Monday, January 31, 2011

Is She Serious: Anne Hathaway

Why? Why why why Anne, do you feel the need to blindly follow Rachel Zoe when she says you look bananas? You look bananas, like you should be sent to the loony bin for finally losing any grasp on sanity. The crop top grandma sweater paired with ruffle polka dot silk pants??? In what universe is this a good look? Stick with more traditional outfits Anne, you are a classic girl with zero edge. Something this kooky is better suited for Chloe Sevigny or Winona Ryder, just leave it to the nutters pros.

Red Carpet: SAG Awards

And round two! The next major awards show leading up to the main event, the Oscars. SAGs didn't bring out the best in most, majority played it too safe in my opinion. My favorites shone bright in loud colors, feminine silhouettes, and one standout smokin' jumpsuit. Angie Harmon was clearly gunning for best dressed with the most attention-worthy dress of the night. Me likey.

Best Dressed

Angie Harmon, Monique Lhullier

Mila Kunis, Alexander McQueen

 Lea Michele, Oscar de la Renta

Hailee Steinfeld, Prada
Whoever is her stylist has hit it out of the park with age appropriate 
but still fashionable relevant designers

Julie Bowen, Malandrino

Worse Dressed

Winona Ryder, Alberta Ferretti
Oy.

Jane Lynch, who cares who designed this monstrosity

Christina Hendricks, L'Wren Scott
Shine adds bulk and you don't need more bulk on that body girl, trust.

Jenna Fischer, Fendi
Woof, dumpy school marm. You don't belong on a red carpet in this shape.

Ellie Kempner, ???
Sweetie, public school prom is a few months away. Wrong event.

*images from Zimbio.com

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Inspiration Board: Graphic Tee and Blazer

I have recently become a fan of Jane from Sea of Shoes, and one of her latest posts featured an outfit of a concert tank under an amazing gold blazer with jeans and YSL tranny heels. I love the easy glam of this outfit, seeems like its something I could pull of when I feel its a jeans kind of night out. I'm usually not a proponent of graphic tees (my love of Jersey Store cast not included), but the fit of the tank with the blazer just works. Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters have some cute ones, but remember that the key component here is revealing a lot of clavicle to up the sex factor. I wondering if I am ballsy enough to purchase this top or that top to play with this outfit at home. Thinking with my velvet blue Ali Ro draped blazer or Leopard H&M jacket, I can put my cleavage to good use while retaining a level of comfort (a rarity in New York nightlife). 

*image from SeaofShoes.com

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Man Meat

I crush hard on Hollywood stars, like to the point that maybe if I wish hard enough I might believe the fantasies could one day be a reality....but I won't hold my breath on that one. I am simply a girl who can appreciate the human form on an array of pretty boys ripe for the picking. I've had stars in my eyes for a few up and comers recently, discovered through my bad impeccable taste in tv/movies. The campier, the better I say. So while there will only be one true love of my life (Jake Gyllenhaal 4 Eva), please join me in ogling the fresh meat below. 

Dave Franco, others may be focused on your Oscar-nominated brother James, 
but to me you are the family jewel



Brant Daugherty from the best show on television,

ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars." Rawrrr.


Alex Pettyfer, star of upcoming films I Am Number Four and Beastly
boyfriend of Dianna Agron. (Lucky biatch).

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Grass is Always Greener....in Beverly Hills

I watch all the Real Housewives seasons on Bravo and am not really a fan of most. I've given up on Orange County. I am so over Atlanta and watching NeNe turn ghetto on someone every episode, too painful to watch. Without Bethany, New York will be so petty now that Jill Zarin has been labeled the Devil Incarnate. And don't get me started on DC, what a joke - I never tuned in again after just one episode. But Beverly Hills Housewives is too good to be true. Like the wise Wendy Williams once said, "This ain't no Teresa Guidice bankrupcy money, this is REAL money." This season has gone by faster than a catty eye roll in a montage of Vanderpump pink, shiny diamonds, Brooke Shields wannabe hair, fake smiles, and Chanel/Hermes/Louboutin. But the one thing that bothers me on these shows is a hypocrite who can't own up to her own flawed personality. I checked out Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen when Camille Grammar was the guest, and boy did she change her tune on anything she ever said and did on that show. Bitch, if you're gonna take back every annoyingly coy smile and backhanded comment while insisting you take the high road, then you should never speak again. She changed her tune quickly after seeing herself on television and backtracked so hard she bascially regretted ever being born. This is why I LOVE me some Lisa Vanderpump and Kyle Richards, they are who they are and own up to it all. I was always Team Kyle from day one and that will never change. She has also become somewhat of a style icon for me. I think her wardrobe could bring me well on my way to being the woman I dream to be - big jewels, big hair, bright prints and slammin curves and ending with a permanent move to Miami in my seventies, can't wait.

