Cute Jacket

I've mentioned before that I love the cropped jacket look that's been so popular recently. Although my favorites are the more classically suit-styled jackets, particularly those with 3/4 sleeves, I also love this cute little motocross-y number, the Alexandria Moto, by Marciano, worn all zipped-up by Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell on the left. Of course she looks far better in it than I ever would, but a gal can dream, can't she?

Bras

I bought some new bras in the Fall and like them a lot. However, they are very lacy, which tends to show through thin t-shirts as unattractive lumps. I went to Macy's yesterday on a mission to find something smooth and comfortable for summer and I think I found the perfect bra for me: the Olga Christina semi-sheer minimizer. The cups are perfectly smooth, but with the appearance of beautiful lace. The outer part is sheer, with a soft nylon inner layer. The shoulder straps are wide but not clumsily so, as is the back 3-hook band. And it's a minimizer so it makes my puppies seem not quite so...ample. (The two straight male readers I have may not thing this is a good thing, but trust me, it is. And no, that's not a photo of me to the right there.)

I'm wearing it right now, and it's really comfortable, despite being an underwire (which doesn't bother me anyway). Give it a try.

I Knew It!

When I suggested in my Project Runway/Celebrity Rehab/Rock of Love post that Bret Michaels was wearing hair extensions in that Rock of Love 2 publicity photo, I was spot on. From a recent interview on CNN.com:

Q: What are you hiding under that bandanna?

MICHAELS: My hair is combined of my hair and the finest extensions Europe has to offer. I do the show without it on all the time and they won't film me. They are like, "Put your bandanna back on. It is your image." It is my signature thing.

"My hair is combined of my hair...." Bet he reads a lot, too.

A Dog's Opinion

Apparently this dog watched Star Wars Episodes I - III when they aired recently on cable and wanted to express his thoughts on Natalie Portman's acting skills personally.

Oh doggie, you are too kind!

My New Bags

I'm a purse-a-holic and have way too many of them. (Actually, that's a lie. I culled my collection earlier in the year and donated several of them to charity.) What I didn't have was a nice Spring/Summer workhorse purse, one big enough to hold all of my crap (spectacles, giant Marc Jacobs sunglasses in the fancy case Mr Minx bought me for Christmas, wallet, house keys, work ID and keys, iPod and various thumb drives, half a dozen lipsticks and glosses, etc.). That Michael Kors Beverly bag would have been perfect, had I a spare $1000 to leave in NY, but alas, that was not to be. So I checked Zappos.com to see what they had in the way of handbags/purses/totes.

I first saw this bag, Irving by Keen. It's made from recycled rice bags, lightweight, and absolutely huge. 20" wide x 13" high x 7" deep = too huge, actually. More an overnight bag than a purse. But how green and groovy looking - I had to have it.

Then I saw the Harveys Bags made from seatbelt material. This style is the large satchel, 13 1/2" wide x 5" deep x 7 1/2" high, the dual shoulder straps have a 10 1/2" drop. It's definitely big enough to hold everything I need to lug around, and I'm very happy with it. Because it's heavyweight nylon, it's easy to clean with a toothbrush and some liquid soap. And it's pink! I bought the last pink one in this size (it was on sale) so if you want your own in that shade, you'll have to find it elsewhere. But maybe you'd prefer the leopard print version...or the flowered one...

Separated By Plastic Surgery

Ok, you can probably tell the gal on the right is Cher. But who's the gal on the left? That's no lady - that's Pete Burns, from 80s Brit band Dead or Alive. Hard to believe he was once married to a biological female - for 25 years!

He's a prettier tranny than Alexis Arquette!

YSL Elle

Notes: cedrat, peony, lychee, pink berries, freesia, jasmine, patchouli, vetiver, ambrette

Elle opens with a citrus topnote accompanied by patchouli and sweetness.  I don't ordinarily like patch, but somehow I am completely unoffended by its presence here.  In fact, I rather like it. On my skin, the rest of the scent is peony and some berries, all enveloped in that pleasant patchouliness.  And it reminds me a bit of Stella, with patch in place of the amber. 
I was prepared to hate this one.  The packaging is tawdry, and, in general, most department store fragrances horrify me.  But, I am almost ashamed to admit, this one had me at the first sniff.  I bought it Saturday, at Bergdorf Goodman, tempted by the gift card discount. I'm wearing it right now, and I can't say it was a mistake.

