Recently in Classic Looks Category

One of my favorite blogs to read is www.libertylondongirl.com, the writer is a very chic London fashion editor.  I was looking at her post today and I LOVED her outfit.  Check out the post here.  She's wearing a classic Barbour jacket and J Brand skinny jean/leggings.  Envy!

I don't see the exact jacket online but this one at Orvis is similar, Waxed Cotton Emily Jacket, $299.  I like the stand-up collar and plaid lining.

The pants are available at Bloomingdale's in 2 washes: black and olympia. They are $139, which is quite reasonable.  They also have great reviews, the reviewers on Bloomingdale's say they are very flattering and comfortable.


It is seriously tempting to run out and buy these immediately!  I have dearly loved my Burberry jacket, but it's kind of ridiculous that every girl on the Upper East Side has the same jacket.  You see Barbour, but not as often, and more often than not its on a well-dressed man.

You couldn't see her shoes but apparently LLG was wearing Converse hi-tops, which is funny because I wear those all the time except the low-top version.

I'm not really a St. Patrick's Day person (sorry, no green beer for me, no beer at all for that matter!) ... but it does make you think about green things... like EMERALDS!

Remember Angelina's amazing (and huge) emerald earrings at the Oscars last year? Wow!  But they must have hurt her ears, you can't wear earrings that heavy for too long...

Here are some from Blue Nile with diamonds that us mere mortals have a chance of being able to afford: Pear-Shaped Emerald and Diamond Drop Earrings, $1,210.

These are pretty small though, they are just under a 1/2 an inch tall... but still very pretty and elegant!

It seems like we've been seeing a lot of the French sailor shirts here and there lately.  I guess virtually every Spring and Summer, bits of nautical style pop up.  Of late it's probably part in thanks to Audrey Tatou in Coco Avant Chanel. (she looks great in everything!)  The dvd releases Feb. 16 by the way...

Can you imagine that it was way back in the early 1900s that Coco Chanel popularized the look at her store in Deauville (around 1917).  Before that the French label St. James had been making the shirts and sweaters for sailors since about 1850.

Here is Coco in 1930.

I'm afraid to imagine how much a Chanel version of the shirt would cost. But you can still get the original Saint James verision from Calypso. ($135)

 

A couple more modern versions are this one from Anthropologie ($68)

and this tissue tee version from J. Crew ($32.50)

I've written before about pearls like the affordable ones they sell at Ross-Simons, but as many know, the ne plus ultra of pearls is Mikimoto.  Why? Honestly, I never really knew.

 

During the mid 1800s in Japan natural (non-cultured) pearls were over-harvested and a pearl crisis was imminent. Kokichi Mikimoto spent decades researching seeding oysters to create pearls, he finally succeeded in 1893. And the cultured pearl was born.  Unlike freshwater pearls which can be very odd shaped, sea pearls are round. Mikimoto pearls are perfectly round and lustrous.

A classic 18" Mikimoto strand with 6.5 - 7 mm A quality Akoya cultured pearls with an 18k gold clasp (in either white or yellow gold) is $2,600.

Diane Von Furstenburg introduced her knit jersey wrap dresses in 1973... and now 35 years later they're a fashion icon.  So much so there is even one in the collection of the Costume Institute of the Met.  Her collections are much more broad now, but the wrap dresses and other variations of the jersey knit dress are always an important part.

Here's a totally classic wrap dress, in a fun retro print, $385. 100% silk jersey.

 

 

Here's another wrap style, "Hampton Wrap Dress", $365. This one sleeveless, but still easy enough to wear all year by pairing with a cardigan. 88% nylon, 12% elastane stretch fabric.

 

I love this tuxedo dress, $365 available at Net-a-porter. It has a tuxedo pleated front and black buttons and belt. Contrast lining at sleeves and front placket.

All three of these look like they'll be in style for another 35 years for sure.  I always tend to love stuff that stands up to the test of time.  I mean really, who would ever need acid washed jeans again?  Classics like these dresses, when well kept, can be passed down to daughters and nieces and be enjoyed for many years to come.

