how to be a gentlewoman

I loooove fall. It is the season of layering, of new trends ("September is the January of Fashion", hello?!), of change (oh fall leaves!). I always joke and say I have seasonal affective syndrome, because I'm the kinda person whose mood changes according to the weather. I love fall for its pumpkin pies and apple cider, but more importantly because it's the perfect time to play dress up, to pile on accessories, to put on a little more make up (especially lipstick), and to take on different looks. One of the greatest styles of all time that I often associate with fall is Diane Keaton's Annie Hall look. What screams fall weather better than blazers, tweeds, and wool fedoras? Not only did Keaton play the coolest movie heroine ever, she defined the polished tomboy look and made mannish blazers and high-waisted work pants look gamine. French Vogue's September issue paid homage to Woody Allen's stylish leading lady with a painfully hip spread full of menswear inspired clothes. A call for "the gentlewoman" (as coined by the magazine Fantastic Man) in all of us.

*Wearing a fedora bought in HK, tank top by Target, vintage owl necklace, vintage Banana Republic belt from Petrune, Zara pants, vintage Oxfords from Amarcord Vintage, and a Club Monaco boyfriend cardigan





Magazine images: French Vogue Sept '09 issue via Refinery 29

take it up a knot

Piping hot September issues are rolling out every week, featuring upcoming fall trends and covetable new items. But with the temperature being a muggy 90 degrees every day this week, my body's been struggling to keep that tank top on, and not quite registered to the thought of being covered in long sleeves and leather and all. Plus weather aspect aside, budget's gonna be my other concern for fall shopping. So in an attempt to be cheap and chic this fall, I'm going to play "shopping in my own closet" for the next few weeks.

Today, I took my beige polka dot strappy dress that I bought from Japan years ago (those days when I hadn't realized polyester summer dresses equal heat trap), and decided to give it a little twist, literally. Simply feeling bored of its plain A-lined silhouette, I belted it up to give it some volume and twisted a little knot on one side for an asymmetrical hem and a slight ruching effect. The end result restored my fading love for this dress and coincided with a mini fall trend - single leg exposure (versus the mega trend of one shoulder exposure), as seen here on the runways of Balenciaga and Vivienne Westwood. One more plus side: I can already start wearing it in this Indian summer weather.

Runway images via style.com