Fashion Collaborations

I think it's really important that fashion houses have learned to collaborate with other retailers. Lately it seems like the trendy thing to do, which has been really beneficial for consumers who like high fashion but can't always afford it. H&M has had long-standing partnerships with designers such as Jimmy Choo, and I am glad to see these other retailers following suit. Here are the ones I am liking and buying right now.

In February, Prabal Gurung for Target hit stores. It was floral, colorful, and perfect for Spring. I got up super early and hit my Target. Good thing I did, because I got the last floral blazer and dress. They fit so perfectly and they add instant vibrancy to any outfit. I also like the neon yellow dress, though it didn't look best on me, and the neon tie-up shoes, which were online only and sold out. The blazer and dress were $49.99 each. I even wore the dress to a spring wedding already. It was the perfect item.

In January, Kirna Zabete partnered with Nine West to begin the release of six months of shoe partnerships.  Not being an avid Nine West shopper, this slipped under my radar. But later on when I saw these feathered beauties on Instagram, I knew I had to have them. The tall, red heels were just $129.99 and they look way more expensive than that. The kitten heels are under $100. When I saw the June preview with the pink, vibrant colors, I got really excited for the coming months. I am happy to be a newly converted Nine West fan.

I was so thrilled to hear that Marchesa's Georgina Chapman was doing a collection for JC Penney called Pearl. However, I have to admit, I was a bit put off. I hadn't been in a JC Penney for years. It is definitely not the place I would associate with stylish clothes, let alone the rosettes, tulle, and ornate decor that is Marchesa. But on a whim I went to check it out and am oh so glad I did. The pieces are beautiful for how affordable they are, and they have the Marchesa flavor. My picks were an embellished LBD and this vintage-looking peppermint tulle dress. While these looks are marketed toward prom wear, the sizes are regular and the quality is definitely there. If you want a classy frock to wear for any occasion, check out these deals at JCP. The Pearl section is marked off with these gorgeous pearl chandeliers, so you can't miss it. And by the way, they are doing a couple other cool collabs as well, with Mango and Sephora. I am really feeling the new JCP. 

The biggest surprise for me has been Kate Young's collection for Target. This stylist is really hooked up in Hollywood, but since I wasn't that familiar with her style I didn't know what to expect. The preview pictures I saw for this line weren't moving me that much. But when researching this post, my jaw dropped. I literally saved this draft and ran to Target. Luckily my Target is tucked away so they had pretty much everything (save for the fuchsia tiered dress) in stock. I picked up three of these gown-like dresses that look absolutely stunning. And for under $100 each, they are perfect. I just need more nice occasions to wear them to. Oh and a new pair of shoes made it home with me too. Just $45 for these bow-tied beauties. Kate Young is now my new favorite designer.

I sincerely hope more retailers keep up the collaborating, making high-taste haute couture affordable for those on a shoe-string budget. Fashion can be affordable; fashion is for everybody.

Now, happy shopping!

Ruby Slippers

New issue of Nail Art Gallery Magazine is out! You can read it here.

I surprised myself a bit when writing my ed note. It got personal very quickly. You will find some amazing nail art in this issue inspired by the new film Oz the Great and Powerful. When thinking about Oz, my mind immediately went back to my childhood. We have an entire section on pop culture, and I really got to thinking about the effects living among TV, books, movies, and music can have on you. Is the reason I love shopping really because I love Carrie Bradshaw and want to be a fashionable writer like her? Did my love for Modern literature translate into a love of that excessive, Jazz Age type of lifestyle? Do I want a ring from Tiffany's because I love Audrey Hepburn? I honestly don't know. I can't pinpoint the roots of all my affections. But there is an undeniable influence these works of art have had on me, and I'm sure on everyone else too.

In fact, everyone in Southern California seems a bit obsessed with the entertainment culture. We watch our news daily (and here, content that is considered news, like what a pregnant Kardashian wore, is not what I would consider news). Everyone wants to be an actor or a filmmaker. Seriously, I can name so many of my friends who have tried to be in the industry. Everyone knows someone, or pretends to know someone, or wants to see someone famous. And you know what? That bubble is not for me. That lifestyle is not me. I would love to hear a traffic report without hearing about a celebrity split. I would love to meet more people who moved to California not to be in show business. And the times I go to events in Hollywood, I don't like sucking up or name dropping or fainting and fawning over "really important people." 

I think we need to get back to the art behind it all. There was a time when there wasn't a TMZ, when our authors and fine artists were celebrated as much as people who could sing or act. Rachel Zoe said something that I relate to very much, and that is for her, a celebrity is someone who designs clothes. I bet you the majority of people wouldn't know what the designer behind Dior is named (Raf Simons) or what the designers behind Valentino looked like. But these are the people who are creative geniuses, who are artists. One of the things I like most about Nail Art Gallery Magazine is that we shine spotlights on several artists, so you get to see their faces and not just pictures of the pretty nails they paint. 

Back in the day, films were done in black and white. You had to really imagine what an emerald city might look like. There weren't a ton of digital effects, so we had to trust the filmmakers to have creative stories and not just creative visuals to get us through a script. When I was growing up, the Wizard of Oz fueled my imagination. I was a daydreamer, I still might be. And I remember dreaming of places over the rainbow -- places worth singing about. I still worry about following the right road. I love a pair of ruby colored slippers. And part of the reason why I love them is because when I click my heels together three times, I do feel transformed. Because that is the magic of shoes. That is the genius behind great design. And no matter how many roads I wander down, or cities I visit while walking in my shoes, no matter how many dreams come true, I still feel like there is no place like home. So no matter how we choose to escape reality for a bit -- be it blogs, a book, a film -- we are all happy to return home. That's where the real stories begin. And for me, home is not really a place with a closet full of shoes. Home is at my grandmother's house, sitting on the carpet in the back room, watching the Wizard of Oz on VHS. Good art takes us back to where a story begins. Good art transforms us. And that power exists within the artwork itself, not within the red carpet of its premiere, or the number of tickets it has sold. I hope you enjoy the new issue and that you find something in there that transforms you, that takes you back, and maybe even causes you to dream a bit. 

