The blood in my heart quickened when I saw these jewels by Arunashi

Affordable they are not ($1200 - $2500 on sale at gilt.com). But it's pretty rare that jewelry captivates my imagination so undeniably, and I find these Indian-inspired designs from Arunashi Jewelry to be exceptionally lovely, with their use of burnished 22K gold and smoothly polished stones that look like they're holding some beautiful secret.  Lavish and delicate, indulgent yet somehow restrained, and in colors that suggest some otherworldly, faraway place and perfectly reflect my mood this summer.

Perhaps they'll be mine.  Someday.

Hot or Not? Draped jersey dress from Surface2Air

Surface2Air is another one of those impeccably easy-breezy French labels (like the absurd A.P.C.) that I feel like I should love.  I mean, Garance Dore herself swoons over it.  Surely if such elegant tastemakers endorse the company, then I should too, right?

As such, I came * thisclose * to ordering this dress tonight.  $69, from $150.  And I have my mom to thank for bringing my daffy head back down to earth (see below for our IM convo).

me: mom, are you still there?  what do you think of this dress: [link to gilt.com]
me: i like it
Khoon: I saw only the blue dress   that is ugly do U mean this blue one  or else
me: the blue one.
me: why is it ugly? i like it.
Khoon: it is ugle & wiere too  Not good @ all

In the end, it was the "wiere" backside of the dress that really made me scratch my head.

"Go big or go home." That's what Rachel Leigh's jewelry says to me.

I seriously need to build up a jewelry collection... I am still keeping gross little base-metal trinkets and beaded things I've had since high school and college.  Might be time to graduate to "grown up" jewelry.  And as long as we're looking at jewelry, why bother with delicate little bonbons when you can make a splash with a statement necklace?


I love how Rachel Leigh's designs edge on flamboyant, but still convey an elegant restraint in terms of color (or lack thereof), and consistency of shape, and texture.  There's something very beautiful indeed about a fantastic explosion of crystals clustering around one's throat.  And, on Gilt Groupe they are quite affordable indeed, almost all under $100.  Happy shopping.

Dana Davis Volterra platform: Ultimate Wearability.

I just threw this on a private blog post to show a couple friends what I bought, but I got a good response so am making this post public.


So Gilt.com had a Dana Davis sale a couple weeks ago and I wanted these shoes, especially after doing a web search and realizing just how much these shoes cost normally.  They were adorable, I loved the bright pink color (I'm realizing that I veer towards a neutral-colored clothing and bright accessories), AND Dana Davis is known for this crazy comfort technology that is supposed to make these shoes extra wearable.  Think Taryn Rose, but possibly even cuter.  

I didn't get them the first time around because the sold out like * that *, but someone must have returned them because I got one of those "your waitlisted item is now available" e-mails and went and ordered them right away.  They were $128, down from $455. I can't wait for them to arrive!

Feeling a bit of consumer's guilt (already!)

I don't know if any of you partook in the insanity that was Gilt Groupe's final sale (parts 1 and 2), but I got suckered in.  Yup.  I was so thrilled to have something to actually put in my shopping cart that I just went ahead and bought it: a strapless black floral silk jersey dress by Shoshanna.  Original price: $340.  Sale price: $78.  Price I paid after the credit I had in my account: $40.  

A great price, I know, but then I saw that tomorrow they are having a final accessories sale, and it's a handbag that I really need to replace the $35 Guess minibag I have that has a strap that is cracking.  I could have applied my credit to that, so I feel guilty for buying something I really don't need and probably won't wear until the next wedding.

I didn't have the presence of mind to capture a picture of the dress, but it's in the print below, along w/ another strapless Shoshanna dress of a similar shape.