Archive for March, 2009

While it’s nice to cozy up with snuggly PJ’s during the winter, it’s equally nice to shed some of the layers when spring comes around. Enter Spreegirl.  This contemporary intimates is designed for the girl who wants to be hip all time – even to bed!  We like their playful prints and ultra-soft fabrics. We narrowed in on their spring offerings and picked out two pieces that look like a lot of fun, but imagine to be comfy for those eight hours of shut-eye. (more…)

I’ll admit that I was prejudiced against Elizabeth Arden’s new fragrance Pretty before I ever smelled it. I thought the advertisements were just a little too floral and a little too pink. With a name like ‘Pretty’ I expected a generic, tad-too-sweet scent that I was not going to be into. But then I had the opportunity to sit down with the perfumer himself last Fashion Week and was astounded by how wrong I was about the fragrance. Pretty is, for lack of a better word, a very pretty scent and it’s not too floral but a very grown up and complex fragrance. The scent is a sophisticated floral due to the amber, musk and wood that make up the base notes and there’s a distinctive sparkle in the fruity notes.

The mood the scent tries to capture is that last look you give yourself in the mirror after you’re all dolled up before you head out to a night on the town. I know that’s one of the times when I always feel prettiest and most put together.

I’ve bought into the image of Pretty and now spritz it on before a night out but the scent is completely appropriate for day time use. Just be ready for compliments on how good you smell- in addition to how pretty you look.

I’m well known for my aversion to pants and for my obsession with skirts/ dresses, but even I will be embracing the boyfriend denim trend this spring in full, thanks to new styles that are completely wearable, comfortable and flattering.

First made popular by Katie Holmes, early critics of the look sniped that she looked like she was slumming around in Tom Cruise’s jeans.  Admittedly, at first, I wasn’t a fan of the look either and felt that it did no justice to her body; it made her legs look shapeless and boxy, and when you are lucky enough to be as leggy tall as Mrs. Tom Cruise, you shouldn’t mess around with a style like that. (more…)

Editors’ Note: We’re happy to introduce our friend Sara Steele-Rogers, girl about town in Boston, to guest blog for us on what’s hot and hip in her home city.  Be sure to follow her series to keep up to speed on the going-ons of our favorite New England city.

The Fort Point area of Boston has certainly been through a myriad of changes through its history. Transitioning from a major participant in the wool trade, to textile mills and warehouses for manufactured goods, the area truly began to “find” itself when discovered by Boston’s artist community in the 80′s. Fort Point quickly rose to hold the largest concentration of visual art studios in New England, and with the neighborhood’s recent development, restaurants, lounges, bars, and boutiques have slowly been emerging as some of the be-seen places in the city.

Enter Drink. Located below the hustle and bustle of Congress Street, Barbara Lynch (of No.9 Park, Stir, Butcher Shop, B&G Oysters fame) has penetrated Fort Point through the inception of this libation destination. The sleek, dimly lit, and slightly industrial space is filled with all types: businessmen, 20-somethings, cougars, tourists. It’s all here. (more…)

It’s always a mixed bag when couture designers try their hand at lower priced diffusion lines. On one hand, you get a line like Marc by Marc Jacobs. On the other, you get the plethora of lines with “Jeans” affixed at the end that are probably not up to par. I remember reading about Alexander Wang’s line of basics, T by Alexander Wang, last year. It fell off my radar for a bit, but I came across a few pieces from the collection on Revolve Clothing (free shipping and returns, so I’m a fan of course).

With T by Alexander Wang, the designer is trying to present a collection of comfy, worn-in basics in neutral tones. The result is a line of versatile tanks and tees with lower armholes, looser sleeves, and stretched necklines. I really like the t-shirt dress pictured left, which seems so soft, and the long, slim halter dress with a racer back. I can also picture wearing the tees and tanks already with skinny jeans and cute flats. I’m going to give this line a shot in the hopes that the quality detail will mean longer lasting basics, since a lot of my cheaper tees begin falling apart after a few washes. With every piece retailing for under $100, this may be a great chance to nab some designer basics at a not-so-designer price.

