MORE SHOP TALK

Lovelies, thank you for the emails and questions about incoming Fall pieces. We have a few things brewing on our side:

**Caitlin Mociun emailed us today to inform us that our Fall shipment is en route. It should arrive no later than this Friday, so keep your fingers crossed. In addition to the coveted Ikat dress, we also have on our list of anticipated arrivals the amulet dress in a Mociun beads print.

Mociun Amulet Dress

**IRO Fall shipment is en route and should be up for purchase in the shop by this weekend or early next week.

**We also welcome (hopefully) to the SOTTO blog our very first guest blogger, the talented Ms. Daravone, the resident male's uber-cool Parisian cousin and contributor/photographer to one of our favorite street style blogs, Street Peeper. Oh, to be in my early twenties again, but living in Paris and attending fashion shows with free swag bags ... perhaps in another life?

Her blog already has, among other things, pretty pictures of Paris Fashion Week.

Go there. Now.

A Printed Matter

Part of the lure of designers like Rachel Comey and Mociun are their beautiful prints. This season, I'm a little more than overwhelmed by all the beautiful prints at hand. I can hardly decide what to keep for myself, and, much to my chagrin, many of you have beat me to it.

Here, a few of my favorite prints in stock--there are more to come, including printed dresses by Caitlin Mociun.

(Click on images to enlarge.)

Rachel Comey. Eye on You.

It is futile to resist a witty print on an equally clever silk dress. With pockets, cuffed dolman sleeves, and a reversible cut (as shown below), this dress is effortlessly chic with tights and flat boots as it is bare with heels. A fitted turtleneck underneath would also work for chillier days. Hits above the knee.

We have only one left in a size X-Small.

UPDATE: We are officially SOLD OUT of this dress.

Worn "backwards," it shows off a beautiful neckline.

True to form, we paired it with our newest Rachel Comey belt.

Eskell. Fleur Print.

Rather than make a decision about which variation of this print I should get, I bought most of them. Also in silk and available in a dress or top, Eskell's fleur print is more subtle than the Rachel Comey print, but no less gorgeous--nor versatile.

I'm taken with all the details of this dress--the gathered bust, elastic empire waist (that nips in just at the right place), puffed sleeves, ruffle neckline, keyhole back, and button closure sleeves. I like it both with the fabric belt or with a more substantial substitute, like the Rachel Comey belt in whiskey. I imagine I'll wear this with a thick cardigan, tights, and a pair of Rachel Comey clog oxfords. Hits above the knee.

The top version of the dress, also in white fleur print, shares some of the same dramatic details, although slightly varied: high neck with a slight ruffle, elastic empire waist, 3/4 sleeves. It looks amazing tucked into a pair of high-waisted slouchy trousers.

With its button down front, tie waist, folded edge neckline, and backpleats, the Shauna silk blouse, in the black fleur print, has all the markings of a timeless blouse you'll tuck away in your closet for "special" occasions, but the ease of something you'd literally throw on during weekends of leisure.

Charlotte Ronson. Floral.

Charlotte Ronson makes another beautiful silk dress--mini, this time--with an origami neckline, pockets, and a nipped in waist.

SHOP TALK

Apologies for the scarcity of posts this week. We are: unpacking Fall merch; (already) pouring over Spring/Summer lines; playing with new fonts for our shop blog; and currently loving these promotional videos ... like this one by Samantha Pleet (note: cute menswear & rompers).

source: Samantha Pleet

Bedtime Stories with Refinery29

Thank you to Refinery29 (love, love, love) folks Christene and Allison for the write up on our little boutique! We are SUPER thrilled to be featured. If you haven't guessed, the collage of images above is "stolen" from their site because the resident male and I are too inept to play with pictures properly, like proper adults.

Here's a glimpse, but you can read the entry in all its Refinery29-glory here.

Is it Fall Yet?

source: Hel Looks

Although, for fear of acknowledging that sunshine-filled days are soon coming to an end, I have not yet donned my autumn boots, I'm at a point where a seasonal change is welcome. I crave my opaque tights, turtlenecks (worn under all my warm weather dresses), and brisk autumn mornings. I adore chunky knits. And, layers, lots of comfy layers.

The picture above is also ample inspiration for the Devotte granny boots.

Devotte FW '08, Part IV: My Other Brown Boot

Devotte. I Know. Rustic Brown.




My sister, Jennifer, knows a thing or two about collecting quality, beautifully constructed boots. She has a collection of vintage boots that anyone would envy. In fact, when I visit her apartment in Los Angeles, I deliberately take the time to troll through the rooms, looking for discarded treasures: a pair of vintage wedges in the perfect golden-beige shade, or possibly a pair of her boots. How a girl in constant 90 degree weather could, or would need to, own that many beautiful pairs of boots is presently beyond my grasp.

The I. Know boot is a worthy rival to my sister's collection. Frankly, I hesitated in putting up these pictures of the I. Know. They don't do this boot justice; the details on this boot--button and pintuck detailing on the back of the calf--make this timeless piece special. The lines of this boot are sleek and fluid. The rich rustic brown leather has the kind of slight variation that you can tell will weather beautifully with time; the heel--a little over two inches--elongates, but keeps the shoe functional, which, by the way, is Nancy Kim's signature, as she designs for the women of NYC.

