June 2006 Archives

The July fashion magazines are out!  I love this because they start previewing Fall.  Fall is my favorite season for fashion, I think it's because I used to get such a thrill out of "back to school" shopping with my Mom.  Clearly I am not in school anymore, but the season is still my favorite.  I always treat myself to at least one pair of special shoes.

I've found a candidate: see ad below from the July issue of either Vogue or Bazaar.  (I forgot which one I tore this page out of.)  I called Furla's Fifth Avenue store and these are not in yet, but should be in by the end of July/early August.

The magazines are showing a lot platforms for Fall, and these are particularly cool because they have a bit of a retro vibe and the heel looks like it must be at least 4" high (I hope so!).  Anyway, I hope they are fabulous in person as they look...

Cheerio and Happy 4th of July weekend!

Please forgive my neglect.  I was away for a few days in Arizona...

Let me take this opportunity to report back on The Boulders Resort in Carefree, Arizona.  Carefree is just outside of Phoenix (as is Scottsdale) in the beautiful Sonoran Desert.  Carefree is north of Scottsdale so it has a more remote feeling that is perfect for a truly relaxing getaway destination.  One might think it is crazy to go to the desert in June, but in fact it is quite lovely.  The heat is dry, so compared to the unbearably humid New York summers; it is no problem at all. 

One approaches the resort via a long driveway that curves through cacti, rocks, and the golf course.  It is a beautiful preview of what is to come.  You see this huge rock as you approach and the main resort building is just beside it. 

The rooms are spread out over the property in little buildings that they call Casitas.  The rooms are beautifully done in tasteful Southwestern style décor with wood beamed ceilings and fireplaces (not to be used in the summer of course!)  The bathrooms with attached walk-in closets are nearly as big as my New York apartment!  The beds were the most amazing hotel beds that I have ever experienced.  The pillows: Hungarian white goose down, the duvet:  the same in a perfect light weight.  The sheets:  Italian sateen by Mascioni, the duvet cover:  Italian wide stripe by Mascioni.  This bed was so incredibly comfortable.  I cannot say enough about it.

When I go away to relax, what I like to do is hang out by the pool (under an umbrella) and read and swim.  Their pool is perfect for this.  It is right next to the huge boulder rocks.  (see picture)  The pool attendants will bring you drinks and food or you can go sit at tables and order lunch at the pool café.  Their offerings were perfect poolside fare:  tuna Nicoise salad, fish tacos etc.

The desert has all sorts of cute little animals scurrying around.  Lizards, bunnies, all sorts of birds... that was really fun too.  I love bunnies!!!!

Wow, I can't wait to go back!

Today, I'd like to expound the virtues of the Old Navy tank top. 

1. they are ridiculously cheap, normally they sell for $8.50 but often go on sale for $6.00

2. they come in an insane number of colors (although I favor a very simple palette of black, white, chocolate brown and gray)

3. they go with anything

4. they are super comfortable

5. you don't have to feel bad when you need to throw one away

When I was cleaning my apartment a few weeks ago, I found that I had 44 of them in various stages of an item's life cycle.  I got it down to 26 by getting rid of (to good will) any whose cotton didn't feel supple and newish.  It is insane how often I wear these tank tops... now you might think I look like a bum all the time... but it's amazing how cool and insouciant a simple Old Navy tank top can look when you throw one on with your Seven jeans, Gucci shoes and good jewelry!

A while back I bought several James Perse tank tops ($35 or $40 each depending on the style) just to make sure I wasn't missing the boat there....  Okay, I don't think I was/am.  They are nice, but we talking about tank tops - - are they really 4 x nicer? I doubt it.  See, my fashion snobbery is apparently somewhat modest...

Bon week-end tout le monde!

Just a quick note today to say that if you haven't checked out the Gucci sale yet, you really should!

The great thing about their sales is that although they are rare, they do mark down pretty aggressively.

Here are some examples:

This great large tote in the fabulous bamboo print with leather trim - a great beach bag - is now only $359 marked down from $595.

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This classic bag in the brown GG print with nice leather details is $739 marked down from $1050.

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And from shoes, here's a pair of black suede heels with a nice 3.7 inch heel now only $299!!!  Marked down from $495. 

