Girls BBF: The Eyelash Curler

I've always been a fan of eyelash curlers and for years have used my heated eye last curler by Talika. Sephora used to carry it but I've found it at C.O. Bigelow in New York's West Village since then. It lasts forever (with the occasional battery replacement), super gentle, quick, and hard to do any damage to your lashes; so naturally I've been loyal for some time now! 

That is until now. I was out of town recently and left my eyelash curler at home. Thankfully a friend let me borrow theirs. I have not used a normal eyelash curler in years due to my clumsiness years ago with almost ripping out my eyelashes, but this Shu Uemura one was amazing! You can buy this line at Neimans, Nordstrom and Sephora. I'm holding out for the gold one, as that's the one I used and loved, until it's back in stock exclusively at Sephora...from what their site says. Apparently it's quite popular already! I'm ALL over it! 

http://www.talika.com/product-102.html

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P8119

Old School Fringed Cowboy Boots

I know this look might be too much to many of us, but I think the hipster scene will be all over it. I'm loving these old western boots paired with skirts, dresses, whatever to give it a bit of a feminine edge. We've already mastered the cut-offs this season so what's next...their old school (country) counterpart! I found these at a cute shop in New York but saw them again at a vintage shop in Austin. Vintage is definitely the way to go. Wouldn't want these bad boys to be all slick....polished in this case would be kind of lame :)

TeamColorsCouture.com

Whoever created this site had a great idea, but for me if you put the word "couture" in the title you ought to have some high fashion alongside and this site has some, but not enough.  The premise is great minus the possiblity having the same outfit as fellow tailgaters. If they had more options and inventory this site would be even better.
Side note: the promotions tab actually has some good deals so even if you're not purchasing anything on their site they can give you codes at bluefly and chickdownton for 10% off, $40 off, etc. to shop on your own!

Back to Fall...My Fall Favs of the Moment

I am really feeling the biker chic look right now. I know for many of us taking the full look would be a complete personality/style make-over, but incorporating a few pieces into your wardrobe will really spice up your look this fall. Bring out the inner rocker and hipster in you this season!

(left to right)

Elizabeth & James detachable fur blazer, Hanii Y fur/lace jacket, Opening Ceremony lace seam zip dress, Alexander Wang hanne zip boot (I call it the MJ tribute bootie)

Alice & Olivia embellished military/band jacket, Elizabeth & James raw edge loose shirt, Diesel fur jacket, Joie 1954 wingtip lace up flat

Nanette Lepore sequin dress, Members Only liquid leggings, American Retro studded flannel shirt, Barney's Co-Op studded biker boot

New York Fashion Week: Spring 2009

Here's a few trends I've been seeing on the runway this week for Spring '09 RTW.

Lots of draping
(Lela Rose, DVF, Ports 1961, Thakoon)

Sheer pieces especially with underpinnings (ballet inspired)
(Charlotte Ronson, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam)

Whites, soft metallics, nudes
(Marc Jacobs, DVF, Carolina Herrera, Ports 1961)

Accents of color: pops of red and shades of purple

(Ports 1961, Derek Lam, Lela Rose, Ports 1961)

No-print prints: small prints
(Thakoon, Zac Posen, Derek Lam, Thakoon)

Short dresses and shorts
(Thakoon, Carolina Herrera, Charlotte Ronson, Zac Posen)

Fall Fashion Right Now

Every season I put together a trend presentation. I recently edited my Fall '09 presentation and took it down to the key trend for the season. Here's the link if you're interested.

http://www.swsco.net/trends/Fall_09_Top_Trends.ppt

The September Issue

I went to see The September Issue, the new documentary with behind the scenes footage of the making of the Vogue September issue, this weekend and LOVED it! If you like fashion in the least this is a must see. I have read about how Anna Wintour is not the warmest individual so I expected that in the documentary. What I did no expect was how big of a role Grace Coddington, creative director of Vogue, has within the magazine. Grace started at Vogue around the same time as Anna Wintour, so they've known each other for 20 plus years. In the September issue, Grace went through each spread that was shot and she literally put every shoot together except for the Sienna Miller shoot. Apparently Grace doesn't like shooting celebrities. Go figure! I am a huge fan of Grace's artistic talent and humble nature. She seemed very genuine and had wonderful insights on life and fashion throughout the film. I'm all over this months September issue and looking at all the work Grace put into this issue. I understand that Anna Wintour is the Editor and her job is mainly approvals, editing and of course the financial aspects of making the magazine profitable (i.e. maintaining budgets and working with advertisers), but I expected the film to center around her and it was really about Grace.

Before I wrap, I wanted to point out how they portray André Leon Talley in this documentary...as a fashion joke. They show him decked out in Louis Vuitton while attempting to play tennis (HUGE LV towel around his shoulders while playing...redic) because as he says, Anna told him he needed to lose weight! You always see him front row at the fashion shows next to Anna (and probably overlooked Grace because she's definitely not as flamboyant as she has bright untamed red hair, wears black constantly and no make-up). He's the Editor at Large over US Vogue and I would have been interested to see more of his role within the magazine.

http://www.theseptemberissue.com/#/home