Your favorite Fashion Chick will be on vacation (and not blogging) until Monday, June 4th. Please show the blogs under my "Required Reading" list some love in the interim. But remember to come back on June 4th! ;-)
Smooches!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
We're On a Break!
Marc Jacobs on MySpace
Thanks to those super cool chicks at Fashionista.com, I am now aware that Marc Jacobs has a REAL MySpace page. You know you want to add him, so check out his page here.
Model Moment: Chanel Iman
Chanel Iman (full name Chanel Iman Robinson) is one of the most popular models on the runway today. According to the New York Times, "her name is a combination of her mother’s favorite designer and that of a cousin who was named after the model Iman." Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1989, Chanel claims to have wanted to be a model all of her 18 years. She has walked the runways of major designers like Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Proenza Schouler and Valentino and was featured on the May 2007 cover of Vogue as one of "the world's next top models." And no surprise, Chanel's favorite brand is Chanel.
Here's Chanel serving you high fashion.
Oscar de la Renta Fall 2007
Bottega Veneta Fall 2007
Backstage at Spring 2007 Stella McCartney (wearing Chanel, of course!)
Fashion magazine layout
May 2007 cover of Vogue
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Piping Hot Fashion News
Hermes scarves celebrate their 70th anniversary this year.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Style Jack: Ugly Betty Edition
America Ferrera looks amazing in a belted, Nanette Lepore button-front dress on her way to an appearance on Live with Regis & Kelly. She shows off her shapely legs in the knee-length dress and platform, strappy heels. The leopard print is chic and sexy. You can buy the same dress America is wearing for $345 at Nordstrom.com.
Nanette Lepore 'Lucky Leopard' Dress
Or you can unleash your inner animal in this more budget-conscious leopard print mini-dress from Julie Haus:
Julie Haus Lampshade Leopard Dress $214.50 (on sale!)
Whatever you decide, these cute, strappy sandals will complete the look.
Martinez Valero Fire $135
Pucci Turns 60
The Pucci brand celebrated its 60th birthday with a party in Florence, Italy last weekend. The party brought out celebrities and socialites alike, as would be expected since Pucci has been dressing the jet-set since its inception. Known as "the Prince of Prints," Emilio Pucci's dresses have been staples for style icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The founder of the brand, Emilio Pucci, died in 1992. Christian Lacroix took over as head designer from 2002 to 2005 and the current head is the king of boho, Matthew Williamson. You can read more about the party and the history of Pucci here.
For whatever reason, I always associate Pucci with summertime. It must be the bright prints that looks so beautiful on a woman with a tan. So let's celebrate summer being right around the corner and Pucci's 60th birthday with fun Pucci prints!
And we can't forget another iconic Pucci wearer... Jacqueline Susann! In the late 60's and early 70's, she was the queen of the trash novel and frequently wore Pucci on her book interviews. So with your hair tied back in a Pucci Leite Print scarf on the beach, read a fun and trashy Jacqueline Susann novel while you're relaxing.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Yves Saint Laurent Inspired
Everybody is talking about the Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Mary Jane pump. That includes me. While you can now pre-order your own pair of the "it" shoes at Saks, I would not recommend doing that. Not that I'm opposed to spending $660 on a pair of shoes. If you have that kind of disposable income or if you like to treat yourself, go for it. But I think for most of us regular fashionistas, a $660 shoe is a big splurge and we don't spend it lightly. While a classic shoe that with proper care you will wear for years to come might be worth it, I don't think the YSL Tribute is a "new classic" shoe. Like Uggs boots forever remind me of the year 2003, the YSL Tribute is very "of the moment." Spending that kind of money on a shoe that will be so over this time next year seems silly to me. So now that I've talked you out of the YSL's, you can still get your peep-toe-platform-stiletto-Mary Jane-Tribute-ish fix with a lower priced brand.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Style Lesson: Nia Long
According to IMDB, Nia Long is turning 37 this year and stands a petite 5' 2". Yet, when you see Nia in photos, she always looks tall and impossibly youthful. She has a style all her own and the confidence to pull off a variety of looks. Here are some tips you can take from Nia's best outfits and incorporate into your own style.
