Babes in Toyland

I went to Joan Shepp on Saturday for a Trunk Show (The designer being showcased was John Wind of Maximal Arts jewelry - stay tuned this weekend for a post of all the glitzy and glamorous baubles plus a give-away of one of his charming necklaces) and it was like I stepped off the streets of downtown Philadelphia and into the changing room at a Vogue shoot. There was so much to look at, touch, try on, admire (from afar), oogle, photograph, covet, etc. There was a great mix of locally designed clothing and jewelry, haute couture from Paris, Japan, London, accessories from Sweden, bags from Mulberry and Chloe, fuzzy sweaters from Sonia Rykiel, and sporty separates from Y-3. It was literally the best from a big department store like Barneys comfortably nestled into a Center City boutique. I. Died.

Here are some standouts:

Some of the great shoes, bags, and hats on display.

Charles Chang-Lima Multi Stripe Coat, $875

DL&Co. Skull Candle, $85

Beautiful Leather Gloves from Imoni Stockholm. No reason why winter colors have to be dull!

Fingerless elbow length gloves, $224.

And, my Piece Du Resistance:

leather vest/belt from Sonia Rykiel - I think it may be vintage because I couldn't find it online anywhere. Anyone know what season its from? How cute/useless is that little pocket?

Rhonda from Style Shepherd was also in attendance - we had a great time together! Turns out, we're birds of a feather, and had such a lovely time goofing around and drooling over the divine jewelry and accessories.

Here she is modeling one of my own designs/creations.

(Ignore my wonky face....!)

 

Hand-made Body Harness, $65. Contact me if you would like one.

Had a great time, and don't forget to keep an eye out for the jewelry edition, featuring John Wind of Maximal Art!

Cheerio,

Renata

For Sale

I don't usually do this, but I do want to give you guys a heads up that I am listing a gorgeous vintage fur coat that my aunt gave me on my etsy page. If you do decide you want the coat, you can contact me directly and I'll give you a better deal on shipping and the price of the coat since you are one of my lovely readers! The color of the fur is deep chestnut with streaks of dark brown. It has a large collar and lined in luxurious red silk and falls just below the knee in length. 

As you may know, I have recently become a vegetarian and no longer wish to wear fur, although it is such a truly gorgeous piece.

It is in perfect condition except for a tear on the upper right arm. I went to a furrier (great word, no?) for a quote and was told it would be around $50 to repair.

I will sell the coat for a REASONABLE offer - I will keep in mind the tear and necessary repairs, but the coat is in such great condition otherwise. You can pay with paypal, and I can ship this anywhere within the USA.

Please feel free to contact me if you are interested or would like to make an offer. I'm always willing to give more information/photos if necessary. I love the coat (and my sweet aunty who gave it to me) but I know there's someone out there who can make better, chicer use of it.

It looks good on guys, too, as evidenced by my brother.

Cheers,
Renata

Budget Fashionista

This....

is what I can afford on my budget right now. What's a girl to do, short of grand larceny? I've got a holiday wish list the size of Lindsay Lohan's record, so I hope Santa Baby shines favorably upon me this year!

Cheers,
Renata

photo via thecoolhunter.net

Walking in a Fall Wonderland

God, I love fall dressing. Its the most wonderful time of the year (for fashionistas). You can wear layers, cute sweaters, not have to be in the best shape ever (My Shake Weight is in hibernation until Spring), and you can still get away with outrageous colors and prints before the dregs of winter are upon us. Although, to be fair, I do wear these leopard print pants year round. Well-fitting pants are hard to come by, oui?

Here's one of my favorite outfits this fall - super cozy, unique, warm and fuzzy, and a dose of edgy. The sweater is perfect - its slouchy yet fitted, black yet not boring, and warm and cozy but not itchy. It was one of my best online purchases, from yesstyle.com.

Sweater - yesstyle.com

Pants - random from High School

Motorcycle boots - Lucky Brand, from Bloomingdales

Bag - Mango

By now you may know that I really do try not to wear leather or suede, or any other animal-based fashions, so this bag by Mango is perfect for me! Its chic and on-trend without looking cheap or disposable, and its animal-friendly - what can be better? It's by far my favorite handbag, and I get a ton of compliments on it. Plus, I love wearing it cross-body, because its always stuffed with camera's, water bottles, sandwiches, lipsticks, etc. I have this paranoia that my purse-shoulder is slowly sinking, a-la' Venice.

Hope you all are enjoying the last days of beautiful Fall!!

Cheers,

Renata

PS - Stay tuned for some photos of the John Wind/Maximal Art trunk show at Joan Shepp and a giveaway! 

Manic Muse

Michelle Lamy, muse and wife to Rick Owens and all-around eccentric oddball, as seen in October's Vogue Paris (which I was lucky enough to acquire through the kindness of a world-traveler with extra suitcase space)



Spruce it up

I'm a big fan of using tights/stockings/leggings, etc to add some oomph to an otherwise plain outfit. Sometimes I just don't feel like wearing something that take's effort (especially in the dead of winter, when all I want to do is hibernate), so I can really appreciate the added effect that the right tights can produce. That being said, I don't believe in paying more than $30 for something that weighs about the same as a quarter. Here are some of my favorite tights from Jessica Simpson, TopShop, House of Holland, and more!

 

These Tiger Stripe tights from urbanoutfitters.com remind me of counting tree rings. $14.

Jonathan Aston Mock Suspender Tights, $16.50, figleaves.com

asos.com, $10.

These next tights are the cat's meow:

 

 Sheer Luxe Shapes Pantyhose, $25, American Apparel

 Gipsy Back Seam Tights, $10.11, asos.com

Pieces Alice Stripe Tights, $15.17, asos.com

Emilio Cavallini Tattoo Style Print Tights, $28, asos.com

 

  House Of Holland For Pretty Polly Bandana, $20.22

That's plenty for now, don't you think? And I didn't even get into color. Although frankly, I think colored tights don't really do much for anyone unless your 5'10" and a skeleton, or 11 years old. Agree/disagree?

 Cheers, 

Renata

 

PS - I 'm doing another Apartstyle.com giveaway in December for some Holiday shopping!!! Get ready, and congrats again to the 5 lucky winners from last time!!

Walkin In LA

Another fierce Canadian giving Americans a run for our money -

Walkin In LA singer Margo is a futuristic 80's rocker with a high fashion look and a laid-back West Coast sensibility -- talk about a walking contradiction! She is equal parts bizarre, captivating, and an inspiration to all Head Bitches In Charge.

Cheers,

Renata

Monica and Vincent sitting in a tree

 

 

Most beautiful couple ever - Monica Belluci and Vincent Cassel.

I guess this just proves that the couple that stars in weird, psychologically disturbing movies together (Irreversible???) stays together.

PS - Damn good DNA.

XXXO,
Renata

Worst Idea Ever.

The worst idea ever was:

 for me to try on this Matthew Williamson cape this weekend in the Chelsea shop.

It is the single most amazing thing I have ever seen or tried on, except for that acid yellow jillion dollar ostrich weekend bag in Milan. What a perfect color, perfect fit. 

IF ONLY!!!

Anyone have an extra $1495 they can toss this way to keep a girl warm this winter??

Here's my other biggest regret, as seen on Via Montenapoleone in Milan:

Somewhere around 18,000 euros if I recall correctly...

Cheers,

Renata