For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably saw me gushing over the arrival of my Rob & Sioux hairbows. Perfectly sized, proportioned, and pleated, these are the sweetest hair clips around. And nothing suits the holidays more than bows! Although Christmas is maybe a bit too clutch at this point to order one, a patent leather or a leopard-print bow would look so good with a lace mini dress or black sequined skirt for New Year’s parties.

Bow by Rob & Sioux, dress by D&G Dolce and Gabbana (also seen here)

In addition to the lovely off-white cotton bow, I also got a beautiful leather one. I love how the texture of this bow really grounds it; it’s cute, but not at all saccharine. Here I’m wearing it with my J.Crew boys’ sweater:

I’ll be posting a few different ways to style these bows over the next few days!
(Also, much thanks to my boyfriend who took the pictures. He adjusted the settings all by himself, this time!)

Occasionally, I’ll accompany Lindsay to her barn for impromptu horse-riding lessons. It’s tons of fun, and the closest thing to a workout that I’ll ever get. It’s actually an incredibly physical sport, with a lot of attention to posture, position of hands and feet, and so much more; in fact, it reminds me a lot of ballet! Originally, our lessons were just for fun (and a way to hang out), but they turned out to be quite useful when my friend Jessica Power asked me to do a horse-themed photoshoot!

We tried to get Danny (Lindsay’s horse) to let me ride him bareback, but he had thrown out his back (we didn’t know it at the time, but he was acting belligerent so I dismounted), so we mostly just walked him around the pasture. Thanks so much, Danny, for being a good sport!

More pictures forthcoming! I decided to spread these out over a few posts since there are a ton of images (and she’s sending me more). Until then, please check out Jessica Power Photography on Facebook, and visit her Tumblr for more lovely photographs!

I’m really surprised that I’ve never posted this dress here before – it’s one of my favorites! Although it’s technically a fall/winter dress, it transitions beautifully into summer. The skirt is a full circle-skirt with no seams, propped up by a beautifully-crafted, built-in petticoat. The top is backless with underbust boning and a halter neck. Since it’s denim, I can pair just about any shoes with this dress, my favorites being my raspberry blue wedges & my white converse low-tops.

My only complaint is that it draws too much attention to my hopelessly flat and bony chest, so I usually wear my hair down (as in the first picture) or throw a jacket over it. I’ve contemplated getting some padding added to the bikini-like top – has anyone ever had this alteration made on a dress before? I’m curious to know!

One of these days I will get proper full-body “outfit” shots, if I can teach my boyfriend how to use a camera, that is.

(Source: gossiping @ TFS)

Lingerie as outerwear, black nails, bold stripes, smart hats, thigh highs, cable knits, and clumsy furs. If only I could find a retailer that carried D&G’s good clothing – then I could pretend that I could budget for it. I’m dying for their current fall collection.

The skirt is a very full circle skirt (not gathered!) propped up by a cotton and lace petticoat underneath. Perfect for twirling.

You can see better details of the front in this old photograph! The bodice has boning and also a little bit of lace.

Here I’ve paired it with a little boy’s sweater (no idea where it came from…), some Betsey Johnson patterned tights, and my Target boots.