Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Handbag Tattooing at Hayden-Harnett







Here are some photos from a recent event for a recent event at Hayden-Harnett. Hayden-Harnett is a Brooklyn based handbag and clothing company located in Greenpoint. They hired a leather tattoo artist who was there to tattoo bags for the evening. The event was sponsored by the hip new wine brand Parlay Rosé Wine.

Hello, Moto!

It took almost till the last day of September, but I've finally given up the summer ghost. That little spate of Indian summer was nice, to be sure, but as of yesterday, I've told myself no more open-toed shoes. Sweaters. Tights. BOOOOOOOOOOTS!!!!! And this means shopping. Hooo boy, do I love shopping. Here's what I picked up on two separate, very quick shopping stops yesterday. Shopping at its most efficient!


First, this awesome, faux-leather moto jacket from H&M. It has that washed/crinkly effect and I daresay it's quite good-quality faux leather.


It looks hot on, will go with lots of stuff in my closet, and was $49.99. SOLD!


Also scored at H&M (one of the last three remaining) was this great blousy print dress. It has a tiger on it.


ROWR! It was $29.99. SOLD!

That was my lunch break. After work, I was headed to a happy-hour party in Williamsburg. On the way, I stopped in to Mini Minimarket. There I found the following awesomeness:


Blowfish "Willis" booties, $83 at Zappos. I've never been a big ankle boot person, as I think in general you need to have skinny-minnie legs to pull them off, but these worked on me for some reason. I think. I love the wide opening and the chunky heel and the overall shape, and the bonus-fun purple interior.


I had a moment where I thought, Maybe I should look around, see what other ankle boots are out there, if ankle boots are indeed an option for me, and then I thought, No. These are obviously the booties for me. SOLD!


I also bought a pair of skinny jeans, partly to tuck into the ankle boots and party just because Levi's fit me really well and are really well priced. I think I got these Levi's Superlow 524 Poetic Skinny jeans, $32, in the "dark sky" wash.

And then I got some Hue tights in dark indigo and medium gray. I just hope I'll be able to pack them into my already overstuffed tights drawer.

Bring it, autumn!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Lady Gaga for Halloween, Anyone?

H&M's got you covered. Just dress as ridiculously as possible. Lots of hot pink available there, with lots of crazy texture.



H&M faux-fur jacket, $129.

Also, anyone looking to reprise a Matrix look? There are plenty of pretty badass-looking faux-leather bustier-type dresses for about $50. If you want to look hot for the holiday, look no further.

What are YOU planning on dressing as for Halloween?

The One That Got Away: Rachel Roy Spike Necklace

WTF? I was going to be GOOD and NOT impulsively buy this Rachel Roy spike necklace (until next week), and now it's SOLD OUT! That is officially THE LAST TIME I DON'T BUY SOMETHING! The lesson I learned here is IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, GET IT BECAUSE IT MAY NOT BE THERE WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THE FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE THING AND WAIT!

Harlequin-Inspired Shoes From Alaïa & Nude Footwear

Inspired by my silk blazer purchase, I've been on a 1930s tuxedo-y menswear jaunt. Therefore I've been gazing longingly, loving at harlequin-inspired black-and-white shoes. Such as...

($129, nude footwear, Piperlime.com)
These two-toned suede heels are kind of like a girlie tuxedo in shoe form. They're precious without being OVERLY precious and venturing into the dangerously cutesy barf zone. NEED!


($669, Alaïa, TheOutnet.com)
A Deco dream in bootie form. I really should just STOP looking at TheOutnet.com.


($669, Alaïa, TheOutnet.com)
Perforated patent booties are as close to Lady Gaga as I ever want to get.


Oh, so PS, I had a wedding this past weekend, and I needed a nice blazer to wear over my dress (this Christopher Deane dress, which has now seen MANY weddings -- yes, I impulsively bought a pricey-for-me new blazer, but seriously, that Christopher Deane dress has danced with me at like five weddings as well as my own engagement party). So I ended up getting this silk-esque blazer from Topshop:
($145, Topshop)
BTW, the description says navy blue, but friends, it's black. It fits well, but when I saw it on me in a photo we (the blazer and I!) looked kinda amorphous. I'll chalk it up to the fact that I was wearing a waistless shift dress. Lesson learned -- don't wear a slouchy blazer with a shift dress and expect anything less than a net result = slouchy/ no waist look! I won't make that mistake again, but I will rock this with some yes-I-actually-do-have-a-waist outfits: t-shirts and skinny jeans and boots. YAY, FALL!

Monday, September 28, 2009

The MOST Beautiful Vintage 1950s Wedding Dresses Evar.

If you dream of wearing a 1950s vintage Mad Men-inspired wedding dress (though hopefully you don't aspire to a marriage like Joan or Betty's) AND have a waist that's less than like 27 inches, check out these dream-worthy vintage wedding dresses from Etsy seller Fab Gabs, who even styles her seller's photos so it looks as if she's partying like it's 1959.

