Closet Case: Blaire Walsh

Blaire emerges from her own Narnia.

I met Blaire Walsh a few years back as a fellow Art History student on the sunset soaked streets of Paris, and I new instantly that she was also a fellow fashion lover. I think the first conversation we ever had was about Longchamp bags, which she was determined to snag and take home for lower-than-American Parisian prices.

Blaire's beautiful scarf collection: (l to r) a black and white silk floral from Galleries Lafayette in Paris; vintage Puccis; a wild Hermes.

Blaire has always been my sophisticated shopper friend. She has a closet full of fancy at bargain basement prices. Her pieces are pretty, detail-oriented, and versatile with an emphasis on quality. She has impeccable taste and buys with the long-term in mind, eschewing trends for classic wears.

A sweet Marc Jacobs sweater.

Blaire's interest in art and design definitely shows in her wardrobe, as well as in her career. To put bread on the table and shoes in the closet, Blaire works at The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission where she oversees the restoration of historic landmarks in the big city. I think it sounds very dream job (even though she routinely lets me in on the behind the scenes grit work). This means that she is one hell of a block walking/shopping partner. Did you know the Baby's R Us on Union Square is housed in three original row houses from the 1800's? Neither did I until I went for a walk with Ms. Walsh.

Blaire always wins the discount margin game we play. This Marc Jacobs dress was originally over $400, Ms. Walsh scored it for about $70 at a super Saks sale.

Blaire's a smart cookie. And, those smarts carry over into her closet. She is an informed consumer. She always knows about where the good sales are, sample and otherwise. She keeps up-to-date via daily inbox drops from Racked and Daily Candy. At sales Blaire routinely scores great pieces, like a smokey sapphire Marc Jacobs party dress, for way below retail ($70-something instead of $400-something).

In warm weather Blaire prefers skirts. I love the floral one at left. The one on the right was purchased for $1.99 on the clearance rack!

Blaire was raised in Jersey and has a roster of go-to vintage and thrift shops outside of the city, mostly in Asbury Park and Red Bank. Closer to home, which is now Williamsburg, she actually makes good use of the L Train and rails it over to Manhattan to raid the racks of Leohmanns, The Gap, Banana Republic, J.Crew, and Anthropologie. Even though the stores are common, Blaire's mix of quality Jersey thrift and big names keeps her looking polished and fresh.

The girl knows how to shoe shop! At top is a great pair of tangerine, wooden-heeled pumps from J.Crew; (bottom, l to r) a coral pair of strappy Nine West heels scored at Marshall's; a wicked pair of yellow, satin spikes from Forever 21; a much-loved pair of burgundy and black heels from BCBG.

Another thing to know about Blaire is that she gives and gets great gifts (so get on her good side!). With her eye for quality and her thriftiness, Blaire always seems to find the perfect little luxury to bestow upon her nearest and dearest. Her gift giving skills do not go unrewarded. From vintage jewelry to Marc Jacobs sweaters, some of Blaire's favorite pieces have been gifts. She and her friends scoop up vintage Pucci scarves whenever they spot them to have on hand for the next gift giving occasion.

When it comes to jewelry, Blaire prefers the real deal. Top is the ivory and gold flower charm her mother gave as a gift to her wedding party; below left is a 100" string of pearls draped over a vintage Vogue cover; below right is a c.1925 silver and diamond pin purchased as a graduation gift at an estate sale.

One of Blaire's keys to sartorial success is her process of deliberation. She will take items home to decide if they make the closet cut or not. She's fastidious about holding onto receipts (I swear I've never seen such neatly kept paperwork. I think she must iron them!) and takes full advantage of return policies; if she gets something home and just isn't feeling it anymore, back to the store it goes!

Blaire's box-o-receipts. So crisp!

Blaire actually let me in on the the decision making process, trying on a few items that she had recently purchased but wasn't sure of. Once she gets the items home, she can give them an audition with what she's got and see if a pair of shoes or the right belt might save a dress from the doldrums.

