Archive for the ‘Accessories’ Category

What goes better with the glittery dresses, jewelry and handbags you’ve accumulated over the past few years? This season, I’m all about the perfect black suede platform pumps. There’s something almost cartoonish or doll-like about them and the bold shape helps flatter your legs while giving you a sturdy thick heel for walking. Whoah, just had a flash back to three years ago where I wore bad shoes to a holiday party, slipped and as I was being introduced, nearly flashed the CEO of my bf’s company at the time. Lesson learned…the hard way.  I’m not sure what inspired my sudden change in mindset from relying on accessories to do the talking to finsing the right pair of black pumps. Maybe it’s the thought of a pair of shoes that can work with all of your holiday looks…that and craving something other than black in holiday dresses.

Every shop from budget-conscious to Bergdorf’s has an option for black suede platform pumps. Some are even hard to tell from one another, as you might have noticed. Here are the ones I pulled, featured above, starting with the top left:

• Nine West, $89 ($62.30 after 30% discount @ checkout; via Nine West) – A classic look with an average height
• Forever 21, $24.80 – A good option if you’re unsure about getting another pair black pumps, but you want to try out the shape
• Yves Saint Laurent, $549.99 (via Bluefly) – Does this shoe even need a description? If they had my size, these would be in my closet
• Dolce Vita, $158.95 (via Zappos) – I’ve been leaning toward these for awhile, but am sort of waiting for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to pull the trigger (love these too; very similar)
• Me Too, $89 (via Zappos) – This brand is known for being comfortable, so if you’re looking for all-day wears, try these

Which are you favorite? Do you have a pair yet? Any other items on your holiday attire shopping list?

In light of National Business Women’s Week, which starts today, Tory Burch is doing some cool things to raise awareness and pay tribute. The designer, entrepreneuress and inspiration to many  has launched a special collection to benefit the Tory Burch Foundation - a fund launched in 2009 to provide economic opportunities for women and their families in the US. Available in Tory Burch stores and in the online shop for prices ranging from $16.99 – $195, all proceeds will benefit the foundation (more pics and details after the jump).

This is a collection of gifts that give back,” says Tory Burch. “I am honored to donate the proceeds from these sales to help women entrepreneurs achieve their goals.

In case you’re a sucker for stories like me, here’s how Tory’s efforts have helped one of many…

Huihui Jiang’s Italian-Asian Eatery, Marco Polo Café quickly became an East Village institution. Fulfilling her lifelong passion for cooking, Huihui created delicious cross-cultural dishes like the Moo Goo Gai Panini and supported three employees, yet traditional banks turned her away. Through ACCION USA and with help from the Tory Burch Foundation, Huihui obtain a $15,000 loan to sustain her restaurant. Today, the Marco Polo Café is thriving and has recently hired another employee.  Read the rest of this entry »

A quick look at what to expect from Juicy Couture handbags next spring. Loving the textures shredded rope knot details!

What are your first impressions?

I had the delight of stopping by the delicious Juicy Couture showroom last week to scope out the holiday 2010 collection. In short, they found a new way to keep sequins fresh by mixing with quilted leather, made playful polka dots look edgy and expensive and thanks to a few special clutches, I’m now fully on board the velvet wagon (before I was iffy, with one foot on the ground).

During the visit, I got to sit down with Juicy Couture handbag designer, Kirsten Schwinn (she tweets!). She walked me through her inspiration or “mood” board for the collection (pictured), which was probably my favorite part. It’s always exciting peeking inside creative minds to see how they translate inspiration to concept to final product!

While I loved a lot of the bags and jewelry, there is one piece I can’t stop thinking about - a mustard yellow, velour clutch with a gold chain shoulder strap and a giant bow built into the design (subtle, but lovely). It comes in navy too!

The holiday collection launched a few days ago and will be available at most Juicy retailers soon, if not already. Check out more photos after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

I had the pleasure of visiting Walter Steiger’s showroom for a private visit last spring and have been anxiously awaiting the fall 2010 collection. Known for decades of innovative creations in luxury footwear design and seen today in some of the hottest runway shows in NYC and Paris, the latest offerings include patent ski-slope toes and rugged rubber soles. Who knew rubber could be so sexy and edgy? On top of that, the metallic gold color available in a few styles is hypnotizing. If I could only buy one pair of shoes this fall, it would be the gold pump in the pic above.

You can currently find Walter Steiger in NYC on the corner of Park Avenue and 55th Street. There are other locations all over the world and hopefully sometime soon ( especially for you left coasters) we’ll see the collections in our favorite department stores like Nordi’s, Berfdorf’s, Saks, etc. More pics and details about Walter Steiger after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »