Archive for September, 2009

As some of you may or may not know, I’m currently in the midst of trying to buy some real estate in Manhattan.  After 24 years of living in some kind of shared housing, I’m ready to take my shoe boxes and makeup bags and find a place to call my own home. The past three years, I’ve lived in an apartment that I’ve decorated only with beauty loot, waiting until I have my own space to bust out the creative design cap.  And that moment, my friends, may be sooner rather than later.

So it is with fortuitous timing that one of my favorite design firms, Yabu Pushelberg, publishes its first book, a portfolio of their gorgeous interior designs, that I will be sure to take much of my inspiration from.  Anyone who has walked into Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, stayed at the St Regis Hotel in San Francisco or dined at Fin in Las Vegas has experienced the duo’s amazing creations brought to life. While I am a shameless viewer of all sorts of ah “design porn,” I was particularly drawn to the images of the private residences featured in the book.  Yabu Pushelberg isn’t available to purchase for a few more weeks but I got my hands on an advance copy and snapped a few pictures below the cut of my favorite spreads to give TDO readers a sneak peek.  (As you can see, I’m a particularly big fan of their “clustering” technique- be it mirrors, artwork, or pillows).

The entire book is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. (more…)

What girl doesn’t have a memory of playing with a Barbie doll?  I had a few that I used to carry everywhere with me when I was younger, and I definitely used to play pretend wedding with them and my Ken doll.  (Embarrassing?  Just a little bit!)  So I was super excited to check out Stila’s new Barbie Loves Stila collection for fall.  The collection was inspired by looks that were created for Barbie’s first ever runway show at New York Fashion Week last fall.  The shades are bright and colorful and come in adorable packaging with images of Barbie on top.  They’re so cute you’ll want to display them instead of hiding them away in your makeup drawer! (more…)

Club Monaco–how I love thee, let me count the ways.  1.  Your stylish panel to panel window store displays, which I used to see walking home from work every night in Flatiron.  I could never walk past those windows without coveting at least one item in the windows.  2.  Your frequent usage of classic black and white, one of my favorite color combinations. 3. Your chic and polished looks, which keep me looking stylish, yet still professional at work, even in conservative office culture. 4.  Your frequently replenished sales racks, which I happily browse as a weekend activity.

I have a pretty major love affair with Club Monaco just about every season, and was extremely excited to hear rumors of an E-Commerce site coming out sometime this year.  Club Monaco represents probably about 60% of my work wardrobe, and is one of my favorite mass retailers for their good quality, reasonable prices, and classic interpretation of each season’s trends. (more…)

After a great first day in the City of Roses, I decided to check out the East side of Portland. My first stop would be the Hawthorne neighborhood, which is a collective of many independent coffee houses, ethnic restaurants, and funky boutiques. I spent a good two hours wandering the street and popping into every store that caught my eye. My favorite stops included Presents of Mind for jewelry, accessories, cards, and funky gifts, Mink Boutique for women’s clothing, and Fat Straw for bubble tea.

From Hawthorne, I made my way up to Alberta Street, an up-and-coming section of the city known as the Alberta Arts District. While Alberta is similar to Hawthorne in the sense of many fun boutiques, coffee houses, and restaurants, it really caters to the artist community in Portland and supports local artists through rotating artwork for sale on café walls, as well and standalone galleries. (more…)

Hunter Lingle and Jennifer Dixon are the faces and founders of Hunter Dixon, a gorgeous line of women’s clothing based in New York. While Hunter is the principal designer, Jen works on developing their business (as well as modeling their pieces!). Combining their backgrounds in fashion and entrepreneurship, they created Hunter Dixon to design whimsical, flirty, and feminine clothes for women. Their clothes have been seen on everyone from actress Lake Bell to PR powerhouse Alison Brod, and everywhere from the Today Show to the Sex and the City movie.

Hunter Dixon clothing is stylish and classic, with meticulously thought-out details and touches–whether it be the perfect ruffles, buttons, or fabrics. I’ve been lucky enough to own a few pieces in my own closet, and I can say for sure that they are classics that will last. As their brand rises and grows, Hunter and Jen recently took the time to tell us their obsessions and what inspires them as designers. (more…)

What: Inphenom Treatment, a Japanese deep hair conditioning treatment designed specifically for colored hair, to add shine and softness and rejuvenate it to its natural condition.

Where: Concept Salon, 1107 2nd Avenue, New York, NY

When: M: 11-6, T-Sat 10am-8:30 pm, Sunday 12-5pm

Why: I haven’t been able to get out of my daily hair washing routine, even though I know that washing your hair daily is a bad habit that strips it of natural essential oils.  This bad habit has wreaked even more havoc on my hair since coloring it, and it was getting to the point when I could feel and hear that uncomfortable dry-swish swish sound when I rubbed the ends of my hair against each other.   The Inphenom treatment, was just what my hair needed.  Newly available stateside at the Concept Salon, thanks to insider knowledge from  Helio de Souza and Andrea Piccolo, this magical formula comes straight from Japan and retains both color and moisture by filling in the damaged holes inside the hair and between the cuticle layers caused by repeated color processing.   With a reported 75% of women who color their hair, it’s evident that this is a much needed treatment. (more…)

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I’ve always loved the sleek hat designs of Eugenia Kim, who has designed chapeaus for the likes of  Jennifer Lopez, Eve, and Gisele Bundchen.  Unfortunately, her hats also usually run upwards in the $200-300 price range, so they’ve been pretty unaffordable for my budget.  That’s why I was pleasantly surprised upon a recent visit to Urban Outfitters to find that she had a new collaboration with them, which just began last month.

Eek, by Eugenia Kim, is her line of lesser priced designs of riding caps, cloches, and hairclips, all with the typical quirky Eugenia Kim feel.  Even at a lesser price, her cloches still have the jaunty and chic edge that made them so popular in the first place.  my favorite amongst her offerings in the floppy Belt Beret, made in a textured chunky knit, with a detailed, wide belt band in a contrasting color.  Her designs for this line all fallunder the $50 range, making them much easier on the wallet.

Be on the lookout for the next wave of Urban Outfitters this season including a collaboration with Grey Ant, British accessories designer Anna Sheffield, and Spring and Clifton.  Check out the rest of her designs here.

As I’ve learned from being a new grad student, you can never be too organized or too prepared. That’s why I’m already looking ahead to 2010, and so is Linda & Harriett. Their 2010 Calendar is available now, and I love it! (I loved last year’s, too.) Whimsical, charming designs adorn every page, and it is just so bright and adorable. It is all hung together with a pretty plum ribbon.

This year, Linda & Harriett have added an extra twist to this calendar that will charm you. When the month ends, instead of tossing the old page out, flip it over. You’ll find a postcard ready to be sent to someone special! The lovely designs have double the use, and of course, the calendar is letterpressed and on quality paper. Pick one up for yourself or send as a gift on lindaandharriett.com–then get ready for the new year and write away.