I am sad the season is over but am waiting on pins and needles for the reunion after the bombs that were dropped at the end of the finale. Lisa is no longer Cedric's main hag? Kim is an alchoholic and checked in to rehab?? She and Kyle have been on the outs??? A girl can't live with this knowledge without having full disclosure on the details, the reunion episode(s) can't come soon enought (because you know they will drag it all out in two parts).

Obsession of the Moment: Duck Boots

Lately, everyone around me has been talking about the desire to buy duck boots for those rainy/snowy days. Suddenly Hunter Boots are out and outdoor prep gear is in. I LOVE it. Back in college, a cutie sorority sister from Maryland rocked a pair and I remember thinking she looked adorably waspy in a non-butch way. She was more original then, you never saw someone rocking a pair, but in 2011 they have become all the rage again. I saw a girl wearing the below pair from L.L. Bean with shiny American Apparel black leggings, a navy hooded sweatshirt and an army green puffer vest over and I SWEAR she looked so casually cute on a dismal, wet afternoon. Another day, I was a total creep and tried to closely follow one girl JUST to be sure she got her boots from L.L. Bean, but alas, I couldn't read her heels and she scurried further away to get away from the schizo hunched over and squinting behind her. Sad news though, my beloved $84 pair from L.L. Bean won't be available until March 10 due to high demand, and the even cuter (and more expensive) shearling lined pair are also back ordered to late March. Always late to the party, damn.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Red Carpet: Golden Globes

Ah awards season, my favorite time of year. I love pretending I'm Joan Rivers, throwing out my oh so hilarious quips about how each star really looks in outfits picked to strut the red carpet. I judge harshly about arm fat, wrinked fabrics, visible pooches or pantylines, and sit back smug on my couch after sharing my thoughts with only one or two people who happen to sit through the awards shows with me. Well not this year! This year I have my own blog to share my thoughts and judgements....how lucky for all of you.

In my attempts at tearing apart the worst dressed, I must note that I did not include such notables as Helena Bonham Carter, Tilda Swinton, or Gabourey Sidibe. I mean, they did the best they could but who could have expected any of them would impress on the carpet. I didn't feel like taking cheap shots at their wacky choices, and so only stuck with those who really thought they had a fighting chance at wowing on the carpet. How wrong those poor souls were....

GOLDEN GLOBES 2011 BEST DRESSED

January Jones, Versace
100% Best Dressed in my mind.
January never disappoints with her aggresive choices, god bless her for it.
If I had her body, I would definitely want to flaunt it all in front of jealous bitches everywhere.

Claire Danes, Calvin Klein Collection
I've never really been a major Claire Danes advocate, usually I find her to be completely boring and too understated to impress. But this cut and neon pink color were incredibly flattering on her and made enough of an impact to have me referencing her picture multiple times before relenting and adding her to my best dressed list.
Kudos to you, Claire.

Anne Hathaway, Armani Prive
I was shocked by how much I like this dress (see below for my thoughts on Angelina Jolie's version). But the giant shoulders, low back, and sparkles had a youthful effect on Anne, with her gorgeous hair and megawatt smile to boot. Her dress had life to it and looked like she was having fun on the carpet.

Eva Longoria, Zac Posen
George from E!'s Fashion Police said it best last night, for such a petite woman she really knows how to dress like a bombshell. This curve hugging dress fits her like a glove, and although the color was basic black there was nothing boring about her on the carpet. Major fan of this look, Tony Parker eat your heart out.

Jennifer Lawrence, Louis Vuitton
I love how awards show rookie Jennifer lets the dress do the talking, and turned this runway piece into a red carpet stunner. Sometimes they don't always translate (cough, Zoe Saldana in Givenchy at last year's Oscars, cough). This dress gave her a shape, and the ruffle detailing was just soft enough to draw the eye but not overwhelm her figure. Others may disagree, but I totally dug this look.

GOLDEN GLOBES 2011 WORST DRESSED

Angelina Jolie, Versace
This dress looks like something a grandmother would wear to a formal affair.
The shoulder pads, the long sleeves, the sparkle, the high neck, Angie might as well have stolen this dress from Blanche Devereaux on an episode of Golden Girls. Fail.

Emma Stone, Calvin Klein Collection
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Emma Stone. I pray to the heavens above that we will one day become the besties we are destined to be. But with her spray tan and platinum hair, I was not feeling this peach dress. She looks completely washed out, a bright coral or other gemstone shade would have popped with such a simple, understated dress silhouette. I was completely underwhelmed by her outfit.
*I actually shouted out "OMG, I can't believe Jaime Pressly showed up post DUI, how bold." THATS how bad Emma looked to me, they seemed identical.

