dream a little dream of shoes

i'm sitting, waiting for the arrival of my nieces and nephew, and their parents for a quick NY visit.  when asked what they would like to do this time 'round, the one answer i got was "shopping" from the budding fashionista.  (who, most likely in 4 years will be attending FIT.  and yes that makes me extraordinarily happy).   she likes Bloomingdales.  she likes Bendels as well, but Bloomies is a bit more realistic, given the scope of babysitting money and allowance.

so of course as i am thinking of our trip there tomorrow - my mind wanders to the shoe department.  and somehow, perhaps because of the recent bag post, my mind lands on Pour la Victoire.  even mentally, i shop in specific designer benders.  not sure why, i just do.  my eyes and fingers follow my mind,  and we all visit the Pour la Victoire site together.  and what to my wandering eyes should appear?  the cutest of shoes i have seen all this year!  we'll see if willpower is on my side or not when we get there tomorrow...

it's raining, it's pouring

 and rain boots are not boring.  they used to be -- when they were called "galoshes".  who wants to wear THAT?!?!

i remember one of the engagement photos of Princess Diana and Prince Charles.  (yep - i am that kind of Brit, thank you very much.  i have a nice collection of memorabilia) i was beyond obsessed.  she was wearing Hunter wellies - and she looked like the most glamorous creature i had ever seen.  years later - Kate Moss at Glastonbury festival - wearing the ultimate rocker chick outfit - and Hunter wellies to muck through the mud - again - style perfection. 

most likely after the Glastonbury photo - wellies got INSANELY popular here in the olde US of A.  and now, everyone and their little sister makes a rain boot.  if you're feeling traditional - the Hunter wellie will get you through any storm - including this disgusting mess outside my window right now.  if you're feeling a bit designer-y - Burberry is well in on the action as well.  and if you're feeling budget-y, Laila Rowe has a well priced and pretty adorbs collection of wellies to be had.

the rest of you may get soaked to the bone - but your feet will look cute and your tootsies will stay dry!

groooooomin'

on a sunday afternoon...

i am off downtown today to TopMan to style the groom for his upcoming nuptials to one of my besties.  he is pretty much the quintessential mod - so it's pure perfection in the glorious land of TopShop.  keeps him within budget AND looking like the missing Beatle.  (but with modern hair.  i say this because i feel he would want me to mention it.) i'm leaning toward this suit - although there is one called "steel blue skinny" that sounds so much like a Zoolander face that i will most likely force him to try it on just for a giggle... 

i know i have gone on about the glory of TopShop -- (and it's a pretty sure bet that i'll pop upstairs for a lookie after i've done with him) but it really bears mentioning that it's a goldmine for the men as well.
if you're ever in NYC or London - GO.  no ifs ands or buts.  just go.  and if you're not in one of those places - well, my dears, as luck would have it the world wide web can take you there!  oh modern life. you are so handy.

pour vous!

Pour la Victoire makes some pretty hot shoes.  it's a scientifically proven fact.  by my science, at least.  hands down my most comfortable and fully wearable, (possibly even to escape a bear attack if that were to occur) 4 inch heels are courtesy of said maker of fine shoes.  and now, coming in July, is a collection of equally edgy-hot handbags.  it's like someone just put icing on the cupcake!!! 

a well dressed head

it seriously just keeps on going with the Target collabs.  i tip my hat (HAHAHA) to the person in charge of coming up with these things - because this is quite a roll they're on.

i'm a bit of a hatter.  i have a happy little collection, from the utilitarian "keep the east coast cold off me" variety to the decorative, to the "i can't be bothered to wash my hair but i still want to look cute".  each and every one has its charm.  it's sort of a random collection, with no particular allegiance to any one designer.  that said, i have always liked Eugenia Kim's hats - they hit the mark in pretty much every above mentioned category.  and now, ladies and gentlemen... Eugenia Kim is coming to Target. the collection hits stores and the old interwebs on April 18 and will be in the under $50 range.  get yer heads ready!

