Tight End

No, this post has nothing to do with this upcoming weekend’s Super Bowl.  Or football more generally.  {Although I did recently learn about / ogle at Cam Newton — one interesting reason to watch the sport.  Um, eye candy.}  The Magpie Men in my life know that I have a deep-rooted aversion to “the pigskin” — perhaps because it eats up so much of Mr. Magpie’s life when “Fantasy Football” is in season; perhaps because I get frustrated when the clock says that there are only 5 minutes left, but that 5 minutes magically turns into 2 hours.  So.slow.  At any rate, this postie is a far cry from the football stadium.  It’s an ode to my new best friend this season: tights.  Legwear.  Hosiery.  I would not have survived this brutal winter weather without you.  You lengthen and slim the leg, you go with everything, and you are so low-maintenance.  I love you.

Lately, I’ve been pairing lots of dresses with tights and sky-high heels.  I go weak in the knees at the thought of pairing this dusty-rose crepe dress (ALC, $675, MyTheresa) with black tights and black, platformed suede pumps (Jimmy Choo, $595, Net-A-Porter):

The look is very Chanel, and I dig it.  I’d add only some jet black enorma-studs (Yochi, $36, Max and Chloe) and an oversized clutch (love the lock detail — $195, Alexis Hudson):

Love.  At work, I’ve been playing around with shorter hemlines (don’t worry, nothing inappropriate — but I like skirts cut a few inches above the knee paired with black tights — anything below looks old school marmish).  I’m loving the idea of this vintage-style white blouse (very Yves St. Laurent — Clemens en August, $112, TheOutnet) with a tweed mini (Tibi, $133, TheOutnet), black tights, and some fierce footwear (these Giuseppe Zanottis are sick — $636, Bluefly):

Normally, I’d pair the above look with either some flats or some classic black patent pumps, but I love the silhouette of a long, lean leg ending in some heavy footwear.  And I’m dying over the mid-calf boot these days.  I might add this eye-catching 3.1 Phillip Lim necklace (love the tribal vibe — $275, Net-A-Porter) and some classic gold studs (on sale for $40, Rachel Leigh):

A chain-handled bag completes the look — vintage Chanel would be ideal (ha. — $2,766, Farfetch), but this $236 Kate Spade version has also caught my attention:

P.S. The above look should most definitely be sported with a BRIGHT, cherry red wool coat (J. Crew has lots of great styles in “torch orange” — a geranium reddish-orange hue — that are on sale currently):

I’ve also been into test-driving bolder prints at work, especially in the form of silky little skirts (the firework print version below is on sale for $79, Madewell) paired with black tights and simple black crewneck sweaters ($145, J. Crew):

I’d finish this look with some glittery earrings (the organic shape echoes the firework print on the skirt — Erickson Beamon, $480, Net-A-Porter):

And then add some uber-high black heels ($160, Nine West) and, ideally, a black Celine tote (a girl can dream…)”

I also like the silhouette of a starched, white bow-front blouse (Vivienne Westwood, $385, Matches) tucked into a printed, stiff-material skirt ($349, Tommy Hilfiger) and cinched with a vintage-looking feather-accented belt ($33, Diamonds and Pearls):

And then finished with black tights and sky-highs ($595, Net-A-Porter):

I’d add some glam earrings ($84, Janna Conner) and a slouchy black tote (Deux Lux, $150, Moxsie):

A couple of side notes about this look:

a) Obsessed with the bow-front blouse after checking out Jason Wu’s S/S ’11 collection.  O to the MG.

{image from vogue.com}

And P.S.: Olivia Palermo’s been spotted in the bow-front blouse style, and absolutely killed in it.

b)  I kind of stole this silhouette from Kourtney Kardashian, Magpie Maven extraordinaire.  Say what you will about the Kardashian clan — I love tuning into their shows {serious guilty pleasure}, and find Kourtney particularly trend-forward.

c)  Like the above Louboutins?!  Don’t forget to enter to win a giveaway for these PRECIOUS, personalized notecards by the talented stationery line, PrettyPrinting:

Just click on over to check out Pretty Printing’s website and then leave a comment on this blog post, on my Facebook page, or via Twitter {including my name, @AFashionMagpie}, telling me where you would wear your own pair of red-soled tootsies.  A winner will be picked tomorrow!