oh you nutty knitters!

i do love myself some Missoni. a couple of years ago i went on one of my fashion benders, wherein i become enamored of a particular designer and BUY. major hunting. shops and interwebs. i crawl them all in the search for what i desire. a dress here, a sweater there, a few scarves (i enjoy piling them on in the chill)... mind you this was M Missoni - the baby label. equally lovely - less punishing on the pocket. love every piece.

it never left - but the obsession did wane a bit... howevs, seems now it's come back. watering at the mouth would be a good way to describe the way i feel about these knit leggings. like someone crawled in my brain, picked around and then knit it up. ULTIMATE comfort and warm at the same time. happy place. and then this scarf????? oy. in the fall /winter shows, they had the scarves wrapped and draped like snoods. (yep here we go with the old english again... it's a scarf, and it's a hood... it's a snood. real word.) drape it how you will - there is just not a bad thing to say about a scarf that long and warm and delicious. and this poncho takes me to an even happier happy place. snuggletastic, warmerific, cozyrageous. that sums it up. oh, and GORGEOUS.

thank you Missoni nutty knitters, for stitching up snuggle happy winter things.

dear demi moore...

gosh you're pretty. can you please tell me how you change "gee, she looks like it's hot, she's kind of shiny" to "wow, what a radiant glow you have"? it's a little something i'm working on here in the lab.

love,
the-e-stylist.

ps - demi, you look beyond amazing in your lovely Dior dress. well done.

xoxo

isn't fall in a "designer hits high street" mood...

yeppers. god, what tv show is that from? that will now drive me beserk the rest of the day

anyhoo it's true - love is in the AIR between designers and the high street stores (remember your Queen's english lesson? chain stores - not so expensivo...) Anna Sui and Target; Jimmy Choo and H&M; and as of Thursday - Jil Sander has a line at Uniqlo called +J. i'm pretty sure i have not gone off on a rant about Uniqlo yet... but it's pretty darn fantastic. i never wanted to go in - i don't know why - but my friend Mel dragged me in - and wow. kinda rocked my world a little. it's kind of like Muji, but fashion. she called it a Japanese Gap - which is pretty right on the money. it's well made basics, a few trends peppered in here and there - but mostly just basic stuff - well made and well priced. (regarding winter's approach - they have these thermal t-shirts - i suggest you buy one for every day of the week. they saved my thin blooded life last year. amazing things) now Jil Sander comes along and brings a whole new level of sophistication to the joint. it's not a huge collection - but it's very Jil Sander, and very Uniqlo - extremely simple but impeccable construction. perfect partnership if you ask me. some cute skirts and button down shirts, but thing that caught my eye the most were the coats. they are kind of gorgeous - and they are priced amazingly - all under $150. ok ok and maybe a nice cashmere cardi...i mean i do get chilly... so f you winter - we look fab!!!

pricing of the collection - pretty rockin, n'est-ce pas? go Uniqlo! go +J! go shop for it!

• Outerwear: $39.50-$149.50 • Shirts: $39.50 • Pants: $49.50-$59.50
• Skirts/Dresses: $39.50-$49.50 • Cut and sewn: $19.50-$29.50 • Sweaters: $29.50-$49.50
• Cashmere: $79.50-$129.50 • Accessories: $29.50

today's morning obsession

coffee, check emails, twitter, google reader (my lovely bf instructed me in the ways...it's like my own personally designed morning paper. love it) and then cruise the interwebs a little... partially based on what emails i have...

one such (i enjoy saying that because of Henry VIII and his bizarre mental crazed design of None-such palace) pardon me - one such email was from me&ro -- seems they have expanded their line and added some new pieces... so i cruised over to see - and kind of can't stop loving these little earrings. i'm pretty sure it came from when i was little - in England, i was always very into the teeny flowers. my aunt still puts them in my room when i go there to visit. teeny flowers and teeny birds. they make me happy on the inside. and we know that jewelry does that to a girl too. so it's kind of one of those sitchos where there's just nothing bad about it...

things are on a loop here....

let's review the commonalities in todays posts: e-commerce; h&m; topshop; alexander wang. weird. just kind of weird...

ok - so i talked about e-commerce and alexander wang. and then i just found out that alexander wang just launched his e-commerce site! since he's kind of the uber cool beau of the ball - it's not always easy to find a particular thing you may want... but now! tada! the magic of the interwebs comes at us once more in the final chapter of cyclical blog kismet of september 24.

check it out - the T collection - LOVE - and the bags are making my heart palpitate a little... i think i am verging on obsession here... oh who am i kidding. i am over that line.

