This & That: No. 10

 

Sample sales, nautical tops, a must-read book and music to soothe . . .

~Shopping

~Chance

Julia Leach’s new clothing company Chance specializes in the simplicity of the striped shirt. Her mantra “The striped shirt is the paperclip of personal style,” is the foundation for her company which was recently featured in the Sunday New York Times. With a variety of different colors, garments and unique arrangements involving stripes, she demonstrates why nautical stripes epitomize what a classic piece of clothing is all about. I had to give one of her tops a try (boatneck striped cotton shirt $68) as I am smitten with nautical stripes and look forward to letting you know what I think when it arrives. Stay tuned.

~It just arrived, and I was not disappointed. The cotton is a lovely blend, so soft with a touch of stretch (I want to sleep in it, but I dare not). I highly recommend ordering a size larger than you regularly would. I normally order a medium (6-8) as I have broad shoulders, but ordered a large as Julia Leach’s suggests on the website (at the time I was a bit leery doing this), but she was right - it is a perfect fit. Very slim-fitting, and I am told it will stretch a little as I wear it.  Also, the sleeves are quite long (which I love).~ \

~Music

~Road to Perdition soundtrack

I often turned to Pandora when I am looking for music to fit my mood, and the other day I chose to listen to my classic symphonic station. As I was listening, Thomas Newman’s compositions for the soundtrack of Road to Perdition began, and I found myself quickly putting the CD on my wishlist.

~Book

~Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Very few books can hold my attention from start to finish before I either get sleepy or content to pick it up and continue reading some other time. Malcolm Gladwell’s book (which is released in paperback June 7th) intrigued me until I had finished the book.  A best-seller, Outliers: The Story of Success shares researched ideas on exactly how certain people become successful and others do not, and it isn’t what you might initially assume.  In fact, while there are some aspects we don’t have control over, we have more control than we give ourselves credit. And as the dictum states, “Luck is merely preparation meeting opportunity,” couldn’t be more accurate. A fascinating read. I highly recommend.

~App

~Pulse

While Google Reader works just fine to organize my favorite blogs, via Independent Fashion Bloggers, I discovered Pulse - free app that organizes in a more simplistic and visually appealing fashion my favorite blogs, Tumblr sites and other websites. Available for iTunes, Androids and your desktop, it allows you to organize by pages and includes a thumbnail of the most recent article from your favorite sites.

~Sample Sale

~DVF

Last week, Diane von Furstenberg announced that she was opening up her Seasonal Sample Sale to her online customers for the first time. The sale, which began yesterday and runs through the 16th would ideally be best if shopping in person in Manhattan, but not all of us have that luxury. Simply enter your email address here to be invited to the current sale and to be alerted to all future sample sales. I was thrilled with my find of nude patent leather pumps that were actually in my size – a steal and a staple that I desperately needed to add to my closet!

~Blog

~Mizhattan “Sensible Living with Style”

It’s sample sale time, and while I was thrilled to learn Diane von Furstenberg was opening up her sample sale to shoppers online as well, I was delighted to stumble across Mizhattan – a blog that keeps her fellow fashion lovers in the know when it comes to steals and deals. Because, while we all want to look fabulous, we don’t all have limitless budgets.