Kate Spade does it perfectly: the style is fun, flirty, and youthful while still being sophisticated. I get why everyone is so in love. I too have been a fan for some time, but as a graduate student, a closet of Kate Spade dresses simply wasn’t in the budget.

But now that I have a full time job? I’m thinking of making an investment.

It doesn’t help that one of my coworkers has a part-time job at the local Kate Spade store. Can you say “Hello, employee discount”?

I mean, I do need a white dress for the Winter Wonderland party at Altitude Design Summit in two weeks.

Are you heading to Alt? I’d love to meet you there…

{images from Kate Spade}

I’ve been feeling the need to sparkle a bit lately and a gold jacquard dress might be precisely what I need to help shine.

Do you get that glittery feeling this time of year too?

{first dress by Oscar de la Renta, second dress by Tibi}

I met two of the loveliest and most talented jewelry designers at Melissa’s pop up shop over the weekend. And even though I’ve been on a “if-it’s-not-a-necessity-I-can’t-buy-it” shopping hiatus (kitchen shelves now count as a necessity in my book), I walked away from the shop with two gorgeous necklaces around my neck. Figures.

The jewelry from Jennifer of Odette is mythical. One collection feels as if the myths of North America were gathered and given form. Another takes you across the sea and thousands of years into the past, when gods and goddesses mingled with mortal men.

The work from Cassie of Clementine is something else entirely. It seems like it was pulled from all your days outdoors when you were young, drawn from your dreams about earthy landscapes where the light is always sparkling perfectly. It’s the type of jewelry that you suspect may have been hidden two hundred years ago, only to be rediscovered now.

You can see why I was so tempted, yes?

{first two photos from Odette, second two from Clementine}

I’m dreaming about wearing these:

And about finding these in my closet:

And decorating myself and home with these:

If Anthropologie is kryptonite, BHLDN is kryptonite cubed, if you’ll indulge my geek talk.

The shoes will be hardest to resist. I’ve almost already convinced myself that I own that first pair.

{all images from BHLDN}

In Brooklyn last weekend, I discovered a clothing boutique called Meg. It was nestled right next to the Built By Wendy outlet store. Meg was like a candy store of clothing, not with colors necessarily, but with cuts, textures, and designs. I particularly fell in love with one black dress (of course, it’s not on the website, but it is similar to this one) that would be perfect for work or play. I may have to drive back just to get it.

My only question: does anyone understand the antlers on all the models? Is it a new trend I’m not with yet? I’m a bit confused.

{all images from Meg website}

This past weekend, my friend Amanda and I took a little tour of the East Coast. On Saturday, I did some apartment hunting in DC while she finished some research at the Smithsonian. Afterward, we met up at Crafty Bastards, a really fantastic artist event that took place in the Adams Morgan section of DC. It was cold and lightly raining, but braving the wind and water was so worth it — it was like a gold mine of awesome new artists. The funny part is that I’m not sure if I discovered the beautiful pieces of Another Feather there or at the Brooklyn Flea. Or Artists and Flea in Brooklyn. Clearly, we wandered around a lot.

I guess sometimes the important part is that you find things like Another Feather, not that you remember exactly where you found such magic.

{images from Another Feather}

While on a job interview last week, I realized that gone are the days of jeans and simple tops. The women I met in Arlington were so well dressed, and while I have a few pieces that are appropriate, I really need to start figuring out what business casual is — and revamp my wardrobe.

These four pieces are my current favorites from three stores I love: J. Crew, Anthropologie, and Banana Republic. But only four dresses won’t do.

How would you describe your work style? And where do you find business casual clothing? (I’d love to hear suggestions.)

{first dress from J. Crew; second and third dress from Anthopologie, fourth dress from Banana Republic}

This is the first autumn I’m not starting a new semester of school, yet I find myself still in that back-to-school shopping mood. First up, a bag for my books and laptop and all those other little things I need on a day-to-day basis.

An the bags of Forestbound are worth admiring: the materials are all found or salvaged, many from World War II.

I just imagine myself wandering through markets or orchards, filling them with apples, pears, and flowers.

{all photographs from Forestbound, photographed by Jeff Allen}