H&M must be mixing in with today's oxygen

only an hour or so ago i was pontificating on the glory on online shopping with H&M. and happened to mention the Jimmy Choo collection coming November 14th... well imagine my surprise when upon the interwebs i did find a couple of pics from said line. seems mr. choo is expanding into clothing for this line, including this pretty adorable sparkly cardi. ($129) "hello Christmas parties!" but far be it from the magical choo to leave out accessories. this little bag ($99) is kind of ridiculously adorable and i want it. i can't wait to see what else is in store (haha) for us come November. and am i one of those people who will go on the first day? you bet your sweet buns i am!!!

my bank accout is smiling

well well well... what do we have here?! a little birdie tells me that very soon - H&M will be opening online shopping. what's that? you just heard angels sing? me too!!

H&M has been for quite some number of years my (tied with Topshop) numero uno high street store. (that's brit speak for trendy shop that won't set you back a million) they actually care a bit about the quality of the clothes they're selling you, and they have a lovely habit of teaming with designers to do collections. as a little FYI - there's a Jimmy Choo partnership coming in November. wipe the drool off your face - you're at work, behave!

living in NY and travelling regularly to England to see the fam, it's relatively easy for me to get to an H&M. but what about those long nights when nothing satisfies but a troll of the internet plaza? one of the things that chapped me a bit was the lack of being able to scratch the H&M itch at any given moment. to look, perchance to buy... coming soon - we can. i say to you all "YES WE CAN".

how do I love thee?

you may recall me yammering on about how I am a teeny bit obsessed with Rihanna. hasn't gone away folks. often it's for her voice - LOVE or her face BEAUTIFUL. other times - it's how utterly frickin cool the girl is. she dresses a little oddly sometimes - which is brilliant. she puts on what she loves and she WEARS it. that my dears is style in a nutshell. this little number here - not odd - just perfect. the Stella McCartney boots can look a bit whorish on a lot of people - but she does them just right. and the dress? I can't get enough of it. the grey sweater dress is my dream come true for fall and winter days. Christopher Kane at Topshop and Alexander Wang rocked the grey sweatshirt/sweater theme to my joy and delight - and now this dress?!? it's like Willy freakin Wonka. I love it and I love it hard. I'm scouring and hunting to find out who makes this thing. and I will succeed. no fails here girls. cold weather - you don't scare me now. thank you Rihanna for taking the edge off the impending chill.

mercury in retrograde SUCKS but these tights rule

i won't bother you with the boring details of the whole astrological crapstorm of mercury being in retrograde. suffice to say it is making everything an extraordinary pain in the arse.

about the tights though... that will be my happy distraction for the moment. i have been obsessed with (to the point of bloggin!) Commando slips for some time now. they are perfection and any other slip i try now is a giant fail. i am also a bit obsessed with tights in general. they are a fun way to pretty much change your wardrobe on a regular basis - by playing with pattern and color. and on the cheap no less! so - in some sort of genius matching of minds - along come COMMANDO TIGHTS! o...m...g. right now they're only avails in black and brown - but hey - what girl does not need black and brown tights in rotation? and of course because they hire geniuses to design, they have no seam to get all tangled in your business, and the waistband takes my breath away. not in the way that control tops do. in a GOOD way. it's a no dig-in band, so that you're not nearly cut in half just by sitting for longer than 2 minutes.

genius. absolute genius. bring on sweater dresses and boots baby!

fashion hates you breast cancer

october is breast cancer awareness month. i've had a couple of family members and friends who have dealt with it, in various forms and treatments... so i tend to pay attention to this cause. i've done a couple of walks, and i donate... the fashion world a few years ago started its own little blitz to gain awareness - by selling promotional products and donating proceeds to a variety of foundations. this makes the-e-stylist happy. it's shopping, and it's doing good. me likey.

there are a number of cute things out and about - but this little number here tickled my fancy. Ralph Lauren has been doing the pink pony for breast cancer a few years now. and this water bottle is the newest little ditty. half of the proceeds go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. nice. AND it also is good for the environment, so you can stop drinking water, (free by the way) that people SELL TO YOU in plastic bottles that crap up landfills. so - before i rant on too much more - this water bottle is a win, win, win. cute, charitable, conscious. pardon me, i must go shop for this now.

