In London, winter is fast approaching, and to be truly honest it’s not very motivating : it’s getting very cold (antartica-and-penguins-kind-of-cold) and the sun disappears around 4.30pm. BUT  I have an unbeatable plan to keep my spirits up : drown myself into retro/vintage fashion. The theme : (it’s) only black and white (but I like it). Here is an idea of what we’re looking for :

1.Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (in French: Qui êtes vous, Polly Maggoo?) is a 1966 film directed by William Klein, about the fashion world. Very funny, and eye-popping. Sadly, there is no american release of this dvd, but you can still find great posters on amazon. Great visual inspiration !
2. Spat-like Boots : much more classy than Uncle Scrooge, don’t you think ? Plus, tall boots = warm. WARM, yes ! Beat that, UK winter !
3. Camera necklace : accessories make the difference. And sometimes I’m too lazy to take my real camera out, so this is a nice alternative.
4. Duotone tights : For schizophrenic  girls, show off your legs !
5. Retro 60s dress : Arrows + Black & White = Swinging London Heaven. Wearing this is like being in a black and white picture taken in Carnaby Street in 1967. Except it’s now, and I’m just not very tanned. Bonus : wear with extra long fake lashes and lots and lots of eyeliner. Just don’t go see a sad movie, because this could end up in a scary “fake-lashes-mustache-and-panda-bear-eyes” fiasco
6. Esoteri Louboutin boots : Ok, this is just a dream, and a 700$ reality, but I can’t help it, these shoes are SO CUTE.
7. Leather Avengers boots : I know, another pair of shoes. How many feet do I have ? Just the average two, but, honestly, how can you resist such a graphic pair of boots ? (This is a winning argument for me, anything with a “graphic” edge is absolutely essential. Even a “graphic toothpick” would work on me)
8. White blazer jacket : This reminds me of the old TV serie “The Prisoner” starring co-creator Patrick McGoohan, who spend the entire serie with a drop-dead gorgeous black jacket with white hemlines. Except this jacket is mainly white, so it gets dirty quicker BUT adds a little je-ne-sais-quoi.

Voilà ! To be honest I don’t own everything on this list, but Christmas is coming in a couple of month, and I’m preparing my wish-list in advance. Just a quick advice to finish : don’t overdo it. Personnaly, I draw the line at black lipstick (Unless it’s Halloween, of course).

As it turns out, Tricia & I know a boy who works at ModCloth, one of the most fabulous online clothing retailers in existence (TRUE). As far as I have been informed, Tricia & he served coffee and vegan brownies at the most delightful & artsy coffee shop on campus, while he & I shared stories in literary magazines and writing classes.

In conclusion, these anecdotes prove that Mod Cloth is a haven for we creative-types, thus, since we have spent this entire weekend turning all of the clocks in our entire house forward one hour (spring forward!), indicating the coming of spring, we three bloggers of S&D have chosen a total of 10 favorite spring items from Mod Cloth to get you ready for your sunny debut.

Maria’s Picks

1. Alright, so I’m an idiot and the Lo and Boho Pashmina in all of its turquoise glory and featured in my delightful collage above is SOLD OUT! But my reasoning behind its selection stays true for my second-favorite neck-thing (A Study in Scarlet Scarf, $27): They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb (for those of you not in the northeast, “lion” = “two feet of snow”). This will keep your neck warm during the spring in-between-season, but its bright colors (yay) still say SPRING pretty loud-and-clear.

2. The Classic Wayfarers ($10) Great for sliding across the floor in your socks and underwear (cough, cough, Tom Cruise). Or blocking the sun. Also, 90% cheaper than the Ray-Ban-originals.

3. Plaid Poise Dress ($65) Get ready to serve ice tea to your lawn-cutting husband, because you are now clothed in a dress cut for a prim-and-proper 50s housewife.

4. Rose Colored Tights ($30) I’m pretty sure these tights will inspire roses to grow. They are much better than the fruit ones I own (which are covered in grapes, oranges, bananas, etc without a single space for solid colors, so much so that three times while wearing them I’ve been asked a question about the “tattoos” on my legs leading me to believe that I should put them in Disney vault, so to speak — anyway, I don’t think these tights will recreate any Fruit Tattoo-esque Incidents).

Tricia’s Picks

5. Wuthering Heights Jacket ($48) This is perfect for spring-time ambulations in the park, and features the most glorious ribbon pin that I have ever seen.

6. Cycle Knee Socks ($12) Due to a decrease in sidewalk obstacles (good bye random ice chunks), spring is a good time to ride a bike!  One must only heed potholes!  (and sometimes small children…unless the children are ugly…then, i guess, concentrate on the potholes.)

7. Whistle Stop Boots ($170) These boots are good for the current transition period between winter and spring.  I really admire how the leather on these boots are cut to resemble a radiator grid!  Jeffrey Campbell always has interesting designs, and his shoes are extremely well-made and comfortable.

8. Nantucket Weekender Dress ($95) Ideal for adventures to Long Island’s North Shore, or in my case, to Lake Geneva.

Lorraine’s Picks


9. Everlasting Love Dress in Sky ($40) Just add fairy wings.

10. Ship Shape Tote (On Sale for $19) I’ve been eyeing this tote for a while now: wouldn’t it be great to take on a lazy day to the park? (Or a viking adventure?!)

I’ve been excited about TOMS Shoes since I learned about them from Tricia. They’re cute, rumor has it they’re comfy, and they are pretty unique — ie you aren’t going to find them at JC Penny. They’ve been featured in Vogue and Elle, and on the likes of Scarlet Johansen and Toby Maquire. So, obviously they’re hip. (And I personally think they’re going to take-off like-whoa, but maybe that’s because I just finished reading The Tipping Point this week, and think every other hip-side-line fashion accessory is going to turn into an epidemic. Obviously you should not hire me for business advice.)

But they’re extra-special because of their “One for One” concept — for every shoe you buy, they donate a pair to a child in need. So far, they have given 10,000 to kids in Argentina, and 50,000 to kids in Africa. Most of the shoes are shaped liked these, but they come in all different colors and designs and levels of sparklyness (some have sparkle!).

And, although I love the original TOMS Shoes (which run from about $50-70, always have free shipping, and always donate a pair to a child in need) I am even more excited about their new Wrap Boot (in the Women’s section on the web-page, these are $98 and come with all the same benefits), which is one reason why I thought Stickers & Donuts should partner with them (hence the occasional sidebar ad and this post!).

Although TOMS seems to make the selling point that they’re Vegan (yum, vegan shoes!), I think the selling point is the WRAP (something I didn’t understand the first seven times I saw them!!!). You don’t pull these boots on, you WRAP them on like an ACE bandage (they were inspired by horse leg wraps, which is apparently a Argentinean polo thing). (My only concern: do you think they still look good on someone who has a bit… heftier calf than those models?).

They remind me a little of American Apparel’s dresses that can turn into a ton of different outfits. You can wrap these high or low, thick or thin, right over your calves or over your skinny jeans or over your tights. Though they do come in the regular colors (light brown, dark brown, black) they also come in Olive Green and Bright Red. They’re flexible (no kidding!), creative, and original. So, pretty much just my style.