After reading Sonia’s wonderful post on Santa Barbara’s must-go beaches, I felt inspired to do a little shopping. Okay it doesn’t take much to inspire me to shop but this time it was specifically about what to wear to the beach. Although I’m dreading seeing myself in a bikini under the fluorescent lights of a dressing room, I’m hoping my newly enstated calorie counting and the diffusing glow of California sun will make everything better. My favorite bikini trend right now is the mix-and-match bikini. Here are a couple bikini mix-and-match sets I put together from one of the best bargain buy stops, OLD NAVY:
Lately I’ve been spotting a lot of great nude dresses. I always find nude, skin tone, blush dresses to be so beautiful. They say so much by saying so little. Remember Carrie and Big’s first date when she wears the “naked dress” and she thinks he’ll always remember her “that way”? Am I going overboard with all of the Sex and the City references lately? (I’m sorry, I can’t help it. But it’s the only thing that I can equate to my real life on television, other than the two men with the Asian baby on Modern Family.) To avoid any Carrie-isms with the “naked dress” scenario, make sure to wear a more demure cut when sporting this color block. Otherwise people may think you’re actually naked.
A few fabulous nude choices from Asos.com:
ASOS Dresses from Left to Right, Top row to Bottom row:
I had the best time at Coachella last year but due to my overwhelming workload I just don’t have the time, energy, or gusto to make it out this year. I remember it being a long hot day and the appropriate outfit is imperative for survival. Here are a few of my favorite Coachella outfits found at Elle.com. To see their entire album click here.
You can’t go wrong with a sweet and breezy long dress to cover your legs while rolling around in the grass.
This girl must have gotten to the festival later in the day. There is no way a white dress would survive on me during Coachella. Two hours in the dress would be covered in remnants of margarita slushie, ketchup, and pretzel salt. I’d do my best attempt to pretend it was some type of Pucci-inspired number.
The floppy hat and indigenous accessories take the classic black and white from the club to the desert.
Somewhere out there is a J.Crew catalogue missing a model.
Somewhere out there that High School Musical kid is looking for his girlfriend.
F-I-E-R-C-E!!!!!! Bold use of color and a total 60′s vibe. I want to put on Peter Paul and Mary’s “If I had a Hammer” and jam out. Love this girl.
I am an avid reader of the blog, The Sartorialist. I came across this post where he featured the behind the scenes of a shoot he did for Italian Vogue Pelle. The inspiration behind this shoot was “the cool, blogger girl.” Whaaaaaa?????!?!?!?! (Eyes bugged, eyebrows hinged) Yesssss………(grin of satisfaction.) So I’ll never be 5’11″, 95 lbs, and perfect bone structure. I’m 5’6 on a good day, still shedding the 15 lbs I’ve been meaning to lose for the past year, and boys at my jr. high once referred to me as “pancake face”. But today I have my victory. Today tech-savvy, neurotic, fashion-musing chicas stomping on the keyboard can unite in glee as we view the shoot to which we are muse.
Winter is so easy to dress business casual in. Throw on a blazer and boots and you’re set. The spring and summer seasons take a little more effort because they require lightweight fabrics that aren’t too revealing and the daunting task of shaving your legs daily. Luckily I can always turn to one of my heroes for advice, Jenna Lyons, the genius behind the glory that is J.Crew. On the J.Crew site they have a fabulous section appropriately titled Wear-To-Work Shop. Here’s how I want to dress to the office this spring:
Was there anything better than the last two episodes of Sex and The City?!?! Carrie whisking away to the fashion Mecca of the world, Paris, living in the Hotel Plaza Athénée and (presumably) eating croissants. Mr. Big comes to her rescue in his classic suit and Carrie twirling about in a ballerina-esque tulle dress and a white fur stole. I could wrap those episodes around me like a warm Pottery Barn throw. Ahhhhhh……a girl can dream of dropping everything and jumping on the next flight to Charles De Gaulle right?!? For a full blown immersion into an appreciation of the French join the UCR French Program and the Department of Comparative Literature and Foreign Languages for the Fifth Annual TournÉes French Film Festival presentation – LIBERTÉ, IDENTITÉ, MODERNITÉ!The film festival will feature French films including a film from last year that I really enjoyed, “The Class”. Don’t worry, there will be subtitles!
