Fall '11 Haute Couture

Life is not always fair OR beautiful, for that matter. This past week I've had to avoid every newspaper, news show and current events blog for this very reason. When the realities of the world get to be too much, there is always fashion. I can bury my head deep into mounds of tulle, gazar or ostrich feathers and slip into denial.  In the land of Haute Couture, there are hand-cut silk tulle paillettes, tigers eye pearls inset with crystals, and flourescent silk beads sewn on bolero jackets. Yes, this is the world that makes my heart skip a beat. A world where the term "justice" is inconsequential.
Somewhere out there, I hope Caylee Anthony is frolicking in a "princess" gown of her own...



Alaia



Alaia

Alaia

Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani

Chanel

Chanel

Chanel

Givenchy

Givenchy

Givenchy

Givenchy

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Valentino

Valentino

Valentino

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli



Giambattista Valli




Giambattista Valli



Leeetle Lanvin



Those who know me well realize that my obsession with Lanvin is neither healthy nor financially sound. So, with Alber Elbaz's debut Lanvin Petite Collection, I have seriously gone into a tailspin. My MO pertaining to Lanvin has always been, " I have 4 1/2 months to save so that when X piece hits the stores, this will be my seasonal splurge." But now what? Splurge whilst knowing that my daughter will have to do without her own Lanvin trench? What kind of mother would indulge upon herself before her child? Ok, hopefully everyone realizes that I AM being facetious (kind of), but you may find yourself stowing away twice the amount of stash cash once you see what I'm talking about.
No, there is nothing petite about the cost of Lanvin Petite. Dresses will run just under $1,000. Crazy or just too precious to resist?





Back in the Closet...



When my family moved to Jersey 6 years ago, I said good-bye to my wardrobe styling career and hello to my new venture into the RELAXING world of retail. There would be no more hunting down the "IT" bag of the season for a clientele that didn't know the meaning of the words "SOLD OUT."  No more sleepless night worrying about last minute alterations for press junkets, no more prep days lugging around 30 lb. garment bags to and from the car ( in high heels, of course) ALL DAY. No more 6 AM call times. Life would be civilized - easy, if you will.
Well, funny how life has a way plucking you up and plopping you right back where you started from.
Retail, it turns out, is not really that "easy." The hours are long, there's lots of math involved (oh yes, believe it or not) and although most of my customers are awesome (some are even close friends), there are the occasional gals that make you want to reach for a bottle at 10 AM.
With that said, I've been pretty low key in regards to talking about my LA job here - much to my husband's dismay. He thinks I don't do enough to sell myself as a business owner. Oh well, that's just not who I am.
Anyway, over the past year I've been getting repeated requests from some of my clients to come "do their closets." Well, a couple turned into several and several has now turned into too many. Who would've thought that here in Central Jersey women wanted lookbooks and Lanvin?
So here I am up to my neck in boxes - Net-A-Porter, Saks, Bergdorfs, J. Crew - once again lugging garment bags and rolling racks back and forth - all without an assistant. Ok, that may sound pretentious but I assure you, this styling thing is DEFINITELY a young bodies' gig. The lower back is not what is was 10 years ago.
Weak lumbar muscles aside, wardrobe styling on the east coast has been relatively painless. I've been pretty surprised at how open-minded the girls have been (Rachel Zoe eat your heart out). Almost everyone has let me throw out their capris and just a few balked when I begged them to put the "mom jeans" in the give-away pile.
Ok, so I probably won't get anybody to splurge on the Rick Owens angel winged parka for Fall but I won't have to track it down on the far corners of the globe for anyone, either.
I think this is going to work out quite nicely...

My Summer has Officially Started!

             

Little League season officially ended this morning, and so did my chronic bad mood...

My girlfriend, Alex, recently commented on watching paint dry and I couldn't help but think I'd rather watch paint dry than sit in the hot, humid, scorching bleachers (10 weeks ago when the season started it was freezing cold) watching 2 hours of my son's baseball game. Ok, I know that sounds bad but I DID do it - for the past 10 weeks, 4 games a week (both boys signed up this year). I supported my would-be Derek Jeters and yelled, "Good eye, good eye" from behind the fence every time they didn't strike out.

Ah, the crazy things love makes you do.

