A night at the Oscars

What would a fashion blog be without an overview and commentary on who was wearing who at last night's Oscars? After seeing all the gowns walk down the red carpet, my favorite dresses included bold colors and shapes, and soft yet simple elegance.

Hollywood Glamour
Reese Witherspoon wore a layered chiffon gown from Nina Ricci, while Jennifer Lopez wore a silver off the shoulder Marchesa gown with strands of jewels along the neckline. Jennifer Hudson wore a draped brown gown by Oscar de la Renta, and while I'm not sure how I feel about the fashion forward metallic bolero jacket, I loved that her dress had pockets. This is a new element I have been seeing on this spring's dresses and skirts, how fun!

Dramatic Elegance

There were quite a few gowns last night that really stood out thanks to the bold colors, cuts and sparkle. Nicole Kidman's red hot Balenciaga gown had a dramatic draped shoulder that I thought looked a little odd but the color, the body of the dress and the attached scarf were beautiful. My two favorite dresses of the night were worn by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Cameron Diaz. Maggie Gyllenhaal wore a single shoulder Proenza Schouler black and navy satin dress, with a feather trim hem and stripes of sparkle and beads on the bodice. I loved Cameron Diaz's bold yet simplistic white Valentino gown. The dramatic folded, off-the-shoulder neckline and asymmetrical fishtail train was flattering on Diaz, and it made the dress, in my opinion, the most unique gown I saw all night.

I'll leave the best and worst dressed lists for the the men and women of the night to E! Entertainment. I think there were a lot of great dresses that were complimentary to each celebrity, and thankfully there weren't too many fashion don'ts for other commentaries to mock.

Self proclaimed bag lady

"Hellooo lover," a phrase that Carrie Bradshaw so cooley said one episode on Sex and the City while window shopping for shoes, is basically my same reaction everytime I go shopping for purses. Everywhere I turn I feel inclined to add to my collection of bags, as if it wasn't large enough already. From gargantuen and vibrant to compact and pretty, this spring and summer's options for purses are endless. After perusing through a variety of purse previews and must haves, I'm already having a tough time picking not only which style to invest in, but more so asking the question, how many of each is too much?

The Big One
For daytime and playtime bags, and I've mentioned before, the bigger the bag the better is always a safe rule. For daytime bags, have fun choosing totes and hobos with a bold pattern or bright accent color. If you are looking for a bag that is easy to transition into an evening carry-all, try a bag similar to this black patent leather textured tote. It is a great purse for an afternoon of shopping, and you can transition it into an evening bag as well.

For a work friendly bag, ditch the boring briefcase and try on a simple yet fun bag such as the white leather purse shown below. You won't only look stylish and fresh, but you may even be able to fit your laptop in if the bag is big enough.


Tiny Spaces
What I like about clutches this season is that we now have even more options for both day and night. I have definitely been seeing more daytime appropriate clutches that have colorful patterns and nature inspired designs. One of my personal favorites that I have seen lately is this wicker clutch by Michael Kors. Clearly, budgets may often trump designer bags, but this is such a versatile piece that you can pair as a great accessory with almost any outfit.

Clutches for an evening out are still just as glamorous as ever with metallics, sparkle and fringe. If you are looking for a transitional piece from day to night, try to stick with a leather or embroidered material.

For more examples of this season's hottest purses, I suggest taking a look on elle.com. They have a great slideshow collection of 200 some purses that are all fabulous.

Web Trends

I recently stumbled across a fun fashion Web site that I think everyone visiting this page will enjoy. Outblush.com is a site that features various products for women's fashion, home furnishings, beauty items and every day life. Essentially, the site is a web magazine for girls who love to shop. Each day there are 2-3 new products that are posted to the site and each is reviewed in a humorous and entertaining tone. The format is similar to dailycandy.com but it is written in a blog format so the entries are shorter and sweeter.

Outblush.com has shopping categories for makeup, handbags, art & decor, gadgets, home office, kids & baby, jewelry, food, kitchen, garden, shoes, tops, dresses, gasp...the list blisfully never seems to end!


One of my favorite featured items in the tops and tees category is this Juicy Couture Rose Hoodie ($158). I love the roses, and it is a fun and feminine piece you can wear all year round. Too cute!

Outblush also has a big brother site, Uncrate.com. It is the same format and highlights men's fashion and the latest in gadgets and technology.

You will defiitely fall in love with Outblush, and it is easy to sign up for their newsletter if you're interested. Like having your own team of personal shoppers, Outblush will dig up the best products for you five days a week. Whether you're looking for that perfect gift for a friend or a new spring dress for yourself, they'll find it and let you know about it.

London Calling

London Fashion Week has officially come to an end, and despite the controversial whisperings of zero and double zero size models, the Topshop Unique and Marc by Marc Jacobs shows have been the talk of the town.

Surprisingly, one of the best shows of the week was Topshop’s collection of refreshingly grown up, sophisticated cardigan-coats and ponchos. In the past, Topshop has been recognized as a copycat brand to other designers, but this year the show was noted as their first unique collection since the departure of their brand director Jane Sheperdon. In addition to the chunky sweaters and coats, a palette of beige and olive was punctuated with navy and silver to help create a sleek 70’s silhouette for high-waisted skirts and wide leg pants, paired with chic chiffon blouses.

