27 dresses.

Behind all of the musings, wishlists, weekend adventures, and pretty puppy pictures that we post, we have a genuine desire to see good fortune and happiness amongst our fellow (wo)man. Cheesy? Maybe. But true nonetheless.

On that note, I wanted to take a timeout today to share a great non-profit organization with you.

The Glass Slipper Project collects formal dresses and accessories and provides them to high school juniors and seniors in Chicago who would otherwise be unable to afford them. The dresses are distributed at the Glass Slipper "boutiques" each prom season, and each of the girls are guided by volunteer personal shoppers to help them find the prom dress of their dreams.

 

via The Glass Slipper Project 

This weekend Old Orchard is hosting a pre-prom party in the space between Helzberg Diamonds and Ann Taylor. If you're heading out there to shop, take a glance through your closet and see what you may be able to donate to The Glass Slipper Project. Aside from getting a head start on your spring cleaning,  as a bonus you'll get a $10 gift cert to Old Orchard stores.

B and I have both donated, and you should too. 

There are so many amazing organizations like this one, for everyday needs and for special occasions of all varieties, including weddings. My sister-in-law recently donated her beautiful wedding gown to The Brides Project, another tremendous organization in Michigan. The Brides Project sells gowns donated by brides or bridal shops and all the profits go directly to the Cancer Support Community for programs and services for people touched by cancer.

If you have beautiful things, count yourself lucky, and when you're done with them, pass them along to someone who can feel lucky to have them, too.

And, if you have 27 dresses hiding in your front closet from all your friend's weddings, stop pretending you're ever going to wear them again, and donate to a girl who will.

wishlist wednesday: florals? for spring?

In the words of Miranda Priestly, this shit is "groundbreaking."

It's understood that we're not anywhere near uncharted fashion territory, but we have certainly curated some very cool pieces. A solid helping of stripes, florals, florals and stripes, a bunny (don't act so surprised), a semi-see-through bag, crochet sneaks, and $300 lucite earrings thrown in for good measure. We would be the happiest of happy campers if this hodge podge of lovely ended up in our closets.

k :: dress :: metallic shorts :: sequin tank :: floral tank :: cork shoesies

b :: perforated bag :: bunny sweater :: earrings :: sneaks :: skirt :: pants

april showers bring an excuse to go shopping.

I know it's not April yet, and from the looks of this weather it seems as though we may have skipped spring entirely (not complaining, although certainly confused), but let's go off of the assumption that global warming regulates itself sometime soon and we get some rain.
The transition into the next season makes me yearn for a good ol' fashioned spending spree. More specifically, the transition into spring translates into major rain gear crushing. Let's go shopping, splash in some puddles, and pretend we're not as old as we really are. Woo!

boots: this, that, and the other // raincoats: here, here, here, here, and there // umbrellas: first and last // puppy apparel: just the one

a few of our (new) favorite things.

The St. Patrick's Day debauchery in Chicago, complete with 2 parades and a river dyed green, was particularly tolerable this weekend, dare we say enjoyable, due to the beautiful, unusually warm weather. We traded in our usual snow/sleet/rain/cold for 75 degree sunshine. We navigated the crowds of drunken leprechauns and slow-as-molasses tourists and popped into Nordstrom to cash in some notes for a fab Kate Spade watch and gold iPhone handset, Zara to score an amazing pair of pleated puppy-print shorts, and Anthropologie for a few knob options to (hopefully) complete the never-ending bedside table project. All in all, by far our most productive and sober St. Patty's to date.

 

grandma chic.

 

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I've always admired a black and white photograph my dad has of my grandmother. She was in her seventies when the picture was taken and has pronounced wrinkles around her eyes and smile. I always thought she looked so beautiful. When I met J's grandma, she immediately offered me her fabulous red Chanel lipstick - you know, because we were going out in public and my lips were bare {gasp!}.

 Much of my styling inspirations come from these older ladies and has evolved into what can only be described as "grandma chic." We've borrowed so much from the past generations over the years, and their fashions are no exception.. fur jackets and stoles (faux, please), amazing hats, bright lips, layered necklaces, pattern on pattern, whimsical blouses with bows and ties, and gold jewels studded with colored stones.

A few of my favorites, young and old.

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a dose of dose.

This probably isn't breaking news to any of you Chicagoans, but there is now a great way to inject some variety into your weekend on one Sunday each month, and they call themselves Dose. It's a marketplace with various sellers hawking (not to be confused with 'hocking') their merchandise, be it housewares, fashion, food, or miscellaneous, and it's difficult to walk out empty-handed (yesterday's damage: jasmine tea and French macarons, on the tame side because we were so overwhelmed by the amount of goodness). The line-up changes every month, meaning you can justify going every month. Works for us, since there aren't many things we love more than a good justification!

Vendors of note include Babushka Bakery, Mineralogy Jewelry, Dinner Party Shop, Zora Jewelry, and Industrial Evolution. There was also complimentary beer on hand, but it was 10:45 in the morning and we are no longer those carefree and perpetually tipsy girls in Boulder, Colorado. Cue sad face :( We concluded the morning by taking a short stroll along the river (it was 65! and sunny! in March!), and upon B's arrival home Penny insisted she get some relaxing outdoor time as well, so the little princess claimed a deck chair. And ate a small spider.

And so begins another week.

wishlist wednesday: no bones about it.

