Feeling like a little splurge? (even in the recession we have to treat ourselves once in a while) Chanel's Paris-Mosou nail polishes ($30) in 3 limited edition shades make a nice little treat. The colors were inspired by Chanel's Paris-Moscou fashion show. The burgundy color is already sold out online, so hurry.
The blue is too crazy for me, but I'd try the gold!
I found an incredible deal for Mascioni Italian bedding. A queen set in either sateen (solid) or woven stripe is only $95, half off the regular price of $190!
Mascioni 100% Pima Cotton Italian Sheet Sets
I was so excited to find this because I slept on these sheets a couple years ago at the Boulders in AZ. They were fabulous. They had the sheets, duvet cover and pillow shams that were all Mascioni. It was a seriously heavenly bed.
Oh, and off topic, hanging out at their pool was awesome too. They have great pool drinks and serve an excellent fish taco (non-fried fish) poolside!
One of the dresses Kate Hudson wore for her photo shoot for February Elle (page 155) caught my eye.
It was listed just as "Knit dress, Banana Republic, $130". I went to check it out last week but it wasn't online yet.
But it is now: Drop-waist Sweater Dress in Gray Heather, $130. 100% extra fine merino wool. It has a boat neck and elbow length ruched sleeves.
Talk about a unique gift - - Estee Lauder has made this cute lobster compact that is filled with Beautiful solid perfume. It's kind of silly, and maybe even old-ladyish, but I love it!
Estee Lauder Beautiful Lobster Compact, $250, Neiman Marcus exclusive
I think it would make a great Valentine, even better along with a lobster dinner!!!!
These playing cards are so cool and sleek looking in all black. $16 at mollaspace.com. They'd make a good gift for anyone who likes to play cards once in a while. Really, everyone should have at least one deck of cards in the house, right?
If anyone is lucky enough to be going to the Caribbean this Winter, here are some great leather sandals from J. Crew's cruise collection.
Satin Rosette Metallic Capri Sandals, made in Italy, $78.
How perfect to wear with a little cotton dress for a casual beachside dinner.
And here's where I'd like to bring my sandals:
Jumby Bay, Antigua
Cap Juluca, Anguilla
La Samanna, St. Martin (French side)
Eden Rock, St. Barths
Unfortunately, I'm not going this year...
Net-a-porter has these two amazing D&G dresses on sale right now.
Ruched Corset dress, regular $695, sale $486.50. This is a classic D&G look. Love it.
D&G Color Block dress, regular $1,150, sale $805. Didn't Scarlett wear something like this a few months ago to some party?
In NON-sale, check out these two beautiful dresses:
D&G Lace Shift dress, $725. I love the exposed zipper and keyhole back. This dress is elegant and sexy at the same time.
D&G Cotton Pencil dress, $445. This one is almost even practical because one could dress it up or down for day to night wear.
Wow, talk about pressure, as Michelle Obama steps into the First Lady role; she's also expected to become a fashion icon. Who knows if she was into fashion before, now she has to be - or else she'll get reamed by the press. I think there is more of this expectation because she is young - - like really, who cared about what Laura Bush wore??? (kind of irrelevant)
Yesterday, I would say got off to a rocky start but ended very well.
The lemongrass Isabel Toledo jacket and dress ensemble missed the mark. I think it could have worked if the exact same pieces were cut slightly differently. The jacket is too long and it's slight bell shape looks dowdy. It should have been cut staight and the dress's skirt nipped in a bit for a sleek pencil/sheath dress silhouette.
The Jason Wu dress however was brilliant. The styling, cut and color were all just perfect. She looked great! How amazing for a 26 year old designer!!!
There's a nice snipet on NY Magazine about what the designers had to say. Also, here's an article in the NY Times about the First Lady's fashion choices.
Cheers, congratulations and good luck to both our new President and First Lady!
If you're a sucker for a beautiful container like I am, Givenchy's Rouge Interdit satin lipstick is a must have. It's also a very nice formula, not dry like some, it's actually loaded with antioxidants so it's nourishing and hydrating. And it comes in great colors.
I like the marron glace and the delice brown shades. I suggest going to Sephora (or other store) in person to look at these though, the colors online at Sephora are not very good representations.
It's a snowy, dull day here in New York. It's easy to feel and look that way too around this time of year. So brighten up, your face at least, with Benefit's Dandelion Luminizer. ($28)
It's the absolute perfect pink for fair skin. It's sheer and shimmery (but not too shimmery) and gives you some faux radiance, just what we all need in January!! The brush that comes with it isn't so good, so plan on using your own brush.
These Jessica Elliot earrings caught my eye in the Feb. issue of In Style magazine. Sterling silver, graduated open clover earrings, $76.
I love the quatrefoil design and these are certainly a lot more affordable than anything from Van Cleef's Alhambra collection!
