The Pursuit of Cool

I'm not cool.

I was never part of the "in" crowd at school. So I often think there's a part of me that aches, that thrills at the pursuit of cool. Not trendy... cool.

Cool is...

A jagged silver necklace with the perfect imperfections.

Arielle de Pinto Web Necklace via Assembly New York

Never too cool for school.

A slouchy, cropped dress with long sleeves and charmeuse sheen.

Preen Whirl Dress via La Garconne

An odd flat floral sandal with cutout details.

Jeffrey Campbell Jane Austen Floral Shoes via Pixie Market

Never loses her cool.

A jumpsuit cut wide in all the right places.

Acne Studios Jumpsuit

A one-sleeve dress that hangs and curves suggestively, like a worn nightgown.

Raquel Allegra One-Sleeve Dress via SSense

Cool is... nobody's fool.

Bling Envy at Tiffany & Co.

Recently, I had a chance to check out the new Tiffany & Co. collections at the brand's Fifth Avenue flagship. I may favor independent designers when it comes to apparel, but in the fine jewelry department, I have a secret weakness for luxury brands. The preview event was a delight, and I found myself lingering longer than expected, taking in the ambience of a perfect summer evening: millions of dollars of unbelievably brilliant jewels and a chance to mingle with blogger friends sipping slender flutes of champagne.

Here are some of my favorite looks (all rings, yes):

From top: square, step-cut fancy intense yellow diamond ring, 8.65 carats, set in 18k yellow gold and platinum; cushion-cut fancy vivid yellow diamond ring, 7.12 carats, with diamond half moons set in 18k yellow gold and platinum

Tiffany Bezet set diamond ring with pave diamond setting in platinum

Hope your Monday is off to a great start!

The Perfect Maxi Dress

I've been seeing them all around New York- women flaunting the lean, romantic silhouette of summer: the maxi dress. All that fabric, you think, could only work on model figures, but I've seen women of all shapes rocking this length. It's more about the right cut, color and fabric. And be sure to take your trailing hems to a tailor, ladies!

I just purchased a maxi tank dress, but for a more demure, slightly avant-garde look, I'm loving this ash colored tee-shirt dress with a sheer mesh back and gathered detail from Bread and Butter. Love the styling possibilities with such a minimalistic shape...

What do you think of the maxi trend? Would you wear it?

Letter from the Editor: Back to Basics

Changes are in store for Dream Sequins.

You may have noticed that I changed the sidebar a little-- simplified things a bit. As a result of our Beauty and Accessories Editors' busy schedules, I've decided to take things back to basics. Starting today, Dream Sequins will be a solo operation, the way it started when I launched the blog nearly two years ago.

This blog started as a way for me to communicate about the things that moved me on a daily basis- independent fashion brands and boutiques. And while I expanded the blog to make room for beauty and accessories, I also started pursuing a career in social media and PR. Then I moved jobs, and with it, the blog slowed down. But I've missed blogging, and the fashion blogging community. So I'm proud to announce my return. And I'm taking it back to basics.

While this blog will continue to highlight interesting brands, with some shopping detours in between, I'd like to feature more style diary posts and observations on a more intimate scale. So while I can't promise that the writing will be phenomenal, I can promise that it will be 100% authentically mine.

Thank you, dear friends, readers, lurkers, for visiting my wee blog, and for being patient with me these past few weeks. It's certainly been an interesting ride so far. Now if you don't mind, things are about to get a little more personal...

And a special note to Tamara, our Beauty Editor and Denise, our Accessories Editor: thank you for your dedication and your wonderful contributions to the blog. We had a wonderful run together, and I can't thank you enough for your thought-provoking, original posts.

xx D