on a bling bender

i seem to have jewelry on the brain lately...i guess i always do, but it's popping up quite a bit these past days...

i like the pretty sparkly real jewels.  don't we all?  they are life-long friends in the realm of accessories.  a nice, simple (or not so simple if you are bling-ier) collection of fine jewelry can carry you all the way through.  and then there's the fun stuff.  costume jewelry lets you  play dress-up in a much more bold way.  a fun piece, a cuff, ring, necklace, can take an outfit from zero to hot in no time at all.  you can go mild or you can go wild.  the sky's the limit - and because it's costume you can afford to play around with a lot more looks to spruce up your existing wardrobe.  a tee-shirt and jeans can be transformed into as many different looks as you have costume pieces.  it's a bit genius really.

J Crew has always been a good place to go for the fun and good quality costume jewelry.  i am a big fan.  in the past 5 years they've been a bonanza of good finds.  (including one of my favorite and most complimented necklaces of all time).  right now, they have a super fantastic bunch of pieces in - including this ridiculously adorbs ring.  LOVE.  and then - my little ears did hear that in April they will be launching a jewelry collection in collaboration with Fenton/Fallon.  my heart did a little dance upon hearing this.  Fenton/Fallon is fun, modern, chic rocker AMAZING -- add this to the goodness already going on at J Crew and we've got ourselves a goldmine kids.  thank you Easter bunny!

sale alert quickie

this is not one to sneeze at, if you are of the shoe-obsessed mind frame as myself.  Christian Louboutin shoes are marked down up to 65% theOutnet.   it's definitely worth a looky-lou(boutin)!!

twinkle, twinkle, little ring

i'm assuming it's a known fact i have an affinity for sparkly things.  i'm assuming this because i clearly cannot stop looking at, lusting after, buying and blogging about jewelry. 

a year or so ago i became fixated upon a ring that my bff had.  it was tiny, delicate, shiny, and pretty.  i could not stop thinking about said ring for over a year.  last week in my sick haze of a trip to LA, accompanied by said bff, i went to the shop where said coveted item was purchased, Des Kohan.  first off, i have to say that it was (even in my sick funk) like walking into heaven.  it smelled AMAZING and there were beautiful things hanging and sitting every which way you turned, without being at all overwhelming.  absolutely perfect boutique.  now onto the ring itself - it's by Bare jewelry - all the pieces they carried were great - very organic and simple - LOVE.  love love love actually.  def on my list of "pieces to collect".  piece one - the little twinkle chain ring.  and thus my year-or-so-long obsession has been taken care of.  and life can carry on in a sparkly manner.

what's your bag baby?

i have expounded on my theory that a person should spend on two things -- shoes and bags.  you can wear head to toe high street clothing, and done right, with a nice bag, look like a million dollars.  a good bag is an investment - and if you treat it right it can last you a lifetime.  in addition to that practical (out)side of it - there is the esoteric side of what is INSIDE  your bag.  who are you?  look in your bag and you'll find the answer...  it's kind of a fascinating game...

a friend of mine from a million years ago - one of those people who occupies a permanent space in the neighborhood of my heart, recently sent me this piece she wrote on that topic... i love it and wanted to share it...  (and ps - the items i cannot live without in any bag - sunnies, a tide stick (i am a spiller), handi-wipes, my phone, a few business cards and moisturizer.... looks odd written down!)
read on and enjoy! 


While driving with my daughter I tossed her my purse and asked her to
find something. During her search she pulled out my passport. And
held it up with a quizzical look.

"You never know when someone may call me with a hair emergency in
Europe and tell me to get to the airport immediately." We laughed at
this, and kept the story going, "They will have a ticket waiting, dont
worry about clothes, they have already shopped for me, I just need to
get on that plane!"

I am a purse whore. There I have admitted it. I will wear $2.00 flip
flops with a $500.00 bag on any given day. I have not limited myself
over the years. There are great finds out there at discount stores.
There was one bag I owned for a while that I purchased at Target, it
had a nifty little light inside it, making the search so much simpler.

