I have this thing about laundry – this thing where I never do it and it piles up in the basket looking sloppy and unattractive. Modern laundry storage methods are utilitarian and dull so until today, I had settled for a generic plastic basket. Until today… when my dreams and unspoken wishes came true, and I found this utter gem for just $3.95

I think my heart stopped when I found it. Here’s a detail shot of the glittery handles.

WOW.

I found a few other things, mostly for the site (so keep an eye out, these items will be listed!)

Sometimes I forget that the concept of “Organic” is older than I am but this vintage knit, with tags still on, is an attractive reminder.

This battered leather Etienne Aigner bag is possibly vintage at its best.

This 80s Bill Blass denim skirt is so strange and so wonderful (and tragically does not fit me).

Today was a day for labels, because I also found this reversible Etro pegasus belt.

Lastly, I love vintage colorblock flats. This pair is not only unworn but also in patent!

I also picked up a vintage sequined cardigan, and some really amazing old buttons. A good day, I think!

I’m not normally a product person. I think it’s too easy to get caught up in the cycle of needing more and more, and I’m kind of old-fashioned… I like to keep things simple. I don’t like hype.

But every once in a while, a product comes along that’s worth shouting about. A lip stain that lasts, doesn’t dry out your lips, and looks natural-but-better is certainly worth shouting about, and I’ve found it!

Here it is, the holy grail: Red Gerbera Lip Stain.

It doesn’t look like much, sitting on my battered vintage armoir in its tiny portable pot, but this stuff has to be made of magic. It feels and smell totally amazing going on, and it is perfectly, perfectly red: not too orange and not too blue (why is that always so hard to find?).

It’s smudgy and casual, but smacks of Old Hollywood glamour in this really satisfying way. Wearing it, I feel polished and feminine but never (ugh) too “done”. Oh, and you know what else? It’s 100% natural, vegan, and cruelty free. Seriously. HOLY GRAIL.

Von Natur, the company who makes it, specializes in natural, vegan and cruelty free products, and if you find yourself at their website – make sure to check out their Chaotic Facial Moisturizer. I consider it a miracle for acne-prone skin and it has basically changed my life.

Time to go put on some lip stain… I <3 you, von Natur!

One of my latest thrifting expeditions unearthed this incredible find…

… over a hundred pages of Magical Scarf Fashion! Included is an introduction to the history of scarves (thrilling!), a tutorial on how to pick and care for a scarf (fascinating!), and step by step instructions to wear your scarves in every imaginable way possible (enlightening!)

Have you ever wanted to wear a scarf under a hat but didn’t know how?

You can thank me later.

Keep reading to discover more scarf magic…

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If you live anywhere in the NE corner of the United States, you might have heard legends of an amazing record store called Jerry’s. It’s this huge, dusty, eclectic place that’s full of thousands upon thousands of records – everything from blues to spoo – and it’s one of the last stores of its kind in the country. Most of the records cost around $4 (seriously). It’s a wonderland that I’m lucky to live somewhat close to.

I’ve discovered some of my favorite albums there, lost gems from the 50s through the 80s. But on this latest trip, I discovered something else…

There’s an entire section devoted to kind of crappy records that have good covers! So I picked up this gem for just $3.

Mondrian dresses, white ankle boots, fantastic knits… heaven.

You may already know from our About Us page that ModCloth has a mascot: Winston the Pug. You probably don’t know that we also have another furry friend helping us out around the office: Blue the Dachshund.

They’re quite the pair.

Being a fashion insider (and your own boss) is a funny thing… On any given day, I can wear whatever crazy thing I want – from clashing in blinding colors to layering until I look like a street urchin – and no one will pull me aside for a “talk” or refer me to rules about office dress code. In fact, I’ll probably get compliments from my coworkers.

So today, I decided to wear buffalo plaid shorts over leggings. I didn’t feel like shaving my legs (are we all sensing a theme here?) and I thought why not.

