on 12th Street

You have 5th avenue and then you have 12th street. It started with Cynthia Vincent's era of sequin decorated pieces. Remember the sequined jacket? It definitely enjoyed its time as being one of the most coveted pieces of clothing of its time. Since then, her collections have always had my attention. Her Spring 2007 line is no different with her dresses perfectly encapsulating the feelings of spring - light, airy, sexy to the eye, and soft to the touch -- the color palette so neutral and unintimadating.


Slipdress (bottom right) featured in the April 2007 issue of Lucky Magazine.

Cynthia Vincent shoes have also made significant strides as of late, with her footwear editorially featured in Lucky, Elle, LA Times, and Apparel News in the past month.

Rachel Pally Spring Sample Sale

As promised -- Rachel Pally's spring warehouse sale will be taking place at:

2001 S SANTA FE AVE, SUITE F
LOS ANGELES, CA 90021

50-90% off Retail!

Friday, April 13th 10AM - 7PM
Saturday, April 14th 10AM - 6 PM
Sunday, April 15th 11AM - 4 PM

Rachel Pally Office - 323-669-1397 Monday thru Friday
Contact Number at Sale - 213-614-7919 or 818 512-9575
Cash, Check, or Credit Cards Accepted

If you were able to shop her winter sample sale, it's the same location as her last.

April 13-15th, 2007 is only a few weeks away -- I really hope to see you there!

Please email me at styleminded@gmail.com for a PDF of the lookbook of Rachel's pre-spring collection.

Related Posts:
Save the Date! - 3/13/07
I Love Rachel Pally - 3/3/07

Shades of Oliver People

The Sun Collection

Spring/Summer 2007

Meet Arabelle, Jezebelle, Ingenue, Villette, Leyla, Prentice, Moffitt, Barlow, Virtuoso, Luis, Truce, and Farrell -- all in the new family of Oliver People's spring/summer 2007 collection.

And here's Leyla, my personal favorite.

Oliver Peoples, as worn by: Mary J Blige, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Garner, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Angelina Jolie, Sienna Miller, Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, Eva Longoria, Billy Bob Thorton, Justin Timberlake, Jay Z, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsdale, Lindsay Lohan

Save the Date – Rachel Pally Sale!

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for – at least I have!

Spring Warehouse Sale
Friday – Sunday, April 13-15

Huge inventory of Fall, Resort, and Pre-Spring styles!

More information to come regarding the event to follow.

Floral Arrangement

[above: T-Bags chain belt off the shoulder dress, $212]

How better to celebrate Spring than color. Dress yourself with patterned frocks, vibrant with color. Just picture splashes of hotpink, speckles of yellow, shapes of orange, and weaves of green decorating tops, mini-dresses, and accessories. It is quite the bright idea.


[above and center: Milly Halter Top,$325]

From Left to Right...
Tocca - wrap dot top, $230

Mara Hoffman -butterfly sleeve silk jersey mini, $300
Kenneth Jay Lane - Flower Pearl Ring, $115
Missoni - platform sandels, $595

And lastly, no print collection is complete without Diane. above, [above: DVF Abel, $345]

I Love Rachel Pally

Every season I tell myself that I can't fill my closet with any more Rachel Pally but every season surpasses the next - so how can I help myself? I am a basics girl. I like pieces that I can swap and mix easily from one outfit to the next. I remember the time when I used to buy over-the -top but just absolutely gorgeous pieces thinking I would wear it more than two times. The novelty wears off quickly and suddenly, it no longer gives you the same "new" feeling as it use to. If you do the math - $300 top with 2 wears = $150/wear. Yikes! Quite frankly, I would be needing to make more money to enjoy that luxury. The only exception is shoes. ;)

Oh, but Rachel's stuff is great. The fabric is so soft against your skin and so fluid on your body. Since her debut, each subsequent season has encompassed more detail and creativity - whether it be pintucks, buttons, or folds. Still has the same look and feel of Rachel Pally but with more pizazz.

To share some of my favorites from Rachel Pally's Spring line....

Top, from left to right:

• Back Cowl Tee
• Buttoned Baby Doll
• Gathered Mini
• Pin Tuck Mini

Left: Printed Off-the-Shoulder

Tory Burch Ali's

Speaking of warm weather shoes, how cute are these? My girl friends are seriously the devils on my shoulder. Every minute I get links to check out the cute stuff they come across. I love going into new seasons - so many pretty things to look at!

You can find the patent Ali thong sandals here. At $195, they're the same price as the Tory Burch Revas! And also like the Revas, they come in various colors. In patent, you can get them in either white or black. In metallics -- silver and gold.

Peek-a-Boo

We'd all like to think warm weather is upon us and really, it almost is *wishful thinking* -- but even so, it's not too early to think about shoes you can wear for warm weather right?

