Emerson Fry Fall 2012

Emerson Fry's Fall 2012 Collection just hit their website this morning! I'm seeing some very nice items: coats, pumps, blouses, trousers...and some very "meh" items: some funky long skirts, a dress that looks too thin to wear in public, etc. Also, I miss seeing Emerson model her own designs. I wanted to BE her in Fall 2010 and Spring 2011. The model that they're using for Fall 2012 looks sort of lost and hungry.

Here's a look at some of my favorites.

Coats











Shoes











Blouses







More of EF's fun Mod Dresses



Cropped Trousers





Pretty Rings



There are also some great items from Spring 2012 hanging out in the sale section at half price.





I'd take a pair of all of those shoes if I could afford them - they're on my "someday" list. I have too many coats as it is, but I'd seriously consider both that Army Coat and the Leopard Linen otherwise. The Lilac Floral Blouse is in my shopping cart, although I'm not ready to bite just yet.

How about you? What do you think of Emerson Fry Fall 2012?

Mad Men Season 5 Finale

Aaaarrrgh, why can't this show be on all the time??? AMC is so stingy about their shows: short seasons with humongous gaps in between each one. Do they expect me to content myself with *shudder* NETWORK TELEVISION? TV is dead to me until "The Walking Dead" comes back in October, and I am thisclose to breaking up with that show if they don't give me a strong female character to watch (I want Lori to get eaten by zombies so, so much). Also, Season 3 of "Downton Abbey" premieres this winter (I think). I've seen pics from filming and it looks like Edith is smiling, which means that another bitter Mary/Edith showdown is inevitable. Yay.

*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****



So, let's see where all of our favorite SCDP employees and their families are left at the end of Season 5....

Don = Feeling abandoned by Megan and Peggy, bogged down by guilt after Lane's suicide and seeing hallucinations of his dead brother - another man who killed himself after being treated coldly by Don. About to start back into his old pattern of trying to drown his demons through meaningless sexual encounters.

Betty = Still a delightful mess. Trying to slim down and fit back into her perfect little clothes and perfect little life so that the world can be jealous of her again.

Megan = Through a little bit of old-fashioned backstabbing and a dash of nepotism, is finally about to get her big break into acting. Sadly unaware that she's married to a man who has fallen out of love with her because she wasn't the blank little page he thought she was.

Sally = The spawn of Don and Betty (I always forget about the boys - as will the writers until they can find more children who can actually act) is growing up, and she's inherited both her parents' master manipulation skills. Woodstock is now only two years away....

Roger = Single once more and feeling frisky.

Bert = With his company on shaky ground, he's dropped the doddering old man act to reveal a lion in winter.

Lane = Dead (poor Lane, I liked him).

Pete = Ugh, woe is Pete. Still whining about his long commute and feeling overlooked by Trudy now that her attentions are turned towards raising their daughter. Will only become more insufferable now that she has relented to his pleas for an apartment in the city.

Joan = Now a full partner at SCDP, she is stepping into Lane's shoes as "the responsible one" with the added challenge of getting the other partners to treat her as an equal instead of as a nagging housewife. Other challenges include dealing with her mother, raising her son, and trying to re-enter the dating world as a single mom and divorcee.

Peggy = I am so effing proud of Peggy. When I saw her in her office, dressing-down the copy boys in full-on Draper Style I totally shouted "Get it, gurl!" Peggy has worked hard and made some smart decisions, and now she has become the success that she set out to be from the moment she impressed Freddy Rumsen with her "basket of kisses." This being Mad Men, I'm sure that she'll have a brand new set of problems next season, but right now I'm happy to bask in her sunshine. Just look at how far she's come:


From mousy secretary...


...to advertising Copy Chief.


Peggy Olson has really come into her own! This song was running through my head whenever Peggy was on screen, and I will flip my shit if they let her be the person who came up with "You've come a long way, baby" for those Virginia Slims.




Ta-ta for now, SCDP. Until next season!

Photos courtesy of AMC.

Review: Emerson Fry Trench Dress

I noticed that The Emerson Trench Dress is for sale in a couple of sizes in the Ends Section on the Emerson Fry website, so I thought that I'd do a little review. Please disregard the attractive background - these pics were taken in the bathroom at work. The description on the website reads:

"An all-season, hardworking piece in the wardrobe, Emerson Trench Dress is polished and chic, featuring a matching tie sash, pockets and leather covered buttons."