No matter that Chandler Burr raised an eyebrow at me over lunch when I confessed my purchase.  

Alien Paltrow

Ah, the magic of Photoshop. If I were going to use the head from one photo and the body from another, I think I would do a better job of making them look like they belong to the same person.

Or maybe it's the yoga that makes her head stand out from her neck so far.

2008 CMT Music Awards

The 2008 CMT Music Awards were held this week with a pantheon of country music superstars in attendance. Over the years they've learned to dress a lot better, eschewing the big hair and pastel ruffles for sexier numbers so now they look just like everyone else at a red carpet event. Only with cowboy hats.

On the red carpet, Carrie Underwood looked great in what appears to be a now-ubiquitous Malandrino one-shouldered dress. On stage, however, she wears a frothy party frock confection worthy of my Skipper doll, ca. 1972.


Miley Cyrus pulled the flocked velvet wallpaper off the walls of a crumbling Victorian mansion for her somewhat dowdy red carpet look. But her performance look is cute cute cute, sassy and age-appropriate, if maybe a tad casual.


I haven't seen Nicole Kidman look this fabulous in a long time. The dark red is stunning on her, as is the simple shape, and she looks to be wearing a genuine, if perhaps heavily-Botoxed, smile. Her husband needs a haircut desperately, however.


Poor Taylor Swift. Nobody told her that she had the front of her dress stuck in the waistband of her thong. (An aside: I've heard this girl "sing" and she can't carry a tune. Her butchering interpretation of "Silent Night" during the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree-lighting festivities was abysmal. She has a recording contract...why?)


Paula Abdul models a gown from Spiderman 4: The Attack of the 5 Foot Tranny


Leanne Rimes was in such a hurry to get to the ceremony, she left her skirt at home. The rest of the outfit looks to have been fashioned from ginormous fish scales. (Designed by Richard Blais perhaps?)


Faith Hill's new look = Dorothy Zbornak at a funeral.


And finally...Crystal Gayle goes goth? Honey, you're (supposedly only) 57 years old. Cut that mangy mane and allow yourself to age gracefully. And the black dye...haven't you heard that lighter hair is more flattering on older women? Lose the 80s-era shoulderpads while you're at it.

Spokesmodel?

Mary-Kate Olsen, seen at Wednesday's New Yorkers for Children event, models the latest from Jeanne Bice's Quacker Factory Couture Collection.

Ms Bice is thrilled that Mary-Kate has chosen to be the spokesmodel for her new line (available soon at QVC.com). "Why limit the appeal of my fashions to elderly or overweight women with small budgets and even less taste? With my new couture line, even skinny little bitches with oodles of money can exude the style and class only Quacker Factory can provide."

Perhaps she can get a contract with Lifetime to appear as a guest judge on Project Runway?

Andy Warhol Jewelry

This past weekend, I did not indulge in fragrance at Bond No. 9, a New York perfumer. I was half tempted to buy a bottle of their Little Italy, a lovely candied orange scent, but then I saw the jewelry: Robert Lee Morris' Sterling baubles inspired by the works of Andy Warhol. So why is jewelry being sold at a perfume house? Because Bond has a line of scents done in conjunction with the Andy Warhol Foundation! Last Fall's release, Andy Warhol Silver Factory, is a gorgeous unisex amber, in a bottle decorated in the style of the iconic Campbell's soup label. This Spring's Union Square is a happy scent of bright floral notes, in a bottle bearing a version of Warhol's floral screen prints. (Is it me, or does anyone else remember that a version of this print hung by the front door on TV's Bewitched?)

Here are the earrings I bought, the "blurry flowers." They are 1 1/2" in diameter, and engraved on the back with the Warhol quote, "All is pretty." Cute, huh?

If you can't make it to Bond to pick up your own Robert Lee Morris jewelry, it's available on his Web site, along with other great styles (the Warhol jewelry is also available in 18K gold as the "Factory X" collection.

A Steal at Michael Kors

I just got back from a Sniffapalooza event in NYC and am exhausted and sore, but I thought I'd share my shopping find with you. While walking in Soho from a perfume shop to our lunch venue, my friend Andrée and I stopped into a Michael Kors store. My eye had landed on a lime green shoulder bag and I had to go inside to see it in person. The lime was fine, but what I really wanted was the violet version on the opposite wall. Meet Beverly. She is $1095.00 and far out of my price range.