Fashion Scents

I realize I haven't posted recently on finds I love. I have been doing more Pinning that posting. But I thought the latest from Charlotte Olympia has been the greatest, and so it deserved a post. Plus, I've already pinned all these up the wazoo. I think it's no secret that I love vintage things. Vintage perfume bottles are a particular favorite of mine. I like the atomizers, the shapes, the glass. So when Ms. Olympia's collection of clutches came out shaped like these treasures I near fainted (from looking at the price too). I'm hoping with some time I can find these on sale.*Fingers crossed* But still, how clever are these clutches?? Never seen anything like them. The remainder of her new collection is very Parisian. It is so playful with the poodles and the sayings. J'adore! My pick is the pair of Eiffel Tower sandals. Je t'aime Charlotte! She is definitely one of my favorite designers at the moment.  

You Can't Fake Fashion

Peter Som

Alice & Olivia

Dana Lorenz for Fenton

Robert Rodriguez

Sam Edelman - my personal fave

The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) is taking a stand against fakes. This is not an issue talked about often, but it is an issue nonetheless. When people or stores sell imitation handbags they typically don't think anything of it. Sure, they re-printed a monogram or a double C and stuck it on a bag or sunglasses, and give the consumer a bargain. What's the harm right?

Actually a lot. Just like you wouldn't want someone replicating your jewelry design exactly and selling it cheaper on a rival Etsy site, these designers worked hard to have their work not be plagiarized. I know they make lots of money off of a single bag, and in the long run if they lose a couple hundred here and there it's no big deal to them, but it is the principle of the thing. 

And speaking as a shopper, I think there is something to be said about the consumer who is willing to buy these fakes. If you know it's a fake and don't care, then don't buy an exact replica. Buy something with a different monogram or different color scheme. You know it's fake anyway, so why try to hide it? If you want the real thing but are buying fake because you think $900 for a bag is too much, I agree with you! But there are ways to buy authentic items at a fraction of the cost. I like to think I have spoken to that again and again on this blog. There is eBay, Bonanza, Crossroads Trading, Buffalo Exchange, consignment stores, even Goodwill can carry designer deals. And these items are not always used! So if you want the real thing, you can have it -- at any price point -- no excuses! 

But the worst is when you want the real thing and are duped into buying something un-authentic. It has happened to me before. And while I was young in my affair with fashion, and would certainly know better now, I still feel bad for my young self, who just wanted a Louis Vuitton bag, but was in college. I thought I scored a deal, buying one for $250 from a nail salon. Even the inside had the Made in Paris engravings. But a quick education online and in stores, and I realized I shouldn't have bought that bag. I was way too scarred to go on eBay, so I waited until I went to San Francisco and spent twice as much on a smaller bag, but one from the actual Louis Vuitton store. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life. And I'm sorry if that sounds cheesy or materialistic, but it is true. You pay for an experience. A designer piece represents hard work that pays off and speaks to your personal style. It's like the Sex and the City episode where they talk about the fake Fendi ; )

Bottom line: anytime you knowingly pass something off as something it isn't, it's just plain wrong.

If we truly believe in authenticity that means being genuine as a person, in your relationships, and in the causes you support. The CFDA has teamed up with 90 designers to embellish bags that celebrate original design. These bags are getting auctioned off via eBay, starting at $100 and ending on March 25th. All proceeds benefit the CFDA Foundation, fighting to preserve original design. My favorites are above and I am very tempted to bid -- because real fashion and real style is my real passion. I could never fake that. 

Happy Shopping!

Daisie & Calvin Got Married

I really do love a good wedding. All the wedding writing in my past (and future, I hope) has really informed this preference. As my friend Tracy Schultz once told me, "there is something magical that happens when all the people you love are together in the same room." And she's right. I don't love weddings because I am a die-hard romantic or because I love dancing or a good party (but I do love a good party - let's get that straight). I love it because all the people I love come together for the event. We all support one another, get dressed up, and toast to the other's happiness. If you can't be happy for your friends, what is the point of living?

Being invited to a wedding reinforces that sense of familial love. I am honored to be included on a guest list and to share in those life-defining moments of the people I am closest to. Life is so funny with its twists and turns. It is in those spirals that you oftentimes meet some great friends. That was the case when I met Calvin. He was close to my good friend Yayoi, who traveled all the way from Japan to celebrate with us.

It was such a beautiful wedding and reception that we didn't even realize we had sat on the bride's side of the aisle during the ceremony. And when we found out, it didn't matter, because a long time ago Daisie had fallen into our group, our family. It was like she had always been there, and now I am so happy she and Calvin will always be there for each other.

Taste of Temecula

So I know I have talked about my love of Temecula and wine tasting before, but we went again a couple weeks ago for a Friday trip and it really was perfection. I love how wine forces us to appreciate the passage of time. What takes years in the making can be sipped down in a matter of seconds. Wine is about appreciating and savoring. We pour, we smell, we swirl, we eye, and we slowly enjoy working our way up to the swallow. If only we could appreciate everything in life like we do a glass of red or white.

It has taken me so long to work (both in my career and in my relationships) up to this point where I feel truly happy. I loved taking this odd day off to taste, smell, and touch the drops of success, of rest, of relaxation. I hope you are all taking the time to relax and slow down, and enjoy where you are right about now.