Flashes in the Pan.

I’ve had fun showcasing some of the micro-trends I’ve been tracking lately (also, this; if you follow me on Instastory, you know I wore this exact style yesterday + kinda loved it) — do you like these features?  (She asked, blindly, out into the ether. << Please tell me your thoughts!  I love your reactions, especially to posts like this one.  It seems I have a little tribe of private pollies just like me reading this bloglet!  Are y’all also sometime-rule-followers like me?)  I used to dress with a greater emphasis on tradition (think pearls and shirtdresses), but the last few years, I’ve evolved to embrace a lot of trendier looks, too.  I’ve become more confident and risk-tolerant in all aspects of my life, I suppose.

At any rate, a few trendy items on le radar maintenant:

Trend No. 1: The Perfect White Tee

In my quest for the perfect white tee, I apparently totally missed the boat on the t-shirt du jour: Hanes x Karla’s crewneck.  Designed by celebrity stylist Karla Welsh in a capsule collection of t-shirts that include a style inspired by none other than Justin Bieber, and modeled by the stunning Kaia Gerber (Cindy Crawford’s daughter!), this tee-shirt boasts more than just celebrity provenance: “I wanted a shirt that I saw on all the heroines in movies from Grace Kelly to Winona Ryder. Tight neck, fitted through body, and a sleeve that’s just right.”  Um, yes pls.

Trend No. 2: The Golden Goose Sneaks

Sorry/not sorry if I’ve beaten you over the head with this one, but I loved this featurette on the versatile coolness of my Golden Goose sneakers (<<this is the exact pair I own, and I like them because they aren’t quite as distressed as some of the other models), and especially the top snap below, where they’re featured with this epic The Row satin clutch.  The juxtaposition of high-end silk refinement with urban distressing = molto bene.

I have gotten a TON of emails and DMs asking whether these shoes are “worth it.”  My truthful response is if you’re living a life parallel to my own, they are — but it all depends on lifestyle and life stage.  Five years ago, I would have said that a pair of Manolo Blahnik BBs  (that pink tho…!) were “worth it” because I was dressing up for work, attending work functions, and delivering presentations, and heels were not only appropriate but often the center-point of an otherwise conservative look.  A year ago, I would have said that a pair of mules were “worth it” because I was massively pregnant and couldn’t be bothered with laces or bending over, period.  Nowadays, when I work from home/coffee shops or chase and stroll my daughter around Manhattan, chic sneakers are LE TICKET.  They make feel cooler and more put-together than I would wearing any other “athletic” shoe, but they’re more practical than a flat.  I wear them constantly, and intend to continue to do so with my spring wardrobe.  I have a hunch I’ll like them just as much with the jeans and sweaters I’m wearing now (I like wearing this pearl-studded sweater with my GGs because of the juxtaposition; uptown on the top, downtown at the feet!) as I will with throw-n-go tunics and striped t-shirt dresses (<<I need this, like, yesterday) in the early days of spring.  (I also was BIG into joveralls last season…and may need to add this pair to the collezione, to be sported with my GGs.)

Also — you can find select colors/sizes on sale here, here, and here (<<a good girlfriend of mine just bought these!).

And — if GGs are out of budget, consider a pair of Vejas; they have a similar “street cred” vibe going.

Trend No. 3: Hoops?!

I almost can’t write this section with a straight face because:

“If only you knew how mean she really is?  You know that I’m not allowed to wear hoop earrings, right?  Two years ago she told me hoops earrings were her thing and I wasn’t allowed to wear them anymore. And then for Hanukkah, my parents got me this pair of really expensive white gold hoops and I had to pretend like I didn’t even like them and…it was so sad.”

—Mean Girls, eternal source of wonderful quotes reflecting the inanity of teendom

But surrrriously: the 90s have been back in a big way, and you don’t think we’d enjoy this throwback without HOOPS, right?

My top picks are these pearl ones, these lucite ones, these glitzy ones, and these simple gold ones.

Floral earrings are also maj this season — cue Rebecca de Ravenel’s enormous floral studs, which have been everywhere!  Get the look for less with these or these.

Or, combine the hoop and floral trends with these (<<budget buy!), these (reasonably priced), or these (<<splurge OMG OMG).

Trend No. 4: White Leather Footwear

I remember scrunching up my nose at the white boot trend from last season — I’m too practical after multiple years of Chicago winters.  White boots in a foot of snow or a few inches of sludge?  No and no.  However, now that I’m in a slightly more temperate climate with longer seasons, I am more into it — but less in the boot category and more in the loafer section.  See below from NYFW just a few weeks ago:

LOVE.  I snagged this affordable J. Crew pair and intend to wear with light-wash denim, although I weighed the pros and cons of splurging on a pair of white Tod’s instead (<<I love my orange pebbled leather Tod’s!).  These look SUPER similar to the Tod’s, but at a fraction of the price — but at the end of the day, I liked the slightly masculine feel of the J. Crew puppies.  I also love these fashion-forward modestly heeled beauties and these timeless Guccis.

Trend No. 5: The Staud Bag.

I’ve featured this brand in the past, but I feel like Staud is having a MAJ moment this season.  A lot of fashionistas are flocking to this macrame and leather bag, but it’s just not my steez.  I prefer the simple, clean lines of their Bissett bucket bag ($350), shown during NYFW below.  It’s like the new Simon Miller bag (from last season).

Personally, though, I’m going to have a very hard time convincing myself not to buy a Muun bag if I buy another bucket bag in the near future — I’m obsessed with this style and this style.  But, let’s be clear: I need another straw bucket bag like I need a hole in my head; Amanda Lindroth generously sent me one of these bags last year and I wore it constantly!

P.S. This cashmere hoodie is marked way down in select colors.  I like the idea of layering it under a denim jacket.

P.P.S.  Thanks for all of your sweet reactions to my misty-eyed recollection on meeting Mr. Magpie.  If you liked that, you might also like my post on our wedding or that time I almost lost my wedding band and engagement ring…!