Archive for February, 2009

FW might as well stand for Free-booze Week as liquor brands scramble to sponsor one of ten parties that could be going on any given evening.  Last season, I hopped five per night only to learn the hard way that there is such a thing as too many glasses of free bubbly. So I got a little smarter this time around and decided only to hit up a few good ones.  Last night, I brought my friend Jason Backe (of Ted Gibson Salon fame) to the Casa La Femme reopening – an intimate affair hosted by stylist Kithe Brewster with his friends  Lil Kim, Moby, and Khloe Kardashian among others in attendance.

Unlike most celeb heavy events, the opening was refreshingly minus a red carpet, excessive photographers and all that hoopla. The restaurant is completely shielded behind a wall of trees and the only tell tale sign of the soiree behind its dark windows was the girls with the clipboards outside the door. The famous and the commoners comingled in the sultry, spacious restaurant, feasting on Egyptian cuisine and marveling at the bellydancers that put on evening’s live entertainment. (more…)

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I’ve always loved Kenzo’s perfumes, but I had no idea that they had their own skin care line as well.  (I love it when companies I already like expand their brand.  It’s like a fun little bonus!)  Kenzo’s Belle De Jour face cream is a luxurious new product that you massage onto your skin in the morning and night.  The rich formula isn’t greasy at all, but it goes on smoothly, and it left my skin soft and glowing.

The key ingredient in Belle De Jour is White Lotus, which is looked upon as a sacred flower in Asia and cultivated especially for Kenzo in East Asia.  It’s known for its soothing and anti-free radical properties that keep skin looking great.  (more…)

Sweet princess styles at Jill Stuart for the Fall collection were given more edge thanks to a rock and roll inspired collection.  Rocker princess was the keyword for this show – with lots of lace, ruffles, crushed velvet, and leather, which contrasted with the austere atmosphere at the New York Public Library.  As “23″ from Blonde Redhead played overhead, models styled with Keith Richards faded eyeliner and wavy bedhead, carried jet black rosary necklaces and fingerless knit gloves with fringe, while wearing fedoras festooned with crushed silk flowers in ivory, soft purple, and dusty pink on the brim.

Front row action at this show came in the form of Paris and Nicky Hilton, Amanda Bynes, Kristen Bell, Jessica Stroup of 90210, and Amanda Setton from Gossip Girl, and Michelle Trachtenberg.  The paparazzi were clearly focusing on Paris, and I was pretty amazed at her ability to look unfazed for a good 15 minutes as people jumped over themselves to get a picture of her, and she pretended to chat nonchalantly on her phone.

The looks for this collection were primarily monochromatic, featuring lots of black and white.  I thought that the one shoulder tiered ruffly dresses were girlish and playful, without looking naïve, and would get the perfect amount of rocker edge when accessorized with ankle boots.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about the hats, which Fashionista.com called “Blossom style,” but with the multitude of Japanese buyers/ magazine editors there at the show, I’m sure that they will do well abroad.  All in all, it was a fun collection of wearable “Park Avenue Princess plays Rock Princess” for a day.

See more pictures below: (more…)

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I’m always on the lookout for a new concealer, and to be honest, it’s in large part because of my ever-present undereye shadows. I use concealer not to conceal any skin blemishes, but to try to cover up puffy eyes. And clearly, that doesn’t always work out since most concealers aren’t for that purpose. I recently tried Chanel’s Lift Lumiere Smoothing and Rejuvenating Eye Contour Concealer and have a new daily obsession, literally. I’ve been using this specialized concealer everyday and am in love with it (as much as one can be with a concealer, anyway).

What the Lift Lumiere Concealer does so well is 1) appear to smooth away puffiness and 2) brighten my eye area as naturally as possible. The concealer contains a special blend of peptides and light-reflecting elements that help you look a lot less tired, without looking like you’ve applied glitter to your face. A lot of concealers simply use this shine to brighten your eye area, when all you really need is something that reflects the light better so you won’t look like you’re sparkling like Edward Cullen. The overall effect of the Lift Lumiere is smooth and bright in a natural way. In fact, this is so good at smoothing that Chanel recommends it for use on more mature skin as well.

For my yellow-toned skin, I found the Rose Lumiere shade to match with my skin the best. Be sure to check this out at your nearest Chanel beauty counter, or online at nordstrom.com.

As most regular readers know, I have a true love for shoes. However, I must admit…it’s been awhile since my last purchase and I’ve been itching to invest in my next pair this past month. So naturally, I enlisted TDO Editor Carolyn to help me out and look for a pair that would be worth my while.  A couple weeks ago, we were up late online exchanging ideas, chatting about the site, and naturally, online window shopping (as we’ve been known to do since we’ve met each other many years ago).

This Giuseppe Zanotti I86092 Pump came up in our search and you could say that it was instant shoe love for the both of us. Isn’t this just gorgeous? We’re obsessed with the classic shape and the hidden platform, not to mention the gorgeous ruching of the suede at the toe. Moreover, we can’t resist a tiny bit of bling that the subtle Swarovski crystal strip provides to the shoe.  I’m personally imagining this with so many outfits in my closet already that I’m pretty sure my bank account is cringing in fear of whether or not I go through with the “checkout” button.

Originally $649.95, these are currently on sale for $331.11 at endless.com.  While that still might be a bit of a splurge, we’re pretty sure that if you bought them, these pair of shoes would be in your closet (and on your feet) for years to come.

It seems like the recession is on everyone’s minds this fashion season, and Wenlan Chia of Twinkle is no different. Anna Wintour of Vogue made headlines earlier this week by encouraging designers to create items that have “a real intrinsic sense of value” and Wenlan Chia has a similarly pragmactic approach.  When questioned about how she has been responding to the effects of recession, she told TDO that “the recession is a part of our business, and we just have to deal with it.  We [as designers, all] need to learn how to do a better job of inspiring women.  It is the time to think about things that are necessary.”  After seeing the Twinkle collection for AW09, with a mixture of extremely wearable, comfy knit sweaters with lighthearted dresses, it was evident that her designs hit the mark in desirability (and that blue strapless dress in the picture above paired with the chunky Twinkle necklace is inspiring some covetability in me.)

Wenlan Chia told me that the Fall collection was inspired by the 1950’s with “sweet ladylike looks, and full skirts that are bright and playful.”  Contributing to the mood of the 1950’s, the presentation was held at the Classic Car Club, where several vintage cars such as a silver Volkswagen Speedster, red Triumph TR6, and yellow Porsche 911 were parked.  Behind the cars, a large screen played Roman Holiday, my favorite movie of all time.  Before the show began, servers on roller skates passed out trays of Richart chocolates, and an old time popcorn machine kept the kernels popping, as attendees of the show sipped on champagne, wine and Coke from old style bottles. (more…)

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