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

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.

seeing spots

leopard print comes in and out and in and out of fashion like nothing else. it's having its most recent resurgence at the moment - and i'm close to getting sucked in this time round. it can be found on pretty much every single possible garment a female can wear. from a teeny thong to a full length faux fur coat.

for me personally - i only like my leopard in two locations. short dress jacket, or nestled on my feet. and as it is my greatest obsession - i am focusing on the shoe. ahhhh the shoe. i'm not the biggest fan of the leopard pump, although i freely admit there are may ladies who can fully pull it off. my taste goes to the leopard ankle boot.

of course the creme de la creme is monsieur Christian Louboutin. mais oui! these are the ones we truly lust for, n'est-ce pas? Neiman's, Saks, Barneys... you taunt me with Louboutin imagery! however, if we are feeling less than flush, there are of course other options. having done a bit of scouring of the olde interwebs, i found a couple of less pricey versions. the black bootie with the leopard heel is kind of a less "in your face" version too - if you're feeling a bit shy... Giuseppe Zanotti, and they also happen to be on sale at Piperlime. keep on going you say? ok...a pretty adorable pair of Charles by Charles David at Overstock.com and a cute little number at Nine West go even further down the price scale....

my mind is spinning and i'm seeing spots... but i like it!

screw black friday, try grey wednesday!

once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far, away, i worked at a Mall. it was right after i had moved back from living in Paris. i hated it. not my cup of tea. i would rather have pulled out my eyelashes. however, that is not the point here. the point is that that particular period in my life was when i discovered the earth-bound version of hell that is "black friday". i vaguely recall hiding in a dressing room at one point to get away from the madness.

i don't know what evil genius came up with this idea. but they should be a villain in a super-hero movie. 98.4% of america runs screaming to any available shopping area near their homes and loses any sense of sanity they may have been gripping on to. i see images of it now on tv and it gives me shivers. all this for maybe, $5 off some item that will without a shadow of a doubt go ON SALE AGAIN. it's beyond insane and i just do not understand it.

now, this year, it will certainly boost the droopy economy if we all do shop - and we do all know i love to shop - and so i say: "SHOP! DO IT!" but you don't need to get an arm ripped off in the process.

i'm coming up with my own plan. i'm going to celebrate grey wednesday. i am going - wait for it.... to the MALL to meet my mum tomorrow. i love a good mall. nothin' like it. and on grey wednesday, i shall be free to peruse things at my leisure, and without fear. and i do know for a fact that Neiman Marcus has a load of things marked down, as does Anthropologie, Saks, Barneys, and JCrew. and i imagine that the other shops will follow suit. and for any of thee who are locked to the computer - chickdowntown and amazon.com are doing an "early" black friday deal, and i can only imagine that other sites will be following any moment now - so CRUISE the shops, or the web and find your early deals.

take that black friday! hazzah!

a snood by any other name....

snoods as sweet... it's staggering, my similarity to Shakespeare, no?

i do know i've yammered a bit about the snood before. possibly it's my Elizabethan fixation, or poss the friggin freezing winds that howl through the building tunnels here in NY in the winter... whatever the root - i think i may be obsessing on snoods this year.

now then - this little Burberry number here is quite the catch. the fringe is nice, to swish around a bit while you walk... and imagine the toastiness inside your little cave of cashmere. they have other colors available at Saks, although there it goes by another name - the "loop". between you and me - it's a snood. a snood is a snood. a "loop" is something you either eat, (as in "fruit-") or perhaps drive (just do a loop and come back east) or a knitting term perhaps? ... anyhoo - this is a SNOOD for goodness sake. and i rather adore it. it almost makes me not mad at wind any more..

missus softee

an old friend of mine, from the days of yore is a lover of the blog. which makes me happy. he currently works at Hanro, and wondered what i thought of their delicious wares, as i seem to have no shortage of opinion. or words to express. to be perfectly honest, i had to admit to him i had never tried any of their stuff, although i am very familiar with the name, as it's a brand sold in Saks and Neimans, where i do seem to find myself on a rather regular basis. so he sent me some items to check out - and uh.... i know i have a bit of an addictive personality, but uh... OH MY GOD. i am so completely hooked on the Touch Feeling undershirt, that i seriously think i have to go and buy one for every day of the week. (possibly a couple extra because laundry is not my strongest task) i swear to God and all things holy that this t-shirt is made of magic. it is too soft to be made by humans. also magic? the fact that it is fitted to my body like a glove, does not show one single bit of the parts that are not firmed up by crunches, and does not squeeze me to lack of breath like any "shapewear" item might. (i once almost passed out from one of those "shaping" things, but that's another story for another day) when it's flingin flangin freezing in NYC, i often wish i had a head to toe suit made of Uggs material. now, i wish that for every season i had a head to toe suit made of Touch Feeling t-shirt material.

if i can tear myself away for one second... the Taitu nightgown is also amazing. sexy, but not o.t.t., and will probs be an adorable little sundress for the beach. loves it. usually i get wildly twisted about in sleep things, but this is comfy and pretty. how is there anything wrong with that?

this uncharted Hanro territory was a happy happy trail indeed. now if i can figure out my head to toe Touch Feeling suit - the world will be a complete place, and i can go on to cure the flu.

nieves lavi - me lovee

ye shall learn, as we go along the stylie path together, that i am obsessed with Nicole Richie. not the too skinny hot mess girl she was, but the woman she is now. cute, cute mommy with a bangin' body and a fantastic bohemiam, luxe-hippie style. i love her.

a couple of years ago, i was cruisin the mags, as is my wont. and i saw her wearing an oh-so-adorable mini dress. i did my hunt and it turned out the dress was from Nieves Lavi. so i went on hunt part deux. found myself at Saks, before taking my visiting niece to American Girl (or as i now know, "little girls addicted to dolls like they were crack") for a special birthday tea and shopping spree. anyhoo - i grabbed some Nieves Lavi pieces and hit the dressing room with my little lady in tow. tried on the first dress - and she said out loud "wow - that is so flattering". two things here - one: how cute is that, and i love her two: if a 10 year old says that - it's real. they don't know enough to say "no that doesn't make you look fat". dress was purchased and my love affair began. they do sell on their website, and also have a list of other retailers and websites who sell them.

most of their pieces are silk - and so ridiculously light and comfortable, and yes, flattering that you could live in them. they do also do cotton pieces. i hunt and i scour, because the-e-stylist likes things on sale. i'm just that way...and i have collected a few dresses and tops that i LOVE. they feel like air on your skin and as a special bonus, you get to feel just a little bit Nicole Richie bohemian luxe-hippie for a day. it's a win-win sitcho my friends.