{outfit post} all white everything...

Labor Day is really one of the most bittersweet days on the calendar. It awards us a three day weekend during the most gorgeous time of year, but it also signifies the end of summer. The end of weekends in the Hamptons (or in my case, weekdays), the end of wearing sandals everyday, and if you're a rules girl, the end of wearing white.

Personally, I think this is a rule that should be put on the shelves to gather dust for all eternity. White is amazing. It looks good on everyone and it goes with everything. Especially more white.

My second Labor Day Eve in Manhattan was a bit like an anniversary celebration of the first one. Last summer, it marked the beginning of our friendship with all our neighbors, and we took most of the same crowd to the same bar (Bar 196) and celebrated - well - everything and nothing I suppose. I awoke on Monday laughing to myself about what an excellent night we had, put on an all white ensemble in honor of the day, and headed off to Soho for a full day of work.

I labored on Labor Day, but so what? I must say I am just thrilled to be full-time laboring at all.

H&M men's button down shirt; Gap skirt; vintage belt; Ray Ban aviators.

 I am just so obsessed with this skirt. It went through hell over the 4th of July in Kiawah (dancing on a dirt dance floor at an oyster bake apparently isn't good for floor-length white clothing...) but I finally took it to the dry cleaner /tailor so it could get a few more wears this summer. I have a hard time finding maxi skirts that fit me the right way, and I think the key with this one is that it sits a bit lower on my waist than most, which works for my figure.

This shirt is a favorite too; I just really can't say enough about the mens shirts at H&M. The price is right and fit is perfect. It alarms me slightly that this one is so sheer and meant for a man, but all the better for me, I guess! I'm also wearing some beat up gold sandals from Urban Outfitters, but they're not really worth mentioning.

Quick post, and no detail shots, I do apologize. Oh, and why so serious, Taylor? Jeeze.

Anyway, as I mentioned above, I just started a new job, so I've been a crazed and excited human for the past two weeks. Now The IFB conference is just two days away, fashion week is looming, and I'm still trying to figure out how to time manage my life.

Bare with me my most treasured readers, I won't abandon you!

{summer staple} the white swimsuit...

Isn't it always the case that some of the most beautiful and flattering things to wear can be a total pain? Stilettos, miniskirts, anything white. Ah, white. Despite how difficult it is to keep clean and bright, nothing, and I mean nothing, looks better against bronzed skin than white. Whether its tight and crisp or soft and loose, the contrast is everything you want in the summer: sexy, classic, and easy.

*Just look at this model on the right, trotting around Santorini with Joe Manganiello in a recent photo shoot from GQ. She looks simply chic (he's not bad either). 

I've already played into the magazines and blogs that told me I must have a little white dress. I've also got a perfectly slouchy white tee, and some crisp white shorts and kicks. The one thing I am totally craving for this season to complete my white out is a swimsuit.

And yet, I am dreading it. How weird is that? The idea has transfixed me, but the challenge of getting this exactly right is a little overwhelming. A white swimsuit really only looks good if you're tan (you can always fake it, though). A white swimsuit will get really dirty at the beach. A white swimsuit can become uncomfortably sheer when wet, and there's no way to test it out first. Trying on swimsuits in general is a curse on all woman-kind. And yet, I am dying to give it a try. Here's a few reasons:

Who What Wear thinks I should.

I have always been obsessed with this spread of Lindsay Lohan from 2006.

She just looks so happy!

 Anything Grace Kelly has ever done is worth attempting.

My current brunette inspirations, the Middleton sisters, are all about it.

