Fashion Blog » 2007 » August

At Fabsugar they’re bringing back memories of my Reebok wearing days and asking if we love or hate the new Reebok Freestyle Forever Reign-Bow Sneaker.

Fashion Club Daily wants to know if we’d prefer A Handbag or a College Education and lists some astonishing purse prices to the chagrin of many a student-loan debtor.

Kristopher Dukes shows us some super hot, fuchsia Catherine Malandrino shoes with an “ambitious arch.”

This Weeks Best Sales are revealed at Off the Rack, and they’re good!

I know I’ve been talking non-stop about the summer to fall transition, but I can’t help myself. Here in LA, we’re dealing with 100+ degree weather (or rather, torture), and I’ve been consoling myself with thoughts of sweaters and boots. Will fall ever come, I wonder, knowing full well as a life long resident of Southern California, that no reprieve will arrive until Thanksgiving. If we’re lucky.

But I still want to participate in the new season somehow (we’re mere hours away from September!), and I think these St. Tropez shoes are just the thing. I actually bought them for full price about a month ago, and I’ve been pretty pleased with the way they’ve seamlessly edged they’re way into my summer wardrobe, while hinting at things to come. The braided leather really does it for me, and I’m a sucker for natural brown shoes. They’re also reasonably comfortable and pretty middle ground in terms of dressiness–I like them best with shorts, skirts and wide leg pants.

Now, they’re on sale for $39.95 (old price= $59.95).

Yes! Finally, the one celebrity who actually should have a fashion line is doing one. Ever since her spread in Sassy magazine back in the 90s, I’ve been head over heels for Chloe’s amazing style and astounding ability to pull off anything she dons.  So, of course, I’m pleased as punch to learn that the actress/fashion icon will be showing a collection during Opening Ceremony (Sept. 4) at Fashion Week.

The tone of this announcement on both Women’s Wear Daily and New York Magazine were both unenthusiastic with eye-rolling subtexts, which I don’t really get.  Chloe’s been making clothes, influencing style and embodying the fashion forward concept since forever, which is way more than can be said for most celebs who inflict their “fashion” lines on the public.  I, for one, can’t wait to see what she comes up with for the collection.

So, there.

I recently came into a little bit of free and unexpected money and decided to blow it on a new bag. I don’t usually go around buying expensive handbags, but this was a special occasion and this was a special bag…or so I thought.

I’d been eyeing this Marc by Marc Jacob’s Lovely Behati Tote ($458) for awhile–I even included it in a post not too long ago. At the time, I thought it was perfection. I told my friends about, had daydreams where it played a staring roll, and often found myself gazing at it lovingly online.

So, when I got the money, I thought why not? Sure it costs bundle, but I said to myself, it’s classic, neutral and delicious. It will bring me joy for years and years…or so I thought.

I chose to buy it while on a company trip in Las Vegas. They’ve got a pretty good mall there with lots of high-end stores, and after a bit of searching, the Lovely Behati was right in front of my eyes and it was beautiful. It should have been a moment of retail perfection, I should have been euphoric, but after the initial delight of seeing it in the flesh, reality set it. Though “lovely,” that bag was freaking gigantic!

Here it is in full scale with a human being:

This bag is pretty big on this model though not too crazy, but I’m only 5′2, so you can imagine how it looked on my shoulder. And oh, how I tried to love that bag and make it work. I stood in front of the mirror, willing it to not look ridiculous but to no avail–I looked like I was carrying mommy’s purse. A really big mommy.

The girls who I was shopping with tried to be encouraging since they knew how much I’d been lusting after that thing, but there was no getting away from the awful truth. My frame was no match for that bag. “You could fit in it,” was one comment, along with “It’s half the size of your body.”

One friend pointed out how lots of teeny celebs shoulder giant bags and pull it off, but I just didn’t feel up to the task. I’m no Mary Kate or Ashley, and I don’t want to be. Instead, I set about coming to grips with the sad facts…it just wasn’t meant to be. The Lovely Behati was meant for someone else… someone taller.

It was a sad moment, indeed. I looked at other bags, considered buying them, but none were the Lovely Behati. They all paled in comparison. Tears.

I’m a big fan of the Joe’s Jeans. And here is the Rocker on sale for $62.98 (usually $150 or more) at SmartBargains. Joe’s work really well on curvy mamas, so if that’s you, you’ll probably want to snag some for yourself. Notice that the waist isn’t superlow and the wash is really classic, which means they’ll blend into next seasons denim trends.

Yes, that’s right, I’m back again. I’m back with more hot celebrity men looking their finest.

