vines Striped Tunic Dress...beachy and simple--it's another one of those staples that is completely brainless and comfortable, yet put together at the same time.  In the past, I've shied away from horizontal stripes, thinking they would make my petite frame look like a little fireplug.  This one doesn't.  It's also fully lined with a bit of spandex for stretch, so you don't feel like you're in a straight jacket.

Paired with the Jalita sandal to dress it up a bit...

And my favorite (although discontinued) J McLaughlin work bag...

The last problem to solve was the humidity, sooooo....

(If you'll forgive the crummy selfie), my curly hair required being knotted into submission in an impromptu bun.  Until I can visit the real Virginia in a few days, I'll just have to daydream...

~ESM

Little Grey Dress

As we come to the close of summer, we are constantly reminded by the media that the fun times should be over.  Facebook friends show pictures of their kids on the first day of school (I don't get this--since when does school start in August???), tv ads announcing Labor Day sales abound and I remain...in denial.  Don't get me wrong--I love fall--the same way I love Sundays.  They are both tainted by what is to come next, winter and Monday morning respectively.  Summer equals freedom, sunshine, top down, cocktails, sand and surf...and...little dresses.

Enter one little grey dress.  The Teju by Theory.  If you can get past the smirk on the model's face (she looks like all the mean girls I went to high school with that I try hard to forget) and the fact that the dress looks insanely short, this is one of the best pieces I own.  Recently acquired at my local Theory outlet (the Philadelphia Premium outlets in Limerick are both a blessing and a curse because they are all too convenient), LAM made me try it on and then demanded that I buy it.  I choked a little at the price which seemed insane for what is basically a t-shirt dress, but later when I tried to wash it and noticed the "dry clean only" label, it became apparent that it's actually a wool/cotton blend and expertly cut.  If you are petite, the length hits right above the knee.  Thanks to the wool, it never wrinkles.  It also looks great with the following items:

The Michael Kors Jalita Charm sandal.  If you are like me and never really learned how to walk in high heels, these are a brain wave.  They LOOK like heels, and if you are 5'1" and desperately need the height, they add a good two inches, but the foot bed is remarkably flat.

For those times when you are forced to suffer in over-air conditioned buildings (supermarkets of the world, I'm talking to you), a detailed circle sweater like this one from Cabi (another local outlet) is the perfect layering piece.  A regular cardigan would look fine, but the plainness of the t-style dress is the perfect canvas for something with more detail.  Thanks to global warming, it stays nice enough right through September to go bare legged.  With a little maintenance from St. Tropez self tanner, one can remain in denial straight through to Halloween.

 As we transition to fall, a cashmere option fits the bill nicely.  I have been salivating over this Ralph Lauren model and sad to tell you that I don't own it, but I did find one really similar in Neiman Marcus last year.  Here's a secret: for really great cashmere pieces of VERY high quality, check out the lingerie / lounge wear department--especially right after Christmas when everything is marked down.

Btw, I have tried a variety of scarves with this dress and they all look perfectly ridiculous.  I have no idea why, but suffice it to say that this dress seems to have been meant to go with a great sweater.

For weekend errands, I have found that there is one bag I just don't want to be without:

My good 'ol trusty Neverfull.  After an insane amount of deliberation, I settled on the PM.  I am here to tell you that this sucker is NEVER FULL.  I have stuffed the most insane things in it and it always seems to work.  If I have one complaint, I wish the straps were a little longer so it would go on the shoulder a bit easier, but I don't think I would want it to be any bigger.  An investment piece for sure, but I am a firm believer in not skimping on the following: haircuts/color, winter coat, shoes, watches, and handbags.  These are the things you wear over and over and over again.  Your hair, bag and watch you wear every day.  Make it something you really, really love.

~ESM

Dreaming of pleasant things

This is the sort of day we're having in Philadelphia.  It's insanely cold.  Some of us had to get up anyway and get on with our day.  Others did not.  Since I could not stay under the duvet with Nick, I decided to share some things that have popped up on my radar that are keeping my mind off of the fact that I'm freezing.

First, this is one slick little gadget.  The iclooly phone handset is a great way to use/charge your smartphone on your desk or nightstand.  Since just about everything in my life is controlled by this little white box, I am never without it and never want the battery to go dead.  The handset also solves the problem of not being able to hold my phone between my shoulder and ear.  I hate bluetooth devices and lets face it--a good old fashioned handset is just better when you're sitting at a desk and don't need to move around.  As an added bonus, you can use the phone while talking--Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I don't need an excuse to buy books--not ever, but these cloth bound Penguin classics simply took my breath away.  What a wonderful gift for a young person!  My favorite design is the Sense and Sensibility cover, but they are all lovely.  Fab.com is having a deal on sets.  This would be a great purchase to stash away for a birthday or next Christmas or just to add something gorgeous to your library or table top.

