March 2008 Archives

This Spring Giuseppe Zanotti has come out with some crazy looking cut-out wedges in various styles.  Hideous or Fabulous?  I'm going to have to say hideous.  Although I would wear them, I think they would look great for part of a mod Halloween costume.

Cutout Turquoise Satin Wedge - available at the Giuseppe Zanotti boutique 806 Madison Ave., NY - $675

Cutout Leather Sandal Wedge - available at Zappos.com Couture - $754

Cutout Leather Sandal Wedge with Zipper Detail - available at Net-a-porter.com - $695

Has anyone else noticed that the number of amazing handbags in the marketplace has grown exponentially over the last several years?  It's impossible to keep up with.  Maybe it's even ridiculous.  It makes me think of Thomas Couture's "Romains de la Decadence" (it's hanging that the Musee d' Orsay in case you don't know what this is), except we now have EXCESS more so than vice (although us and the Romans are/were very good at both).  The excesses available to us are so compelling though...  back to the bags... you know, it used to be great if you had a Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.  But now there are like a gazillion "it bags". Marc Jacobs, Chloe, Mulberry, Luella Bartley, Botkier, Kooba, Balenciaga, Burberry... it goes on and on.  Even stale old brands like Bally are getting into the game with updated styles that of course, cost about $1000. Here's Jessica Alba with her Bally "Jana" bag and the Bally "Soledad" bag $799, that is on sale right now at zappos.com for the bargain price of $599.21.

I guess this is ridiculous, but before this weekend I had never been to a Loehmann's store.  I suppose I gave up on the bargain stores a long time ago, after going to TJ Maxx etc. and finding that they never had anything good.  Loehmann's however has the brands separated onto their own racks so you don't have to search through a ton of junk to find what you want.  This weekend they had labels like Theory, Joie, James Perse, Juicy Couture, Generra, True Religion, Seven for All Mankind, Calvin Klein, DKNY, etc.  So... I found a silk jersey Diane Von Furstenberg dress from the Spring/Summer 2007 collection!  Similar to this one:

The print is Gaudi Wave in Moss.  Okay, it's kind of ugly, but aren't a lot of DVF's prints kind of ugly?  But they're not REALLY ugly because they're meant to be retro.  The cut of the dress I found is different, it is the button front style with a belted drop waist.  The dress normally sells for $345 and I got it for $79.99 less 10% for joining the  Loehmann's Insider Club (signing up for that is free), so $72!  Isn't that crazy!!!

Here's another great deal.  Spend $500 in contemporary sportswear at Neiman Marcus (www.neimanmarcus.com) and get a cool Tory Burch tote bag for free! And/or free shipping on orders over $150 with code NMHIP. These offers are only good through the end of the weekend 3/23.

It's the perfect time to get this 3.1 Phillip Lim Beaded Paisley-Print Dress ($675) that Kate Hudson wore recently out and about in Miami. 

Ralph Lauren is having an online "Friends and Family" sale - 30% off full priced items through March 28th! (http://www.ralphlauren.com/home/index.jsp?camp=0321FANDF)

What's with this poor guy's outfit? Is that really supposed to inspire us to shop? Ugghh. I don't think so. Anyway, we can forgive them for that, for 30% off!

New York Magazine has a really cool feature on their website, "Shop-A-Matic" (http://nymag.com/shopping/shopamatic/) billed as "we window-shop so you don't have to".  They have it for different categories like Spring Dresses, Spring Jackets, Handbags, Shoes, etc. 

They are organized by cost and go from low to high. For example in Spring Dresses they start with a $23 Old Navy Patch Pocket Shirt Dress and end with a $3990 Gucci Floral Print Silk Dress.  They add new Shop-A-Matics seasonally (they had a great one for Valentine's Day), so it's worth bookmarking and checking it out every once in a while.  Technically, they are for stuff available in New York stores, but they tell you the brand, etc. so is most cases you can find the item elsewhere as well.

