i love Wu

Jason Wu.  at this point, the name alone brings images of gorge popping into the mind. this collection kept that little ball rolling.  the construction is impeccable, the silhouettes are perfection.  obvs, there are dresses that make a girl try desperately to come up with a place to go so that she can wear one.  (that may or may not be what i am doing at this very moment in time) what REALLY got me giddy however were the looks with pants.  a bit more useful in one's every day life - without sacrificing even one bit of FAB.  don't even need to come up with a special event to wear this - just put it on and feel amazing and go about your business.  LOVE.

photos:  gorunway.com

side note - Jason Wu doesn't have an e-commerce site, but Bergdorf's and Neiman Marcus of course have brill selections.

boot up!

i'm borrowing from Barney Stinson here people.  as one of the best characters EVER on tv - one needs to quote when one can.  and since i don't really ever "suit up!" - let's doctor it to "suit me" (haha) better and say BOOT UP! 

we know it's winter.  the first official day.  we know i hate cold.  and i know you most likely do too.  in the constant battle to stay stylish in this bastard weather - one of the key players in any girl's army is the boot.  styles galore to suit (oh, i'm sorry) your every need.   some of my favored obsessions are pictured above.
what shoe story would be complete without some Louboutin?  how about these cute bootie devils, on sale no less, at Saks... or the black classic, wear forever shape courtesy of one of my nirvana spots - the shoe salon at   Bergdorfs.   in line with classic shapes, one of my go-to favorites is the Matilde boot by Loeffler Randall, i love this saddle color, but i have them in grey also and they go with EVERYTHING.  lest we get bored by the classics -- i know i tend to -- another gem mined from Barney's,  Fiorentini and Baker keeps the world a more interesting and happy place for me.  these pirate boots are a major presence in my winter world, as are their over the knee boots.  speaking of which, i posted about these babies from Sam Edelman a while back, but lo and behold they are on sale now at Bloomies, so i would be a very naughty e-stylist indeed if i did not remind you... and you do know Christmas is coming so i cannot risk that.  the right boot can make all the difference so venture forth and find what works and wear it with all your stars out!

ps - to look for simliar shapes in prices all over the map - check out ShopStyle.com

meanwhile....

back in the upper half of the city on FNO...  crowds stills millin' and stylin' - shopping and partying like it's going out of style.  lines to get into celeb-attending venues were, in a word, a CLUSTER-SHAG.  but the events were fun and silly and perfect.  karaoke at Bergdorfs with Nicole Richie?  you can't go too wrong.   at the end of the evening my final call is that FNO was well worth the mayhem, and can also stand for Fabulously Nuts Ordeal.  and so we wait for 2011...

shop and awe

summer is here, at last.  and because of the crazed timelines of the fashion industry, sales on summer merchandise are already beginning.  no complaints on that!  in the past i've wandered sales simply for the fun of it - and lord knows i've come away with some doozers.  some of my absolute fave closet dwellers were scored that way.  i won't stop the aimless wander - i just enjoy it - BUT i've decided that perhaps it's time to also incorporate some military precision strike tactics as well.   i can't claim all the credit on this idea.  wandering around aimlessly this weekend, enjoying the glorious heat and sun, bf and i did the drill, stop for an iced coffee here, pop into a newly opened chocolate shop there, and of course me being me, a few boutiques and shops.  (where, over the course of the weekend, i was treated to SEVERAL goodies to add to the summer wardrobe by the man.  love when that happens!)   anyhoo -- in one of said stops, Filene's Basement to be exact, i saw a rack of Missoni merch with a big ol' sign saying "additional 50% off!!"   you won't blame me for getting heart palpitations - right?!!?  i picked up a dress, held it up to me - and bf said "it's marked down extra - but it's still a couple hundred dollars for something you don't really need".   i kind of need to admit that he was spot on.  (if it were a pair of Louboutins, it might be a diff story - that's a collectors item thank you very much)  thus was born my 2010 sale shop concept.