I’ve grabbed the schedule from their website which you can view by clicking here.
February 11-25, 2010
University Village Ultrastar Cinemas
1201 University Avenue, Riverside
Doors open at 6:30 PM
Films at 7:00 PM
General Admission $8.00
Student/Senior Admission $5.00 (with valid ID)
THE CLASS (Entre les murs)
Thursday 11 February
LOVE SONGS (Les chansons d’amour)
Wednesday 17 February
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (Il y a longtemps que je t’aime)
Thursday 18 February
THE BEACHES OF AGNES (Les plages d’Agnès)
Wednesday 24 February
THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (La graine et le mulet)
Thursday 25 February
Before you head over to the films get in the mood by……….
A friend emailed me an article from New York Magazine discussing the departure of Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy from Juicy Couture. The two women founded the clothing company in 1994 and it was eventually purchased by Liz Claiborne in 2003. The financial backing of Claiborne took the already popular Juicy brand and expanded them further into keychains, jewelry, doggie sweaters, and nicknacks galore while Gela and Pamela remained 100% in charge of the creative control of the brand. But now the two ladies want to branch out and do more creative works in books, TV shows, and movies. The New York Magazine writer put out the necessary information on the deal, mainly that the two are walking away with $200 million each, but adds this gem of an analysis:
The Comments section got even more entertaining with comments such as these:
Dina Lohan is a founder of Juicy Couture? That explains everything! Don’t let the door hit you on your *juicy* on the way out.
Both of them are sorta gross and precisely why I never (really, never) bought any terry cloth sweats – from ANYONE. Ew.
Alright people, enough of this nastiness! Pam and Gela created an empire, how many people can say they did that. And although YOU may not like Juicy Couture clothing, MILLIONS do…how do you think they got that $200 million dollar check???
I’ll admit the appeal of Juicy Couture has changed in the past few years but I was put off by all the negativity around what seems to be a great success story. I may not own a purple velour sweatsuit but I can’t help but feel a spark of “Go Girl” in me when I read of these two women walking away from their brand with $200 million when they started in the San Fernando Valley with $200. Their original concept wasn’t anything mind blowing…they wanted to make sexy basics that they would want to wear themselves and gift to their friends. But it was their hard work and creativity that took this basic concept into an international brand. Gela and Pamela started working out of Gela’s one-bedroom apartment and had a cleaning woman helping them with shipping, the cleaning woman would eventually run all of Juicy’s warehouses. In doing a little more research about these kick-ass career chicks I found a great quote from them on their success. Gela Nash Taylor: “…We learned from our experiences, and we were lucky.” Pamela Skaist-Levy: “We weren’t lucky, we worked our asses off.”
So here’s to these two kick ass career chicks, a $200 million pay day, a hot pink puffy vest with “Viva La Juicy” spray painted on the backside, and working our asses off….
The Grammy Awards are music’s biggest night to celebrate. You would think a community that’s produced such style icons as Madonna, Diana Ross, Cher and Blondie would have today’s artists living up to the fun and whimsy only music fashion can offer up. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed. Come on ladies, the Grammys are fun, edgy, rock and roll!!! I was underwhelmed by what walked down the red carpet. I love love love Taylor Swift, but really???ANOTHER long sequined gown?? You’re young, skinny and going to be on stage with Stevie Nicks. Let’s have some FUN. This isn’t the Academy Awards. Here are the few that lived up to my idea of Grammy fashion at its best:
Lady Gaga in Armani Prive
I really don’t care for the swept up “Classic Hollywood” look for the Grammys (unless your Christina Aguilera). Save that for the Emmys. I want crazy, fun, weird, art! And this is Gaga, pure 100% art. I love Gaga and I love that she is apologetically the mashup of Fame Monster and haute couture. Like her or not, there is no one like Gaga. (ahem, Ke$ha.)