Rain boots are seriously geekdom territory, but you only have to get caught out in the pouring rain once in $500 shoes to learn your lesson.  Whenever it's really raining I wear my super geek rain boots, or if it's supposed to rain later in the day, I'll at least bring my Converse sneakers for emergency use.  Here are some Burberry rain boot options for anyone who wants to join me in super geekdom.

I wish they hadn't made the Burberry logo so big on these, that's kind of tacky, but oh well.  Burberry "Logo Plate" rain boots $190.

Burberry "Knit Cuff" rain boots $210. I'd really love these if they didn't have the knit cuff. Maybe it's possible to stuff it down into the boot instead of folding it over?

Tomorrow's the first day of Spring, so it's a good time to go through your umbrella inventory to get ready for rainy season.  I love cool umbrellas.  The only problem is that I tend to lose them.  I've left 2 Burberry umbrellas in cabs, I'm on my 3rd one now.  Despite this, I like to have at least one nice umbrella along with several of the NYC standard issue $3 umbrellas ($5 if it's raining).

Here's the super deluxe ultimate umbrella: Louis Vuitton Arc en Ciel Umbrella $580 at eLuxury. Okay, that's expensive... BUT it's made with real wood, brass and leather.  Not a lot of umbrellas can say that much.

Here's a reasonable priced one from Burberry. The Slim Walker Umbrella $165. Their umbrellas run from $695 for a super deluxe one similar to the LV above, down to $140 for a mini folding umbrella.

This one's not very exciting looking, but it's very heavy duty for wind. Davek Umbrella available at frontgate.com $99.50.

This one is only $38 and has a nice wooden handle and cool link print. Banana Republic $38.

Creme de la Mer is a very rich face cream made with sea kelp, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, lecithin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B12 and oils of citrus, eucalyptus, wheat germ, alfalfa and sunflower.  The ingredients are fermented to create the "miracle broth" in creme de la mer.  La Mer's brochure says it will make skin softer, firmer, and look virtually creaseless; aging lines and pores made noticeably less visible;  and sensitivities soothed.  I use it anywhere I think a wrinkle may show up in the future.  So far, so good.  It has a kind of old lady smell that I don't really like, but that's okay...
   

Estee Lauder bought La Mer in 1995 and it has become more and more popular since then, thanks to the EL marketing machine and more wide distribution. You can buy La Mer at Bloomingdales. It is $125 for an ounce, $220 for 2 oz or $1350 for 16.5 oz. Good grief, who'd need a jar that big?

In the spirit of Saint Patrick's Day, here are some festive green things to wear/carry. 

Bezel set emeralds and diamonds on a 14k chain @ Ross Simons on sale $1,015.75

Theory rayon tank dress in shamrock green @ Bloomingdale's $285

D&G Woven Straw Tote @ zappos.com couture $949

I was saying in my last post that I think Coach shoes are a good value.  I thought I might explain that a little more.  In my experience in talking to people about the Coach brand, most people have no idea what Coach really is.  Indeed, Coach's history is "American goods". Coach was founded in Manhattan in 1941 and began as a family-run leather goods workshop.  But they are far from this today, according to their annual report (10-k) they are "a leading American marketer of fine accessories and gifts for men and women, they "utilize a flexible, cost-effective global sourcing model, in which independent manufacturers supply our products, allowing us to bring our broad range of products to market rapidly and efficiently".  In other words, Coach does not make Coach products anymore.  It is a fact that many Coach items are made in China. To me, this is not a true "luxury" brand, but at the same time their prices are a lot lower too, so I think it's okay. Anyone really interested should read their annual report available online in their Investor Relations section.

I have to admit that I've scoffed at Coach in the past because I've known for a long time that a lot of their bags come from China.  But I have to say that I think they do a good job with design, marketing and making sure their products are of certain quality.  Having good fashion available at different price points is vital.  Especially now, with the US dollar so weak against the Euro, one cannot buy a European bag (Gucci, Prada, LV) for much less than $1000, most are a lot more.  The only thing that really bothers me about Coach is that it seems like they're trying to hide the facts, you cannot find anything about production or country of origin on their retail website...  Anyway, having said all of this, I have bought Coach in the past and I will continue to based on their quality to price ratio and strong design.   

