Black&White

As one of the few places in Manhattan that you can go to get a taste of nature, we planned to have a picnic on the Highline as soon as our iPhones showed us that little sunshine we hope for every time we open the weather app. Equipped with our bags of Duane Reade snacks, we sprawled out by the grass on the railroad-turned-long-skinny-park in hopes of getting rid of our pasty winter paleness. Shorts are one of my favorite things to wear, so I was super excited to break out this little leather, athletic-style pair by the brand Monday to Sunday, along with my short sleeved men's button down and sandals!

Shirt: Gap / Shorts: Monday to Sunday / Sandals: Zara / Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs /

 Sunglasses: Ray Ban / Bracelets: Madewell / Ring: Verameat

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xx
East//West

Fashion Ave.

Lacsana and I darted out onto the Fashion Avenue between our classes to shoot this look. I was really channeling my inner man when getting dressed, going for a big, contrast-sleeved coat, since, sadly, it's still freezing. Underneath is just a simple tie-dyed/ bleached button down, with dark jeans, and my new Jil Sander cutout ankle boots. I have a slight obsession with eyewear, and my general rule is if it's daytime, the sunglasses are on. These particular ones are just some cheapies I got from Urban Outfitters, but I love the round metal frame with the tortoise cat eye accent.  

xx, Rachel

East Coast

Jacket: no idea, found at Buffalo Exchange / Shirt: BDG (from Urban) / Jeans: Citizens of Humanity / Ankle Boots: Jil Sander / Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Ode to Earth Day

Earth Day can really be any day in Southern California. Foliage is everywhere (usually brown or, rather, "golden"), and landscaped gardens full of greenery are not hard to come by. Dressing in a kaleidoscope of color, texture, and pattern only seem natural in this environment. 

A cobalt blue statement necklace (found at the ever attainable and affordable Anthropologie), with a contrasting black and white cotton jumper by J.Crew, maintains my love of smashing together two unlikely counterparts. 

The skirt, well, really isn't a skirt at all. In fact, it is a strapless dress by BCBG Maxazria Collection. Watching last years Spring 2012 show via youtube induced a color-blocking coma that really hasn't abated. I think it's something I'll be wearing until the day I die. One thing is certain: I'm a freak for pleats. And I paired the entire ensemble with the notorious, tumblr-famous color-blocked Zara heels.

Even though I didn't plant a tree or cultivate any organic produce, I'd say rubbing up against roses and being blinded by sunlight was a small act of appreciating Mother Earth. And it wasn't without casualties  - I regrettably sunk my shoe into a chasm of fertilizer. 

Lizzie Furlong - West Coast

Flower Shop

                            

                   

This day was one of the first of the few warm days we've just recently been having over here on the East Coast, so we shot this look as we strolled through the flower district in Chelsea. I wore a short-sleeved cashmere sweater, and, as I'm still not quite ready for a full commitment to a warm-weather outfit, my favorite blue and black fur vest by Truth and Pride. To counteract the diva-ness of the fur and pointy toed kitten heels, I made it more casual with some ripped Madewell boyfriend jeans. I've been slacking on posts, mostly because it's been pouring rain for the past couple of weeks, but hopefully I will have a bit more motivation if the weather continues in this direction!

xo, Rachel // East Coast

Sunglasses: Elizabeth&James / Bracelet: from Anthropologie / Vest: Truth & Pride / Sweater: Minnie Rose / Jeans: Madewell1937 / Shoes: Ivanka Trump

Patterns on Patterns on Patterns

I came to the conclusion about two things this week: First, while stripes, gingham and checkers are great, they're even better together. Second, I really need a freaking haircut. 

Now, print mixing, in my opinion, is an art. There are those, like Aimee Song and Chiara Ferragni, who pair Kenzo printed shirts with Clover Canyon, and look effortless. In contrast, however, one need only enter the nearest Wal-Mart right before closing to witness the horrifying effects of matching Tweety-Bird fleece pajama bottoms with a camo-print hunting jacket. 

Now you see my dilemma. How do I look like the former and avoid looking like the latter? 

I think the key here is only using subdued prints. Or, in other cases, pairing a dominant, loud print with a subtle pattern that acts as a neutral. Here, I used my tattered red and slate gingham button-down as a base, and paired my striped J.Crew knitted blazer over top. On a side note, it is very difficult to pull off a blazer on the cliffs of Malibu. Having this light-weight knitted yet structured jacket is a dream considering the warm temperatures and casual setting. 

And why stop the layering at just clothing? With an assortment of my fave necklaces at the moment (I have an obsession with arrows), I was comfortable for a weekend at the Malibu Farmers Market with lunch at Tra di Noi. 

All Wal-Mart jokes aside, I'm not the first to admit mixing prints is hard. But naturally I had to add a printed bag to really complicate things. My mothers very old and well-loved Fendi satchel-turned-clutch did the job perfecly. A little Chelsea boot action and I'd say my tame attempt at print mixing paid off. 

