fashion's night out: the 2013 cfda awards!

true fashionistas will tell you that after the met gala, the cfda awards are one of the biggest nights in fashion. and fashion's heavy hitters were out in full force on monday night. while i gladly would have worn 90% of the fashions that graced the red carpet, i had a few favorites (and naturally, my style icon olivia palermo was among them. her fringed skirt and gold booties combo was perfection. she can do no wrong. ok, done gushing...for now). i also love just about everything rooney mara wears on the red carpet (though i do wish the girl would smile for heaven's sake); miranda kerr's watercolor number was elegant, while simultaneously not taking itself too seriously; and alessandra ambrosio's white one-shoulder top and floor-length skirt were perfectly simple and chic- a look that only a statuesque victoria's secret-calibre model could pull off.

olivia palermo in dazzles in gold dennis basso

rooney mara (with francisco costa) in a subtlely sexy calvin klein collection dress

miranda kerr in (you guessed it!) proenza schouler

alessandra ambrosio looks like a modern-day grecian goddess in kaufmanfranco

nicole richie (also looking statuesque!) in bronzey marc jacobs

candace swanepoel (in and with!) prabal gurung. love the belt and jewel detail

photo credit: style.com

I'M LOVING fall trend: over the knee boots

yet again, i have returned after a many, many months-long hiatus. but i'm back, and (hopefully) better than ever! i'm jumping right into this post because i just can't contain my glee at having found one of THE wardrobe staples i set out to purchase this season. i've been digging the over the knee boot, but wasn't sure i could pull it off, since i'm what some might consider vertically challenged (a paltry 5'2). ideally i had thought i'd want a pair with a bit of a heel to give me a lift, but given how i envisioned wearing them (mostly with short skirts/dresses and tights) heels seemed a bit...scandalous. so i opened my mind to the idea of a flat over the knee boot instead. something black, slouchy, in either leather, suede, or (blasphemy!) vegan leather. i wasn't too committed to the search, assuming what i was looking for existed in abundance. but to be honest, i saw very few options during my shopping outings. so i began a search in earnest, and as luck would have it, found exactly what i wanted on my first try, thanks to dsw. i've had mixed feelings about dsw- sometimes i find their selection to be spot-on; other times, you couldn't pay me to wear anything in the store. but this pair by chinese laundry is exactly what i had in mind. i have a hard time paying over a hundred bucks for anything i consider to be a "trend', so at about $85, the pricetag was also just right. i bought them on monday, and have already worn them 3 times this week (and have noticed the admiring glances from both men and women alike). i'll be looking to the miranda kerr and kate moss for inspiration going forward.

miranda kerr is always flawless (and SHE can pull off the heeled version!)

3 looks by kate moss. enough said.

my bargain find: vegan leather from chinese laundry

my dream splurge: heeled suede fringe from plomo

photo credit: fabsugar, dsw

my new writing gig!

i'm super excited to share that i'm writing for a relatively new website called ajent.com, whose mission is to "help readers simplify the amount of websites, blogs, and daily emails they have to wade through in order to find style inspiration and great products." we comb through the most popular blogs, pick the best (in our humble opinion, of course) looks, and tell you how to pull them off, no matter what your budget is. i love the concept because it allows me to explore and appreciate designer pieces, while also looking for their budget equivalents, which is clearly my passion when it comes to fashion. please check it out (the pink peonies look that's currently on the homepage is mine!) and follow us on facebook and twitter. happy monday!

photo credit: ajent.com

oscar sunday salad

so you're probably thinking, "she said this would no longer be a 'lifestyle' blog- why is she writing about salad?" and my answer to that would be the following: in order to squeeze into the fashions that we've been seeing on all of the runways for the various fashion weeks (and on the oscars red carpet last night), one would welcome a healthy and absolutely delicious salad like the one i concocted. i was feeling the effects of a getaway weekend full of wine, cheese, and well...more wine and cheese. so i revisited this salad, which was a slight improvement on the one i posted over a year ago here. this version is better because 1) i baked the kale, rather than sautéing it and 2) i added cauliflower AND avocado. genius, if i may say so myself. other ingredients included roasted cauliflower (pre-made from whole foods- i can't lie), sautéed onion, a few cloves of roasted garlic and just a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. it really just depends what you have on hand. last time i used some cranberries and almonds, which were tasty, too. but like i said, the avocado made it this time around.

truth be told, this actually is a relatively cheap dinner, actually. i'd say not more than $5 per serving. so save that dough while whittling your waistline!

fashion week f/w 2013

on this the last day of fashion week (both sadness and joy!), i present to you more of my faves, in no particular order. i've offered absolutely no commentary on the trends that appeared this season, but stay tuned for a discussion on the fads that ruled the runways.

BIBHU MOHAPATRA

COSTELLO TAGLIAPIETRA

BADGLEY MISCHKA

CUSHNIE ET OCHS

THEYSKENS' THEORY 

ELIE TAHARI

CAROLINA HERRERA

CHARLOTTE RONSON

DONNA KARAN

photo credit: style.com