Jennifer Hudson in Victoria Beckham
Yes. This is really happening. Marriage and motherhood have done Jennifer Hudson a whole lot of good because this girl is looking amazing! I was so surprised by her look. The toned up body, sleek hair, and the futuristic dress are perfectly edited. This is how to wear black to the Grammys and how to wear sharp angles even if you’re not a size zero.
Mary J Blige in Gucci
Leave it to the Queen of Hip Hop to bring some flavor to the table. Finally some COLOR!!!! Yes I wear A LOT of black, beige and gray. But I’m not a pop star at The Grammys. I was so perplexed that all these expressive musical artists were shying away from big bold color. But Mary never dissapoints. Mary killed it in bright fuscia with fierce cutouts that my A-cups could never pull off.
Heidi Klum is not human
Heidi Klum is not human. She’s a terminator and I’m John Conner in the resistance. Because my body resists to do what Heidi Klum’s has been able to do after popping out 80 kids. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. The blogosphere is already running rampid saying that this dress is a bit skanky but admit it, if you were the epitome of the Victoria’s Secret supermodel you’d wear something like this too. The dress is fun and flirtatious. It gives us all hope that after marriage and kids a girl can still throw on a mini and sky high heels and kill it. Above all else, Heidi Klum always has a smile on her face and a positivity that transends whatever frock she throws on. The woman went from “just a pretty face” to television personality, producer and business woman. Love love love me some Heidi.
I’ll have more to come this week on how to create your party looks inspired from some of the trends seen at The Grammys.
It’s still “Raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring…” here in LA. Since most of our shopping is outdoors I’ve had to resort to scanning through Polyvore to get my fashion fix. Here are some rainy day ideas so you don’t end up being the girl in a soaking wet sweatsuit and ruined suede boots:
After writing about the Soles 4 Souls and Sports Chalet shoe donations for Haiti, I got to thinking about the philanthropic shoe company, TOMS Shoes. TOMS is a shoe company that works off their mantra of One for One. You buy one pair of shoes and they’ll give one pair to a child in need. Started by Blake Mycoskie (you may recognize the famous curley-haired Chief Shoe Giver from his popular AT&T commercial) the line can be found in fashionista stomping grounds such as Neiman Marcus and Begdorf Goodman. I myself have a pair of their Silver Glitters Classics.
They’re extremely comfortable but offer a good amount of support. Surprisingly they go with a lot of different outfits and I have never worn them and NOT received a compliment. I went shopping through their site and here are a few more of my favorites.
Ahhh I remember January in college, the mad rush to gather a group of friends and put down a deposit on a great new place for the following year. I could write post after post about warning signs to avoiding a psychotic roommate but I’m working on releasing my frustrations from the past. Instead let’s stare at some beautiful pictures from Urban Outfitters Apartment department. It will bring us calm, peace and motivation during this mad rush to find the perfect habitat of study-friendly chicness.
Today tickets go on sale for Heat Music Festival at UC Riverside on February 13th. The lineup for this multiplex music festival include Taking Back Sunday, Shiny Toy Guns, The Crystal Method and Steve Aoki. Doors open at 7pm and the festival goes from 8pm to 1am. Buy your Tickets for $42.50General Admission at Ticketmaster.com or at the UCR Fine Arts Ticket Office instead of teh slightly higher price of $50 at the gate.
Here’s my second go-around with Polyvore.com with a few ideas for what to wear that night:
This post will be slightly different from the rest of the “Style” posts. As you may have already noticed I typically only showcase items that are less than $100. But this post will need to go a little bit higher in the price range and believe me it is worth it. When dressing up to go to an interview you need to invest in a few good office-appropriate pieces. The last thing you want to do is look like a kid trying to wear “big girl clothes”. Investing in well-fitted interview clothes will give you a better look and fit making you look like the polished professional employers are searching for. And when you are looking at the higher price tags on some of these items remember that you will be going on plenty of interviews during school and after you graduate. If you do end up landing the job you won’t have to go out and rush for work clothes.
A few of my key tips:
Get one great BLACK suit (blazer with pants or a skirt). If you can afford it, go out and get another suit in a lighter color like tan or grey.