Lizzie Furlong - West Coast

Ace Hotel

                         

While I'm happy I still have a bit more time to wear this jacket I got a few weeks ago, I am really over winter and just want it to be spring already. I can't wait for the nearing days when I only have to choose a few pieces of an outfit and not have to stand in my closet trying to coordinate five layers of clothing each morning! 

But for now, this is what I came up with as I prepared to go to Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel on this rainy morning. This casual look consists of baggy silk pants, which I've been basically living in since I got them, and my favorite black long sleeved Elizabeth & James t-shirt. The weird-shaped Reiss coat is great because of its boxiness, and can be thrown over anything. So happy layering, east coasters, (but for hopefully not too much longer!).

xx, Rachel 

East Coast

True Blue

The second I ever saw these pants I recalled the hallowed words of 'Miranda Priestly'.  "What you don't know is that that sweater (In my case raw silk trousers) is not just blue, it's not turquoise. It's not lapis. It's actually cerulean." And cerulean they are. Sort of like all those tumblr pictures one sees when surfing through photos tagged with "summer". But like those pictures, my pants (which are made by Eloise) and the accompanied top mix different tones of blue. 

I feel obligated to add that trousers are my best friend. And not the stiff, no-nonsense versions that pervade through L.L. Bean catalogs. The kind that move with your knees and slip over your skin (that is, if you're freshly shaven.) And lucky for me, this style of pant is very relevant.  Whether it be in a tie print or even a worn white linen, it evokes a miraculous blend of elegance and laziness. And with this cerulean color, I feel like I can cheat and never don another pair of jeans for the rest of my life.

Playing a matching game today, I stayed very blue-neutral and wore a Zara top with a mixture of embroidery, micro-sequins and beads. Its made of a sweatshirt material, so with the aforementioned pants, this might just be the chicest pajama set anyone has ever seen. 

By Lizzie Furlong // West Coast

Owen NYC Shopping Event

This past Saturday, Owen, a designer boutique in the Meatpacking district hosted a shopping event with blogger Danielle Bernstein of www.weworewhat.com, and photographed by Guest of a Guest. The idea was to use the store as your closet and put together an outfit, upload it to Instagram, and Danielle and Owen would choose their favorite outfit and award them with a $250 credit to the store! My super stylish friend Mark Eric and I headed over and after carefully scouring the racks filled with pieces from A.L.C., Wayne, Suno, and Genetic Denim, just to name a few, we came up with these outfits for our "#springselfie" submission. 

I went for an all-white look for spring, with the coolest pair of perforated leather Wayne shorts, paired with a short-sleeved silk blouse by A.L.C., and a beautiful nude Sophie Hulme clutch. I topped it off with a black leather hat, (I used part of my gift card to buy a similar suede one before we left), and was ready for selfie time!

                                                 
                         

Danielle in her Owen duds, and me in my winning outfit!

(Photos by Guest of a Guest)

http://owennyc.com/

http://owennyc.tumblr.com/ 

Three Cheers For Spring

What's a post on March 20th without mention of the Spring Equinox? I've got to admit that I'm glad California can finally have it's day - rather season - in the sun. All this waxing poetic about the 'cozy' feeling of being 'curled up' (no other verb is applicable) inside while it snows was starting to make me nauseous. You still like the snow now, huh, New York? Even in March?

No more shearling coats, no more boots and scarves or even gloves for us! (Not that that was ever really a common sight.) No, spring has veritably sprung here in the West and our season has arrived. In celebration of this annual event, I was finally able to don my share of the Prabal Gurung for Target collection. I really didn't feel it was right wearing lime sandals when it was still technically winter. 

To be fair, the whole winter season obsession really gets a Californian down. We all feel it here. We watch the news about mega-blizzards and snow-days, dropping temperatures and icicles. And what's worse, all those beautiful coats made of heavy suede or wool, the dense furs and innumerable hat options are useless! How am I supposed to look sane while wearing a 15 lb coat when it's 65 outside. 

Finally spring has arrived and, soon after, summer. And no one does spring or summer like California does. No sticky heat, bugs, or summer rainstorms spewing hot water all over. Just dry warmth, an ever-present sun, and too many reasons to skip work and head to the beach. 

But now, to the clothes! Summer is still far away, but donning a printed Diane von Furstenberg mini skirt felt so right. Paired with my favorite cream Karl Lagerfeld blouse, I'm still able to get away with showing so much skin so early in the season. A pair of Prada sunnies and of course the previously mentioned Prabal Gurung for Target shoes are really the only accessories I feel are needed. 

I'm sorry, but I don't mean to gloat. Really, I'm just celebrating the end of instagram pictures of mugs of tea, a snowy backdrop and an alight fireplace. Who else is with me?

Lizzie Furlong - West Coast