December 2007

Mariah Carey Gives New Meaning to “Skinny Jeans” [Snarkstress]

Damn, Them Jeans Be Tight!

Oh, it’s so good to be back, dahlings. Ain’t Christmas just a killer? Sure, it’s all warm and fuzzy and what not, but goddang does it ever put a cramp in my snarky style. Couple that with the endless hours I spent hurling my brains out (and not because I drank too heavily, unfortunately) and I’m just plain glad to see the day go. But whatev. Hope your holidays were delightful, my lovelies. Gawd knows they had to have been better than mine.

Anyhoo, back to the business of fashion critiquing. Ahhhh…

Let’s have a moment with Mimi herself, Ms. Mariah Carey. Now, let me just say that I’m glad the girl’s doing so well, I truly am, but shouldn’t someone with her bank account be able to score some britches that fit properly? I mean, skinny jeans are one thing, but how this chick managed to avoid Camel Toe here, I will never know. She must’ve just gotten lucky with the camera angle, I guess.

One the plus side, her makeup is totally fab and I love the flash of boobage she’s sharing with the world, so it’s not all bad. She just needs to rethink her denim selections after the next time she bellies up to the buffet table at a soiree. Give yourself two days to let go of the bloat, that’s what I always say. Until then, looser pants are great, but skirts are even better. Take note, Ms. C.

(Pssst! Damn, that felt good! Sooo good to be back. I missed you dahlings!) *mwah*

Hollywood Damsels, Sexy Girlfriends, Sultry Songstresses, Why oh Why

Source: Mariah Carey Gives New Meaning to “Skinny Jeans” [Snarkstress]

The Perfect Gradient

I’m not one to banish supposed one-season wonders.  If I like something, I generally will stick with it for a while longer.  This is especially the case with ombre/gradient effects that though I have toyed with in the last months, my experimentation with this colour effect isn’t going to die away just like that.  Not one when I have ordered silk, chiffon, light jersey fabrics for me to get dye happy with. 

In the meantime though, I can dream away with Ostwald Helgason’s SS08 collection entitled ‘Le Tricorne’.  I would not in a million years guess the inspiration behind this collection.  But then again I would not have been bright enough to connect Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes production Le Tricorne with this collection (note…V&A will be staging a major exhibtion on Diaghilev and Ballet Russes…can’t wait!)  Picasso, who designed the costumes for this ballet, returning to his Andalusian roots because the story of the ballet was written by Spanish dramatist Gregorio Martinez Sierra and features Spanish dance.

German-born Susanne Oswalt and Icelandic Ingvar Helgason came together a few years ago and this is the first collection that I got a  personal feel of when I was at Rendez-Vous last season in Paris.  They have taken the sharp tailoring of bullfighting costumes and the flowyness of flamenco dancers but it’s their play with colour gradient prints and and texture that has really got me switched on about this collection.  They mix matt and shiny materials and use digital prints to replicate pleats and the combination of a meadow palette of blue and yellow are all made to work to great effect here.

I may be a slow-mo with my own ombre experimentation but I’m glad some designers are keeping me inspired to be a little slow about it.       

Source: The Perfect Gradient

Sister Sister

You might have read my About Me section on the left and know that I have three sisters and together we are wildly different in personality but together form a somewhat cohesive sisterhood.  It’s a shame that I don’t go back home very much these days and therefore do not see my sisters that often because I really feel like I miss out on all the deets going on in their lives.  Par example, I had no idea my sister Yonnica is becoming a bit of a fashion-obsessive until I got home over X’mas and was using her computer and found a carefully organised folder of fashion inspiration images. 

I too went through a phase of saving everything in sight that would remotely jog my style brain but I’m showing my age by reverting back to good old fashioned magazine tears and messy wall collages.  Of course I realise my 17 year old sister has her own style intuitions, different from my own, but it is with a bit of glee that I know she’ll understand my love of all things decadently beautiful, whimsical and not of our time.     

(Enlarge for details!)

