Window Treatment

Like most of you I too went after Christmas shopping to check out what kinds of deals I could finagle. There were plenty of sales, but I managed to walk away with only a few things (discipline). Also while walking I noticed this window. What in the world? The jury is out on this merchandising team. Talk about holiday spirit.

Holiday sales are here!

These Roberto Cavalli metallic platform sandals on theoutnet.com are marked from $985 to $197... WOW!

Loving this trend

Strong shoulders



Will I look like a linebacker though since I have no hips?!

Ladies night at AMAs

Janet Jackson - How did she dance with those mountain boots.
Shakira - Loved the 90 female backup dancers.
Kelly Clarkson - Beautiful voice.
Fergie - Held that note too long on the first song.
Rihanna - Loved.
Carrie Underwood - Just gorgeous.
Lady Gaga - Psycho.
Mary J Blige - Snooze.
J.Lo - Covered her fall very well.
Whitney Houston - Dramatic.
Alicia Keys - Interesting choreography.
Nelly Furtado - Looked great.
Adam Lambert - I'm kidding! But seriously that was crazy.

Guess I'm keeping them

I've been searching for a pair of flat booties to purchase for a while now. I found the perfect pair once in Macy's by Jessica Simpson, but the sales person was a jerk so I never got them. Forward a year later and I found a really nice pair at Urban Outfitters. This search should not be a problem as flat booties are everywhere, however my issue is with my ankles. They are so skinny that I don't want to look ridiculous given all the ankle room most booties usually possess. The pair at Urban Outfitters are perfect for my skinny ankles, however they only had a size 8... I wear a size 9. I tried them on anyway and guess what?... They fit! So I purchased them, mission conquered. The next day, I had my outfit all selected for work with the booties to top it off, only when I put them on this time my feet felt squeezed. There's no way I can do a whole shift in these things I thought so I didn't wear them that day. I've been sitting here staring at them for a couple of weeks now wondering if I should just return them and start the mission from scratch. Yesterday however I went to give them another try. Again with outfit picked out I topped it off with the booties and voila, they felt fine this time so I wore them out. Guess this means I'm keeping them!

P.S. My booties are gray, but blue is all they are selling on their website.

D&G #18

I was walking through Nordstrom when the perfume lady sprayed me down with D&G La Lune 18. Now typically I'm not in the mood for such things, but oh my goodness if this scent didn't smell heavenly. A sweet and light scent that I would wear everyday. I took the sprayed paper she gave me and held it to my nose sniffing it all day. As soon as it's marked down, I'm there! Currently 3.3 ounces retails for $65.

Taylor finally leaves Rachel

According to New York magazine the bleach blond disgruntled styling associate Taylor Jacobson has left in popular demand fashion stylist Rachel Zoe. We got to see how important Taylor was to Rachel's company on the Rachel Zoe Project and how much, by her own admission, Taylor hated her life because of her job. From the words of movie The Devil Wears Prada, "a million girls would kill for that job!" I'm prepping my resume now! Bah-nanas.

It's a sad day

I stopped by Payless this morning only to learn that the stores down here in North Carolina will not be carrying Christian Siriano shoes. Christian is the uber talented and innovative winner of project runway a couple of seasons ago and is designing shoes for Payless. So exciting to hear right! His unique designs at an affordable price! They'll also be sold online, but I like to try shoes on before I purchase them. On a brighter side we are finally getting an H&M. First one in the whole state. What kind of small town did I move to?! At least it's sunny out.

I'm obsessed with her haircut

Kate Lanphear

Happy Halloween

I'm so excited this year because I'm dressing up as the sexy talented Beyonce in Single Ladies. I hope I can pull this off! And yes, I'll have pseudo JT backup dancers.

Of all places

I found them I finally found them! I've been looking everywhere for fingerless elbow-length knit gloves. I have been on the mission via the web and the perfect pair for me were no where to be found. I took my mission to the streets, i.e. the mall, and I just came across too short, too chunky, too leather, too satin, too covered fingers. Then I walked into New York & Company and there they were in perfect form! The perfect length, the perfect colors, the perfect fabric and for under $20. I am beyond excited, oh and they fit my way-skinny wrist too!

Accessorize

I'm loving the suspenders look right now. I found the best and most inexpensive pair at Body Shop (a boutique down here) that I'm sure to be picking up. They'll be so cute over a white tee or tank under a bf jacket.

Yay it's sunny today!

