Jelly Garcia Dress and Sequin Tube Top from Mango

I’ve been an avid reader of Vanity Fair for years. And, while I haven’t quite adjusted to the absence of the beloved Dominick Dunne, the magazine rarely disappoints. The February 2010 issue, featuring photos of Tiger Woods by Annie Leibovitz, was no exception. In it, Jane Aldridge was featured as a Bright Young Thing for the work she’s done with her incredibly influential blog, seaofshoes.com.

We reached out to her to get a read on her current crushes. Herewith is Jane Aldridge’s “be so”.

What are your favorite jeans?
I like Madewell’s no stretch matchstick jeans. They have a nice high rise and a beautiful wash.

What’s your “go-to” pair of shoes for around town?
You can’t beat Dries van Noten shoes for beauty and comfort. I switch between a pair of pair of buckled leather slingbacks and a pair of yellow patent sneaker wedges at the moment.

Whose bag(s) are you carrying right now?
Currently I’m carrying a gigantic Burberry bucket bag that is pieced together with little gold rings. It was a great deal at an outlet store. It weighs about ten pounds on it’s own.

And your scent of choice?
I love Serge Lutens fragrances; they are very heavy and old-fashioned. I wear Serge Noire.

What stores are you drawn into?
Here in Dallas, I go to many thrift stores. I go to Barneys to buy shoes; American Apparel for underwear and shirts.

What color is your new black?
I like pale shades of grey green. It’s hard to come by in clothing.

What’s your favorite LBD (little black dress)?
An 80s puffy sleeved princess-waist dress that I got in Austin.

iPhone or Blackberry?
iPhone.

Ray-Ban Aviators or Wayfarers?
Aviators.

What’s was your New Year’s resolution?
To take good care of myself and people I love, and make more money.

And, of course, what’s your be so?
“be so friendly.”

We couldn’t agree more. Thanks for the interview; email or text us when you’re in town!

Chanel Ponyhair Herringbone Boots, F21 Tights and Zara Lamb Fur Vest

Animal Jewelry Outfit #2....The Fox and the Horses

Clearly, men don’t accessorize with the frequency or passion as women. Sure, we have our options, but accessories are considered mandatory rather than optional. However, men’s watches have long been a staple of the wardrobe, ever since the 1500s when the pocket watch was invented. This remained the fashion for rich men until 1915, when Rolex introduced the first wristwatch. They remained a key staple of the male wardrobe for the rest of the century, but then this happened:

Wristwatch search volume

Searches for wristwatches have plummeted since 2004.  Think a little graph on the Internets is meaningless? The New York Times confirms this trend, as high end watchmakers like Rolex, TAG and Patek Philippe have been slaughtered by the recent recession. Apparently with all the extra time, the Swiss have shifted their focus from making fine watches to arresting French directors. But look at the shift from 2004. That’s not just representative of the global recession. Rather, there’s a much clearer reason for the decline in men’s watch-wearing — and watch buying:

The iPhone

Who needs a watch when you have a computer in your pocket? You can get the time in L.A., Switzerland, or Zimbabwe, if you’d like. And it demonstrates your status as a taste maker at best, or a techie geek at worst. Now, I’ve worn a watch ever since growing up as a child in the ’80s. But now? I’ll generally whip out my phone to check the time, and rarely wear one my favorite Bulova or Nixon watches.

So are men’s wristwatches destined to be forgotten like Michael Vick’s criminal record? I sure hope not.  Because while I wasn’t blessed to look like Paul Newman (who was?), sometimes wearing a classy wristwatch can make you believe you were, if just for a minute.

Paul Newman in Rolex

Do you wear a wristwatch any longer, if you ever did?