It's pretty obvious that I love outfit making. It's something that I think about almost always, and I'm easily inspired by so many things I see on a daily basis online and in NYC. There's just not enough time for all the outfit possibilities! 

Right now, I don't get to show many people my "creations" because I'm not out and about so much, so I'm putting some of them here. I don't have a photo-savvy boyfriend or artistic photographer friend at my beck and call either, so for now, outfits artfully folded on my bed will have to do. Love you, West Elm bedspread.

Anyway, this is the first installment of "it's fall, but not that cold yet." Fall, for me, is a lot about reworking my summer staples. I don't want to rush winter clothes quite yet (they'll be necessary for quite a while and I'll certainly get tired of them), plus it's not that cold in October, so certain summer leftovers are still possible. For this outfit, I'm daring to go denim on denim. I don't ever want to put away my cutoffs. It took me about three years to track down ones I actually liked, and they've gotten their fair share of wear this summer. I'm squeezing out every day I can because I know I won't be seeing them until around May (tear). It's not quite warm enough for a breezy top and sandals, though, so I tuck in my chambray shirt (and maybe roll up the sleeves) and high tops for a very downtown feel that's just a little Canadian tuxedo. I don't usually like to keep things too casual, though, so a stack of thin bangles, a statement necklace and a polished boyfriend watch contrast the casual in the clothing.
-E

what it is: Sole Society, "Helena" bootie
why I love it: This bootie, (which comes in four colors) reminds me a lot of a Christian Louboutin bootie I fell in love with a year or so ago, in terms of the shape. Booties are obviously great for fall and winter, and the shape of this one is so unique and feminine, I think it would add a gorgeous line to the end of any leg in any outfit. I love the idea of a red bootie because it's a little more unexpected. Black is obvious, and there's a reason for that, but red can look good finishing off a monochrome neutral outfit, complementing red somewhere else in an outfit or artfully popping with other colors. I somehow don't own any red shoes, so I'm thinking I'm going to have to grab these to remedy that rather large problem.
where to get it: Nordstrom.com, $79.95
-E

Don Jon has a lot going for it as a movie. Mainly, it has two very notable leads and it's the writing and directing debut of almost universally loved Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The movie had me at JGL. I went to see it last weekend, and there were many good things about it. It's an interesting parody on a certain type of person, socioeconomically, geographically and stereotypically, but it's also a commentary on the different perceptions people have of sex and love through the media. This all ended up being accurate, but nobody told me the costumes were going to be so good. I was so impressed by how costume designer Leah Katznelson portrayed a realistic wardrobe for this Italian-American, New Jersey based family and didn't cross the fine line of parody costuming, which would have been extremely easy to do (think every Jersey Shore Halloween costume you've ever seen). She outfitted the actors honestly and parallel to the story without distracting from the action onscreen.

There's not too much else to say besides the presence of vests, bandage dresses and wife beaters was rampant and so, so right. Let's take a look:

I couldn't find a picture, but another of my favorite outfits of JGL's character was a church-going outfit where he wears a cobalt blue button down. It's pretty eye-searing and so right for his character's standards of "Sunday best."

One of my biggest takeaways from this fashion month was the office. I'm not big on pencil skirts in general. It's like, why would you wear one outside of the office when they are so clearly destined to be work wear? Well, now I'm convinced otherwise because every city had many killer pencil skirts paired with tanks, crops, button downs, shirts of all kinds, and they looked great. Count me in for this trend outside of the office now that designers have offered many new types and ways to wear them.
-E

*All images via: Style.com unless otherwise noted.