($395, William Cahill, Fabgabs.etsy.com)
This dress has FIVE -- count 'em, FIVE -- Mcdreamy layers of tulle. You could be riding a bike or wearing snow pants under there and no one would know. It's so gorgeous I can barely breathe. Bury me in it. But leave the back unzipped, because this bad boy's got a 25" waist. Talk about waiting to exhale. (Shooby!) And credit where it's due -- The Bridal Wishlist scouted this one out!

($225, Fabgabs.etsy.com)
SIX layers of tulle! FOR WHEN FIVE will not do! It's SO beautiful, and I love the sweetheart neckline, but with a 28" underbust: 28" and 24" waist, I'd have to get several ribs removed and drink all my meals through a straw. Ah, but what price fashion? (Side note: the woman who sold me my wedding dress told me that a girl she sold a dress to had to cancel her final fitting because she'd starved herself to the point that she fell over and cracked her head open and had to get about 40 stitches. AHH, admirable committment!)

($250, Fabgabs.etsy.com)
My absolute favorite for that super lacey post-modern dash of Madonna.



PS -- I know I'm probably tardy to the party, but did you see Christina Hendricks on/ in In Style Weddings? (That's my only other non-barfy bridal mag besides New York Magazine Weddings.)




TEAM JOAN! Girl, you could do sidebends and sit-ups, but PLEASE don't lose that butt!

The PERFECT Boyfriend Blazer!

Unless you've been renting out space under a ROCK or reading about boring-ass health care or something, you know that you NEED a boyfriend blazer (BFB) for fall. I also like to refer to it as a Best Friend Blazer, because what if you're gay? You might not want a boyfriend! But everyone wants a best friend. And everyone should want this blazer, which I just purchased today.

($92, BB Dakota, Chickdowntown.com)
Unlike most boyfriend blazers which are kinda 1930s Marlene Dietrich (and not totally unlike Alexander Wang's blazers that can be a little longer... and a lot more expensive), this one's double-breasted and straight-up 1980s Dorothy Zbornak-stylie with the pushed-up sleeves (so I can free my arms to eat cheesecake!) I'd like to think the late, great Bea Arthur would be proud. Also, my MOM would be proud, since I saved 25% with promo code: "september25." I think that using that promo code precluded me from being able to return it or something (boo!), so hopefully I'll love it.


Creepers' Revenge: See by Chloé's Studded Boots Creep Their Way Into My Heart

I know that in the past I've sternly admonished the resurrection of creepers, but these See By Chloe off-white studded boots have taken up residence in my heart and WILL NOT move out. Ugh. Thankfully their $495-pricetag precludes our long-term relationship.


($495, See By Chloe, Net-a-Porter.com)

Didn't buy these, obvs, but I'd wear them in a HOT second.

Know what I did buy though, to ease my craving?
($70, Yesstyle.com)
I got the white studded ones, for fear the black ones looked a little too pilgrimy, and because I have more black shoes and boots than even an unreasonable shoe-obsessed person should possess. Anyway, I was feelin on the Hendrix-y-ness of the off-white ones, and hence clicked "buy." This was my first purchase from Yesstyle.com, and I saved a fiver with promo code "Twitter5." Also, I was pleased to discover that the shipping is just $9.99, which isn't bad considering they ship from Hong Kong and guarantee a three-day ship. Noice! Some places down the street charge almost that and it takes like two weeks. WTF, right? Anyway, I'll report back!

Fringe Handbags by Posse NYC



The designer, Andrea Posse, of Posse NYC has created these stylish horizontal fringe bags. They are the perfect accessory to add a little rock & roll to your outfit. Shown Dita Fringe $490 and Anisa Clutch $285.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Man Fashion: America Football Jerseys

The Throwback Jersey was first introduced in the NFL in the 1994 75th anniversary season and continue to be popular with both fans and teams. A wide variety of throwback designs have been worn in the NFL, with varying degrees of accuracy.


If you claim yourself to be a football fan, you should definitely get yourself one of these great NFL throwback jerseys. In the older days of football, the NFL was known to be more than just a commercial sport.


Critics who used to pour their love over football are now saying the NFL has become more entertaining than it should be, and players, are now playing for themselves more than for the team, such as Tim Tebow, The Heisman Trophy Winning quarterback.By the way, if you follow the news closely. Tim Tebow literally got slammed and injured by the Kentucky defense and took a hard blow on his head yesterday.


Whatever you hear, we are more into the trendy jesseys rather than anything else.


Friday, September 25, 2009

Man Fashion: Mackage New Store

I would like to share some update with my readers here.

If you've been supporters of Mackage in the past, then you should not miss this.

Mackage, the outerwear brand known for impeccable tailoring with a sexy edge, has opened its first free-standing retail location in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District: September 1, 2009.


Situated on Washington Street between Little West 12th and Gansevoort, the pop-up location will offer the entire range of Mackage’s luxe wool coats, exquisite leathers, sleek trenches, unique puffys and packables for the month of September.

Next, Mackage will also plan to launch their permanent retail space in Paris, scheduled in November 2009.