Whitney Port

Like everyone else I too watch The Hills. In my opinion it's not as good without LC and Whitney, but that's for another day. Today I want to focus on Whitney, the star of her own spin-off show The City. On last week's episode we saw that she is really interested in designing, and her boss (crazy Kelly) is giving her the avenue to seriously explore it. Well now she has looks not only sketched out on paper, but cut and sewn and ready to wear. She actually has some chic pieces in her Fall 2009 line that are very wearable. Her classic trench coat is darling, the white blazer with the bowtie sash is so adorable, I love her version of the bf jacket trimmed in gold thread, the wrap bow skirt, just to name a few. Her Spring 2010 collection is to be shown soon. Go to WhitneyEve.com to see for yourself!

Wrap it up

I am obsessed with scarves. My coat closet is spilling over with them and guess what?... I want more! I saw this one on a woman on CurrentTV that I just adore. Lipstick red with big bold black flowers, I must find this.

New bag

I'm loving this oversized satchel from Urban Outfitters. But is $68 too much to pay for a "non-designer" faux leather bag or am I being snooty because LVs aren't printed all over the bag? I also love the fact that the long straps are detachable and I can wear the bag up on my shoulder. For faux, the leather is so soft and supple too.

On sale for $104 at Express

I'm in love!

Trick or Treat

I was looking in my closet the other day just to see what I had in there that I'd forgotten about. I found the best thing ever - a burnt orange boyfriend jacket by Benetton! I was so excited for the first five minutes of finding this piece in my closet, but after that baffled by what to wear with it. How do you wear orange and not look like Halloween (and I don't care that the occasion is around the corner)? With that said I feel that black paired with this jacket is instantly ruled out. I'm thinking white, ivory, tan, brown... Am I being too narrow minded? What other colors would work with this bright burnt orange bf jacket?

DVF

I am absolutely loving this Asher dress by Diane von Furstenberg. Animal print is everywhere, and this dress is surprisingly on sale at ShopBop for $256. I love the detail of the short kimono sleeve and the draped back. Ooh and imagine this dress belted, bananas!

I need this

I need this long tank-tee and the elbow length gloves at Twelve by Twelve. I can't find it for sale anywhere on their website though, just in their lookbook. How dare they tease me like this.

Boss lady

Yesterday my store manager came in with the hottest shoes so I had to photograph them. They're Steven's and she bought them in black and gray! Here are the black pair. I am so loving this outter zipper trend.

A lot of catching up to do

Looks like I'll continue to have a busy weekend. Ha not from working or getting out doing something fun, but from reading issue after issue of my fashion magazines that have been oh so neglected by me. Let's face it, not even half of this stack will get read this weekend.

Coat Collector

I love coats. I personally own around 20 coats and jackets and I still cannot get enough. Right now I'm obsessed with the military style coat or jacket. I've seen that style at only a few places though so I'm not sure if it's on trend, but Victoria's Secret has two that I'm dying over. Not to mention VC is selling theirs for less than $200. I know I do not need yet another coat especially a wool one, but at this price it's such a steal.

It's pouring here

NPH

I love Neil Patrick Harris! He's the reason I love those two White Castle movies and he's the reason I watched the Emmy's last night. Numerous times throughout the night we heard from his peers what an awesome job he's doing hosting, and I couldn't agree more. Also, did you know he was a producer for this year's Emmy's? How cool is that. Oh and how great was his opening number! I just love Neil Patrick Harris.

Inspiration

Victoria Beckham looks as beautiful as ever here at a taping for American Idol in August. Her pixie haircut has grown out into my new inspired haircut. Let the growing out begin!

Adequate replacement?

I found this really cute Marc by Marc Jacobs softy tobo bag that reminded me a lot of my newly obsessed over-priced mahina LV bag. At a fraction of the cost at $400, is this an adequate replacement? Should I settle to carry this tobo bag on my arm just to continue to fantasize about Mahina and what could have been? I mean no disrespect to Marc Jacobs, anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love Marc Jacobs... besides MJ designs for LV so it's a win-win for him. This tobo bag only comes in white and fuchsia, which are not colors I'm looking for in a bag right now anyway.

Vuitton XL

I have to have this bag! I have a thing for over-size slouchy bags, and this one fits the bill. Okay I'm kind of late because the Louis Vuitton XL Mahina was released October 2007, but I fell in love with it when a woman walked into my store the other day carrying it and I've been dreaming about it ever since. It was so hot in person and on her little shoulder. Of course it's Louis so you know what that means - $$$$$! The bag retails for $3,300! WHAT! I expected it to be expensive, but $3,300? I almost threw-up. I NEED the gray one though, and I've been very good as I have not purchased a new bag in nearly two years! I love the sleek smooth calf leather and the dotted LV monogram, which is a little more subtle.