Fashion month is over, and it's bittersweet. On the one hand, the inspiration, creativity and excitement that comes with all the new collections gets toned down until February's shows, but it's really stressful to keep up with all the shows! It's probably for the best. Anyway, one of the best parts of the month is the getups people sport to the shows. I've compiled some of my favorite shots from TheCut.com, Refinery29.com and Style.com from all four cities as a wrap up to what has been a great spring 2014 debut.
-E

Paris fashion week, and with it, fashion month is over, and the fashion industry will return to its normal resting state. Just last week, I said Milan was my favorite week so far. Well, I guess I have to amend that to say that Paris still has it. It was a week of mostly blacks, whites and grays, and the structured, architectural looks were just as well designed as the slouchy effortless looking pieces. It was really inspiring to see these spring iterations of some of the oldest houses in fashion and see why they're still around. Paris's collections deserve a rundown. There are so so many new favorite collections.
-E

decade callbacks

Happy Scandal premiere day! We're all excited to see what fabulous outfits Olivia Pope pulls out of her closet for tonight's episode. The show quickly (and rightfully) joined the list of shows with avid fashion followers by its second season. From Olivia Pope's perfect athletic looks and luxurious loungewear to her "wears the pants" in a fashionable way work attire and red carpet-worthy formal looks, it's not hard to see why. Like Mad Men, Sex and the City and Gossip Girl before it, costume designer Lyn Paolo has been understandably thrust from behind the scenes into the press to spill her secrets and share each look's designer components. Paolo has gone on record saying she has worked closely with star Kerry Washington on curating Olivia Pope's sleek, modern wardrobe, and Washington live tweets the show, sharing the designers of outfits she's seen in throughout each episode. Pope's D.C. fixer professional-but-feminine wardrobe is one that isn't impossible to duplicate, and can inspire those required to wear professional style clothing in the workplace to get a little creative. 

And if you've ever wanted to get an OP-like wardobe, now you can. Well, that is if you can shop at Saks. The luxury department store is giving Scandal fashion fans that opportunity by collaborating with Paolo and Washington to sell a Scandal-inspired collection at Saks stores, with Scandal-inspired windows going up in select cities nationwide. Complete with look-alike mannequins, I'd say the collaboration turned out pretty spot on. Check out the Vine above to see a video collage of all the looks to see if you agree.
-E

Fashion month is about to come to an end, which naturally brings a state of reflection. This made me think of Stefano Pilati, who was euphemistically dismissed from YSL and then later named creative director of Ermenegildo Zegna. He broke fashion convention a few weeks ago when he released his first womenswear collection to the press and consumers in the same week. He revived the brand's Agnona line with "Collection Zero," which is all great, but what's even greater is that the clothes are well designed, simple, modern and I would like to have them. The silhouettes do not adhere to any specific trends of the time and the textures, patterns and colors invite you to wear these clothes every season. Glad to see he's back on his designing feet and making news in the process. Oh, it's not like he's not charging designer prices for them. Find some of my choice pieces from the line below, all via: TheCut.com.
-E

When I checked Instagram this morning, the many fashion players I follow photographically informed me that while I laid in bed, they were all at the Chanel fashion show in Paris. But my FOMO didn't stop at that fact. More than photos of the clothes coming up on my feed were photos of the set. Now, designers often go all out with the sets for their shows, and they're often very cool and expensive, but I think this year's "art" theme is probably one of the coolest I've ever seen, and I'm not usually such an art person. It was interactive, creative, fun and all the made-for-the-show multi-genre art was creatively Chanel related. And the makeup and clothes matched, obviously. I definitely wanted to take home a few art pieces for myself, and that says a lot when competing with a fresh clothing collection. Take a glimpse at what the show's set had to offer (and how great a background it made for the collection). Too bad all art exhibitions aren't like this.
-E

Find more up close looks at the works of art by searching #chanel and #pfw on Instagram!

When each season starts and the prospect of new outfit possibilities are fresh, I mentally evaluate my wardrobe to get the thought process started. I usually come upon several gaps to fill that would serve an important part of outfit making, and make it a goal to search for the perfect piece to fill those gap as the season approaches and starts. Now that fall is here and it's the first day of a month perfect for cool-but-not-cold weather clothes and layering, here are some items I'll be on the hunt for in October for fall and winter, as told by street style.

-E