Monthly Archives: September 2012

Fall 2012 Style Direction: School’s Out Forever!

Fall 2012 Style Direction

Over the weekend, I visited Reed College. Here in Portland, it’s almost time for the college kids to head back to school and if I was making the pilgrimage, this would be my official back-to-school look. After spending more than six years in college (two very different degrees add up!), I swore I would never go back — but I can still get into the schoolgirl mindset…and a little Fall shopping.

Fall 2012 Style Direction

Every year, I yell from the mountaintops, “Boho begone!” And finally, this year is my year. Luckily for me (but unluckily for my wallet), all of my favorite things including tartans, red crosses, oversized tassels, menswear-inspired staples, flatforms (more comfy than my old standby, wedges), spikes and boldly patterned knits are filling the stores.

Fall 2012 Style Direction

For Spring, I proclaimed my style direction to be Ladylike Urban Warrior and it pretty much held true — I wore a lot more fashion-forward dresses and even some abstract florals (I’m usually more of a stripes girl). This season though, I’m feeling very much like School’s Out Forever! I graduated but just can’t kick the look — I want all the prep classics but with a coy twist. I want my plaids to have a peplum (above), my flats to have jumbo tassels, my classic patterns to be way oversized and my nails to be as blinding as possible. It’s basically the way my high school self in 1996 imagined my adult self dressing (I actually had the Hard Candy version of that bright yellow NARS polish below back then!)

Fall 2012 Style Direction

I Wore:

1. Tartan Peplum Top, ASOS. 2. BDG High-Rise Jeans, Urban Outfitters. 3. Booties, Proenza Schouler (circa 2009). 4. Bag, Jaeger (circa 2011). 5. Watch, Vintage. 6. Lipstick, MAC Vegas Volt.

Fall 2012 Style Direction

My dream Fall wardrobe would definitely include the following:

1. Vogue Hellas September 2012, 2. Acne Laurie Bag, 3. NARS polish in Amchoor, 4. Acne Azalea Loafers, 5. Topshop Herringbone Cube Coat, 6. Tom Ford Peccary Natalia Bag, 7. Marni Cap-Toe Flatform and 8. Topshop Handknit Cross Jumper.

Readers: What’s your style direction for Fall?

The Week In Pictures: 9.7.12

The Week in Pictures

Welcome to The Week In Pictures! We had a holiday weekend here in the U.S. and I took full advantage of it. I managed to have a drink with my Grandma at Edgefield, spend a day criss-crossing town with my brother (stopping at boutiques and food carts along the way), peek my head inside The Ace, dig out a bunch of my all-time favorite magazines (I have a few hundred stored away in my office closet), take a relaxing walk across the Reed College campus and catch up on emails (always a huge relief).

The Week in Pictures

I don’t know why I’ve never spent much time on the Reed College campus because it’s so pretty and totally reminds me of grand East Coast colleges. We took Rocky there over the weekend (he’s getting pretty spoiled by these destination walks!) and I’m hoping to head back again ASAP.

The Week in Pictures

I was inspired to clean my office and dig around my own magazine collection this week and I found this i-D issue featuring Jessica Stam which has long been one of my favorite covers. I wish this was a poster!

The Week in Pictures

I was feeling restless on Saturday and wanting to enjoy the last bit of Summer so my brother and I headed out to explore some of our favorite boutiques. Our first stop was into his friend Bernadette Breau’s shop which is an antique and interior design mecca. Chandeliers, taxidermy and tons of amazing furniture cover every square inch and we always have fun digging around. I love this red chair – if only I had a spot for it!

The Week in Pictures

Next, we headed downtown to Rich’s Cigar Store which is the best place in town to buy magazines. It’s interesting too because for as many magazines as I read, I am always discovering something completely new. Like this bizarre yet stunning cover!

The Week in Pictures

And, it’s always a good mail day when my clients send me stuff. Luke Copping is always exploring ways to get his branding out there and sent me these patches he just had made. It’s been quite a few years now since I did his identity but I still love it just as much.

