my perfect belt

i have a lot of belts.

i find them extremely useful in influencing the style of my clothing- changing a particular look from grown up & classy to relaxed & casual is often as easy as changing my shoes and belt....

in the arsenal of little tricks & tips of wardrobe building, one of my favorites is to go lighter on your array of clothing, and build up a serious library of accessories from which to choose. belts are high on the priority list for me...

but, you may recall that i've recently moved from the east coast to the west... and for the first month of living here in los angeles, we waited for most of our belongings to arrive by truck.

due to some bad planning, i didn't manage to pack a good array of belts for our first, transitory month here in l.a, and found myself about to start a brand new job with no respectable belt in sight. 

so, although i have no real need to add another belt to my overflowing collection...

i had a real opportunity!

but, not a whole lot of time to shop. i literally ran into confederacy on my last sunday afternoon of unemployment and was lucky enough to track down what has now become my numero uno, go to accessory for the past month or so... ladies and gentlemen, i give you....

3.1 phillip lim's braided belt!

it has been a real work horse, sprucing up simple jeans and ballet flats, as well as silk dresses whose "self" belts had been cast astray......

it's a great combination of being lady-like enough (gold hardware, refined matte black leather) and cool enough (not-so-refined buckle size, and whip-stitch style braided motif), that it has literally been a perfect, if accidental addition to my new west coast wardrobe....

if you're so inclined, you can pick yourself up one here (it's on sale. you're welcome), and if you're not, i highly recommend looking out for a similarly perfect fit to your own closet...

when everything in your life is new & unfamiliar (read: moving 3000 miles away, finding a new home and starting a new job), it's really surprising how comforting something like a reliable belt can be...

now, i just need a lipstick that will accomplish something similar!

(or, maybe the 31 hour bag?)