Archive for September, 2008

It’s back to school season, but even those of us out of school can douse ourselves in Gossip Girl esque fall styles. I’m loving plaid and tartan prints right now and I’m still finding use for my latex leggings.

Wearing:

• Dress and headband: Forever 21
• Blazer: Urban
• Vest: Metropark
• Latex leggings: AA
• Patent wedges: Jeffrey Campbell
• Bag: Love Culture

Many of you have guessed or asked where I purchased my new exposed zipper bag and per reader Ali’s comment this morning, I decided to do a separate post to reveal.  

It’s from a new store in South Center called Love Culture (website coming soon) and it only cost $36!!! I wasn’t on the hunt for a cheap bag, but when I saw the zippers, I had to have it. While I’m fairly certain it’s not leather given the price, it smells like my leather jacket!

Love Culture is similar to Forever 21 (probably b/c the founder is a former VP of F21), so it’s definitely one of those hit or miss kind of places.

Has anyone else ever shopped there? I think I favor F21 and H&M, but it will take a few more trips to know for sure.

I know…it’s been awhile since I posted a look but more are on the way. My outfits haven’t really been post-worthy lately…and I’ve been REPEATING…gasp!

For a Labor Day wknd girls getaway, my friend Angie and I flew to Vegas.

Our hotel: Palms Place (the newest tower at the Palms)

OMG, it’s the coolest place I’ve ever stayed, anywhere! Every room has a plasma TV in the bathroom and a stainless steel kitchen.

Favorite outfit: Simple purple dress with hair-braided headband

Wearing:

• Dress: Velvet, Mercer
• Necklaces: Forever 21 and silver chain
• Shoes: Aldo
• Hair: Braided a headband in behind my bangs (warning: requires patience)

Favorite meal: Little Buddah @ The Palms

In a zen ambience, we enjoyed tasty cocktails, fresh sushi and complimentary waiters.

^Lychee and Karma martinis

Favorite bar: Blush @ The Wynn

A perfect hybrid of club and lounge, the decor is funky, they play great music and have a chill outdoor patio.

More fun photos:

^My friend Ang and I with our new buddy, Kalani.

^At Body English with Kalani’s friend.

^Outside the Wynn after Blush.

I decided to nix the Shopping Codes page and stream my picks for top online shopping deals via Twitter. It’s a lot easier to update, not to mention faster. Hopefully this is helpful for those of you who like to shop with promo codes.

Besides, I want to know what you’re up to also! Click here to follow me.

Topshop has officially launched their US online store along with Kate Moss’ new F/W collection. Stay tuned for the first US-based store to open this November in NYC. 

It’s a little bittersweet because ordering directly from Topshop UK made me feel like I was shopping from a secret source. Not many are patient or daring enough to order clothing they’ve never tried on from overseas…let alone willing to pay the $20 minimum shipping charge. All that aside, I’m still excited to have one of my favorite online retailers at my fingertips…no more waiting three weeks for shipments!

Topman, Topshop’s mens store, also launched their US site. Check it out guys!

**Thanks Pete for the heads up!

Those who read my blog regularly know I’m a little more into shoes than jewelry, but I have a new obsession…Prismera jewelry! Based in New York, Prismera designer Laura Su creates modern pieces from traditional influences including exotic gardens and unique plants.

I had the pleasure of experiencing some of her designs first hand including pieces from the Succulent and Flora & Folium collections.

You might recognize the Hopewell necklace (picured above on left) from my DIY post last week, which was the perfect pendant to combine with my other two necklaces. The Blue Spruce (pictured above on right) is absolutely gorgeous and has one of the most unique chains I’ve ever seen.

The Rosemary and Virginia Ivy earrings are dainty and lightweight. I usually can’t wear earrings because my ears can’t tolerate the heaviness, but these were hardly noticable!

Of all the samples Prismera provided, I think the Sedum Cuff Bracelet (from the Succulent collection and pictured above) was the hardest to part with. I love how the flexible, bendable metal allows you to wear it down around your wrist or higher up your arm as a cuff. I miss it already!  

Finally, here are a couple of my favorites from Prismera’s newest collection, Noctiflora.

Good news! For the month of September, Prismera is offering a free necklace with all purchases.  

P.S. Is it just me, or does the Prismera model look a little like Jane from Sea of Shoes?

More and more retailers are looking to provide unique shopping experiences by offering more than just dressing rooms and checkout counters. Big name department stores have been on this for decades, but here are a few recent examples:

A couple of weeks ago, J.Crew opened an exlusive men’s boutique inside an old liquor store bar in Tribeca.

It’s a pretty cool concept given they were able to preserve the setting and appearance of the former bar going as far as keeping alcohol bottles on the shelves. Don’t let the atmosphere mislead you, the only items actually served on the menu are clothes and accessories.

In a similar but more realistic fashion, Dylan Lauren (daughter of Ralph) is opening a full service bar on the third floor of her NYC sweet spot, Dylan’s Candy Bar, this fall.

Equipped with peppermint swirl swivel stools, the bar will offer a “Sweet Hour” nightly aiming to quench your thirst and satisfy your sweet tooth with luscious Gummy Bear Martinis.

Sources: New York Magazine, W Magazine, Racked, Bobbie Thomas and reader, Rickey

As promised in my post about Bobbie Thomas, here’s a fun DIY to help revamp your accessories collection and get more out of your necklaces and even bracelets.

Step 1: Gather a few necklaces (and a bracelet if it has a clasp) and lay them out. I like the idea of mixing metals, textures and sizes, so I grabbed my gold chain belt (1), a simple silver chain (2) and a gold pendant by Prismera (3).  

Step 2: Attach the clasp from one necklace to the end of another. This necklace will serve as the connector between the other two. I used my simple silver chain (2).  

Step 3: Attach the clasp of the third necklace to the other end of the “connector.” I chose to connect at an angle so the silver chain would slant between the other necklaces.  

Step 4: Put on necklaces 1 and 3 as you normally and adjust angles as needed.

Check out Bobbie’s segment from the “Today” show for more examples…then try it yourself!