Fashion > Art

"(Fashion is) Greater than art because you live your life in it"

      One of my favorite fashion quotes from the fashion centered movie "The Devil Wears Prada." A phrase that true fashionistas know is so true. This phrase that I adore so much were the first words that crossed my lips when I saw the new Valentino heel. 
     This pump is the queen of the pumps. A traditional shape with architecturally placed lace, this heel is true artwork. A very baroque-inspired pair, I do believe these would have been Marie Antoinette's "go-to" shoe if she had the opportunity. Unfortunately she doesn't, but we do. 
     Break open your piggy banks for this spectacular shoe and once it makes it's way into your closet(and your heart) never take them off and never betray them. With these shoes, you'll fare better than Marie because with Valentino we can have our cake and eat it too.

Jellies All Grown Up

    Remember summers as a kid? Popsicles, pools, grass stains, and your favorite summer sandals that you wore everyday no matter where you were headed. Those shoes for me were a hot pink pair of jelly sandals from Gap that left a waffle print wherever I walked. They were my biking shoes, my pool shoes, my church shoes- they were perfect for every occasion. 
    The memories of summers past have caught up with up and designers have been so generous to do a new twist on the jelly that we loved as little girls and transformed it into a grown up shoe that's just as versatile as it was back then. These shoes as pretty as can be are fabulous for the tomboy in us because even when we feel like walking in the mud, these shoes are back to perfect with a quick rinse.

 A smokey jelly gladiator goes with your cutoffs on a bike ride to your bohemian maxi dress in a snap and with the ankle strap these shoes can travel on your feet without them slipping off. 
Diane Von Furstenberg Jellies




   Only Kate Spade could do a jelly so whimsically. A lady-like sandal with a delicate bow right by your toes, these are meant to go with your cutest cropped pants on those mid afternoon summer dates.

     Not a sandal, but a summer shoe none the less. The cult favorite Tory Burch Reva flat made jelly and as cheerful as can be in a sunny yellow. These are perfect for the rainy days when it's too warm to wear rain boots but the last thing you want is wet toes.


       Clear jelly sandals could come off as tacky and cheesy, but these bejeweled beauties are more the modern glass slipper of stylish sandals. Sans color, they go with everything and the rhinestoned toes make this one a little dressier than it's casual counterparts. 
Stuart Weitzman

Burberry Does Leather

      For years I have been searching for the perfect leather jacket, because nothing says cool like a woman wearing body hugging leather in chilly weather. Unfortunately, I'm not quite a girl who belongs in a black leather jacket, but none the less my desire for one has not waned. Just when I almost given up on the search for leather that doesn't make me look like I'm trying too hard, Burberry slapped me with one so perfect it almost brought me to tears.
      Buttery leather that slides through your hands, cut and created into a badass, feminine jacked. The wide lapels, princess sleeves and skewed zipper makes this the leather jacket most of us can only dream of. The color is a light robin's egg blue(the picture doesn't do the color justice) that is more interesting than the normal black and browns, but still neutral enough to wear with every color you own. 
      Although pricey, a leather jacket like this is one you'll be wearing for the rest of your life and will still maintain it's shape and color no matter what you put it through. A true investment piece that you will wear with everything from jeans to skirts to cocktail attire. Isn't it time to get your hands on some leather?

The Red Wine Stain you Don't Want to Come Out

   For the first time in many seasons we're diving into bright spring colors. They're on our shoes, our dresses, even our nails. As much as we all love to add a pretty pink pop to our puckers, any more pastels and we'll look like a rejected Easter egg. One way to take this season's pretty pastels from Easter dresses frilly pasts into our sexy grown up futures is just a little lip service.
  A much neglected color is one that we need to not forget. The color of deep red wine, plums, and all things royal these sheer washes of color do wonders for your face. This color works on all but translates best on fairer skin tones, and since tans are so 1997-wear that Snow White complexion proud with these plum lips.