Blaire adds the perfect finishing touch to an okay gray dress, cinching it with her mother's turquoise belt from the '80s, which Blaire rescued from a family garage sale.

Blaire reviews a recent Banana Republic purchase.

Blaire's closet is well thought-out and edited. She doesn't have too many items that she doesn't love. The details are important and her strong preferences keep her collection distinct. She has a system, and it works. She knows where the goods are, and what's good for her. She said many people come to her for fashion advice, and you can certainly count me among the many. I trust her to tell me the scoop and the truth. That's invaluable and makes her more than stylish, it makes her a quality find!

A few more of Blaire's hits: A Milly top; one of her super-cute dry cleaning bags; a Velvet dress.

Thanks for the tour, Blaire!

Friday Funny: Gap Girls

Welcome to Friday. In honor of my planned weekend jeans hunt, I offer you a chance to get to know your Gap Girls. "Gapardy, the game that's like Jeopardy except that all of the contestants work at the Gap."

Gap Girls Gapardy - The funniest bloopers are right here
Cindy Crawford never looked so good.

Mind the Gap

I love the Critical Shopper column in the New York Times. Specifically I love when the people who pen the column, who are obviously used to shopping upscale, take a trip into some of the City's more common offerings. This week, the Critical Shopper falls into the Gap, which has apparently been taken over by excessively eager Euro-spenders.

Much has been made of Patrick Robinson's attempts to rescue the ubiquitous retail chain from its recent khaki doldrums. The Critical Shopper agrees that Robinson's (pictured above) arrival has precipitated some vast improvements, but laments the presence of "gross familiars from yesteryear" including a pair of cargo pants with what he calls "lumpy thigh pockets".

While Patrick's pieces are upping the store's cool quotient, there are still a few too many boring basics to be found. The cuter offerings seem to have been priced out of my usual Gap spending allowance. Also, I couldn't agree more with the Critical Shopper's reprimands for the store's practice of pin-tuck tailoring all of the items featured on the display mannequins. That should be a crime punishable in Misled Shoppers' Court.

If I were the judge, I'd sentence them to finally properly air my favorite Gap advert that never was. It's a friggin' hilarious commercial from the very special mind of Spike Jonze. It was pulled from the air after a limited run in select cities, but will live forever in the YouTube universe.

I've always wanted to do that.

Image: Popsugar.com

Know When to Hold'em and When to Fold'em

Who says the dollar isn't worth anything these days? Let this silent short teach you how to relieve your financial anxieties, and solve an accessory dilemma at the same time. Here's how to make a bling ring origami style out of a dolla dolla bill y'all:

Ah, folding is very zen. Well, any Gap employee may disagree but I find it quite relaxing. Wear your singles proud before they get scarce!

One More NY Note

Now that we are thoroughly enmeshed in the craze of future Spring looks, Fall has arrived in real time and it's time to do some shopping. As a Jersey Girl, I was raised in malls. Now that New York is my stomping and shopping ground, I've discovered that there are certain blocks that can provide the same one-stop-shop experience (minus a few of the perks like climate control, easily accessible restrooms, a centralized food court, and mall walkers).


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My favorite mall-like shopping stretch in the big city is 5th Avenue between 15th and 19th streets. This is where the practically priced looks live. You've got Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Free People, H&M, Gap, J.Crew, Zara, and a slew of other reasonable retailers at your disposal. I have a pretty good hunch that this is where the Village Voice's excellent, eccentric fashion writer Lynn Yaeger did her research for this recent article. It is a well-written summary of the above mentioned stores' fall offerings. Print it out and take it with you as you follow the Google Brick Road.

As long as you are in the area, if you take 17th street and head west towards 7th Avenue, you walk through the best two block stretch of vintage stores in Manhattan (don't miss Housing Works Thrift Shop) and wind up at Loehmann's, every patient shopper's best friend.