First Date Fashion

To all my dedicated readers, I apologize. Life's been taking over lately. But I’m committed to keeping up with my blog so please continue to check back!

For now, I’ll leave you with my very first published article on first date fashion.

Enjoy!

All Glittered Up

Sequins, glitter, and sparkle oh my! I love to shine (but tastefully). Wear just enough to make you stand out - say a cute clutch or metallic headband. Careful not to abuse because too much can be tacky.

Silver & Gray

Silver is the cool shade of this summer going into Fall. I love metallic frocks and silver accents!

Girly & Flirty

That little rosette so sweet and innocent can do a masterful job of creating a look that's ultra feminine....whether its pinned to the neck of your dress, decorating your hem, or accenting your hair.

Top Left:
Bebe, Silk Mesh Bubble Dress, $139
Top Right:
Yoana Baraschi, Dancing Ruffles Chiffon Slip Dress, $360

New Bag In Town

The Sasha Duffel Bag by Botkier is the new bag in town. I wooed and worshipped the leather carry-all as it hung on my cousin's arm this weekend. It's a bag that you must experience in person. With the detachable strap, you can wear it two different ways -- on your arm or on your shoulder.

Sasha Duffel Bag, Botkier, $695

Mike & Chris - Summer '07

Lo and Behold, the Frankie Micro Jacket – part of the summer ’07 Mike & Chris collection. My eyes were plastered to it once I saw it on Luv Charlie.

The lightweight fleece material is perfect for a cool summer night when you’re walking on the pier or alongside the ocean.

I love the button & buckle detail combo.

Forever mine

My neighbor at work is a fashionista. We talk fashion. We love fashion. Fashion on a dime? Perfect. Why? Because really, it's about how you wear it and the attitude behind it that can make it look expensive. No one has to know except you & the shirt & maybe those select few who think like you do.

So she walked in and said, guess where? Looks like Marc. Nope. It's shhh....forever 21.

Amazing.

Don't wear it as if it only cost you $20 bucks. Wear as if it were couture. A lesson learned from my neighbor, my fashionista, and my inspiration.

I'll certainly drink to that. ;)

Donna Dress, $30.00/Lexi Tunic, $24.80

Getting High

At the moment, I feel the same way about high-waist jeans as I did skinny jeans the first time they were reintroduced. It took me about 3 tiers of skinny jeans to get to the cigarette style I know and love today – yes, the ones that are practically painted to my skin and take about 10 minutes to pull past my ankles. Sigh, the things we do for fashion.

Like skinny jeans, it takes a certain body type to pull off the high-waisted style. They look phenomenal on Kate Moss, but of course, she’s a twig. The mental transition from low risers to high risers is going to take some time. I mean, I haven’t had pants reach near my belly button in years! I have to try it on, wear it around, and see how I feel in it – then maybe reach a point where I’ll like it. Not all trends are for everyone – if it doesn’t work for me, no biggie. They’ll always be another fad to indulge in. Jbrand (left) began with skinnies, then came out with the wide-legs, and is now into the high-waist denim. Jbrand - being one of my more favorite denim designers. Available on Shop Bop.

yay or nay?

Flat knee-high boots by Delman. Available at Neiman Marcus. On sale for $225 (leather)/ $198 (suede). Girlfriends bombarded me with IMs of "should I get, what color should I get?" I fancy flat but oh-so-tall boots. I suggested Brown at first. But, Black leather is hot too.

Help me so maybe I can help them?

Big Rings

One day, I’ll get my 3 carat ring. I must be dreaming! One day, maybe in my next life. In the meantime, I can still rock the bling and wave my hands with pride, even if it’s just a $6 H&M sparkler weighing down my fingers. Though I love my David Yurman onyx cocktail ring, the one dressed with glittering diamonds, oh yes, that one. ;) -- it carries with it some bittersweet emotions. I wear it sparingly -- plus I’d be devastated if I left it in the girl’s room absentmindedly. And I would do something like that.

