as promised in my previous post on the cogs of my style, some bonus cogs!

1. my marc by marc jacobs trench. this was the one i was talking about in the previous post. i put it on penelope so that you could see it's details a bit better. i paid a decent amount of money for it, but in this case, i felt it was justified. it is something i rarely do when it comes to fashion items, and only when they are really special and something i know i'll wear again and again. this is, again, one of my favorite pieces in my closet. 2. my miss sixty skinny jeans. i bought these back when skinny jeans were ridiculously hard to find (as opposed to now, when they are finally everywhere!) back in summer/fall 2004, if i'm not mistaken. they are part of my personal "uniform" in the colder months. i wear them under skirts, dresses, with sweaters, blouses, everything. worth every single solitary cent of what i paid for them. they make me feel thin, aren't too low-waisted, the denim is of nice quality, and is stretchy and forgiving. 3. green lucite alexis bittar cocktail ring, giant brown glass & gold clip-ons, and gold bangle. i can always, always, always find an excuse to wear any of these. 4. black leather corset belt. this was a thrift store find from florida, before i moved to NYC, probably in 2002 or 2003. i wasn't sure about it at the time, but i have found it to be one of the accessories in my closet that seems to go with everything and that i have come to love unequivocally.

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looking at these photos and my own personal wardrobe_remix set, i have noticed that yes, i do favor bright colors as a rule, BUT i also tone them down and mix them up with neutrals, like tan, brown and black, which i feel keeps things under control yet interesting. also, it's quite clear that my favorite items to wear tend to be ones i found secondhand, ones that i made, or special designer pieces. i like the idea of wearing something that cost me next to nothing, with something interesting that i paid a little more for. i've loved many of these pieces for years. additionally, if something is sort of trendy at the moment and i happen to like it, i often look for something that approximates it secondhand. most designers working today reference vintage items for inspiration, so if you like it, why not go straight to the source and cut out the overpriced middleman or middlewoman? :D