Arrrgh, (pink) Halloween Chic

Nothing says 'Happy Halloween' like pink pirate cupcakes!
Wishing you a safe & chic Halloween, xo.

MAC Fall/Winter '09 Runway Looks

 

 

Bib Necklaces

 I'm becoming a huge fan of the statement bib necklace.

I was just perusing Etsy.com and found some that I would love to rock.

 

 

Louboutin's Glass Slipper

Can you imagine drinking bubbly from this $500 glass slipper?

Jimmy Choo for H & M, oh my!

Speaking of luxury being mass-marketed (haha)...

Mark your calendars ladies! On November 14th, Jimmy Choo will unveil women's and men's shoes and accessories at selected H & M stores.  This collection sounds too good to be true, so prepare for major lines.

DELUXE: How Luxury Lost Its Luster

Dana Thomas really nailed it on the nose with DELUXE: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. The image of fast food wrapped in the Prada logo is brilliant. Thomas goes into depth how today's luxury has become mass marketed and no longer what it use to be. This book has been on my "must read" list since the day it came out (August 2007). I finally got around to reading it at the end of the summer.

Did you know the infamous nylon Prada backpack is made out of parachute fabric trimmed with leather? Yeah, $450 for that.   Or how about this, fashion shows use to be 3 hours long. Today you're lucky if the show lasts for 30 minutes! The audience was filled with women who actually stood after the show to size themselves and place their orders. 

DELUXE revels the other side of fashion and how it got to be at the point where it is today - mass marketed. Once disposable incomes and credit cards became readily available in the 90's so did luxury.  If you take a look around there are Coach stores on almost every corner, with some many locations and products one has to wonder...are you really getting luxury?

I have been raving about this book to everyone. Especially in these times when money  is tight you want to invest, not throw a hundred dollars away on a bag that you can find in an outlet six months later.  WARNING SIGN: If a designer has an outlet chances are your "luxury" bag is being mass-produced just like the cheeseburgers at McDonald's.  Get where I am going with this?

Bottom line - this book is a must read!!!  

Mantra Monday

Healthy Hair by Ken Paves

Hollywood's top hair expert, Ken Paves has come out with his own line of color cosmetics for the hair, shampoo, conditioner and styling treatments. For the past month or so I have been using his Healthy Hair Daily Shampoo and Conditioner. 

His products are paraben free and safe for colored or chemically treated hair.  I found the shampoo and conditioner to have a natural scent to them. This is because his products are free of dyes.

Another plus is after I washed my hair with both products my curly locks were a lot easier to blow out and had a more sleek & shine look.

My vote: it's FABULOUS.
Next on my list is to try out his color boosting drops.

Boutiques & Vintage in Northampton

Yes, I am still reminiscing about my college years.  While spending my undergraduate days at UMass Amherst my favorite place to  go on the weekends was in Northampton. The town's Main Street is filled with specialty shops and delicious restaurants. I was so excited to go back there this past weekend! The following places are just too good to not share...

Roz's Place Vintage & New Clothing (6 Bridge Street) is a fun place to shop for old and new. Roz's has a fun, sassy vibe to it. You would definitely be able to find a creative attire for Halloween in this place.  I loved the vintage cowboy boots! 

 

Retro Genie (15 Market Street) offers vintage clothing, furniture and accessories. Stepping into this store was like stepping back in time, like old Hollywood or something.  Being that I love everything girly this place had my heart from the moment I stepped in.  The beautiful tulle dresses hanging from above to the collection of stockings and hats displayed in a chic vintage suitcase.

 

 

Right near Retro Genie is a fabulous book store, Gabriel's Bookshop (21 Market St, Northampton). I found these great books for practically nothing!

 

No trip is complete without stopping at FACES (175 Main Street) and Thornes Market Place (150 Market Street).  You'll find one of kind fashion and decor in both.  However I will warn you that you can spend a whole day in Thornes Market Place venturing the different shops, bookstores and the ice cream parlor.

Who says you can't go home?

This past weekend I ventured back to my old stomping ground - Amherst, MA. I spent my glorious undergraduate years at UMass (and loved every minute of it).  There's something about Amherst in the fall that no other place can compare.  The foliage, farmer's markets, quaint Mom & Pop breakfast spots, and of course Alumni weekend.

Enjoy the scenery...

 

 

Later on I will be blogging about my adventures in Northampton, lots of boutiques and vintage!

Mantra Monday

Say it isn't so! More magazines fold...

I just read on Paris Hotel Boutique Journal the following magazines are folding. As an avid magazine reader I hate to see good literature go. Who doesn't like ripping out and collecting pages in magazines for inspiration? You can't do that with blogs. There's nothing I love more than curling up with a magazine before bed (hence the stack on my night table). However, with the economy and the blog era I guess it's possible.

A reader commented on Paris Hotel Boutique saying the only way we can save magazines is by supporting them. It seems the only magazines surviving are the ones with celebrities on the cover. How many times do we need to see Beyonce or Jennifer Aniston on the cover, really?

Take a stand and subscribe or buy the magazines you cherish.  Nothing is guaranteed to be there tomorrow.

DEX thinks Pink!

Isabel & Ruben Toledo, The PERFECT Pair

I absolutely smitten over designer Isabel and illustrator Ruben Toledo! I had the pleasure of attending FIT's Fashion Conversations with Isabel & Ruben on Sept. 24th.  They are indeed the PERFECT couple. I have to admit I did not know about the Isabel's work until Inauguration Day.  Ruben's illustrations grace the page of Nina Garcia's Little Black Book.  When I put two and two together that they were a couple I turned green with envy.  They really do complement each other.  

