nudge nudge, wink wink

i used to work in SoHo. extremely dangerous for a lady like myself. factor in 12 years of lunch break/ coffee break/after work walks - and what you have is strong support for the fiscal maintenance of NYC. you're welcome, city of mine. there were, a long time ago, little boutiques in that hood. now it's more of a mall store type sitcho, with boutiques sprinkled in here and there, holding fast to their tiny spaces. those are the places i love. one of said teenies was Wink. i wanted so much to love it - but it was never quite right, it wasn't set up properly and it drove me nuts.

cut to today.... i am a self-employed uptown girl. it is a bright sunny day, so i decided to take a walk to get the blood moving. turned out to be both good and bad. it's frickin freezing out, which i hate. but i did get some fresh air, and did do some re-conn on boutiques along Columbus Ave., including Wink. after driving by it a while ago in a taxi i thought "everyone deserves a second chance". i am glad i went. walked in - LOVE! it's small, but perfectly laid out. not at all crowded, but a good solid amount of stuff. they happen to carry the Plush leggings i mentioned the other day - yum. (they come in denim too- tres cute). i began a mental shopping list which includes an adorable chiffon ruffled skirt. (as soon as it's warm out!) and this supercalafragalistic JJWinters bag. they also have some new House of Harlow jewelry - first time i've seen it in person rather than interwebs - and it (of course) is VERY cute. add to the list? check. i would have added a couple of pairs of shoes to my list, but i have placed myself on shoe probation. so i did not. on top of all the goods, the 2 girls working were great - friendly and helpful but not pushy. my kind of ladies.

it's a little bit of an accessory haven i must say. every time you turn your eyeballs around - there is a bag, a shoe, a scarf or a piece of jewelry to make you say "OOH!! hello!" and thus on this day, new addition to the mental neighborhood of "happy place". a new addition to my sunny day walking route. a fab addition to my stylist's arsenal... who knew addition could be so fun?

the talented miss richie

we all know i love me some Nicole Richie. she's just adorable. game, set, match.

i'm always equal parts intrigued and dubious when celebs do their own clothing lines. 99 percent of the time i look at in sort of sick fascination with the thought in the back of my mind "who in the name of all things holy would want to pay money to dress in the style of that person?!" i won't name names. rather than use their names, the lines could just be called "dress like a whore, just like me!" and the point would be the same. (Kate Moss is outside that heinous bubble. i like a number of her pieces for Topshop.)

ahem, anyway... now the talented Miss Richie enters the fashion fray. she started off with the House of Harlow jewelry line - which is uber cute (that reminds me, there's another ring i want...) and she expanded, logically, while preggy, to a maternity line for Pea in the Pod. again - super cute pieces. cut to spring 2010, when her new label Winter Kate will debut. (February to be exact)

the line will include 37 pieces, and will be sold at shops like Nordstrom, Neimans, Saks, Bloomingdales, and boutique-ier shops such as Ron Herman, Intermix and Kitson. the collection includes mostly tops, vests and bed jackets in colorful splashes of vintage-inspired silk, crepe and chiffon, based heavily on the style of her own wardrobe. as she puts it, "I probably wear the same two pairs of jeans every day as the background to a fabulous top," she said. "Bed jackets are a staple of my wardrobe because they are a gorgeous way to give jeans and a white T-shirt a completely different look." easy peasy and looking gorgeous. the styles and cuts lend themselves to layering, which allows limitless combos within your own wardrobe. LOVE it.

prices are set to be reasonable - her philosophy being that "Fashion should be accessible". AND my favorite quote of all, because it hits the nail of e-stylist philosophy square on the head -- the pieces she has designed "...can be dressed up, made casual, but most importantly, they
provide the wearer a means of self-expression and fun." that, as they say, is style in a nutshell.

is it spring yet?