THE SWEETEST THING, OR DO I LOOK LIKE A PINHEAD?

Hello Knuckles!

Clothes are funny.  They can either make you feel super confident or super self-conscious.  

I've always loved this sweet little faux fur jacket that my sister-in-law bought me a few years ago, but I rarely wear it because I think it makes my head look small.  THAT IS SO WEIRD.

(Who says fashion bloggers don't smile?  Sunnies, Gucci; jacket, Velvet; dress, H&M; name necklaces, PersonalizedBoutique.com, MyNameNecklace.com; earrings, Juicy Couture; shoes, Charlotte Russe.  Okay, normally I don't buy super cheap shoes because I don't want to insult my hard-working feet but I saw these knock-off Loubs in the window and you know what sometimes style trumps quality.  And they were about $1400 cheaper). 

Anyhow, I've learned that people always scrutinize themselves far more than others do.  Unless your outfit is completely outlandish, people generally don't notice what you're wearing.  Maybe that's why I love blogs like The Sartorialist and People of Walmart; they make you actually take a moment to appreciate all the fashion that is happening around us at every moment.  

So does this make me look like a pinhead or what?  I'm talking to you, KCB!

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

PINTEREST DIY: RIBBON-SHOULDER SWEATER

Hello Knuckles!

Good gravy I've been busy with work!  However, I found a little time this weekend to get crafty and try this Pinterest DIY ribbon-shoulder sweater (how-to below).  The sweater was a gift from my cousin from a few years back.  It's an awesome cut but unfortunately it was getting all pilly and needed a refresh.  After removing the pills with a fine-toothed comb and adding the ribbon, I love it all over again: 

(Sweater, Banana Republic; pants, H&M; boots, Miu Miu; bag, Elliott Lucca; watch, Casio; name necklaces, PersonalizedBoutique.com and MyNameNecklace.com.  There are no good images from this shoot because Mr. Brass Knuckles kept cracking me up by saying things like, "YOUR LEGS NEED MORE ATTITUDE."  He was being totally serious.)

I used a pink ribbon because that's all I had, but I might swap it out for neon yellow grosgrain -- how cool would that look?!  

Anyhow, it's now back to the grind.  

Have fun, Knuckles!

DEAR LEADER

Hi Knuckles!

It's "Superfluous Sunglasses Day" here on The Covert Boutique (it was highly overcast):

(Sunnies, YSL; scarf, a gift; jacket, F21; skirt, Topshop; tights, Hue; belt, H&M; boots, Miss Sixty; purse, Elliott Lucca; bracelets, Asos, H&M)

I rarely wear this coat because it's not very warm, but it's incredibly special to me.  It was a gift from my mother when I was pregnant with CoStar.  At the time I lived in New York and she was in Chicago, so we hadn't been shopping together in years.  That fall, however, I went home for a visit and we went to the mall.  My body was just starting to change and I think this really touched my mother, and she generously bought me a bunch of new things to accommodate my growing belly.

The scarf was a bridesmaid gift from my dear friend and bandmate, K.  Her wedding colors were eggplant and chartreuse and we wore these shawls over deep purple dresses.

I gotta say, I'm kinda loving the photo of me smiling.  It isn't the best of the bunch, but I included it because even though I've worn these YSL sunnies about a million times for some reason this shot reminds me of Kim Jong Il (or maybe Margaret Cho?)

(Margaret Cho on 30 Rock)

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

A WARM WINTER... A FEDORA

Hi Knuckles!

While I appreciate the mild weather, I do have my fingers crossed for a white Christmas.  Here I am, perfectly comfortable in a straw fedora and denim jacket.  In December. 

 (Fedora, Rainbow; sunnies, YSL; scarf, J.Crew; jacket, H&M; jumpsuit, F21; shoes, Asos; bag, Elliott Lucca; watch, Casio; jewelry, Banana Republic, Asos, Alex+Ani).

I bought this sleeveless jumpsuit when I was 7 months pregnant to wear to a dear friend's wedding in Miami.  I didn't want to spend tons of money on a maternity dress and it was wonderfully stretchy and forgiving.  A fascinator and an oversized necklace dressed it up nicely.  

The fedora was an impulse purchase; I was visiting New York and on my way to meet some friends for dinner.  I was wearing a silk green dress and felt like the outfit was missing something, and saw this fedora in the window of the Rainbow store on Avenue A and it was like HUZZAH!  Exactly the perfect thing, once I got over the "Dag I am wearing a fedora" insecurity.

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!  May it be full of smiles, and a martini or two.

TEAM AMERICA'S AWESOME (SO'S THIS HAT)

Good morning Knuckles!

Dude, I friggin' love America.  Yes, my candidate won but more importantly, I'm just so proud of the democratic process.  Voting is nothing special -- every American citizen over 18 gets to do it -- and yet it's incredibly special.  I can't tell you how happy I was by all the proud "I voted" posts on my Facebook feed.  