Alright, I'll be the first to admit that looking at pictures of very beautiful and thin models in swimsuits can cause any normal and gorgeous girl to spiral into a pit of despair. I try not to put too many of those on le blog. My apologies in advance, but it's really difficult to find enough images of great suits off-model. Bare with me, and we can get through it together. Moving on, behold my picks for the best white suits, in a variety of price points:

white out


Inspiring, no? If it's not making a case for white swimsuits, it's certainly making one for laying off the pad thai. Anyway, swimwear is one of those things I don't feel in the slightest bit capable of making fit recommendations about. It is a deeply personal process and one that every girl has to tackle based on her own figure and skin-bearing comfort level. Here's what I will say though: I love a good bandeau these days. I would venture to guess they work best for smaller-chested gals, simply for lack of support, but there are many that come with a removable halter strap. I suppose the most solid piece of advice I can give here is that if you're going to go white, do it right. Stick with brands that are known for their quality and swimability (I made that word up), like Roxy, J. Crew and ViX. You'll spend a bit more, but when you emerge from the pool or the ocean, refreshed and rejuvenated, you can rest easy knowing that you're not putting on an unintentional show for your fellow sunbathers.

the case for the light blazer...

From white to light, peach to yellow, I am so into this light-hued blazer thing that I've been seeing everywhere, from stores like H&M to some of my favorite street style and personal style blogs, as seen above. I find it to be a perfect representation of a key transitional season piece: one that fills my trend and temperature needs. It has sort of a Miami Vice vibe to me, but in the chicest way, especially with the sleeves pushed up a la Late Afternoon. (All image credits go to the talented bloggers named above each of their respective photos.)

{via Fashionologie} thanks H&M, now i've got spring on the brain...

Though New York Fashion Week is just a mere few days away - causing closet-based anxiety throughout the city - I can't help but let my mind leap forward to, say, May, when the sun will be shining, flowers will be blooming, and I can retire my worn-to-the-bone black tights. Until this week, I've been doing a pretty spectacular job keeping my thoughts anchored in the exercise in experimental layering that is February. I really do enjoy spending my weeks seeing how many shirts and sweaters I can fit under a knee-length down jacket...

Well, that's all ruined now. In a mental break I would relate (on a completely non-serious level) to an alcoholic falling off the wagon, I let myself browse the airy, light, and mostly white H&M Spring 2011 Conscious Collection, slated to hit stores in April. Miami Vice blazer! Scalloped hems! Swingy dresses!

See what I mean? Torturous. Now, instead of dreaming up one more way I can style my black leggings into an outfit that doesn't look like everything else I've worn for the last two months, I'm picturing myself skipping through the grass in Central Park, donning those scalloped shorts and a silk cap-sleeve floral blouse with some espadrille wedges. So not productive. And how about that white blazer? Over a sundress? With a slouchy t-shirt and boyfriend jeans?

Le sigh. Before I completely lose my head in delusions of open-toed shoe weather, I'm going to go rub the sidewalk salt off my (if-i-have-to-wear-these-one-more-time-I-might-cry) black rubber wellingtons.

(Images via H&M via Fashionologie.)

{apartment inspiration} Land's End oxford sheets...

I think I've said this before, but in our little apartment, and especially in my shared bedroom, my bed has become my haven. I've cultivated quite a nest, overflowing with down pillows and super-soft sheets. I only have one set of really great sheets though, so I want my next splurge to be this set of Land's End Solid Oxford Bedding ($60 - $120). The sheets are made of the same oxford cloth as their shirts, and the button detailing on the pillow cases add a clean, preppy finish. I like the idea of creating a sleeping space with both feminine and masculine influences, so a more masculine element like this would nicely compliment my pintucked euro shams and ruffle-trimmed standard shams.

I really don't know much about decorating beyond my own personal tastes, but one thing I believe, and Tully shares (and solidified) my vision in this, is that there are few things in the world as wonderful as crisp, white bedding. Pops of color and texture are requisite, but building from classic white allows color and creativity in other parts of your decor, like throw pillows, furniture, art and wall paint. An all-white bed never looks bad, and with the right amount of pillows and blankets (read: way too many) usually looks inclredibly inviting.

*Editor's note: A word to the small number of men-folk who may be reading this, navy and/or black sheets are the worst. I know they're out there, and many of you have them. These colors do not say "masculine;" they say uninviting and terrible. Upgrade, please.