Why Did You Wear That: Hot Lips

By Kirsten|March 27th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

With one of spring’s hottest trends being a nod to art inspired style, living in a city with not only limited wall space, but also limited funding for original artwork can be downright depressing- especially for those of us with pensions for more than basic black and white Ikea prints. So, when New York based modern artist, Jeremy Penn, was generous enough to send one of his Hot Lips tanks (recently featured in InTouch), I was not only flattered, but floored. Sure it’s “spring” here in the city, but it’s still too soon to bare it all in this soft and slouchy tank and since I really couldn’t be bothered to wait to wear it, I warmed it up with patterned denim, a light spring jacket, and colored suede booties- a look perfect for navigating the tourist infested cobblestone streets that I call home.

jacket: Diane von Furstenberg, tank: Jeremy Penn (available here– a portion of proceeds go to the Global Fund for Women), pants: 7 For All Mankind, boots: Pour La Victoire, bag: vintage

SHOP THE LOOK:

xx,

WhyDid

photos by Brian Schutza

Why Did You Wear That: Almost.

By Kirsten|March 12th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

Yesterday was the first day in a long time that I didn’t have to wear a coat, but a jacket instead. The thermostat skyrocketed to an unbelievable sixty one degrees although it still felt a little frosty west by the water. And while skin started to show and our bodies but not hearts began to thaw, it wasn’t quite warm enough to convince me that spring is really on the way. Restaurants weren’t the slightest bit hesitant about setting up their outdoor seating to capitalize on the overzealous weather revelers. I even joined friends for rooftop cocktails at Soho House to celebrate (and photobooth foolery followed). And while we do have only a week left of winter an entire extra hour of sun, at some point it still does go down.

Shop the Look:

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: One Dress, Three Ways (Rated G)

By Kirsten|February 11th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

I love an occasion that calls for dressing up. Any occasion really. Holidays, black ties, brit malahs. So, when my birthday rolled around I knew the dress I’d been eyeing since Christmas must be mine. But just like my New Year’s outfit, I wanted to find more than one way to wear this frock. To the untrained eye, one might see it as a one hit wonder, but because it was literally just lace sans lining, I found more than a few ways to style it from fairly modest to leaving just a little to the imagination. And it’s a good thing because once my friends who had planned my party finally revealed the evening’s location, I made a quick wardrobe change. This was not the dress for dodging ninjas (don’t ask). For this version (rated G), I slid into a black sleeveless catsuit, camel coat, and black booties for a look that I think could be considered boho casual… but my version of casual could also be considered some’s black tie optional.

dress: For Love and Lemons, catsuit: American Apparel, booties: Steve Madden (similar here), coat: vintage, necklace: vintage, rings: Scott Kay, bag: Céline

Up next, PG-13.

xx,

WhyDid

Photos by Michael Stiegler

Why Did You Wear That: From the Top

By Kirsten|January 29th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

Due to my computer’s inability to function last week, I was unable to finish my three part series documenting how a crop top and pencil skirt could be reincarnated quite easily. Not that last week was any warmer, but the fact that my face froze off yesterday afternoon as I ran errands, it seems a little odd to be posting about crop tops. Especially since the inclement weather has prevented me from prancing ’round town in one, but if Jenn keeps it up, I’m gonna have no choice but to walk around topless… and potentially pantless.

So, how can one dress down a sequined top that is cropped? Pair it with destroyed denim, motorcycle boots, and a tough leather jacket to look more downtown than bridge and tunnel post Bagatelle brunch. It’s just that simple.

top: Express, jeans: 7 For All Mankind, boots: Frye, jacket: Andrew Marc, bag: Balenciaga, dog: Smitty

I will have another mimosa though.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Sand Skating?

By Kirsten|January 11th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

Speaking of skating… I’ve skated right through two of the east coast’s coldest months by hiding out in California. While there have been more than a couple of bikini clad Instagram photos, to be fair the temperature does dip below 70 when the sun goes down, but those sherbert sunsets never get old. I’ve made it my duty to watch them nightly because not one is ever the same and not one can ever be done justice by an iPhone photo- though Lord knows I’ve tried.

Speaking of aesthetic strife, no one can ever say I’m not resourceful. Yet again I’ve survived with a mere carry-on suitcase’s worth of clothing for the last eight weeks. (California must have that effect on me). Luckily, black and grey go with everything and I inherited some thread barren t-shirts that my dad was just about to relegate to cleaning rags. To say my dad is stable would be an understatement. If you need someone to put on your “in case of emergency” contacts, he’s the one. For instance, there’s a pair of sneakers I bought while visiting him maybe my sophomore year of college that have made it through five or so moves and always manage to reappear in “my room” whenever I visit. The deal with these shoes is that I made the rookie mistake of buying them half a size too small because they didn’t have my actual size of 7 1/2 and I just HAD to have them. I continue to make the rookie mistake of thinking that maybe they fit now… as if my feet have shrunk with age. All’s good and well for a few, but about 15 minutes into wearing them, I feel as though I’m partaking in the ancient ritual of feet binding.

Full circle? There’s a trail near my dad’s house where my mini sneakers abide and where I relish in the pastel skies on a nearly nightly basis. As I’ve traversed this trail, I’ve been mesmerized by these things that I incorrectly call sand dunes. Since I can’t really describe them (let alone identify them), I figured it was the perfect place to pose. So, Smitty, my own personal mountain goat (one of the memes my brother introduced me to) and I trotted up the trail in my tiny toe crushing shoes for this post. (Told you a skater skirt would look stellar with a crop top).

jacket: (similar here), top: Splendid (similar here), skirt: H&M (similar here), socks: StockinGirl (similar here), shoes: Converse (similar here – good job, Dick… these are apparently rare), bag: Balenciaga, necklace: no clue (similar here), dog: Smitty