Make sure your suit fits well. If you need to, spend the extra money to get it tailored to fit your body. Remember you want to look polished, not frumpy or sleazy.
Bring life to your suit with a pop of color in a bright (but not blinding) blouse or a necklace (you can never go wrong with classic pearls).
If you plan to accessorize do not go overboard. Make sure your jewelry is not distracting or frivolous. You can look stylish in a calm, cool and professional way.
Go ahead and wear heels, just make sure they’re not the 4 1/2 inch platforms you wear out to the club.
The very first place I head to for work clothes is J. Crew. Words cannot fully express my love affair for J.Crew so I’ll let the pictures do the talking:
J.Crew’s Super 120s line in their Womens Suiting Department has taken me on many interviews and successfully into the job.
J.Crew Super120s High Pencil Skirt ($118.00) can be paired with the jacket above if you’re interviewing at a corporate office or it can be dressed down with a cardigan and blouse if you’re interviewing in a more relaxed office.
Here are some beautiful J.Crew blouses to punch up the look of your suit:
I’ve been living in shame the past few weeks. Ever since I moved into my new place I’ve been living out of dusty cardboard boxes. All of my hats, purses, scarves, camisoles have been scattered around my room in distinct yet intimidating piles. Last night I finally pulled my sleeves up and organized my closet. It sounds crazy, but I feel so much lighter today! This morning I swiftly picked out an outfit, accessories and shoes in one fell swoop. Since it is a new year and this is the perfect time to organize here are some inexpensive small closet inspirations:
Okay enough about the practical…Let’s get our diva closet on. Here are some of the most fabulous closets to give you something to look forward to….
The closet list would mean nothing if I didn’t start out with my beloved Carrie Bradshaw:
I once read in a magazine if retail shops were celebrities then Paris Hilton would be Forever 21 and Zara would be Nicky Hilton. Here’s a taste of the more sophisticated pseudo-celebrity, Nicky.
The closet itself isn’t mind blowing but you can bet the clothes inside stylist Rachel Zoe’s closet are “BANANAS”! Forget the critics, I heart me some Rachel Zoe. She’s smart, stylish and has built an empire off of her talents. She’s the epitome of the kick-ass career chick.
Now the closets to trump all closets. They belong to none other than two of the biggest divas on the planet, Kimora Lee Simmons (is she still going with the Simmons?) and Mariah Carey. Maybe they’re a bit toooooo fabulous but let’s face it, if given the chance to have a closet like these I’d take it!!!
Kimora:
Mariah:
Now my closet renovation isn’t exactly on this level but hopefully this weekend I can get around to taking some pictures to post.
Yesterday’s postings on 5 Tips For Finding a Job and the Anthropologie Internship brought up the following question, “Should college students and post grads have a business card? What information should be on it?” To this I answer a big, bold YES! YES, college students and post grads should have a business card or personal calling card. In fact, every fabulous being should have one. I had a personal calling card long before I was employed because I always figure you never know who you’ll meet or who you will want to stay in contact with. Plus pulling out a beautiful card is très chic compared to the sloppy number written in lipstick on a napkin.
As far as what information to include, I believe in keeping it simple. No, not as simple as Clooney’s card in Ocean’s 11, which was just oh so suave. (Ahhhhhh, Clooney.*swoon*)
Not that simple and slick (unless you ARE a high class criminal like Danny Ocean). Here are the basics needed: NAME, PHONE, EMAIL, and if you find it necessary add your LOCATION. An example may read:
Holly Golightly
New York, New York
holly@littleblackdress.com
212-123-4567
If you work in an industry where social media is involved you may want to add your Twitter site or LinkedIn information. But always remember that your lines of contact should be ready to receive people. Your outgoing voicemail message and Twitter tweets should be appropriate for a potential employer to listen or read. And don’t give out your calling card with a link to a Facebook page where your profile picture is that distant memory from Mardi Gras caught in all of its digital camera glory. Yes, I’m talking about the pose that got you the beads.
I, myself, am also in the market for a new card and found some lovely choices from Etsy.com:
Women’s Color-Block Bandeau Halter Swimsuits
Mariah:
