I Love Love Mert's Wooden Crystal Necklace & Faceted Rings

Need I even explain why I love Love Mert's painted wooden "crystal" necklace and faceted wood rings? They're handmade in Lake Tahoe, California using wood from designer Melissa Michelsen's dad's workshop. They're the perfect way to do folksy art teacher without looking like Ms Lippie from "Billy Madison." (Not that I wasted a cumulative 144 hours or so of my life that I'll never get back watching that movie during college or anything.)

Below are a few snaps of my favorite pieces Love Mert's doing for fall. The crystal necklaces start at $32 each and are available this summer on Endless.com. And the Trae rings are $36. No, that's not a typo.

 

A TWO-HEADED CAT NECKLACE EXISTS! STOP THE WHOLE WORLD!

Hurry up and STOP EVERYTHING and know that a two-headed cat necklace exists.

$122.50, Steph Mantis, Fab.com

It's for sale on Fab.com (get a Fab.com invite here if you don't have one), and it's by Steph Mantis, who INVENTED cat butt magnets and clearly knows that a two-headed cat is ideal since you just have to clean out ONE litterbox.

(Via Pawesome)

+ Related: What I think, in general, about Fab.com + photos of my cat watching "Downton Abbey."

Yo, Anthropologie Has Some Seriously Cute Stuff Right Now

Usually I don't conduct too many dealings within Anthropologie. And by "dealings," I mean I don't usually wander in, try on a bunch of stuff, hem and haw and then leave. Usually that's because I find the price points to induce no small amount of pants-shitting (though I don't know why because Anthropolgie's prices are barely different than half the shit at Bloomingdale's and I don't get the howling fantods over their prices). The other reason is that sometimes Anthropologie feels a little too art teacher/ garden party/ lady in her late '30s to me. SO many cheery brights and not enough bitchy blacks. However, I wandered into the Chelsea Market Anthropologie tonight, and DUDES, there were some seriously cute pieces.

$39.95, Odille, Anthropologie

Trust me, this orange polka dot top is approximately 40% cuter in person.

$298, Marion Vidal, Anthropologie.com

It's rare that I see a horse necklace I love as much as my Pade Vavre horse necklace, which I wear so much it might as well be a tattoo. But this Marion Vidal horse necklace is a close runner-up.

$498, Marion Vidal, Anthropologie.com

A double-headed horse necklace that looks TOTALLY deco? GAME RECOGNIZE GAME.

$498, Kron By Kronkron, Anthropologie.com

There's something Balenciaga-Miu Miu-y about these ruffled heels.

$168, Schuler & Sons, Anthropologie.com

 Speaking of Miu Miu, if you can't afford those Miu Miu glitter pumps everyone's creaming over, then perhaps you can afford these silver sparkly heels instead.

$298, Leifsdotter, Anthropologie.com

These bass-ackward Gaga heels aren't really me, but I'm totally shocked that they're Anthropologie! Anthro! You have a smoking-in-the-bathroom-between-classes side to you after all! I'm impressed!

$498, Leifsdotter, Anthropologie.com

A fitted, quilted black leather Leifsdotter jacket? I'll drink to that. I'll drink in that, actually.

$268, Leifsdotter, Anthropologie.com

Who's got TWO thumbs and LOVES photo prints? THIS FASHION BLOGGER!

I'd Be Buying These Flutter By Jill Golden Statement Necklaces If Most Of My Paycheck Weren't Going To Rent

Don't get it twisted. I EFFING LOVE clothes. They're my porn. The only thing I love more than shopping for clothes and thinking about shopping for clothes and fantasizing about thinking about shopping for clothes is pasta. But jewelry's a close second. Especially chunky statement necklaces. But I'm at the point where I have a lot of dated shit I just need to get rid of (anyone want it?), and then I need to take the less-is-more approach. Or, rather, the fewer-newer approach. Have fewer pieces, and make them newer.