Clinique lotion secrets

Finally I know what the heck I'm putting on my face! I started using Clinique's dramatically different moisturizing lotion about a year ago after I received it free from gift with purchase. It was everything I kept hearing people rave about. I loved it! The lotion made my skin smooth, soft, and healthy looking; But on the bottle there are no ingredients in sight as to what the lotion is made of. I cannot even find the ingredients on their website! Usually I'm really careful with what I put on my sensitive skin, but the positive effects from using this lotion has lead me to lower my guard. However savvyskin.com posted a list of ingredients for dramatically different moisturizing lotion: Water Purified, Mineral Oil, Sesame Oil, Propylene Glycol, Tea Stearate, Gylceryl Stearate, Lanolin Alcohol, Petrolatum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. Nothing to be ashamed of here. I think it's so weird that the ingredients are not posted on the bottle.

Spanx please

Last night my girlfriends and I enjoyed girls night out, and with that came some great people watching. Girls were dressed pretty cute for the most part and we saw so many hot shoes, which I was somewhat surprised about but very impressed with. There was one girl who stood out and who is the inspiration for this post. She was wearing the ever so popular bandage dress. Now not too many people can wear the bandage dress the way I'm sure its designer intended it to be worn. This dress is very revealing in that any bump, any extra piece of chuck your body may hold will be exposed in this dress. However there is a solution, an aid - Spanx! I could not tell this girl's back from her front when she turned sideways. Of course not too many of us look like Gisele, but come on if you're going to wear such a body conscious piece then please take the necessary steps to keep the integrity of the dress.

MJ sighting

My friend's friend ran into Marc Jacobs in Soho while window shopping. She of course asked to be photographed with him and he sweetly obliged. How cool is this! She confirmed that he looks great in person too.

The Maxwell Show

I really really want to go and see recording artist Maxwell. I have been in love with Maxwell and his music since the 1990's and now he's back with a new CD and on a nationwide tour. He so happens to be venturing to my little ole town and I have to see him! Only the tickets range from $51.50 - $127. My dreams came to a screeching hault after seeing those ticket prices.

L.A.M.B. knockoff

This is turning into a shoe blog! I was on Piperlime viewing Rachel Zoe's picks and of course most of her choices are expensive designer labels with a $300 minimum. Included in the dream collection are a pair of L.A.M.B. Rasta botties that I immediately gasped over! These lovely creations put me in a shoe trance. However needless to say they are out of my price range at $345. Stylish Me found a knockoff pair at Steven by Steve Madden called Persis for $170; that's less than half the price! Right now I'm finding my detail oriented personality as a nuisance as I'm picking out all of the differences, albeit small, in the knockoff pair.

L.A.M.B.



Steven

Aldo sandals

Should I buy these sandals by Aldo for $85 in the store and $70 on the website, which doesn't include the shipping fee? Aldo tends to be so overpriced, but I just adore these sandals so much! I wish they came in a chocolate brown, but I would settle for this bone color. I love the ankle strap, and I just love the heel. Why oh why are they so pricey.

Proenza Schouler sandal

I finally found them! The sandal from the spring 2008 Proenza Schouler collection. I've been dying for these when I first saw them in Harpers Bazaar on a model in their spring show. I went from doing all kinds of research trying to locate them and finding nothing to years later locating them on three different websites: Netaporter, Yoox, and Theoutnet. But as suspected although they are now discounted I cannot afford them at $480 on Netaporter, $245 on Yoox (not bad relatively speaking), and $435 on Theoutnet, which is slightly different with a multistrap. They've soldout of these on Netaporter, Theoutnet does not have my size available, Yoox however has my size in stock... Be strong be strong!

J.Crew flip flops

I have been searching for a pair of silver flat thong sandals and surprisingly I'm having a very hard time. I own a pair of gold flats by Colin Stuart at Victoria's Secret, but for some reason they come in every color but silver. I found this pair in silver at the J.Crew website, and it looks like the exact pair I've been searching for. It's at a decent price, $49.50, and Italian leather made in Italy. My only question: how comfortable are they? From the picture they seem to have such a hard sole. My Colin Stuart pair have a soft squishy sole that are so comfortable I can where them to work and stand and run around for people all day in them. Will the J.Crew pair offer me the same satisfaction?

Discounted Chloe

I really want these Chloe platform sandals! I just found them on theoutnet.com and have been staring at them all day wanting to pull the trigger on the "Add to Bag" button. They are marked down 50% from $455 to $228, such a great deal for Chloe! I love everything about the shoe especially the double interlocking ankle straps with buckle fastening. I love when straps hit my ankles. I want them!

GLEE!

