Silver Stunner

I just love this 3.1 Phillip Lim dress--the sequined bodice, the pleated skirt, with more sequins falling down the side (does anybody not love sequins?), the colors. I'd like to slip this on and go drink champagne somewhere where the sequins would catch the light.

Sequined silk dress, 3.1 Phillip Lim, $895

Charlotte's Apron

Probably the only affordable fashion item in all of Sex and the City 2, here is the adorable Jessie Steele "Audrey Cupcakes Apron" worn by Charlotte (Kristen Davis) in the scene where she's making cupcakes with her little girls, Lily and Rose (shown here with "Rose"). $30 at unique-vintage.com.

www.unique-vintage.com

Patricia Field, I love you

Here are a few of my favorite Carrie looks from the new Sex and the City 2 movie.

I love Patricia Field, pictured above, the costume designer for both SATC movies, as well as the series. I'm still smarting from 2006 when she SHOULD have won an Oscar for the costumes in The Devil Wears Prada, but lost out to Milena Canonero, who won for Marie Antoinette (and who had already won twice before, in 1981 for Chariots of Fire, and in 1975 for Barry Lyndon). Oh please, historicals are easy. I could costume a historical, try putting together standout modern clothes! To me, Patricia Field is right up there with Edith Head and Helen Rose, one of the best costumers of all time.

A Dash of Elegance & Blueberry Pie: What Would Coco Think?

I had a serious makeup tossing out session a few weeks ago, throwing away old products. So cathartic! In doing so, I felt it was time to buy some new lipstick and I decided to go with Chanel (big surprise) after reading about their new line, Rouge Coco, that came out in March of this year. W wrote that it was kind of a throwback for the house, using shades that go back to the Sixties and metal tubes instead of plastic. This quote got my attention:

"There's a whole generation of women who have never worn lipstick--they were raised on gloss," laments makeup artist and Chanel Makeup global creative director Peter Philips. "Many women don't even know how to apply lipstick. I want to offer one that's easy--just one swipe."

That sounded like the product for me. I always think of lipstick as taking more time to stand there and get right. One swipe, yes, yes, all good.

I found two shades of Rouge Coco that are good for me, No. 26 Venise, a pinky-brown neutral, and No. 36 Lune Rousse, a medium red. Since they are matte, they seem especially good for layering gloss over to heighten their color and add shine (Mr. Philips would probably not like hearing this, maybe Coco Chanel wouldn't either. Lipstick only! No gloss, you heathen, no gloss!) They also have a great scent, with a hint of rose, and you really can tell the difference with a metal tube instead of plastic. It feels like what you're holding is more substantial.

From the gorgeous book Chanel: Collections and Creations by Daniele Bott:

"For Coco Chanel, lipstick was so essential that she even included a special pocket for it in her quilted handbag--soon to become famous as the legendary 2.55--so as to always have it at hand. She regarded lipstick as the ultimate weapon of seduction. She loved deep red, which flattered her dark hair and 'golden brown' eyes; it added a dash of elegance, that crucial touch of sophistication."

And now that I have on my dash of elegance, I'm going to go bake a blueberry pie, from scratch, with homemade whipped cream (lightly sweetened and with a hint of vanilla). I don't know if Coco would be proud or horrified.

The lady baking above, by the way, is actress Evelyn Venable, in a picture from 1938. She was the model for the Columbia Pictures goddess who holds a torch in their logo. You know the one.

Chanel Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour, $30

Silly Bandz Update

I've read a little about the guy who started Silly Bandz (note the 'z'), Robert Croak. In 2007 he was at a trade show in China when he saw stretchy animal shapes, which sold in Japan as rubber bands. He thought they'd make good kid accessories if they were bigger and more durable. He launched the Silly Bandz website in 2008 and they were first popular in Tennessee, Florida, New Jersey and Connecticut. Now they have spread to New York City, like a plague. I understand that a lot of their appeal for children comes in trading them with each other. Here are two shapes my son traded two of his for--a trumpet and a caterpillar. The friend who has the Statue of Liberty shape told my son he would never trade it. Hey, smart kid! And my boy feels the same way about the trumpet. He seems to be already done with the Silly Bandz craze, though. In less than a week! Sounds like the definition of a fashion trend to me.

Kiddie Fashion Trend Alert!

About a week ago my son told me he had to have some Silly Bands. I had no idea what he was talking about. Colorful rubber bracelets, he explained. All the kids in his second grade class were wearing them, boys and girls. I got a chance to see them up close when we ran into one of my son's friends in the park. This boy wore Silly Bands and showed them to me. They looked like a collection of squiggly shaped bands around his wrist, not unlike a stack of hair rubber bands. My son insisted he have Silly Bands of his own, so my husband bought packs for him and our daughter, $1.99 each, about 12 bands per pack. They are in the shapes of animals and sports symbols, but apparently there are a ton of other shapes out there, including, my son reports, one in the shape of a dollar sign and another in the shape of the Statue of Liberty, both of which seem like covetable shapes for city kids, but maybe that's just me. They look like rubber bands on the wrist, but upon removal, they retain their shapes. Both my kids love them, wear them in stacks, and when I was on both the subway and the street in Manhattan and Brooklyn this weekend, I saw them on little kids everywhere.

How do these kid fashion trends (or any other trends, really) start? I would love to hear from people in other parts of the country, to know if these Silly Bands are big with the elementary school set everywhere, or if it's just a New York thing.

Let's talk about makeup, shall we?

A couple of weeks ago I got to do something I haven't done in years--go to Sephora on a weekday. No kid in tow! I popped into the midtown Sephora near the Herald Square Macy's around 1PM and it was packed. PACKED! Ladies trying on every makeup offering on display, and in one instance a woman who kept maneuvering around people--"Excuse me, excuse me,"--to get to different eyeshadow shades before rushing back over to the mirrors on the end of each aisle. Clearly putting her entire face on for the day.

I was at Sephora to try a product I've read good things about, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch, a luminizer/concealer that retails for $40, pictured above. From the Sephora website:

"A luminizing pen that brings light and radiance to the skin, immediately erases any signs of fatigue, and brightens the complexion."

They also say it's "like eight hours of sleep and an instant pick-me-up in a magic wand."

If there are phrases guaranteed to catch my attention they would be "eight hours of sleep," "instant pick-me-up," and "a magic wand." How could I not try this product?

It has a soft brush that is activated by clicking the end like a pen and the luminizer itself has a creamy consistency and comes in four shades. I commandeered my own mirror, far away from pushy eyeshadow lady, and found Luminous Ivory (No. 2) was the perfect shade for me. How could I not buy it? I looked great. I looked refreshed.

I looked at the line at the register. It was snaked around itself at least four times, like it was Christmas Eve, with ladies in a mad dash for last minute gifts.

It was the middle of May.

It seems what I've read is true--in shaky economic times women will still spend a little cash on a new lipstick to help bolster their morale. I'm all for that but I was starved, I had to get back on the F train to pick up my son in time from school, and the line was at least 20 minutes' long, so my instant pick-me-up in a magic wand will have to wait another day.