Friday, March 14, 2014

Getting the Green Light

Louis Vuitton Saint Jacques bag in Borneo Green Epi leather. Photo by Yoogi’s Closet.

I am really into green all of a sudden. I love almost all shades of it, but I am especially loving emerald and Kelly green right now. It started with that gorgeous cover of Vogue Paris a couple of months ago, with Victoria Beckham wearing a green silk crêpe Lanvin dress and vintage emerald and diamond earrings by Bulgari. Then I recently spotted a Louis Vuitton Saint Jacques bag in Borneo Green, featured above, on the Yoogi’s Closet website, and fell instantly in love (don’t worry, I didn’t have an accident, it’s still for sale if you’re interested!).

Victoria & David Beckham on the cover of Vogue Paris, December 2013/January 2014.

I don’t have a lot of green clothes in my closet but I am going to pull out these green accessories to wear this month:

Wearing my green velveteen scarf. From How I Wear My: Green, March 2013.

My emerald green velveteen scarf with fringe. A street scarf classic, bought from a table of scarves in midtown Manhattan many years ago!

A Chanel pendant from 2003, a great eBay find!

My Chanel pendant that features deep apple green, with the tiniest flecks of gold.

Revlon Elusive, a dark, glittery and glamorous green.

My Revlon Elusive, which makes me think of a dark green sequined dress. For your nails. 

Let me know your favorite shade of green, if you have one, and to all you Irish babes out there (even if you’re only Irish on March 17), Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Benefit Eye Bright


I know when people think of Sex and the City they mostly think of the fashion, but when I caught an episode a few months ago I was struck by some of the makeup on Carrie and how modern it still feels. I especially love the soft pink used under SJP’s browbone, often with very light liner around her eyes and just a touch of mascara—the soft pale pink immediately draws the eye upward and makes her entire eye area look luminous. It has the added benefit of making her already very blue eyes look even more blue. I had to have something similar to add to my makeup bag! I didn’t want pink eyeshadow, I was afraid it would be either too white and shimmery, too pink, or too powdery, so I kept a lookout for something light pink and cream-based.

This is great makeup on SJP.

The color is hard to photograph but it’s pale pink with a hint of lavender.

When I saw Lisa Eldridge’s “A Work/College Look” video and watched her use Benefit’s Eye Bright under her eyes right after she applied foundation and concealer, I knew I had to give it a try. Benefit calls Eye Bright “a nap in a stick,” to which I say, Yes please!

I use just the merest hint of it under the browbone, sometimes alone, sometimes with eyeshadow over it, usually Chanel in “Lotus,” a pale shade of champagne. Eye Bright is a great product—long-lasting, just the right amount of shimmer, the right shade of pink (bordering on the lightest lavender imaginable), the right price ($20) and it can be used around the eye as well. Benefit says to apply it to the inner and outer corners of the eye area, then blend for the wide-awake look. You know I love a multitasking beauty product! One caveat: It is a chunky crayon-style pencil so you will need a sharpener that is bigger than your usual eye/lipliner sharpener. I use one I bought from Maybelline years ago at Duane Reade.


If you are looking to add a new eye-brightening product to your beauty routine, you might want to give Eye Bright a try. I highly recommend it! The quick how-to video below shows how to use it for best results.



If you already use Eye Bright, let me know what you think of it!

Friday, March 7, 2014

Best Jewels at the Oscars 2014: My Top 5 Picks

Charlize Theron in a beautiful Dior gown. Getty Images.

For the first time, I found myself a lot more interested in the amazing jewels featured on the red carpet at this year’s Oscars than many of the gowns the ladies were wearing. In some cases, I liked the jewelry better than the dress! There were so many great gems on Sunday night, too many to list here, but these were my top 5 favorites:

Necklace by Harry Winston. Wow! Getty Images.

5. Charlize Theron in Dior Haute Couture dress and Harry Winston necklace.

Charlize Theron wore a stunning diamond necklace by Harry Winston that featured a 31-carat emerald-cut flawless center stone. The entire necklace is reported to be worth $15 million! I don’t normally like black dresses at the Oscars but I loved this entire look on Charlize, right down to her black nail polish. It was fantastic on her and so over-the-top glamorous.

Diamonds, anyone? The Harry Winston necklace in detail. Getty Images.

Amy Adams in Gucci. Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

4. Amy Adams in Gucci dress and Tiffany & Co. earrings.

The Tiffany & Co. earrings Amy wore were made of cabochon rhodochrosite, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and diamonds. I felt a little underwhelmed by her navy blue Gucci dress given her recent red carpet choices, but the second I saw those earrings I fell in love. I could not stop looking at them!