Someone who loves fashion would look at a picture of me in this outfit and think any number of thoughts. Maybe “that look is so over” or “her thighs are too big for that” or, you know, whatever judgmental thing pops into a fashion person’s head. And that’s fine (sort of), because that’s what we insiders do.

But what’s really funny about being inside the house of fashion is what’s lurking outside the door: the normal people or “norms” (to borrow a term from the indie scene lexicon). We can pretend all we want, but fashion norms make up the majority of the population, especially in the States. And any fashion norm would look at a picture of me in this outfit and think only one thing

Is she wearing pants over her pants?

Face it, fellow fashion lovers, a lot of what we consider normal or trendy is totally insane. I might as well be a greaser named Ponyboy.

For more of my outfits, most of which don’t look anything like this one, check out my Style Diary.

Last month we paired up with one of our favorite sites, Polyvore.com, in search of the most creative Back to School outfit (using ModCloth items, of course!) Here’s the winning entry, created by Polyvore-er Mewsmom.

If you don’t have a Polyvore account yet, what are you waiting for? It’s so much fun and a really great way to experiment with different outfits without tearing your closet apart.

Fashion week is like a gift that just keeps giving. Pretty girls, celebrities, inspiring clothes… what more can you ask for?

As much as I enjoy browsing (almost) all of the collections, there’s always one that I can count on. I’m not sure if it’s my high school obsession with glitter re-asserting itself or my current love of all things over-the-top, I just can’t help but swoon when I hear the word “Heatherette“. Usually I’m forced to view the collection online, but this year was different – we were lucky enough to score invites so we packed our bags and headed to New York City.

Before we get to the show itself, let’s talk about the front row. P-Diddy (or Puff Daddy or Sean Combs or whatever he goes by now), Lance Bass, Miss Jay and Nigel Barker from America’s Next Top Model were just a few of the familiar faces we spotted. Now I’m not a huge Diddy fan, but I can respect the man for building an empire and it was a very surreal experience to sit 15 feet across from him.

The show started with a fabulous performance by Lil’ “my lipgloss be poppin” Mama followed by the first look, a poofy white bedazzled mini dress, on one of my favorite young models – Chanel Iman. And yes, she is just as gorgeous in real life. A few more white looks came down the runway then the real fun began: Americana, done in gingham with black ants (one of my favorites), camouflage, and lots of the old red, white, and blue. Carefree, lively, and mostly un-wearable, it was everything I was hoping for and more!

Heatherette usually has a celebrity close the show, so I was super excited to see who it would be this season. As porn star Jenna Jameson skipped down the runway, I could hardly believe my eyes… I still haven’t decided if that was a good or bad experience!

Of course we wanted to bring back some of the Heatherette magic to share with you. Check out our new Heatherette Pinball Hoodie…

… and keep reading to see more of my favorite looks from the show.

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If your boots are tall enough, you can wear a skirt every day but never have to shave your legs! (This may seem obvious, but I’ve just discovered it myself.)

My current pick for attractive leg shaving alternative is this beautiful piece of knee-high footwear heaven.

The Beatnik Boots

Real-life Spring may be over, but fashion Spring has just begun. With New York Fashion Week behind us and London Fashion Week set to start tomorrow, it’s time to do some seasonally inappropriate investigating.

It’s telling that some of the most exciting New York shows were designers who started out showing elsewhere. You know, Karen Walker, Alberta Ferretti, Temperley, Ann Sofie-Back…

But here are my favorite looks from NYFW–

Ladylike but badass is one of my favorite things in life, and no one does it better than Karen Walker.

(Karen Walker, Karen Waker, Nanette Lepore)

Hats are big news for Spring, so if you aren’t wearing them already, you might as well start! Lately I haven’t felt like any look is complete without at least a beret.

(3.1 Phillip Lim, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Marc by Marc Jacobs)

Stripes are heading in a sophisticated new direction, spearheaded by Philosophy Di Alberta Ferretti.

(Temperley, Abaete, Alberta Ferretti)

And lastly, I really loved Rachel Comey’s entire collection. What doesn’t look good with glasses like this?

And I’m not just saying this because I have similar glasses…