Let 'er rip!

Balmain has me wanting torn up and bleached skinny jeans, and diva wasteland bejewelled dresses. Never thought I would be the type to bring torn clothing into public sight, but I guess that's where I'm headed. I feel a tad like I'm regressing to those days in high school when I refused to get my jeans washed (much less hemmed and sewn) for weeks on end to get them perfectly beat up and worn out. Fashion is such a cycle that I'm starting to feel like one of those hamsters running on a wheel and always ending up in the same place.

PS: I love love love the footwear too. Sign me up for bedazzled sexy sandals asap.

Head over knees

That title sounds a little pervy. Anyhow, I thought I was so over the idea of knee high boots and would just do booties this year. But then now the idea of over-the-knee boots somehow seem appealing. Flat over-the-knee boots in particular, since NY requires flat footwear to do all the crazy walking in. I am in LOVE with these gray ones by Frye on the VS website. They're $398 though and I don't think I'm in the position to shop for pricey shoes if I want to go somewhere nice for the holidays. I hope it's just a passing crush.

PS: I can't believe I'm on my 100th post already! This is what happens when one turns into a hermit for a month. Cray-zee. I need to get a life.

Success!

Say hello to my new Hermès scarf!

I can't believe my own perseverance. I actually got up at 8:30 AM on a Saturday, tugged on my fave Gucci rainboots, and hightailed it to the Hermès sample sale. I thought maybe since the weather was supposed to be crappy today, there wouldn't be a huge crowd. I was right. I managed to get in relatively quickly and was transfixed with the beautiful silk scarves and ties for a good hour. Scarves were at $225, 40% off the regular price $375. Men's ties were at $102 - $118. The leather goods were ho-hum, as expected. I only saw 3 Twillys in rather hideous colors.

But I don't care because I have a gorgeous new silk scarf! $225 is still a painful price to pay for a slip of silk, but knowing that I'll use it until I'm 60 eases the pain a little.

To those still pondering whether they should go or not, I say go! There was no line when I left at around 11am, and there are still plenty of pretty scarves, if that's what you're in the market for. The sample sale is on til 6PM today. Last day is tomorrow, Sunday, from 1-6PM. Location is 125 West 18th Street, between Sixth & Seventh Avenues, 4th floor.

Good luck!

Fall's Bounty

I walked through the Union Square market on the way to and from the Hermès sample sale, and I got so cheered with all the beautiful flowers, plants and produce. I love seeing farm fresh veggies and fruits, in all their vibrance. The peppy orange of these tomatoes and gorgeous purple of these eggplants totally put me in the mood for fall's colors.

I knew it was time to go home when I picked up this plant, fell in love, and immediately forked over the $3 to call it mine. Mika says I should stop buying plants because I uh, keep killing them. But I'm sure this time it'll be different. How gorgeous is she? I almost feel like I should name her.

I'm gonna name my plant Dolce. Cause she looks like the frou frou on this tunic that totally caught my eye from the Spring Summer show. Do people name plants? I don't care. Dolce it is!

Hit Snooze

Dolce & Gabbana, you sneaky biatches! You totally made my gloomy rainy day brighter with your awesome collection. Who knew such chic potential was hiding in Hugh Hefner's wardrobe staple—jammies! Fashion that lets me roll out of bed and go straight to work is always revolutionary in my eyes. Designers after my own heart!

My faves, below—the pajama romper especially. Get up, grab heels and Fluffy, and go! What's not to love?

Get off the couch already!

I've been so bad about going to the gym. It's right behind my apartment, and yet I still find excuses to just keep ... well, sitting on my couch and not hitting the treadmill. Maybe if I get some pretty gym clothes like these from Adidas by Stella McCartney for SS09, I'll get motivated? Or maybe I should just look at my bank statements and remember what I'm paying per month ... yeah that helps.

Photos from Style.com

When I grow up ...

... I want to have the courage to mix patterns and colors as fearlessly as Consuelo Castiglioni at Marni. And if I could run around Manhattan in these ridiculously high yet gorgeously quirky Marni heels, that'd be cool too.

