…and fade to black.

APOLOGIES.  This post should have gone live last Tuesday…so it’s a bit out of date.  Forgive the anachronisms!

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I know I should be running a Valentine’s Day post, but I’m feeling black and white, and what the heart wants…it gets (?  Is that how that idiom goes?)  I have to admit that I do love Valentine’s Day — I’ll take any day that involves lobster + champagne for dinner (a February 14th tradition chez Magpie) and an excuse to wear pink.  But, I will be the anti-hero aujourd’hui and instead indulge a preference for high-contrast b+w.  Very Kim Kardashian.  (Or, as my Dad calls her in the way only a man who takes absolutely no interest in pop culture and therefore cannot be bothered to look closely at the spelling of an icon’s name could, “Kim Kuh-day-zee-en.”  Excuse the stream of consciousness — I’m just a regular Holden Caulfield over here, aren’t I?  Start to worry if I begin to overuse the word “phony” — but just saying my Dad’s name reminds me that I’m flying out to Seattle tomorrow to toast my brother and his beautiful bride (now sister in law!  YEEEEE!) and I get to spend the whole weekend with my entire family.  I am a giddy gumdrop.  All four of my sibs + significant others + my parents = glee.  I know I’ve not spoken much about my father on this little bloglet, but it’s with good reason: a) I can hardly write a line about him without tearing up.  He is my absolute hero, the classiest and most intelligent gentleman out there.  And my sisters and I all absolutely idolize him.  You should see us when he stands up for a toast at an event — which will inevitably happen this weekend, I just realized — all four of us start sobbing by the time he makes his way to the front of the room.  He is a man of few words, so when he speaks, words weigh heavily.  He also happens to be incredibly articulate (perhaps the best-read man in the universe) and at the same time, despite the fact that he is an attorney by trade, fought in the Vietnam War, and is short on patience when it comes to things he deems beneath his intelligence, and therefore SHOULD be a tough cookie, he wears his heart on his sleeve and is a huge softie for those he loves. See?  Already making myself misty-eyed.  and b) My father is fiercely private.  It feels antithetical to all he stands for to speak openly about him here.  But — there are so many things to say; so many lessons to share; so many unbelievable examples of his genius and kindness that deserve to be spoken of.   I know I owe at least a full post to him, if for no other reason than that it feels wrong not to speak of one of the most important people in my life.)

And…fade to black.  Excuse that digression, ladies.  You can chalk it up to the fact that I’m SO EXCITED TO GET TO SEATTLE and that I am delaying bedtime as long as possible while snacking on my favorite treats, as tomorrow marks the beginning of Lent, and I gave up snacking between meals.  It’s going to be Brutal.  (Capital B.)  I am pretty much a grazer by nature, so this will involve a reboot of my current nutrition plan.  And by nutrition plan, I mean the lack of any actual plan.

OK, so here goes: first, can I get a “hell yeah” to this Prabal Gurung for Target wonder ($50)?!  YES.  Yes.  Yes.  Perfect with these art-deco Rachel Zoe drops ($250):

Annnnd with these Nicholas Kirkwoods ($825) and this studded clutch (Zara, $90):

And, I love this mod silk-crepe dress (Giuletta, $875) with this eye-catching statement necklace (on sale for only $59!):

Finish with unfussy black heels ($65 — or get the brand-label Tibi version here for $395):

Finish with an unexpected pop of pastel to soften the look (Blair Ritchie, $125):

Now, how about this black-and-white polka dot top ($198) with that black skirt I’ve featured a mil times (MSGM, $189)?  Stellar with these cluster studs (Bounkit, $330) and a quatrefoil necklace (Asha, $395):

Finish with these architectural tootsies (Alejandro Ingelmo, $1,295 — or get the look for less with these Prabal Gurung for Target wonders for $39):

Don’t shy from mixing prints — go ahead and top it off with a snakeskin clutch (Phillip Lim, $395):

And what do we think about this blousey top (Raoul, $328) with some striped shorts (Raoul, $295) and some flower studs ($195)?!  Kinda loving.

Kind of love mixing it up with these laser-cut Alaia heels (be still my heart — $1,000):

Dreamy!!!