Isabel & Ruben started off the night recalling their take on Inauguration Day. They were at the studio with their team standing around the TV wondering what Michelle Obama had decided to wear.  Like the public, Isabel had no clue if Michelle was going to choose her dress to wear.  Once they saw the First Lady step out of the car everyone cheered!  "I just kept thinking, 'Is she comfortable?' 'Is she warm enough?' the entire time" recalls Isabel.

 

Aside from learning how to sew from her babysitter growing up, Isabel claims her training really come from her internship at the The Metropolitan Costume Institute. She was constantly looking inside the dress to see the history, which still carries over to her own designs. Isabel believes in creating from the inside out. I am guessing this is why her exhibit at the Museum at FIT was called Fashion from the Inside Out. 

Her career started when Ruben took ten of Isabel's dresses to Henri Bendel's and Patricia Feld. They each placed several orders and it all starting rolling from there.  Isabel looks towards the future, unlike most who look at the past, with her work. When designing she asks herself, "How am I going to make the fabric go around me?"

FACT: Isabel wears her designs for a year before it's available to the public.  She tests out every nook and cranny, talk about quality guaranteed. To top it off, her clothes pack down to nothing and are water resistant! Isabel strongly believe in making clothes that make you feel confident, comfortable and powerful. AMEN.

My favorite design of Isabel's are her Taffeta Tornado Dresses...

Ruben's sculptures and Isabel's dresses resemble each other. Ruben even sketches out Isabel's designs (see, I told you they were the perfect couple). His work can be all over from Nordstrom ads to classic book covers such as The Scarlet Letter.   Oh how I would love to have Ruben paint a moral in my hallway! 

 

 

 

I could stare at his work for hours, but onto the some words of advice from the Toledo's.

An audience member asked them, "What is your advice for upcoming artists?"  They responded, "Stay an individual, bring your own ingredient to your work and DON'T give up." Ruben also threw in to get really good business partner, ha!

 

I highly recommend Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out as a must-have book for your coffee. table. The illustrations and sketches (by Ruben) are gorgeous along with photos and the story of her work. Like her work, this book is quality and timeless, over trendy.

Behind the Scenes: Iman & Chanel Iman

Take a look at People Magazine's 35th Birthday photo shoot.

Chanel & Iman share tips about the business of modeling.

See more videos on modelinia.com

Victoria Beckham featured in ELLE

Over the past few weeks I have been plowing through my stack of September & October mags. I am still working my way through the September VOGUE though.  As overwhelming as the stack can be, I love this time of year because the magazines are packed with lots of inspiration.  Reminds me of "new beginnings".

I made my way through this month's ELLE and was impressed with Victoria's spread/interview. Do you think Victoria would think twice about purchasing a $2,000 dress? “Yeah! Of course I would. I’d try it on and go home and think about it before I bought it.”  I also love the fact that she is addicted to Gossip Girl like the rest of us fashionistas. Here are a couple of my favorite looks from the shoot...

 

Mantra Monday

Paris Fashion Week: Shoes steal the show

Europe is always a few steps ahead us in fashion, but this is just taking it to another level! I was left speechless after reading this article in the New York Times.

Why do we love shoes that hurt us??? Recently I learned the hard way at NY's Fashion Week and wore these cute red heels only to cause pain & harm to my poor tootises.  No matter how cute the pair of heels may be, people are not looking at them when your walking like a duck. I vowed from that day on to never purchase a pair of heels that weren't comfortable.  And of course, that wouldn't allow me to walk confidently!

CRUMBS supports Breast Cancer Awareness

CRUMBS Bakery celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness month with month their delicious cupcakes. Now until October 15th, The Pink Ribbon cupcake will be available ($3.75).  $1 from each cupcake goes towards the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund.  

P.S. there is a tasty filling inside the cupcake that will statisfy any sweet tooth!

You are invited to Louis Vuitton SS 2010

The Art of Travel by Louis Vuitton will be showing live on Facebook tomorrow at 2:30pm (Paris)/ 8:30am (EST).  They are excited to announce their live broadcast of the Woman Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear  line.

I am loving this idea! How fantastic is this that everyone around the world can join in? I am curious to see if more designers will take on this new idea of accessible fashion...

...and the bride wore Alvina Valenta

On Saturday, October 3, 2009  the wedding of  Cece & Chris Klein took place in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Ever since Cece showed me her wedding gown six months ago I have been dieing to unveil it here. However, I gave her my word I would wait until after the wedding.  So here we go!

Cece's gown is to DIE for. My photos don't really give it the justice it deserves (I think it's about that time I upgraded my camera). The detailing and design of the dress is phenomenal. She took everyone's breathe away when she walked down the aisle.  Literally,  you could hear everyone's mouth gape open when she entered the church. It was created by designer Alvina Valenta.  JLM Couture has a full gallery of her Fall 2009 collection.

 

The rest of the bridal party was dressed in a lovely apple red, which looked great on everybody.  Especially Sonny, the brother of the bride, who looked extremely chic in his apple red vest (shown below). The flower girls wore mini replicas of Cece's  Alvina Valenta dress and veil. The wedding cake was elegant and even had a personal touch to it. Chris, the groom, has a love for Pez dispensers and quite the collection. His one request for the wedding was for the top of cake to have bride & groom Pez dispensers - LOVE IT.

 

This wedding was special because it brought together a group of college friends who have not been together like this in a while. Celebrating love, family and friendship is always the best way to reunite.

Oh, and guess who caught the bouquet? Moi!

Congratulations to Cece & Chris, who made love the new black! xoxo