November 2009 Archives

I was out and about over the weekend, running errands, shopping etc. I stopped in at Banana and tried on this dress that I had seen before but not had time to try on.

Wool Blend Textured Sheath Dress, $152

When I looked at it on the hanger, it looked very narrow, which was a good sign. I've found over the years that Banana tends to run their sizes large and cut hips into many of their designs that I just don't have - so I knew this was going to be good. I tried on the 0 and it was perfect, no gaping at the sides of the skirt and a nice length, not too long, not too short. The reviews on BR all say that the dress runs small, and yes I'd agree that for BR it runs small, but in truth it probably just runs true to size.

I like the detailing at the neck and the fabric is nice, textured but still soft.

I didn't buy it though because I have one of their 40% off coupons that is only good on Wednesdays... so hopefully they'll still have my size on Wednesday.  $91.20 is a great deal for this dress!

I've totally had a dress renaissance over the last couple of years.  It is so great to just be able to throw on one piece and go. Perfect for mornings when you're running late and don't have time to put together an "outfit"...

The new Banana Republic downtown flagship store at Broadway and Prince is now open.

This weekend they're having a Grand Opening on Nov. 21 and 22. They sent me a postcard about it, offering 25% off at the new store during those two days.  It's not clear if you need to bring the postcard or not.  Maybe if you don't have one, you could say you forgot it?

There is a good slide show of the new space and layout at NY Magazine, here. It kind of reminds me of J. Crew's vibe, which I doubt is what they were going for.  It looks nice for sure!

Ann Taylor is offering a 30% off Friends & Family discount tomorrow 11/17 through Sun. 11/22.  The online code is FRIENDS.

As I've mentioned a few times this the Fall, their stuff is so much nicer this year thanks to their new designer.  So this is a great chance to take advantage...

Chanel has released their Holiday Colour 2009 collection. And - - if you order from Chanel's site directly through Dec. 16th, yout get free shipping and complimentary gift packaging.

I love the Les Tissages Lames de Chanel (Shimmering Tweed Highlighter), $60. I am such a sucker for highlighters, they seem lighter than blush and are supposed to give you the much desired look of "radiance".  Who doesn't want that?

But, since I already have two highlighters, I probably don't need another... darn.  I am trying to remember the concept of "need" more since this whole horrible, tedious recession thing happened...

Oh, other good news the Trapeze color nail polish is now available by itself for $23. Previously it was only available as part of the gift set mentioned on Oct. 19th.

I mentioned the other day that I've just had a birthday.  I'll admit that I've reached an age where I wish that would stop happening.  It's funny, suddenly finding after being "young" for one's whole life, that perhaps you're not anymore?  It's a strange disconnect because inside you feel the same.  Perhaps it is a bit more amplified for me with my life choices, being single and childless (quite by choice), there is nothing that makes me feel older. I suspect that the responsiblity of parenthood certainly changes one's perspectives.

So with fashion, I'm pretty much in the same place I've always been. (except I admitted to wearing flats to/from work, something I'd never have done in my 20s)  Skinny jeans, leggings, mini skirts, crazy tall boots, booties, torn jeans, boyfriend shorts, a dash of leopard... these are all fun fashion things that I participate in.  Is that wrong?  Am I going to wake up one day and see a Nicolette Sheridan in the mirror or Mariah Carey?  (I guess I'd rather be Nicolette since at least she has the body for the inappropriate clothes she tends to wear)

For example, goodness, this is SO a don't. A skinny little 20-something could get away with this without looking like a sl*t.  But this just does not work, at all. 

It's an interesting dilemma.  Something to think about... well really I'm not that old... yet. I've always tended to mix trendy items with classics so I think I'm okay...

Harper's Bazaar has the section in each issue where they show items for dressing your age - 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.  I find there is usuallys stuff in every section that I would wear. I think the key is how you mix it and remembering what is appropriate for your body. As unfair as it may seem to some, I think you can stretch more youthful looks into older age when you are thin... things still look the way they're supposed to (or not - case in point above).

