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.

THAT'S how you dress to entertain

this is beyond adorable. dressed up to sing at some something or another - i don't know what and it's completely irrelevant. what is relevant is how utterly cute RiRi looks here. i always love that she takes risks and speaks through her clothes - and maybe she's feeling a little warm and fuzzy for the holidays. the pearl choker (it has little silver claws on it - to keep it from being to granny's inheritance), black bustier combo rocks. and the white fur (faux i hope) and black opera gloves? LOVES IT. the ring on top? that's just taking it to the next level. sing to me RiRi.

a wee stroll on the high street

i have been nostalgic lately for England. i haven't been in a while - and i miss it. because of the creature i am - i of course gravitate to the shops when i'm there... i have fantasies in my head of the shopping route i would take if i were in London for 24 hours. (in the fantasy i'm not even sure WHY i'm there for 24 hours, but i seem to always give myself that "emergency shopping timeframe" EST) for the record, it involves Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Liberty and Topshop (at Oxford Circus, natch). it is completely and utterly do-able in 24 hours. i have worked it out time and again in my brain.

anyhoo - enough of my mental wanderings!! i always dig the Topshop -- obsessively so. and when they do a designer collab - even more fun! there are a few coming this spring... and i'm a bit loving this denim skirt from Jonathan Saunders.... the collection is quite small, but priced well, starting around $35. the skirt is amazing - very Saunders architectural - the architecture of a woman. loves it. and i am kind of groovin on the dress as well. (the bustier - not so much. i'm imagining a young vixen writhing around in a Poison video... you're welcome Brett Michaels)

the collection hits the shops in late January. the 20th to be precise. and i too shall hit the shops in late January.

you really got me

dear people of Balenciaga,

how would you feel about maybe letting me have one of every bag you produce? seriously i adore them. above all others. oh and this dress would be super fantastic too. because i really love the zipper sleeve accent and i'm all about the 60's groove, man.

thanks.

love,
the-e-stylist.

captain - i surrender!

as you may or may not recall, i have not been a huge fan of the whole "military jacket" trend. just not my cup of tea. looks adorable on some people, but i have just not been feeling it... but like water torture, they keep on comin - and lo and behold, today is the day i caved.

tuesday morning, reading Vogue (it's research now. who would have thought - i am required to read these mags for my job. heaven) it's a thin month, but a rather delightful one i must say... possibly because the focus has gone off winter, and we're seeing Spring '10 clothes. ahhhh spring!! i cannot possibly be happier to be seeing these things. i am a bit over 2009, and completely over winter. so even the glimpse of warmer weather clothing makes me happy. (not Resort - that always bothers me, because, quite frankly, i am not wintering in Palm Beach. or Bali. or Bora Bora. or anywhere but here. so i do not care to see the swimsuits thank you. i'm wearing my uggs and down coat)

ok - sorry - i'll get back on track... paging through and i happen upon a little blurb about designers who are of the moment. always love that. and i will indeed be blogging about a couple more of them... but for today what grabbed me, against my will, but with full force - this Balmain jacket. i am OBSESSED with this jacket. oh. my. god. (please read as Janice from Friends) it is amazing and i cannot stop staring at it. and throw in the leather pants too, Santa. i'll take them.... oh and the belt... and for good measure, these Balmain boots i found while doing a bit more research...

and thus my new love began... welcome Balmain, to the mental closet of the-e-stylist...

spaaaaaaaaahhhhhh

that's how they should spell it.

to me, there are a few key elements when it comes to a spa experience. obvi - the service. are you getting a good service? be it massage, facial, mani, pedi... that one's a given. next, the waiting room. or quiet room as it may be called. this can make or break the whole deal for me. and last but not at ALL least - is there a steam room?

my bf and i ran away for a little mini-break this past weekend. to atlantic city. it was a bit hilarious in the people watching. we felt like we were guests on a reality show. featuring slutty girls from the real world, or bad girls club. (NOT rock of love - those hoochies are far more entertaining thank you very much) every girl we saw was drunk as a lord teetering in high heels and wearing dresses which i'm sure they believed made them look sexy, but actually made them look like they had stopped at the 24 hour hooker store on their way down to ac. in our room, i overheard a screaming fight starring "joe" and 2 drunk girls, one of whom said joe was a liar, the other said joe was embarrassing them all. (she said that approximately 34 times. i stopped counting because it was 4 am and i was tired) ANYHOO - aside from the people watching - we had a little spa adventure at the Blue Mercury Spa. it was perfect - there was a crazy ass blizzard outside, and it was dead quiet inside the spa.

cut to the locker room -- undressed and robed, i suss out the situation - and yes indeed - steam room. score!! walk through the door marked "quiet past this point" and boom - quiet room with tons of white chaise longes, with black blankets folded at the end. tea, water, fruit, perfect. we relax for a little while, and our ladies come to bring us to the couples massage room. undress, lie on table - MELT. heated table, covered by a lovely warm blanket. i honestly could have just lay there all day, never mind even getting massaged. but the massage was indeed very very nice and relaxing. after it was over, and i got past my separation anxiety from leaving the heated bed, we wandered back into the quiet room for a glass of water. then onto the steam room. HEAVEN. heaven. i had it all to myself, it smelled of eucalyptus. i was rubbed, calmed, steamed and happy. (even better is coming out of the locker room to find that your lovely bf has paid and tipped!) as you reluctantly leave the spa - there was a kick ass spa store. candles, hair, skin, make-up - products galore. a dangerous place for a junkie like me - but i made it out relatively unscathed... and a buttery mush from the experience. if you are anywhere near a Blue Mercury Spa - i most most highly recommend running inside. full speed. you can slow down once you're in there.

pretty much - a perfect way to spend a day in a blizzard. or any other day for that matter.

tres jolie

when i lived in Paris, i taught English to business men and women. it was rather insane - it allowed me some glimpses into amazing Parisian worlds. one of my students was the head of LVMH - oui cheries, that is Louis Vuitton and its other companies. i had to go to their headquarters to teach him and i was always in awe. (he was a bit hopeless at learning it but he did try) another, i had to go to the home of the students - an elderly couple who lived in the nicest city home i have ever seen. it was a proper mansion, a butler answered the door and a maid served us tea. madame took her class in head to toe Chanel. i loved being there. i don't think the couple learned a thing, aside from "hello". they just wanted someone to talk to.

anyhoo - rather than wander down memory lane, let's get to the point. i had one student, a younger woman, who was beyond fabulous. i was obsessed with her. every class, as she studied away (she was a good student) i studied her. she was a Parisian girl to perfection. i loved everything she wore. i loved how she carried herself, did her hair, her makeup. she was amazing to me.

i'm feeling a bit this way about Marion Cotillard these days. she never totally grabbed me initially - but i am starting to become a bit obsessed. for all the Parisian reasons. case in point, mlle Cotillard at the NYC premiere of "Nine" last night. GORGEOUS. totally understated white gown by Dior. understated, until you begin to look at the stunning detailing. hair down, my favorite thing with an evening gown, playing against the convention of "done" hair. and a little nod to bohemian flair with the simple long necklaces. LOVES it. (i must admit that i would have thrown on a few bracelets... can't help myself...) and the face - just beautiful. made up but not overly so - allowing her beauty to be its own center of attention.

it's true what they say - the French ladies have a certain je ne sais quoi. et voila! this is exactly what they mean.