A go-to outfit, or weekend uniform in my case, is especially essential in arctic temperatures when just getting out the door is a challenge. I’d been feeling rather confident about mine after finally scoring the perfect oversized men’s chambray I’d been hunting for since August. I was a vision of smug, self-satisfaction until a good friend saw said outfit and proceeded to put on the exact same thing, leggings and all. And look better in it than I did.

But I decided style doppelgangers are way cool. Granted, his A.P.C. schools mine, but I’ll still wear the shit out of various combinations of this look. Plus, we can confuse people in bars, double score! Dying to get in on the fun? Nau has a good option.

Extra special note: my style twin just happens to be an insanely talented artist. AND (could things get any better?!) he’s part of a show this weekend along with an Atticus favorite, Lauren from Carrier Pigeon. Go check it out! Denim shirts optional.

It’s a good thing laying in bed with 4 girlfriends to watch Troop Beverly Hills was on my to-do list Sunday otherwise I might have felt a teensy bit unproductive. I was aghast, literally appalled that up until that very moment, I’d been walking around completely oblivious to the fact that I’ve never seen the greatest film ever made.

The wildly inappropriate sexual innuendos that were acceptable in PG movies back in the olden days, numerous musical montages, non-stop smoking and drinking in the presence of minors were all really, just frosting on the cookies. The costume design is, no joke, what’s been keeping me up at night; it was outrageous, inspired and truly impeccable. Harem pants, Louis Vuitton notebooks, white-leather pantsuits, foot long shoulder pads, killer ray bans, piles of tulle, feathers, a hat for every occasion, fur, fur, FUR and what can only be described as zebra-print pants with a full length sheer attached skirt that I may die if I don’t someday possess.

Never did I imagine I’d be literally beside myself with excitement to channel Shelley Long, but sometimes inspiration can be a jerk like that, always making you eat your words.

Here’s my take on modernizing what shall now be know as The Greatest Movie of our Time, featuring generous amounts of Rag & Bone and Giles & Brother:

You’ve most likely spent the day desperately clicking refresh on the old Atticus blog wondering when we’d post our annual line-up of what we’re thankful for this very second! We’ve been so busy we almost forgot, but far be it for us to ruin anyone’s holiday weekend! Behold, deep thoughts from Kristin and Bekah.

What Kiki’s thankful for this year:

• My families – The Wild family, the Atticus family and my family of friends
• My Boyfriend Birk– And the fact that even though long distance blows, I’ve gotten to discover how rad Minneapolis is!
• My discovery of Raleigh – The city, the denim and new bfffs
• My new appreciation for fantasy football – Especially Antonio, Roddy and Reggie
• Rag&Bone
• Graze

What Bekah’s thankful for this year:

• Double Rainbows – Even on a stormy Friday the 13th, they’re a sign of good things to come.
• Adoptive Mom & Dad – Yes, they gift me Alexander Wang handbags and have paid for what amounts to a college education’s worth of brunches, but without their sage advice I would be lost. “General guideline: What you call ‘flirting’ is actually semi-terrifying sexual harassment. Maybe it’s time to revisit your definition.”
• Travel – Especially Raleigh and Minny for allowing me to add new friends to my creative commune with every trip.
• Shari 2010 – Words cannot even explain.
• Kanye’s New Album – Oh Kanye, you had me at serato.

For many, Labor Day marks the final hurrah before the onset of cooler temperatures; a chance for a quick getaway, the last opportunity to pack in as much summertime chillin before autumn sneaks up. I’ll be spending mine channeling the spring Chanel show with a group of friends at a farmhouse up north. Eating, drinking, boating, horseback riding, antiquing, campfires and fortune tellers await…but what to pack in my weekender to bid adieu to summer 2010?

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Oft-inspired by Garance (perhaps that should be a category of its own on this blog?), I’m dying over her post detailing banished fashion terminology.

As an avid reader and writer, I’m bombarded with an endless supply of words and phrases I’d like to take behind the barn and beat with a shovel. Obviously, I’m not immune, I break my own rules as often as I follow them, (what don’t I “heart”?) but I like to think Atticus is not your average fashion-forward friend. I’m not going to insist you “can’t live without” something or “need it now,” because really, if I’m promising this, there are some bigger issues at hand. I’ll drone on and on (and on) about what I love and why I do, but the rest is up to you to carve out for yourself. And as my dear friend/mentor/style advisor/Chanel 2.55 benefactor says, at the end of the day, we’re not digging ditches. After, all, it’s just fashion.

But for a bit of fun, here’s my list of phrases I’d like to stop seeing:

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We’ve been on an elated high since our Raleigh Denim event. A torrential downpour on Friday the 13th eventually turned into double rainbows (literally!) and Sarah and Victor’s visit was brilliant, amazing, insightful and the most fun we’ve had in a very long time.

We delighted in showing them around town (meaning we took them to 3 of the only 3 places we ever go) and Victor even dropped his own version of deep thoughts: “It’s better to make too little and have it all gone than to make too much and have left overs.” Word Victor, word. While we were at it, we even managed to sneak in an interview question! Without further ado, the one and only question I ever ask:

If your style had a soundtrack, what would it be?

“The National, Gayngs, Rosebuds, Megafun, Caribou and of course Kayne and Jay-Z.”