I posted a couple of weeks ago (see Feb. 26th entry) about high heeled gladiator sandals for Spring.  I found another good pair, so I had to put them up. They have a 4 1/2 inch heel and are $268.  I've found Coach shoes to be very well made and a good value... just not in the same league as Gucci, etc.  You cannot buy a real Gucci shoes for $268 anymore, well maybe flip flops.  That's because Gucci shoes are hand made in Italy and Coach shoes are not. 

This is totally geeky, but I love these shoes.  Most of the time (as I've mentioned before) I am in 4" heels, but when the occasion calls for walking around on cobblestone streets etc. these are perfect in a geek chic sort of way.  It's funny too because I had them in junior high school, but I had the high tops.  I don't like the high tops anymore though.  And, I found a picture of my Dad in the 60s wearing the oxfords in off-white.  Who would imagine we'd end up wearing the same shoes?  You need to get the black ones dusty when they are brand new, so the white part doesn't look so super white.  They're only $42!  And if you buy them at zappos.com you get free shipping and free returns (if you order the wrong size). 

I was watching The Devil Wears Prada again the other day and I've found myself thinking about the Chanel necklace Anne Hathaway got to wear in a couple different scenes.  I'm pretty sure it's Chanel costume jewelry (not Chanel Fine Jewelry).  It's kind of suprising that Chanel, such a luxe brand, even makes costume jewelry, but it is said that Coco Chanel actually introduced costume jewelry to the fashion world back in the 1920s. 

I wonder how much something like this costs?  I can't find Chanel jewelry for sale online anywhere, I suspect that they don't allow it. I guess I'll have to go to the Chanel boutique in New York to check it out.

Bluefly. com has this super cute Abaete silk dress on sale for $246.00, regular retail $410. I love the contrast of the black collar and pocket trim against the ivory silk.

I wasn't that familiar with this label so I looked it up. Abaete is designed by Laura Poretzky. She studied fashion at RISD and worked for Ralph Lauren before starting her own label. The aesthetic is intended to "capture French femininity, Brazilian sensuality and American simplicity"... this makes sense because Laura was born in France, her mother is part Brazilian and she lives in the US (New York, of course).  She has shown during fashion week at the Bryant Park tents and been featured in Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, etc. It's so great how small designers can be so successful these days.

I really like this bag from the Juicy Couture Spring 2008 Collection.  It's called the Smart Shopper Tote and sells for $250.  It's made of straw and leather with gold hardware and cute nautical charms.  I think I'd wait until Summer to use this though, straw to me has a very Summer vibe.

I want to not like anything by Juicy Couture because I HATE those stupid track suits that say "Juicy" on the butt, what could possibly be more tacky than that? But I have to admit that some of their other designs are very nice and I find myself regularly really liking a lot from their lines.

If you've dreamed of owning serious fashion labels like Yves Saint Laurent, Chloe, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry Prorsum, Derek Lam and the like, the Neiman Marcus Last Call Online Clearance Sale (http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/templates/LC.jhtml?itemId=cat8840736&parentId=cat980731&masterId=cat000000) is for you.  At 20% off sales prices, some astronomically expensive clothes are actually rather affordable!

An Yves Saint Laurent pencil skirt that is regularly $655, marked down to $183.20.

A Dolce & Gabbana long sweater tunic, regularly $1150, marked down to $322.40.

A Chloe Color Block Top (black/navy), regularly $1320, marked down to $369.60.

A Fendi Sleeveless Dress, regularly $1340, marked down to $375.20.

For Winter this year I got a couple of day dresses that I've been loving. I guess I'm having a dress renaissance, because I usually don't wear them. I'd like to get a couple more for Spring. Dresses are so comfortable, but you look nice and put together since you are, after all, wearing a dress. I like Juicy Couture, Ella Moss and Velvet for day dresses, you can also find small labels at boutiques that you may have never heard of, but have great designs. Shopping at small, non-chain boutiques is fun too because you know that the entire world will not have the same thing. Whereas with a Juicy Couture item, anyone could (and does) have the exact same thing. Knit dresses made of modal or rayon blended with cotton are amazingly comfortable and drape nicely.I tend to like solids more, but some prints can be great. J Crew has some interesting ones this season - they are so bold, I think they are love or hate. Black is great, I think ALWAYS, yes even in Spring and Summer. It's my favorite color and transitions well from day into evening in case you don't have time to change before you go out.