Anyone who has a dog and is not yet at the point of having children cannot help themselves but to project all kinds of delusions onto their canine companions. Ours are spoiled rotten, and between organic food and treats, the run of the house, more toys than most young children have, regular groomings, and incredibly attentive grandparents (who double as dog-sitters), there's no hope but to continue to perpetuate the weird little relationship that is "[wo]man's best friend." Behold the wishlists of Penny, Chloe and Sebastian, our precious little monsters.

dog carrier / conditioning spray / treats / sleepypod / plush toys / leash / tag / collar / benz bed
[sassy pup not available]

In a faraway land/alternate universe where unicorns roam the countryside, chocolate is a multivitamin, and money grows on trees, you will also see my dog being toted around in a Gucci carrier or walked with a Balenciaga leash. In this life? Not so much. Everything else here could be quite feasible, and the SleepyPod has become my most favorite reality. If you have a smaller dog that spends a good amount of time in the car with you, purchase one now. It's safe, roomy, and looks a lot less awkward than the puppy booster seats.

Not that these two ever want for anything, but I’d like to think that if they did then Chloe would enjoy a seasonal update to her accessories, trading her studded collar and fur blanket for bright, feminine pieces – like the lavender strap collar, darling new dogtag, and on-trend floral dog bowl. She would spruce up her space in my car with a minty green mat, and an octopus in the official color of 2012, tangerine. This little one doesn’t need any “Puppy Uppers”, but the Jonathan Adler treat jar is hard to resist, especially when mama has a matching “dolls” jar on her nightstand. Sebastian would imaginably upgrade his lifestyle to cultivate the ultimate man-cave. In his collection: a rugged cowhide couch he is finally allowed to sit on, a British flag dog bed for napping by the fire, and to highlight his English roots, and finally an appropriately manly dog bowl and leash with metal rivets to match his collar. While Sebastian sleeps soundly, dreaming of bones too large to fit in his bowl, Chloe stays up all night scheming how to get a paw-print cupcake for her birthday April 12th.

wishlist wednesday: travel essentials.

Life has dealt us a crap hand and we don't have a private jet. It's just plain nonsensical and we don't want to talk about it.

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In order to deal with this unfair advantage, our commercial flights have to be as comfortable as possible. We have each put together a list of must-haves (that we already have) that you should probably be adding to your own wish list, because if you're anything like us, you need the good stuff to get through the nightmare. Things to consider: arctic temperatures, recycled/dry/germ-ridden air, blinding sunlight, screaming babies, extreme boredom, and debilitating anxiety. In the case of flying, it's all about the destination, and absolutely not the journey.

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Imagine, if you will, the airplane scene from Bridesmaids - I'm just a less drunk version of Kristen Wiig. No one expects much of me on days of travel, but the following items make me semi-functional. Things of note include Elderberry for a more hopped up immune system, a scarf-wrap-blanket hybrid, the PS1 that holds everything I need and nothing I don't, my iPad to pass the time, a hard-sided wheelie bag for when I'm carrying on (because the things that I pack tend to expand any other bag to be too large for the overheard bin), an unsweetened green tea latte for a cool four bucks, life-saving Xanax, and a pair of Apfel-esque sunnies that make me look ridiculous enough that people know not to talk to me while I'm half asleep in my secluded Economy Plus window seat. (Holy run-on sentence!)

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The centerpiece of my travel reality is a Longchamp weekender that allows me to haphazardly throw in all of my essentials (and if you had a fab friend like B then yours too would be monogrammed). An eye mask and pillow are must-haves, since I develop narcolepsy on any flight longer than two hours, and often sleep face-planted on my tray table for as long as they will allow. And, while I hate to admit it, the more "economy" the seats, the larger my collection of mini bottles by the end of the flight. To counter the effects of dehydration and puffy eyes caused by the aforementioned in-flight cocktail(s), I use these genius eye gels that I first discovered via The Zoe Report. Capped off with a cup of tea (I bring my own Tazo) and a swipe of lip balm before we land, and I'm as good as new!

mr. alexis.

Meet Alexis. No, not on the left.. on the right. Don't you know who that is on the left? What's wrong with you?! Sorry, that was rude.. Okay, Iris Apfel (who should probably get her own dedicated post somewhere down the line) is on the left and Alexis Bittar is on the right.

He is a connossieur of the pretty and the lighthearted, and I am completely unable to figure out how we aren't yet best friends forever.

If you were curious, the way to my gaudy, child-of-the-1980s heart is a) bright colors, b) sparkles, and c) metallics. Together.
The inspirations for his new collection are the sad and the fabulous, whereas the stuff he creates is just plain fabulous.

Little Edie and Big Edie of Grey Gardens, the original "GG."

Miss Havisham, another glam recluse. 

Georgia O'Keefe, painter of the Southwest.. among other things.

Speaking of fabulous, this is what we have to look forward to for Summer 2012!

AB does AbFab

I recommend beginning the penny-pinching at this very second so you can start to acquire as many of these mood-elevating and eye-catching beauties as humanly possible. And my birthday is in October, so you have some time to save for that as well.

all other images via pinterest

wishlist wednesday

b: 1. Equipment Silk Shirt   2. J.Crew Toothpick Jean   3. Nixon Chrono Watch   4. Chloé Marcie Bag   5. Lanvin Flats
k: 1. Matthew Williamson Blouse  2. Eddie Borgo Ring  3. CURRENT/ELLIOT Leather Skinny  4. Stella McCartney Clutch  5. Alexander McQueen Heel

The perfect outfit. It's the one you've carefully curated and lusted after ever since.
Ours are chock full of must-haves, amazing prints and fabrics, texture and accents we love.
What makes your perfect outfit complete?

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