Amy’s amazing earrings are by Tiffany & Co. I love them! Photo from The Citizens of Fashion.

I love Naomi Watts in this Calvin Klein dress and Bulgari necklace and bracelet! AP Images.

3. Naomi Watts in Calvin Klein Collection dress and Bulgari necklace.

I thought Naomi looked luminous and beautiful in her white beaded Calvin Klein Collection dress but what really stole the show for me was that amazing Bulgari diamond collar necklace she wore with it. It was the perfect touch!

Photo by Getty Images.

Cate in Armani Privé. Photo by Getty Images.

2. Cate Blanchett in Armani Privé dress and Chopard earrings.

I wasn’t a big fan of Cate’s Armani Privé dress at first but it kind of grew on me by the end of the night. What I deeply loved right away were the glorious white opal and pavé diamond earrings by Chopard. I thought they framed her face and hair so well and the sight of them helped me like her dress more as the evening went on. By time she got up to accept her Oscar for Best Actress (yay!), I thought the entire look was just right for her.

Look at these gorgeous opal earrings by Chopard! Photo from The Citizens of Fashion.

Catherine Martin looked amazing on the red carpet. Photo by Getty Images.

1. Catherine Martin in unknown dress (help me ID it if you can, is it vintage?) and Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger brooch (worn as pendant).

I am obsessed with this amethyst pendant Catherine wore. Getty Images.

I could not take my eyes off this pendant when Catherine gave her Oscar acceptance speech (which she pulled out of her bra, hilarious!). It is so unusual and stunning. It feels ancient and modern and symbolic all at once and I love that it features amethyst, one of my favorite stones. Leave it to a costume designer to think of pairing it with a salmon-pink and black floral-print and diamanté-embellished dress!

Here it is in detail:

Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger brooch. Photo from Town & Country's Instagram by way of Jewels du Jour.

Pardon me while I weep, that brooch is one of the most gorgeous pieces of jewelry I have ever seen. I love every single thing about it. If Catherine didn’t already own it, I hope Baz Luhrmann (her husband and the director of The Great Gatsby) bought this beauty for her after she won not one, but TWO Oscars Sunday night for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design of The Great Gatsby. With her other two Oscars in the costume design and art direction categories for Moulin Rouge! in 2001, Catherine now holds the record for most Oscars wins by an Australian.

I hope she is also the proud owner of this beyond-gorgeous Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger brooch!

If you want to see other amazing jewels, stop by the two websites listed below, where they feature even more jewelry that was worn on Oscar night, in glorious up-close detail.

The CITIZENS of FASHION

Jewels du Jour

Which jewels did you love at the Oscars this year?

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

How I Wear My: Boots

Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget).

With rain and snow still ruling the weather forecast for so many of us, protective and full coverage footwear has become mandatory, so Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget) and I thought it was the perfect time to make this edition of “How I Wear My” all about boots.

It became clear pretty quickly from your emails and pictures that most of you have several pairs of boots which get heavy rotation in your looks throughout winter and early spring and what is so great about this post is the range of boots featured, from ankle to over-the-knee and everything in between.

Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget), my lovely “How I Wear My” partner above, wrote of her boots, “It so rarely rains in California anymore, if we get as much as a light sprinkle, I get out my Hunters wellies. I bought these about three years ago. They were one of my smarter purchases and worth every penny. I am not sure what I did to keep my feet dry on wet days before I owned these. I guess I didn’t! I mostly wear them with skinny jeans and a trench. But if it’s not raining hard, like on this particular day, I will wear a blazer or leather jacket instead.”

I love the idea of wearing a smart blazer along with Hunters and think I will try this idea myself once I finally get a pair of Hunter boots myself. Isn’t this a practical-yet-chic look?

Sheree of It’s Not That Deep.

Sheree of It’s Not That Deep looks so amazing in this camel coat and gray Brian Atwood boots (check out the heels on those babies!). Brian himself liked this picture so much he added it to his Instagram page! Wow!

Cynthia of My Rose Colored Shades.

Cynthia of My Rose Colored Shades has paired a great combination of navy jacket, skirt, and tights, with a green and white striped shirt (love!) and gorgeous cognac-colored boots. She said of her look, “I thought the cognac booties and bag were the perfect complement to this classic outfit.”

I think the color of the bag and boots help make the whole outfit pop!

Nicole of High Latitude Style.

Nicole of High Latitude Style wrote of her look, “In Alaska, waiting until the car is warm can be very long. Thus, boots with boot toppers come in handy to allow me to wear a skirt even when it is -20F (-28.8C).”

I’m glad to see Nicole is holding down the style fort all the way up in Alaska with a pair of very glamorous fur-topped boots!

Trina of Tea Time With Trina.