Julianne Moore, Lanvin
The billowed, one shoulder long sleeve dress did her no favors. The fabric and shape left her with creases from simply sitting in the car, and as a red carpet pro you'd think she would know better before an awards show. I did love the color and neckline, but it was not enough to save this disaster on the carpet.

Michelle Williams, Valentino
Ugh, really Michelle? Daisies?
You are not Twiggy, and it hasn't been 1960s for quite a few decades.

Heidi Klum, Marc Jacobs
Heidi's dress looked like something that should be worn to the Met Ball. She usually brings the glamour to these awards shows but her look seemed drab. It clashed with the red carpet and I hate the detailing around the middle. All around BLAH look, disappointing.

And those who didn't have a bad dress but I just did not love....

A pregnatn Natalie Portman at the 68th Golden Globe Awards last night, where she walked off with the Best Actress accolade.
Natalie Portman, Victor & Rolf
Didn't hate but didn't love. Thought the necklace was unneccessary against that giant flower, and her hair looked matronly.

Christina Aguilera, Zuhair Murad
No no no. Pretty dress, but just highlights her bad boob job and weight gain.
She just looked too puffy from her waist up in that gown.

Olivia Wilde, Marchesa
I adore her and thought she looked gorgeous, but her Marchesa gown was just too similar to the Oscar de la Renta ball gown worn by Cameron Diaz to the Oscars last year. Unoriginal.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Imitation is the Sincerest Form Of Flattery....Right?

In the fashion world, the same debate arises every few seasons from high fashion design houses about lower end brands stealing ideas and peddling them for less. The conundrum is oh so relevant for this generation of internet fiends, when free ideas are continually put out in to the world every second. How do you claim ownership of ideas and creativity? Personally, I think we are all inspired by and/or imitating someone else, great minds think alike, however I do understand the problem when Steve Madden puts out the same shoe as YSL just two months after a show. Steve's shoes usually hit the mass market months before the YSL seasonal collection will even hit stores. That being said, I LOVE me some designer copies or inspirations. I don't have money to burn on my favorite $600+ Christian Louboutin or Stella McCartney shoes. If mass market designers can wait 6 months to a year after the designer shoe debuts and is swept off the shelves, I'm happy to let the cheaper version trickle down in to my eager and less fortunate hands. One brand I love is Miu Miu, but most of their whimsical, 70s inspired styles are too rich for my blood. I am totally down to spend more $$$ on a great, sturdy pair of shoes I can wear to death, but can't justify spending my hard earned paycheck on shoes I can only wear with one or two outfits a year. Instead, I oogle them online and on style sites, envious of the high fashion girls who can interpret them as normal into their everyday wardrobe.
 
Like take this Miu Miu platform Mary Jane for instance. They were from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection. I have now seen two styles in the same vein as these shoes, but without the granny cat print and a little more everyday. My thoughts are, since the season is over and the shoes are no longer in stock, let the legitmate businesses like Forever 21 and Aldo have a field day with the chunky heel, platform versions. In the end all I care about is putting on a sexy pair of heels to bag me a man.
Forever 21Suedette Platform Heel-Strap Heel, $25.80
 
Aldo Basinski, $84.98 on sale


ASOS River Island Ponyskin Block Heel Court Shoe, $129.28
 

Friday, January 14, 2011

Obession of the Moment: Cashmere Leggings

I wandered into BCBG last weekend knowing they would have a killer sale. The brand never disappoints on the bargain front, something is always marked down. I wasn't looking for anything specific, and to be honest I probably shouldn't have stepped in at all considering the state of my finances. I figured whatever was left of the post-holiday loot would be on deep discount, but holiday shoppers tend to descend on the merchandise like vultures to a carcass (usually me but I was busy sunning on the beach) and thin out the inventory. On that fateful day something drew me in, and I'd like to believe it was the fashion gods leading me to towards an item I so desperately need. I noticed on a table some cashmere items at 60% off. In an instant, I was all over it -circling with a glazed look in my eye and ready to lose my shit. I dove right in and held up what I belived to be a sweater, but no no, they were in fact cashmere leggings. Intrigued, I brought them to the dressing room. If there is one thing we all know, I love me something frivolous that simply makes me happy. AND BOY DID THEY EVER. One leg in and I was a goner. They are the most decadent thing I have ever put on my body and I knew I had to have them. Ridiculously cozy, those suckers kept me warm and snuggly during the blizzard this week in complete satisfaction. Oh, and the best part? The leggings, originally $198, were purchased for just a cool $80. DEFINITELY worth immediately investigating  at your local BCBG, they have already sold out online.....

