Archives for 2009

On our second day in Paris last week, I went for my second fitting at Chanel. We had to make sure the dress fit again before the ball!

I went for my first fitting in September…as excited as I was, I can't say I wasn't a little anxious. Being fitted in the haute couture studio at Chanel could be a potentially intimidating experience…but everyone I met was so warm and kind. I imagined being fitted for a couture gown might be somewhat ceremonial but the experience was very relaxed. and all the women at Chanel are so beautiful!

It was thrilling to put my dress on again. When I saw it, I knew it was the one I wanted to wear to the ball. It weighs a ton and the corset it very snug. Once I saw the other debutantes' dresses though, I realized that mine was relatively comfortable, even though it was very difficult to sit in. Here is the runway picture.

Here I am with my mom and my sister, and Sanaz at my fitting! Sanaz is so stylish!

The best part of my fitting was that afterwards, Sanaz gave us a tour of Coco Chanel's apartment upstairs. I can't believe I was there! 

What an incredible life she lead. It was so fascinating to hear some of the stories that went along with some of the objects in her apartment-everything had such sentimental value. 

I am so happy I was able to take pictures to share on Sea of Shoes!

It was such an honor to be chosen by Chanel to be dressed for the ball. I am so in love with my gown. If I could, I would re-live my fittings a million times!

More behind the scenes pictures later…I'm still catching up on work!

Now that I'm back in Texas it seems like the Crillon Ball was two years ago, not two days ago. What a magical night.

The invitation to the Crillon ball was illustrated by Alber Elbaz!

Hi guys, just wanted to post a very quick note before I fly back.

The Ball last night was incredible-I'm still in a daze, but all of the girls looked so beautiful and the ball itself was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am so honored to have been there and so thankful to have met so many wonderful people.

But I must admit that I am very, very sad to say goodbye to my dress.

This week was non-stop-I am achey and exhausted. Wearing haute couture should be an Olympic sport. I feel like I've had more pictures of myself taken this week than I have in my entire life. Of course, part of the reason I'm so tired is because the experience was so exhilarating. 

Before I sign off and get some much needed sleep I'd like to share a few iPhone snaps of the night..I'm afraid my camera card reader has stopped working and I don't have many of my own photos.

The debutantes waiting before the first waltz…

I snuck into my sister and my moms room before they got ready for the ball..

This is me being presented-escorted by my wonderful cavalier Octavian Donnelly. I was a little nervous because I was the first debutante to be presented..doesn't having a last name that begins with 'A' suck? But Octavian was so confident and my nerves immediately disappeared when we started making our way through the rooms.

Here is a picture snapped by Naomi from Elle Girl Japan during the final walk-though with all the girls last night. Naomi came with her daughter Maya and they both looked stunning! Here is a cute polaroid Naomi sent me of Maya and me..isn't she gorgeous?

' 

Here are some pictures I managed to save before my technical difficulties began…the view from the balcony of the Hotel de Crillon.

I will have a lot more pictures up soon. 

This week was so surreal-I am so happy I was part of the ball. 

TTYS,

xo Jane

I hope I have time to post while I'm in Paris, but things are going to be really, really hectic. I will have lots of pictures from my trip though! 

Thank you for everyone for your kind emails and it's been very interesting to hear your thoughts on the comment issue.

Vintage Yves Saint Laurent leather jacket with gold plates…exquisite. Worn with Prada skirt and Christopher Ross fox belt buckle.
I want to get a serious collection of Yves Saint Laurent going. I got an amazing vintage peasant dress on Tuesday and I am so happy.

Vintage Moschino leather jacket with gigantic gold lion buttons & links..worn with a Christopher Ross belt

My Dolce and Gabanna face wedges finally got here. They are incredible and I feel so lucky to have them.

I may never wear them because if they were ever damaged I would be devastated…
I'm getting to be like that a lot with my clothes…I never want to wear them because they feel too special. So I probably wear like 10% of my wardrobe now….
But people who collect stamps don't mail letters with them…what's the difference? The important thing is loving what you collect. Anyone who collects something can understand that.

Did you know that scientists have identified the brain region that controls collecting behavior? Interesting..

I guess some people are just born with the compulsion to collect…

Well, on another note I'd like to share something I've been thinking for a while.

I'm turning my comment section off for now…as much I appreciate hearing thoughts from my readers, I have never seen the point of a feedback system on a personal style blog. 
 Whether people are telling me that they love my shoes, or that they admire my photography, or that they think I'm too skinny, or that they want me to stop smoking, or that my blog is a reflection of the cupidity of our generation, or that my life is going to be a vacuum of tragedy ….none of those comments are ever going to affect the content I produce for Sea of Shoes.
It's not that negative comments get under my skin..besides, the majority of my comments come from very nice readers, some of them other bloggers I admire. But it's creepy to think that a few real people pour so much energy into investigating my personal life and spinning it into something negative. I've always had a 'no delete' policy for my comments, so anyone could leave any untrue thing they want about me in my comments.

There have been a lot of really weird incidents over the past couple of months that have left me unnerved by the level of scrutiny I've come under since I started this blog.  And it's not just me–my family and friends are affected by this too.

But there is no reason why it should be that way! Comments aren't necessary. The only reason I started this blog was to share my passion for clothing, and I'd like to keep doing that for a very long time..and I can do it just fine without any comments…maybe I'll turn them on later, maybe not. It makes no difference to me.

If you have something to share, you can always shoot me an email ( though I get lots, I can't promise I'll respond) or tweet at me.

xo Jane

RIP Daul Kim…how tragic. My thoughts go out to her family.

The other day I wore my Miu Miu spectator pumps from fall 2007-they are some of my favorite shoes ever, I love the butterscotch & pink color scheme. I have to admit that they are pretty painful to walk in…they pinch your toes so bad! Totally worth the pain though. Its funny, usually my shoes are too extreme for my friends tastes but my girlfriends really like these..how could you not? They look like a pastry.

Worn with a Comme des Garcons chiffon skirt, a vintage satin blouse, and a very old Dolce and Gabanna belt of my mom's…I love this belt, I used to steal it all the time when I was 13-14…it's nice to get it out again! 

I have another shoe score to share..

Check out my amazing Alaia wedges! Tina (of Bag Snob fame) tipped off my mom and I to a great sale at Neimans Last Call…75% off Alaia is not too shabby. These guys are really comfy too.

 Worn with a vintage suede vest my mom got at Feathers in Austin. These shoes and this vest were kind of made for each other…

I went to Alzheimer's Association Dallas Rita Hayworth Gala with the Helloooooo.com crew on Saturday and it was so much fun. It was a great opportunity to dress up-I wore a vintage 50's dress from Sielan's Vintage in LA and my Chanel bow-tie booties. For now I only have iPhone pics but Jonathan took a ton of pictures during the night…I'll post them later this week!

&n
bsp;

What a fun night. Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

xo Jane

UPDATE: Got pictures of the Gala courtesy of Helloooooo.com ;) Thanks guys! Click below to see more!

Continue Reading

Couldn't resist getting this 70's poncho out again ;) Its so breathtaking…

Oh yea, I changed my hair again-put some blonde and red in it.

Worn this time with Herff Christiansen dress, Lucky Jeans hat, and Barneys Co-op Boots