My Shiny New Toy: Chloe-Inspired Boyfriend Blazer

The obsession started a year ago.  With this image of an impossibly purty Kate Bosworth in Chloe.   After all I'm a sucker for shorts, neutrals and blazers. And don't EVEN get me started about scalloped edges.

Apparently I wasn't the only obsessive.  Chloe Sevigny went through a may-jor Chloe blazer and shorts phase for a few months too.  Though I think she just loves sniffing "Chloe" when asked who she's wearing.  I know I would.

A year later, that California cool chic of light colored blazers was back on the runway for Spring 2010.  At Chloe. AND Stella McCartney.

So for months I'd had my eye out for a reasonably priced one. Saw many delicious options but none under $200.  That is until I found one at a thirft store. Purfect drape, color and materia weightl.  AND just $20.SOLD!

Wore it out recently for a fashion blogger event. At the Bar Marmont with the ever delicious Fashion Intel and Inny Vinny. Natch! (hate when people say natch! but there it is!)

Paired it with American Apparel leggings, a bubble tank, Marc Jacobs clutch and Elizabeth and James pumps. Felt as young and sassy as my twenty something fellow party goers.  And infinitely more famous than that Rosario Dawson who happened to plop right down next to us at the event!!!  That's my "I think I'm famous too but I'm really just tipsy" mouth.  Ugh.

Interested in channeling Chloe wearing Chloe?  Here are some inspirations for pulling off light colored blazers this summer.  Sorry, drunk mouth NOT included ;) 

How to Wear a Pink Blazer

The Outfit
LA Fashion District blazer, bracelet and sandals
Forever 21 tank
Liquid pants
Marc by Marc Jacobs purse
Me&Ro necklace

The Grade
A

The Commentary

I have been obsessed with Vanessa Bruno blazers for nearly a year. 

Love everything about them.  The crop, the drape, the shoulders.
The promise that they'd make me look tiny and chic like uber-fan Rachel Bilson :)

The one thing I didn't like: the price. At over $800, the Vanessa Bruno blazers are nearly 3 times what I've ever paid for a blazer. OOF!  Sure you'd get endless use out of a black one but I wasn't convinced the colored blazers I wanted were worth the investment.

That's why I was over the moon when I got an email from Racked LA saying there was a big summer sale at Vanessa Bruno. Had every intention of going and possibly splurging on a blazer in the right shade of pink or sherbet.



But first I paid a morning visit to the L.A. Fashion District with my mom.  And wouldn't you know it,  there waiting for me was the exact look I wanted. Sure it's not a fine fabric but it looks anything but cheap. The cut and drape are dead on. And the color is what I liked most of all. Strike that, the price is what I liked best: $25.

On that same trip found these intricate little beauties. Very Balenciaga with the braiding. Just $20.

Also scooped up this bracelet that was the perfect compliment to the jacket.  Looks a bit YSL, no?   Only $12.

Moral of the story: when you're in LA, do your wallet and closet a favor and hit the Fashion District.

The Inspiration

Special Feature: Diabolina Digs...

1. Black blazers with dresses for evening.
Have been dying to give it a whirl for months. Looks so London chic on besties Gwyneth and Stella. I want in.

Feels so balanced to me - strong and soft, femmy and masculine. Have just the right Armani blazer that I bought resale a few months ago...

Alas it's too hot in L.A. right now. Boo.

2. Charlize Theron lately.
Now I know what you are thinking. It's not hard to look great when you have one of the best bodies in Hollywood and that face but am loving all of her over the top get ups of late. So Euro, so daringly chic.


Love that Charlize looks like a woman not a girl anymore. Makes me excited to enter my 30s and look like I've lived a little . Own the years and the experience and the lessons - fashion wise and otherwise.






And are you looking at the shoes??? Dear lord, all the shoes are HOTNESS! Different and bordering on gaudy but me loves.

Her stylist for this press junket gets an A+ from moi.

3. Blake Lively/Serena van der Woodsen.
I first fell of her all American prom queen looks in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Am now trying to get into Gossip Girls in reruns this summer. Not very into TV lately tho. Not sure what that's about.

But I am very much into all the Gossip Girls/Blake Lively styling. Loving all the summer looks I've been seeing on her - on set and off. Very breezy Hamptons richie rich.

Adore this bananas for buckles bag so much. I think I need it. Thinking it's Fendi. Thinking it's too expensive.


Love that it's so cool it distracts from the dog pee on her dress. Ruh oh! ;)

New Feature: Still Loving...

As we head back to work (boo!) and look forward to a new year of fashion (yay!), here's a quick rundown of the things I'm still loving for the new decade.

1. Gray, gray and more gray
My love affair with gray turned into full-blown obsession over the past year. It has become my go to neutral. Softer than black but just as chic - especially when you rock it head-to-toe. Pair it with pink, burgundy or yellow this spring and I promise you'll fall head over heels.

2. Blissful Blazers
The only thing I love more than gray is a gray BLAZER. I've been on the blazer bandwagon since last spring. And yet there's no other article of clothing that I turn to with more regularity. As I've put on a bit of poundage, I find they provide just the right amount of tush and mid-section coverage. They can take you from work to evening with just a change of accessories. And they work equally well with leggings or a flirty dress, boots or stilettos, prints or solids. Who could ask for a more functional wardrobe staple?
























































































































































































































































3. A Whole Lotta Shoulder Action
Blame it on Balenciaga and Dolce and Gabanna and all the knock-offs but I cannot get enough of puffy, embellished or padded shoulders. Sure, all of us who aren't models have to be careful with proportions when rocking this trend. But remember: an emphasis on shoulders makes the waist look smaller. Who couldn't use that after a holiday season of hogging?













































































































































































































4. Legs for Days
Fact: There's no simpler, more flattering, less expensive way in the winter to up your stylish factor than a pair of tights. Think of them as a way to transition warm weather dresses and skirts into the colder months ahead. Make them as tame or wild as you wanna. Like any accessory, you can use them to express what you're feeling on a given day. Lately I'm feeling X rated fishnet ;)










































































































































































































































































































5. Casually chic headgear
A floppy hat, a headband, a turban, a knit cap, a scarf - pick your poison. They all give your hair a break from both over-styling and harsh weather. They are also a great option to tone down sexy cold weather looks like fur and boots...and boots with the fur ;)



















































p.s. It happened again this year. I asked Santa for perfectly imperfect hair and all I got was some lousy products to help approximate this tousled amazingness. Not fair.