old hollywood glamour

I wanted to do a Golden Globes post but with all that rain yesterday, there weren't very many droolworthy pictures worth posting. I thought Penelope Cruz handled the umbrella situation the best; she posed with such ease that it was as if the umbrella was part of the outfit! I just love how she always exudes pure Hollywood glamour on the red carpet. One of my ultimate faves.

It's funny that I should find today's old Hollywood inspiration in an actress that, to be honest, I never really found that jaw-dropping. I see that Jessica Biel has a smoking body and ridiculously high cheekbones, but I don't know, she just didn't appeal to me. I remember when I was at that Vanity Fair shoot a few years ago, a couple of guys called me on my cell and when I casually mentioned that Jessica Biel was standing in front of me in a bathrobe, they all but fainted. But to me, she was just ... alright.

And then I saw this picture of her in the February issue of Vogue:

ILOVEIT. THAT's old Hollywood glamour. I wish actresses would be bold enough to throw on a fur for the red carpet, but alas, I guess no one wants PETA to kick up a fuss. Why must there be fashion terrorists?

what would coco say?

The other night, I was at my friend Bads's apartment and she showed me one of her favorite books, What Would Jackie Do? I happened to flip to a page that talked about how the late great Jackie O felt about strong nail colors. The passage said that later in her life, Jackie liked to have her toes done in a sassy fuchsia but that, "some hues—green for one, according to Coco Chanel—look horrible against the skin, so go for flesh-flattering shades instead." Oh no ... Madame Coco must be turning in her grave over the Chanel jade nailcolor that was sported by all the models during the Chanel Fall 2009 show. Then again, Coco was also big on business. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if she knew that fashion enthusiasts were so smitten with this minty green shade that there was a waitlist for this polish ...

ten seconds after my little outburst ...

... you think we can safely say that I probably need another vacation? Somewhere with lots of sunshine and where I can mix brightly colored patterns. Or maybe I just need to stop reading Dlisted and just go to bed ... yeah that's probably it. Buenas noches chicas ...

just once ...

... I'd like to see one of these beautiful women just walk away from one of these world-class b*stards.

You know what I hate? When they say, "I'm not perfect. I'm only human."

Nobody's asking you to be perfect. Just be a decent human being. Is that really too much to ask?

why???

I'm a sucker for embellishment, so I really love this J. Crew tank. But do I love it by $148?!? I think not. J. Crew's prices really baffle me sometimes ...

inspired much?

Don't you think the Coach bag on the left is just a wee bit inspired by the Rebecca Minkoff stud Morning After Bag?

boyfriend jeans

I'm always pretty resistant to jean trends for some reason. I remember it took me forever and a day to trade in my bootcut jeans for skinnies back in 2006. I was so terrified that skinnies would make my jeans look like stumps. I have the same fear of the distressed, rolled up boyfriend jean. J. Crew makes it look so good that I'm half considering it, but I don't know ... I'm not really big on the distressed, frayed thing because I don't like looking sloppy and I fear I would. How do you style your boyfriend jeans?

Put your stamp on it

Just read on Style.com that Louis Vuitton is now offering the Mon Monogram service, which allows you to literally put your stamp on your Speedy or your Keepall. I'm not really super into LV monogram bags but I'm kinda into my initials, hehehe, so I like this. Having your initials monogrammed on a Speedy will set you back $1,000 ($700 of that being the Speedy itself. I wonder if you can have this done for a Speedy you already own?).

One issue I have with the idea ...

- What if you get divorced? You'll have to divorce your Speedy too

Posh has Pull

Really Posh? Just like that, your line is all sold out and Net-a-porter's telling us to wait for fall? Damn, woman. You're good. I'm quite impressed.

Word for the day: inchoate

Pronunciation: \in-ˈkō-ət, ˈin-kə-ˌwāt\
: being only partly in existence or operation : incipient ; especially : imperfectly formed or formulated : formless , incoherent

(from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

Sorry for the dorky post, but I just love learning new words. Snagged this one from a New York Times review of "Two Lovers", where Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonard, “a young man in outer-borough New York caught between an inchoate desire for freedom and the constricting demands of family, neighborhood and kind.” I love the word.

Ok that's all.

Jason Who?

Jason Wu. The designer who bested out the top guns perservering to dress Michelle Obama for the inauguration ball is a 26-year-old Taiwan-born, Manhattan-based up-and-comer. Tonight, it's Jason Who? But tomorrow he'll be a household name.