Have a great weekend and try to make time to explore your own city. It’s amazing what you can find lurking around — inspiration is everywhere, we just have to look for it. And for even more behind the scenes sneak peeks, join me on Instagram (username: nubbytwiglet).

Link Love: 9.6.12

link love

link love


Josh Olins for i-D Magazine

• What do you do when your dream job becomes a nightmare?

• Learn how to create your own homemade photo filters to use with your DSLR camera!

• Have you seen the Andy Warhol-inspired Campbell’s Soup cans that were just released? They’re available exclusively at Target.

• Chanel’s new Bollywood-inspired collection is pretty amazing.

• Learn how to pack like a pro from stylist Catherine Sheppard.

• I was intrigued to read that designer and lifestyle blogger Joy of Oh Joy! has cut contributor’s columns in an effort to post exclusively in her own voice. Most of my favorite blogs have a strong personal voice coupled with unique content so I’m excited to see this new chapter unfold!

• The NY Times shares the history of New York in 50 objects.

• I’m digging the new Tattly packaging big time.

• The Atlantic has gathered 40 awesome photos from this year’s Burning Man.

link love

• Lady Gaga is schooling us in nail art in this month’s V and in true Gaga style, the more extreme the better!

• I couldn’t stop laughing at this list of The New Problem Areas. Case in point: “Already peplum-shaped hips.” And perhaps even better, “Hand instinctively clawed into perfect taco-holding shape. Possibly psychosomatic.”

• The coolest bookstore I’ve ever seen is located inside a cathedral in the Netherlands!

• It’s never too late or too early to be whoever you want to be.

The Blogcademy: Business Cards and Stickers

The Blogcademy Collateral

Over at The Blogcademy, we’ve been hard at work designing all our business collateral. First came the rubber stamps and next, business cards and stickers. And in an ongoing effort to help you outfit your own business in style, we’re sharing our sources!

The Blogcademy Collateral

I wanted the cards to be premium in both look and feel but also budget-friendly and that’s where Moo came in. I hadn’t ever paid the site much attention but last month, one of my clients requested that I set her business cards up with their specs and after digging around, I really liked what I saw. A lot has changed over at Moo; it’s not just mini cards these days!

The Blogcademy Collateral

Have you seen the latest addition to their offerings, the Luxe Business Cards? Featuring Mohawk Superfine paper merged with a rich seam of color (we chose black for these), the quality is really awesome. The matte finish has a noticeably tactile texture and the saturation of the inks is top notch.

The Blogcademy Collateral

We couldn’t decide on a back for our cards so I made two. The more the merrier! What I appreciate about Moo is that they realize not everyone is a designer and came up with 70 pre-made design templates for the Luxe that are geared towards a number of industries.

The Blogcademy Collateral

Of course, when it comes to branding our business, we couldn’t stop at just business cards. Moo also offers stickers in a number of formats and my favorite part is that you can upload multiple designs to be printed in the same pack! How cool is that? We have plans to use these to seal official correspondence.

We have more Blogcademy projects in the works I’ll be sharing in upcoming posts. Thanks for following along with us on this exciting new journey!

P.S. I wanted to mention that I wasn’t contacted or compensated by Moo in any way. I’m just really happy with the outcome of the products I ordered.

What I Wore: The Rose Garden

Nubby Twiglet What I Wore Rose Garden

I don’t have a chance to dress up very often these days but when I do, I’ve been trying some new things. My style goal this year was to push myself out of my usual comfort zone and this dress, with a mixture of colors (and even flowers!) does just that. I love it though. For daytime, I usually wear a black cardigan over the top but had to show off the standout element on this occasion – a super strappy back made of elastic bands. When we were walking through the rose gardens near the Washington Park Zoo and spotted this oasis brimming with tropical foliage, it was a little too perfect.

Nubby Twiglet What I Wore Rose Garden

I Wore: 1. ASOS Strappy Dress, 2. Acne Alice Heels 3. H&M Gold Headband.

Nubby Twiglet What I Wore Rose Garden

To my American readers, I hope you’re having a great holiday weekend. This morning, I got a surprise call from one of my best friends and then took Rocky out on a walk through the Reed College campus. Pretty good start to the day!