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Closet Raiding: Rashida Jones

I started taking notice of Rashida Jones' style since this summer, when I saw the last photo below of her with a french stripe tee and short khaki trench. Her preppy basics with trendy accents are incredibly attainable for the wardrobe of normal people. Rashida's style is as effortless as her natural beauty which, while that could lead me hate her, just makes me love her more. Her love of cropped jackets, blazers and black basics highlighted with eye catching accessories gives her look a nice polish without having to try too hard.

In the first photo, I noticed she's wearing the 3.1 Philip Lim bib necklace I have been lusting after on the Neiman Marcus website. That necklace absolutely completes the outfit and elevates the simple black blazer and denim skirt. Her choice of shoe is something we can all relate to: buy a bold pair of heels and they'll make the entire ensemble without having to do much with the rest. I also love the casual cool of her outfit in the second picture, wearing a jean jacket with black tapered trouser pants (aka man repellers) and Lanvin for H&M bow pumps. This outfit comes across as insanely cool to me, and definitely an outfit I can recreate for a day at the office. She keeps it simple with color and patterns, and when she does goes for color, a la the maxi Prada dress below, there is still something subdued about it to reflect her casual cool style preference. I could really get on board with the outfits below, and so should you.





Monday, January 10, 2011

On the Hunt: Oxfords

My friends often ask for my advice when looking for things on the cheap. They know I spend hours pointlessly scouring the internet and have the mind for a mission when it comes to shopping. Dresses for weddings, wallets that need replacing, the list goes on and on. Recently, my friend Sara emailed me with the following "I really want a pair of oxford flats in a light tan/white.  Will you keep your eye out for a cute pair?" Why, of course my darling. As soon as I read that email, I was on the case. My mind began spinning out of control as I searched through the vault of endless fashion knowledge that takes up more space than Spanish lessons and American history- you know, useless higher learning. Below are the adorable and affordable options I came up with. Hope buried in this rambling post is a nugget of gold to complete her trendy wardrobe.


Deena and Ozzy Patent Oxford in Taupe, $48


ASOS Lace Oxford, $51.75



Steve Madden Melanee in Bone Lea, $99.95

Loeffler Randall Joanna Oxford in Nude Patent, $262 on sale

 
Stuart Weitzman Keyman, $325
The Manoman style from last year was perfect (seen on Jessica Biel during a jaunt in Paris last summer, btw) however it's unfortunately sold out and totally dunzo. BUT the new Keyman style in tan canvas is super cute and available on Zappos.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Is She Serious: Jennifer Love Hewitt

On Wednesday, I was flipping through the celebrity tabloids, aka my special time, and I came across this picture of Jennifer Love Hewitt in Hawaii. Now I know what you are thinking, that I am going to make some negative comment and tear her to shreds about this bikini photo. Well readers, you are wrong. That is not my focus because girlfriend looks great and I won't be taking that away from her. My issue lies on her fingers and toes, mainly the later. What you can't see as well in this photo but could see clear as day in the tabloid, GIRL HAS THE DREADED DOUBLE FRENCH MANICURE ON HER FINGERS AND TOES.

This is for me one of the worst fashion faux pas someone can make in this day and age. In a time when any color and style is available to you, please, PLEASE don't give yourself a french manicure on your toes. There is no reason that all 20 nails be tipped in white to emulate long, healthy nails. GROSS. Sweetie, slap a red on those tootsies and call it a day. This current look your rocking seems as though your name should be Crystal and you love to bedazzle your cell phone.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Neiman Marcus Sale!!!

More than I love the excuse to buy holiday dresses and take paid vacation, perks that come with Christmas and New Years, are the sales that come with the season. Neiman Marcus is taking an additional 33% off majority of the same apparel and 25% off shoes until January 5th. While home over the break, I was lucky enough to FINALLY snag the black patent "Varina" flats that I have been coveting for three years. I am careful in stalking deals on my designer purchases, and my patience paid off. Rather than chancing the purchase of a fake pair from a Hong Kong vendor on Ebay, I was able to buy the shoes that never go on sale for less. Only because Neiman's is no longer selling the pairs in the Atlanta store, but whatevs - their loss is certainly my gain!

There are SO MANY other items I would purchase if I didn't make pennies for pay, but I can only dream about the DVF wood clogs, the Leifsdotter Crazy Intarsa Sweater, the Helmut Lang wool blazer, a 3.1 Phillip Lim bib necklace, metallic Christian Louboutin flats......the abstinance hurts my heart to no end.