There are many life lessons that I am still trying to learn.  This is certainly one of them.  I have a lawyer for a Father, and chose politics as my avocation, so being argumentative is a trait that I learned early.  Follow that with years competing in speech and debate and a career in politics, and I am ready to spar with any adversary you put in front of me.  But, sometimes, I just need to send my regrets to the person who invited me and forgo the verbal fisticuffs.

1) If you love Phillip Lim, you’ll be happy to learn that he has another Target collaboration coming to stores this fall.  Check out the lookbook here.  And if you can’t wait, I have been admiring his side seam tee with a mix of fabrics and this asymmetric beaded tank.

2) Even though summer is about to start singing it swan song, if you’re still looking to tone up a bit for swimsuit season, I found this Apartment Therapy post about using YouTube as a personal trainer interesting.  It’s something to check out if you’re looking to start a routine or have fallen into a rut (*this girl*).

3) On the tail of last year’s Washington Post article about how women’s suiting is a rare commodity, the Wall Street Journal has an article talking about the “leaner, meaner” power suit.  Frankly, all I want is an interesting suit that isn’t going to put me in the poor house.  This Nina Ricci suit is divine, but I’d have to sell a kidney to afford it.

4) Speaking of career, a lawyer friend shared this NYT article with me, and I thought I should share it with all of you.  The piece discusses the growing number of women who chose to stay home with their children for a few years and are now trying to break back into the workforce.  It’s a fascinating read.

5)  Marc Jacobs has branched out into makeup and the eyeshadow palettes are to.die.for.  I had to have the Tease palette, a mix of purples and pinks.  I am also thinking about his Vamp palette, which is a mix of the most beautiful jewel tones.

6)  “You’re Not Pretty Enough: Dealing with the Ugly Self-Doubt” was an interesting read.  The article and the book raise a lot of questions about how appearance plays into self-esteem and how to refocus on what really matters.  Certainly worth a read.

7) I swore that I wasn’t going to shop to save up for a trip I’m taking.  But when I saw this black and ivory winged tote, with all of its sophistication and elegance on the ASOS site, I couldn’t resist.  That’s a lot of style for $99.

8) Did you know that most of the new apartments and homes being built in China are empty?  Middle class investors buy them as a place to park their savings, but because they are too expensive for most of the people in the working class to even rent, they sit vacant.  Whole cities are ghost towns.  It’s creepy, and makes you wonder if their booming economy is sustainable if it’s built on an empty construction boom.

9) Nordstrom Rack online has some great end-of-summer pieces for sale right now.  So if you need a few things to get through until October, esp. if you have a wedding coming up, check it out.  I was taken with this deeply discounted DvF blouse and this striped dress from Theory.

10) There’s a new app for your smartphone that calculates how high you can toss it into the air.  Sounds like fun, until you fail to catch it on the descent.  Then, it’s a $500 oops.  Clearly, this was invented by the people who replace broken screens for $25 at the mall.