In keeping with the book theme, I have wonderful blogger PVE turned me on to this gorgeous recipe binder.  My recipes are currently housed in an old book that is...um...not pretty.  This is definately on my list.  Since my recipe book sits propped on my counter about 90% of the time, it would be nice if it were something that I enjoyed looking at on a regular basis.  Found at Sugar Paper.

And there is scent...

A recent trip to Blue Mercury turned me on to Lafco candles.  I was really blown away, not just by the scrumptious scents (and there are tons of them), but the gorgeous hand blown glass jars.  This is a candle jar that you will never throw away since it would make a great pencil holder, vase, or as my father would say, "thing to put things in".  The Duchess Peony would make a lovely Valentine's Day gift.

Unfortunately, this photo does not do this candle justice.  The light blue greens in this glass are stunning in person and would make the perfect addition to your beach house (or as a hostess gift to someone else's!) or to simply have in your home and dream of the beach.

Lastly, this color has been popping up on my radar a lot lately.

Something between a lavendar and light blue--this is a flattering color on just about anyone, particularly blondes.  Seriously has me dreaming about warmer weather.  The Graham Pastel Studded Wrap is the perfect piece to transition into spring.

~ESM

A Few Words About Quality

Once upon a time there was a proud American company called Coach.  They made beautiful, sumptuous leather goods that were crafted to last a lifetime and then some.  To go along with their lovely business model, they hired a brilliant advertising agency who convinced the descendants of some extremely high profile Americans (George Washington's niece, Paul Revere's many great granddaughter, Sitting Bull, and FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt's granddaughter as shown here), to pose with their favorite Coach bag in a black and white ad.

I loved these ads as much as I loved my Coach bags, and sadly, a thorough internet scouring turned up only this one example.  The women in these ads were as cool as the product they endorsed--an American classic, descended from a great family that stood the test of time.  Probably the preppiest thing on earth.  These bags not only stood the test of time, but somehow got better as they aged.  All of the hardware was solid brass and could be brought back up to a violent luster via a simple can of Brasso and a soft cloth.  The leather could be polished within an inch of its life and only got softer and felt better with use.  I saved every nickel and dime in college to buy my first one, carried it for years and then when I grew tired of it, sold it on ebay where it went on to have a happy second life with a new owner.  Other bags came in and out of the closet, but then somewhere along the way, Coach seemed to forget who they were.  Product was no longer made in the USA, which isn't terrbily surprising, but the designs became cheaper and tackier.  Fabric bags crassly displayed enourmous logos and had cheap linings and hardware.  Gone was the "baseball glove tanned leather"--this was no longer the company I loved.  I started buying vintage bags on ebay and refurbishing them.  My leather backpack and Legacy bag are still closet staples.  They are timeless.  They will never wear out.

Then suddenly, they seemed to remember who they were and where they came from.  Yes, product is still made in China, but the newest offerings have a whiff of days gone by.

Some bags, like the Canteen Bag are very similar to the old version, although the leather is not exactly the same and most seem to be fabric lined since I'm guessing that the reverse side of the leather is not the gorgeous suede that we saw in the old bags.

Others, like the Colorblock Candace are blatant copies of a certain Celine "it" bag that costs more than four times the price.  While I absolutely lust of the Celine bag, I would carry this one.

In addition, there seems to be one other thing that they are doing well...shoes.

I was shopping in Bloomingdales last weekend and this pair caught my eye on a sale rack.  I didn't even realize they were Coach until I looked inside:

They are beautifully made and were a perfect fit although the tassles are a bit oversized--I suspect this is to go with the accent on their new Legacy bags (most of them have this tassle).  They were a bargain, so I snatched them up.

Hopefully, they will serve as well as my first Coach bag did all those years ago.  At any rate, I am really glad to see the company getting back to their roots.

Stay classic everyone!
-ESM

New product photos courtesy of Nordstrom.

The Wonder of it all

I don't even remember when the New York based, pseudo preppy/trendy boutique C Wonder popped up on my radar, but I was a little bit suspect right from the very beginning.  There was something oddly familiar and a smidge cheap looking about their flashy gold-plated "C" logo that had a certain Tory Burch air to it, however slightly lacking in quality.  First one blog, then another mentioned their fashion forward preppy style as well as their affordable pricing and lack of pretention.  I had to admit, their boutiques were cute and lamented the fact that there wasn't one close by that I could visit.