My tastes have evolved over the years as my quest for the perfect bag
continues. Valentino with the ruffles are just too cute, Betsey
Johnson is whimsical, tho i think more age appropriate for my
daughters, Burberry speaks to my conservative side. Prada, Coach,
Ferragamo. I have spent hours online drooling over what I call "purse
porn."

I noticed at work that most of the ladies still carry a bag with them.
Drapped over their walkers, or held in shakey hands. I wondered why
they still carried bags in a building where they are never more than
an elevator ride away from their homes. The building is vast and
there are many places for the residents to go. Outside is always a
choice, though many do not venture.
Money is not needed as everything can be charged to their rooms.
There are even pens on almost every table and shelf throughout the
campus.

What are they possibly carrying in their bags? This made me wonder
what kind of excess baggage other women carry around. I began an
informal poll. "What do you carry in your bag that you do not need?"
I posted the question on a web site, I asked every woman I ran into,
even strangers.

The answers were outstanding and inspiring. It seems none of us carry
extra unwanted items in our bags. Everything is needed. The mother
of young children will have everything from crayons to pain medicine
to anti snake bite venom. One woman keeps her receipts from
everything she has purchased, not to balance her accounts, or account
for what she has bought, but "just in case."

Here are some of the results:
"My summer lip gloss..don't know why, this isnt my summer bag."
"Panty hose and a spoon..you never know when the need arises..I
switched to a smaller bag and I really needed that spoon. Lesson
learned."
"Two pairs of sunglasses."
"lipgloss (I don't even wear lipgloss), a mini brush (too small for my
Repunzel hair), notepad (I have an iphone) glow in the dark silly
putty (dont ask)."
"Coupons for places I never go..."
"As little as possible to avoid backpain."
"Pieces of a quilt I have been meaning to work on."
"A condom."
"Three pens, I guess I only really need one."

Reading these answers and listening to women defend the contents of
their bags I realized we are not weighed down by what we carry.

We are lifted up.

Besides the practical we all stuff our bags with fantasies and
hopes. I am not the only one who carries my passport in hopes of
being whisked away. There are many of us.
A woman that never wears lipgloss carries it anyway, she may imagine
the perfect moment where she would need it, have to have it and the
alternative to not having it would be crushing.

Future projects, dreams, little fragments of the women we sometimes
wish we were. The same reason my closet holds a dress that I have
never worn but would be perfect for a summer garden party. I have
never been to a summer garden party in my life, but should I be
invited, I am ready.

Could we all get away with carrying a small clutch with some cash, a
credit card and cellphone? Probably, but that would mean we were
giving up on the dream of needing two pairs of sunglasses for the
destination we may be headed to. It would mean that the quilt will
never get started, the notes will never be taken.

The contents of my own bag reveal my hopes and dreams as well. I
carry my camera with me all the time, I will need it when I am whisked
off to Europe. I carry a rosary, even though I can not recall the
last time I ever prayed the rosary. My bag is large and can fit books
in it if need be. The books I have been meaning to start, or finish.

My bag is Chanel. And it may impress people on the outside when they
see it, but whay impresses me is that my Chanel holds my life safely.
From spare change to six lipsticks.

Is it any wonder than why women are on the search for the perfect bag?
Their bag needs to protect the possibilities that await them. And
this is true for the teenager and the octogenarian alike.

Now when I look for bags online I am seeing them more as a life
partner, something I can trust with my dreams and practicalities.

So men out there, when your woman asks you to hold her bag, be
honored. She is really saying, "Here hold a part of my soul."