Images from Style.com

Tights Weather

It's definitely fall. I've been back in my tights for the last couple of days. The bright side is that I've gotten away with wearing my short dresses to work again since they're not quite so scandalous when not worn with a bare leg. I'm gonna start wearing more colorful tights after the General Assembly. I thought I looked like a New York corporate chick from the 80s today. Short coat, short skirt, heels. All I needed were shoulder pads and teased hair. I love this tweed coat. I bought it on sale at Mango over 5 years ago and it's still in one piece. I wore this all over Europe when I lived there in 2003, and it's sticking around for my third fall in NY.
Thanks to my lovely friend Vanessa, who took photos of me when we weren't ogling the snipers on the rooftops of the UN.

Coat by Mango, dress and tights by H&M, shoes by Nine West

Fast forward to Summer '09

Miuccia, you are a goddess. This is exactly how I want to look next Summer: radiant tan, sleek upswept hair, and sexy, bed-rumpled clothes. These 3 looks are my favorites from the Prada Spring Summer 09 show, as reported by Style.com. I love the juxtaposition of an elegantly coiffed and primped woman with naughtily wrinkled but still very ladylike clothes. (Too bad the chick in the middle took a spill. Oh well, she looked good while she was still standing).

I can see it now ... long nights of vino and cheese on the balcony ... tumbling out of bed 30 minutes before work starts ... a quick shower, pull wet hair into a bun, throw on sexy sans ironing clothes, and 15 minutes later walk into the office still looking chic and on trend. Nobody has to know ...

Tick tock ...

30 minutes & counting standing in line at the Hermes sample sale. Will I get fired over an Hermes scarf? Yikes. I'll give it 15 more minutes before I wave the white flag ...


... DEFEAT. Utter defeat. I had to give up after an hour of lining up brought me to about 15 meters from the door (that's still faaaar in sample sale lineup time). So sad ... must do comfort shopping after work to ease the pain ...

Trailin' the Blazer

Love it! Finally, a long and shaped blazer that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars. I really like this BDG equestrian blazer, only $88 at Urban Outfitters. Its classy tailoring and low scooped hem at the back might just give me the courage to pour myself into lame leggings.

AA Appeal

Does anyone else feel dirty while looking at the American Apparel website?

I was looking to stock up on some basics but I was so distracted with all the nips and me-love-you-long-time looks that I think I'll suck it up and walk 4 blocks to the store. But I've worked out that I want these:

1. The very basic and very sexy turtleneck dress. I like the asphalt color. I like the chichis too. I wish they came with the dress.
2. I have to admit, this chick is hot, and the sheer desire to get some of that sex appeal to rub off may fool me into buying a droopy $22 tank top.
3. Eeek! Her face and visible nips freak me out every time. But it looks like a great top, and worn with a bra it could even possibly be work appropriate. AND it's on sale for $12!

Flat Feat

So, Blair gave the Tory Burch first season Reva flats the xoxo of death in tonight's episode of Gossip Girl. Done. Finito. New York must move on.

Personally, I've always preferred the now-classic Tod's Degas flat. I love mine and want to get more, but it seems like Tod's stopped making them! All I see in my Tod's searches are "Dee" flats, which I suppose are the Degas' little sisters. But come on now, Tod's. When you have Carla Bruni seeing the Queen and wearing black tie with her Degas flats, your response shouldn't be to stop making the shoe. You make 'em, embellish 'em, razzle dazzle 'em and sell, sell, sell 'em! Bring them back Tod's, please. Bring them back.

The only Tod's Degas flats I could find on the Internet, in classic patent leather for $395 at eLuxury

The Degas flats have become a staple in Carla Bruni's wardrobe, so she can keep on equal footing with the Prez

Carla Bruni rocking the heels on the runway in her past life as a super

Thinking Pink

I've been itching to buy a camera but since I've been on a spending spree, I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't spend over $150 on one. So today, I landed on Buy.com and saw the cutest camera ever for $124.99! It's a Casio Exilim EX-Z9, and my co-worker Ludette who owns one totally vouches for its quality. I was extra enamored because it comes in a vivid shade of pink, which I found way too cute! But then, I realized ... who's gonna be taking pictures with my camera? Not me. I'll be handing it to my boyfriend to take pictures of ME! And he will NOT be happy at all about holding a pink camera. He's metro enough to wear a pink shirt (so cute!) but methinks a pink camera is pushing it. So too bad for me ... back to the hunt ...

Why?