Prettiful Dress Folder - Nina Ricci, Comme des Garcons, Vivienne Westwood and 18th century mantuas… 

Period Dress Folder - Marie Antoinette film stills, corsets, dreamy girls wafting about in billowing dresses…

Slouchy and Casual Folder - Alexa Chung, Cassie from Skins, Zooey Deschanel, old David Bailey photographs, singer Haley Williams… 

Source: Sister Sister

The Ryde Holiday Sale | 5 T-Shirts For $25 [She Knows Best - Lifestyle Tips for Guys]

Visit The Ryde store to take advantage of their Holiday Deals of 5 T-Shirts for $25. That’s 5 random shirts for $25. Hurry coz offer ends at midnight December 31st!.

Technorati Tags: 5 T shirts For $25, Fice For $25 Shirts, Graphic Tees On Sale, Holiday Sales At The Ryde, Mens Shirts On Sale, She Knows Best Deals, Shirts, Shirts Deals, Tees, the ryde, The Ryde Holiday Sale

Source: The Ryde Holiday Sale | 5 T-Shirts For $25 [She Knows Best - Lifestyle Tips for Guys]

First Look Of The Pediped Spring 2008 Soft-Soled Shoes [Style Tots]

I first told you Mamas about the new innovation in the Spring 2008 line for Pediped Footwear. The new line will now be soft-soled while still maintaining it’s stylish qualities. Here’s a first look of what the Pediped 2008 will look like:

Features are :
Soft and Flexible — rubber soles are soft and flexible

Air Cushion Technology — Shock-absorbing air cushions on each heel

pedi™ FLEX ZONE — Maximum flexibility and support natural foot motion

I’m excited, are you?

*Pediped.

Accessories, Babys Shoes, Pediped, Pediped 2008, Pediped News, shoes, Spring 2008 Pediped, Toddlers Accessories, Toddlers Shoes

Source: First Look Of The Pediped Spring 2008 Soft-Soled Shoes [Style Tots]

Maxius Adjustacurl Velcro Rollers [Beauty Gizmo]

Lookie, lookie! Adjustable rollers!

I found this over at Christina’s blog, Ebeautydaily, and it all came back to me. Maxius Adjustacurl Velcro Rollers are surefire grat beauty tool for a great DIY curly hair look!

When I was in fifth grade, I would wonder at magazine glossies that featured women with gorgeous locks. My mum told me, “one day, have your hair permed just like this.” The picture was a n ultra gorgeous brunette with super long hair, up to her waist, with loose, sexy curls. God, I never forgot that!

When I was still little, of course, no chemical treatments were ever allowed of me ( with the exception of having my hair permed at age 5? just that, and it never happened again ), and I wanted pretty curls. I resorted to rollers. I used to sleep with rollers on just to pull of a pretty goldilocks look at school. Yes, as early as age 12, I started being all kikay and vain already, planning hairdos to sport in school!

Perhaps, I’d love to give this a try since I’m lemming for curly hair right now. I’m in a dilemma- uber straight hair or gorgeous goldilocks hair. What do you think? With this beauty tool, I can easily adjust the size of the curls just the way I want them, just use them on the ends, and pull off a very nice dainty damsel look.

So tempting at $16 for a set of four. Good buy!

adjustable rollers, rollers

Source: Maxius Adjustacurl Velcro Rollers [Beauty Gizmo]

A Pilgrimage to the Perfume Mecca

The week before Christmas I was in Germany for business, and decided that not only did I need a break from the working world, but that it would be foolish to fly all the way over there and not have a little fun. So I headed to Paris for the weekend!

Not only was the city as amazingly beautiful as I had remembered it from my last trip 10 years ago, it was incredible to see the trees along the Champs-Elysees lit up for Christmas. So gorgeous!

But one of my very favorite parts of the trip was my visit to Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido…better known to fragrance aficionadas as the Serge Lutens store.

This shop is the one place in all the world that stocks the Serge Lutens exclusive fragrances in their exquisite little “bell jar” bottles (you know, the ones that they won’t ship to the US, ever…read more about them on this website). You walk in and there they are, on a little table just waiting to be sampled, purchased and taken home. I was in perfume heaven!

After about an hour of sniffing (we kept having to breathe into our coat sleeves to clear our noses and start over), my arms were covered in little dots of just about every scent in the Exclusive range, from Muscs Koublai Khan to Iris Silver Mist to Un Bois Sepia. I could have spent the day in there just sampling and sitting around, but there were other parts of the city to be explored, and I finally made a purchase decision.