The highly anticipated Marc by Marc Jacobs show closed London Fashion Week on Friday evening. Jacobs presented a collection of fabulous blouses and pretty dresses inspired by ice skating and retro winter wonderland themes that generated a huge and much needed international buzz, as well as an A-list celebrity following. Jacobs was also in London celebrating the opening of his new Marc by Marc Jacobs store on Mayfair’s Mount Street.

London Fashion Week also featured previews from Julien Macdonald Philip Green, Nathan Jenden, Gareth Pugh, Marios Schwab, as well as new upcoming designers, such as Christopher Kane and Todd Lynn.

Spring into fashion

After reading through this month’s fun-filled, five pound, 540 page issue of Elle Magazine, I found quite a few things well worth noting. Not only is Jessica Simpson dolled out in pink on the cover, but inside the magazine contains an exciting and extensive spring preview of must haves, as well as an inspiring photo shoot of gold, khaki and neutral combinations to help bring together an easy yet elegant look.

Elle notes themes of preppy pieces, sporty silhouettes, vibrant colors and patterns, safari gear, jeaneology, and megawatt metallics for spring shopping. In attempt to fuse the themes together, I believe there are 8 essential pieces that you need for the next season, so grab a pen and paper.

1. The Dress – Dresses will remain the all-important anchor in your spring and summer wardrobe. Romantic and pretty themes return, but you can also have fun with bold colors and patterns. Length, beware. Dresses this season shrink up to near mini skirt length, so pair it with a cropped pair of leggings or jeans to play up a more casual look.

2. Bold jewelry – Fussy feminine accessories are out, and bold metallic statements are in. This gold Chanel cuff is a perfect example.

3. Metallic bags – The gigantic proportions from last year’s day bag are growing even larger for this year, if that’s even possible to imagine. Try finding a hint of metallic or a classic white leather.

4. Smock blouses – Again the blouse plays heavily into the romantic theme for this season. The smock blouse with a bib or ruffled front is a key piece to add for every-day-wear with pants or an A-line skirt.

5. Ultra high heels – Just as the bags are growing bigger, so are the heels for spring and summer. Look for a gently rounded toe in a neutral color to help coordinate with the season’s color palette.

6. Wide leg jeans – Not a fan of the skinny jean? Try on a wide leg pair of jeans with a smock blouse tucked in and a pair of platform shoes to play into the chic 70’s inspired look.

7. Peep toe flats – Flats are always a great alternative to the mega platforms for comfort and style. Patent leather, embroidery and patterns are always good options.
8. The tunic – It’s back and better then ever for another spring and summer essential. Embellished embroidery, prints and sparkle allow you to use this piece to help dress your outfit up or down.

Love is in the air

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! While love is certainly the focus of the day today, designers have been playing up sweetly romantic themes for their spring and summer 2007 lines. Designers such as Marc Jacobs, Chloe and John Rocha have presented collections made up of ruffled blouses and skirts, fragile layering, frills, and all things feminine in Paris, Milan and London.

So, if you're having the winter blues, go out to your favorite stores and have fun coordinating feminine and romantic pieces in hopes that spring is right around the corner.

Floral patterns resurface

Over the years designers have created spring and summer lines that highlight the ever-so-popular floral pattern. What makes me chuckle is that each year the industry attempts to spin the idea as something brand new. This year, however, I have to admit that the bold and vintage inspired floral patterns for spring are not only sweet and pretty, they are fresh, flattering, cool, and dare I say, different.

Anthropologie is a great store that offers a wide variety of floral dresses, skirts and tops that are bound to fit each and every personality. This Jessamine top ($128, antrhopologie.com) is feminine and a great transitional piece from winter to spring, and even into summer. Wear this top now with a long or short sleeve cotton shirt underneath, or toss a fitted blazer on top and you're all set.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

It's hard to imagine that the Fall 2007 collections are rolling out already, but as most of the country has been experiencing a deep freeze, a showcase of 77 designers presented more than impressive fall collections in New York that were easy to warm up to.

Nanette Lepore's collection for fall was my personal favorite for selfish reasons that I can see myself wearing most of the outfits. My mom introduced me to the Nanette Lepore brand a few years ago when we were out shopping in Chicago, and I have enjoyed viewing her collections ever since. Lepore's 2007 Fall collection brings together qualities of a sexy, independent woman who enjoys "grown up sexy", feminine and vintage clothing. Note at the end of the video clip, Lepore walks out with her adorable daughter; she closes every show this way and has done this ever since her daughter was born. How sweet.

Among the other notable designers at New York Mercedes Benz Fashion Week were Oscar de la Renta, Max Azria, Calvin Klein, Alice Roi, Donna Karan, Zac Posen, Betsy Johnson, Nicole Miller, Caroline Herrera, Tibi, Michael Kors and many others (65 to be exact). Mercedes Benz Fashion Week will also be presenting shows in Los Angeles March 18-22 for more 2007 Fall lines, and the 2008 Swim lines will be shown in Miami July 13-17, so stay tuned.

Let the games begin

So this is the world of blogging - writing about your favorite likes and dislikes, hoping that it will generate interest, excitement and naturally, a dedicated subscriber following.

I have to admit, despite the unknown of who is actually reading my blog, this is a project that I am very excited about. I have always been inspired by fashion, so it only makes sense for me to create a place where I can comment and write about it every day.

In more words or less, welcome to my blog! A place where you can come for inspiration, style, laughter, and of course the latest and greatest of what is happening in the world of fashion.