Dreaming of Back to School Clothes

I have always loved the weeks leading up to Labor Day. Growing up, we started school on the Tuesday after Labor Day, and I always loved going back to school. While most kids were probably taking advantage of their last days of freedom, I spent my dwindling summer days planning my wardrobe. In retrospect, I'm absolutely certain that no one noticed, but I planned my outfits a month in advance so that I would not wear the same combination twice during the first month back at school. I would stay up until the wee hours of the morning, drawing up charts, planning details down to the color of lipstick I would wear. I tried to get the most out of my limited resources, swapping out socks for tights, skirts for pants... adding a cardigan here, taking away a belt there... what fun! I still have these hand-drawn spreadsheets, and I love to look at them and laugh! My dedication to my personal style was admirable, but my concoctions were a little scary. This time of year always brings with it a little bit of excitement left over from those days. I tend to get a little bit more serious in the fall. Something about the back-to-school vibe, the cooling weather, and a desire to tidy it up after a hot summer of flowing fabrics and sandals. I'll be on the lookout for pieces that capture that fall feeling: cool, crisp, romantic, maybe even a little rustic...

Par example:


I adore this beautiful Hanii Y jacket. Love the chocolate milk color, and the details are so beautiful. Who wouldn't feel lovely in this exquisite jacket? Feminine, delicate, fancy. On to the wish list it goes!


This navy twill dress is so pretty. Those sleeves kill me! The bow has a lovely drape. It has such a grown up schoolgirl look. And a grown up price tag to boot. Sigh!

More fall wish list soon...

Pomme Picks

New this week at The Pomme Shop:


I am in love with this sheer, calico print dress. Check out the princess sleeves, and decorative pearl buttons. Very feminine and classic.


Every girl needs a great little black leather jacket. This little bomber is highly stylized, with great details in the cut of the jacket, girly puff sleeves and loads of metal buttons.


This Big Black Bow Belt is adorable. Worn high on the waist it adds girlish charm to a womanly silhouette.


Fantastic flat brown ankle boots, with the detailing you'd expect from an oxford. The perfect country bootie for fall.

Click on the pics to view the auctions!

New Way to shop Pomme!

Hooray, I just opened a new shop on Etsy!

thepommeshop.etsy.com

Check it out!

Pomme Picks

Though I always love everything I sell, I do have favorites. Here are my picks for this week - click the images to see the auction:


I am head over heels for these little black boots. The lace up front is so Victorian. The sleek shape is perfect for pairing with dresses, and easy to wear with pants. I love that they have a little height over the more commonplace ankle boot. Size 8.5.


This cute little scarf is snuggly and warm, but it's also amazingly versatile! You could work this scarf in no matter who you are. Lumberjack, Seattle resident, fox hunter... it's the quintessential everyman scarf. Pair with a wool pea coat and a pair of oxfords, or a denim romper with tights and clunky boots.



I'm a huge fan of the By Malene Birger line, and when I found this cute little vintage dress, it immediately brought to mind Birger's pretty vintage inspired dresses. I adore the lace collar and puffed sleeves, and the skirt length is perfectly current. Fits small/medium.

There's always more to see in The Pomme Shop store!

Shoes, shoes and more shoes

These days I just hate wearing pants. Don't panic, you won't catch me running around in my undies, I just prefer wearing dresses. I've always been a chronic wearer of jeans, and have opted for ballet flats, pumps and boots. Suddenly, I'm a new me. I am down to ONE pair of jeans. One! Pure insanity, I know. I'm wearing skirts and dresses all the time, and while sandals and flats may be easy for summer, I'm getting bored. I dream of a cool weather wardrobe, overflowing with loose fitting dresses with cinched waists, tailored jackets, tights (see you next year legs!), and a cornucopia of richly colored leather accessories. Shoes should be the easy part, but I always find it hard to choose just the right pair. I've got a few things in mind, but as usual, my eyes are bigger than my wallet. A girl can dream though, right? Here's some of what I've got my eye on.

How about these booties from Chloé:

I love the crinkled leather. The shoe looks like a pump with a jacket on, not your typical bootie. To me, these look incredibly modern. That strap over the front of the ankle gives the shoe a little interesting detail without going overboard. Great design, not too fussy, eye-catching but not an eyesore. Sigh...

Next up are these shoes by Marsèll:

You know how sometimes you want something so badly, that you feel a bit sick? That's how I feel about these shoes. I look at them, and I get a weird tingly feeling in my throat, almost like a feeling of panic! My mind races, desperately thinking of ways to justify spending $750 on a pair of shoes. Then, reality sets in, and a wave of despair washes over me... "I just can't have nice things!" I will cry. This inevitably leads to a mental stock-taking of the value of things my husband has vs. the value of things that I have, as if by some logic he should sell his beloved guitar, or his XBox so that I may have these shoes. The thought of seeking out a sugar daddy flits across my mind, but that's just not my style. So, I mope a bit and eventually get over it, (but not really).