Dear Forever 21,

Why must you torture me so? I want quality in my life. Simplicity. A less cluttered closet. Fewer, finer pieces. But you keep tormenting me with incredibly adorable little things and tempting me with LOW LOW LOW prices. Why can't I quit you??

xoxo,

C

Cropped tweed blazer for $29.80

Cropped boucle jacket for $34.80

Found It: A Down Coat with Sex Appeal

Down coat by Mango, skirt by Burberry, digicam stand-in iPhone,
smudged eyeliner & mascara leftover from last night

Leave it to me to go out shopping for a leather jacket and come back with a down coat. I was rifling through the racks at Mango when my hand landed on this winter white down coat. It is the most well-designed down coat I've ever seen. It's sculpted close to the waist and around the elbows so I don't look like the Marshmallow Man in it (please tell me you've seen Ghostbusters and understand my reference). I love the smoker jacket-type collar, which can be pulled down for a sexy look or pulled close to the neck to prevent catching pneumonia. It's filled with down and feathers, and will surely keep me warm and cozy through the winter months. Oh, and did I mention it only costs $179? Love it!

Ch-ch-check out the details.
This down coat is actually cut to sculpt to the waist so that I don't look like a walking marshmallow in it.

Oh PS: I got a cute clutch too! Black oversized clutch, quite basic but sure to be super useful. Only $59!

Picture taken from http://www.mangoshop.com,
where the bag is also, incidentally, available!

LES Happy Hours

I love hitting up the Lower East Side with Kathryn. I never come home anything short of hammered, but we somehow do it without draining our wallets! Ingredients of a great night indeed.

We started the night at Paladar. I got there early and considered stopping in one of the many clothes shops lining Ludlow Street. But then a sign that read "Mojo y Mas! Happy hour, all drinks half price 4 - 7 daily!" caught my eye. It was 6:54 so I rushed in and ordered 2 mojitos stat! Very good decision. Their mojito was strong and so refreshing, with well muddled mint, just the right amount of tartness from the lime, and a piece of sugar cane stuck in for good measure. Love munching on sugar cane marinated in alkie! Kathryn came and we ordered some bites from the pan-Latino menu. She had quesadillas, while I ordered the Costillas 'LES'—tender and very meaty pork spare ribs flavored with guava BBQ sauce, and served with an addictive slaw of mango, jicama (AKA singkamas to Filipinos) and cabbage. Soooo good. And everything we ordered was $9 and below! This is now officially one of my new favorite spots in the city.

After eating, we moved on to Verlaine, which has a sick happy hour that goes on until 10PM everyday. We consumed glass after glass of their delicious lychee martinis. I think Verlaine makes the best lychee martinis—and not just because they cost $5! They do not skimp on the vodka but mix it so nicely with lychee and pineapple juice that before you know it, you've lost count of how many you've had and you're walking out without your belt and scarf and ... I should stop before I incriminate myself further. Needless to say, this is one of the best happy hour spots in the city. Everyone needs a Verlaine night every so often for giggles.

Where:
Paladar at 116 Ludlow Street near Stanton Street
Verlaine at 110 Rivington Street near Essex Street

Coveting: Elizabeth and James leather jacket

Damn those Olsens. As if it's not enough that they already make me feel this small for not being a millionaire at the ancient age of 27, now they're gonna keep me awake coveting this leather jacket. I love how it's cut and sewn like a corset so that it hugs the curves. I also really like the cropped and curved hem. Not too crazy about the collar, but I can take it. According to Intermix, the leather is relatively heavy, which is great. The Olsen factor actually sells me on this jacket—not cause I'm such a fan but because they're as tiny as me, so I'm hoping their petite size will actually really fit me. You can pre-order the jacket now at Intermix. They're shooting for a late October delivery. Hopefully some other (cheaper) leather jacket catches my fancy this weekend. If not, I'm gonna be an Olsen-bot.

I am totally crushing on ...

... these earrings from Anthropologie ($138). I love how they're so delicate but very bold at the same time.

Pondering: Leggings

I wasn't paying attention to my TV so I was caught unaware when Family Guy turned into WWF, and before I knew it, I was watching two chicks in PVC throwing each other around. And because I am clothes obsessed these days, that turned into me pondering leggings. The leggings of late are fancier, shinier, and boasting bells and whistles. But I find myself at a crossroads. Can I get past my 90s glittery-spandex-matched-with-high-tops-with-glittery-laces trauma and get into the stylized leggings trend?