In my early 20's I had a boyfriend once mention that he LOVED a specific Alaia sweater on Drew Barrymore, so off to Charles Gallay (yes, I said Charles Gallay - that's how long ago that was) I trot to buy the same exact, dangerously lowcut, nipple grazing, waist cinching Alaia sweater - let's not even talk about spending my entire month's RENT on the damn thing. The sweater snagged on his motorcycle jacket and as I burst into tears, I realized that I loved the sweater more than I loved him.
Five years and 5 boyfriends later, the new "Love of my Life" told me that all he wanted in a partner was someone who could bake like Martha Stewart. I spent the next 3 months at Williams Sonoma buying mixers and tart pans, scouring recipes from Gourmet and Bon Apetit, and learning all the tricks of the trade - perfecting my tarte tatin. Well, turned out what he REALLY wanted in a partner was a blonde 5'9" 20 yr. old version of Martha. To this day I hate tarte tatin.

But back to baseball....

I love my boys and because I love them I sit with the other moms at 9am on Saturday mornings, freezing or near heat-exhaustion, urging them to run, run, run. And when they don't run fast enough, I wipe away tears and runny noses. And when that's still not enough consolation, I offer them the next best thing to a home run...my tarte tatin.

Yes, the crazy things love makes you do...

Late to the Party

So I found these amazing Hunter boots for my client Amy. Now, I'm normally not a huge Hunter boot fan (a bit bland and generic for my liking), but Amy needed boots and I happened to come across these beauties by chance. By the time I decided I needed a pair in my life as well, they were SOLD OUT! At least here in U.S.
Anyone taking a trip to London anytime soon?

Summer Check List

So after a much needed month long hiatus, I'm back feeling energized and full of inspiration! Just in time... Today I feel that slight stickiness in the air that tells me summer is, indeed, right around the corner.
Well, bring it on - Right after I buy these summer essentials.



These j. crew calf hair leopard print sandals are all the accessory
you'll need for a simple sundress or denim cut offs.



The perfect maxidress - wear this Calypso dress with tons of pearls
to a summer wedding or with flat sandals to a beach barbeque.



Hands down the best denim cut-offs EVER!!!
Not too short for the over 35 crowd. Thank you, Current Elliot.




Channel your inner Bianca Jagger with this white suit from
3.1 Phillip Lim. Sexy alternative to a sundress. 




These Belle peep toe booties are as versatile a shoe as they come.
Wear back to sundresses, shorts and full skirts.



A new classic from The Row. I'm loving the subtle
cream and black tortoise print.
tortoise



Dare to wear your cutest shoes in the rain this summer!
These Valentino jellies are bound to be your "go to" flip-flop.

Go nude at the beach? Absolutely! Tomas Meier's nude maillot
will make you irresistable!



 

Baking in the sun is bad. Say it again...Well, thank God for La Prairie's
new self- tanner. Sun kissed without a hint of Oompa Loompa.





Coachella



Based on all the Facebook status updates I've read today, looks like most of my LA friends are either headed to or are already at Coachella. Now for those of you who are in their 40's and have no clue what I'm talking about, Coachella is an annual 3 day music festival that takes place in Indio, California. Couple notes about Indio - it's hot as hell during the day and freezing cold when the sun goes down. And unless you have a VIP pass that allows all access (air-conditioned areas and real bathrooms), you are really in for some primitive conditions.
Some of the headliners in past years have included Madonna, Jay Z, Prince, Coldplay, Florence and the Machine and Paul McCartney. But better than the performers - the people watching is AMAZING. Whether you're star-gazing or fashion-stalking, it's a feast for your eyes.

2 PYT's sporting the Coachella uniform



Alessandra Ambrosia in sweet sundress and
must-have festival boots.




Camilla Belle dressed perfectly for the heat.




Diana Kruger always manages to look perfectly put
together for all occasions. This is no exception.




Neon pink - fashion knows no boundaries.
This fashionista imported it all the way to Indio.



Lauren Hill in my favorite spring Jil Sander striped maxi dress.



Emma Roberts in denim cut-offs - aka the Coachella uniform.






Whitney Port in ankle boots and crochet.



Coachella fixture, Nicole Richie, in her signature look.