Boots

After much contemplation, I finally bought these boots on sale and I think I got the last pair. This never happens.

I do still wish I'd gotten these. They are gorgeous. I really wanted the red and almost bought them, but I talked myself out of it. In the long run, I think the brown pair will be more versatile so it made more sense to buy that pair now. If, however, by some serrendipitious twist of fate I run into a pile of unclaimed money whilst strolling down 5th Avenue on my way to work, those red boots are mine!

Next on my list:

I am in love with the blue pair.

DIY Fashion

Recently, the lovely and fashionable Jennine of The Coveted shared with us the joys of gradient tights and showed us how to make them ourselves.

I haven't tried this yet, but I did get to thinking. DIY fashion is a something that we've all done at some point or another (remember bedazzling?). I don't even know the number of times I've fallen in love with a piece in the store, only to bring it home and never touch it because I find it too boring, too dull, just not what I hoped it would be. "I wish 'designer x' would have changed 'element y,' then this garment would perfect," I usually think to myself. That is, until I realize that that wouldn't be any fun at all. I don't know about you all but I get a little thrill when I take my style into my own hands and wear something in a way that wasn't originally intended. Fashion itself is creation. It's taking tactile and intrinsically useless objects and turning them into wearable art. It's the constant experimentation, the changing, reworking, inventing, creating, destroying and patching together that takes all that fashion can be and makes it what it is.

Some more DIY fashion inspiration:

Always an original, a jacket makeover with the incomparable Style Bubble

Fringe tees with Style Bytes

A drawing lesson with The Clothes Horse

Happy creating.

Checkers and Hearts

Plaid Shirt: Old Navy
Heart Locket: Do Do Jewelry
Messy hair: courtesy of the rainy weather

Background Noise: The Rumble Strips

Last week I shared with you all the musical marvel that is Feist's "The Water." It is one of the most hauntinglly beautiful and lyrically captivating songs that I've listened to in quite some time. Since music, alongside fashion, is one of my great loves, I've decided to take my undying passion and turn it into a weekly deal. Thus, I give to you the first installment of Background Noise, Coffee's new weekly music fixture.



Here are The Rumble Strips a couple of British band who, aside from a great name, have the one song that I can't seem to get out of my head (and it's not at all a bad thing). The song, by the way, is "Boys and Girls in Love." It reminds me of Jens Lekman's "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill," which is a great song if you haven't already heard it. And if both tunes seem vaguely familiar, it's because both riffs are a variation on the tune "Heat Wave," originally performed by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, a true classic and a favorite of yours truly.

Enjoy.

Cardigan Lust

The backbone of my usually comfy casual wardrobe would probably be my favorite Liz Claiborne cardigan, which I purchased quite a while ago. It has served me well, but alas it is time for a new one, or two, or three...

I'm not the only one with cardigan lust. The cardigan, it seems, has hit the fashion blogosphere pretty hard. Both Wiksten-Made and Punky B have written about this beauty.



It's perfect and exactly what I've been looking for and considering how much I'd be wearing it the price is pretty fair in my opinion. But alas, I cannot justify spending that right now. A new semester of university means that wardrobe purchases will have to take a backseat to textbook purchases, at least for now. Oh, the joys of student life...

Perfection

Sometimes the words just come to you, other times self expression is only feasible through the use of anothers' preexisting quotations. In light of this, I give you this musical gem by none other than the incomparable Leslie Feist.

Take from it what you will.

Enjoy.