somebody help me, my neck hurt, my chain heavy

Partially inspired by Melanie Griffith in Something Wild, featured in my recent Louise Brooks post, but mostly inspired by my insane love affair with accessories, I celebrate the 'statement necklace' - the loud, large, heavy pieces that dominate any look. The louder, larger and heavier, the better. 

I love anything turquoise, but I adore Raquel Welch's Native American-inspired stone necklace

Even while on the run, Faye Dunaway's Bonnie never abandons style with this gold coin necklace

Anita Pallenberg has a fabulous array of baubles

Not to be outdone by anyone, Kanye West rocks a few awesome chains

Carmen Miranda never says no to strands of beads

Twiggy incorporates her dress into a necklace into watches into magical-ness

Edie Sedgwick is never less than the ultimate It-Girl with her signature style of gamine clothes and a heavy beaded necklace

Elizabeth Taylor, the queen of jewels, has some amazing pieces on display 

Judy Collins shows how strands of small beads can be made into a statement-making look

My style hero Iris Apfel

Keith Richards rocks the pirate-rocker-hot god thing really well

La pièce de résistance - Maria Felix's crocodile necklace

Title: from "Heavy" (Gucci Mane)

pretty in pink, isn't she?

The other day I went on a shopping excursion to one of Dallas' premier vintage boutiques, Ahab Bowen. AB is unfortunately going out of business, which is quite bittersweet for me - I love the store to pieces and I am sad to see it go, but I can't resist the insane sales that they've been having the last few days as they clear out their merch. 

I don't know why, but I went totally Molly Ringwald and wore majority pink - which isn't a bad thing. Andie Walsh was a fashion icon! White tank top and pink dolman top are from Forever 21 - they are surprisingly super soft and have held up in the wash without pilling (I let the dolman top airdry, as I do not want a crop top). Brown leather wooden heels from Madewell. Pink blazer is by Audrey 3+1 (also, light blue available at LuLu*s) and has really great scrunched-up sleeves, which is good for a gal like me whose elbows are not cooperative with such sleeve-scrunching matters. Dark wash jeggings are by Sold Design Lab, and have a very convincing denim feeling to them - I think they are my favorite jeggings to date (and I am a jegging aficionado, as my friends know). They are called the "Spring Street Skinny" which is a pretty fab name, and are apparently 'pull on jeans' - not jeggings. My mistake. 

I purchased the necklace years ago in a market in Paris - it's relatively simple and light, which I like about it. It's not too often that I like subtlety in my jewelry. Same with the earrings - I bought them when I was in the seventh grade and they are probably the smallest earrings that I own. 

As usual, I wore my rose gold Cartier Love bracelet, and paired it with a 'Karma' bracelet by Skova Soul and an intricately designed knuckle 'Skylight' ring by Free People. 

These are some of my goodies from Ahab Bowen - a big Kenneth Jay Lane-inspired snake bangle and a glittery over-the-top snake ring. I've been on a snake kick lately - well, I've been on one for years, but it's really flared up this summer. I have to do a post on my absurd collection of serpent jewelry. 

Anyone in the Dallas area ought to stop by Ahab Bowen while they still can - the store closes its doors and takes down its feather boas on Sunday. AB is restocking everyday so there are always more gems to find. If you miss out this week but still want to see some Ahab Bowen goods after Sunday, Dolly Python will be carrying the remainder of the store's merchandise in their store with the label marked 'AB.' 

Title: from "Pretty in Pink" (The Psychedelic Furs)

* I did not choose this song to reference because I think I look pretty and want you to agree ... it's literally the only song I could think of that talks about the color pink * 

yeah i like you, and i'm feeling so bohemian like you

My good friend and fellow blogstress Melissa of Glamoretta and I attended the opening of Club Monaco's first concept boutique (this is for ladies only) in the West Village neighborhood of Dallas last week. The event was hosted by Jane and Judy Aldridge of Sea of Shoes and Atlantis Home, respectively. We looked around at CM's new collection - a gorgeous compilation of sandy-hued dresses, skirts, and blazers - as well as the store's display of vintage sunglasses, jewelry (chosen by designer Vanessa Mooney), Moroccan tote bags, and vintage Chanel purses. The vintage pieces were hand-selected by CM's vintage curator Selima Salaun, who has the most enviable job in the world (imagine being paid to scour French flea markets for fashionable finds). 

