5 Favorite Things in Black & White...

Chanel always said that a woman in black and white will always be the most beautiful in the room, a style principle that has stuck with me...

Just curious to see if I could pull off burlesque star Dita Von Teese’s half-moon manicure on my itty-bitty nails...and well, not bad! Super edgy in black and white. I don't typically play with graphics on my nails but I was still able to preserve my chic-ness by styling it with a more sophistacted look.

Picture this: Structured blazer, Xtra tight (stretch) turtle neck, skinny black leather pants, pointy stilettos and printed scarf (like the one in the last pic).

Hats off to Vanessa Mooney - she just made me an Espadrille girl! I walked into Scoop NYC (now on Newbury Street) and spotted these right away. Love at first sight? Sure, why not?! There's so much to love: the geometric design, the exposed stitching around the perimeter, leather soles, and smooth calf hair! And, of course, I love that they're made in black & white!

We all reach a point in our lives when we feel like we've had enough of the faint scents of cheap perfume or body spray and begin to demand a signature scent! This tends to happen after the tender age of 25 (if this epiphany hits you earlier...how mature of you!). My sister has a collection of great perfumes but it never really made me want to spend my own money on just any crazy flashy brand...that was until I got my first wiff of Kilian perfumes! My sister brought home her luxurious travel set and every little second she passed me I wanted her to do it AGAIN!!  Watch Kilian here!!

Kilian perfumes feature 10 unique fragrances made with the rarest and most EXPENSIVE essential oils - yes, I highlighted 'expensive' for a reason ($$). The cool thing about travel size is that it costs a little less and allows you to try all of the 10 scents over time. So, you purchase your travel kit (can be found at Saks or Barneys) with the scent of your choice (sooo hard to choose just one...eek) then once you've finished those bottles you can take it back to the store and for a small fee you can choose the next scent you've been dying to try or stick to what has now become your signature scent! The scents range from feminine and delicate to masculine and woody so there's something for every women! Kilian says, "Perfume is a messenger who opens a thousand doors in the memory", and I couldn't agree more!! 

FUN FACT: Kilian Hennessy is the heir to a long line of cognac-makers that were pioneers in luxury. He is the grandson of the founder of the  Louis Vuitton Moet-Hennessy Group! So cool.

I received this gigantic Fashion Book for christmas from my fashion-saavy, creative, and thoughtful cousin Nelly from NYC (xo). I mean, really, EVERY fashion blogger should have this on hand! It's a fashionista's Bible. It documents 150 Years of Couturiers, Designers, Labels and the pictures are to die for. I have a feeling that once I finish this book, I'll be a fashion GENIUS!

I picked up this lovely scarf at Pinkyotto. It's so simple yet so swanky -in a delicate way. Again, you could put a cat-suit on and look like CAT-girl or throw this on top and look like CAT-WOMEN! MEOW! Okay, so not really but I think you get where I'm going with this one. If not, let me put it in layman's terms: A Black & White scarf can add just the right touch and complete your look. 

Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend! xo

P.S. Don't you love the prints I used in the background? Purchased them at Paper Source. I will be using them as wrapping paper soon! (Gilda a.k.a Best Wrapper Alive)

Photo Cred.: Jesse Weiner