You heard it here first. Thank you again to everyone who shared the fun: everyone who attended, the incredible staff at Graze, our sick dj, our lovely photographer and of course Raleigh Denim.

Best friend bracelets coming soon guys!

Inspired by the ever adorable Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere, I set about creating my own version of summer rules. Here’s what I’ve decided on so far…what’s on your agenda this summer?

• Go to a baseball game
• See a play in the outdoor theatre
• Over-indulge in my official drink of the summer, ‘the model behavior’: vodka, soda and ½ an Emergen-C packet
• Emerge unscathed (no twisted ankles, no accidental over-exposure) from my perfect summer outfit: a silk playsuit and a proper pair of sky-high wedges
• Treat my standing brunch dates instead of it always being the other way around
• Finish painting, hanging, framing and sawing (yes, sawing!) the projects around my house I put off all winter
• Hop on the boat every chance I get
• Attend every dance party humanly possible. Or at least wear myself into exhaustion in an attempt to do so.
• Listen to a bedtime story
• Take the beach cruisers for a spin with a six-pack and try not to make Bobbie regret going with me by refraining from complaining every other second (what’s this weird feeling in my legs B? Ummm…I think that’s called physical activity)
• Sneak into the park after midnight and make out under the stars. Again.
• Plan my fall vacation. Fingers crossed for surf camp in Costa Rica.

The alleged offender rocking two of her favorite looks: Gaga and tights as pants.

Choosing not to let other’s opinions affect one’s own is an ever evolving process. I felt simultaneously heart-broken and utterly ridiculous earlier this week when the following came out of my mouth, directed at my 5 year old daughter: “not everyone loves fashion as much as we do, it’s okay if people ‘don’t get’ your outfits.” After seeing me in shredded black denim a few months back, we fashioned a pair for her and she’d been gleefully wearing them with abandon ever since, but her confidence faltered after schoolmates teased her. Horrified barely describes how I felt discovering that judgement like this already begins with the Pre-K set. Immunity belongs to no one, however, and she seemed relieved and reassured when I told her even I still get snide comments. (To the cargo shorts, action sandal aficionado who hilariously told me my pants had holes in them? Thanks hater, now go drink another High Life.) I grabbed this opportunity to reiterate values I hope are already instilled; that everyone is wildly different and to never allow someone else’s opinion matter more than her own.

Over the years I’ve accumulated like-minded friends so assemblages like couture and converse, sequins and tutus, elicit barely a second glance. I shed insecurities like this ages ago but I still remember that need for approval and validation. Who doesn’t? We’ve all uttered at least once in our lives, “does this look okay?” Luckily, I quickly discovered how freeing it is to literally not give a shit. Tights as pants? Shirts as dresses? Snakeskin boots and fur coats? Yup, I’ve worn ‘em all, and taken flack for every one. But this is arguably the most incredible aspect of fashion. It’s why I worship at its altar every minute of every day. Who cares? (Say it again cause it feels good.) Do what you want, make it your own, wear what you love and put it all out there. Will there be cringe-inducing mistakes? Absolutely! Mall bangs, I’m looking in your direction. But while there’ll never be a shortage of people lined up to knock you down, you already conveniently posses the only opinion that matters. Your own.

Inspired partly from meeting Lucky editor Elise Loehnen and from a sartorially superior friend who arrives for weekly brunch in nearly the same outfit, I began assessing my own weekend uniform. My work week dress code is rather lax to say the least, but I bottom out come Saturday and Sunday. Depending on how long the night before lasted, mine generally consists of denim, chuck taylors and old tees, of which I’m currently alternating between a Missbehave collaboration (RIP) and something swiped from a friend’s merch table.

But seeing Elise looking ultra casual yet completely put together in khakis and a blazer at a Lands End Canvas event made me want to step it up a notch. Canvas was an excellent place to start, the newly imagined line modernly reinterprets preppy staples, making even minimalist, all-black enthusiasts like myself, want to tie a sweater around my neck and hop on a boat with people aptly named Chip or Muffy.

Even if I keep certain elements (the sneaks, leggings and “dressy” sweats) weekend uniforms can come together with a structured Kova & T blazer or luxurious It bag.

Check out the Lands’ End Canvas Blog for more “impossibly cool” inspiration. (Plus, they write about grammar too! Swoon.)

We have an overwhelming girl-centric focus around Atticus. It’s not intentional, we just write what we know. So for our summer lookbook, we shifted direction to guys for a change, more specifically our newst handsome models, musical wunderkinds du jour, Dirty Disco Kidz. When not single-handedly reviving the classic creeper ’stache, Ric, Chris and Vinnie mix, produce and perform at packed to capacity, dance your pants off parties. They graciously allowed us to dress and style them to our hearts content; we figured, who better to lounge around looking effortlessly cool in Simon Miller, Trovata and Relwen while sipping Veuve Cliquot?

What did we learn from the shoot? Hamptons polo match is not poor Ric’s favorite look, posing with gorgeous but very underage models is easier with a little Jay-Z and fashionably late equals about two and a half hours, give or take.

Check out the lookbook here, then go see the live version Friday, May 7 at the Majestic Theatre in Madison. Trust us, you’ll love it. And if you’re wondering what to wear to this crazy sexy party, stop into Atticus and take advantage of our Pay it Forward Sale.