While I had been wanting to love the new Sarrasins, it was jasmine overload on me, so I finally settled on Fleurs d’Oranger. I know, I know…you fragrance aficionadas know that this one is also in the Export range, available in the US in the oblong spray bottle. But the Paris shop is the only place to get it in that fab bell jar bottle! And honestly, that’s really what I was after. Fleurs d’Oranger just happened to be my favorite of those available in the coveted flacon.

And it has got to be the best souvenir, from any of my travel destinations, ever. I’ve been dabbing my wrists with it since I got home, and that special little bottle has taken up residence on my dresser, a spot shared only with my beloved Chanel parfums.

I already can’t wait to go back to Les Salons! The damn place is calling me back with its siren song. And I don’t even care how bad the exchange rate gets…I’ll still go there and gladly spend my Euros on another bottle…or two!

Source: A Pilgrimage to the Perfume Mecca

Top Best Stores For Men In Portland From GQ Magazine [She Knows Best - Lifestyle Tips for Guys]

Here are the Best Stores For Men in Portland according to GQ Magazine.

Local35

Monthly art exhibitions and a staff that’s never heard the term “hard sell” make shopping at Local 35 a distinct pleasure. Mainly, you come for the T-shirts. They’re a collectible and graphically superior lot. Labels like Brown Sound, Drifter, and the artistic collective F.U.N.—whose limited-run tees are designed by tattoo artists, anime aficionados, and other artistically inclined folks—are shelved alongside trousers and track jackets from Modern Amusement.

Mario’s

In this age of megamalls, here’s a much-welcome throwback with a great shoe selection and a refined soul: a place where salesmen make eye contact and wear good suits, and purchases still end with a handshake. “Our number one focus is on relationships,” says menswear buyer Simon Chan. “It just so happens we have some pretty nice clothes in the store, too.” Mario’s retains its old-school vibe by employing well-mannered staffers who care more about putting you in the right suit than selling you the most expensive one, but their collection—featuring John Varvatos, Paul Smith, and Rogan—is thoroughly modern.

Nolita

When Margit Meriweather and Katy Kippen opened Nolita two years ago in Portland’s architecturally brilliant Pearl district, they didn’t even know how to dress their own husbands. “They weren’t very fashiony at the time,” admits Kippen, who asserts that times have certainly changed. Now the duo from Montana are not only outfitting their significant others but also a bevy of Portland guys who are lining up for Rogues Gallery tees, Loomstate zip cardigans, and lots of J.Lindeberg. Of course, their loyal clientele doesn’t come without its expected Rose City quirks. “Half the people here would never want anybody to know they’re wearing expensive clothes,” says Kippen. “The other half are total brand freaks.”

Red Light Clothing Exchange : 3590 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR; 503-963-8888 (another location at 1111 SW Stark Street, Portland, OR; 503-294-0800)

“Everyone knows us in town,” explains Heather Jones, longtime manager of this Portland institution, “because we’re really, really big—and really, really red.” The 8,000-square-foot store, painted scarlet both inside and out, isn’t hard to spot. But the bold decor is a perfect match for the vintage rocker gear on sale, which ranges from fedoras and silk scarves to leather pants and steel-toed boots. And if you’re not in the mood to spend cash, Red Light specializes in buy-sell-trade.

*GQ

Technorati Tags: Best Mens Store, GQ, GQ Magazine, local35, Marios, Mens Stores, Nolita, Portland Mens Stores, Red Light Clothing Exchange, She Knows Best Finds, Top Mens Stores, Tops Mens Store In Portland

Source: Top Best Stores For Men In Portland From GQ Magazine [She Knows Best - Lifestyle Tips for Guys]

Blonde Ambition: The Jessica Simpson Vehicle That Grossed Four Hundred Dollars At Box Office [Clips]

This is the trailer to Blonde Ambition, a new movie starring Luke Wilson and Jessica Simpson. Tragically, it will not soon come to a theater near you, as cinema executives showed little interest in picking it up after eight Texas theaters previewed it in a limited engagement over the weekend. It grossed four hundred dollars. Wait no, less than four hundred dollars. And they called her a “jinx.” When “spoiled idiotic individual of no redeemable value to society whose version of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ should be banned from the airwaves for inciting mall terrorism” would be so much more appropriate.

Source: Blonde Ambition: The Jessica Simpson Vehicle That Grossed Four Hundred Dollars At Box Office [Clips]