In all honesty, I was not floored by any of Michelle Obama's looks today. But I do admire her guts at picking non-mainstream names. I also wonder if she made a conscious choice to pick designers with multicultural backgrounds? Toledo is Cuban-American while Wu is of Taiwanese descent. If the first lady's choice of outfits is meant to make a statement, then I think her choices echo some of what President Obama said today:

"We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth."

Alright. Now before I get too sappy here, let's feast on some pretty things that fashion's man of the hour Mr. Wu created for Spring/Summer '09 from Style.com. We're ready for change after all!

Update: My mouse stumbled onto this old WSJ blog post about how Michelle Obama gave Wu's career a big boost by wearing one of his dresses on The Barbara Walters Special. Pretty fun to read after she picked him for the inauguration ball! Good lord, his line will be EVERYWHERE after tonight!

This bag makes me weep

Mainly because I will never ever own it. With a pricetag of $10,500, this piece of gorgeousness by Zagliani is absolutely out of my reaches. Why save for mortgage when I can get a bag right? I wonder who buys these things in these financially unstable times ... I understand (believe me, I do) that it is crafted out of a beautiful and exotic specimen of crocodile leather. The level of detail at Zagliani is so high that they even apply silicone to their python skin to up the suppleness factor. But still. C'mon now people.

Who is it?

What I want to know is, who made Michelle Obama's inauguration outfit? Does anyone know?

EDIT: Thank god for Bryanboy! You've put me out of my misery. It's by Isabel Toledo, a Cuban-American designer.

Death to the It Bag

I don't know why I now find the LV monogram bags so offensive. Maybe it has to do with the fact that because I live on the fringe of the Upper East close to Midtown, I tend to see at least 5 LV Speedys every single day. I am so over the damn logos. When I saw this new LV cruise collection bag called the Galliera Riviera, however, I actually thought, "Oh cute" for a second. And then I saw the price tag: $1,940. For a freakin canvas bag. Are you kidding me? I don't care if it took 15 separate applications of color to make this design. It's still a print and it's still on canvas. I am utterly offended by the price tag.

To anyone even considering forking over an amount equating to decent NY rent money for a canvas bag, please read this tidbit on the New York magazine website. Please.

The mink isn't safe in NYC

Just yesterday I was mulling over this fur cape that I found on the Neiman Marcus website. My co-workers weren't quite on the same page as me because they don't and have no desire to wear real fur. Hell I don't wear fur either, but I thought finding a cape in the $600 price range could be an excuse to start. I'm not being very PC, I know, but as long as still I'm devouring steak, lamb chops and foie gras without hesitation, I can't very well start proclaiming I care passionately about saving chinchillas.

I do have the fear of getting doused in paint firmly instilled in me though. I was starting to think that maybe New York is no longer a city where red-paint-throwers-at-fur-wearers congregate. But I learned today that that isn't quite true. As I was passing Bloomie's on my way home, I saw a picket line marching outside. What were the picketers protesting? FUR. "Shame on Escada" "Fur is death" and all that jazz ...

Thus ends my mini fur fixation. I may not be squeamish about wearing a chinchilla around my neck anymore, but I am scared of New Yorkers with red paint.

UPDATE: Paris isn't safe for fur either! Lindsey got a flour bomb dropped on her fur according to Dlisted. Tormenting fur wearers is apparently en vogue in PETA again.

Dumbfounded

I don't know how I feel about this. In concept (and in the picture) it seems like a great idea. But if I really think about these sequined leggings from Express? The friction (between legs) would wear out the sequins, and quite possibly just ease them off the fabric. Leggings with sequins falling out between the legs=not attractive.

But if I just get them to wear for New Year's though, they might be okay. Oh, how much? $98? Then, um, no.

Déjà Vu

Back in the 90s, I begged my Mom to buy me 8-hole Doc Martens. They were THE shoes to wear. If you weren't in Docs, you might as well be barefoot. I wore mine with granny dresses and flannel shirts. They are part of my history.

So it scares the sh*t out of me that they are making a comeback. You know what they say about not wearing a re-hashed trend if you wore it the first time around. Holy crap. Am I that ancient? I prefer to go by the analysis that the fashion cycle is just getting shorter and shorter. Who thought of that? Oh, old fashion hags like me.

While browsing in the Union Square Shoemania last week, I saw a pair that I might wear should I dip into this trend again. They were a lighter silver than the pair above and in a very distressed finish. Awesome actually. Could seduce me into stepping into a granny dress or a plaid shirt, most probably. But since I've supposedly evolved over the last *teen years, I'd wear them with grannies and flannies more like these:

Both dresses are from Urban Outfitters by Charlotte Ronson. Dress on the left will set you back $242 while the dress on the right is on sale for $69.99.