Velvet Basila Jersey Dress w. bubble hem $114 

Ella Moss Crochet Dress $162  

Juicy Couture Linen Dress $198 

Rachel Pally Keyhole Dress w. open back $211 

Velvet Etna Shanghai Dress $215 

LinQ by Carole Little Ruffle Sleeve Dress $138

JCrew Ischia Silk Print Dress $335

You can find some great dresses online at www.revolveclothing.com, sometimes you can get lucky and find something good at www.bluefly.com.  Or if you're out shopping - Bloomingdale's, Scoop, Intermix and Searle are always good bets or little boutiques in SoHo... or whatever town you're in, give the little boutiques a try - you can find some great and unique pieces!

If you're like me and have fine, pin straight hair, finding the right conditioner can be very challenging.  I used to love John Freida Sheer Blonde Conditioner, but they changed their formula, the new "Glistening Perfection" is way too heavy and feels like it just won't rinse clean.  I hate that! I was reading an article in March Vogue about Louise Galvin (a London colorist who also has her own product line, Sacred Locks), and it explained that most shampoos and conditioners contain silicone, which makes hair shiny but causes build-up. Her products are all natural and contain no sodium lauryl sulphates, propylene, glycol, silicones, artificial perfume or preservatives! And smell wonderful thanks to essential oil ingredients like: grapefruit, lemon, orange and mandarin. But yikes, the shampoo and conditioner sell for $44 and $48 for 6.8 oz. (www.blissworld.com) I guess I'll splurge and try it at some point...  I will report back when I do. 

Meanwhile, there is also Fresh Pomegranate Hair Rinse, it's not completely chemical free like Sacred Locks, but it is very light and rinses clean and is loaded with good stuff like lavender flower water, pomegranate extract, aloe vera leaf juice, ginseng, grape seed oil and green tea leaf extract, etc. etc. It's $24 for 8.8 oz. (www.fresh.com)

Ugg boots have got to be one of the worst trends that have ever plagued fashion.  They've been going strong for years now.  When will this stop?  Please make it stop.  I suppose they must be comfortable, but since when does comfort have anything to do with fashion?  Even more ridiculous is that these sheep herder boots are often seen at the beach or with shorts.  UGG for sure, or should I say FUG?  Even worse. "Australian" Ugg Boots are made in China.

Lately, I'm feeling like I'd really like a big clunky stoned cocktail ring.  What is a cocktail ring you ask, well according to Wisegeek and Wikipedia, the cocktail ring is a dramatic, large ring set with precious or semiprecious stones, worn at cocktail parties. "The cocktail ring was especially popular during US prohibition at illegal cocktail parties. Such a ring flaunted not only the fact that one was drinking illegally, but also that one was doing it with style."

Surprisingly enough, you don't have to spend a fortune to get a decent cocktail ring. What I mean by "decent" is NOT a ring that is "costume" jewelry. www.Ross-Simons.com is a great place to find reasonably priced jewelry, they often have 20% off sales too. Here are some examples (with sale prices - there is a sale now through March 9th).

10 carats Cognac Quartz in 14k $280

12 carats Smoky Quartz in 14k $468

9.45 carats Smoky Quartz with White Topaz in 14k $292

But, if there were no budget, I would definetly go for something like this (see below): Gucci 21 carat Smoky Quartz Horsebit Cocktail Ring in 18k $3390!

I usually hate nearly everything Katherine Heigl wears (seriously, those sunglasses make her look like an alien), but check out this super cute cropped trench.

I'm going to try to figure out who makes this. Juicy Couture makes something similar, but not quite. Mabye it's Marc Jacobs or Burberry??? I'll report back when (if) I figure this one out.