Potato, Poh-tah-toh: Mesh Bootie Makeout Sesh

 (Left) B Brian Atwood Michelet Mesh Bootie here, (Right) BCBGMAXAZRIA Gamma Bootie here

And then there's these guys...

(Left) Nicholas Kirkwood Metallic Leather Slingback Ankle Boot here, (Right) Forever 21 Mesh Paneled Peep Toe Bootie here

Very lately, my shoe cravings have been of the shootie persuasion (i.e. shoe-booties), and for warmer weather styles, designers look to lighten up the heavier, more enveloping and protective winter styles of close-toed, strapped-in, all-weather-wear boot badassery. This Spring, that means mesh paneling and cut-outs in the form of peep toes and slingbacks. But that doesn't mean that any of the drama of the winter styles has been lost.

To the contrary, that first set of booties up top packs quite the kick-ass punch, and while the bcbg booties aren't a total steal at $275, they still give the $500 price tag of those B Brian Atwoods a run for its money. And while the second set is a bit more delicate in its delivery, the statement is just as fierce (Danielle of WeWoreWhat demonstrates this expertly). Those Nicholas Kirkwoods are supple and cinderella-like, but they're still statement-makers nonetheless, and while they're definitely un-duplicable (make no mistake about it), the cheapies from Forever 21 actually do a pretty great job of capturing some of those key elements at a much, MUCH lower price range. Long story short: I want all of these.

Potato, Poh-tah-toh

Manolo Blahnik BB Fabric Watercolor Pump here, Charles by Charles David 'Pact' Pump here

Spring has sprung! (Well, at least for the Fashion World it has. In fact, the Fall 2013 shows officially start this weeeeeeeeek, so basically the year is already almost over...) And if there's one thing that Spring has always meant, since the beginning of time, it's flowers—or rather, florals.

The latest iteration of this much-loved perennial Spring trend is the digital watercolor print. Pixelated floral patterns were popping up all over the runway last Fall for the debut of the Spring lines, and lucky for us, now they're popping up in all of our favorite department stores. This pair of Manolos will run you about a month's rent—JUST KIDDING THEY'RE ONLY $650 BEFORE TAX—buuuuuut Charles David has our (my) back with this equally awesome pair for about 100 bucks. SOLD. (Literally, sold. I bought these last week.)

For more eye-peeling watercolor floral gorgeousness, munch on the complete lookbook for the Calla Spring '13 Ready-to-Wear Collection. BE INSPIRED.

Gridlock

Blouse (J.Crew, similar here), Trousers (Zara), Shoes (Zara on major sale, similar here), Belt (J.Crew, similar here) Necklace (Dogeared)

Thanks largely in part to the Marc Jacobs S/S '13 show, the crispy Spring trend of monochromatic stripes, grid patterns, geometric pattern play, and black and white color blocking that has all of us swooning is providing endless amounts of outfit inspiration. 

Lately I've been obsessing over checkerboard prints and black and white everything. The trend has been cropping up everywhere over the last few months (LIKE MY CLOSET), from Zara to Tibi to Proenza Schouler, and I can barely contain my hair-pulling-out euphoria. (If there’s one thing I've always had in my closet more than anything else, it’s black and white striped shirts...like, a stupid amount of them.) And aside from my (I'll admit sometimes tiresome) obsession with mixing prints, I love the idea of playing with print proportion—like a larger open grid pattern with a classic houndstooth on a smaller scale. That, and this fuchsia windowpane blouse I scored for next to nothing over the holidays makes my eyes bleed it's so gorgeous.

Photos by the lovely and talented Rose Garrett