trench perfection

once upon a time, i made the mistake of trying on and subsequently falling hard for a burberry trench. it had that perfect simple-yet-different thing going that a girl whose blog is called 'vogue gone rogue' would totally dig. but alas, the love affair was not meant to be when i spied the six thousand dollar price tag. the damage had been done though. my standards for trench coats have never been the same since. though the quality of a burberry trench cannot really be duplicated by anyone else, the fit, hang and style does not need to be compromised.

i got this beige trench coat with black piping from kenneth cole. it was one of those love at first sight moments, even if i don't ever forget my first trench coat love.

big thank you to friend and fellow blogger, Shea, for snapping these photos.

also wearing: alice & olivia shoes . lin danto cameo purse . rag & bone jeans

things are never what they seem

taking a short break from fretting over the state of chinese manufacturing to post an outfit. being entrenched in the fashion world can sometimes feel a bit like not living in reality. though i'd like to think my interest in fashion has far more to do with the artistry of design and composition than "looking pretty," when one spends so much of one's time posting pictures of one's self, that can feel clouded.

so, a short rant... i take my brand loyalty pretty seriously. i support companies that have a bit more going for them than the usual "we sell things to make money" approach to life. so i get pretty down and disillusioned when my trust is shattered. if you have a brand you love both for the products they make and the way they make those products, please share it in the comments.

purple jeans c/o jbrand . bakers platform heels . faux fur hooded vest, new york boutique . mak multi messenger c/o sienna ray . giorgio armani sunglasses

brunette to blonde

i love dark, rich brunette hair, but at some point last year decided to try going blonde for fun and cause, why not?! live it up and all that jazz.

but we've all heard the horror stories. fried hair. tedious process. an end result that looks hideous with your natural coloring. sure, some bad hair isn't the end of the world, but why suffer when it's so easily avoidable? so i'm sharing my process and hopefully, if this is something you've been considering, it'll help you out.

Find a GREAT salon.

if you're in new york, i highly recommend Salon Ruggeri where i got my hair done. but if you don't live in new york, do your homework. if your stylist knows what he/she is doing, then you won't have to worry.

Communicate with your colorist.

going from brunette to blonde is a pretty drastic change and in my opinion, warrants a chat before dye the dyeing begins. bring in photos, articulate what you want, and listen to your colorist's advice. make sure you know what to expect, and if you're colorist can't tell you that, go elsewhere! my colorist, Greg, explained everything so well i knew exactly what the outcome would look like. 

Understand that there are different ways of going blonde. You don't have to bleach your head.

i did not know this. i had no idea you could go from brunette to blonde with just highlights. this was good news for me because 1) i wouldn't have to suffer through weeks of that orange tabby in between phase and 2) there's a lot more control over the resulting shade increasing the likelihood that the end result will go well with your skin tone. this is a particularly good option if you have a very dark natural color and it's your first time going blonde.

this photo is the result after my first highlighting session. not as light as the final, but a big difference for sure. i've been back twice since then and my hair is as light as i want it for now. the process was not nearly as scary or annoying as i originally thought it would be, and i'm having so much fun with the end result:

a huge thank you to Greg, owner and founder of Salon Ruggeri for doing such an amazing job. as you can see from the pictures, Salon Ruggeri is a much different atmosphere than the typical salon. it's intimate and relaxing and they make the most amazing coffee.

if you like my hair color, i hope you'll take a quick moment to vote for Salon Ruggeri for Best Manhattan Hair Color 2012 by following this link. it would mean so much to the Ruggeri team and they truly deserve the recognition. thanks guys!

thanks to global weirding

new york's uncharacteristically warm winter was not met with disdain on my part. having grown up in southern california, i'd never even seen snow until the age of 9 when i went on a roadtrip with my parents and we found ourselves in a blizzard. after 10 minutes of frolicking in the snow i was promptly over it. and that's been my attitude towards winter since. this year, new york saw maybe three days total of light flurries that barely stuck. and on this particular day, it was so warm i wore nothing but my chunky knit outdoors with total comfort.

café macchiato. my favorite coffee.

american apparel chunky knit . kill city leather shorts . foley + corinna lady city tote . jones bootmaker boots . persol sunglasses c/o of sunglass hut . dreamcatcher necklace made by me

this outfit is an example of my easy go-to fashion choices. relaxed, casual and comfortable. this is a typical "headed to kung fu class" or "running errands" sort of outfit. slouchy knits that fall off your shoulder are perfect for those days when you want to feel cozy and still look put together. i highly recommend opting for them over a velour tracksuit on days when you're goal is comfort.

fashiolista's nyfw party

happy friday everyone!  very appropriately, today's post is more party coverage! i'm certain from these posts and my nyfw tweets it seems like i spent all of fashion week in a haze of champagne flutes and martini glasses... and oh how i would that were the case... but in reality it's just that fashion week parties are way more interesting and photogenic than apartment hunting in new york.

getting together with the fashiolista crew is always a great time. gorgeous bunch of ladies both inside and out:

and they certainly know how to throw a party.

chiara is the first blogger i ever met in person and this is the first time i thought to get a photo with her.  she is every bit as gorgeous in person and probably one of the sweetest bloggers on the planet.

the open bar cocktail menu featuring clear corn whiskey concoctions that were admittedly unique but entirely delicious.

bo from fashiolista and i being silly.

maddie's clutch and bo's top both featuring cut outs.

live band, ariana and the rose.

hamming it up with andy.

zina and alex

the amazing angelo being painfully adorable.

bo and her broken finger, me and my apparent oral fixation. 

shea of cheyenne meets chanel.

since we took something like 15 photos, here's another of me and chiara.

see what i mean about the oral fixation? also impressed by the fact that we're all managing to be looking in only 2 different directions considering the 5 different cameras taking this same photo. (you can see alternate view on the blonde salad).

fashiolista 'stache. here's the instagram version.

you can see more photos from the fashiolista party on their facebook page. "like" your favorites cause the person with the most photo likes gets a gift card. there are some pretty great moments.

i'm wearing: rag and bone jean leggings . haute hippie draped silk top . bcbg draped leather jacket . frav shop gloves . henri bendel necklace . rebecca minkoff white leopard purse

bloglovin' awards

 

hey there roguesters! here are some snapshots from the bloglovin' awards on sunday night. awards shows don't typically do it for me, but i gotta say, i love the bloglovin' awards! the winners are chosen by the readers, which makes perfect sense. the ceremony is short, sweet and to the point with plenty of humor to keep you laughing. the entire night was open bar, always a plus. and everyone was super sweet and fun to hang out with. congrats to the bloglovin' team for putting together such a great event. 

and now for the photos! above, me making a silly face with kenza, swedish blogger extraordinaire.

 

carolina, olivia, andy and chiara.

 

the view from my table.

tommy ton winning for best street style blog. woot woot!!

 

jinna of grease & glamour and fellow full time fabulous top 10!

 

having some fun with bloglovin' co-founder daniel.

 

the men behind the blogs. richard of style scrapbook and mattias (bloglovin' co-founder) of fashionsquad.

 

afterparty at the jane hotel

 

fellow greek, zina of fashionvibe.

 

  hangin' with the facehunter.

 one of the "official pictures" taken by the photogs when i arrived at the edison hotel ballroom for the bloglovin' awards. did any of you guys watch the livestream?

helmut lang leather sleeve blazer . haute hippie silk top . anna rita leather skirt . lin danto cameo purse . alice + olivia heels