blame it on the rain...

ok...i'll admit it...i don't much like the rain...unless of course...i am inside...and staying put...but there are those days that i must venture out...in the rain...as has been these last few weeks...we have had an enormous amount of downpours in the bay area...almost enough for me to think i need to add a nice pair of rain boots to my shoe collection...

as i ventured through nordstrom.com in the comfort of my home...nice and dry...i was pleasantly surprised with a lovely array of choices...being that cold and rainy days usually signify...grey and dreary...at least for me...my need to bring cheer in...forces gives me reason to go for fun color and texture...

here are my top choices...if i do decide to bite the bullet...and splurge on a nice pair of rain boots...

what do you look for in a rain boot?  color...texture...neutrals?  seeing all the choices...it is obvious that there is something for everyone...

sperry top sider

sperry top sider

hunter

coach

burberry

kamik

burberry

hunter

men's corner: oxblood for men...

yesterday...i posted about the big color for fall..."oxblood"...and of course i showed different ways of incorporating it into your wardrobe...this is a great color for fall...and men...you can ease into it as well...here are some lovely examples...

cole haan 'air morris' casual wingtip
nordstrom

and if you are not a wingtip type of guy...how about trading out wearing regular jeans or khaki's for some gorgeous "colored" cords...such as these...

vintage cord in slim-straight fit
j crew

  add a bit of oxblood in the way of a nice textured belt...

allen edmonds 'manistee" brogue leather belt
nordstrom

  a gorgeous tie...would spice up your worn once or twice shirts...

burberry london woven silk tie
nordstrom

what a great color for a sweater...pick your poison...cashmere...wool...

elbow-patch crewneck sweater
banana republic

and of course...don't forget the socks...oxblood seen in paisley...polka dot and stripes!

men's corner: why settle for just a black scarf?

while helping a friend shop for some winter basics...he turned to me and said he wanted more then just a black plain scarf...aahhh...music to my ears...since he tends to wear solids most of the time...we decided to go for a patterned cashmere number...and here were the top contenders...he decided on two...so i got him to go with one patterned...and one solid...but in a beautiful hunter green...simply fabulous...

burberry check print cashmere scarf
nordstrom

color block border stripe scarf
brooks brothers

burberry check print cashmere scarf
nordstrom

if you tend to wear basic neutral colors...this is a great way to incoporate some color into your wardrobe...and pattern as well...and best of all...sure to brighten up any old grey day...

you had me at hello: burberry bliss...

as i was flipping through the vogue february issue...i came across this lovely leather jacket...one can never have enough leather jackets...so many colors to choose from...this caught my attention...mostly because of the detail...my prerequisites on most of my purchases...does it have texture? look at those sleeves! does it have detail? why yes...so much so...that this beautiful leather jacket by burberry prorsum had me at hello from the first second i laid eyes on it...don't you just love how it's paired with a lovely bold silk dress? such a great combination of hard & soft...

scanned by moi

simplicity in white...

i have always been drawn to white...and in its simplistic beauty...how it stands out quite fabulously...

top & pants by calvin klein collection, hat by callanan legacy,
belt by 3.1 phillip lim, watches by burberry, cuff by sarah chloe
photo source: scanned by moi - marie claire september 2010

>wool cashmere dress, calfskin & metal boots, and alligator clutch
by calvin klein collection
photo source: scanned by moi - allure august 2010

both these pages were ripped out at different times...completely for the look itself...how funny that they are both from the calvin klein collection...is it calling my name?

put together: neutral casual & chic...

there is something so relaxing about this outfit...neutrals from head to toe...so easy and comfortable...yet looking fabulously put together...

does this work for you?

blazer, pants & top - burberry london
scanned by moi from nordstrom catalog

in the trenches...

years ago...when my girlfriends father passed away...she and her siblings had the daunting task of going through his things...her dad was a very simple man...clothes to him where nothing more than a necessity...most of his things were bought in local thrift stores...he did not look at labels...and he didn't believe that clothes warranted a lot of spending...

as they rifled through his things...they pulled out a trench coat...the brothers recalled how he wore it for everyday use...not really caring all that much for it...they remembered a time that he had even taken it off and used it as a "rug" while he needed to check something on the underside of his car...

the mother confirmed that he had bought it for a few dollars at the local thrift shop...there was no denying it...the lining...the well-known check lining...

what it was...was an authentic burberry trench...a vintage burberry trench...a burberry trench that now sells for 1300 a piece...

now...of course when i heard this story i was beside myself...being an avid vintage collector...this was truly a find...my girlfriend's sister is now the proud owner...of course...to her...it is much more than an authentic vintage burberry trench coat...it is a memory of her dad...the simple man that valued other people...and would have given the shirt of his back for pretty much anyone...

in 1856, the british sportswear manufacturer thomas burberry came up with the trench coat, a breathable alternative to the rubber-lined mackintosh...improving upon the shepherd's closely woven linen smocks, he wove wool with cotton in a gabardine twill...the trench was a virtual uniform for nineteenth-century adventurers: burberry outfittet balloonists, expeditions to the poles, and travelers to india and other british colonies...lightweight and strong, his trench coat has sold more than a million since 1917...

the burberry check, registered as a trademark, was introduced as a lining to the trench coat in the 1920's...the burberry check is what most people connect the burberry name to...

and now...a little over 150 years later...burberry is an internationally recognized luxury brand...