Bergdorf's sale is starting this week. will i go?  YES.  will i buy?  only if it is on my list.  there are a few things i've been pining for - and if they are marked down, they may end up mine.  Barney's sale will be starting soon too - same rules apply.   when the further markdowns are made later in the summer - all bets may be off - but let's just wait and see, shall we?  let's live in the moment.  make a wish list.  keep it on hand - and shop the sales that way.  better to get a discount on something you've been lusting after (jury please see photo exhibit A)  than to end up with a closet full of things you never knew you needed, and therefor will never wear.  i believe in you stylies.  shop like no one's watching - do it like you mean it - but do it right and you'll have a closet full of gems to take you through the rest of your life!

sales and pondering

ah well. the bird that i heard that mentioned the word of an additional 30% off at Bergdorf's was mistaken... sad, but probs for the best in terms of shoes i should not be purchasing. there were, however - some great markdowns - and some amazing new stuff, including some fun new jewelry on the 5th floor, "5F" as they like to call it - including Jennifer Zeuner. i always like finding someone new whose stuff i may not have seen - and i have to admit i spent some time looking at her pieces. so much so that it distracted me from the shoes on sale. WHAT?! (as a little aside - there is also a great selection of her jewelry online at singer22)

i'm in the resto at B'dorfs, waiting for my friend Laura in our meeting place of choice for hightea service. i am staring at a table of 3 women. i wonder (as i often do in B'dorf's) where in the world they get their money... married into it? family? can't quite figure it? these ladies fall squarely into the category which proves one of my commandments. "money does not equal style". now -- this works both ways. there are skads of girls on the streets of NY, London, Paris who ooze style - it wafts around them like a heady perfume. they are not decked out in designers or the latest trend. they're in things they've most likely altered themselves. (a fave passtime of yours truly) and they are wearing what will most likely be the NEXT trend. on the flip side of the coin - there are the tragically rich. they ooze money. they have expensive hair, makeup, clothes, the works. and not one ounce of style. i wish there a word for it. what it is, is a sloppy rich mess.

until Laura arrives to block my view - i can't take my eyes of the 3 such creatures. one may or may not be that Fantasia person from American Idol. there's a blinding amount of enormous chunky jewelry. the other 2 are blonde. fully (overly) made up - artfully (overly) coiffed. attempting to be casual with Uggs - but missing the mark with the contrived "outfits" and dizzying amounts of diamonds and fur. (of note, the hideous atrocity that is a poncho made out of a multitude of furry tails. it's literally an ass poncho and looks thus) they believe it all works. it makes me feel a little bad for them.

all the money in the world clearly could not buy them an idea of style. i sit and sip my water, and mentally rifle through what i am wearing. an old thermal undershirt that i shredded the neck off; an old Missoni tunic thrown on top of it; an ancient beloved cashmere hat stretched almost beyond regognition; a scarf from H&M; my Levis jeans, and rubber snow boots. Laura arrives and squeals that she could spot me from the entrance by how much style i was projecting
across the room. i smile and i feel like a million bucks.

inner turmoil

allow me to begin by saying this does not necessarily mean i will BUY anything (i'm saying that mainly to myself, to stay strong in ye olde resolve)... just that i will LOOK. because things are pretty and i like to look at them...

i heard a little word from a little bird that things (in particular SHOES dolls.) will be marked down an additional 30% on Friday. so do your own math - but mine equals almost free. as i said, all efforts will go into my vision quest and not the purchase.

the 2nd floor of Bergdorf's is really nothing shy of my nirvana. it's always a bit too hectic in the entrances and on the first floor - but then you get on the escalator, cruise up slowly - and then step off onto the magic carpet of shoe dreams. makes a gal's eyes go wide every time. add to this, the glance to the right to catch sight of the sale racks, and beginning friday that little sign atop each rack that says "additional 30% off" - the feeling is indescribable. sigh.

tick tock. is it Friday yet?

city sidewalks dressed in holiday style

i am not particularly enamored of the holiday season. not a scrooge, just not that into it. the parts i really love are the music and the decorations. naturally, i love store decorations. the windows in NY stores are tourist destinations. they honestly are - hoardes of tourists line up round the block to look at them. and i have to admit that they can be spectacular. i mentioned Bergdorf's a while back - but Saks is way up there on my list as well. the windows are gorgeous, as is the decor inside. it's beautiful and understated. all white lights, birch branches. it's ab fab darlings.