Brrrrr ....

Seeing a rerun of Chicago and feeling the mercury dip has got me thinking about fur. I mean just look at Catherine Zeta Jones in that scene above. She just looked SO elegant that it got me obsessing a bit.

The thing is, I'm not sure I can get up the nerve to wear fur. Last year, when I was interning at Tuleh, I was tasked one day with organizing the fur bins (verrry reminiscent of Little J being tasked with matching up a box of buttons at her internship in Gossip Girl). For a few seconds, it was actually enjoyable to run my fingers through the plush fur samples ... until I pulled up a bundle of exquisite white fur that still had the critters' heads, paws and tails on it!!! I died—and not in a Rachel Zoe way.

A cashmere silk blend cardigan with mink collar by Tuleh at Neimans.
The little minkie and I could've been friends once. Creeps!

At that moment I was convinced that I could never ever ever wear fur. But these days, I don't know ... maybe I'm getting over my trauma? I found a financially viable fur piece at Neimans: a fox fur collar for $180. Looks so snug and cozy ... I could spring for a $200+ Missoni scarf to keep me warm OR get real fox fur for much less. IF I can get the image of those poor little critters strung up ... crap, I'm still traumatized. I'm gonna need therapy to get through this, and I don't think retail therapy counts! PS: If I had more money and less of a conscience, I'd love to have this reversible shearling coat by The Row at Barneys for $3750. Those damn Olsens think of everything!

PPS: My boyfriend just offered to buy me the fur collar so maybe I will go for it! However he has had 5 Long Island iced teas, a mojito, gin & tonic, two beers and God knows what else all while jet-lagged so I'll check again when he's sane tomorrow ...

The Boot Hunt Continues

I got some good feedback last time on the Frye over-the-knee boots I was craving so I thought I would post this new shoe that I'm liking to see if 1 or 2 people have any thoughts. I NEED flat boots because, well, I live in New York and there's no other way to run around the city. And I am back to wanting shorties after trying on over-the-knee boots today and realizing they're not that comfy when one is just 5 feet tall and change. I think these Colin Stuart cuffed motorcycle booties from Victoria's Secret are a great deal. They have a sufficient amount of hardware, and would look so cool with leggings or just tights and a dress. Best of all, they're leather and just $88! I want them in black.

Thoughts??? Please???

Hard Times Shopping

I'm in a pickle. This economic meltdown is making me rethink my shopping beliefs. I've been thinking and thinking about what to spend on to freshen up my Fall wardrobe. Today I wandered into the Target website and saw a few new, very chic, and oh-so-tempting pieces:

On the left, a sweater dress by Jonathan Saunders for Target retailing for $34.99. I am trying to steer clear of synthetics so it was good to know that despite this dress being 88% cotton and 12% nylon, the neck and armhole are 100% cotton—so no feeling itchy around the neck. I really don't want any more acrylic blends in my closet. They feel scratchy and have this strange paint-like smell that won't come off no matter how much Downy you throw in the laundry. I would like to limit sweater purchases to cotton and merino wool (even angora is banned for the itchy factor). Some cashmere but I don't want to spend tons on dry cleaning, so maybe just a cashmere cardie and scarf.

So this dress makes the cut. It's decently priced and would make a great everyday dress. What's putting me in a conundrum is that the dress' price is so close to the Anya Hindmarch bag and makes me think, well if I'm getting the dress why not the bag too? It's a BAG and costs just $10 more. And Anya has made a diffusion line bag that is so faithful to the original. Check out the Target version and the original Shirley side-by-side below:

Not bad, eh? But the idea of bringing a PVC bag home pains me. I reasoned with myself that maybe this can be my rainy weather bag—no love lost if it gets soaked in the NY rain that likes to come at you from the side, rendering umbrellas useless. However I got to thinking that in today's tough times, it's frivolous to spend on something you know you won't touch after one season. I have a brown PVC bag by Rafé for Target that hasn't seen the light of day since I got my brown Paddington hobo last year. That was a steal for $450 at a sample sale, and worth every penny because I use it all the time and love it as much as I did when I first bought it. Maybe instead of shopping for little cheap pieces, the more responsible thing to do is save up that money and buy a quality bag that will last me decades. In tough times, it looks like my shopping credo should be, "Invest—no more throwaways." So no to Anya, and yes to hitting up more sample sales in the hope of digging up another treasure.