I quite like that pieces of my soul are encased in Chanel. Thank you CoCo.

my fabulous guest blogger - Amy Evers.  xoxo

shiny objects

it could be equal to the shoe fixation. if not, it's so extremely close that it's not worth arguing. my fixation on jewelry borders on obsession. who knows - a professional might well call it that. but that's a moot point. what matters is that i adore the stuff. in nearly every form. as my bf puts it "you can walk off the street and be purchasing a bracelet in 4 seconds flat". (that is a true story without much enhancement) give me a jewelry case and you give me a big fat slice of happy. i love the lean in, the search through all the pretty sparkly treasures till you find the one... LOVE it.




i was sick as a dog and should NOT have been out, let alone shopping, but i was going stir crazy in the hotel room and wanted air. "a little walk might do us good" brought us to the door of Fred Segal. among the 14 other things i really really wanted - this silver chain with red silk just screamed my name. i've liked her jewelry for a long time, but this is the first piece i've bought. Alyssa Norton's stuff is delicately interwoven materials - things that flow together to perfection. GORGE pieces all of them. a good prize for walking off the sick

bulls eye

it's almost like they pipe crack into the marketing. the frenzy that is attached to the Target designer collaberations is insane. this time round, with Liberty of London, they opened up a pop-up shop in NYC as a pre-launch. the shop was picked dry in 2 days and closed early. at 7am on the Sunday of the launch - many items were sold out online. INSANE. on Monday i ventured to the Target in Hollywood. most of the selection was picked to within an inch of its life - but i did manage to find the piece i wanted. this jumpsuit. it's so early 70s fantastic - LOVE. they may re-stock, they did with Rodarte, so it's worth checking back. there's a bag and scarf singing their siren song to me...

don't stop believin'

hold on to the feeling that you can always be fantastic. a few months ago a friend of mine showed me this pic he snuck in a cafe in Paris. my first reaction of course was missing Paris desperately - like pit in my stomach miss. second reaction - LOOK AT THAT FRENCH GRANNY. she is amazing. a-ma-zing. top to toe put together in perfect je ne sais quoi fashion. i fell instantly in love with her. it's a little reminder to us all, in a typically French way. we should all feel beautiful for the whole ride. merci Madame!

NPO a bit like the fountain...

of youth.  in terms of magic potions - this might be the best one i've found.  and lord knows i try 'em all.  product junkie.  i admit it.  my bf sees the twinkle start - if i see an ad for some new product - he looks at me sideways and says "you want that don't you?"  and i do.  i really do. 

my latest excursion, and as luck would have it, new product obsession, is Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair.  i've never really given Estee Lauder a go.  no particular reason - i've just been more distracted and attracted by the promises of other things.  but after seeing a few ads for this product, and then reading an article about the newest anti-aging sciences and a review of how well they worked - this one sucked me in.  and i am GLAD.  i swear on all things holy that i have used this 2 nights, and ALREADY see and feel a difference in my skin.  do i plan on switching to an all Estee all the time regimen?  quite possible...  do i plan on using this magic potion every night for the rest of my life?  YES. 

she really IS gonna dress you up

in her love!!

Madonna is going to launch a clothing line - the first collection being juniors, designed with Lourdes (who is clearly headed for style-ville. the girl dresses like an adorable little rocker) and named Material Girl. natch.
the line will expand, obvs, into every possible accoutrement you can put on yourself.

years ago we were dressing up LIKE Madonna. now you can dress up BY Madonna. we really are living in her material world.

on a lighter note

and back on high street -  don't forget that Jean Paul Gaultier's collection is available at Target NOW!!!  online and in stores. there are some fun pieces in there - so happy picking!!

final farewell

Alexander McQueen's final collection was shown in Paris... and it is a little bit mind blowing.  it makes his loss even more shattering when you see the staggering genius of these pieces.  no one makes clothes like this any more.  i feel like i'm seeing clothing that were made for Queen Elizabeth 500 years ago...with a modern twist of course.  the detail and intricacies just take my breath away.  it's so incredibly sad that there was so much pain inside a soul that contained so much beauty.  such a bittersweet goodbye note.

photos - Giovanni Gianini

and a special prize

to my shoes. if i had been invited to the Oscars, i would have worn these. i'd like to award them their own prize. just for being fab.

