Author: thenavyleopard

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Tempting the Rain

Published on by thenavyleopard1 Comment

As much as I feel like time is moving too quickly and I don’t want to rush it along, I am ready for colder weather and looking forward to the holidays.  I have always loved plaid and last year I wore a ton of it around the holidays.  This year I am warming up with this amazing plaid coat from J. Crew.  Temperatures in Los Angeles dipped a bit over the weekend and we got a teeny bit a rain on Monday.  I enjoyed this plaid coat and tempted fate with my red suede shoes for Sunday breakfast with my family.

I styled the coat with my favorite J. Crew toothpick jeans, red flats (similar here), Ryan sunglasses, white shirt and my own bag.

Tempting the Rain

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J. Crew Collection Red Plaid Trench Coat (on sale!)

J. Crew Ryan Sunglasses

J. Crew Toothpick Jeans

J. Crew shoes (similar here)

Lafayette 148 Shirt (on sale!)

Happy Shopping!

XO,

JAE

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Pattern Mix Hits the Gym

Published on by thenavyleopard5 Comments

I really did not want to like the just launched New Balance for J. Crew active wear.  I have a lot of active wear already.  I was lured in by the color and styles (Hello, navy pattern mix!).  Then I tried it on…It is ridiculously comfortable and the rise and waistband are at the perfect spot.  The price point is just over half of some other active wear brands, to boot.  My only concern became how much to buy and how I would make room for it, as I wanted it all.  The look below is going to be on constant repeat.   My other active wear is about to feel neglected.

An added bonus is that it is easy to style with all my favorite navy pieces, so that I can run errands to and from a workout.  I styled the performance capri leggings in stripe with the in-transit long sleeve shirt in polka dot.  I added my favorite J. Crew for NET-A-PORTER faux fur scarf, Ryan Sunglasses, my own bag and my favorite navy leopard kicks.  If you have not read the story of my inspiration for the name of the blog as a result of these shoes, its here.

Even the accessories are perfect!  I love the colors of these hairbands and they are just the right size.

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J. Crew Hair Ties

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New Balance for J. Crew Performance Capri Leggings in Stripe

New Balance for J. Crew In-Transit Long Sleeve T-shirt in Polka Dot

J. Crew for NET-A-PORTER Faux fur scarf

J. Crew Ryan Sunglasses in Blush

Stella McCartney for Adidas Kicks (older style).  These New Balance for J. Crew kicks would be perfect!

Happy Shopping!

XO,

JAE

Black and White and Read All Over

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I remember my Grandmother teaching me the riddle “What’s black and white and red all over?” when I was about my son’s age.  I thought it was so clever.  We recently starting  subscribing to the  Sunday New York Times again after a long stretch of getting our news online.  I missed having a paper and also feel like my son should grow up with one in the house.  It is great that you can search and find things online and my husband is a big fan of flipboard, but there is something about the tactile experience.  My son asks me to read him sections and looks at the photographs.

I moved from San Francisco to New York in 1999 as a result of the Sunday Times.  One Sunday I saw an add announcing a new consulting firm that sounded interesting.  I wrote a cover letter and sent my resume that day.  I ended up moving across the country and being employee eighty-nine of what became a very successful start up.  I never would have known about the company if not for a Sunday where I took more time than usual to read the paper.

I take my time reading it now.  Sometimes I am catching an article on a Tuesday afternoon with my lunch.  It is not about the headlines and being up to the minute.  It is about enjoying the experience.  And I am finding articles I likely would not have found online.

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J. Crew Blouse

J. Crew Ryan Sunglasses in Blush

J. Crew Italian Featherweight Cashmere Cardigan (on sale!)

J. Crew Shoes (similar here)

AG Prima White Jeans here and here

Happy Shopping!

XO,

JAE

Mani Friday – #SHINYPONIES Edition

Published on by thenavyleopard2 Comments

It is clear that I love shoes. If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that these striped shoes got a workout this summer and served as a perfect neutral.  They were also the shoes I was wearing when my six year old snapped a photo that ended up on J. Crew‘s #SHINYPONIES page as I mentioned in Shoes Tell the Story this week.  So I decided to commemorate my proud Mama moment with yet another shoe, this time on my hand.

