Warm Weather Wishes

Happy New Year!  It’s now 2011 and time to make your new year mantra that rhymes with “eleven”.  My husband is going with “2011, no half steppin!”.  I am using “2011, forge your creative heaven”.  And my best friend Irene has chosen: “2011, keep it revin’!”.  What is your rhyming mantra for the new year?

I unfortunately rang in the new year with a head cold, which I am still recovering from.  As I lounge on the couch trying to get better, I am dreaming of far away lands.  Beach required!  I long to leave the piles of dirty NY snow behind and jump on a plane to warmer locales, and skip down the beach in a new bikini.

This Mara Hoffman bathing suit is calling my name:

As is her hot pink silk dress, which is perfect for the beach or the dance floor, depending how you wear it.

These Tory Burch sandals are great for strolling thru a beach town in search of candles for the cabana:

And who doesn’t love a light-as-a-feather Phillip Lim silk dress for drinks on the hotel deck?

You know I love me a stripe, and this hat by Eugenia Kim works well for the sailboat trip around the islands:

Going anywhere warm and delightful this winter? Let me know where and what your “must have” item is when packing your bags. Let’s all have a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year, shall we?

Holidaze

Tis the season for holiday parties, and it’s time to figure out what to wear from now through New Year’s Eve.  I have two Christmas parties to attend so far, and I am going to Boston for NYE, where my husband’s band Soulive will be performing.  I had so much fun looking at holiday clothes online that I am sharing some of my favorites.  Click on photos for shopping info.

First up is an adorable Isabel Marant cocktail dress.  It’s sexy, but the sideways ruching is really slimming.

These Louboutin’s are so perfect and lovely I could stare at them all day long:

if you are looking to wear a LBD during the holidays, any one of these necklaces will be a perfect addition:

Necklaces by 3.1 Phillip Lim
Necklaces by Oscar De La Renta

Clockwise from top left:
Lee Angel, Erickson Beamon, Phillip Lim, Dannijo, Philippe Audibert, Oscar de la Renta

I have always wanted a black feather skirt. It’s fun and festive, and if paired with a striped t-shirt and a blazer it satisfies my tomboy side.  This one from Adam has a cool chain waistband.

Lastly, here is my perfect NYE outfit. I like to wear flats, because who wants painful feet when ringing in the New Year?

Sandals by Loeffler Randall
Clutches by J.Crew

Dress: Haute Hippie, cuff: Philippe Audibert, clutch: J. Crew, sandals: Loeffler Randal, earrings: Kara Ross

I know a festive coat would come in handy at this time of year, so here is my ultimate:  A silk flower and stud embellishment coat by Phillip Lim.  This coat will also come in handy this spring when white is real dominant for the season:

What will you be wearing this holiday season?

KiptonArt Rising 2011

It was a big night on Wednesday!  I am one of the 20 finalists in the KiptonArt Rising 2011 contest, and the opening for the finalist’s show was packed with over 500 people this past Wednesday night.  In my quest to dress up, do my hair, and have my nail’s done for the big event, I forgot to bring my camera, so sadly I don’t have photos of the epic crowds of people who crammed into the Andrew Martin Showroom to have a look at everyone’s artwork.  I was charging the batteries, and rushed out the door without grabbing it, and swore up and down while on the Brooklyn Bridge on our way to the event.

I wore this gorgeous Phillip Lim pleated dress that had a leather panel down the front, Derek Lam high heel gladiator shoes, and a deep red lip.  I felt tres glamourous.

Every one of the finalists displayed 2-3 pieces of work, here are mine.  2 are lithographs, and the one in the center is enamel on aluminum.

We arrived a little early, and it gave my husband and I an opportunity to walk around and look at the art before the bone crushing crowds arrived.  I was really taken with a work by artist James Kennedy, so I thought I would do my “Pockets and Paintings” thing, and create an outfit inspired by his mixed media piece entitled “Redhaus”.  Amongst other things, he is inspired by music and architecture, and I do believe that there is a house to be found in this seemingly abstract work.  In person, I was struck with the delicate nature of his shapes, and I really love his palette.

photo via KiptonArt

Here is my outfit inspired by this work:

Blazers by 3.1 Phillip Lim
Pumps by Alaia

Dress: Michael Kors, sunglasses: Diane Von Furstenberg, jacket: Phillip Lim, bag: Reed Krakoff

Shoes: Alaia, ring: Elizabeth and James, earrings: Marni

I also really liked photographer Ina Jang’s work.  I like the sense of whimsy and I get a bit of fashion inspiration which I love.

photo via KiptonArt

You can view all 20 finalist’s work here.  I encourage you to take a look!  They will announce the 6 winners in November.