In a lip butter...
    Korres makes an all natural lip butter that does wonders for your lips and doubles as a creamy cheek stain. Get it in Plum for this trend. 




To stain it on...
Another all natural product that does its job, Tarte has a lip stain that will have that perfect "just ate a pomegranate popsicle" stain on your lips all day. The shade Moody will get the job done. 


Oh so glossy...

Clinique's Vitamin C Lip Smoothie is a nutritional drink for your tired puckers. Kill two birds with one stone to heal and look sexy and on trend with Goodness Grapecious.



For full coverage...
Nars creamy lipstick in Fast Ride is a young fresh color that has the grown up appeal of lipstick with a velvety moisturizing sheen to not make this color too stuffy or perfect.


If your cheeks need to feel the plum love...
 Introduce them to another fabulous stain from Tarte. With real fruit extracts, it keeps your skins moisture sealed in while giving you that sexy flush with a modern darker shade. Bride is a color that cannot be ignored.




Don't forget to leave them wanting more of your mulberry kisses & pucker up.

Cover Me in Sephora by OPI

    Maybe it's not time to retire that sexy smokey purple you'd been wearing on your nails just yet, but maybe give it a little time off to bring in the hot new shade of the season. It's not black, it's not gray, it's not dark or dreary- shockingly enough, it is a lovely spring appropriate coral! 
   Sephora by OPI has brought us a new favorite nail color to match the lovely flora that will be coming shortly after the spring showers. The shade appropriately named Cover Me in Petals, a "vivid tigerlily red orange", is one of those fantastic colors that takes on different shades according to your lighting. Is it orange? Red? Perhaps a nice coral? It is all of the above with a splash of pink thrown in for good measure. A color that's flirty yet can be taken seriously is perfect for every skin tone, not unlike most things coral. 
   Pop on this bright color and leave our dreary winter days behind us as we look ahead to gorgeous color filled spring. 

April showers may bring May flowers, but Sephora by OPI a beautiful nail makes. 

Read my Neck

   In the late seventies we had Laverne with her "L" emblazoned proudly on her twinset, in the nineties Carrie wouldn't leave the house without her iconic gold "Carrie" necklace, this decade Blair Waldorf made jewelry designer Alex Woo famous when she sported a diamond "bw" around her neck. Women have been wearing their names and their initials for decades declaring pride in who they are as women. It's one trend that can't go out of style because it's your name and it will be with you forever. Whether it's your initials in ornate gold or just one silver type-faced letter dangling from your neck, these necklaces are sure to be noticed and noted for classic jewelry with a quirky charm.

     A vintage Victorian script on a modern disc and chain adds class and intrigue to one little letter of your choice. A true Tiffany creation that Marie Antoinette would be jealous of.                                                                                                                                


    David Yurman strikes it right with this gold little coin. With a bold letter and roped frame, this pendant has somewhere between an Egyptian and a slight nautical feel. Throw it on when no other jewelry feels quite right. 

   Tiffany has perfected the less-is-more approach to timeless pieces and this one is no exception. All letters done in a lower case cursive hand artfully looped from a delicate silver chain. The letters have a organic shape that require a double take to determine if it's an ornate squiggle or a beautiful little "t" around your neck.





    Jennifer Zeuner created this mother of all pride in initials with this gold stunner, made not for the faint-hearted.  Your full initials in all their glory, two inches on your collar bone for the world to see. True art hanging on your neck, this piece has the same effect as the one above requiring a double take to determine exactly what it is. Once acknowledged, the piece can't help but be admired.

    As for me, I've refused to take off my little silver "k" by Alex Woo since the day I got it. A simple typeset letter has brought me many compliments and conversations. I am eternally grateful to my little letter for being my jewelry fall back piece for over a year and I hope that we have many more great years together. 

And the Winner Is....