Trina of Tea Time With Trina said of her boots, “These are my riding boots that I gravitate to because they’re just a little different than the normal all-black or all-cognac. Plus they seem to pair nicely with a lot of what I own.”

I love them so much here with white jeans, a colorblocked striped shirt, and pale gray sweater. This look is right up my alley!

Terry of Terry’s Two Cents.

Terry of Terry’s Two Cents makes a pair of State Street black work boots look so dapper with the addition of a Harris Tweed blazer. I never get tired of a man in a tweed blazer!

Heather of StyleMindChic.

Heather of StyleMindChic wrote of her look, “I am styling my Kelsi Dagger over-the-knee nude boots with Calvin Klein waxed skinny jeans, Michael Kors silky blouse, Merona animal print trench and jewelry from my Stylemindchic Boutique.”

I love this look on Heather. I think this my new favorite picture of her. Me-ow!

Dawn Lucy of Fashion Should Be Fun.

Dawn Lucy of Fashion Should Be Fun said, “I’ve had these zebra-print Steve Madden booties for years, and I think they still look fresh and fashionable. I’m wearing them with black skinnies, a V-neck burgundy sweater, ivory moto jacket, collar necklace, and studded clutch. I tried to look a bit “bad-ass” to go with the attitude of the booties!”

Oh my, and Dawn Lucy succeeded, I think she looks fierce AND smokin’ hot!

Pam of Over 50 Feeling 40.

As we head into spring, I like this transitional look on Pam of Over 50 Feeling 40, who’s wearing boots from Ross and a cardigan from Nordstrom Rack with a great Southwest vibe. Just what you’d want to see on our gal from Texas!

Alice of Happiness at Mid-Life.

Alice of Happiness at Mid-Life is in a work outfit here, with clothes from Old Navy. She wrote, “Having a bold look of all stripes, I wanted to pair it with shoes that are neutral. What better than a pair of brown boots?”

I love how fun this ensemble is, with the contrasting stripes, anchors, and big necklace. I also like how the boots round everything out.

Ana of Mrs. American Made.

Ana of Mrs. American Made said, “I love, love, love boots and I am lucky to live in a place where they are appropriate all year long and always in style.”

The boots she wears are by Calleen Cordero and are made in Los Angeles! Ana wrote of them, “The medium heel height and neutral color of these boots is so versatile that I find myself wearing them more often than I thought I would.”

I love them paired here with a cream-colored jacket and khaki skinny jeans. What a perfect look for the upcoming spring.

Silk Path Diary.

Silk Path Diary said she lives in boots for most of the year because they are practical and stylish. She also said, “I would say boots are the most comfortable type of footwear for me and I would never be able to live without them!”

I second that notion and I love this pair of gray suede boots by Lanvin. Divine!

Suzanne of Suzanne Carillo Style Files.

Suzanne of Suzanne Carillo Style Files has paired these great lace-up boots with distressed denim and a vibrant printed blouse for an edgy and modern outdoor look. I love these colors with her hair!

Liz of What Lizzy Loves.

Liz of What Lizzy Loves said of her boots, “I love the tan and darker leather equestrian-style boots. It’s a smart and durable style which I like to wear with dresses as well as jeans.”

I know just what she means, riding boots go so well with a number of clothing options and are definitely a go-to pair for me too. I love this look on Liz and I am especially crazy for that Mulberry bag!

Deja of Une femme d’un certain âge.

Deja of Une femme d’un certain âge said, “These Etienne Aigner riding boots have been in my wardrobe for a few years now and are CHAMPS! I love the classic styling with just a bit of edge from the straps.”

I like this look on Deja so much I just might be tempted to get some skinny jeans to tuck into my boots, a style I have always stayed away from. This picture is making me rethink my position on this topic! I am also digging her leopard scarf and Balenciaga bag, which add the perfect touch.

Madeco of Au fil des jours.

Our new friend Madeco of Au fil des jours wrote of her look, “During weekends, I love wearing my Bertie’s boots. I bought them a few years ago at Covent Garden in London. They have wood heels and make some noise when I walk! They are very comfortable, and they match well with jeans.”

Oh would Madeco fit in so well in my neighborhood here in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I see so many ladies wearing a very similar combination of quilted jacket, dark denim, and chunky-heeled boots. It has an ease—and a 70s vibe—that I adore.

Also, side note to all you babes out there who would like to practice your French—Madeco’s blog is written entirely in French so if you need to brush up on your language skills head on over there, tout de suite! She does offer a button to translate into English but come on, take a chance, see how far you can get reading en français!

Olivia.

Our other new friend Olivia wrote of her look, “Living in Colorado, boots are definitely an important part of the wardrobe! I’ve had these suede boots for a couple of years. They are my worn-in favorites for running errands or riding Harley with my husband. I love their height and color.”