(ps - Bloomingdales also has quite a lot of other BCA goodies. check them all out!)

sometimes things ARE black and white...

...as they are in this gorgeous book. fashion photography runs the gamut. it can be flat out boring, it can be so bad that it's comical, and it can be art. this falls into the latter category. Lillian Bassman worked as a fashion photog in the '50s and '60s, and developed her own style focused on the expressiveness of hands (one of my favorite body parts - and truly one of the most "talkative"). she's still kickin today, and has re-worked some of her classic images in this book, "Women". the pictures are stunning, and who doesn't love to look at pretty things?!

there's also an exhibit of her work at the Staley-Wise gallery here in ny from Oct. 23 through Nov. 28.

mister marc

this show was a standout... it just makes you happy to be a lady. the collection was absurdly beautiful. everything moved. walking down the street in something that is groovin along with you to its own beautiful beat? magic. mission accomplished. there's way too much for me to go on about everything - best to watch for yourself - but it just keeps making me happy each time - the way he layers lovelies, and then weights it down to earth with one solid piece. stunners stylies. stunners.

and here - the little military jacket. these bad boys have been all over the place, and i don't know about you but the Balmain (and knock off there-of) jackets are a bit too much "i'm with the band" as in marching. not the stones. this however - sign me up for service sir.

past due recap.... alexander wang

i've done my weeding. and i've decided i'm really only going to give a couple of "blog outs" - yo - and i'm sorry for my tardiness.

most of NY Fashion week was a bit of the same ol' same ol'. not that things were not GORGE. for example, Calvin Klein was, as usual, minimally stunning and perfection. were there beautiful things? left right and center. but we knew that, did we not? and Donna Karan - same -- beautiful things abound, but nothing that was earth shatteringly shattering. do i want some of it? you bet your cheerios i do. but i don't need to discuss here and now... (if you're so inclined - check out the videos to see said pretty things...Calvin... Donna)

shout out numero uno goes to Alexander Wang. (watch his video here) whom, by my nature, i discovered via the t-shirt. his line of t-shirts makes me melt. i think i've gone on about them before. if i had a school uniform - this would be part of it. love, love, love. so i investigated further, and dang it if i do not adore this man now. COOL would be the first word springing to mind. accessories to die for - and we know how i feel about accessories. and the clothes themselves are cool and absolutely wearable. which is not always something that goes hand in hand with fashion. it's my niche i suppose. the new collection is again all very wearable - and god bless this man, he incorporates sweatshirt material into gorgeous shapes that you can proudly wear out and about. seriously? can it get any better?

now - e-stylist note here - one must know that runway is not real life. no one (except perhaps some horribly misinformed housefrau somewhere) is going to wear these outfits exactly as they appear. the trick is, you find the piece or pieces you like, and you incorporate them into what you have and who you are. tricky? perhaps - but you can always hire me - it's what i do - and i find it beyond fun. it makes me giddy.

ok - note over... one last thing is the hair and makeup. i am usually not a fan of show hair/m.u. it's drama - so it's a bit like stage makeup. fine and dandy but not my fare.... this however is so up my row... i have had my hair in a side ponytail for a couple of months now, out of heat and laziness - and when i saw this side braid - it's like worlds collided. lazy, bohemian, chic, fashion. i sigh deeply and feel happy.

i heart cobbler

not the dessert. well, i actually do like cobbler - but that's not relevant here.