Wear neautral colors that compliment your skin tone. Nia's floor length, peach-colored gown looks beautiful against her brown skin. It can take some trial and error, but finding the colors that work with your complexion can mean the difference between looking bright and fresh versus pale and withered. Neutral colors like peach, brown and tan compliment a variety of skin tones.
Show those knees! Teensy Nia Long knows the way to make herself look taller is to show some leg. Wearing a knee-length or shorter skirt instantly lengthens petite legs.
When in doubt, wear a little black dress. An L.B.D. is always an appropriate choice. Black works for both formal and casual occasions and always looks sexy. An added bonus is Nia knows the silhouettes that flatter her figure and goes for deep v-necks and spaghetti straps that show off her neck and shoulders.
Don't be afraid to take risks. A formal shorts jumpsuit? You're kidding, right? Nia has the personality and style to make it look fabulous. Don't be afraid to wear clothes that show your personal style. Isn't it wonderful when an outfit looks great on you and few other people could pull it off?
While Nia's outfits are fresh and fun, she always looks age appropriate. Take a cue from Nia and wear clothes that flatter your height and skin tone and reflect your unique style!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Dream Item of the Day
I absolutely ADORE Manolo Blahnik's Gold Brocade D'orsay Broach pump! These are the perfect fabulous shoe for formal occasions or even with skinny jeans and a sexy top for a night out with your girlfriends. Metallics are fast becoming the new neutral colors so these golden shoes would work with a variety of outfits. They're also a classic Manolo style that was featured in silver on the Sex and the City episode, "A Woman's Right to Shoes."
The silver version are basically impossible to get online although I haven't checked in stores. If you're a women who believes in a women's right to a gorgeous pair of Manolos, you can buy the gold brocade d'orsays here.
Model Moment: Lisa Cant
Since celebrities have taken over fashion magazine covers, layouts and beauty and fashion ads, very few models have the opportunity to become household names on the level of a Gisele or Naomi anymore. For this reason, I've decided to start a regular feature profiling some of my favorite, fiercest models. Today's featured model is Lisa Cant.
Born December 28, 1985 in Alberta, Canada, Lisa Cant was discovered at age 14 in an IKEA store in Calgary. She's known for her "baby-doll"-like features and is currently the face of Juicy Couture's new fragrance. Lisa's walked the runway for practically all the heavy hitters including Balenciaga, Burberry, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, Anna Sui and Michael Kors.
Here's Lisa serving you high fashion.
Fall 2007 Y&Kei
Fall 2007 Givenchy
Fashion magazine layout (Doesn't this look like an America's Next Top Model challenge? Lisa would have won!)
Fashion magazine layout
Juicy Couture Fragrance Ad
Friday, May 18, 2007
Three Times Makes it a Trend: Sequinned Minis
As I've said before, one of the official rules of fashion is: If three celebrities/starlets wear a similar style, it is officially a trend. Lately, you can't browse through red carpet pictures without seeing a celebrity wearing a sequinned mini-dress. Alice + Olivia dresses are the new favorite among all the fashionable, hot Hollywood stars.
Sarah Jessica Parker wears a short sleeve Alice + Olivia minidress at a Tap Project event.
Available at ShopBop $440
Eva Longoria wears an Alice + Olivia striped tank dress at an anniversary party for the Pussycat Dolls Lounge at PURE nightclub.
Available at Singer22 $398
Lindsay Lohan wears a blue sequinned mini-dress with vertical stripes at the Maxim Hot 100 List party.
If you don't have $400 to spend on a trendy new dress, try these more affordable options.
Bailey 44 "Catwoman" Sheath $160
French Connection Serpent Sequin Tank Dress $198
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Piping Hot Fashion News
Did you know Cleveland has a Fashion Week??
Clutch the pearls! Pearls are making a comeback!
A deranged sex attacker planned to killed Anna Wintour. I am so not kidding....
Diane von Furstenberg has lived a fabulous life, in addition to making some great wrap dresses.
Too Luxe: Marc By Marc Jacobs Dress
If you read my blog regularly, you know I have a bit of a "relationship" with Marc Jacobs. Like Audrey Hepburn had Givenchy and Renee Zellweger has Carolina Herrera, Marc Jacobs is my designer of choice for clothing and accessories. Unfortunately, Marc doesn't know that he's in this relationship with me so perhaps I'm label stalking him? Either way, when I shop his Marc by Marc Jacobs line, I usually love the looks and have trouble deciding among the many things I want, what I can buy and stay within my budget.