The Most Expensive Outfit I Ever Wore

So, yeah. I'm married. So, wanna see what I wore? I didn't get a $5 wedding dress, or a $50 thrift-store wedding dress, or even a $250 Running of the Brides dress (my bridesmaids REFUSED to go with me!), so basically this ended being the titular Most Expensive Outfit I Ever Wore. It's sort of sickening, really, but I do plan on selling the dress, if possible, so I can buy, like, some boots or something. I'm keeping the shoes, though. Anyway, drum roll please!

...


...


...



THE DRESS!


I was absolutely thrilled to find my dress at the Bridal Garden, a New York City shop that sells dresses that have been donated by designers and brides and whose proceeds benefit New York City children's education (currently a charter school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn). I was even more thrilled with my dress, an Anne Barge trunk-show sample from her spring 2008 La Fleur line that had never been worn. I got a ton of compliments on it. Love those little bows! Here's how it looked when I was getting ready:






And here's how it looked swishing down the aisle with my dad:



THE SHOES

I have talked at length about my shoes. Anyone who doesn't know I wore rubber Vivienne Westwood for Melissa shoes with red hearts on the toes hasn't been paying attention. People adored them. I didn't even get one "different," although my mom did laugh in a way that suggested she wasn't 100% in favor of the decision. You can get them, and lots of other Melissa shoes, via Epaulet in Brooklyn, online or in person.




THE HAIR ACCESSORY


I got this fantabulously fun ostrich-feather hair piece from New York City milliner Artikal:



The designer, Holly Slayton-Chance, does lots of cool fascinators as well as veils and hats. To me this piece sort of echoed the freedom and movement of the bows at the bottom of my dress, and just screamed FUN! You can get her pieces for reasonable prices direct from her (either at her East Village studio or online), or pay a gigantic markup at Kleinfeld's. Yeah.


THE JEWELRY


I'm not really a jewelry person, and I didn't know for sure what I was going to wear for jewelry until the day of the wedding. The necklace was from Etsy seller Tree and Kimball, made of vintage lace with a little blue bead (something blue!):



Looking at the photos, I realized it doesn't photograph that well, but whatever. We all liked that the bead sort of nestled in my cleavage. I borrowed my bridesmaid Randi's grandmother's watch for my something borrowed as well as her diamond studs even though I never wear earrings. And that was that!

THE BAG

Yep, Etsy again. Gotta love it! I got this to-die-for vintage crystal-beaded purse for $25:



It came with two matching clip-on earrings and a great shoe clip (sadly, only one, because it would have made a great earring itself). I barely used this all night but I DID need to reapply lip gloss, after all, so. There. I DID need a bag! Take that, naysayers! Plus, it's gorgeous!


THE SECOND DRESS


Yes, that's right, I had a second dress. For dancing. ("What a DIVA!" they said.) It was a short little Betsey Johnson number that I simply couldn't resist. I'd discovered while dress shopping that I unexpectedly loved lace, and this was a really interesting type of open-work lace:





Also, it was $50. And I was really happy to be able to change into it before the cake cutting, because it was hot and humid that night, and we were dancing our faces off.


DRESS #3 and HAIR ACCESSORY #2


Oh yes I did! I had a dress for the afterparty, too.



I actually bought it before the Betsey Johnson, intending it as the dancing dress, but then I couldn't resist the Betsey Johnson and felt it was fancier, and so this became the afterparty dress. It is vintage and sweet and easily the most comfortable dress of the three. I got a ton of compliments on it, with some people even voting it their favorite of the three (by a hair, I think/hope!). Not too many people were still taking pictures at this point (our photographer had left), so this is the best I've got so far:



The headband is from Forever 21. Loved it, too.

THE BRIDAL PARTY

You've all been patiently waiting to find out what I made Tamron and the rest of my ladies wear. I chose J.Crew dresses: easy and cute. I wasn't really sure about the color (fresh mint, in the Crew's parlance) until the day of the wedding, when all my girls looked so beautiful, especially against the backdrop of the lake.



Eagle-eyed readers will notice that Tamar sluttily shortened her dress and later paired it with silver Toms for dancing (of which I was profoundly jealous). All the bridesmaids wore silver shoes of their own choosing , and I got them all different silver bow necklaces from Etsy, to echo the bows on my dress. Here's Tamar and her fiancé — how do they make their eyes sparkle like that??



Moving on to the boys: They wore black suits and stripey multicolor-blue ties (see the pic of my brother, above).



We didn't want to spend a lot of money on ties, so we got stripey aqua ties for $15 each at thetiebar.com. Don't judge. The colors were perfect and complemented the groom's tie, too.


THE GROOM


The groom wore a windowpane-print Hickey Freeman suit that (even on sale) cost more than my dress and still needs to be cleaned. He looked absolutely fabulous in it, even when he'd sweated through to the pits. (Note to future brides: Make sure he wears a V-neck T-shirt underneath if he's a schvitzer—wife-beaters not so classy in this situation!)



And that's all she wrote as far as my wedding fashion is concerned. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to take a totally normal walk in a meadow with my husband!