in the interest of planning all the delights i may want to bring into my life from the rush of fashion week, i have been thinking of ways to cut costs and corners in the wintery season. (and i know - i still must pontificate on things on point that will spark your lust - i promise i am getting my act together and weeding through...i blame the stomach flu)

one such genius method is finding a cobbler you like. i have found a place just a few blocks from my home. when you find this person - your life will be forever altered. (no pun intended) shoes and boots you thought had met their demise come springing back to life in new found glory. i had a pair of boots that i thought were dead to the world, and i was quite upset, as they were not of the "inexpensive" variety. BUT my cobbler slapped a new sole on, put some rubber on there to boot (hahahahaaaaaaaaa) and somehow erased every bit of evidence of the scratches and niks that had made them nearly dead. amazing. and then - the handbag. you know i do go on about spending on bags and shoes, as investment pieces. one of said investments, this bag, was a bit messy from a few years of tough love. the leather at the bottom had been ripped and in a few places worn to the bone. i was crazed at the thought of having to lose it - because i had seriously invested.... so i gave it a shot and took it to the lovely cobbler and my god if she did not make it new again. i was in awe when she pulled it out of the brown paper bag to show me. somehow - and i honestly still can't see seams or anything - i think perhaps she is magic... she made it perfect again.

i don't know why fall makes me all cobblery - maybe it is dessert related. but i will be taking another of my bags and a couple of pairs of shoes in - to breathe new life into them. (thereby saving me money from not buying new - and allowing me to go a bit more spendy for spring!)

we have a winner!!!

for some reason I picture myself yelling that into a microphone...

but it's true - mic or not - we do have a winner for the-e-stylist give away!!

the winning outfit is:

"black off the shoulder 3/4sleeve sweater - boxy and cashmere, of course. gold silk camisole underneath for a peek at those straps. black leather mini
black emilio cavallini tights with funky pattern, i'm thinking oversized diamond criss cross.
dark grey slouchy ankle bootie suede wedges. big gold filigree chandelier earrings, gold bangles on left wrist, martini in left hand. little black clutch on the right. ah, and the green scarf to top it off!"

congrats to the absolutely fabulous winner - you will clearly rock this scarf!!!

i'm here!

oh how i have missed you. i spent the past 3 days working at a major J Mendel sample sale - DOOZER. maje moneys rollin in and out of there my dears. majah. saw more Birkin bags than you can shake a brick at. heard stories about which shows the ladies had been to and all that jazz...

while i was there, mulling over all the info coming in on all the fashion shows - i decided that i am going to go through all of it and pick out some glorious bits and bobs of info and delights to share, rather than just go on and on about each and every show... seeing as the goal of the-e-stylist is to make fashion fun, i shall do just that and stay true to my word.

that said - i have mass amounts to go through and weed out the good and the fun for you - and i will be yammering on about it very shortly - just wanted to check in and say i have not disappeared into the bloggy ether!

stay tuned... and if there's any designer you are particularly interested in knowing about - send me an email and posting shall follow! deb@the-e-stylist.com

more Fashion Week love

i love it all - it's like a beautiful messy dancer thing... i think Charlotte Ronson is climbing the ladder fast to be one of my favorites.... i am particularly obsessed with the scunched up leggings above the knee and all of the jackets... amazing.

dreamy dreamy DREAMY

i'm almost at a loss for words with how much i adore this new collection for Topshop by Christopher Kane. it almost hurts. what actually does hurt is waiting for it. i think i've gone mad for grommets. i'm particularly enamored of this grey skirt. but honestly all of this stuff is just beyond. i LOVE love LOVE it. i know - cap city. but it just feels warrented in this case... lord knows this stuff is going to be gone in about 3.4 seconds - so have a look now and make your decisions, then fire up your engines babies... hey look at that, i found words! quel surprise.

alice + olivia (in wonderland)

right now it's all kind of glam rock - case in point, mz. hilton up there at the A+O show. NYFW fabulosity.

AND it's all kind of fantastic to boot... (there is more than one piece i am coveting for the chilly season)... but for spring/summer - it all gets a bit ethereal. and it's even more fantastic.

Alice + Olivia's pieces tend to be of the "god that is BEAUTIFUL" variety. and they have not dissapointed us this time 'round. lots of floaty dresses and beautiful tops - but peppered with some rock n roll touches (trust me that is not goin away!) like little leather jackets and hot shoes. definitely like a trip to wonderland, without the bother of mad hatters and crazy queens!

omg it's bdb

oh internet - you are a good invention. for years there has been this amazers bi-coastal sort of warehouse sale type thing going on called Billion Dollar Babes. oddly, i have never been to one in NYC, but i did go to one out in LA, and, in a word - FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC. gigantic warehouse filled with masses of clothing and accessories from creme de la creme designers - big time reduced. some might call it heaven...and i purchased. of course i purchased.