and the winners are...

it's like an Oscar for the red carpet at the Oscars.  winners of the fave dress awards.   and it's a three way tie ladies and gentlemen. 

let's start with the big winner of the little gold statue.  Sandra Bullock.  oh Sandy... i can't even be sad you didn't wear McQueen - because you looked so perfect in Marchesa.  like seriously perfect.  the fact that it was a soft gold at the Oscars which you were destined to win - fashion kismet.  what put me into palpitations though was the detailing at the top.  GORGE.  lovely and amazing. it's not till you look really closely that you see just how beautiful this dress really is.  LOVE  (and i can't not mention that i am thrilled she won.  i heart SB)

next up in the winner's circle, Maggie Gyllenhal.  stunner missy - stunner.  i'm a sucker for the color - and the dress, by Dries van Noten was both simple, and kind of far out in the most perfect of ways.  there's not much else to say except that she look absolutely gorgeous. 

last but not least - my girl crush Rachel McAdams in Elie Saab.  this is one of the prettier dresses i have seen in a long time.  it's not "fabulous" or "amazing" in a big grand sense - but it is just plain beautiful.  in a sea of people that may be trying a little too hard - this was a refreshing breath of fresh air.  she did it, as the fairy tale says, juuuust right.

and there it is stylies...  champagne wishes and caviar dreams of awards season have wound down.  this little party is over.  until the next time round.   well played to all the winners.  live long and dress nicely.

the runners up

i wanted to put Zoe Saldana in my winner's circle... but i just kept hesitating.  i'm teetering on the fence. i'm relatively certain that no one else could have even TRIED to pull this Givenchy number off.  so i have to give her major points for that...  i'm just not 100% in love with the dress.  the top half is stunning - and she looks ab fab in it - the color against her skin is GORGE.  i just get a bit lost down at the bottom there... one second i love it and the next it's too froo-froo for me....  all that said - good on her for wearing it, and she is just so amazingly pretty that she rocks it out.

and Demi Moore - big ups to you Mme.  i have a soft spot in my heart for her, because she was the first woman to say "f you forty" and rock that insane body in Charlie's Angels 2.  and years later - she is still looking absolutely amazing.  what does she drink and where can i buy it?   aside from all that - this Versace dress is beautiful.  it fits her perfectly and the draping makes my heart skippity.  LOVE.  the only thing i might change is the color.  something with a little more pop.   there was a lot of neutral (which i love in life - but it's the Oscars dolls) going on last night.  this is one dress i would have loved to see stand out from that crowd in an insane beautiful color...  but still - it gets the nod...

well played ladies well played.

Friday fantasy

when i was about 5, i had my first fashion epiphany.  i received in the mail, from my Granny in England, a powder blue pants suit.  it made me so insanely, deliriously happy i barely knew what to do with myself.  i was in AWE of how cool it was - and also in love with the fact that it would be unique because no one else at school had a Granny in England to send them such sartorial joys.

flash forward a few years. we all know that Balmain is killin me with wanting the jacket from the Spring shows... and now this.  for the love of all things holy Balmain, what are you doing to me? 

this is so 70's rich rock star that it makes my head spin with joy.  the pants suit dolls.  it is so BACK.  i'm not talking about your boring go to work suit.  this is for the love of wearing it.  this is "i'm going to a party with Mick Jagger and we share our clothes" in all its unbridled glory.  THIS my dolls, is why i love fashion. 

ps - if anyone has any ideas on how i can possibly afford to get ALL of this, please do let me know. 

merci, monsieur

not to be rude or anything...  well, i'm just going to say it.  a lot of this season's shows have verged on  boring.  don't get me wrong - there were loads of impeccably made things, and some outright beautiful things, walking down the runways.  but not a lot that took my breath away. it all began to blend a bit too - which is just, well, boring.  THIS was a happy exception.

