Archive for July, 2009

To celebrate their newest collection, Gatsby, Longchamp Paris reached out to select global bloggers to offer their interpretation of the enduring icon.  Along with editors from Fashioniologie from the US, My Sac a Main from France, and Mirai’s Diary from Japan, I contributed a short essay on my interpretation of Gatsby for Longchamp.

You can read my piece here.  It has also been translated into French and Japanese.  Exciting!

P.S. I love the Gatsby bag and must add to my collection ASAP, preferably in the caramel print (as seen in the image above).

One of my favorite finds in the past year might be Joomi NYC, and I give them a ton of love on this blog simply because I really truly love their feminine and fun designs. They have plenty of lovely pieces to choose from this season, but my favorites are from the Cocktails? Collection. (I can’t help but gravitate towards things that sparkle. Plus, the entire collection is named after cocktails – too cute!) (more…)

We’re officially in the midst of summer and all I want to do is keep cool.  I’m now looking for tops that are flattering, but loose and breezy. Ideally, I’d also love something that will transition easily from summer into fall. This MK2K Short Sleeve Ruffle Top is one that fits the above and definitely one that I’d love to indulge in.

This contemporary Los Angeles label is best known for creating knits that can be mixed and matched; this top is certainly that. The dramatic oversized ruffled sleeves are a flirty, girly touch while the dropped elastic waist creates curves.  The top is neither overly clingy or loose, but still gives shape.  How great would this look belted with wide leg denim and sandals and later in the year when it cools down, with skinny jeans and boots?  Ahh…how I love versatility.

Retails for $149 at RevolveClothing.com.

You’ve undoubtedly heard about DailyCandy‘s recent collaboration with Target.  The Red Hot Shop, the results of their partnership, features various designers that have created exclusive designs for this specific e-boutique. I filed this one away under “Awesome, will bookmark and check it out later!” (Shame on me!)

Happily, one of my favorite jewelry designers, Katharine Sise sent over an email, alerting me to the fact that she had created a piece for Red Hot Shop. Well, that definitely got me hoppin’ right over to the site. Her normally out-of-my-budget baubles are so covet-worthy and if you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you’ll know that our entire staff loves her pieces. I was thrilled to find that she created a gorgeous MultiChain Necklace for $34.99. (Say what?!) The necklace can be “worn three ways: short and chunky , long and loose , or perfectly pinned in the middle.”  It’s so reflective of her eponymous line that you wouldn’t even be able to notice the difference between the $200 version and this one.

“I’ve been making multi-chain necklaces with this design for almost five years now, and the reaction to them has been great. Jewelry customers love that they can wear the necklace three different ways. So when Target approached me to do a piece for them, I wanted to stay true to my design while staying at a price point that worked for Target’s customer,” says Katharine. “I found these black spangle chains that allowed me to do just that! I’ve been wearing this piece almost every day since I made it; you can wear it shorter with a dress and go out at night, or long and loose during the day over a tank top and jeans. I also love wearing it pinned in the front with a blazer.”

This necklace is one that I can afford and you can bet I’ll be making an order over at Target.com shortly!

After having the most amazing time at Boucheron’s 150 Yr Anniversary Party in New York last September, I was super excited to see another Boucheron party invite land in my inbox last week- and then immediately saddened to realize that this time,  it was happening in Paris.

The fete was hosted at the Boucheron flagship boutique at 26 Place Vendome last night during Paris’ Couture Week  by Jean-Christophe Bedos, CEO of Boucheron and designer Marc Newson.  The House of Boucheron unveiled its latest jewelry creation “Julia.”

We read from the post party release that attendees included global fashion taste makers such as Carine Roitfeld,  Karl Lagerfeld, Monique Lhuillier, Lauren Santo Domingo, Suzy Menkes, Hamish Bowles, and Azzedine Alaia.  Some pictures of the fun are below the cut.  All I have to say it, I probably would’ve fallen over had I been at the same party as Karl Lagerfeld! (more…)

Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss are the beautiful, energetic ladies behind Blueprint Cleanse,  the juicing sensation that took off in New York a few years ago and is now popular around the country.  I did the cleanse a couple of times, first last November and again this April when I realized that I was still craving their green juice!  (It is much tastier than the stuff I try to make myself.) A three day, delicious menu of fresh bottled juices was everything I needed to shake off the lethargy that had developed and this time I even dared to work out while juicing on the Blueprint Mind Body Cleanse program, offered in conjunction with Exhale Spa.  I was skeptical of exercising while juicing, but as it turns out, Exhale’s yoga and barre method classes were a perfect complement as they focused on toning and muscle definition (rather than cardio).   Three days and 18 juices later, I was sore but energetic and happy.

