UPDATE {March 4}: We have a WINNER!  Tara E. has won the Tepper Jackson giveaway!  I’m with you, Tara — I’d love to steal away to a private island in the Bahamas.  Hurray!

First it was honeysuckle, now it’s cobalt.  2011 has been busy with flash-in-the-pan, saturated color obsessions.

{images from here and here}

Not that I’m objecting: it’s lovely to see the panel of fashion commentators buzzing from fashion week event to fashion week event divested of their uniform black garb.  (It does, however, raise an alarming practical question for budget-conscious fashionistas like myself: do we throw caution / rent checks to the wind to keep up with the “flavor of the moment” palette change pattern or watch bemusedly from afar in can’t-go-wrong neutrals?  Obviously, it doesn’t have to be as all-or-nothing as I’m painting it, as we can snap up small/inexpensive add-ons to keep up with trends, but it does make me think twice before snagging that shocking pink shift dress I saw at Zara the other day.)  Still.  All I want to wear at the moment is a moody black and blue get-up.  I’d take a cornflower blue scallop tank (love the demi-cropped shape of this top — I’m so.tired of the babydoll style — $30, TopShop) with a black jacket in an unusual shape,  like this Ann DeMeulemeester topper (this designer is the darling of fashion editors in the know — her designs are a little offbeat, a little vampy — $883, Matches), black skinnies, and some fierce ankle boots (love the entire Joie line — on sale for $277, Endless):

I like it finished with a heavy statement necklace (3.1 Phillip Lim, $275, Net-A-Porter) and a solid gold clutch (this Alexander McQueen style is almost too good to be true…$441, TheOutnet):

Slick and street-ready.  This look is so not usually what I reach for in the mornings (who am I, a Kate Moss wannabe?!), but lately — as noted here — I’ve been feeling a little stir-crazy thanks to the winter weather and have been opting for fierce boots and all-black get-ups.  I’m even winter-wearied enough to start thinking about the shorts-with-tights look, which I’ve seen carried out with impressive aplomb on the likes of Olivia Palermo and Alexa Chung, but have shied away from for fear of looking like I’m trying too hard.  But how could you go wrong with some vintage-style enormastuds ($100, Amrita Singh), a ladylike black blouse ($150, Net-A-Porter), some tailored cobalt blue shorts (Cacharel, $272, Matches), opaque tights, and powerful heels (Balmain, $1,540, Montaigne Market)?

As an aside, I’m something of a categorical opponent to open-toe / peep-toe booties.  They defy logic and, as Donna Karan recently put it, “fashion must live in the real world.”  True.dat.  However, the architecture of this Balmain bootie is just…perfect.  Love the slender heel, the perfect mid-calf height, the ribbon ties, the ruching.  I mean.  I die.  I make an exception for that sort of superior construction.  I’d finish with my recent obsession: a handmade Sammy clutch ($215, Barney’s).

I spotted these in Barney’s yesterday and literally held two in my hand as I prowled the store, as though I were going to buy them, and didn’t want anyone else to see them.  As I mentioned in my effusive {covets} entry from yesterday, the pic just doesn’t do it justice — it’s constituted of the most outrageously supple, buttery leather, and it unzips to expose three separate compartments.  I need one in my life.  Also loving the idea of full-on dress look — something like the chic pea in this snap is wearing:

{image from StyleSightings}

I’m thinking a simple tie-waist shirt dress (Splendid, $105, Net-A-Porter):

Perfect for work.  I’d pair with some serious neckwear (currently obsessing over this Katerina Psoma style — $370, Farfetch), some black tights, and some simple black heels (I’m thinking a suede style, with a touch of platform, like the Jimmy Choo Cosmic, $695, Jimmy Choo — but check out these more reasonably priced Vince Camutos to get the look for much, much, much less):

I’ve been getting back into the little crook-of-the-arm roll bag lately — perhaps aftermath of last season’s ladylike, 50s era stylings — and have had my eye on this Marc Jacobs tote ($990, ShopTwigs):

For a casual daytime get-up, are you not smitten with the idea of a downtown-chic quilted leather jacket (sorry so many of the pieces I’ve featured today are so pricey! — I’ve got my head in the clouds — D&G, $1,345, Net-A-Porter), a Sonia Rykiel blouse (pricey, but oh so lovely — $390, Net-A-Porter), paired with skinnies and these uber-covetable suede Isabel Marant tootsies ($620, Net-A-Porter — or get a similar look for less, $90, TopShop):

I’d top it all off with a slouchy leather hobo (I love the Alexander Wang styles, but this J. Crew “Sawyer” gives the higher end designs a run for their money — or rather, a run for much less money — $298, J. Crew):

Stow all the cash you’ve just saved in an on-point YSL wallet, which could easily double as a clutch:

Meanwhile, for weekend-wear, I like the idea of a striped tee-dress ($72, Basic French) layered over leggings/tights and finished with some classic nude boots ($695, Loeffler Randall) and a statement necklace (Lizzie Fortunato, $420, Charm and Chain):

Finish with a pop-of-blue crossbody ($90, Zara):

Or maybe channel the chic pea in this amazing street fashion shot by Garance Dore (seriously, I die over this snap, and need.those.shades.) –

You need only pair a denim shirt (on sale for $50, Swell) with some skinny black pants, some fab boots (I seriously, seriously need these — $165, TheOutnet), and some statement earrings ($125, Suzanna Dai):

Now, we’d all love that Celine clutch (Taylor Tomasi Hill has been spotted all over the place with hers…although, LBH — this look is a little too…cobalt.  I would have left the shades at home fo sho…)

{image from Garance Dore}

– or the Celine Boston Shopper I’ve been fanatically obsessing over –

But this affordable cross-body ($35, Dorothy Perkins) could get the job done in a pinch (and on a budget):

Other little pops of cobalt to work into your wardrobe?  A statement necklace with lapis stones ($250, Amrita Singh) with some peeptoe pumps ($98, Vince Camuto):

Alternately, pair a splashy clutch ($60, SimplySoles) with some suede platforms ($128, TopShop):

Or a luxe bag (YSL, $1,325, Farfetch) with some classic Hermes flats ($570, Hermes):

Or layer the color beneath your wardrobe with these gorgeous Deborah Marquit unmentionables ($195 for bra, $110 for knickers — Net-A-Porter):

So many options.  I saw a little cotton cobalt-and-chocolate striped clutch the other day at Zara, and contemplated its impulse buy for about 20 minutes.  Like — I stood, posing, in front of various mirrors forever.  In the end, I just couldn’t get over the flimsiness — why couldn’t it have been made of leather?!  Triste.  And finally: dream wardrobe alert.  This asymmetrical Marchesa number would be to.die.for for an evening (an extravagant evening…) out, especially with these stunning KJL cabochon drops ($198, Pret-A-Beaute):

Perfect with a classic Amanda Pearl roll clutch ($998, Amanda Pearl) and a pair of bananas, break-yo-ankle Cha Cha Louboutins ($945, Barney’s — or get the look for less with these similarly styled Badgley Mischkas):

Anyone else feeling…blue?!

DON’T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!  A winner will be announced tomorrow.  I’ve been reading your entries with great interest / wanderlust — and for those of you have not yet entered, here’s the deal: the folks over at TepperJackson have offered to award one lucky magpie one of their flashy luggage tags!  All you need to do is add Tepper Jackson as a friend on Facebook or follow @TepperJackson on Twitter, and then leave a comment on this post (or the Hi-Def post) telling me where you’d like to go on your own little winter escape!