I post links: Harajuku Fashion Walk

TokyoFashion got some GREAT pictures of a Fashion Walk that happened on September 25.

Dolly kei! Mori! Lolita! Decora! Fairy kei! Gyaru! Is... Is that a Guro-Loli??! So! Awesome!

Does ANYONE on this side of the Pacific have this much fun with fashion? My Lord, what I'd give to have been there. Truly looks like an amazing time. And TF got some amazing individual street-style pics, too, but I don't want to steal any of their much-deserved thunder. Check it out, my loves! Observe and learn!

Let's go fall-trend shopping! Beloved blouses edition.

Gosh, can you believe it's already almost October? Craziness. The breeze is starting to bite in the evening, and it's time to finalize those winter clothing buys and figure out, again, the best way to transition our duds from fun-in-the-sun to snowbunny.

I'm loving so many trends this year, it's going to prove impossible to keep them all into one post. There will be another boot post, like last year's popular post where I broke down some cute but practical winter boot offerings. I'm happy to say that, based on what I've seen so far, this year it will be EASIER to find a boot that looks GREAT, keeps your feet dry and warm, and has enough traction so you won't suffer a butt-busting wipeout on the ice.

Now it's time for zee shopping!

Let's get all up on some chiffon tie-neck blouses.

Collage time! Clockwise from top-left: Graham and Spencer at Neiman Marcus, Eyelash at Kohl's juniors, Milly at piperlime.com, Halston Heritage at Nordstrom, Vince Camuto at Nordstrom, Eyelash at Kohl's juniors. Click the pic to see it larger.

I'm LOVING these right now! I'm not sure why I'm so enamored with something I'd surely have found grandmotherly in the past. I have a couple of these right now: a blue silk printed thrifted Charter Club blouse, and this one I got with my employee discount at Kohl's yesterday. It's lovable for a few reasons. The porcelain is a good neutral shade, so it will play well with a variety of colors. The dot pattern adds interest, but in a subtle way that will mix with other patterns. I can see it layered with little jackets, a vest, cardigan or pullover sweaters, peeking under just the right cape, and pairing with everything from jeans to dress pants, skirts, even adding a soft touch to some leather. It's INEXPENSIVE, which is not bad when dealing with a trend item. You know the general rule: Splurge on ageless classics, not on the trendy stuff. My only complaint is that it seems to attract static a bit too easily.

I also enjoy this find on piperlime.com. The floral print is abstract enough, and in warm enough tones, to also evoke a memory of autumn leaves, making it nice to think of for fall with leather or tweeds, and its light texture can carry over for next spring if you pair it with airy, linen or cotton separates. Wardrobe multitaskers are one of my great loves.

This ruby-toned Vince Camuto sleeveless version of the tie-neck blouse KILLS ME. I love it. I CRAVE it. You could sexy it up for a night out, put it with a blazer or cardi for workwear, just cuddle it because it's so pretty... and it looks stunning with the animal prints that are so popular right now. *squeal of glee*

And this Halston Heritage heart-printed tie neck blouse. I mean, really? If it were any sweeter, I'd have to see a dentist.

This Graham and Spencer blouse reminds me of brush strokes on a canvas. It's matter of fact, yet slightly-muted patterns like this that have helped me break out of my past habit of strictly buying solids because they felt safer. And it looks like it'd feel soooo silky and luxe to the wearer.

Finally, this VERY assertive number by Milly. I just get that phrase from the Double Rainbow guy when I look at this one. So bright and so vivid! And yes, it's a lot of in-your-face color and a lot of ruffle. If you've got the attitude to back it up, you CAN wear it. Vivid red looks especially good on raven-haired ladies, based on my experience. The north-of-$300 price gives me some sticker shock, but I actually managed to thrift a similar looking piece, though lacking in the tie-neck, about two weeks ago. And not only does it work, but it's rather versatile. I like it with my trouser-style jeans, black fitted menswear vest, and classic nude or black pumps.

Rejoice! It's a style that's wearable, comfortable, and available at pretty much every price point, from luxury lines $1,000-plus, to twenty-buck department store versions. And bargain hounds, rejoice! You might just luck out like I did and find one or two while thrifting.

What trend pieces are *you* jonesing the hardest for this fall-winter season?

I post links: Yuko rocks my face again!

I totally want to go shopping with this woman:

Via Japanese Streets. Go give Kjeld some love for doing such an awesome job on this site, wouldja?

More beautiful Yuko action here (pause for squeal of glee!) and here.

I Post Links: Wardrobe Oxygen - The best way to ruin your appearance

So, this is the best personal-style blog post I've seen in months:

This weekend I bumped into a neighbor. I said she looked great, did she change her hair color? She then went into this whole story about all her gray hair, she had to dye it because people were mistaking her for her 85-year old grandmother. The woman doesn’t look a day over 35, with her original color or with this new shade. However, after her comment I noticed her laugh lines, and was more curious about how much gray she had in comparison to me. Her comment made me notice her age, not her self.

I wrote about this trend before in my post, “The Self-deprecating Comment” but it bears repeating.

Women, you are not doing yourself any favors when you knock yourself down in public situations.

I have done it myself – better to mention the baby weight/zit on my chin/bags under my eyes/stain on my shirt before someone else does. By mentioning it, at least people know I know it exists, and don’t think I’m hot stuff running around town flaunting the baby weight/zit/dark circles/dirty blouse.

The thing is… the world isn’t analyzing every inch of you the way in which you do. [...]

When you make a joke or an excuse for your weight, your features, your laugh, some part of you… you’re not showing that you’re self-aware, you’re showing that you’re self-conscious. And you are making that feature more prominent… and yourself as less attractive.

I had a REALLY hard time cutting this down to just a tidbit to quote, because it's all too brilliant in its should-be-obvious-ness. Just please, go read the whole thing. Better yet, just keep on reading her whole blog, because Allie is where it's at, kids.

Confidence and attitude. Confidence and attitude. Say it with me now. You can have the hottest dress and the most amazing shoes and the most expensive professional manicure and dye-job, but if you're self-hatey, none of that's gonna matter.

So, what's your opinion of men in skirts?

I'm actually a big fan of unbifurcated garments on men, and I support this man's endeavor 100 percent. What do you think? In a world where murse, mantyhose, guyliner, and metrosexual have all hit the vernacular, are we in the US ready for the renaissance of the man-skirt?

In other news, WHEW, sorry for the absence. I believe I'm back in commission for real, now. Depression sucks HARD! And finances have been such that I have not been able to keep this blog's original goal, to document street style in Indianapolis. For this space to continue, a format change seems necessary. From here onward, personal style will be the focus. For your Indianapolis street-style fix, I encourage you to visit my friends at the Indianapolis Fashion Collective. They're beautiful, they're doing fantastic things, and one of my hopes is that their street style section grows and grows. I'd like to contribute some photos, next time I am up in Indy.