      The 82nd annual Academy Awards went on last night and everyone was trying to take home one man named Oscar. Some lost and some won big. It was a big win for women in the media everywhere when Kathryn Bigelow accepted the award for best director, being the first woman is eighty-two years to do so. 
      As always, the dresses were the main attraction of the evening. Some good, some great, some dreadfully painful. The most innovative dresses of the award show season yet, I was delighted to see the art these women were wearing and the diverse range of the dresses. We saw some look-a-likes and some dresses that left us wondering what went wrong, but overall it was a job well done by the starlets in attendance. 

     Meryl Streep (in Chris March) and Diane Kruger (in Chanel) were painfully chic in white dresses worn with such grace. 
     Ms. Streep took a chance on a former Project Runway designer with her simply sexy and age appropriate gown. Accessorized simply with few gems, white shoes, and clutch - Meryl kept the focus on the dress, where it belonged.  
     Diane Kruger never boring us with any award show outfit, kept us enthralled with a unique Chanel creation that breathed new life into black and white.

    Anna Kendrick(in Ellie Saab Couture) and Miley Cyrus (in Jenny Packham) did the younger generation proud in their neutral frocks.  Both girls were sexy in a very age appropriate ways and chose their dresses to let their personalities shine.
    New-comer Anna Kendrick's pale pink gown was perfect for her skin, hair, and body type. She was a vision of rosy, loveliness and has a great fashion future ahead of her.
    Miley showed us that Hannah Montana is a thing of her past with this grown-up gown. Unfortunately Ms. Cyrus's posture led us to believe the dress wasn't made correctly and it was necessary for her to slouch to keep everything in place. C'mon Miley, stand up straight!

    Armani Prive should have taken a note from prom shops everywhere to make sure two girls aren't wearing the same dress to the same event. Amanda Seyfried and Jennifer Lopez wore very similar dresses by the designer. Both women looked as good as you can in a dress that appears to be made from bubble wrap. Next year, call each other to make sure this doesn't happen again.

   
   Penelope Cruz (in Donna Karan) and Vera Farmiga (in 
Marchesa) were another set of ladies that required a double take during the show to tell their dresses apart. Looking closer, both dresses are beautiful in completely different ways.
   Penelope's scarlet dress was this imperfection of sexy, with the intricate layers and gathering. It was a flattering look for this bombshell's hourglass figure.
   Vera made a bold choice in this ruffly mess of a dress. Reminiscent of Chloe Sevigny's Versace mess from this year's Golden Globes, the dress overwhelmed Vera's frame and the color wasn't the best choice for her skin tone.

   Prada dressed up Carey Mulligan very nicely this year, but the thing that really set her apart was her bleached pixie cut. A stand out from the long curled manes and they ubiquitous up-do's, Carey took a risk by channeling Mia Farrow's famous hairstyle. Carey Mulligan wins best hair out of all the award shows this year by taking a risk and making it fabulous.












    Zoe Saldana (in Givenchy), Sarah Jessica Parker (in Chanel), and Charlize Theron (in Christian Dior) made us think while staring at their dresses. All three leading ladies wore dresses that entranced us, arguing with ourselves on whether we hated or loved their dresses.  
    Zoe seemed to have found two dresses that she was dying to wear and was going to wear both if it killed her. So, Zoe did the resourceful thing and cut both dresses in half and wore the top of one and the bottom of another.
   SJP, fashionista extrodinare took a risk in this buttercup Chanel sheath. The body itself was beautiful and looked great, the part that missed the mark was the neck strap that appeared to be strangling Ms. Parker. She didn't help her case by tugging on the strap uncomfortably while presenting. 
  Charlize Theron, a classic beauty and the face for Christian Dior's perfume. You think that as a spokesperson for their fragrance, Dior could have set her up with a better dress. Yes, Charlize, we know where your breasts are, do you?





Blonde beauties think alike. That's how the saying goes, right? Rachel McAdams (in Ellie Saab) and Elizabeth Banks (in Versace) wore mirror image dresses. In rainy day colors and sweetheart necklines, these ladies showed that blue-grey is a color to not be forgotten on the red carpet. 