 

All of these great deals are online at Gucci.com, but if you have a store near you then you should go because they often have a different selection at the stores.

I have loved Hermes scarves ever since I went to their Paris store (24 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré) in 2000 and had a scarf tying lesson and tour of their upstairs leather atelier.  I got my first scarf there - Brazil in the medium blue and orange colorway.  As soon as I got back to New York I got my second one - Hula in the black colorway.

The patterns on Hermes scarves are truly like art, they are so beautiful!  In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea to frame one and hang it on your wall.  The quality of the silk, the printing and the hand rolled edges are also what set Hermes scarves apart.

These are square scarves, so they can be hard to wear if you don't know what to do with them.  Hermes used to give you a cute little hardcover book when you bought a scarf as a gift, but they don't have them anymore...  You can download the book in a pdf file from the Hermes website though (www.hermes.com).  You can also buy the book on ebay, although I've seen them for as high as $45.00 which seems ridiculous for a book that is so tiny (it is about 3 inches square) and that was originally free!

One of my favorite scarf tying ideas is the scarf shirt.  Here's what you do:  Lay the scarf out flat.  Pick it up at the center middle and let the rest of the scarf fall aside.  Tie a knot here.  Then take the 2 upper corners and tie them around your neck and the bottom 2 corners and tie them around your waist.  Then you just need to arrange the neck so it drapes nicely.  Madonna wore another variation of the scarf shirt in the movie Swept Away (see below).  Her scarf was La Vie a Cheval in the black and yellow colorway.

It has already started to feel a lot like summer here in New York, so I thought I would share my thoughts on the perfect straw hat.  I discovered this hat at the Bellagio gift shop in Las Vegas a few years ago and it has been my favorite ever since.

The hat I am talking about is Eric Javits' Squishee Swinger Hat.  Eric Javits is a New York designer of hats, bags and shoes - but is most well known for his hats.  Fashion stylists and the cognoscenti love his hats.  He makes several types of "Squishee" hats.  These are brilliant because they look like straw but are made of a rayon/nylon/cotton/viscose blend so you can fold and pack them!

The swinger hat is my favorite because it has a super wide brim to protect your face from the sun.  You can flip it either up or down for different looks.

You can get this hat at Saks Fifth Avenue for $290.  It is worth every penny.  They also have some other cool styles...

Imagine my delight when I received a hand addressed invitation last week from Gucci to shop their Spring/Summer sale before it opens to the general public!  This is very dangerous for a Guccaholic.

Let me take you on my imaginary shopping spree at the Fifth Avenue, New York store where I usually shop.  (they also have a shop on Madison Avenue in Manhattan)

I would start on the third floor because I always go straight for the shoes. 

With restraint I have selected just two pairs.   First, the amazing crocodile platform sandals with a super high heel in a gorgeous chocolate brown...

And second, black 3.7 inch mules with the classic Gucci red and green web and light gold horsebit.  I have a similar pair with a silver horsebit, but I think it is good to have both to coordinate with your jewelry (white gold or platinum vs. yellow gold).

Next, I would go back downstairs to the street level to bags and wallets.  What I have been really wanting lately is a new black bag because my current black Gucci bag is starting to show its age.  I like the giant hobo with the giant horsebit because you can fit a ton of stuff in it and it has a cool slouchy look.

Next in bags, I absolutely adore the Bamboo print that they are using this year.  I am not sure if it is a vintage print that they brought back or it is a new one - either way it is fabulous.  I am bamboo crazy anyway.  I love (and have a couple of) their shoes with the bamboo detail.  I also love Tiffany's Bamboo collection in sterling silver, but they discontinued it.  :-(   Sorry, I was getting off track there.

This is the classic "Bouvier Bag" that they did this season in a ton of different leathers/fabrics/combinations.

Last of all, I would check out wallets.  The Spring/Summer wallet collection is somewhat limited, so I've picked out a unique one.   They brought back their vintage "Pigna" print, which looks to me like a pineapple.  It looks great with brown... so this would be a wonderful wallet to go with any brown bag.  It is totally unique and eye-catching.

After wallets, I'd be done! 

Wow, that was fun.  In reality, I will go and maybe buy one thing.  But I will REALLY try not to if I don't really need it because I realize that I have a shopping problem......

Happy shopping to my fellow shopaholics.