This shape, but in the inset light violet color.

Beverly is light weight, and exactly the single shoulder strap/top zip style that I am wanting for summer. Alas, she cannot be mine. Also, she is not the steal.

Meet Reese, my new open-toe flat. She was on a shelf marked "Sale 75% off."

At $27 and change, I couldn't pass her up, especially as 1) she fit beautifully; 2) she's cute as a button. There were other color combinations available, but how could I go wrong with basic black and white?

Hot Tranny Mess!

Cute dress. A shame it's on Rachael Ray. What's with her boobs? She's reminding me of something out of National Geographic.

And although I think the whole current rule about going bare-legged is ridiculous (especially if one has less-than-perfect legs, or, heaven forbid, varicose veins) particularly the resultant blisters caused by uncomfortable rubbing of bare skin on hard shoe leather, I also don't condone shiny suntan pantyhose, particularly when worn with peep toe shoes!

Fail!

V Magazine

The issue V Magazine with Gwen Stafani on the cover is available online for free. Yes, it's mostly ads, but there are some great fashion photos towards the back of the mag.

Herve Van Der Straeten

Another one of Style.com's Fall 08 Accessory Report finds is this groovy cuff bracelet by Herve Van Der Straeten. This may not be available until fall, so in the meantime, check out his current goodies, available through Farfallina.

These three pieces are of hammered brass with a 24K gold vermeil (gold plating over sterling) finish. Bold and modern, I particularly like the earrings.

Make It Work!

see more loldogs ask - i can has hotdog?

Malan Breton Documentary

Apparently coming this fall to a theatre near you!

Buh-Bye Bravo!

Woo...in breaking news, the WhinesteinWeinstein Company, owners of Project Runway, has sold their show to Lifetime. NBC is, of course, quite pissed and is suing them. Read all about it in this NY Times article.

Apparently Bravo gets to air season five, starting in July, and Lifetime takes over in November. That means we'll get THREE seasons this year. And if they're anything like season four (not particularly fierce)... gack.

I've never watched Lifetime before, but from what I can tell, they air a lot of reruns of The Golden Girls. I have a sneaking suspicion that they'll ruin Project Runway by making it all touchy-feely, you know, "for women." Can you imagine the changes in store??

New hostess.




New challenges.


New judges.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Who Cares About Style?

Apparently not this lovely er...lady?

Donatella Versace's Very Expensive Watch

Watch the video to see Versace's made-to-order gold and diamond watches. These puppies cost just over a quarter of a million dollars (about $226,800 at the current exchange rate), and three have already been sold.

"Women don't really need a watch to tell time today — they have their cell phones and BlackBerrys," Versace said. "This is a jewelry watch."

But...Donatella...it's ugly. And for that much freakin' money, the strap should be diamond-encrusted. And it should come with a little man to wind it and polish the crystal.

Eternamé

Style.com's Accessories Report picks Eternamé's enameled white gold and sapphire bracelet as one of Fall 08's best. I love it - the color, the shape, and the mixed shades of purple sapphires. Intrigued by the piece, I decided to see what Eternamé has available currently - why wait till fall?

My favorites were these white gold peridot and diamond earrings from the Eternelle collection. I'm a sucker for lime green.


These "Ellipse" white gold and diamond earrings from the "Couture" collection are quite dramatic, yet not flashy. I'd love to see these on a live model.
Me, preferably.


I'd also love to see this special order Kunzite and sapphire ring in person, as I can't quite tell what is going on in the pic. The goldwork seems pretty ornate, and the yellow sapphires seem to be set in or around the prongs that hold the large center stone in place.

Quick, Fire Her Stylist!

Screen icon Elizabeth Taylor seen leaving a restaurant yesterday. She is wearing a heavily-floral-embroidered fur-lined jacket over a wild hot pink floral tunic and khaki parachute pants. She's also sporting large emerald- or jade-and-pearl earrings, a sparkly necklace, lots of rings, and a crazy-lady hat bedecked with what looks like enameled floral brooches.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Lakme Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2008 - Abhishek Dutta

Indian designer Abhishek Dutta's Fall/Winter 2008 collection, recently shown at Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, was full of heavily ornate and glitzy garments for both men and women. Men - wouldn't you love the freedom to dress this way without being considered outrageous or looking like a clown?