     While they were trying to go home with the gold, these ladies brought the silver to the red carpet. A color that has been MIA for many award show seasons past, it popped up in a surprising classic way this year on some of our favorites.
      Sandra Bullock (in Marchesa) made us pick our jaws off the ground when we saw this stunning metallic gown appear. Glamorous and classy with a futuristic feel, Sandy wins the best dressed award of the night. 
       Cameron Diaz (in Oscar de la Renta) crawled out from under a rock to blow us all away with this fashion comeback. Everything was perfectly in place for this classic award show look that was made even better with a new color twist and beautiful embellishments synonymous with the de la Renta name.
        Kate Winslet, how we adore you yet abhor your choice in dress this year. A silver slip skirt with a sheet metal corset, not exactly an award winning combo. From far away we could let this look slide, but up close we just can't allow it.
        Kathryn Bigelow, the biggest winner of the night making history everywhere will forever regret the day she chose this dress to represent the biggest night of her career. The color was fine and modern, the shape was a tad boring, yet classic and flattering. But wait...what is that? Are those hearts embroidered on the top? Not a wise choice for a dress when you're over the age of thirteen. Especially an awful choice because the pictures of her fantastic win in this loser dress will be plastered all over for the rest of her life.


     Nice effort ladies, now let's see how you do next time.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel

         Ever since LC decided to mask second-day hair with a half French braid across her hairline, the look has exploded into an uncontrollable trend. It's been seen on the runways, at high school dances, at the beach, and at award shows. It was a simple yet effective hair trend that looked good on virtually everyone.

         This season though designers kept the braid going on the runway into a beautiful sloppy, imperfect side french braid. It's sexy school girl meets Rapunzel who just rolled out of bed.
          Start a French braid at your hairline near your ear and continue to braid it across your head, not pulling the hair too tight so it's not so pristine. Keep the braid going across your head keeping it sloppy and sexy. Tie it off once your done, stray hairs are fine, they just add to the messy chic feel.

      
         This braid is appropriate for almost every situation except for with a suit. For evenings curl your hair before braiding it so you have beautiful ringlets peeking out. Wear it on dates instead of a stuffy up do and leave you man entranced.
        Best part is, this hairstyle can take some wear and tear and it just looks better and better. If it reaches a sloppy point of no return? Take it out and re-do it. It takes about a second to re-do and you don't need a mirror to put together this anti-perfection look.

Bag Lady, No More

         Who decided that it was chic to carry huge oversized bags that we could fit a small child in? Bags that slip off our shoulder and require stopping and digging through just to find our cell phone. Bags that are every muggers dream, lots of room to hold all of our valuables and toted so carelessly tossed over our shoulder or in the crook of our elbow, so easy to snatch our lives away.
          Time for a rebellion against the duffel bags we pretend are just "oversized hobo bags", time for the cross-body purse to make it's comeback. Cute, but practical. Compact, but big enough to fit the necessities and then some. No need to set on the ground to rifle through to find our lip gloss. A bag that has barely since sunlight since Y2K, it's time to put away the bulky and cumbersome and get out the slim and stylish.

Coach swings both ways. A bag for when your a lady and one for when you're a diva.
















Tory Burch brightens things up with buttery yellow leather to make you melt.







Cross-body is anything but boring in a clean white leather roughed up by sexy chains and studs by Matt & Nat Laroux.

Betsey Johnson always brings the party and this time it's in a fabulous sequined bag that she's been so kind to wrap up with a big bow for us.

How about a great little Alexander Wang purse pretending to be a camera bag?

Botkier never disappointing with their beautiful leather and fringe bags keeps us with a cross-body version.






      Look at how ugly and bulky that hobo bag is looking now wedged underneath your arm. Couldn't you just imagine that extra swing in your step a hot, new cross-body bag could give you? I'm drooling over the soft leathers already. Time to buy a new bag and say bye to the tired out trend camping beneath your arm.