I thought the best start would be to see the haute version of the trend to see the sheer refinement the look could have. I found these breathtaking pure silk Victorian leggings by Chloé which, believe it or not, will set you back $1475 at Neiman Marcus.

The detail is breathtaking upclose: embroidery, tiny silk-covered buttons along the side. I imagine it feels heavenly too. I, however a) cannot afford it, and b) will need therapy if I snag these leggings, and I can't afford that either! But I get the idea. Today's leggings are more like very delicate and very unforgiving trousers, but worn with the right pieces and right body, one can look very sleek and chic indeed.

Moving on. PVC leggings. These are by Les Chiffoniers for $405 at Net-a-porter. Super über rocker chic. I think they're badass and would love to hit the clubs in them. However, I have images of Ross in that Friends episode when he's stuck in the bathroom cos he can't get his leather pants back on. PVC plus sweat plus NY's teeny tiny bathroom stalls? Uh-uh.

Which leads me to these, which are probably the most comfortable yet stylish leggings one will ever find. These are Love Yaya coated terry leggings, $138 at Intermix. They're really terry so they must be pretty comfy. But the coating makes them leather-esque and they have these rad cuts and pockets. Nice.
Suddenly, I have an epiphany! Shiny flashy leggings were thought up by those who wished they could club in comfort. However, since plain cotton leggings will not get you past the doorman at Mansion, they glossed 'em over and paired 'em with killer heels, a long slouchy tunic/tank and a hot clutch (see below), et voilá! Sick chic with sick comfort.
Now that I get it, I have to be able to afford it. Affordable options:
1. American Apparel shiny high waisted leggings for $44
2. Silence & Noise coated leggings at Urban Outfitters ($38)
3. Members Only liquid leather leggings, $88 at Bloomingdales

I just might be able to do this.

More unrequited love

I usually am a firm believer that money can't buy love. But there are days, like today, when I seriously doubt that. I am in love with these two bags from Net-a-porter.com, and knowing I can never have them is causing me pain! I usually relish my independence and how I have become self-made. But today, I am extremely frivolous and in love, and I wish I was a trust fund baby.

What a beauty. This Fendi Spy bag in plum leather ($2250) is the most perfect specimen of a Fall bag. But I will never own it because even if I did have the money to buy a Spy bag, I'd buy a more sensible color like black.

If I was a rich girl, this would be my fall bag: Chloe's Cyndi tote in the perfect shade of gray leather ($2200). Last year I was able to snag my dream brown Paddington hobo at a Chloe sample sale. I wonder if the fashion gods will smile on me again this year? One can dream.

It's only for now ...

So everyone in New York (and the rest of the US, of course) is abuzz over the Wall Street meltdown. A fraction of those are also talking about those two guys who started making out (to "comfort each other in this time of distress"?) behind the CNN reporter as he was reporting on the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. Now, I'm not gonna post that, cos I love you guys. But for all those who need a break from all things bleak and serious, I recommend catching the Broadway musical Avenue Q. This is not your typical musical, all ye Broadway skeptics. With songs like, "What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?", "It Sucks to be Me", and "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" you'll find yourself eerily identifying with the performers—who are, incidentally, puppets. Avenue Q opened in Broadway in 2003 and has won several Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

And with that I'll leave you with a few lines from Avenue Q's "For Now":

For now we're healthy.

For now we're employed.

For now we're happy...

If not overjoyed.

And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid, for now...

In the mood for Mango

I was browsing through the Mango catalogue online and realized that damn, Penelope Cruz's sister Monica is pretty darn hot too! Check them out rocking tailored, menswear-influenced pieces above. A girl needs to have serious sex appeal to successfully pull off menswear. These two are positively oozing it.

I'm wanting this old fashioned bucket hat (below). It's hard for me to find winter hats that don't make me look like Strawberry Shortcake. Let's see if this one works out.

I'm soooo in fall/winter shopping mode already! So exciting!

Harajuku Lovin'

How cute are the Harajuku Lovers fragrances?! I wanted to die when I saw these at Sephora. They are so freakin' cute! I have no idea what any of the scents even smell like, but they could be paperweights for all I care! They're only $25 to $45 apiece anyway. These would make great gifts for my tween sister and niece, who are getting more and more difficult to shop for. Besides it's time they found out Miley Cyrus isn't all that. Gwen Stefani, meanwhile, she's a goddess!