“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. May your coming year be a wonderful thing in which you dream both dangerously and outrageously. I hope it’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, and that you will be loved and you will be liked and you will have people to love and to like in return. And most importantly, because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now – I hope that you will, when you need to be, be wise and that you will always be kind. And I hope that somewhere in the next year you surprise yourself”. – Neil Gaiman

Hey lovelies,

Sometimes you just need to slow down.

It’s nice to be able to take a day for yourself and find a moment to rejuvenate your spirit. After a long weekend, I welcomed the fat raindrops that splattered against my windowpane and the allure of staying in during a rainy day. I felt relaxed, spiritually centered and safe. I swear if I had a fireplace to curl up in front of, I would. Honestly, I’ve pretty much done nothing more than drink lots of  honey vanilla camomile tea, fiddle around on the guitar composing super simple melodies, listen to music and flip through magazines collecting visual inspiration. Here’s to more rainy days!

The following image is the truth. I firmly believe that in order to be truly happy you have to do what you love, you have to be authentic to yourself. Life is short and you have to relish in each moment. I’m not telling you to print this out and post it in a prominent place in your house – but it couldn’t hurt, right?

Well, lovelies it’s time for another GIF Party. For those of you that don’t know, it’s where moving images come together in one post to… party like rock stars.

This GIF Party is dedicated to the end of summer. You may or may not have noticed that I was absent around these here stylealchemy parts for the majority of summer. I would love to say it was because I was island hopping to Ibiza and what not but really I was drained of inspiration. Most people love the summer and usually I do too but this one goes down in the history books under womp womp.

For some reason, I just couldn’t muster up the energy to write.

So, I took a step back to re-evaluate the situation.

No, silly not that Situation!! Though I did manage to sneak in a few episodes of  MTV’s The Jersey Shore – it’s more than a little ridonkulous don’t you think?

I hate to admit it but my love affair with the fashion world started to wane a little. More specifically, the thought of endless consumption. Trying to find a way to always keep up with styles and trends. After awhile, I started to react like Tim Gunn here at the mere thought of putting together a post on fashion trends.

Oh the inhumanity!!! I mean really, I just couldn’t muster up the energy to talk about clogs being a must have when I could never walk in clogs without feeling like a horse shuffling down the sidewalk. They never stay in place and with the enormous heels I quickly became a 6′ 2″ giraffe whose shoes wouldn’t stay put. Not a good look.

Andre Leon Talley would not have approved of that spectacle.

At the end of the day, this break was much needed because now I’m back with a myriad of ideas and more enthusiasm than I’ve had in a long time. To all my lovely readers out there in the interwebs thanks for the support and the readership, it is much appreciated. Eric from True Blood also thanks you from the bottom of his cold, immortal heart.

So, while some of you are cringing at the thought of the end of summer, I on the other hand, am super duper ecstatic. I will be welcoming in Fall with a little bit of dancing this weekend like Lady Gaga and you should too!

Ahh, sometimes you can’t fight it. You see something that doesn’t seem like it should work but you love it anyway.

If you looked at all the elements of this cape individually they make no sense but together… together it becomes super CAPE.

Photo Source: Vogue Nippon October 2010

Never in a million years, would I have thought that fur tails would look this hot. This is not something that I’m drawn to in real life. I’ve seen people rock the raccoon tail and sometimes it works but most of the time – correction – 98.5% of the time it fails miserably.

In fact, I’m usually really skeeved out by fur with the head, legs and/or tail still attached.

So, in what world could I have imagined that multiple fur pellets with dyed red tips would cause me to fall into fashion lust? Not this one.

It’s hard to tell whether the cape is black or blue but I’m leaning towards a midnight navy hue, which makes me like it even more.

Let’s not even get started on the popped collar with the huge jeweled necklace on display. Or the exquisite earrings. All together, I have to admit it is ridiculously over the top- but – I love it. lots.

This is a cape you wear when you want the world to know that you are boss. That you are a bad. ass. chick. who could care less what others think of her.

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Every woman needs a bag of tricks, tools that you use when you need a little pick-me-up. I found that having a great shade of power lipstick works wonders.

Is it just me or is they something incredibly powerful about putting on lipstick? I’m not talking about lipgloss or shine but full on color-intensified, creamy lipstick.

For most women, we tend to wear lipstick when we are getting seriously dolled up, usually reserving it for special occasions. I remember watching my mother applying her lipstick to go out during the day, just to you know go to the grocery store. I used to feel a little intimated by wearing bright lipstick while the sun was out in full force, mostly because I didn’t feel like I had the time or the energy to continuously touch it up.

Lately, I’ve found that when I haven’t been in the best of moods that I’ll pull out my favorite tube of lipstick and the application instantly makes me feel sexier and powerful. Without a doubt, every single time, I always end up in a better mood. It’s as if I turned my sexy dial up from girlish to full on woman. A sex kitten in motion. In fact, I feel like whistling all day.

What are your thoughts on lipstick? Do you wear it? If yes, do you wear it everyday or save it for special occasions?

I was blown away by the talent of the designers showcased, i.e. Gabby Applegate, who is completely self-taught but you wouldn’t be able to tell by some of the designs. I think I need the backstabber coat in my closet like now. Leather and mohair jackets – yes please!

Moving on, I once again loved Le Sang des Betes’ latest collection which was both architectural and romantic. This dress was my favorite with a 1930′s feel to it.

The real gem of the afternoon was discovering Funktional! How could I have not known about a completely affordable line (most items are under $100) with designs that I would actually wear? I don’t know but now that I do know, I’m trying to track down places where I can buy some of the items that I saw.

I’m dreaming of this dress. These pictures DO NOT do it justice. It is the most perfect dress ever. This little lightweight floral number has the best cutout back.

Leather and lace jacket from Gabby Applegate.

Loving these tops from The Battalion!

Up close and personal look at Rich & Skinny Jeans.

Once again, thanks to the whole Dietch PR crew including, Roberta, Allison and David for giving us access to these great designers.

♥ the alchemist

To welcome in this glorious season, I am leaving you with a Spring Mix Playlist for you to entertain your ears with.

A little Kate Bush, Steely Dan (blame my Dad for my love of the song Peg), Dirty Projectors and Solange to get your foot tapping.

I will probably be listening to this, sprawled out in the green, green meadow at the park, sipping on raspberry lemonade.

Source

Word…

♥ the alchemist

Sometimes all you need to know is that someone will catch you if you decide to take that leap. I truly believe that you can’t feel fulfilled in life if you are unhappy with how you occupy your time. What gets you going in the morning? Think about the things that excite you. Start thinking about feasible ways to make a living from it.

Don’t think that it can’t be done. Everywhere there are real life examples of people who have made it work for them. Define your own personal level of success and then figure out how to bring more joy to your life.

Go for it. Do what feels right. It always works out in the end. Don’t sleepwalk through life. I try to live by these ideas.

Some background information on this photo: Shot in 1937 for a Dutch Magazine on the Seaside Life.  More historic photos can be found here.

♥ the alchemist