and now! - the time has come!! in their infinite wisdom - the ladies at BDB have launched an online version of their sales. i kind of hope they don't stop the "real" ones - because it's a pretty fun shopping excursion i must say. howevs, i am quite happy that they have done this - as miss e-stylist does spend a moment of her time on the interwebs...

right now they have some rather gorge sunglasses from Oliver Peoples on there... hmmmmmm....

things to do when feeling poorly

step one - wait until feeling close to human. step two - take 5 dollar necklace from h&m and cut the charms off. step 3 - take 4 old necklaces and chop them up and attach them to the h&m jobbie. final step - twist a bit and call it done. (proceed to getting rid of nasty virus)

Fashion's Night OUT

i was sick as a dog and had fashion night IN last night, but according to all there was massive fun to be had by all. celebs and models out in droves -- and MASSES of "regular" people in larger droves. there were parties at all the big stores - and lots of little boutiques as well. from the sound of it - i would have most liked to be at Bergdorf's and Barney's... (how is that much different from any other day really?) the teeny tiny powerhouses that are the Olsen twins were bartending at Bergdorf's - in the lovely restaurant way up top where my friend Laura and I meet for tea, when we are in need of feeling civilized. i have a rather odd fixation with the twins Olsen... i'm not entirely sure why or where it came from - but it is there. and i'm also kind of loving their new line of shoes - but more about that later.

FNO was kind of a brilliant thing. even in times when we are all mindful of our spending - we still want to look nice, we still want to play with style and fashion. i really tapped into the FUN of it. it proves that fashion is much more just a superficial thing - it can really be a way for us all to express ourselves, and even to enjoy ourselves - when times are good or times are bad. so kudos to all involved in putting this together!

(ps - smile at a firefighter on the street today)

piperLOVE

turn to page 24 in your notes, where you made note of my mention that Piperlime.com (or, as some of us fetishists like to call it, "heaven" for shoes and bags) would soon be adding clothing to their repetoire... lo and behold - the time is nigh. the Piperlime apparel section has gone live my dears! LIVE baby!

they sent me cute pics from their pre-launch celeb-wing-ding, where the adorable Jamie Lynn Sigler picked up some goodies -- and let me know that now even us non-celeb superstars can get our hands on their goods!

i'm a little bit stuck in a mental loop picturing this little DKNY number over leather leggings....

Fashion Week Give-away!!!!

that's right - you heard me! give away! as in i have something for one of you!!

at this point, i'm pretty certain that if you are reading this blog you are well into fashion, oui? which would lead me to believe that you may have seen a movie called "confessions of a shopaholic" starring the adorable Isla Fisher. even if you didn't see the movie, i would have to assume you saw the millions of posters or previews or pics in the celeb mags that we all love. and in several of these pics she's sporting this gorgeous green scarf.

now - as it is getting fall-ish - i will be posting a bit on scarves. ok maybe more than a bit. i am obsessed with them. and this one? love it. love love love green on people - blonde, redhead, brunette - love it. and the most fun part? the-e-stylist and the fab ladies at chickdowntown.com have one of these green chiffon lovelies waiting to give away to an e-stylist reader.

send me a description of the outfit you would put together for a girl's night out wearing your new green scarf. write to me at deb@the-e-stylist.com and i will announce and post the winner's outfit description next Wednesday.

(also, since i started talking about scarves i am now thinking about them - and it's getting chilly, so it can't hurt to at least look at the whole collection of scarves at chickdowntown... yum)

paris, je t'aime

one of my truest of true loves, Charles, is off to Paris to be inspired tomorrow and wanted me to join. sigh. i wish i could - but i will have to wait till next time...god knows that city inspires like no other place in the world. it is in my blood. incidentally Charles inspires as well... he's in my blood as well. xoxo (he's a BRILL designer - have a look!)

anyhoo - back to business... there is a neighborhood that is my favorite place on this earth - called the Marais. when i lived in Paris, i was there as much as humanly possible. and when i go back to visit - same deal. i love to be there - it makes my heart beat stronger. in this little hood there are GORGE boutiques hidden amongst Judaica shops and falafel joints. stores like nothing else - including Merci, (no website for us web cruisers, sadly) which houses a delicious mash of stuff, from Stella McCartney to handmade beautiful things. now, in the universe's way of making me feel a teeny bit better for not being able to jet to Paris -- Merci is partnering with the Gap in a pop-up store that will be open from September 10 to October 4. a slice of Paris in NYC. HEAVEN!!!!