It was fun to roam around the store with some of Dallas's most fashionable - I even spotted girls who I went to school with years ago who are now on the social scene!

I wore a dolman-sleeved buttondown by Brandy Melville, tying it at the bottom to show-off the cool layover detailing of my navy blue high-wisted trousers by 3.1 Phillip Lim. My heels and long-strap chain handbag are both by Madewell. My turquoise and feather-charm necklace is from The Gypsy Wagon, which I matched with a silver feather cuff from Free People that I wore as a bangle. I wore a bunch of other bracelets as well, including my rose gold Cartier Love bracelet, snake-faced brass 'Karma' bracelets by Skova Soul, and Ferragamo black leather wraparound bracelet. I also wore my favorite Deco ring and a gold vermeil hammered ring by Soixante Neuf, and Fool's Gold earrings from Urban Outfitters. 

Also (because I know that you all care!) I darkened my hair a bit by adding a bit of red so that it's more strawberry blonde, or what my good friend Liz calls 'blinge'. I like it a lot - it's different from what I expected, but I'm almost glad that it's not too much of a change because I am freaking out over this super-subtle difference. 

According to her blog, Melissa is sporting a Madewell jumpsuit with a vintage pendant necklace, coral lace bra from Urban Outfitters, and grey PVC sandals by Givenchy. 

* Pictures courtesy of Glamoretta

Title: from "Bohemian Like You" (The Dandy Warhols) 

if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it

I've been toying around with the idea of featuring my personal style on Dolly Rocker Girl for a while now, but I'm such a scaredy cat that I can never build up the nerve to actually do it. (What if you guys don't like me? Or, even worse, what if you guys don't like my shoes?!) 

Luckily, one of my best friends is a fantastic photographer who runs a fab tumblr called Little Prism which features her gorgeous macro photography, and she was kind enough to take some pics of me wearing my favorite rings. 

I have an obscene love for rings - I can never have enough! Charm rings, class rings, statement rings, mood rings ... honestly put any ring on my phalange and I'm as happy as can be. Two is my absolute minimum (unless I'm wearing my heavy Alexander McQueen skull ring, which weighs down my entire hand), but I've been known to wear five or six at any given time. Some have called my penchant for wearing multiple rings at once 'pirate-y,' but I prefer to think of it as a by-product of my good ole Southern upbringing. Hailing from Texas (where everything is in fact bigger there), I am adamant believer that more is more. So, when it comes to something as important as accessorizing, I am definitely a maximalist. 

While at the moment I don't think I'm ready to make the leap into full-fledged style pics of myself, I am dipping my toes (well, actually my fingers) into the pool of fashion photography. 

The top ring is a vintage Art Deco piece, it is white gold with diamonds and sapphires. I absolutely adore  this ring - I am rarely ever seen without this ring on. It was a graduation gift from my parents, who bought it in a vintage shop in Manhattan. 

The rings that have the little cut-outs of a heart, a moon, and a star are by Ariel Gordon Jewelry, a line that I first heard about when I was at the Lucky FABB Conference back in February and am now beyond in love with. I love stacking the rings on top of each other (like featured) or wearing one individually when I am in the mood to have something delicate and petite on my hands. 

The ring that is stacked above the three Ariel Gordon rings is a Low Luv x Erin Wasson creation that I picked up from Nasty Gal a few weeks back. It's an unusual design, which always interests me when it comes to rings, and I'm a sucker for anything Erin Wasson. Also, I have a profound fascination with the 'evil eye' belief, which is subtly incorporated into the design without being too distracting from the rest of the ring.  

I've long had an obsession with snakes (in jewelry form only, though - I really hate snakes). This Betsey Johnson ring perfectly fit the bill for me - not only does the snake wrap around your finger, which I died over, but its a great vibrant green color (not too neon, not too pea soup-y) and it has the most glittery fabulous pink stones all over it. 

I'll add more pictures that were taken as they are uploaded, because this is jut the tip of the iceberg of my ring collection - but what do y'all think? Should I add a personal style section to the site, or would you rather just see pics of the famous gals who we know get it right? 

Title: from "Single Ladies" (Beyonce) 

big, blonde, and beautiful

I love how Pattie Boyd looks here - voluminous curls, tons of statement jewelry, and those big dolly girl eyes that made the Beatle boys melt! In my eyes, she's sheer perfection. More is definitely more here! (Though that could be a bit of the Texan gal in me)