If you're interesting in fashion history, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum is a great place to explore. Many people go to the Met and never even make it to this wonderful section of the museum.  If you're not in New York or visiting soon, you can still enjoy it through their website. It features collection highlights and a searchable database.

Among the highlights are this Chanel Evening Ensemble (circa 1933-1935), silk and feathers.

Lanvin Evening Dress (circa 1939), silk.

Gilbert Adrian Evening Ensemble (circa 1945), silk.

Nettie Rosenstein Ensemble (circa 1945), silk.

It's pretty amazing that one could wear any of these today!

I totally love this D&G Pinstripe Dress ($645), kind of a variation on their corset style dress.  It has the same lingerie style straps but is done in a more conservative fabric, a pinstripe wool flannel. This one actually has the corset built inside for a good fit.

Check out the details, the wrap style top and exposed zipper in the back.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this dress! I think it could go from day into night by pairing it with a jacket for day. It's a wool blend (54% viscose/40% wool/5% elastane/1% polyester) with stretch so I think the fit would be fabulous.  I wouldn't spend this much online though, I'd want to try it on.  But that could be dangerous because if it looked really good then one would just HAVE to buy it.

Some of the lady-like profiles of Fall (like the pencil skirt) are to me, crying out to be paired with multi strand pearls.  I've written before about covet-worthy Chanel pearl necklaces but there are plenty of reasonable options out there too.

J. Crew has a nice option, this Double-Strand Jeweled-Flower Pearl Necklace for $250.  It's made with real 10 mm freshwater pearls, hand knotted on silk thread with a metal flower clasp.  It's 20" long.

Or at Ross Simons, their Double Cultured Pearl Strand with 14k Gold Clasp, $156 for 16 inch length, $180 for 18 inch length. The pearls may be anywhere from 7.5 - 9 mm in size, hopefully they do a reasonable job of matching them...

It's kind of funny how "Grandma" pearls can be. There are probably a lot of younger women that would never even consider wearing them. But I love them, I think they're Grace Kelly classic and as long as you know how to dress, they're fabulous!  Like this:

 

How cool does that look?!

I saw this super chic dress in the Fall issue of In Style "Makeover" (special issue).  Nanette Lepore "High Ball Dress", merino wool with silk ruffles and sewn on faux pearls.  The only place I could find it for sale online was Saks.com.  The pearls give the look of the tiered pearl necklace that is very Coco Chanel.

It's a merino knit and pull on style, so it's sure to be very comfortable too. And only $230! I don't like the shoes the the Saks model is wearing, I think I'd wear 4" Louboutin black pumps.

I always love Theory clothing.  For me it's a bit expensive but worth it because the designs are classic and well made.  Here are my picks from the Fall collection.

Knit Trench Coat, $545. It's not exactly a classic trench coat, but that's why it's interesting. Stand collar, hidden buttons and belted. The material is viscose/polyamide/spandex so I bet if feels amazing!

Classic Black Shirt, $190. They make their shirts with a bit of strech so they fit great.  These short sleeves have button cuffs for a nice added detail.

Tailored Dress, $295. Oh I love this!  One could get so much wear out of this, a great day to night dress.  I love the bateau neck, three quarter sleeves and the pockets! It's wool and lycra so I'm sure it has a great fit too.

Golda Pencil Skirt, $180. They cut this skirt with asymmetric seams that go all the way down to the 2 vents on the back. This one is navy but it comes in black too. I'd def. get it in black, but I don't have to because I already have it! 

Too much black, perhaps? No, I don't think so.  :-)

I was watching The Devil Wears Prada again the other day and I've found myself thinking about the Chanel necklace Anne Hathaway got to wear in a couple different scenes.  I'm pretty sure it's Chanel costume jewelry (not Chanel Fine Jewelry).  It's kind of suprising that Chanel, such a luxe brand, even makes costume jewelry, but it is said that Coco Chanel actually introduced costume jewelry to the fashion world back in the 1920s. 

I wonder how much something like this costs?  I can't find Chanel jewelry for sale online anywhere, I suspect that they don't allow it. I guess I'll have to go to the Chanel boutique in New York to check it out.