In the Bag

Have you ever seen a devastatingly fashionable girl, eyed up her bag and asked yourself, "I wonder what she's got in there?" Yeah, us too. Our voyeuristic sides delight in sneaking a peek at someone else's world.

Name: Sara

Location: Appleton, Wisconsin

Occupation: Attorney

In her bag: Wallet, gum (dragon breath scares clients), 3 different lip glosses/balms for every mood, free pens, business cards (collecting a lot of these lately!), camera, 2 pairs of sunglasses, and allergy pills.

Guilty Pleasure: Popcorn, heavily buttered

How her wardrobe has changed since becoming an attorney: Suits everyday is much different than my pre-attorney attire.

Style Icon: The professionally dressed JCrew models, who not only have awesome suits, but awesome shirts to go under the suits.

Your Favorites: October

Cheap Thrills

Trovata Angel Coat

Regular Price $396

Sale Price $198

Everyone loves a good deal, and deals are just that much sweeter when you don't have to search for them. Leave the sifting through sale racks and digging through discount bins to us. We'll tell you when we find a steal that's simply too good to pass up.

Deep Thoughts: Sweat Dressing

This picture recently found its way to my inbox and as I took in the simple yet striking look, I realized with fervid enthusiasm...she's wearing sweatpants! As real pants! As I've said before, I'm the epitome of lazy chic. If I could wear leggings and my Chip and Pepper mukluks everyday I would, so anything that manages to look dressed up while feeling dressed down is my fashion holy grail. Although sweats are one of the few clothing options produced purely for the sake of comfort (snuggie excluded of course) whipping them into a fashion forward masterpiece is easy.

Well-made, quality constructed pieces are key. They can be worn to death and even slept in and they'll still look good come morning. Paired with a more structured piece, like the blazer pictured, or chosen in unexpected colors like grape, keeps them from entering that scary Walmart special zone.

Finding inspiration in unlikely avenues is a refreshing thrill. Personally, I can’t wait to pair some ratty old raglan crews with a super feminine, flouncy ball skirt and sky-high heels. And the best thing about sweat dressing? It’s supposed to be easy. Every one of us has stared blankly into our closets at some point and said, “I wish I could just wear my pajamas.” Now you can!

My picks:

LNA hoodie
Any Kerrigan by Daryl K wrap
AA Raglan Crew
Splendid Harems

Notes On: The Moto Trend

I've been feeling a strong aversion toward dresses and anything that could possibly be described as feminine or sweet since the end of 2007 (for reasons I shouldn't go into on something as widely read as the Atticus Shop Blog). Lucky for me, the fashion world has been feeling the same edgy mood. Motorcycle styles started popping up on fashion's radar when we all started to pay attention to Christophe Decarnin's revival of Balmain around spring of 2008. Similar styles began popping up in my closet not long after, beginning with black Frye Engineer Boots. Leather, studs and fringe quickly became must have details, and suddenly dressing like the chain-smoking, Harley-Davidson driving, forty something grandmother at the local tavern was considered chic! Sorry, that reference may only apply to those who have spent time in small town Wisconsin. If that doesn't completely turn you off from the moto trend, you'll be happy to know that it's still on point for FW09! My current faves include the Faux Fur Motorcycle Vest from Charlotte Ronson (which will be available on atticusshop.com next week), the High-Waisted Leather Shorts from Charlotte, Current/Elliott's Skinny Jean in Overcast Destroy and the Hex in Cash from Acne Jeans. Even though the leather and hardware details can often get pricey, there's no need to worry. From what I've seen, motorcycle trends are continuing into SS10 (think acid wash leather vests, studded belts and destroyed denim), so thankfully, there is no need to pull out those ruffled dresses and bow blouses from the bowels of your closet anytime soon!

What are you wearing?

A long time ago, in a far away land, a group of upstanding young gentlemen, belonging to a band that played shows at Arlene's Grocery, used to hang on the lower east side corner I frequented. We not so lovingly referred to their look as "hobo pirate" and in fact their style was eventually eulogized by the always friendly Vice Magazine.

Why, you're wondering am I telling you this fascinating story? Well...I'm ashamed to say, but there's really no better way to describe what I'm wearing today other than 'hobo pirate.' I've got on:

• Buckled Dolce Vita boots
• Striped Juicy socks (what can I say? I love the cute little puppy logo)
• My standard SoLow leggings
• YaYa Love tank (which I've worn, literally to shreds so it really adds to the whole hobo vibe)
• Marc shirt
• Ridiculously oversized Lux cardigan
• Slouchy knit hat (made with love by my granny)
  

What about you?

The Justification: We Heart Nobis

Nobis Dakota Neckwarmer in Gunmetal

Justification #1: I don't know about you, but us Wild girls are huge fans of wearing vintage gear while snowmobliling-from Grandma's 1970's John Deere snowmobile suit to the blue and pink sparkly helmets we wore as children. Nobis has designed these neckwarmers that rival Mama Wild's homemade originals (and we'll even volunteer to wear them while walking in the city, not just playing in the country)!

Justification #2: Even if you're not already daydreaming about staying

cozy while having some winter fun,

neckwarmers are perfect for frolicking through orange and red leaves on cool fall days.

Justification #3: These neckwarmers also double as some sort of updated headband your mom used to make you wear in the winter. They're a lot cooler than those though.

Lucifer hat in Gunmetal

Justification #1: This hand-knit floppy beanie is sure to keep you warm when no one's around to cozy up with you.

Justification #2: Atticus girls like boys in hats!

Nobis merchandise will be available online within the week. If you can't wait that long because you're as obsessed as we are or oh so cold already, call us (608.204.9001) or stop in!

Deep Thoughts: Evolution

I borrowed a friend's impossibly chic leather jacket Saturday night, and along with my typical uniform of all black and A. Wang, it provided an interesting contrast to my new, as said friend put it, "jersey manicure." Essie's Bermuda Shorts didn't look so uh...hookerish in the bottle, I swear! But the leather jacket got me thinking about those must-have pieces that seem to take on their own personalities and have magical abilities to evolve one's entire personal style. Some of us are lucky enough to look back and point to those 'aha' moments in our style history, those fond memories of a fantastic item that sent us careening down the rabbit hole with nary a glance over our shoulders.

I remember mine with unsettling accuracy. It was my quarter life birthday and I was headed to dinner in Tribeca. As my companion tipped the maitre d, I looked down at the Loeffler Randall snakeskin boots I'd been stalking for months. They'd arrived earlier that day and as my doorman handed me the package I could barely maintain a polite demeanor before seeking sanctuary in the elevator and ripping them open with an enthusiasm usually reserved for lottery and superbowl winners. The flat boots quickly became my go to, everyday shoes because they managed to elevate the simplest, most mundane outfit into something special, not to mention they greatly lessened the pain of walking around the city.

So, although my beloved boots forever changed how I got dressed in the morning, my sartorial light bulb item was over three years ago and I've been on the hunt for a new love ever since. The following are currently under careful consideration:

Ashley Watson
ACNE jeans
T Dress

Any suggestions?

Said in Context:

"Current clothes. Comfy Couch. Cute help."

Our partners in all things hip, madisonverve.com's description of Atticus. Never have truer words been spoken.