The Merci Gap boutique will feature the appropriate mash up of things -- gorgeous handmade jewelry and accessories, Gap "boyfriend" jeans with custom embroidery by Laurence Amelie, limited-edition trenches by French artist Soledad, beautiful paper and home products and some vintage pieces as well.

all of this delightfulness will be parked at 54th Street and 5th Ave in New York (next to the Gap flagship). and to make it even better - (i know, you're thinking HOW IS THAT EVEN POSS?!?!) all the profits made will go to various children’s charities and provide work for impoverished youth in Madagascar. tres cool. and Paris, my dear city, a bien tot.

whatevs - more leather lover!

don't judge me ok? i can't help my leather fixation.

i have been completely and utterly OBSESSED with Linea Pelle belts for years. i got one at Century21, and it was love at first wear. (i would go on more about Century - but it's not really fair to those of you who aren't in NYC so i shall hold my tongue. you're welcome) the belts are perfection. they are what i would make for myself if i were a maker of belts... a beltiere-iste.
i have now acquired a couple (or few) more, as a girl might do... they're just friggin amazing.

last year(ish) - the line expanded to handbags. gorgeous. i wanted to use all caps, but i don't want to be that girl. but they are all cap worthy. OK? the leather is seriously butter soft - you cannot help but touch it - and the designs are a mixed bag (hahahahaaaaaaaa) of simple and cool.

and then - oh - i faint a bit... they added jewelry. we all know by now how i feel about leather jewelry. i enjoy it. let's say that. and these bracelets, they just make me feel happy on the inside. the same way a kitten would. or a puppy... it's just good stuff.

i suppose what i am trying to say is - "hey ladies (and dudes) - check out Linea Pelle!"

rub a dub dub!

as ye know, i am a lover of product...and one such that is locked firmly into the "LIST" (the things i must must must have at all times) is this scrub. it smells so good that occasionally one is tempted to eat it. i say "one" because i will be damned if i'm the only one that feels that way! i love a good scrub - always have, always will, and i'm a bigger fan of the sugar scrubs. salt scrubs tend to dry my skin, and that's just counterproductive now isn't it? so sugar all the way for me... there are a few i love, including one that j bought me for xmas that is SO chocolatey that it makes me delerious.

this one however, from the line Soap&Glory (clever, eh?), is easy enough on the purse that i don't feel bad having a constant stock flowing. it's a line done by the people at Bliss - makers of products that aptly do make you feel blissful. it's truth in advertising people. this line is available exclusively at Target. once again - the olde designer plus lower price retail outlet SCORES. well played people, well played. i am a BIG fan of all the products i've tried from the line - this Flake Away scrub is far and away my fave - but all of the cleverly named goops and goos are pretty freakin fab if you ask me. for any product junkie like myself - a good way to indulge and not feel too guilty doing so!

an open letter

dear lindsay,

i think you are a stunning looking girl. and i love that you are dating sam ronson. and mean girls was one of my favorite movies of all time.

however... a couple of things. one - you FORGOT TO PUT ON PANTS. two - the head band? seriously? three - you need to stop doing whatever it is that is aging you so fast. i'm not callin out any specific substances, liquid, powder or otherwise. just STOP. go back to being pretty. put on your pants, and get it together for f*&^'s sake.

love, the-e-stylist

ps - since you probs have like 18 of them, can i have your Hermes bag? xoox

bulls and bears of shopping

i've yammered on in the past about "investing" in pieces. and it's not me doing the thing i do so well - justifying purchases... that is a horse of another color, and one that i shall not speak of at this time... i do that mainly for tim anyway. :)

if you are into fashion, into style, into looking good and being smart - then listen up. you can absolutely buy some stuff at lower prices. most especially - trends. it's truly not worth spending a lot on a trendy piece - because by its very nature, it will be out of style next season. so as much as i may drool over all the studding - i'm not out buying the high end bits of it... may lust and love, but most likely will not buy. so - trends, and then t-shirts, undies, socks, things like that, you can also get away with not spending a lot - because they are replaceable, they get worn out. but certain things are truly worth spending for. things that you know you will wear forever. a good coat, a good bag, good shoes, good jewelry, the perfect pair of black pants... there honestly aren't that many examples - those are the examples in my own closet.