“Detox” and “cleansing” can be confusing buzz words you may hear in beauty and health media and I took a moment to speak with the ladies to get the DL on their personal experiences, the Blueprint philosophy, and a sneak peek at what the dynamic duo is up to next. (more…)

The name David Yurman conjures up all sorts of luxurious items and his new fragrance David Yurman by David Yurman is one of them.  It’s a rich floral, with notes of mandarin, fresh green petals, cassis, peony, water lily, natural rose otto, patchouli, and exotic woods.  What I find the most interesting about it is that it’s made in a linear formulation, which means that no individual note stands out above than any other.  They just all blend together seamlessly for a new and different fragrance.  (My pet peeve in a scent is when it smells fantastic when you first put it on and then one of the notes becomes overpowering and changes the way it smells.  Isn’t that the worst?)

The scent is described as “an elegant fusion of luxurious materials, iconic design and sensual beauty,” and I think that’s a good description.  It’s sort of a classic scent; I picture wearing it to lunch at The Four Seasons or an important meeting, but it’s not heavy or over-powering, so it would definitely still fit in to a more casual environment.  When I wear it, what I smell is a light floral that lingers in the air, almost like a walk through a lush garden on an estate.  It’s different than any other scent I own already, which always intrigues me.  And I’m not the only one – the Eau de Parfum was recently nominated for a 2009 Fifi Award in the Women’s Nouveau Niche category.

One of my favorite things about the scent though is the bottle.  It’s simply gorgeous – the fragrance comes in a simple, faceted gold flask shape that floats inside a hand-polished crystal bottle. The design uses elements of David Yurman’s signature Cable Collection in the sculpted gold cap, and the bottleneck is stylized similarly to a classic David Yurman wedding band.  (And who hasn’t wanted one of those?)  It’s so refined and elegant – my other bottles would definitely look like the poor relatives if this was sitting on my vanity next to them!

David Yurman by David Yurman is available online at Nordstrom.com or DavidYurman.com.

This cheery Harvey’s Posie Tote first started as an overnight/weekend bag, turned into my gym bag,and finally into my daily bag.  The bright floral print makes me smile every time I pick it up and the carry all is so big that I can fit all my  needs into it.  But the genius in this bag isn’t limited to just how pretty it is- I love it because it’s one of the most functional bags I’ve ever carried.

First, the bag is crafted out of recycled seat belts and therefore making it super durable and easy to clean.  My bags definitely get thrown around a lot, but this one doesn’t even show it.

Second, it comes with a detachable (or attachable) wristlet/clutch which I use to keep my cards and keys.  Since mine is perma-attached to my bag, I know that I won’t ever have to fear anything important falling out. (more…)

Post workout last weekend, I stopped by my favorite raw food place for a juice, and found further evidence that raw=beautiful.  I often see lots of beautiful people in my favorite raw food joint, giving credit to the theory that raw food truly breeds glowing skin and shiny hair.  While waiting for my juice, my eye was drawn to one leggy model-type who was casually wearing the flat sandal I had been looking for all summer.

More tribal inspired than gladiator, and chicer than a rubber flip flop, she was wearing the DV By Dolce Vita Women’s Owen Sandal.  Wrapping easily around the foot in an effortlessly artsy pattern that didn’t look too foot binding, the key to this sandal looking good on everyone is its low strap placement and open wrap pattern, which effectively elongates the leglines.  With no distracting ornamentation or bindings, the eye is drawn vertically, and this means that the sandal can even look good on those slightly short of ankle with more muscular calves (sigh, me.)

Since this sandal is from Dolce Vita’s lower priced line DV, you can purchase this sandal for a very affordable $30-$59, depending on your shoe size and color selection.  The sandal effectively comes in every chic color you could want for the summer season, ranging from black patent, soft muted metallic gold, dark silver, chestnut brown, dark yellow, red, and a matte black.

Who: Hotelier and Kor Hotel Group President Nicholas Clayton, General Manager Marie-Helene Morowati

What: Bastille Day Celebration at Maison 140 Beverly Hills

When: July 14, 2009, 6-11 p.m.

Where: 140 S. Lasky Dr., Beverly Hills

Why: Because French wine and cheese is your favorite food group.

Ask anyone who knows me well and they will tell you I am a “oui” bit obsessed with all things French. (That’s what too many fashion magazines and a tiny crush on Carine Roitfeld will get you.) Am I alone? Mais non, and the chic Maison 140 Beverly Hills knows it. If you’re excited to relive the celebration of a nation’s independence, or you just want to show off those new Louboutins, you now have another excuse to party in July: Maison 140′s Bastille Day Celebration on July 14. (more…)