It’s that time of year again, LAST CALL!! Arlene and I have been looking forward to this for months now. Since starting our own business (not to mention, being in the middle of a recession), we’ve really had to cut back on our spending and have been dreaming and dreaming of new designer shoes. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a little bit of Christmas money and are going to high-tail it on over to Neiman’s to see what’s left in our size on the bargain basement rack. We don’t tempt ourselves by visiting NM before the final Last Call markdown ’cause we know we’ll just end up writing checks that our bank accounts can’t cash! We’ve spent the last couple of weeks poring over the FW09 shows on Style.com and we’ve got our eyes on a few goodies!

Chanel (Arlene’s a Chanel fanatic, so keep your fingers crossed for her!)

Also, she always manages to find the most irresistible flats, so I have a feeling she might stumble across this adorable little guy from Chloe…  

There was an awful lot of goodness from Chloe, so I’ll be happy if I can get my hands (or feet!) on anything from that collection. 

We’re both jonesing for this lug sole pump from Prada… 

   as well as this Miu Miu stunner…

I’ve been all about the Proenza pumps and booties since I first laid eyes on them…

       love anything Dries…  

and would happily add a pair of YSLs to my wardrobe…

Even if we don’t find any of the above, I’m sure that Arlene and I will leave Last Call with big smiles on our faces and big style on our feet! Happy sale shopping to all — may you get everything your little heart desires!!

all images via Style.com

La prisonnière photographed by Xevi Muntane, featuring model Angelika Kocheva and styled by Elisa Malan and Eleonora Panzetta.  Let’s just give kudos now to those due!  There are two editorials I have been obsessing over lately…this being one of the two.  The couture is captured perfectly with all the playful light details throughout and of course, look at that Margiela comb dress and ooooo The Chanel!!  love.

images lovingly borrowed from Crash

We love our dresses and now we love Gary Graham from NYC.  NYC, yes, but a graduate of our famed School of the Art Institute of Chicago  How impressive … he’s been out on his own for 10 years and has now recently earned himself a CFDA/Fashion Fund Finalist title (oh also, a shop-in-shop in one of my favs, ABC Home).  His beautiful creations are such a breath of fresh air from all the studs and rocker chic looks out there.   Wouldn’t you just LOVE any one of these pretty keepers?  Oh yes!

images via Gary Graham

Has anyone seen the new Hermes F09 advertising?  As if our love for the ultimate accessory, the scarf, wasen’t deep enough!  This campaign certainly needs to be seen over and over again (possibly even hung up in our closets!) just for the style inspirations alone.  Here their ode to the scarf…streetstyle.  Genious!!!

many many more looks via Hermes insert via Jalouse Magazine

Through our dear friend, David (proprietor of one of our all-time favorite Chicago stores, Hazel), we have discovered a new love: Molly Yestadt and her beautiful hats. David saw the line recently in New York and was instantly smitten. Knowing that the line wasn’t the perfect fit for his store, David is sort of on a mission  to find it a loving, appreciative and appropriate home — basically, someone who can share his love of these gorgeous works of art, but also sell them. To this end, he practically chased me down the street to give me the Yestadt Millinery lookbook and linesheets. He couldn’t stop gushing about the beauty and workmanship of each individual piece — Molly hand-blocks every single hat (which basically means that each hat is a like a little one-of-a-kind hat sculpture). With headgear like this, I can’t say I blame him for his enthusiasm. 

I love a hat – so much – so it is very refreshing for me to see someone out there so dedicated and passionate about making hats and keeping them current. I first fell in love with her hats, but then, after visiting her website, I kind of fell in love with Molly. 

Her blog totally sucked me in. It is filled with all things hat. From behind-the-scenes to old Hollywood to new Hollywood to the runway and absolutely everything in between, I am a devotee for sure. 

Long live Yestadt Millinery and long live the Hat!

all images lovingly and respectfully borrowed from yestadtmillinery.com

My other favorite wardrobe piece, a blazer/jkt… OR any form of outerwear I can quickly grab to polish up a bit.  Throwing one over practially anything gets you in ‘ready’ mode you know?   Thank you so much to Ms Jen from GAR-DE who unknowingly sent me into a spin… falling head-over-heels in love page after page.   GAR-DE is a small group of NYC designers, artists and producers who take their cue from their “urban terrain” and their “sometimes subversive sense of humor”.  I knew then, I’m gonna like this line!  Now let’s take a look at these beauties again! 

Every season we look forward to Opening Ceremony.  Actually, it’s probably classified as ‘a need’ now!  They just do that effortless ‘edge’ vibe just right and they do it in the most unexpected ways….a pants onesie?   In the last couple of seasons, the creativity has gone through the roof and there are racks & racks after glorious racks to peruse through in their showroom.  Expect lots of Opening Ceremony fun this fall!

Came across some photos from our last buy in NYC.  Our most favorite thing for Fall09…shoes. period.  Loeffler Randall, Opening Ceremony, Martha Davis…

Below is Loeffler…best fitting, best silouhette/last, most comfortable, 4 different ways:

               Paired back to the Loeffler Randall seashell pant

This is what we call great everyday fashion.  A great shoe can update anything in your closet.

Now that all of our respective Fashion Weeks are long behind us and there are none in our immediate future, it gave me a chance to go back and start really absorbing all that’s happening for Fall. During this retrospective, I happened upon Tomas Maeir’s collection for Bottega Veneta and it absolutely took my breath away. Somehow, during all the commotion and the sorting through all of the rapidly incoming information, I missed it. Thank goodness I came upon it now so that I can give it the attention it deserves. He is a master with fabrics and draping. The true meaning of the word beautiful.