Fall Fashion Wishlist 2008

This is my 100th post!  Isn’t it funny that one of my first posts was a very similar fall fashion wishlist last year?  Not much has changed in terms of my taste I guess…I’m still craving those beautiful rich jewel tone colors, but I’ve also grown very fond of neutrals too–brown, tan, greys in varying shades.  And anything ivory/beige/nude, even if clothing in that color isn’t great for my skin tone, I’m still coveting them in accessory form.

1. Vintage inspired t-strap pumps.  It seems like everyone and their grandmothers are going through a 30s/40s phase right now, and I would have to include myself in that bunch.  I’m still coveting those Chie Mihara Oda t-strap pumps from Anthropologie from last year (there’s a pair in my size being auctioned on ebay right now!), but in the mean time I’ve purchased a simple brown pair made by Nine West.  They have a modest heel and wingtip detailing and are really comfortable for everyday wear.  

I’ve also been hunting for a pair of tan/light brown t-strap woven low-heeled sandals, and this pair seemed perfect and they were on sale for $19.99 at Bare Feet Shoes in Philly, but unfortunately they were just too narrow and looked weird on my feet.

2. Oxford lace-up pumps.  Yep, it seems like this oxford/lace-up shoes obsession just will not die.  And to tell the truth, I almost feel like I’ve gone a little overboard with this whole thing, but not enough that I really feel bad about it.  So after months and months of crazed ebay searches for vintage oxfords, I bought a very nice pair of low-heeled Ferragamos.  They’re a bit narrow and a size too big, but they were only $10 so I love them nonetheless.  

I also broke down and bought a pair of Made by Elves “Evan” cut-out oxford pumps from Urban Outfitters.  Luckily they were on sale and they’re in a lovely nude color.  The heels are a little high and they’re about a 1/2 size too big, but with some Dr. Scholl’s insoles, they’re just right.  

Also, I managed to score a pair of those gorgeous purple Chie MIhara Ote suede noisemaker pumps at Anthropologie on sale + an extra 50% off–an unbelievable steal.  The only problem is that I love them so much that I’m even too afraid to wear them for fear of getting them dirty/ruining them…

3. Multi-strap mary jane pumps.  The ones made by Chloe are so lovely, but I love my Jeffrey Campbell ones in beige/off-white bought at a fraction of the cost from shoebungalow.com (with free shipping + 10% off the clearance price too!) just as much.

4. Lace-up riding boots.  I bought these early on in the summer when Fall seemed so far away.  Then I saw Urban Outfitters’ Fall shoe line and was glad that I bought them so early and avoided the $150 pricetag and the inevitable rise in auction prices on ebay that would follow.  Actually, I also happened to find a pair of vintage Jordache buckle ankle boots/skimmers from Goodwill for less than $4 early in the summer, and now Urban Outfitters is selling a very similar shoe for $98.  Hooray for vintage finds!

 

5. Frye boots.  I can’t tell you how many hours I spent on ebay searching for a decent pair of Frye boots.  Either I’d lose the auction at the last minute, or win the auction only to find that the boots were too small once they arrived.  Finally I decided to just splurge and took advantage of the buy-it-now option on these beautiful cuffed tall campus style Fryes in a lovely caramel/saddle brown.

6. 30s/40s inspired floral dresses.  I’m a little disappointed that The Edge of Love seems to not be opening in the states any time soon, because it would just fuel my 30s/40s mood even more.  But in the mean time I can always watch another Knightley period piece–Atonement (that gorgeous green dress!)  Anyways, here are some of my favorite dresses in my closet at this moment, the green one is from Anthropologie and the black one is from H&M.

7. Flapper dress.  After seeing Chicago a few years ago I had such a strong urge to buy a flapper dress and dance the Charleston all day.  I just bought one off of ebay a few days ago, and when I get it in the mail I’ll put up a picture.

8. 60s mini dress.  So I know I’m all over the place now when it comes to decades, but I can’t help but love long-sleeved 60s mini dresses.  I decided to finally buy this one from Etsy after I missed out on also buying a floral 40s style wiggle dress from the same store.  I couldn’t let this one get away!

It’s still not as nice as this elephant print dress worn by Liebemarlene though, which I would kill/give up half the dresses in my closet for.

9. Floral rompers.  I feel a little guilty for buying two of these from Urban Outfitters when I knew I could find cuter vintage ones for the same price but I just didn’t feel like keeping track of bids so much.  Plus, these were on super sale so I don’t feel so bad.  Also, I know the idea of grown women wearing rompers is a little funny, but I loved how Rachel McAdams looked in hers in The Notebook (the part where she runs from the car to her house and is surprised by her dad sitting on the porch–she’s wearing a lovely little red floral romper) so I decided that dressed up, they are more like functional little dresses.

10. Plaid skirts.  I’m so so glad that I took that impromptu trip to Goodwill a couple of months ago where I found these two plaid skirts before I even thought about buying this $168 one from Anthropologie.  The pencil skirt is Emanuel Ungaro and I don’t recognize the brand of the other one (it has pockets!), but both together were less than $6.

11. High-waisted menswear-inspired trousers.  Ok, so this may be the one thing that has changed dramatically in my taste from last year.  I used to hate wide-leg trousers because I thought they made me look so short and stubby, but I realized that if I wear heels instead of flats, that they actually look quite lovely.  These are a pair that I bought from Anthropologie many years ago but haven’t worn much in the past few years.  They’re not quite as high-rise as I would like them to be, but they still look nice with my t-strap pumps.

12. Neckties and bows on anything.  More of my favorite dresses and blouses in my closet right now.  Pink dress and blouse are from Anthropologie, the brown one (which needs to be shortened a bit) is vintage, via ebay.

13. Long leather gloves.  This is the 30s/40s bug speaking again.  I haven’t really hounded ebay for these yet, but I’m sure I will find a pair soon…

14. Doctor bag.  I bought this along with my floral Urban Outfitters rompers, so I’ll post a picture when I get them in the mail (hopefully soon?).  

15. Mustard yellow anything.  I don’t think mustard yellow is really my color, but I love it so much that I don’t really care.  Early in the summer I bought what was marked as a “mustard yellow shirt dress” from ebay, but it turned out that the material was a really thick knit, plus it is sort of A-line and has pockets and cute buttons–making it the perfect late Fall/early Winter coat!  (the color is a bit more muted than in the picture)

Also I bought this American Apparel “sleeveless funnel neck shift dress” off of ebay in melange mustard.  The shape doesn’t do much for my body, but I like it layered over a long sleeve shirt and with a thin brown braided/woven belt.

I’m still coveting those Jeffrey Campbell mustard yellow t-strap pumps worn by the lovely Liebemarlene, but I can’t find them anywhere!

Whew!  That’s a mighty long list (and totally counter to my efforts to downsize, but I really have gotten rid of a lot of stuff this summer), but luckily I’ve got most of it covered, sans the gloves, mini dress, and trousers, so I guess this is really more like a list of things I’m looking forward to wearing this fall than things that I really want.  Plus, I’m starting a fashion blog in a couple of weeks so I guess I have to get in the swing of things.  Oh, and I can add red lipstick to the list, though I have no idea if that will turn out to look ghastly on me.  We shall see!

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