to add to the fa-la-la of it all - they have quite the selection of toys and goodies for the kids. in the recent years, gift giving in the fam has been focused all on the kids. it's fun to buy things for kids - so this works fine for me. and a lot of these toys are creative (love that) and adorable (love that). and a select few - like this book, which i am giving to several wee lads and lassies this year, adds as a cherry on top, the fact that Saks donates money from each book purchased to St. Jude's Childrens Hospital. that is the holiday spirit in a nutshell for me.

close enough!

it's almost the 12 days of Christmas right? and it's the first day of Hanukkah so - it's holiday time. officially!

i was out shopping today in the mecca - the small radius of space that includes Barney's, Bergdorf's and Bendels. remarkably it was not so crowded that i felt the need to pull out my invisible uzi gun. i was shopping for a client, not for myself i might add. but i was reminded of the insane lure of holiday shopping. they just make it so EASY. starting on the main floors of the shops, there are tables of goodies and delights, for relatively small prices, that make you think "so and so would LOVE that". even if you haven't spoken to so and so for a year. these people, they're good. they lure you in. but you know what? it's a good lure. because what isn't nice about giving a nice little bit or bob to someone you care about - even if it was Bergdorf's that gave you the idea?

share the love this holiday. in whatever form. this little Dogeared necklace made me happy with the idea you give someone 100 wishes. we could all use a little wish now and then...

getting and giving all in one

today's little "do good" ditty is a shoe-good ditty. so we KNOW it's a good one, yes?
the shoe company Toms has always been philanthropic in nature - for every pair of shoes they sell, they give a pair of shoes to a child in need. i, for one, think that is a spectacular idea. it's not trying to be anything huge - it's just a good deed done. i'm a big fan of the idea of doing small acts of kindness - and this falls into that category on a large scale. loves it.

lately the company has had its name out and about a bit more - sprinkle in Ashley Olsen photographed wearing the shoes, and boom! off to the races. now, Toms is offering up some exclusives to be sold at Neiman's and also in-store at Bergdorf's, ratcheting the awareness up a notch and giving it a little sheen of luxury.

the shoes are simple, cute and comfortable. (kind of LOVING the skull print!!) you buy, you give. it's a magnificent equation in its simplicity, and it's about shoes. happy good karma!


neimans

shoesday

haha you see what i DID was - i made up a day using my favorite accessory! haha! (ode to Karen Walker)

i believe i mentioned having an odd fixation with the Olsen twins. i have forever, ever since Full House. and then the 40 bazillion videos they made, that i watched with my nieces. i actually remember some of the songs... for example "brother for sale". a classic up there with Elvis...

other people clearly have the fixation as well, since the girls are doing incredibly well as designers and entrepeneurs in their own right. despite the sometimes odd looks they sport in paparazzi photos (so entirely unfair) they have quite a phenom fashion sense. their two lines, The Row and Elizabeth and James have quite a lot of really gorgeous pieces. the cut and construction is just right on the money. ShopBop has an great collection, and if you are in the old NYC - Bergdorf's or Bloomingdales can satisfy your jones...

of course, as i am an accessory fiend, i am drawn most to the shoes and jewelry. the jewelry has been around a while - and i got a silver dagger pendant a couple of years ago during a bit of an angry phase (job related - my loved ones should not fear for their safety) the shoes - a relatively new venture. and as i must do - i went and tried on a bunch of them. they are rather perfect i have to say... the little flats are adorable - but sadly my feet are so small that sometimes little flats make me look like i should not be able to stand upright. if any of you are bigger than a size six - go for it. this pair in particular is totes obsession worthy. but, and perhaps it's seasonally based, the boots are what cried out to me. they're flingin flangin perfect. comfortable, absolutely wear-able with whatever you can wrap your mind around. this pair is beyond... they also have a couple pairs of knee high boots that i needed to touch more than once. yes, i pet shoes. i'm not afraid to admit it.

shoe lovers, there is a new kid in town...

summer is not yet gone!

i'm a bit taken aback by the fact i keep thinking of boots and i dared mention a sweater... so in an effort to keep summer here - for a bit longer (June doesn't count this year, the weather was crap - so i figure we are owed an extra month) i hereby declare i shall shift my thinking.