Don't dawdle too long, as I have a feeling Jennifer is going to want a pair for her collection.

Rachel Comey Jonen

Several of you have written to us about pre-orders for the Rachel Comey Jonen. As promised, here's a close up shot of the shoe ... another beloved clog by Rachel Comey.

Nostalgia

On my first trip to Italy, I stayed in a hostel in one of those small fishing villages on the Ligurian coast. The hostel was run by three brothers and the wife of one of the brothers, an American woman who, like many others, had trekked through Italy, fallen in love, and decided to stay. I recall the horrible walk up, up, up from the train station. The weight of my backpack --admittedly full of too much guilty shopping conquests--made the sludge up the hill to the hostel door hot, unbearably arduous, tiresome.

On that particular visit, I met two women, each of whom, like myself, was traveling alone. One was an opera-singer in training. She lived in San Francisco and waited tables part-time in what I was told was a luxe-Italian establishment in the Bay. The other was a marine biologist, an avid kayaker, who lived, for a majority of the year, on an island.

Both women were considerably more mature than me both in age and life (I was, after all, only twenty-one and as bright-eyed as one could be), and, but for the fact that our lives' overlapped for a window of one day, in the same country far away from our homes, in the same small Italian town, in the same hostel, we would probably never have spoken. Somehow, time and opportunity conspired. Over great wine and conversation, we shared an amazing meal--seared in my memory forever--in one of the town's restaurants, where the boisterous owner insisted on serving all of his customers with a phone glued to his ear and what appeared to be a tirade of words coming out of his mouth.

Whenever I recall that meal, that time, that place, a sense of wonderment captures me. I have never been able to express it, not in words and not in the Kodak-throw-away-camera pictures I took on that trip, which I seem to have misplaced since then.

Stumbling across The Cherry Blossom Girl's blog entry about her holiday in Italy brought me back. Her pictures, for me, do the best job of capturing that time. In fact, her blog is full of many many pretty images.

source: The Cherry Blossom Girl

Mociun Pre-Orders: Ikat Dress & Drill Shorts

You asked for it, so here it is. We are now taking pre-orders on Mociun Fall items, like this Ikat dress, Caitlin Mociun's newest rendition of her trademark tie-front dress or the adorable drill shorts above, which buttons up the front in an adjustable high waist style. Expected shipment date is October 2.

Be Still, My Beating Heart

Rachel Comey SS '09 Line. Eye Candy.

source: Style.com

Images of Rachel Comey's Spring '09 line are up, and, may I say, GORGEOUS! I have a feeling pouring over her linesheets is going to be a tough decision, indeed. For now, and to let the mood of the collection marinate, here's some eye candy, lovelies. Enjoy your Saturday.

And ... the shoes, belts ... oh dear, I am in trouble.

Devotte FW '08, Part III: Black Mascara

My litany of love for FW '08 Devotte continues, but in a whirwind way--a bowl of Tillamook vanilla ice cream, freshly-picked blackberries, and last night's Project Runway await. I know it is First Thursday in Portland, but I much prefer this option tonight.

Devotte. Mascara. Black.

In the work lives of many (too many, in fact) of my friends, the black pump takes a dominant stance. While the style lends itself to some classic beauties, the interpretation is often lackluster, boring, and, if I may be completely frank, pure function over form. Boo.

Enter the Mascara in black, your morning friend (or my friends' morning friend) when you're rushing out the door, an endless sea of traffic ahead and naught a second to fret over your footware.

Frivolous ruffles on this serious shoe are SOOOO spot-on. For work or for play.

Devotte FW' 08, Part II: Clever

Devotte. Pur. Grey.

Meet my new Fall staple: the Pur, a killer heel/bootie that makes a decisive nod to the '80s, and remains unapologetically femme, and somehow even a bit classic. The slate grey color is the perfect backdrop for almost anything you can throw at it, which is funny, given the fact that I don't think I presently have a shoe in this color. I still surprise myself. I should not have to (but I will) mention that this is equally pretty with your thick tights in the autumn and winter, as it is with bare legs for spring and summer.

(I should note as well that soon after unpacking the Pur, I tried on a pair in my size and engaged in the ritual, "Ooooh! Aahh!" before I was forced to give them back.)

But the absolute best part is the interchangeable design. Each pair comes with two detachable leather bows. You are a clever girl, Nancy Kim.






A Pur Tutorial:

Step 1.




Step 2.




Step 3. Voilà!

Hood River, Ore. Via Walla Walla, Wa.

Clear blue skies ahead.



Me, enjoying the last few days of summer and summer dresses sans tights.



He, enjoying the last few days of summer and laying in the sun sans sweater.




A wine tasting room in Walla Walla, Washington




Going home.


We drove, drove, drove for hours, tracing the path of the Columbia River, a clear stretch of highway ahead, crossing goldenrod-colored fields, under the sun, shining, shining.

Did everyone have a nice Labor Day?