Fall Fashion Preview

Fall is absolutely my favorite time of year, which I guess is why around this time I start thinking about what new items I might want to incorporate into my fall wardrobe. How can you not with the plethora of e-mails touting fall fashion despite triple-digit temperatures? I also start planning my Halloween costume...but that's a story for another time. For organizational purposes herewith are my top ten "fall favorites."

1. Camel

Yay hooray! Camel is such a beautiful color and though I am awfully fond of black, it's nice to have a less harsh neutral in the rotation.

2. Blouses

Finally! A return to civility. I think the blouse is an oft overlooked basic really great for work, or for play. I see this one from Marc Jacobs worn with black skinny jeans (or leggings) and some beautiful grey over-the-knee boots, which we will get to in a moment.

Available at Net-A-Porter.

3. Red

Bright red is definitely in, but I think the freshest looking red is a deep Cabernet color. Of course, I love red in any incarnation and am especially fond of this Brian Reyes dress.

Available at Shopbop.

4. Over-the-knee boots

I was super skeptical about these last season having seen Pretty Woman a number of times, but I kind of dig them now. In a dream world, how about these from Christian Louboutin? I think the key to wearing these is to never wear them with a dress. Always pants, or at the very least opaque tights underneath!

Available at Bluefly.

5. Lace

Can I just tell you how freakishly excited I am about this? I love me some lace, especially when used as an accessory accent, it adds a kind of sophisticated elegance to a simple outfit.

6. Velvet

Trust me on this. I'm not entirely sold on the whole velvet pants idea. But I love a rich velvet bolero or clutch. And I kind of think a really slim evening gown in black velvet would be amazing. Of course I couldn't find such a thing, but trust me, it would be fabulous.

7. Animal print extras

I really think it can't be fall without some kind of animal print. I love small animal print extras like this great Rebecca Minkoff clutch. Available at Shopbop. J. Crew also has a great leopard belt I just love.

8. Feathers

So obsessed with these...

Available at Neiman Marcus.

 

9. Long skirts

They say that when the economy is in the tank, hemlines tend to fall. So we knew this was coming. What I love about floor length skirts is that they can be completely casual like so...

 

 

...perfect with a plain white t-shirt. Or, black-tie ready, as the stunning Carolina Herrera illustrates below.

10. Pale blue

I'll admit, this is not my color. I tend to look snowman-esque in pale shades, but I almost think I could pull it off if worn with a darker color such as the Carolina Herrera example below. It's so beautiful. And while we're talking about CH, her entire fall collection really blew me away, such rich textures and wearable pieces. Love!

What are your fall fashion favorites?

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

Benji Wednesday: At the Car Wash

This past weekend Benji took his first trip to the car wash. It was mostly a success. He was slightly afraid of the loud noises, but he liked watching the action as we sat outside and waited for our car.

Success! A clean car!

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

Ba-Na-Nas

Team Zoe gears up for season three tonight on Bravo (10/9 Central). I'm totally freaking out, as Zoe herself is want to say. In honor of Her Royal Fashioness, here is one of my favorite Zoe-designed looks on the incomparable Eva Mendes at the 2009 Golden Globes.

The dress is Dior. Not sure about the baubles, but the whole thing is beyond. Photo via Love Love Me Do.

I also love Eva in Oscar de la Renta here and here. The grey dress got mixed reviews, but I love it and think Eva is just about the only person who can pull it off in real life. What do you think?

Remember, set your TiVos.

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

I Love...

This Vera Wang pearl necklace. Available at Neiman Marcus.

Mad Men Recap: Episode Two

Wow! Mad Men's most compelling storylines frequently revolve around parties. Maybe it's the glamour of the '60s or the copious amounts of booze involved, but at the the end of a party episode I feel a little dizzy and in need of an Alka Seltzer or two a la Roger Sterling. Last night featured one of the most raucous fetes in recent memory. As usual, there is a lot simmering under the surface, but now more than ever I think there are some major shifts and changes afoot, mainly due to the fact that SCDP is the catalyst. Let's keep the office parties coming.

So, great things: Joan Holloway! How much do I love this character? She's so incredible. I love how she turned the office party into a "bacchanal" in no time flat. The orange game, the conga line, it was so Joan and so perfect. Flirty, fun and yet seemingly totally under control. Her hot pink outfit was awesome, and am I mistaken or did she also wear that on the first episode? And the red dress "with the bow that makes you look like a present" per Roger. Can they please get together and get rid of Jane and her questionable decorating persuasions?

How great were the subtle showdowns on this episode. I especially loved the Roger and Lee Jr. showdown over the Santa suit and the tension between Frank and Pete.

And speaking of Pete...Peggy, Peggy, Peggy. What are we going to do with you? This "boyfriend" is ridiculous at best. So naive and the haircut? Can we get rid of him and his Swedish hook-up info quickly please.

Another person I would like to see offed is the uber-creepy Glen. What's going on there? The lanyard/dangerous string cutter, the ransacking of the "Francis" residence (did anyone else get completely thrown off when Carla answered the phone that way?). Creep city. So completely bothered by him. Even more so than I was when Betty seemed to be jonesing for him.

And finally, Don. We knew it was coming. Matt Weiner is trying to make me hate him. His tryst with his secretary was completely terrible. Her face in the last scene was so heartbreaking. I don't love this Don, but in an effort to understand where he's coming from...I think lately Don feels like he has lost his mojo a little bit. The ladies aren't falling head over heels for the wounded divorce as they were for the dashing married man (odd, isn't it?). Between Bethenny the Barbizon resident, Faye the shrink and Pheobe the flirty--yet not easily swayed--nurse it seems Don just can't win. I'm not exactly taking his side, what he did was awful, but I guess that's how you can rationalize it.

Weiner, throw me a bone here. Until next week....

Weekend Snaps

I was very delinquent this weekend and took only one snap, but I think it sums things up nicely. Any weekend is a good one when cake and champagne are involved, no? We attended a beautiful wedding and had a lot of fun dancing and eating...a lot. Hope yours was wonderful! Mad Men musings forthcoming.

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

I Love...

I still love sequined shoulder pads and kind of think these would look awesome on a white t-shirt.