behold the cute summer-y dress! for all the mags that said maxi dresses were "out" this year - i say "BAH" to you. these babies aren't goin away - so deal with it. mix it up, i say. mini, maxi, rock it any way you feel when you wake up in the morning. a dress is a dress and they look nice. the one ms. jennifer aniston is sporting here is from Calypso. a dreamy store if i ever did see one. kind of an "i woke up on a tropical island where we all wear floaty things" dream. the best dream ever! there are maxi dresses abounding out there - one in every single price range. well worth looking for, and if you have any particular questions - of course i am here to guide.

i'm diggin on the fact she is carrying this tote bag as well. i saw this yesterday at Bergdorf's. (i was winding my way home from lunch with my love... and a particularly intense PT session). and i thought "i'm glad people are doing this more these days". as with the dress - there are charity bags at lots of places these days - a do good tote... Hayden Harnett is doing them, and have a new one coming out soon. whatever your cause may be - there is most likely a tote bag out there to support it!

that's my lecture for the day. do good. shop, but do good as well. good is good.

flapjack to fab

like any lady, i have, in various states of zeal, (verging on the "OH GOD WHY?!") submitted myself to the task of finding jeans that fit and flatter. it is one of life's mysteries that this arduous undertaking is so dreadful.

a few years ago i got into a Levi's kick. and i still hold fast and true to my love of Levi. one style in particular fits me perfectly - the low rise skinny (531). love them. but sometimes a girl craves a little designer jean flare, n'est-ce pas? and so i ventured forth on a quest that lasted years. sadly, every single designer i tried, every one - made me either look like a sausage squeezed into a too snug tube, or made me lose my bum entirely. we're talking flat as a flapjack. either way, NOT good.

i then read about Paige denim. i don't really remember the article or blurb particularly striking me in the moment. it did not spark in me my hunting instinct, but it did apparently lodge in my subconscious. some time later i found myself at Bergdorf Goodman, waiting on a friend to have high tea. she had found herself stuck in a meeting, so i had an hour to kill. i wandered to the lust-worthy 5th floor, thinking i'd cruise the shoes... but i found myself in the midst of jeans. the first thing i saw was Paige - and i thought "hey, why not check this out?". i pulled a few sizes and styles, got secured into my little dressing room - and suddenly my world was transformed. you see, i am a girl who wears jeans almost every day in the fall, winter and spring. i live in jeans, i love jeans. jeans are my uniform. and suddenly - i was looking at myself in jeans that gave me a pleasingly plump posterior. my personal favorite styles are the Blue Heights skinny and the Laurel Canyon, but i will keep on trying what comes next... i'm a fan for life.

i didn't purchase in the moment, i got distracted by the tea. so i went home afterward and started up the old hunt on the web. some scouring later, i had secured two pairs, and on sale no less. they do sell on their site, and they are also sold at loads of other sites, and in loads of stores. they're nice and easy to find. these babies are well worth the full price - they are magical. but they also do go on sale from time to time. i do suggest trying on each pair, the styles i have tried, i vary in sizing. but they really are amazing. this lovely woman Paige is more about fit than fad - and that is a rock solid idea in a slippery word . and now i look like i have a rock solid bum!
Paige - i thank thee.

underthings....

summer is about comfort and staying as cool as poss in the NYC humidity. (well, it's actually all about the beach - but life happens and i can't be on the beach 24/7 so this post is about reality)

over the last 2 years i became obsessed with dresses. it's one piece of clothing. it looks nice, and it's super comfy. i went on a rampage, and now have a happy little collection from which to choose when i get dressed every day. one glitch in the system is what might need to go UNDER said dresses... there are a couple that are a teeny bit sheer in bright sunlight. not ok. i have no desire to show my butt to the streets of NY. i don't feel they deserve it.

armed with the challenge, i went on the hunt for the perfect slip. it felt kind of glamorous to tell you the truth. very 1940's languid movie star. i perused every website and every lingerie section possible. i tried about a billion slips on. the creme de la creme has turned out to be Commando slips. you can buy them online, but they also do sell them at Saks, Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. the one annoying thing is that they are a bit expensive - but they are worth it. i bought a mini full slip and a half slip, and i wear them CONSTANTLY. i don't know what the fabric is, but it never static-sticks to anything, and each piece has teeny little weights in the bottom, so it doesn't ride up like so many other fabrics do. the dress extravaganza of my summers now feels complete.

that's about all i have to say about that....