I received for my birthday yesterday a most wonderful surprise, this very tiny Nespresso Citiz Espresso machine.  Its footprint of 5" wide x 14-1/2" deep fits even the smallest NYC kitchen.

The machine is made in Switzerland and has an impressive 19 bars of pressure and uses the super-convenient Nespresso pods. Mine came with the Aeroccino+ Milk Frother, although the machine is also available separately.  I think it's smart that they made the frother separately since so many people only drink espresso and not having the frother built into the machine keeps the size down.  It comes with samples of all their coffee pods so you can figure out which is your favorite.

Yay! I am totally excited to try it out!

"For months now, consumers have been hunkering down in an economic storm, buying only what they need to survive, like groceries, diapers, medicine -- and shoes.

Shoes?

The American public, it would seem, cannot carry on without new shoes. Boots, booties, sneakers, pumps -- for the last few months they have all been selling well as the broader economy struggles toward recovery."

Excerpt from A Not-So-Guilty Pleasure by Stephanie Rosenbloom, New York Times

As anyone who reads Flairvoyant knows, I am a huge fan of J. Crew.  I am pretty sure I love almost everything they make.  Rarely do I hate something.  Well, I'm afraid to say....

this is quite hideous... even more so considering the price tag of $995!

I'd say it's great if you wanted to look like you're wearing a bristly kitchen sponge.

Item Description: "The life of the party, in sumptous silk organza embellished with a flurry of hand-cut, hand-pressed and hand-applied silk organza petals. Finished with a picot-edged silk charmeuse sash at the waist, it makes any occasion special. Strapless. Fitted bodice, straight skirt. Removable silk charmeuse sash. Back zip. Fully lined in silk."

I don't know about "life of the party", perhaps laugh...

At least they had the sense to only make this dress up to a size 8.  They normally make dresses up to size 12.  Although a size 8 person would look truly massive in this dress. I would have made it in 00, 0 and 2 and even then.... ugghhh.  Okay, I've said enough.

Good grief, it's November!  Bummer, the best part of Fall is over already, now it's time for cold... and the holidays.

Anyway... it's never a bad idea to start thinking about holiday gifts early.  There's nothing worse than getting caught in say, the second week of December, having done no shopping at all!  These days so many stores and brands make up convenient gift sets to make it easier for us.  Okay, so maybe that's little lame and lacks originality - - but how original can you be, really, when you think about it - - none of us "need" anything anyway! 

Since I'm such a fan of Fresh products, I think their gift sets are a nice idea because given as a gift, they will certainly get used.  Unlike some chachke that could sit around in a closet for years.  They've got some nice sets this year, you can browse them here.

In particular, I really like the Petite Candle Trio, $45. It's 3 - 70g candles in frankincense, myrrh and gold packaged in a beautiful gift box.  It's worth it just to find out what the heck frankincense smells like!

They also have a limited edition Brown Sugar Gift Set, $75 that includes 400g Brown Sugar Body Polish, 100 ml Brown Sugar Body Cream and 250g Brown Sugar Oval Soap. The soap is (unfortunately) only available with this gift set. I LOVE the smell of the brown sugar line so I would love to be able to buy the soap alone too.

Last time I ordered from Beauty.com I got samples of Frederic Fekkai's Full Blown Volume Shampoo and Conditioner.  I am very picky about hair products so it's great to have a chance to try them before buying.  These are made for hair just like mine: fine/thin/flat.

Both the shampoo and the conditioner are $23 for 8 fl. oz. Both are billed to create "luxurious, voluminous hair". They use baobab leaf extract which acts as a plumping agent on each strand of hair.  The shampoo has a really rich lather and nice smell.  It's described as lime mint.  It's not too minty though.  I hate, for example, Aveda's rosemary mint because it smells way too minty... really, who wants to use a product that smells like toothpaste on your hair????  Fekkai's is not like that, it's just enough to be fresh.  The conditioner was nice too, light but not too light, it gets the job done.  Fine hair can tangle so much, but a heavy conditioner is just overpowering and flattening, so it can be difficult to the find something just right.  I really liked both of these products...  There is also a hairspray in the line. I don't use hairspray so I won't be able to comment on that...