As far as clothing went, it seemed as though they tossed Tory Burch, Kate Spade and J Crew into a blender and then skimmed off some of the quality.  The home decor items, on the other hand, appeared fresh, fun, cute and very reasonably priced.  I took the plunge on one tortoise shell nut bowl that was an absolute steal:

I have to say that I wasn't disappointed, either with the quality (they are hand blown) or the customer service.  My shipment was sent immediately and very well packaged.  Onto my pending Pinterest wishlist I added:

The tortoise shell belt buckle and...

Reversible belt.  Forgive me, but doesn't this have the whiff of a certain product made by a certain high end leather goods company that uses an "H" on their buckle?  Yes, it does and as much as I love the orange horse, this is MUCH more reasonably priced AND I get to use my own initial.

Fast forward to this morning while watching the news, I was half paying attention when I heard the name Tory Burch.  I immediately gave Good Morning America my full attention while they explained that C Wonder is owned by Tory Burch's ex husband Christopher...hence the "C".  Suddenly, it all made sense!  The newscaster went on to explain that Tory was suing her ex for stealing trade secrets and designs and that he was suing her for breach of contract.  Really?  Yes, some of the stuff is similar to hers and here is an example:

This is Tory's Continental wallet. 

And this is C Wonder's Continental wallet.  Yup, they are almost identical.  This would be noteworthy if they weren't also identical to every other Continental wallet on the market including the Kate Spade example that lives in my bag and the one I saw in J Crew the other day.  Tory Burch is big in the Main Line area of Philadelphia.  Her Reva flats, tunics and handbags surround me on a daily basis and I am told there is a raging debate over whether or not she is truly "preppy".  Personally, I can't decide.  I know there are some items that I truly like, such as this Tiffany hued iPad case:

And others that are so flashy and trendy, I can't figure out what the heck she was thinking when she approved the design.  The bottom line is, yes, his products are very similar to hers, but they are very similar to other brands as well.  Case in point, the navy blazer.  This is C Wonder's blazer:

And this is J Crew's:

They are virtually identical.  They are exactly the same price.

I bought a navy J Crew Schoolboy blazer this year and I really love it.  The quality is excellent for the price point--fully lined and nicely finished with a great petite fit and the fabric is very soft.  I remarked to LAM that I was concerned that J Crew's quality had been going down a bit, but this item reassured me that they are making the effort.  Perhaps it's competition from the C Wonders of the world or possibly they are motivated by some other factor.  No matter--the end result is a nice product and I can't complain about that.

Stay prep!
-ESM

All photos are courtesy of their respective retaliers.

The grass isn't always greener

Some years back, I decided to buy a pair of Hunter wellies.  I was spending a lot of time in fields with dogs and having to negotiate mud, sheep droppings and all other sorts of detritus that my running shoes just didn't appreciate.  When I started looking at Hunters, I noticed that they were no longer made in Scotland, but in China.  Sigh.  Well, it had to happen.  Then one day I was in a Smith and Hawken (remember them?) and spied an old pair of black Hunters on a shelf.  Because they were a display model, they were a bit salty.  I asked the sales associate if they were for sale and she said that yes, they were, but they were the last pair and she was embarrassed with the way they looked.  They were my size, a perfect fit and when I turned them over, they were...made in Scotland.  The sales associate felt so guilty that she offered them to me for half price.  I couldn't get my credit card out fast enough.

Fast forward to my reading a Summer is a Verb blog post about this very subject.  Allie of prep fame suggested that a suitable alternative to the untouchable outsourced boots was Le Chameau.  Supposedly shaplier, a bit more elegant.  From the photo she posted, they seemed shorter and more streamlined.  Since I enjoy smallness of person, I thought it would be nice if the back of my boots didn't pinch me when I sat down.  Heck, I was game.  Thanks to my new best friend 6pm, I found a black pair that would be a perfect replacement for the now very salty (but still trusty) Hunters.

We waited patiently for the UPS truck.

Weeellllll...as you can see by this side by side comparo, there is not a whole lot of difference and they are EXACTLY the same height.  Yes, the ankles are slender, but so are the Hunters and the calf shaft is thinner in the H's.

This is the side view of the Hunter--you can see there is very little gap behind my knee.

And the side view of the Le Chameau--a big gap.  They are comfortable, but since they pretty much fit the same way, I'm on the fence about keeping them.  Please note, I have NO IDEA how they compare to the new Chinese-made Hunters, so they may be a vast improvement.  Until then, I'll keep my originals.

One last piece of mail related excitement.  I got a gift card in the mail from Thomas Pink!  LAM took one look at this and groaned..."Oh great".  Party pooper...now, what to do with it?

Perhaps the Rover.

Or the Skate Stripe.  Dunno.  I'm particularly partial to the ones with the embroidered fox.

Or perhaps the Jeremy Jumper in two-ply cashmere...

Or maybe the Hunting Scene scarf...

Until next time...

-ESM