a good way to calculate whether something is an investment worth indulging in, is by doing the "cost per wear". for example - this bracelet by Ippolita - i bought it right before i was laid off almost a year ago. oops. oh well... so for the sake of argument, let's say it was 300 days ago. (that's almost a year) and i wear it pretty much every day - which means it's already being worn at a dollar a day cost wise. gimme another year (and i'm sure i'll keep wearing it daily) and we're down to 50 cents. so -- what i'm saying is - that for less than a cup of coffee, i get to wear this beautiful thing every day. makes sense, right? and i make coffee at home, any way. voila!

you can't apply this to purchases made on a whim - it seriously does have to be a piece you LOVE and will wear all the time - doesn't have to be daily - but all the time. (thank god for ebay - so the mistakes that are made can be sold!!) shopping on a whim in general is a bit dangerous... do the day rule - if you see it, wait a day. if you really love it, you'll make the effort to go back.

so THINK when you shop. a 50 dollar bag that falls to shreds after wearing it twice is not a good buy... spend wisely and you will spend happily. and you can tell people you're an investor.

lusty lusty

ok, i know i've been in a bit of an edgy mode lately, with all the leather leggings and skirts and studding and whatnot...(i even ordered a bedazzler with a bajillion piece stud kit so i can stud myself silly... scarves, a purse or two, maybe a pocket here and there... but don't worry, i promise not to go overboard. i swear.) and i love it - i love it i love it i love it.

however, there is a classic part of me as well. and said classic part is lusting so desperately for a Chanel bag lately. i know it's a pricey splurge. and i won't do it until i've got several clients secured and under my belt and paid up. (by the way - have you told your friends about the-e-stylist.com? not the blog - the services?... just a wee reminder...) but once i'm feeling a bit spendy and successful with styling - i may just have to reward myself... in the mean time i plan on perusing the possibilities.... and also going into deep internal life mode with this lovely photo from the Chanel fall pics... how amazing would this skirt look with a fitted white tee shirt (cotton or cashmere) and some black boots? and a belt with some studs on it? wow - look at that! we have come full circle!!!!

thank you!

dear stylies,

the blog has now been running for 2 months - and has reached 1,500 hits. i thank you from the bottom of my (apparently leather and cashmere clad) heart for reading - you are all wonderful and pretty and i want to go shopping with every single one of you. keep coming back, because lord knows i just can't shut up! and bring your friends - it's like a party that keeps on goin!

xooxoxoxoxoxoxxo
me

love? or not love?

i think i've stumbled onto a new theme... love or not love... today's topic - leather leggings.

the girls at WhoWhatWear - i am beyond obsessed with them now and check their site daily. it is fun and cute and they really have their ducks in the right row. love it. love them. anyhoo - the girls were singing the praises of leather leggings... and there are definitely celebgirls poppin up all around the town wearing them. and they look really cute - so i started fantasizing (again) about all the ways you could style a leather legging - and as with my beloved leather skirt (see below) - the possibilities are LIMITLESS. (as Barney would say - nothing is possimpable) denim button down shirt? adorable. ever versatile giant chunky cashmere cardi? so cute! any winter-y fabric tunic at all? loves it. and of course - because it's me after all - long tee shirt (or plural, layered)? amazers. ooh oooh - and the long cardis from JCrew? sigh. too much to love!! and yeah, i'm wondering as well what is up with all this leather... but you know they have faux leather too - not that it makes my fixation any less...leather lovin. of course, the ever faithful ShopStyle can help you find a pair that fits your bank. cheap to chic - you can wear these if they fit into your style file...(you should have a mental one - what looks good on you, what you like...)

so darling stylies - love? or not love?

leather, lover!

i cannot stop obsessing about the black leather skirt in my closet. it's still a titch too hot to wear it - but it is gonna be ON very soon. i have had this skirt for years, it's a black leather pencil skirt and it just does all you could want it to do. i plan on wearing it quite a lot this year. with a tank top like in this weird faceless plastic person picture - very "oh, i'm just running out of the house like this"... with a plain white tee (same quote applies), with a black turtleneck sweater "we've docked the yacht for winter", and even with my beloved chunk a chunk huge blankie like cashmere sweater. there is nothing that skirt cannot do - no character i cannot become while wearing it. seek and ye shall find one of your own to love and adore. you can cruise the interwebs - and you could always try ShopStyle - they do some comparing for you - and may lead you to sites you didn't know about... ok, i must go back to making lists in my head of how to wear my skirt...