Click images to enlarge


The head scarves are a bit too Eastern European Babushka for me, but I love the mix of colors in these three pieces; the reds and browns, grays and metallics are fun and bright yet luxurious.

According to the official Lakme Web site, Dutta was influenced by the Save the Girl Child campaign. Female children have long been less-valued in India, considered a financial burden and often simply murdered after birth. Although that barbaric practice (perhaps not as barbaric as marrying a 9-year-old child to a mature man, however) has decreased, it is mostly now because the sex of the child can be determined during pregnancy and an abortion performed if the fetus is female. This practice is known as Pre-Birth Elimination of Female Foetus (PBEF) and it is illegal, yet it still goes on. Some Indians believe this is genocide and estimate that 6 million females had been killed in a period 20 years.

A Google search for "Save the Girl Child" brings up lots of educational links on this subject.

Sometimes fashion isn't as frivolous as it appears.

JLo's Twins

see more loldogs ask - i can has hotdog?

Who Stinks?

I suppose Madonna is going for a tough look these days, what with dressing up either as a pretend-boxer or a dominatrix, and those scarily huge biceps of hers. But what's with the return-to-Marilyn-Monroe hair? The poor old broad has changed up her look so many times, she's run out of themes and reusing old ones.

Yeah, she doesn't impress me. I haven't liked anything she's done since "Vogue" and I like that mostly for bringing back amusing memories of working in the bookstore with some of my favorite crazy people.

Whatsamatter, Madonna? Do you stink?

Over-bling

In 2007, JCK magazine held the first annual JCK Jewelers Choice Awards, the winners of which can be found in the March issue. Perusing the "best and brightest" I noticed that today's engagement rings are horribly over-blinged. Not satisfied with a center diamond, perhaps flanked by smaller fancy cuts or baguettes, today's bride-to-be needs to wear more, more, more diamonds.

The Norman Silverman Diamonds ring on the left won in the "Best bridal design" category. It's platinum, with a 7.17 carat cushion-cut center stone, accompanied by 149 pavé-set diamonds weighing an additional 1.46 carats. I'm sorry, but that's fuxxing huge, and complete overkill.

To the right is a Martin Flyer platinum engagement ring and wedding band set, a winner in the Best 3-Platinum-Ring Bridal Set category (man's band not shown) with a 3.01 carat cushion-cut center and 140 micropavé set melée weighting another .90 carats. Less than half the size of the Silverman ring, but still too much.

Why two such similar-looking rings would win the same competition? Not the same category, mind you, but why did these two capture victory over the doubtless several other lookalike rings that the industry currently favors? Isn't one cushion cut/embellished-bezel-and-shank enough? Or is the lack of innovation itself deserving of recognition these days?

A more traditional look, also a winner in the 3-Platinum-Ring Bridal Set category, are these pieces from Kirk Kara. They're smaller, and the millwork makes it vintage-y, but does it really need twenty-four round diamonds (.33ct tw), eight princess-cuts (.16ct tw) and four baguettes (.18 ct tw) in addition to a center stone (not included in the set or the description)? Like the two rings above, the center is surrounded by diamonds, which I think is overkill.

One of the problems with rings with too many nooks and crannies and prongs and whatnot is that they're a bitch to clean. When I was doing appraisals, I was constantly disgusted by the crud and filth on diamond rings. Sometimes an hour or two in the ultrasonic wasn't enough to shake the years of hand lotion and cookie dough residue out from under the settings and I'd need to use a probe to loosen the stuff before I took a toothbrush to it. And as if it wasn't bad enough to the naked eye, a quick look with my 10X loupe would gag me anew if I hadn't cleaned it well enough.

Diamonds attract grease like nobody's business, so a diamond ring needs to be cleaned frequently. I like to give mine a good workout with a soft toothbrush and soap at least once a week. If you insist on a ring with a large center stone and hundreds of tiny diamonds all around it, then you have to be more diligent. Yeah, I know you don't care about what your jeweler thinks when he or she sees your filth, but remember that dirty diamonds are dull diamonds. If you're going to make someone pay for all that bling, make sure it sparkles!

Holy!

Watch and be amazed as an elephant paints a self-portrait.

I went to art school and can't paint an elephant as well. Which says a lot about the quality of my education, huh? :)