ah, Dior.  it's just flat out sexy.  M. Galliano showed some dreamy, gorge pieces.  it's just so "i rolled out of bed and threw this on" fantastic.  it's perfect Dior, lovely and ethereal,  bumped up a sexy notch by bits of leather here and there...and these over the knee boots on top of it all?  sigh.  LOVE.  je t'aime Dior.  voila la mode!

t love

well, well, well... what have we here?  someone in the ether is paying attention it seems.   we all know i am a wee bit obsessed with Alexander Wang.  and i'm relatively certain i've mentioned the fact that i adore his T line... now it comes to pass that he is expanding the line beyond just basic t's and t-shirt dresses.  genius.   for the fall, there will be leggings, (with leather piping - yum), ponchos, (yes please), denim jackets, sweatshirts, wool blazers and skinny pants...  quite the expansion i have to say.   i love the leather detailing and i am sure that the pieces are all going to have that "i want to live in this" feeling to them that the t's do. bravo mr. Wang.  bravo!

i'm feeling a bit like the hatter

mad, that is.  i've gone loopy from the last couple of weeks working on a job.  to be honest it has just about done my head in - so i'm on the same page as the mad hatter right about now.  that's neither here nor there, except that it does tie in to a theme.

i'm excited to see the new Alice in Wonderland movie - and while i'm always dubious of film-related merchandise, i have fallen down the rabbit hole in a major way for this Swarovski sparrow necklace from the "alice" collection.   i have a thing for sparrows.  i have one tattooed on my left ankle in fact.  ever since i got the tattoo i feel like i've begun to see sparrows everywhere.  thus far, i've abstained from buying.  but this is just too adorable to say no -- it's a perfect way to fly away. 

 

has anyone worked out the time machine yet?

i would be fascinated in time travel.  i would probably do it as a job if it were an option.  but that is just a bit of a tangent.   today's interest in the time machine is far more specific.  it was sparked by a deja-vue memory.  an ad for Prada's spring/summer collection featuring the photo prints caught my eye while reading this weekend.  i've seen the images, when they were shown, but it never triggered this memory until just now.  and now i am OBSESSED.

when i was young, and when my mummy was probably a bit younger than i am now, she had a bunch of clothes that i thought were "boring" and for grown ups.  but there were a few pieces that completely rocked my young little world.  including a full length orange halter dress made of silk with a photo print of a sunset on it.  describing it is killing me - because of how desperately i wish i had that thing right now.  last year, i went on a maxi dress bender and collected some lovelies.  really lovely ones.  but all the while i could never stop thinking of the orange halter dress form my youth.  and now Prada has kicked the nostalgia up about 39.4 notches with the whole photo print thing.  DAMN IT. why oh why can't i go back in time, to our yellow house, into her room, inside the wardrobe, left hand side, and grab that thing and run right back to now.  why?  is that too much to ask?

the morale of the story here is -- be careful when you prune your closet.  do it - it's good and healthy to get rid of stuff you do not love or wear or fit into.  but keep the gems.  please keep the gems.... 

NPO for the first day of March

i am wondering how in the world it got to BE march already... how does it all go so fast???

it's been a bit since i had an NPO (new product obsession, for those of you who may have forgotten).  which is probably good, for the sake of money and storage space.  but this one's a good one!  now, everyone and their sister has heard of NARS orgasm blush.  the naughty name is partly credited, i'm sure, with the success of the product - but the fact is that the color (a pinky/peachy/gold) looks good on every human face.  it's amazing.  i have been wearing it for years.  recently, someone at NARS, in a stroke of genius- decided to jump on the amazing bandwagon and put out more products in this hue.  there is a nail polish, a  lip gloss, a "multiple" (LOVE THOSE THINGS).... and yes i purchased them all.  and i wear them all because they look fantastic.   but the creme de la creme is the newest baby in the bunch - the Orgasm Illuminator.  it is the same amazing color - in a lightweight illuminating/highlighting gel.  it is so beyond gorge that i have not enough words.  it is, without any further ado, my NPO.

and there you have it on the first day of March.