I was perusing his new offerings at Net-A-Porter and my eyes were assaulted by the patchwork dress above. Similar to the Tribute Patchwork Bag he designed for Louis Vuitton, this dress looks like someone took a bunch of leftover fabric swatches and decided to sew them together into a dress while coming down off of a really bad high. Hmm.... And if the dress being a visual disaster isn't bad enough, it costs a whopping $1,200! (The usual price point for dresses in his lower-priced line is $400 to $500.) That's a lot of money for a lot of ugly.
You can check out the dress here for comic relief. The back is even worse than the front.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Miu Miu Inspired
Lindsay Lohan loves Miu Miu's patent leather Mary Janes. She's frequently photographed wearing the black version and she wore the blue ones in the Spring 2007 ad campaign for the brand. I can't blame her for having these shoes on heavy rotation in her wardrobe since they're such a pretty, feminine style and they work with a variety of outfits. Lindsay wears hers with short dresses or skinny jeans. Here's where you can get the real thing or Steve Madden's near identical "inspired" version.
RIGHT: Steven by Steve Madden "Playful" $110
What Not to Wear: Alyssa Milano
According to IMDB, Alyssa Milano is 34 years old. For this reason, I am very confused about why she is dressing like a 1980's teenager while out on the streets of Hollywood. Was she feeling nostalgic for the character she played on the 1980's sitcom Who's The Boss? The shiny Dodgers jacket is too shrunken. The capri jeans are not a flattering cut or length. Her high heels seem out of place with such a casual outfit. And most importantly, NONE of this is age-appropriate! I know she's capable of doing better, so let's hope this was a moment of temporary fashion insanity.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Dream Item of the Day
I am a huge fan of Rachel Pally. Her clothes are cut simply, the fabrics are super-soft and the silhouettes are very figure flattering. For this reason, I must have this crochet shift dress. It's a bit of a departure from what we usually see from Rachel Pally since it mixes two fabrics (the crochet banding and the blue modal fabric) which I've never seen her do before. The sleeves and the shift style have a retro feel, which I love. I feel like the women who wears this dress should have a bouffant and be an expert at doing the twist. So twist away and have a smart cocktail in this Rachel Pally dress!
Rachel Pally Crochet Shift Dress $238
Monday, May 14, 2007
For the Boys: Summer Footwear
Men face a daunting conundrum every year when the weather gets warmer: What are appropriate summer shoes for men? When I first started to get together some ideas for this post, my plan was to achieve the impossible. I was going to find sandals for men (aka "mandals") that were not completely heinous. Like unicorns and leprechauns, stylish mandals do not exist. All of my findings fell into three categories: men's shoes that look like very large women's shoes, overly sporty and absolutely ridiculous. While men should avoid the mandal, in my opinion, flip flops and canvas sneakers are a great summer option.
But before a man puts on a flip flop, he should make sure his feet look presentable. By doing a quick scan of men's feet on this warm Spring day in New York City, I realized that most men's feet could use some grooming. This does not mean that men need to get pedicures in salons. There are some simple things that can be done at home to improve the condition of their feet. Using a pumice stone and foot scrub once a week will soften cracked heels and get rid of dry skin. Keeping toenails short and clean with the help of a good manicure set will also make your feet flip-flop ready.
Once a man's feet are well groomed, it's time to put on the flip-flops. Here are some of my favorites.
JCrew Madras Thong $24.50
Ferragamo Leather Thong $250
And for those casual summer nights where you don't want to wear a flip flop...
Converse Slip-On Sneaker $95
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Style Jack: Eva Mendes
Here is Eva Mendes attending the premiere of The Wendell Baker Story, a comedy starring Mendes, Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson. Eva is actually wearing a dress that a woman without a multi-million dollar salary can afford, so let's commence to jacking her style.
The red and black versions of the Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent Dress that Eva wears above are on sale at ShopBop for $184.80 (reduced from $264).
Complete the look with a white clutch from Nordstrom for $40...
And black Guess peep-toe pumps for $89.95.
Total cost to jack Eva's style: $314.75
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