In every designer collection, you seem to be seeing at least one pair of peeptoe flats and how ingenious of them to bring this style back. I, for one, would prefer to wear flat shoes anyday - especially since my afternoon walks at lunch make up the crux of my exercise regimen.

From left to right:

• Stuart Weitzman, Open toe flat, $215 - Available at Neiman Marcus
• Fendi, Peeptoe flower sling. $510 - Available at Barneys
• Christian Louboutin, Peeptoe crisscross flats, $510 - Available at Saks Fifth Avenue

Let those toesies through!

The Pocket Dress

Pockets keep your hands warm. They keep your lipgloss and Amex close but within easy reach when you're dancing at the club. Hands tucked in implies a certain coyness and slight innocence. It used to be that pockets were a must on hoodies or dressing your behind, but lately I've been seeing more pockets being sewn on the front of dresses.


I want to say it began with the emergence of the jumper. Pockets add a school girl quality to even the most provocative outfit. Slip on a deep-v with deep pockets like this Young, Fabulous, & Broke dress (left) or Rachel Pally's pocket dress (below) - my favorite pockets!

People's Top 10 for Spring

It's like Winter never happened in Southern California. Only after a few brisk days and I'm already on Spring full throttle - beginning first with a sneak peak brought to you by People's 10 hottest trends for the season and commentary by....me!

Brightly Colored Accessories
For a girl who wears mostly black, I do celebrate color. It's all about accessorizing your wardrobe. I love spicing up my outfits with a jazzy pair of shoes or a brightly colored handbag/clutch. That way your closet stays classic and your accessories, recyclable. Who says you can't dust off your Gucci shoes from 5 years ago? Call it vintage & wear with pride.

Day Clutches
I've always loved the look of clutches but I'm just the type of girl who carries alot of miscellaneous junk in her purse, which is probably why I only own two. I've noticed recently that clutches have evolved to be more practical - meaning, you can contain more things or maybe it's just fashion saying, bigger is better. So basically, it's ok to hold the size of what you would normally carry on your arm, in the palm of your hand. Sweet!

Wide Leg Jeans
I tried this one the last time around but it just didn't flatter me the way it did others. But this is certainly a statement in the current fad of skinny, skinny, skinny everything. Just like Vogue says in Feb's issue featuring Renee Zellweger -- "Lean and Mean - The most modern trouser silhouette is strong and skinny." I want to be a pencil, please?

Lucite Jewelry
Remember Alexis Bittar's widely popular lucite bangles (as worn by the lovely Jessica Simpson)? Yup, back again.

Yellow and Cobalt
The alias for electric blue is cobalt. Complimentary colors always work well with and against each other.

Rosettes
It takes a certain style to pull this off but a good look for a dinner or night out.

Silver
Supposedly the "metallic shade" of the season. In my opinion, it's fresher on the eye. Gold at one point to me was tacky just like silver translated into cheap. Gold today connotes feelings of royalty, warmth, and richness. Nonetheless, silver will break the monotony of it for the time being.

Cut Out Wedges
I totally just want to sprinkle salt around this one.

Wide Trousers
Now, there is a difference between wide jeans and trousers. Maybe because trousers look really good wide and fitted. You don't feel as weighed down like with denim. There's just more fluidity. Plus, you can wear it out or in the office. I'm all for the multi-purpose wardrobe.

Mini Dresses
I love! I love! Bare those legs ladies and show them what you got.

Chanel's New Black

It was the perfect stocking stuffer this year. I was lucky to grab a few at the Macy's in Sherman Oaks before Christmas. Chanel's Noir Ceramic #337 is the new Black Satin for Spring 2007.

This season's shade is eliciting the same reaction from consumers as Black Satin. The demand is significantly higher than the supply & we're talking about nailpolish. It's marketing genius!

Since I missed out on Black Satin, I was watchful of Chanel's spring release. So yes, I did fall victim to the craze but with much pleasure! Noir Ceramic has a sheen to it unlike Black Satin resulting in a more vibrant color. Some blacks just get dull after a few days. You can, however, avoid it by applying a topcoat every so often.

I'm making a visit to the nail salon again this weekend. Can't wait!

Related Posts:
Favorite Things

Sorry for the interruption...

I finally return from sabbatical and glad to be back. Hope wishlists were fulfilled and resolutions are marching forward. Winter is hardly over but I'm already excited for next season. So far I see soft colors , fluttering sleeves, chiffon, flowing tops, and delicacy peeking through spring wardrobes. With winter style - marked by black polish, boyish garb, and dark colors - being so dominant, it'll be nice to get to know our more girly sides.

So with open warms, let's say Hello. Let me introduce to you Suri.
There's always something you'll like in Michael's colllection. In this case, I love these wedges in his Kors by Michael Kors line. What do you think? I'd love to hear your Michael Kors favorites!