So, I’d much prefer the less than $20 costume accessories; at the moment, rings to be specific – though it would be silly of me to refuse the real thing. I’m talking big jewels and rocks encased by metal or flower petals carrying over your ring and pointer finger – and maybe even funky plastics in polka-dot and leapord. All of abstract shapes and colors, of course. Doesn't a luscious strawberry with gold seeds sound delicious?

Where to find? I scouted some at H&M. Intermix has some but pricey. Kenneth Jay Lane, of course, does not cease to disappoint. All the ones pictured above, Rachel Leigh, Lee Angel, Kenneth Jay Lane, and SuRevolution are all around $80.

Rock me. ;)

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.

Ed Hardy Intimates

Edgy, check. Attitude, check. On intimate apparel, hot? Check.

Christian Audigier and Don Hardy have both made a name for themselves, with tatoo designs iconic of their brand. The 2007 collection of skulls, hearts, roses, and red hot flames recently paraded down the runway at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week/Smashbox Studios event.

Ed Hardy intimates is now emerging amongst the existing line of graphic tees, hats, hoodies - with intimates hitting stores around the world May 2007.

With Ed Hardy intimates, underwear is an understatement.

Get the full download at Ed Hardy Online.

Ed Hardy, as worn by: Jessica Alba, Madonna, Nicky Hilton, Brittney Spears, Tatiana Ali, Paris Hilton, Rachel Hunter, Kristin Davis, Damian Wayans, Ray J, Tyson Beckford, Will Smith, Jesse McCartney, Janice Dickinson, Nicolette Sheridan, Gabrielle Union, Ryan Seacrest, Fabulous, Ludacris, Kelly Hu, Kim Kardashian, Chris Brown, Pussy Cat Dolls, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tyra Banks, Missy Eliot, Penelope Cruz, Ashton Kutcher, Hilary Duff, Justin Timberlake

Madonna for H&M

The M by Madonna line for H&M was set to debut March 2007 all around the world. In stores, Thursday, March 22nd – I made a trip to Old Town in Pasadena to take a peek that very Saturday. The style of the collection is classy & sophisticated with primarily black and white donning both casual and dressy pieces. While you get the look of Madonna, I wasn't entirely impressed with the feel. The material of the dresses was sub par and to be brutally honest, it felt like something I could buy for $20 on Melrose. But in all fairness, I could only stand being in the store for about 15 minutes before I wanted to escape the masses.

It also wasn't long before my eyes were stuck to something cute. I saw black and I saw patent all over a long leather clutch and soon after, I was carrying it out the store. I'd be searching far and wide for a cute clutch to hold my evening essentials. The clutch also comes in white patent and is part of the M by Madonna line and there's no indication of brand until you look inside. I love so much!

To check out the collection online, visit H&M online!

Voom by Joy Han

I finally made it to the Voom boutique on Melrose this past weekend and fell in love so many times. One piece that particularly struck my heart was Voom's cap sleeved trench coat - not just because Eva Longoria looks hot in it but because it's utterly adorable on it's own. It's atypical of Joy Han's usual line of printed silk frocks - which in my mind is like signature Voom but I am happy to see her line get more flavorful - more creativity to love and admire.

You can find the cap sleeved trench coat on Harmony Lane or Shop Intuition.

My other Voom favorites? Definitely the kimono and tube dress. Katherine Heigl modeled, quite beautifully, on the red carpet the kimono dress back in September for Janet Jackson's cd launch party at Tao.

Voom by Joy Han, as worn by: Jessica Alba, Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Eve, Shannon Elizabeth, Ghuliana Di Pandi, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kristen Bell

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

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]

In Love...with Chanel, that is.

And so fitting that love is red. We have classic, quilted, chain, and big - all the ingredients of a steamy relationship. I like the original size but as the mantra goes, bigger is better. Isn't that right?

Picture source: I really love my... --from People.com's stylewatch

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!