Bumble & bumble has a lot of obsession worthy hair products, but until now, it was impossible to find one of the most basic of styling products – the gel.  Finally (they even admit it on the tube!), the ultimate hair care brand has launched what may be the ultimate gel.  I don’t rave about hair products often because for the most part, they just make my hair oily or heavy, but B&b Gel deserves every bit of acclaim I’m about to bestow upon it.

B&b Gel is invisible when you work it into your hair.  There isn’t a spot of grease to be found, and it certainly doesn’t “coat” your hair. It’s scentless and immediately softens and smoothes your hair texture. I tend to shower in the evenings now after working out and don’t blow dry, so when I wake up in the morning, my hair is a hot mess – flyaways everywhere, crazy “waves,” frizzies – you name it. I’ve tried putting all sorts of products in my hair to control it, but nothing has worked nearly as well as the B&b gel.  Honestly, I put a dab on my palms, work it into my hair and then straight iron, and it looks like I had my hair professionally straightened. Total prep time: five minutes.  Of all the pair products lining my bathroom counter, this one will clearly be the only one I use.

Bumble&bumble gel is avaliable at salons today and on bumbleandbumble.com starting on March 17.  Stay tuned for video how-tos!

As the days get sunnier and spring emerges, it’s very important to remember to incorporate SPF back into your skincare routine (especially if it’s dropped out during the winter season even though we all should be wearing it year-round). Sun damage happens without you really knowing it – from age spots to wrinkles – so make sure to take care of your gorgeous skin! At TDO, we begin scouting for great sunscreens around this time of year because our skin definitely needs that extra layer of SPF. We’ve found two new sunscreens on the market (both of which have SPF 30) that we are think worthy trying this spring if you are looking for something new.

The first one we will mention is the UV ESSENTIEL by Chanel, their first foray into the sunscreen market. UV ESSENTIEL is a moisturizing sunscreen that aims to shield skin while repairing sun damaged skin. (more…)

If you’re like me, you’ve probably bought many of those $60 silicone sticky bras to go with your slinky, sexy outfits – only to be worried all night about how heavy they are and the high possibility that they’ll fall down. Then basically after ten wears they stop working because you’ve either washed or sweated off all the adhesive. Sadly, the majority of my evening wear demands that I have on some kind of strapless or backless bra, so I’ve been left to no other choice but to do the incredibly unattractive and weird “boob check” every few minutes while out at a party.

Until now. I recently learned about PK Fashion Cups and decided to give them a try. Unlike the cups you may be used to, these stick to your clothes, not to your skin, therefore greatly decreasing the odds that they’ll fall off due to sweat, lotion or other moisture on your skin. They are also much lighter than their silicone counterparts so you don’t feel like you’re carrying around extra weight.  In fact, when worn correctly, PK Cups feel like you’re just wearing any other bra and are completely seamless under your clothes.  I’ve never had one fall down, but for best results, PK Fashion recommend that you wear them with a garmet that contains a lining or shelf bra. Like silicone cups, PK cups don’t really last their claimed 100 wears, but these are only $20 so you do get a much better price per wear.  Also you can’t clasp together the cups and create instant cleavage, but the push up cups do contain adequte padding underneath to give you bust a little boost.

More information can be found on their website.

BIN 36 is one of my favorite wine bars in Chicago, and their proprietary line of wines is probably why. BIN 36 makes wines that are both delicious and affordable, making wine tasting accessible and fun instead of pretentious. I jumped at the chance to attend a tasting tour of their newly released 2006 and 2007 wines, led by Brian Duncan, the BIN 36 Wine Director.

Brian makes it easy for wine enthusiasts-but-novices like myself to learn more and expand horizons. He was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, considering himself more of a “wine chef.” He told us, “Wines are like personalities and people. Each grape has its own personality. I take great ingredients and celebrate them – not mask them.” His goal is to break wine drinkers out of their red or white wine shell, so I approached the tasting with an excited, open mind. (more…)