"Khaki cotton, button-tab sleeves, surplice neckline, polished leather-covered buttons, fully lined.
100% cotton.
Dry clean only.
Made in USA."



Originally for sale at $228, the price has been lowered to $114 and I'd tell anyone to jump on it, because this is such a wearable, versatile dress.


Size 8, my usual. The cotton is crisp and strong, with a slight sheen. No stretch. This pic was taken at the end of a workday, so you can see that a few creases have developed on the skirt from many hours of sitting. Not too bad, though. Little leather buttons are such a nice detail. It comes with a self-belt that I'm wearing here, but I usually switch it out for a leather one.



Side view...obviously my dress is a bit tighter on top than Emerson's! Still, the buttons do not gape over the chest and there's a side zip so you don't have to worry about buttoning and un-buttoning.



Close-up of the top. I'm also wearing one of the Emerson Gold Lion Necklaces here, and it has become a wardrobe staple. I wear it 2-3 times per week.

Top two images from www.emersonfry.com.

The Return of Mad Men!

This pretty much sums up my feelings:


(Source)

I would do a re-cap of the Season 5 Premiere for you, but there are so many blogs that do a much better job than I ever could.

Funniest: Best Week Ever (Including some seriously epic screen gif's)

Most Insightful: Tom and Lorenzo

Feminist Perspective: Jezebel (I love the comment section)

THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION airs Sunday nights at 9pm EDT on AMC.

Emerson Fry Spring Line is Here!

YES! Finally the Emerson Fry (formerly Emersonmade) Spring clothing line is here. I have a few pieces from last year's Spring and Fall collections, and I would seriously buy every single thing that Emerson makes. Right now, it is killing me that my office is too conservative for a shorts-suit because I would wear the heck out of the one pictured above!

More goodies....









LOVE.

Somebody Should Get a Prize for This Idea

Okay, how brilliant are these wedding cakes made out of cheese? I think that millions of people have thought, "How kickass would it be to have a wedding cake made of cheese?", but they don't follow through with it because it's weird, or they are afraid of what their guests would say. Personally, I would say, "This is the best wedding ever, bring me more cheese."

Thanks to A CUP OF JO (one of my fave blogs) for finding the site.

Stationery

I LOVE stationery (I even have my own calling cards). Letter writing is a dying art, I think, and it really is a shame. There's nothing like getting a friend's letter in the mail...e-mail has become so standard and commonplace that taking the time to write and send a card or letter makes it even more of a thoughtful gesture, especially when it's written on something pretty. The card that is pictured is from Rifle Paper Co., and their designs are just adorable - they even do custom personalized stationery to look like you! More of my faves are here, here, and here.

For some people...

...their addiction is alcohol. For others, drugs. Some people are kleptos, sex addicts, the list goes on and on.

My addiction is J.Crew.

My birthday is not complete without peeling that little green sticker away from clean white tissue paper to reveal one of their updated classics, be it in the finest wool or lightest hammered silk. Christmas would be decidedly lacking without a new cashmere sweater in one of their lush seasonal hues (or, more likely, black). I cried when moths destroyed two merino sweaters, and I learned early-on that, if I loved something in the J.Crew catalog, I had better buy it now because they only make limited numbers and there are plenty of women out there who are swifter spenders than I am.

J.Crew's clothing lasts forever, rarely goes out of style, is beautifully tailored, and it is one of the few places where I can pull ANYTHING in my size off of the rack and it will not only fit, but become an instant favorite. Roughly 80% of my wardrobe is J.Crew...and I just bought more today.

I'll probably die with this addiction...but I'll die in style.

Image courtesy of J.Crew Aficionada.

The Best Show on Television

Ooh! Season 4 of AMC's Mad Men premiers this Sunday at 10pm! I just adore this show and all of it's messed up characters...the title of this blog was actually inspired by a quote from Betty Draper in Season 3. My plan is to put on a cocktail dress and mix up some martinis for my own personal viewing party. Some of the highlights from the past 3 seasons are shown on this Periodic Table of Mad Men.

New Scarf

I have a scarf obsession. It can be traced back to the three months in college when I studied abroad in London and every British girl (and many of the boys) on the High Street had some variation of a scarf draped, knotted, or tied somewhere on her body. They all looked so effortlessly chic. I was doomed.

I just bought this scarf from Madewell. It's cotton with the prettiest paisley print, and it has tassels! Love it.