the days of yore

back in the olden days, when i used to travel a lot for work, (and i do mean a LOT) i would have stops that i HAD to make in each city. partially it was for comfort - like a kid has a blankie, i would have my "stops". for some odd reason i had to go to Walgreens everywhere. it was comforting - they are the same in every city. (plus i really am utterly obsessed with drugstore shopping. i love it in a very odd way that i don't understand) and if the city had a mall - i would go. malls are the same everywhere.

that said, each city also had its own unique "stops" that made me happy. and long ago, kids, in the days before the interwebs was as shopper friendly as it is now, there were stores that weren't accessible to everyone. one such store was DSW. (they're in NY now, so the thrill is different. not gone - it's designer shoes at discount for god's sake. the thrill is inherent in the name) every time i went to work in Chicago, i had to go to DSW. it was made even easier for me by the fact that it was across the street from the theatre i worked at. no brainer.

now that the interwebs has brought the world to our laps, or desks, we can go anywhere any time. it is a little weird and a lotta wonderful.

back to DSW. i once got a pair of Prada shoes there for $80. tell me - just try and tell me how this store is not AWESOME. and right now - yes right this moment - they are giving us all an extra 30% off clearance items. do the math - it's almost free. just enter the code THIRTY at checkout - and there you go. thank you interwebs, you do nice things for us.

a lunch time quickie

i'll be back to blab more this afternoon - (to be perfectly frank, i need to go to Barney's to look at pretty things because my brain is on the verge of exploding or collapsing)

THE WEBSITE IS LIVE!! IT'S UP! IT'S LAUNCHED! however you want to say it, the fact is the site is finally up and on the interwebs - ready to accept a billion clients. (preferably not all at once.)

www.the-e-stylist.com tell your friends and tell them to tell theirs, and so on.... tell the world!

much love to all you stylies who keep coming back for more... i will keep it coming!

sex in my city

this is not one hundred percent about style - maybe half NY half fashion... this morning jesse was on his way to work, and texted me to tell me he was stuck in a bus in traffic because of a movie shoot. pretty standard NY operations, really. movie trailers are everywhere, all the time. (you rarely get to see the actual people you'd want to see though.) about an hour or so later, photos such as this one here started to pop up all over the interwebs. THIS was what made j late for work. kind of makes it a little more fun i think... now to discuss ms Parker. she looks cute. not ridiculous like some of the get-ups she used to wear. like the dress, love the glasses and the shoes, OH the SHOES... i blame Sex and the City for bumping up the pricetag on my shoe fixation/problem/genius. and once again they're luring me in... will ya LOOK at those bad boys? Christian Louboutin of course... just imagine if you put them on - you would feel like Dorothy - you could click your heels three times and the world would be yours... oh come on, dare to dream.

oooh i like that!

yeah, i hear that in my own head SO many times while shopping. out in the world, or on the computer... it's generally either "ooh i like that!" or "adorable".

remember when Free People was an Urban Outfitters brand? i do. and now they've gone and grown up and flown the coop and they are all over the place. they're in Bloomies, they're in boutiques. it's a crazer! and a lot of their stuff is "adorable". (not every piece wins. there's a "headband" that looks like a hat that got in a fight with a wheat thresher. i don't even understand it at all... but hey whatever)

there's a nice hefty selection of FP at the fantastical website ShopBop. i kind of forgot how much i love ShopBop. used to spend quite a healthy amount of time perusing when Kitty still worked with me and we would take our "breaks". the site just keeps gettin better - and they just added some cute pieces from Free People. i am a little in love with this top. more than a little. but i have to admit i keep laughing at the model's pose - she looks like she's concerned/confused/afraid to enter a room that has either Brad Pitt or a bengal tiger in it - she just can't quite work out which one it is..

also check out ShopBop's jewelry section - some really cute fun stuff in there....

and a little ps about the FP collection...they have styled all the models wearing short dresses and doc martens - which is killing me with nostalgia. it's friggin...... adorable.