I felt a little bad for just lumping the three hot men from Oceans 13 in one picture at the end of Hot Celebrity Men in Fashion: First Edition, not displaying their hotness individually, and not giving them praise to their full potential. So, I’ve found my favorite pictures on the web of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon looking stylish (Clooney will be in the next edition).

Brad Pitt: He is so good looking. The whole package is great. He has not received very much, but no bad press can down play his looks and charm. This picture, on the left, is an older picture of Brad. On the right, a picture of him at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival looking fresh and ready for summer in his light gray jacket.

                                                     Images: StarPulse.com

Matt Damon: I meet him before. Yes, I’m bragging, and so would you! He was the nicest and most down to earth guy. He was dressed in a HUGE black jacket with a beenie on his head. I think he was trying to look incognito, but low and behold, my friend spotted him. He was standing right behind me in line at Starbucks in Greenwich Village, NY. I didn’t even feel his “hotness vibes”. Shame on me. After he talked to us, I swear we were on cloud nine the rest of the day. Ah, memories. 

                                      Images: smh.com.au and StarPulse.com

Jaime Fox hasn’t been in the spotlight too much these days.  However, he has always shown is great sense of style on the red carpet.  (Yes, I know, maybe it’s his stylist style and not neccessarily his syle, but, the point is that he rocks whatever he wears.)

                               Images:  cdn.hfpa.org and eur.i1.yimg.com

Last, we have Ryan Reynolds:  he is so hot.  I’d rather he just wear blazers or jackets with no under shirts so he can show off his fantastic abs.  ;)  God bless him.  But, since he must cover up, he looks great in these two pictures below with his unbuttoned collared shirts showing a little skin. 

                        Images:  StarPulse.com  and imstars.aufeminin.com

Ah, the older a man gets the hotter he looks. The more us women age, the lower we sag. So tragic.

This is a great skirt, and don’t let anyone tell you different. First of all, the A-line shape perks up so many shapes. Second, the length is perfect for work yet the design isn’t too stuff and will work for weekends (though petite ladies might want to tailor it). Third, the chevron print panels are so flattering and capable of disguising any “issues.” Fourth, it’s versatile and classic. No doubt about it, this is a pretty sharp skirt and will look even better with a pop of color–red hand bag, orange shoes, mustard sweater, green top, pink scarf, blue scarf…..I’ll leave that up to you.

Jones New York Sport Stripe Skirt, $45.90 (old price= $69)

At Denimology, they’re spreading the word about one of our country’s most heinous crimes: “The Dad Jean.” YUCK! Lindsay Lohan’s terrible Maxim cover gets totally fugged at Go Fug Yourself. Sylvia gives us her top knit hat picks for the season at I Like Her Style.  The Jane Magazine saga continues at Jezebel.

I love the Williams sisters.   I don’t know squat about tennis, but when one of them is playing, I become a superfan.  And I’m in heaven when they battle it out against each other. I even got into an argument with a German tennis fanatic at a London hostel once when she said that Venus and Serena were ruining the game that her precious Stephie Graff had made so glorious.  I can’t remember my points, but trust me, I was emphatic in my support of the Williams women.  I felt so “U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!” So much for international goodwill.

Aside from their exciting brand of athleticism, part of their allure for me is their style on and off the court–I’m so into the way they turn the concept of femininity on it’s head. Which brings me to Venus William’s new “Eleven” line for Steve & Barry’s, makers of Sarah Jessica Parker’s blah “Bitten” collection.  This line doesn’t knock my socks off, either, but at least it’s inventive. Plus, Venus looks cute in that outfit, and that shirt is cool enough.

Venus, like Maria Sharapova with those Nike dresses, will wear pieces from Eleven during the US Open, which starts Monday.  The line will debut in November.

Photos Source. 

Well, these photos are certainly proof against the old “anyone can model” argument. Here is tennis player Maria Sharapova showing off her new Nike dresses at Rockefeller Center last night. For some inexplicable reason, in half the pictures, she’s striking the hands on windows pose. I couldn’t do any better, probably, but these are totally weird, and they crack me up. Amateur!

The dresses she was “modeling” are the same that she will be sporting (pun intended) when she hits the court to defend her US Open title. The red one, encrusted with over 600 Swarovski crystals, is an evening match dress, and the white one is for daytime games. The neck detailing on both tennis outfits is suppose to evoke the New York skyline.

Sharapova says they feel as good as they look. Hmmm…I’m sure whatever Venus and Serena are wearing will blow these things off the court (again, pun intended–it’s fun.)

Photo Source.