I think it's SO obvious who had the best dress (and overall look) at the Golden Globes this year. A pretty dress is not good enough, it has to be unique and stand out.
Eva Mendes in her white Dior looked amazing! The color looks great with her skin, and the fit and cut and of the dress are very flattering. The brilliant finishing touch was the turquoise jewelry! Really, diamonds are great but so awards-ceremony-predictable.
What happened here? Renee usually has great red carpet style! This Carolina Herrera dress looks more like something Bridget Jones would wear; it looks frumpy. And the hair doesn't help either.
Most improved look I would have to say goes to Evan Rachel Wood. She went through that scary goth phase when she was dating Marilyn Manson. Thank goodness that's over. She looks quite elegant in this Elie Saab dress and softer make-up.
Here's a tie for worst hair of the night. Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore. Yikes, why does Cameron's hair look like it's two different colors? Not good. And Drew's looks like a Mariyln Monroe redux, just she can't pull that off. It looks bad-silly.
Where would my skin be without Peter Thomas Roth's Glycolic Acid 10% Moisturizer? Probably falling off right now. This amazing moisturizer's acids seem to eat away at all the dead and dull skin on your face, which is great especially in the very dry and windy Winter weather season. It is also said to "help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging. Help clarify the skin and smooth out a rough texture." That is the marketing lingo - but seriously, it works. $45 for 2 ounces.
I like to buy it at beauty.com because they give you free samples and you earn dollar rewards with each purchase to apply towards a future purchase. PTR also has a new
Vogue has some cool video diaries of their photo shoots on Conde Nast's style.com website. Each month they have a video diary for their cover shoot and in January they put up an extra one for their 10 Best Dressed of 2008 feature. It's interesting to see what these people have to say and also interesting to get the "behind the scenes" perspective.
An article in WWD today said that LVMH will be closing down the retail operations of eLuxury over the next six months. They are going to make it into an online magazine focusing on the "world of luxury". It's too bad, it was a nice place to go shop for all of LVMH's brands under one "roof". Back in 2000 when they opened, brands like Vuitton, Christian Dior, Pucci, Celine, Marc Jacobs, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Tod's etc. were harder to find online - - now it's not as difficult with Neiman's, Saks and Net-a-porter not to mention many of these brands also have their own retail sites.
"Modern" etiquette seems to allow for holding a red wine glass by its bowl. Sorry, but no. Please don't do this unless you want to look like a heathen.
This has always been one of my pet peeves. I don't know why - - okay forget that, I do know why! How gross is a wine glass covered with someone's greasy fingerprints? Or for that matter sloppy lip gloss (for god's sake, BLOT before you drink). But not only for etiquette, but for practical reasons - - the temperature of both red and white wines (more so white) are kept better when you don't handle the bowl.
Poor Katie, she never seems to be able to get her fashion quite right. You can see more pictures of this outfit here. This outfit has potential, but in typical Holmes fashion it looks off. She's a not a fat girl (at all), and is so lucky to be tall - - but she seems to have unfortuantely shaped legs that often look chunky and sausage-ish.
Apparently, they were on their way to dinner at Nobu.
Anyway, regarding the outfit.
Instead of the shiny leggings, I would do some cool black skinny jeans, like these Unknown Factory Skinny Jeans in a black wax finish, $198.
I like the slouchy cardigan sweater in a gray, but not that one. It's too bulky and not quite the right length. This one (Joie Cashmere Blend Cardigan, sale $135.90) is not quite what I have a vision of (too long), but almost at least. Banana had a good one in merino wool, but they're all out.
For the shirt, I'd wear a tank top instead of a collared shirt.
For the shoes, I'd prefer a more classic cut. When wearing pants, I think the heel should go straight down (not in and down) for a better line and overall aesthetic. (see 2nd small picture above of Katie's shoe) I would do something like this gorgeous Valentino pump, $595, sale $295.
The black scarf is fine. I have one by Chaiken and Capone that I got from bluefly years ago, that would work quite well.
I think Katie should hire a stylist this year. She can be so pretty... it's a shame to see her looking so frumpy, which she has been, pretty much the whole time they've been here in New York...
Christian Louboutin has a new version of his simple pump that is even more fabulous (and more expensive). New Simple Pumps, $790.
They have a 5" heel and 1/2 inch platform. Made in Italy, as usual.
I LOVE these, what an elegant heel! But really, $790 is a bit much during a recession!
Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed a nice day off yesterday. I was back to work today, seemingly one of the few who was - - the city seemed very quiet!
I was thinking about 2008 and what new discoveries I made, and old things I really appreciated having and used a lot over the year. So here's my little recap:
New:
Juicy Couture "Serena" Platform Short Boots
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria - Mandarine-Basilic
Old Standards I love:
I am sure 2009 will be full of new discoveries, hopefully modestly priced recession-friendly ones (ha! one can dream). Cheers.