I love the casual cool of this outfit, especially with the color of the boots and the statement necklace!

Hang of POUM! La Mode.

Hang of POUM! La Mode looks like the life of the party here, don’t you think? She lives in Thailand and said of her look, “It’s quite hot where I live but I manage to sport my United Nude ankle boots.”

I hope Hang took this disco-fabulous look out for a night on the town!

I love these boots on Hang. I wish I had a pair I could go disco dancing in.

Tamera of Tamera Beardsley.

Tamera of Tamera Beardsley said of her boots, “Due to our mild weather here in Southern California, my boot choice is most often an ankle boot. These nude ankle boots by Donna Karan have served me well for a couple of years now. They are a perfect go-to boot for so many looks, from ankle pants and jeans to dresses, and this week I am even styling them with my new kimono.”

I really love this palette of pale neutrals on Tamera, it suits her so well, and these unusual boots are a very glamorous touch.

I love these unusual boots, worn in this way!

At Le Paddock in Brooklyn, hence the horsey decor. Photo by Gwynne Keresty.

Since I live in jeans or black pants, ankle boots are often my boots of choice, and this pair by Nine West has really been the most comfortable pair possible, even with a three-inch heel. I can’t tell you how many times I have trudged around midtown Manhattan in these for Fashion’s Night Out (rest in peace, FNO), or at the Met during the preview for several Costume Institute exhibitions, and not come home with blisters. That makes these boots stars in my book! The colorblocked and patterned zip cardigan is a recent purchase from Banana Republic, which I got on sale. I am loving their styles more and more and the quality of their clothes has been excellent!

Why rush, indeed? In front of a Brooklyn laundromat. Photo by Gwynne Keresty.

It’s so Brooklyn, yo: On the F train! Photo by Gwynne Keresty.

My friend snapped this last picture on the F train and then laughingly berated me for smiling. “Whaddaya doin’? New Yorkers don’t smile on the train!” Touché. Isn’t that (mostly) the truth.

Are you still living in your boots while we all wait for winter to end?

For April, let’s hope for the best weather-wise and break out those skirts! There are so many styles to choose from—whether you prefer a classic pencil, A-line or miniskirt, or perhaps lean more toward a gloriously feminine pleated version or even a full skirt with a crinoline underneath! Whichever you love, pull out your favorite and join us for “How I Wear My: Skirt.” Send a picture to [email protected] by March 31.

Do head over to Adrienne’s to see even more wonderful looks featuring boots.

And thank you to all the fine foxes who participated this month!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Slaves of the Red Carpet

L to R: Cristina Ehrlich, Erin Walsh, Leslie Fremar, Kate Young, and Elizabeth Stewart. Photo by Art Streiber.

With Oscar Sunday on the way, I have red carpet dressing on my mind. I know I’m not the only one—everyone loves to see what the ladies are wearing on Hollywood’s biggest night! If you get some time before the Oscars, head over to Vanity Fair to read a great article, “Slaves of the Red Carpet,” about stylists who help create the looks we all love (or sometimes hate or sometimes have mixed feelings about). Vanessa Grigoriadis has written a fascinating piece that traces the roots of styling, all the way back to the break up of the old studio system, and the stir created when Giorgio Armani dressed several stars for the 1990 Academy Awards, which helped pave the way for the huge business that styling has become. It’s an interesting read, and, lucky for you, you can enjoy the entire thing on the Vanity Fair website, you don’t even have to be a subscriber.

As for this Sunday, I am most looking forward to seeing what is worn by Amy Adams (Stylist: Petra Flannery), Cate Blanchett (Stylist: Elizabeth Stewart), and Jennifer Lawrence (Stylist: Rachel Zoe), based on these recent red carpet looks.

I loved this Valentino gown on Amy. Photo by Paul Buck.

Amy in Roland Mouret. Photo by Getty Images.

The great Cate in Armani for the Golden Globes, 2014. Photos by Getty Images.

A sequined Dior column dress on Jennifer Lawrence. Photo by Leslie Cohen.

Great earrings on Jennifer, and great makeup! Photo by Getty Images.

One thing I always love about the looks Rachel Zoe puts together is the jewelry she selects, and I think these Jennifer Meyer earrings were spot on with that darkly shimmering Dior dress Jennifer Lawrence wore to the SAG Awards. There is another good article over at The New York Times, “Boldface Gems,” about the lengths smaller jewelry brands, like Jennifer Meyer, are going to in order to get their pieces on the big stars for a trip down the red carpet on Oscar night. Check it out if you get a chance.

And Happy Oscar Watching!