The color is “Do You Take Lei Away” by OPI.  The nail art and manicure are by Olive & June.

Happy Friday!

XO,

JAE

Keeping Warm in the Butler’s Pantry

Published on by thenavyleopard1 Comment

Bring on the cold!  I recently featured the J. Crew for NET-A-PORTER capsule collection in All of the Stripes.  At the time I thought this amazing striped faux fur coat in my favorite blue and white was sold out.  I was so excited to pick it up at J. Crew at The Grove recently.  I have been wearing it around our LA home every evening when the temperature dips into the 60s. I must convince my husband to visit his family on the East Coast for the holidays so that I can enjoy the gorgeous coat for more than an hour at a time.  Regardless, I will be grateful for the fake snow at The Grove during the holidays.

My husband and son are more into fashion than most, but are sometimes bored with my photo shoots and five day a week blog posts.  Yet when I brought home both the faux fur scarf (featured in All of the Stripes) and now the faux fur coat they each wanted their turn.

Who wore it best?

The coat is still available in each size at press time on NET-A-PORTER.  If you live in a colder climate, this is a no brainier.  I also have lots of ideas for wear on the West Coast.

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J. Crew for NET-A-PORTER Geo Stripe Faux Fur Coat

J. Crew Ryan Sunglasses in Blush

J. Crew Leopard Gemma Flats

Lipstick Queen “Chinatown” Glossy Pencil in Chase

Happy Shopping!
Keep Warm.

XO,

JAE

Role Play

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I’ve taken on a few new roles this year.  One of them is Recording Secretary for the PTA at my son’s school.  Although this blouse is not called a “Secretary Blouse” as many other     J. Crew selections are (such as this one or this one), it has the same feel.  I have styled it with my favorite leopard flats (naturally) and basic black.

As I wrote yesterday in Shoes Tell the Story, my blog had it’s six month anniversary last week, so there was cause for celebration.

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J. Crew Top

J. Crew Toothpick Jeans in Black

J. Crew Ryan Sunglasses in Blush

J. Crew Featherweight Cashmere Cardigan

J. Crew Leopard Gemma Flats

Lipstick Queen Lip Gloss in Big Bang Black Hole

Happy Shopping!

XO,

JAE

Shoes Tell the Story

Published on by thenavyleopard3 Comments

October 7th was the six month mark for my blog.  And, it’s been about a year since I made my Instagram profile public.  I was intrigued by the J. Crew #SHINYPONIES Contest, where I posted and hashtagged photos of my shoes for the chance to win a year of shoes curated by Jenna Lyons each month.  I was determined to win and so excited when my first photo was chosen for J. Crew’s #SHINYPONIES page on jcrew.com.  I have since had over 20 photos selected for the #SHINYPONIES page.  Here are a few of them with links to the J. Crew #SHINYPONIES page and purchasing information linked below the grid.

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Leopard / New Balance / Stripes /  Pom-Poms / Stripes / Leopard / New Balance / Paisley / Gold

The best moment of this social media journey happened last week when I woke up to a number of  notifications from J. Crew letting me know that my photos were selected for one of their posts.  One of their selections was a photo taken by my six-year old. I beamed with pride and could not wait for him to wake up so I could tell him.  He has recently been helping with some of my Mani Friday photos, too.  Sharing this love of photography with my six year-old son has been a blast.  He has an amazing eye when it comes to shooting with just the iPhone.

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My Six Year Old’s First #SHINYPONIES Photo

As a child I enjoyed photography and my high school class was one of my favorites.  I liked taking self portraits (long before selfies) that were artistic because I liked that I could control the art in front of and behind the camera simultaneously.  The logistics were harder with the timer.

In college I took an Art History course on Photography and it was among my favorite classes.  It was nice contrast with my Economics major.  Cindy Sherman was one of my favorites. She was a big influence, especially her Untitiled Film Still series .  I recently saw the Cindy Sherman Imitation of Life exhibit at The Broad  and I could not help but snap this selfie in front of a photo of her playing all four roles.

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Combining my love of shoes with photography was a no brainer when it came to the #SHINYPONIES contest.  I already had a shoe obsession and it was fun to feed it by photographing shoes.