Covetable Coat

Fall is here alright. The wind is gusty, the rain is falling, and the leaves are turning into that greenish orange color right before they explode into a fire orange.  Only now am I able to take my laptop outside for a bit to do some writing, as it has been raining for 3 days straight!

I was at Barney’s the other day, and I happened upon this fantastic Phillip Lim fur lined trench coat. I was instantly smitten, and can’t stop thinking about it. When this happens, it usually means it’s something I need to add to my wardrobe asap.
The fur is removable so it can be worn in early fall and spring, and when you need the extra warmth, the rabbit lining is sure to be cozy.  Super chic over a patterned dress, or paired with jeans and a t-shirt, this is a trench that you can keep forever, pulling out every fall and wearing again and again.

I feel a bit guilty for featuring fur, so I started looking for a faux fur option. What did I find? Lots of great faux fur toppers, so I am showing you my favorites.  Click on photos for shopping info.

Bebe faux fur and faux leather trim trench.  (ps it’s only $159!)

Rebecca Taylor faux fur leopard print coat

Acqua faux fur shearling motorcycle jacket

See by Chloe faux fur overcoat

Rebecca Taylor faux fur jacket

Elizabeth and James faux fur overcoat

Dive Into Spring, part 2

Spring 2011 NY Fashion Week is over, and now I can give you the rest of my favorites for the week.

First up is Proenza Schouler.  These boys have really nailed it this season, and their inventiveness is truly inspirational.  How do you make “lady” modern?  You take fabrics like lace, tweed and chiffon and turn them into something cool, that’s how.  I am a bit of a tomboy, and their crazy mixed up version of “lady-like” really spoke to me because it was soooo not fussy. It was easy, relaxed and very very cool.

One of the many innovative techniques they used was taking a computer drawing and having it embroidered on tulle.  The tulle was then burned away with acid, and what is left is something resembling lace, but oh so much more modern. They also added some bright colors (trend!) to the mix and some large hook and eyes (trend!) and touches of lingerie to work under the sheers (trend!), which all make you feel like how in the world did they know exactly what you want to wear this spring?  Bravo Lazaro and Jack, you win the prize.

This is definitely the time for Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein.  He produced a concise collection devoted to minimalism that will make everyone stand up and take notice. He used some color, but I have chosen to show you mostly white, as I think the purity of form is best displayed in these very strong looks.

Phillip Lim is always a great go to designer for well made clothes at contemporary prices.  This season he played with layering sheers over solids, and made a lovely geometric clean statement.  Every girl needs a light weight trench for spring and his organza version piped in black is a perfect update to the same old camel topper.  He included a lot of textures in his looks, which added interest, while still looking effortless, chic and modern.

Michael Kors picked up a lifetime achievement award this summer from the CFDA, and showed a really confident collection for spring.  Easy and relaxed in luxury fabrics seemed to be his vibe, and his love of sportswear really shined.  I am kind of nuts for the pink jersey dress as it looks sexy, but comfortable, and oh so very effortless.

Lastly I have to throw a little love out there for designer Prabal Gurung. His attention to detail and clean looks are so very perfect for spring and I know he will be a force to be reckoned with the more he creates.

all photos via style.com

LA Bound

Many of you know that I style Carmindy (from TLC’s What Not To Wear) for her various red carpet appearances, book launches, and spokesperson jobs.  Today we head out to LA to shoot some video commercials for “Glowelle” a new beauty drink that Carmindy is representing.  I shopped ’til I dropped yesterday and came up with some good options for her to wear.  The set will be all white, and my color palette is ivory, purple, cranberry, orange, and grass green.  Here are the dresses I have chosen for her.  We have a fitting tomorrow to see which will be the dress she’ll wear for the commercials.  Have a preference?  Which would you like to see her in?  I’ll tell you my favorite later…

Diane Von Furstenberg                                                                    Fendi

Phillip Lim                                                                                          Diane Von Furstenberg

Zac Posen                                                                                  Alexander McQueen

Michael Kors                                                                                Donna Karan

Catherine Malandrino                                                                 BCBG

Roland Mouret                                                                 Chloe

You’re Golden!

As I often dress like a tomboy, I love this jacket from Phillip Lim.  Paired with some slouchy pants, a scarf and some jewels, you’re ready to go.