Let's talk about socks.

Earlier this week, while digging through my top drawer to find something suitable to wear with rain boots, I realized I can't remember the last time I wore socks.

To be honest, I've never been much a fan. It's impossible to find a matching pair, they collect dust when you walk around the house and, to add insult to injury, the dryer seems to eat them.

But I can't help but notice lots of cute girls (and boys) around town/on street style blogs/everywhere with colorful socks peeking out from oxfords, heels and flats, giving their cigarette pants or skirts or shorts just the perfect amount of quirk.

So now I'm in the market for socks. I don't really even know where to look, because I never, ever buy them. I honestly don't know when/how my sock drawer filled up.

But, anyway. I'm rambling.

hey girls

Did you watch the 'Girls' pilot on HBO? I must admit, I have always offered myself up readily as a die-hard Sex and the City fan, but this much grittier (and wittier) alternative is already much more satisfying.

Plus, the soundtrack is approximately 10,000x better -- for example, this sweet song.

listen

I have Laura Marling on repeat this weekend. Her wild melancholy is addictive.

100 years of style

Love this (especially the '20s! Where can I find a flapper dress?).

make it work

Last week, I found an adorable little black dress. Chic and classic, with just the right amount of 1960s mod and Audrey Hepburn loveliness.

The label said 'Dry Clean Only,' but come on, I'm a college student -- and, frankly, dry cleaning is not so good for the environment. I'd never had any problems hand-washing my clothes before, so I scrubbed it in the bathroom sink and laid it flat to dry.

When I put it on three days later, it was tiny. Not just a little too short, but way, way too short. I actually had a nightmare last night where I was wearing it, and realized once I had already walked out in public that my underwear was peeking out from beneath the hem.

I called the store and explained what happened, throwing in that I can't afford to dry clean my clothes (not sure that was such a good idea...). I guess they can only take things back if the care instructions have been followed. 

In the words of Tim Gunn, it was time to make it work.

I put on a pair of pants and sparkly shoes, and off I went!

you live your life in it

I came home from work today to find the September J.Crew catalog sitting by the door. In a row across the front cover were the ballerinas you see above, standing in first position, adorned, unexpectedly, in cozy, chunky sweaters.

The arrival of this catalog never fails to bring me joy. It's not that I buy anything, or even dog-ear the pages just in case. It's that, for me, there is nothing that quite compares to leafing through 143 pages of nothing but clothes.

Some people (okay, a lot of people) do not understand this, or find it shallow. In truth, it's hard for me to explain what exactly draws me to fashion in such an immediate way. There are times when I look at a particularly beautiful photograph of a dress, a coat, a pair of shoes, and literally gasp. There are times when I can't fall asleep because I'm putting together outfits in my head. So I thought about it for a while today, and here's what I came up with:

I have always been drawn to all kinds of art, and find it perpetually fascinating and inspiring. I want to surround myself with it, to have it in my home, on my stereo, and, in the case of clothing, on my back. This is because truly great design is something that lasts forever, something that anyone, from anywhere, can appreciate. And unlike other products of art and design, clothes are something that you truly experience your life in. We can't go naked (not here, anyway), so we wake up every morning and adorn ourselves in pieces that, no matter how simple, started as nothing more than an idea. Fashion is the ultimate collision of form and function, fantasy and reality, body and mind.

So why not go out and buy a magazine, or at least page through The Sartorialist for a bit? You'll like it, I promise.

everywhere you look

Tanzania (photo by Dan Westergren)

 I was thrilled to find National Geographic's Global Fashion Photos this morning. I always love being reminded that fashion is more than runway shows and Anna Wintour. Getting dressed is an ancient, global ritual, and one that defines not just yourself, but your entire culture.

India (photo by Jeanie Lewis)

Sudan (photo by J. Carrier)