I have always said that shoes can tell the story of your life. Yesterday I featured a pair from a 2005 trip to Antwerp in Antwerp Memories and Pink Cherries.  They have walked with you through experiences.  In my case, I almost always buy a pair on vacation.  Then when I put them on I remember Paris or Antwerp or Hawaii.  When I did not win the #SHINYPONIES contest, I was disappointed, of course , but not discouraged. I decided to just keep on going.  Six months later I started this blog.  I wrote about where the name came from in It all started in Paris with these shoes….  I really need to thank  J. Crew and Jenna Lyons for the inspiration to document my love of shoes as art in a whole new way.

XO,

JAE

This is not a sponsored post, in fact none of my posts have been sponsored (so far).  I will definitely make that clear when the time comes.

Antwerp Memories and Pink Cherries

Published on by thenavyleopard3 Comments

Shoes can tell the story of your life.  They have walked with you through your experiences.  In my case, I often buy them on vacation and then remember the trip when I put them on.  The shoes in this outfit were purchased in 2005 in Antwerp, Belgium.

My friend and I had traveled to Brussels, Belgium for another friend’s wedding.  On the day of the wedding, we had enough time for a day trip. We were deciding between Bruges and Antwerp.  My friend is a fan of diamonds, so Antwerp it was.  We arrived after a short train ride and enjoyed the sights.  We stumbled upon a shoe store that had Prada driving shoes arranged in a circle in every color you can imagine.  They reminded me of the Cole Hahn loafers I craved in High School that came in a rainbow of colors.  I chose this hot pink and my friend chose a pretty beige suede.  We were both so excited with our selections. The dollar was favorable enough at the time that they were also a good value.

We each went to pay and my card was declined. The same thing had happened to me the summer before on another trip to Europe.  The fraud detection team was overly zealous and had shut me down.  This time I had called my credit card company to let them know ahead of time where I would be visiting. I was furious.  I decided it just was not meant to be.  My friend insisted on buying my shoes and I would pay her back. She simply would not take no for an answer.  Once I returned to the hotel in Brussles,  I called and got the credit card straightened out.

The shoes are still in great shape.   I still wear them eleven years later which is amazing considering they are driving shoes with out a full sole. Every time I wear them or see the box in my closet, I think of the kindness of my friend and that trip.

I styled them with a fun J. Crew top in a cherry print, my favorite pink  J. Crew sunglasses, dark denim and a pink cardigan.  Between the color, the cherries, and the memories of Antwerp,  I can’t help but feel cheery.  The shoes are long since sold out, but I’ve linked two fun hot pink styles below.

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J. Crew Shirt

J. Crew Featherweight Italian Cashmere Cardigan

J. Crew Jane Sunglasses in Pink

J. Crew  Jeans in Resin (similar here)

Prada Driving Shoes (circa 2005) similar here and here

Happy Shopping and Storytelling!

XO,

JAE

Mani Friday – Believe in Pink Edition

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This was a week of small miracles, kindnesses and a few challenges.  Audrey Hepburn and my pink manicure with a couple of hearts got me through.  Until last December,  I only wore pale pink and very natural looking nails.  I decided to get a red manicure for the holidays and had one nail done in plaid to match my shirt.  From then on,  I was hooked on nail art and have had a weekly creation ever since.  This week I wanted to go back to the basics with a little art.

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The color is a combination of “Mayfair Lane” by Nails Inc and “Strawberry Smoothie” by CND Vinylux.  The manicure and nail art are by Olive & June.

Happy Friday!

 

Xo,

JAE

Paisley Liberty

Published on by thenavyleopard3 Comments

It is hard for me to resist a Liberty Print.  You can see part of my Liberty print collection and read about my love of Liberty prints in  May Liberty Flowers.  This paisley shirt has a different twist with a club color.  I have styled it with grey denim.  All of the details and links are below.

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J. Crew Club Collar Perfect Shirt

J. Crew Ryan Sunglasses in Blush

J. Crew Necklace (similar here)

J. Crew Shoes (similar here)

AG Denim in Grey

Happy Shopping!

XO,

JAE