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It's March, and it is 80 degrees in Chicago.  Key word being March.  

Mother Nature can turn on us at any moment.  Tomorrow when it is only 30 outside, people will realize their short shorts and tube top looked a bit out of place.  

The best solution? Dress over pants, of course! 

Pair a slim dress over wide-leg pants or a full dress over a straight leg cargo pant (as above).

The look is a little bit summer, and a whole lot of practical for the month of March.

dress: Brooks Brothers, pant: Lands End Canvas, shoe: Adidas, jacket: Levi's 

The Liz Tilberis Series: Charlie Rose

Meet Liz in this interview with Charlie Rose.

You will wish the interview to keep going.  You will want to have lunch with her.

You will understand why I miss her.

Watch the video here.

(Thank you Jeanne-Aurore.)

Giada Forte Collection SS2012

A stunning lookbook.

Art Direction: Save As Design GMBH, Robert Vattilana
Photographed by Arnaud Pyvka

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"I no longer worry about trying to program myself to respond to a demand.

And the most surprising thing, is that people appreciate this coherence.

I think we are entering into a period where the public is tired of changing sides every six months.

A perfectly proportioned piece, with the right fabric, the right cut, and the least amount of trend in it, does not require a new version for each season, but simply to reinvent the puzzle which surrounds it, in order to make it more exciting.

It is a question of good sense."

Christophe Lemaire, encens no. 25

Well, this is me, ReadySetFashion.  

I have been blogging for four years, and I haven't yet posted photos concentrating on my personal outfits.

I wasn't sure I was ever gong to, until I found the above quote from Lemaire while revisiting past encens issues.  His words reflect my opinion of fashion perfectly.

I wasted no time in adopting Lemaire's quote as a mission statement of sorts.

I do not need a new wardrobe for every photo.  Just an eye for fashion and a closet full of clothes, which, of course, translate into pieces of the style puzzle.
I suddenly feel at ease sharing these pieces with you.

coat:undercover, kicks:adidas, knit cap:ralph lauren, no-name:jeans & scarf

Lowkey Freshness 7.0:Celine Sneakers

 Hold up, wait a minute....

Let's look at what we have here.

1. Celine

2. Python

3. Ponyhair

4. Sneakers

I do not have to look any further.

The Celine Skate Slip-On completes me.

Christophe Lemaire FW 2012

I am in love with Christophe Lemaire's namesake line more each season.

Which works out for me, because 'building a wardrobe' is the heart of Lemaire's design philosophy.

So each season I can collect new pieces to fashion with previous pieces.

My picks for Lemaire's FW 2012 collection....   

Christophe Lemaire FW 2012

....compliment by my picks from past seasons.

Christophe Lemaire SS2012

Christophe Lemaire FW2011

And I might as well continue to build my custom Lemaire wardrobe with Lemaire for Hermes accessories.  Wouldn't you?!

Hermes FW2011

Interior Porn:Bookshelves

Elle Decor UK, March 2012

Lowkey Freshness 7.0: Spring Shoes

I'm convinced I need all four pair for Spring.

Rachel Comey Townsend Buc / APC Horsehide Boot

Margiela Sequin Bootie / Be & D Big City Sneaker

The Liz Tilberis Series: Harper's Bazaar July 1999

It is possible to miss someone you never met.

I miss Liz Tilberis every month.

Her years (1992-1999) as Editor-in-Chief at Harper's Bazaar set the standards for print media, the fashion industry and my own personal style.

   Today I notice, more and more, everything in fashion refers back to those years.  Everything.

It is time to look back at Liz's impact on fashion and style.

I will begin with the July 1999 Harper's Bazaar issue dedicated as the Tribute Issue.

Tom Cruise's cover was the last cover approved by Liz before her death just 3 months prior.

All ad revenue went to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Models, photographers, stylists, make-ups artists, etc., donated their time for free.

There are no editorials.  

It is the one issue which features the solidarity of the fashion industry for an icon.

Just a footnote.....

Followers of the blog are familiar with my devotion to Liz.  A series on her tenure has been in works for some time.  Last week was ReadySetFashion's 4 year anniversary, and it seemed fitting to celebrate the person who inspired my love for fashion and magazines.

My Heart Beats to the Cover of a Magazine

An iconic magazine cover is rare.

It could be months before you see one, but you know when you do.  

Your heart skips a beat.  You do a double take.

The magazine title is secondary.  

All you care about are layers of the cover, the graphics, the words, the model.

What does it mean?  What does the cover reflect?  

Is it me? The cover seems to be speaking to me.  Only me...

Ok, that doesn't happen to you?  Don't deny it, or else you wouldn't be reading this blog.

It happened when you saw the recent posts of Love Magazine's Spring 2012 cover.  Cause I sure felt the bang of my heart when I first laid eyes on Linda Evangelista in the center of a hot pink and red bulls eye.  A Linda with no eyebrows.  Linda Evangelista with NO EYEBROWS!   

What planet am I on? 

And wait, does that say 'celebrating the end of elegance'?? 

Love Magazine Spring 2012

I will be obsessed until I get my hands on the actual issue.  I will not be satisfied until I can flip through 

the pages past the cover, and find what lays beyond the initial image.

This isn't the first magazine cover to stir my emotions.    I have hundreds of magazines, and i just looked through them all to find the few issues who's cover I still obsess over.

Harper's Bazaar September 1992

It was 1992 and Harper's Bazaar declared the start of the 'era of elegance' with Ms. Evangelista.

Ironic?  I say iconic.

Harper's Bazaar January 1995

Harper's Bazaar, again.  Linda, again.

Every time I see a person in yellow, I think of this cover.  I think of Linda.

The tell-tale sign of an unforgettable cover. 

The December 2008 Dazed & Confused is tripped out.  

I keep this issue where the cover is in full view at all times.

It makes me smile.

British Vogue December 2000 and 2001

It is the covers of British Vogue that made Kate, great.

Vogue Paris October 2010 and Harper's Bazaar November 2006

Sex, obvious, or on a subconscious level.

When done right, it should sell magazines.

Vogue November 2011

Vogue follows a formula, and they are very good at it.  This cover is no exception.

I was just excited they took a risk with a unproven leading lady and micro bangs.

The Gentlewoman  Issue #1

An iconic cover from every one's favorite new guard, The Gentlewomen.

A photo of an icon, clean graphics, and the cleanest of fonts.

It is all a cover needs.

Preen Issue #4 and #3

Take as much type out as you can and you have my favorite covers from Preen. 

A magazine no longer in print and sorely missed.

Dossier Issue #1 and New York Magazine LOOK Fall 2008

A little bit Siouxsie and a little True Blood.  A look I could not pull off personally, but admire intensely. 

Harper's Bazaar December 2010

I didn't realize this was Katy Perry at first glance.  

I still don't care it is Katy Perry.

What I regret is not buying multiples of this issue to frame the covers.

Perfection.