Due to American Idol continuously running over during the season I set my DVR to record the show 5 minutes longer than it was scheduled to end. I learned that tough lesson after I missed Adam Lambert's performance of which Simon Cowell actually gave him a standing ovation. By the way, why is it such a big deal right now that Adam is gay?! Anyway, after the American Idol finale FOX aired a new pilot called Glee. I was not interested as I already record way too many television shows, however this one caught my attention from the very beginning. In the first 45 seconds they showed a car being driven with Ohio plates (my home town!), and a boy trying to avoid being thrown into the dumpster by the high school football team by shouting he is wearing Marc Jacobs' new collection. I died and wanted more, but five minutes was up and so was the show! I'm just now writing this post because I finally watched the entire episode of Glee on Hulu.com and I must say I was so moved. I love the concept of the show; The football jocks, the cheerleader clicks, the nerds who get stuffed in porta potties, and of course the caring teachers. One teacher in particular who runs the Glee club and hopes to recruit some singing and dancing talent. If you haven't watched the pilot for this hour-long comedy please check it out, I think you will be as delighted as I am. I'm looking forward to adding another show to my repertoire this fall television season. I guarantee this will be a hit with pop culture.

A new love

My girlfriend and I ventured over to a wonderful boutique to do some window shopping, and my eyes were like saucers. I wanted everything I saw! They have the most awesome BCBG collection apart from a BCBG store I've ever seen. There were a lot of dresses there that I fell in love with (by BCBG and others), but this one is the one that actually made me take off my clothes to try it on. The BCBG pleated cotton poplin dress with pockets in violet purple. The dress was a little big on me and they did not have the next size down, which is probably a good thing. I did manage to find it online, however I'm most sad to say that cannot spend $158 on a dress right now no matter how fabulous.

Marc on sale

How cute is this 10x9.5 Marc Jacobs Palais Royal messenger bag! It's on sale at Saks.com at 40% off for under $400. It seems to only come in ivory at this price which is a fine color, and for a Marc Jacobs this size is a fine price. The strap looks to be nonadjustable so I would wear the bag across my body instead of on my shoulder. Anyway, I'm daydreaming.

Enter your code

Stylish Me just forwarded me the best website! Let me backtrack. I've been eyeballing a certain dress in Express for a couple of weeks now, however I'm trying to be responsible and not spend money on clothes especially full-price items. Stylish Me being the resourceful fashionista she is told me about www.retailmenot.com where legitimate printable coupons and coupon codes are available. Where have I been?! This website actually works for many many different stores, including designer brands. This website also tells you the unreliable coupons codes that did not work for a lot of customers. Retailmenot.com is now added to my favorites... No shopping without it!

I love these

Just strolling through DSW's website and saw this sandal, which kind of looks like it has an ankle brace attached to it. Believe me that is not some wild fantasy or premonition of mine. Check out this No. 704b. Almada ankle cuff sandal... I love it in green!

The Tight Roll

It's back, the tight roll that we sported in the 1980s with our jeans only more stylish. They say if you were apart of a trend once, when it circles back around (as they tend to do) don't even think about doing it again. But this one is growing on me in a big way. This time we're wearing cute chunky heels with the look instead of boat shoes. I have to be apart of this one again.

Put up your dukes

Heidi and her blond crew went to battle bartender Stacy and her brunette crew over, you guessed it, Spencer. Who on God's green earth would fight over Spencer? Maybe to fight to disown him, but to fight because you want him to be with only you? Gross. Across town goth girlfriend Jayde wanted to punch Audrina's face in for sleeping in her boyfriend's (Brody) bed. Girls, why is it that we forgive our boyfriends for their indiscretions, but not the other woman? Shouldn't Jayde want to punch both of their faces in? By the way, is Jayde a playmate??

Sloppy seconds

Ummm excuse me but what are The Hills girls doing crashing the Hawaiian vacation of Brody and buddies? Could these girls please get a life, a job, something. All of a sudden there is a mutual attraction between Brody and Audrina that has always been there? When did this come about, before or after Lauren was smooching his face off? Seriously, how awkward is it to tell your friend who has dated Brody that you just spent the night in his room? Lauren has to be PO'd... Who needs enemies!

Here comes the Hammer?

Guess what are back in style... over at BCBG anyway? MC Hammer pants! I received my BCBG Max Azria summer 2009 catalog and the first thing that jumped out at me, and not in a good way, were these Harem Pants (their official name). I suppose the model is pulling them off, but I wouldn't dare want to see them in the streets on some poor regular girl thinking she's hot stuff. Some things should be left for only the runway.

The Hills blurb of week 3

"I feel like I'm in a nightmare" is how Spencer said he feels about his relationship with Heidi in last night's episode of the Hills, yet she continues to stay with him. But I must say that I was cracking up after he said it! Also, did you notice how skinny Heidi's sister Holly looked last night? Someone caught a glimpse of herself on television last season and decided to take up the Mary Kate diet... what a difference LA can make! P.S. Brody's new girlfriend is not cute.