So, when in despair with fortune and... well just fortune, one can always opt for a cathartic shop-a-thon at one of the budget friendly chain stores that favor knocking off high-end designs. I'm kinda digging these shoes from Forever 21:

Have I seen these before somewhere? Ha! Who cares, they're like, $30. A little preppy, a little cheeky... just what I was looking for! If they only last one season, no big deal. They look like Kiddie Kobbler shoes for grown ups. With the money I would save buying these instead of one of the more expensive shoes I covet, I could buy any number of exciting things. While I am all about quality over quantity, I think something over nothing is usually a good bet. In the meantime, I'll be saving and saving. After all, we haven't talked about bags yet!

Beauty - Waking up sleepy eyes

Lately, I've been desperate for a product to keep tired eyes in check. With a five-month old who is completely uninterested in staying asleep, I'm fed up of puffy, dark circles. After much experimentation, I've come up with this combo for attacking sleepy eyes, and I'm so happy, I must share!

Start with a clean, moisturized face. Next, apply a small amount of Preparation H ointment under the eyes. Let it soak in and shrink up your puffiness while you brush your teeth, pluck your brows, or whatever you need to do to kill a couple of minutes. Dab off any excess greasiness with a cotton ball or a washcloth.

Apply Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat under the eyes and pat to blend. I use #1 because I'm exceedingly pale. Look on eBay for a deal on this must have product. I don't know how I ever managed without it!

Next, line the eyes with a light colored pencil. I use Cargo's The Reverse Lipliner. So what if it's made for your lips, it's the perfect shade for brightening eyes!

Curl your lashes, apply mascara, and you're good to go. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. Of course, always drink lots of water, it makes a huge difference!

Lookbook

I started a new lookbook on Style.com with some of my favorite looks for fall. Check it out and see what has me inspired! Click here to view The Pomme Shop Lookbook.

It's a bit sparse right now, but I'll keep adding to it as I check out more collections.

Inspiration - Jessica Harper in Suspiria

I watch a lot of movies. Sometimes I'll see a film that has such amazing costume and art direction that I can't sleep for feeling inspired. I want to rush out and find everything that the starlet was wearing, and redecorate my house - immediately! One of my all time favorite movies has this effect on me every time I watch it. Dario Argento's 1977 masterpiece, Suspiria. If you've never seen it, it's hailed as "the most beautiful horror film ever made". In the movie, Jessica Harper stars as an American ballerina who has come to Germany to attend a prestigious dance school. I won't spoil the movie, but let me just say - witches!

I love Jessica Harper, and she looks so adorable in this movie. I'm a sucker for dancewear anyway, but all her little crocheted cardigans and gauzy little gowns make me swoon! Her hair is so cute, and you've never seen someone chasse for their life so prettily.

I'm really into ballet inspired looks... leotards, flouncy skirts, the ubiquitous ballet flat... so feminine. Ballet+amazing art deco set design+late 70's aesthetic+witches=amazing! If you have yet to see Suspiria, please move it to the top of your Netflix queue post-haste and prepare to be inspired!

Fall can not come soon enough

I know that summer is many people's favorite season, but I spend most of the summer months waiting for fall. Though I currently reside in the hot, sticky south, I am a west coast Canadian, and have too delicate a constitution for 100 degree days that go on for months. I may have learned to say "sir" and "ma'am" since I've lived in the south, but I still wear white shoes after Labor Day and I NEVER tan. Ever. I don't want to, and let's face it... I can't. Nothing says "I'm not from around here" in Alabama like a pair of stark white gams. So, summer and I, we don't get along so much. In order to maintain my composure through these humid days, I window shop for the fall. Pretending it is a crisp, fall day outside makes me so very happy. I can imagine layering scarfs, sweaters, tights, boots.... gaaaah! Only three months to go until it cools down. In the meantime, I shall be coveting fall fashion from the comfort of my air conditioned home. Starting with these:


Celine leather driving gloves (photo from net-a-porter.com)

What fall/winter ensemble would not be made better by these gorgeous gloves? So they're last season, whatever. These gloves would be a lifetime staple for me. My hands are always cold. I can picture me wearing these posh & preppy gloves with a blazer, dark denim and heels, or with a lace skirt or dress. I imagine my hands, clad in supple leather, grasping things like keys, coffee cups, the dog's leash... everything looks infinitely more fantastic when I am holding it in my gloved hand. Definitely on my shopping list.