(I just noticed the lowercase "i" here.  How modern!  By the way, when I am a retired old lady I am definitely going to be a polling place volunteer.  When I went to vote yesterday morning they were all in the best mood and picking away at a giant box of Dunkin' Donuts donuts on the table.  LUCKY!).

In other news, this fall I'd been on the lookout for a great floppy wool hat.  I finally found the perfect one at American Apparel.  It has some structure so it doesn't fall into your eyes, but it's floppy enough to give you that Bridget Bardot look.

(Hat, American Apparel; sunnies, YSL; blouse, Diane Von Furstenburg; braid jeans, Grey Ant; purse, Gucci; shoes, Jeffrey Campbell; jewelry, Asos, Target, Icing; vintage gold cuff from my Mom)

This is one of my favorite blouses.  I bought it online from Cusp while pregnant with the little guy.  During this time I had a horrible commute into the city and the only music I wanted to listen to was Rage Against the Machine and Sabbath (I chaulk it up to the extra testosterone).

My dear Knuckles, hope you are having the best week ever!

DATE NIGHT SELFIES, PLUS SELFIES ON MARS

Good morning Knuckles!

This weekend Mr. Brass Knuckles and I went on a much-needed tapas-and-a-movie date night.

(Hat, American Apparel; sweater, H&M from the men's department, I bought this for Mr. Brass Knuckles for his birthday last year but he wasn't really into it.  I forgot to return it, and found it last week in our coat closet and it's now my new favorite sweater; blouse and necklace, F21; pleather leggings, Silence+Noise; bag; Oryany; boots, Gil Torres)

Here's a random selfie from the movie theater:

And here is the extraordinary Curiosity Mars rover selfie released by NASA last week:

(Photo NASA.  Seriously, this is Mars you guys.  Unbelievable).

Have a great week, Knuckles!  Kick some ass!

A BIRD, A PLANE... ACTUALLY A CAPE AND A WATER BOTTLE FILLED WITH BEER

Happy Monday, Knuckles!

This weekend we had cape weather.

Actually, it was so windy that most my photos came out like this:

So when it came time to actually leave, I threw my hair into a bun. 

(Sunnies, Chanel; cape, Topshop; shirt, J.Crew; bow tie, Asos; jeans, Chip and Pepper; shoes, Aldo; jewelry, Alex+Ani, Asos, Target).

The cape is from the Oxford Circus Topshop, my favorite retail environment in the world.  I bought it on an overseas shopping trip a few years ago and though it's a bit awkward I absolutely love it.  It's also a gentle reminder of why I don't really need to buy clothes.  As my b-school friend Matt once said, if you have a chartreuse wool cape you have everything.

The Super Mario Brothers water bottle was from my niece's birthday party goodie bag and came in very handy for Mommy and Daddy's "special" drink (PBR).  

Have a great week, Knuckles!

GIDDY UP!

I love gorgeous, sunny fall days!  In Chicago we get like 15 of them between summer's sweltering heat and winter's barely bearable cold.

This is what I imagine I'd wear to go horseback riding (speaking as someone who has only rode one horse in her life, and didn't really enjoy it, and doesn't intend to ride another one again).

(What is up with this super awkward pose?  Look how bad my posture is!  This explains why every morning when I wake up the first words that come out of my mouth are MY BACK!)

 (CoStar does a great impression of this, by the way.  She puts her hand on the small of her back, leans over and yells MY BACK!).

(Sunglasses, Chanel; blouse, Rugby; pants, James; belt bag, vintage Coach; boots, Miss Sixty; bracelets, Target, Alex+Ani, my mom's vintage gold cuff; rings, from Mr. Brass Knuckles).

I received the tiny purse as a gift about 20 years ago.  I found it while rummaging through my childhood bedroom recently .  It came with a long strap that has since been lost, but there are a couple of belt hooks on the back.  I also found the belt in my childhood bedroom; it originally came with a pair of Palmetto khakis that I wore in junior high.  I think the two work well together as an accessory, but the bag is really too tiny to hold anything (at most, a couple of credit cards and a Blistex, it was designed pre-iPhone, after all).  

I bought the Chanel sunnies at the Hong Kong airport on one of my trips abroad back in the day.  I bought a ton of stuff at that airport.  After a long, taxing trip it was very easy to think MAN!  AFTER ALL THIS HARD WORK I DESERVE SOMETHING NICE! 

The shirt is fairly recent from the Rugby store in Boston.  I love the bustle in the back.  Rugby is one of my favorite stores -- all the salesclerks are cute college boys in letterman cardigans and silk bowties and jaunty little caps:

(Rugby.com)

Have a great week, Knuckles!