My all-time favorite necklace is my Pade Vavre horse necklace. These three horses have traveled a lot of miles and seen a lot. (Sometimes I fear that people I pass in the lobby at work or see at events are like "there goes that horse necklace girl again." Or, "Tamar? Oh, you mean the girl with the horse necklace?" Actually, I don't really care, but I do really wear it a lot.) It's not quite time for their retirement, but it's time to add a few more pieces to the stable. A big, bold necklace that goes with everything and that I love so much that I don't care if I wear it five times a week. Such as...

($400, Flutter By Jill Golden, FlutterNYC.com)

I just discovered Flutter By Jill Golden, and I'm so taken by the entire collection. I love how she takes pretty golds and stones and turns them into pieces are edgy but elegant. (And her studded jewelry is so understated, instead of intense, which I love, well, intensely.) Seriously, I saw this necklace and I was like THIS IS IT...

Until I saw this one:

($420, Flutter By Jill Golden, FlutterNYC.com)

I BRAKE for leather weaving!

Basically both of these necklaces elicited a Huey Lewis "If This Is It" reaction. So in love.

Oh Woe, Dannijo!

($585, Dannijo, Dannijo.com)

Oh Dannijo. Get OUT of my dreams and ONTO my neck.

I'm in the market for a new necklace. Like THE necklace. Like a necklace that's an entire outfit in and of itself. I even recently said to someone, someday my entire wardrobe will be all black with a different enormous statement necklace for every day of the year. I consider this reasonable. Amen.

This Necklace Perfectly Captures The Essence Of New York's Nightly Dilemma

($26.95, Steven Shein, Karmaloop.com)

Good question, because they ain't gonna pay for themselves. RIGHT, ladies?

Thief & Bandit Makes My Very Favorite T-Shirt

($40, Thief & Bandit, Etsy)

My little sister lives in Richmond, Virginia, and she has tons of friends who are making cool things that I always want to buy. Often I'm super lucky and she buys them for me! Such as my very favorite t-shirt made by her friend Amie Cunningham who created Thief & Bandit -- it's all handmade, and it's all fun, craftsy shirts with fun, tribal-inspired squiggles and designs, and fabric accessories in bright colors. JUST LOOK at that t-shirt and TELL me it doesn't remind you of all things Tom Tom Club!

($48, Thief & Bandit, Etsy)

I hope you like this fabric necklace, but I hope you don't like it as much as I do, because I really want it. So I can wear it with a white t and a blazer. Or maybe even a busy t-shirt, because busy is the new black.

Check out Thief & Bandit's site, their blog, and Thief & Bandit on Etsy and get to buying cute stuff!!

Tom Tom Club - New Music - More Music Videos

It Happened At The Hester Street Fair

($78, Cynthia Rybakoff)

The Hester Street Fair is an unmissable outdoor flea that's been happening down in the Lower Lower East Side every Saturday and Sunday since spring. It's a perfectly curated collection of delicious local food (admittedly today I had my third lobster roll from the Luke's Lobster stand), handmade goods, vintage clothing and accessories (SOOOOO much vintage jewelry), and new, handmade jewelry. Like Cynthia Rybakoff's great handmade jewelry. I admired her simple yet absolutely beguiling rock crystal necklace on a silver chain (but not long enough to buy it -- I was trying to resist giving into my impulse-spending tendencies, but I really should've picked this up, as it's on my mind hours later). She managed to take something as rough and unpredictable as a crystal and make it look elegant yet edgy. Even better -- it's called the Fortress of Solitude necklace. Also, thank you for reclaiming crystals from Spencer Pratt.

Non-New Yorkers, you're in luck. It's available online. Everybody wins!

Brooklyn & Lyn's Agate Rope Necklaces = I JUST CAN'T.

($185, Brooklyn&Lyn, Shop.brooklyandlyn.com, Via Refinery29)

Oh. My... Word. I just... I just cannot even... See straight. Is there anything more beautiful under the sun than this Brook&Lyn agate necklace? This necklace IS the sun.

This Bow Necklace Is NOT Subtle

The bow necklace trend is cute and innocuous enough. But as in life, drinking, and accessorizing, one needs limits.

($28, Claire Fong, Lulus.com)

This just looks like you killed Minnie Mouse and mounted your prey.