Weekend Fete: Leopard Tank Dress

This weekend I attended an engagement party for some very dear friends. It was a beautiful, back yard style, bar-b-que fete, and I wanted to be festive, yet casual.

Also, their home is in Venice and things get chilly at night, so a dress with sleeves was necessary.

Hat for warmth.

 

Clogs for comfy standing.

Beacoup de "lashes" for a 70's flair. (In Noa-terms, that's 3 coats of mascara, top and bottom).

Dress: ASOS, Clogs: Sam Edelmann, Belt: Zara, Hat: American Apparel

And it's off to party. With the amazing grub these two cook, I may never fit into this dress after tonight!

With Love,

Noa B

Re-sale Shoe Score!

I've been obsessed with these Sam Edelmann, Lorissa shoes for several months. I first saw them last spring in a series of look books.  Suddenly they appeared to be everywhere!

After a while I put them in my Amazon queue and waited for their price to drop. (A tactic I sometimes employ when I can't justify spending full freight). But drop they did not.  Finally I decided it might make sense to actually try them on, but every time I went to Bloomingdales or Nordstrom's they seemed to be sold out in my size. (That's a sale rack for you).

But today luck was on my side. I made a morning pilgrimage to my favorite re-sale store and lo and behold, there were the shoes, in my very size! I tried them on, (and completely impaled myself doing so) and realized I had two enormous credits still left in my wallet.

This is what it's all about. You don't just have to trade used for used. You can trade used for new! Now, as soon as I can figure out how not to stab myself when getting dressed, I'll be all set!

With Love,

Noa B

Sequin Blouse: Special Memories

This is one of my favorite shirts, but the beading is so old and delicate that I don't take it out for a spin too often. I did however, take it on a recent road trip because it was aching to be worn once more.

Besides being a beautiful, vintage piece there's a fundamental reason I love this top so much. This is the top I wore When Ms. "T" and I filmed our pilot presentation for our nascent, reality project, "Secondhand Star". It's held a special significance for me every since, and I associate this top with Tanya and all the great projects we've shared together over the past 18 months.

The pailettes are still in relatively good condition, but I treat this with kid gloves anyway...

A tribal necklace from Africa, some wooden bracelets, and of course my ever present, gladiator sandals are all I need to kick this into daytime gear...

Shirt: Vintage, Blazer: H&M, Jeans: Just USA, Bangles: Boutiques and vintage, Heels: Boutique 9

...While I stand back and reflect on all that 2011 and 2012 has brought. Love you Ms. "T".

With Love,

Noa B

Dreaming in Cream

I really love cream and white. Although I'm prone to spill and often wonder why I invest so heavily in light colored silks.

 I guess I've got "high hopes".

Ah well. Here's today's attempt at keeping clean in cream. And here's that rad, trade jacket from my adventure at Crossroads...

 

Clog heels: Stuart Weitzman, Tank: H&M, Skirt: boutique Unknown, Rings: Vintage and Abroad, Bomber: Asos

With Love,

Noa B

Rockin' the Re-sale!

Over the last two years I've become a really big fan of re-sale stores. I know, I know. Some of you are thinking, "wearing used clothing? Gross"!

Truthfully I once felt largely the same way, but for those still too squeamish for thrift and vintage, there's a great third option: the urban, re-saler.

If you have some duds you're sick of and want to trade, head into any of these fine locations and re-sale your gently worn items. National chains include Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads, and Wasteland. Some tips:

1: Only try to sell what looks current. Every good re-saler has a web page devoted to what their buyers are seeking each season. Above is Crossroad's guide for sellers this spring. (And you can get great ideas about current fashion. I've done blogs on trench coats, maxi skirts, tangerine, and rust colored jeans and coincidentally, they're all listed in this buying guide)!

2: Try to broom out anything you haven't worn in 6 months to year. Ten to one, you probably bought it on impulse and won't end up putting it on, but it's probably in almost new condition.

3: For those who don't want to purchase used garments, you don't have to. Most stores offer 50% credit, or 35% cash, but if you have extremely upscale designer duds, high-end, individual retailers will often go 40-60% cash on consignment. It can be worth waiting for that extra check at the end of the month.

Today I took 6 dresses into my favorite, local, re-saler, Crossroads. Amongst the items to trade, I had a BCBG Runway line cocktail dress with the original price tag still attached, a gorgeous, Marc Jacobs strapless number I'd only gotten to wear once, and a cute, Aqua, summer piece, (again, still with tags). To this I added 3 other designer duds only very lightly worn. 

I was preparing myself to take the cash and run when I spotted this leather, brand new ASOS jacket hanging in the window. I've been looking for a light brown or camel colored jacket for months, and here it was, a perfect trade for exactly the amount of credit I had!

So I swapped out. I consigned one dress for a higher figure, sold five, cleaned out my closet for spring, and left with an awesome little jacket. (Which hadn't even been worn yet)! And the best part? No money down!

So next time you're doing a little spring cleaning, check out your local re-salers wishlists online. You might just be carrying what they need!

With Love,

Noa B

Paisley Vintage Love

Paisley is one of those interesting items. For some reason it always seems to cycle back into a trend report every few seasons. Just when designers have signaled that paisley is on the "out" it comes rushing back onto the runway in some new form.

Inspired by an old tear from an early 90's fashion mag cover with Madonna posing in Anna Sui paisley, I threw this little vintage number over my new favorite staple, the jewel toned jean. 

I added my lace up loafer heels, a distressed belt, and a wooden cuff. Oh, and the enormous, vintage chapeau!

Shirt: Vintage, Belt: MANGO, Hat: vintage, Heels: Stuart Weitzman, Jeans: JUST USA

And I'm off to the races, (or in this case, Hollywood, for a vintage poster pick up and some sushi).

With Love,

Noa B

Happy Anniversary

Today is my four year wedding anniversary with my husband Ross. 

It's also the anniversary of the beginning of my live-in relationship with him. April 5th marks 15 years of wonderful, meaningful, extraordinary love and cohabitation with my best friend in the whole world.

 Thank you Ross, for making the last 15 years an amazing experience. May the next 15 be even sweeter. I love you with all my heart.

 

Tribal skirt and a new way to wear it

Have you ever bought a piece you thought was fabulous, and then been stymied by not being able to find anything to wear it with?

Well I felt that way for several months after buying this cute little tribal mini skirt during the Aztec, print craze. The thing is, the tones in the pattern aren't quite chocolate or black, or even coffee. They're made up of a deep, burnt bark color alongside an odd, putty shade that oddly enough, didn't pop well with most of my neutrals. So it sat in my closet for the last six months waiting for the right garment.

But last weekend on a thrift store scour I found this cute, short, placket blouse on a 1$ sale rack. I don't know why but the proportions and color were just what I needed to bring this skirt out for a play date. Finally! A way to rock it and give my other accessories an opportunity to come out of my closet.

Skirt: Sans Souci, Shirt: Vintage, Hat: Vintage, Heels: Vince Camuto, Tote: BCBG

I even brought out my BCBG bag from retirement to top it off. Sometimes a single dollar can be the best one you spend.

With Love,

Noa B