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Cinco de Mayo may be over, but you can celebrate all summer long with (pro-Latin) Australian line Zimmermann’s Riot Eyelet dress. Leave it to Zimmermann to sufficiently fulfill my unrequited feelings for the Quinceanera I always wanted, everything they do is magical

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You can throw them on over anything (might I suggest… pajamas), and it looks like you got dressed

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A friend of mine and I were on the phone last night and she commented on how she just wanted to know what’s in, so here it is, in my own opinion, based on some things I’ve seen, things I’m leaning towards because I’m sick of others, and maybe a few articles in my Vogue Bible that I’ve adopted:

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This brand is from Australia. I am a psycho and used to order these clothes from Oz and have them shipped to my house in Houston. Or maybe they are just that good. Or maybe both. Regardless, the clothes are exquisite, particularly the detailing– probably some of the most beautiful, yet unique, clothes I own. The lines are cutting edge, trendy, new, nothing you’ve ever seen before, but oh so pretty. Luckily they now have two stores in the US and are available on Shopbop, which means I can now spend my shipping money on even more clothes.

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Soooo I recently found myself ordering a pair of women’s pantyhose ankle socks like my 80 year old babysitter used to wear. You know, like the tea-cart lady at Luby’s used to wear with her orthotics. I decided I had to have them, right now. When Amazon couldn’t hand them to me through my computer screen (when is Amazon gonna be more like pizza delivery? seriously what is taking them so long), I found myself in the Wal-Mart parking lot asking myself if going in there at midnight was really worth a pair of old lady pantyhose anklets. Of course it was. They’re cheap, they’re comfortable, they make everything else more comfortable, and they can add a week between pedicures. Not to mention they are cute in an ugly sort of way. You never want to be too pretty- yawn. So here I am– wearing them with just about anything I can find, open-toed sandals included, and here is my fashion icon behind the look, my beloved Lillian Branch.

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How lingerie was appropriate in public before pajamas I know not– I don’t make the rules– I imagine some male or someone trying to please one probably did– whatever the reason for the delay, pajama dressing was totally worth the wait. How to wear it: Grab a pair of your grandfather’s slippers (that is sarcasm, please don’t do that) or something resembling them, a pair of his pajamas, your grandmother’s robe, and you’re good to go. The last few seasons have presented this look via mix-matched prints. This season’s twist continues the trend by adding more layers– this time with a morning coat.

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First, let’s talk about what it is: Boxy shapes worn in black, white, or black and white. Black and white was big last spring and it’s BACK, again. Which is good because it makes transitioning from winter to spring fairly seamless. It’s also not too hard to pick out two colors in your pre-caffeine-fix-coffee IV-mess-of-yourself state in the morning.

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Designer labels for Target can sell out pretty fast, if not completely, on the very day they’re released. I recall that when Missoni arrived, it might as well have been black Friday, for I found myself partaking in both a holiday and behavior that I swore I never would. Here are some tips and tricks to circumvent the mania-mob mentality, acquire your most coveted items, and leave the experience unscathed, without so much as a scratch to either your physical or mental state– not that you would get beaten up by others, although that is no doubt possible, but, more so, because you beat up yourself during your post factum examination of your in-store behavior (flashback to you and total stranger pulling clothes, and hair, over the last said designer dud– so what if it’s just a scrunchie, it’s BURBERRY for God’s sake!), only to come away from the experience with the shameful realization that “Yeah, maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on Jodi Arias.

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Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.

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This season’s easiest trick for updating your wardrobe emerges via the (nearly decade-long-ignored) TURTLENECK. It’s easy enough for even the most fashion forwardless among us: Simply put it under everything to make anything a little more interesting. Not to mention, now whenever you feel like being a mouth breather you’ve got something to hide behind.

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One of the most magical exhibitions I’ve see in quite awhile: Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy, London

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You are present when what you are doing is not primarily a means to an end (money, prestige, winning) but fulfilling in itself, when there is joy and aliveness in what you do

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Per the recommendation of my tutor at London College of Fashion, my Fashion Business colleagues and I dined at the most charming restaurant in Paris last night. It is an absolute hidden gem that I will return to again and again. Just down the road from Sacre-Coeur, Le Refuge Des Fondues is a cozy room with two long rows of tables– one lining each wall. It opens at 7 and they DONT take reservations (a short line starts to form around 6:40), so unless you’re the first one in, you WILL BE asked to literally climb over the table to get to the booth side of your row, methodically appointed by the owner upon your arrival. Once settled, the owner then assumes that you’re 2 sizes smaller than you are and promptly pushes the table back into its original position, almost as though he wants to discourage you from actually eating, or maybe that’s just us

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My longtime friend from Semester at Sea days and ultimate travel guru Lindsay (who is soon to be launching a travel site–stay tuned!) recently introduced me to Tablet Hotels. All I can say is THANK YOU GOD. It can get truly exhausting for Lord’s sake, not to mention confusing, searching Expedia and Travelocity for decent hotels. They quite simply offer too many choices and not enough filters. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have 5 hours of leisure time, nor would I want it, to look up every single hotel that exists in every single city in every single country on this globe.

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So, people want to talk about what’s trending, what’s in… blah blah. But what about what’s NOT? More often I see things that people SHOULDN’T be wearing than things that they should. It’s an ugly world, I am truly appalled at some of the street wear out there, and I’m starting to feel a bit like Jon Stewart: *****SCRIBBLES VIOLENTLY. SLAMS PEN INTO DESK*****. Below you will find some very basic, yet important tools for what NOT to wear this fall. Not to worry, I’ve included ample surrogates for your most beloved staples.

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Cinco de Mayo may be over, but you can celebrate all summer long with (pro-Latin) Australian line Zimmermann’s Riot Eyelet dress. Leave it to Zimmermann to sufficiently fulfill my unrequited feelings for the Quinceanera I always wanted, everything they do is magica

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ll dressed up with nowhere to go, my sister says I am Eloise at the Plaza meets Wallis Simpson. I don’t care about price; I only care if it has good lines. Style and taste have nothing to do with brands or labels (although I have my favs)– some of my favorite dresses were expensive, and some were literally $7 (thank you Fairfax and Melrose flea market, which I frequented every Saturday). There is great fashion at every price point.