Boutique Hopping

And how about another digest of the coming soon...

Since I've been here, I've done my fair share of shopping. It's tough though because back home I normally shop in pairs. So naturally - sans my friend's honest opinions - I don't really jump on the opportunity to shop in my spare time (though, admittedly, it's easier on the pockets). Not to mention, the internet has made it easier to "window shop" but sitting in your pjs at home. I know I surf Shopbop , Revolve Clothing , Saks.com, etc. on a nightly basis.

But with Veronica in town, I was obliged to bring her around but thankfully so. First, we hit up Melrose and did the Fred Segal thing and walked across the street to Madison. Madison, by far, is one of my most favorite boutiques. I love their selection of clothes and there's such an eclectic mix of the basics, the trendy, and the dressier pieces with designers like Hip Adventures, Mason, Society for Retired Dress, Young, Fabulous, and Broke, Daftbird, T-bags, and Alvin Valley . They happened to be having sale on Saturday and I picked up a cute summer dress by Tart for $72, regular price $188. There's less of a "Robertson attitude" like when you're at Kitson or Lisa Kline (although, Lisa Kline has some fabulous stuff).

Afterwards, we made our way to W 3rd street, where we visited Satine. Satine wasn't what I expected since I was so used to browsing their online store. The collection is definitely on the higher end of the price scale and the store, small -- but clothing speaks for itself - very chic and elegant pieces decorating hangers. Everything was very well put together and easy to peruse. As a shopper, I hate sifting through racks that are jam packed with clothes. One inch between hangers is a good rule of thumb. Can you tell I've worked retail before?

Next, we stepped into Milk. Now, Milk was having an insane storewide sale where everything was marked down beginning at 50% to 90% off. I so desperately wanted to buy the McQ sweater/shirt that Jessica Simpson sported but couldn't find one in my size. I was also eyeing an adorable navy blue short-sleeved sweater dress by Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent but again, no size. Despite my attempts and subsequent failures at finding my size, it seemed other people were having sublime luck. Amongst the other labels were Johnson, Karoo, and Manoush.

Our last stop was Scout. It was refreshing to see two male salespersons running the store but perhaps that's the reason for its name. By this time, both Veronica and I were running on fumes but I definitely liked the vibe of the store. The atmosphere was much different than the others - almost cold & futuristic, the coloring inside mostly grays and blacks - but not in a bad way. Some labels I remember seeing were Society for Rational Dress and Mike & Chris and I hope I'm correct in saying that Scout has their own line too - with some cute tops I might add. In the end, I left with a good impression. It didn't hurt either that the saleperson (handsome and charming) complimented my outfit. ;)

Well, if you haven't been, I would encourage you to make an attempt to visit either Madison, Milk, Satine, or Scout - especially soon so you don't miss out on the sales!

Madison Melrose
8115 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.651.3662

Madison Robertson
113 South Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310.275.1930

Satine
8117 West Third St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Scout
7920 W Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-658-8684

Milk
8209 W 3rd St.
West Hollywood, CA 90036
(323) 951-0330

Scout

Louis, Marc, Stephen

Everyone knows that I love big totes. I hate that you lose everything in them but it seems that I never have enough hands - especially in the mornings when you're trying to multi-task. For example, flip-flops under you arm for after work, bag on your arm, redbull in hand, trash in the other....all while you're fumbling for your keys to lock the door and get into your car.

They say three's a charm. You have 1) the Stephen bag, designed by 2) Marc Jacobs for 3) Louis Vuitton. And indeed, the combination is quite the ménage à trois. A girlfriend of mine has been eyeing this bag for awhile and I don't blame her. It's like a high-powered stam bag and that description barely does it much justice. It's very city girl and utilitarian with it's messenger bag type functionality. The shoulder strap to my Balenciaga motorcycle which I once thought was just a pretty accessory has proven very useful.

And of course, Jessica Simpson seen toting it around doesn't hurt it's image much either - since she seems to wear everything so well!