Monday, June 30, 2008

Pin and Grow

Is there something amiss in the universe? Because I went for a haircut and my stylist DIDN'T cut my hair. Instead, after coloring and washing it, she looked in the mirror and said, "Let's not cut it." I then woke up and almost fell off my chair (getting my hair done makes me super sleepy).

The woman who has been cutting my hair short for more than eight years wants me to grow it long for fall. If you're thinking "But it's your hair, do what you want," you're wrong. It's actually her hair and I'm just here on earth modeling it for her.

Problem is, I have an ornery side thanks to an aggressive colic. Blow dry, flat iron, give sacrifice, nothing works. By noontime it will be doing what it wants, which is usually the flip.

Solution? Bobby pins. I just twist up sections of hair in the back and pin them down, then make it soft by pulling some pieces along the ears. If the top looks flat I slightly tease some bits. Bonus is, all that hair is off my neck so I'm much cooler. And later, when you take the pins out, you'll have some pretty waves. More pinning = more waving. Do I care what it looks like in the back? Uh, no, because a: "out of sight..." and b: I'm at work, people, not the disco.

Sometimes I add one of these:

You get two for $3.90 at H&M. I got the grey and black. Simple and not very exciting but I look ridiculous in those Blair Waldorf headbands. These won't give you a headache until about 3pm.


While you're picking up bobby pins, spend another $7.99 on Citre Shine to keep your hair smooth in the summer heat. It coats your hair and doesn't look greasy. I've used this off and on for years. But honestly, lately I don't use much product as I've been liking a soft, messy look. You know, I'm prepping for that sexy long hair come fall.

H&M
, 47 W. 34th btwn 5th & 6th
CVS, 320 Fifth Avenue @ 32nd

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Gold Boots Shout-Out

Seen on a Shalita the other night on stage:














and sitting next to our man Xmastime:










Unfortunately, super shiny gold boots are not easy to photograph, especially when you aren't much of photographer. They are much cuter in person. These may even go on the "Desperately Seeking Susan" boot wish-list, but will not knock off these Louboutins, the obvious first runner-up:

And unfortunately, no, the Louboutins can't be found on 34th Street. But I'm keeping me eye out for some shiny boots.

If you can, check out the Shalitas for some Shangri-la-like fun. Wish I'd gotten a picture of their matching Shalita jackets, but you'll just have to catch a show to see them in person.

And, as a little bonus to all you ANTM fans:















Recognize Naima, winner of Cycle Four? Her band, Chewing Pics, went on after the Shalitas.  A natural performer, she's TINY, still works the mohawk and is cute, cute, cute. Yes, you've outed me, ANTM is my guilty pleasure. 



Thursday, June 26, 2008

Bebe Design Lab

I went into Bebe on 34th Street looking for the newish Tara Subkoff, which I couldn't find. But I did find this Design Lab stuff. Of course when I was running out the door, late for a meeting, I spotted the Tara Subkoff rack standing right next to the Design Lab. But that was the kind of day I was having yesterday.

Bebe's website calls Design Lab their "back to the boutique" collection, as back in '76 Bebe was a "single boutique style house." Back to the roots is looking pretty good. Let's go to the film:

Here's my favorite, the asymmetrical zipper dress:

unfortunately, there was only a large, which fits like a 10/12, so here's how it looks online:

another hot hoochie dress but not of the salsa dancing variety. It's currently sold out online, so if you're a large there's one on 34th Street.






I like this black Design Lab blouse that also comes in white:

And I like this other Design Lab dress which isn't in the 34th Street store, but is available online in a small:










I had a few technical difficulties with this Design Lab top:

WTF? So I tried a few things:









then later saw this online:

I swear I tried getting that on my arm, but again, it was one of those days.

I'll try and catch this Design Lab stuff sooner next time, and hopefully when the brain is functioning at a higher level.




Bebe, 1 W. 34th @ Fifth Avenue

Why Hoochie?

I tried this H&M dress on because lately I've been tarting it down a lot. Jeans, jeans, jeans. This is the anti-jeans dress. It speaks for itself, so listen closely:

"I'm taking you to salsa dancing lessons, where you'll wear strappy metallic heels and flirt with your Latin instructor. And when you get good I'll let you sew lots of bangles onto me."

"My fabric forces you to go commando, meticulously groom and suck in your gut."

"Buy me and cut a rug, sweat, or roll around on the ground because I'm hot and cheap." [$24.90]


Oh, yeah, it's about time I brought a little hoochie mama to the table.

H&M, 47 W. 34th between 5th & 6th

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Tie One On

Love this tie-belt seen while sitting on the bus yesterday morning:

If it wasn't for that guy's ginormous man bag in my face, we'd have a better shot. But the woman sitting next to me was giving me the "perv!" look and we were at my stop anyway, so I only got the one shot. Here's a closer look:







Yeah, still bad but I think you get the idea. I'm not hip to the provenance of the tie-belt, but it's adorable on her and I also see this with rolled-up jean shorts and dresses....and is this not a good DIY project?! I'm not allowed to begin any more DIY projects as there are two baskets filled with unfinished DIY's in my apartment. I'm just too easily distracted (hey, Marianne, remember that sewing class we took 7 years ago? Yes, still working on that denim tote bag).

And I have the perfect inexpensive tie resource on 34th Street. Tie World! It's the go-to tie destination for the guys here in the office, like Martin (see "When Co-Workers Dress Alike"). For example, if Martin comes to the office looking good but tieless, like this:














and then discovers he must attend a meeting, Martin runs to Tie World on Greeley Square and ends up looking something like this:


but generally without his New Year's Eve top hat. His brown striped tie is classic Tie World. $6 for the polyester wall and $12 for the silk wall. Not bad for a cheery belt, right?






Small sign for a store named "Tie World," right? But look, cuff links!









Tie World,
1271 Broadway @ the south end of Greeley Square

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Falling For Shoes

This post was going to be all about how I love the Marc Fisher shoes, exclusive at Macy's, and what a great deal they are. But then this happened:


That's Laura on the floor of Macy's Herald Square shoe department after she fell trying to pull on the spike-heeled Marc Fisher spectator. So now this post is about Laura's relationship with heels.


Let's start just before the fall. Here's Laura walking round Macy's with one shoe on:


While struggling to put on the left shoe, she got distracted by Puma hi-tops and these colorful Keds:

pretty! but Laura already lives in sneaks









Meantime, I was being distracted by the other Marc Fishers:

click to see the red print, pretty! wedge is $55, sandals are $79












And then we were both distracted by her fall, which we'll call lesson 1: Don't try on heels while standing up unless you're a yoga instructor. So why such difficulties for Laura? If you remember her from the video or the Biviel shopping trip, you know she'd rather spend money on these Frye boots ($238):

ooo, I want them too!














than any of these :

(NaNa, blue and gold in Juniors on 4, $79.50; soft pink Mia, in Juniors, $41.80; and Marc Fisher spectators, black, $89 & bone, $79.99)

















Laura claims she "can't walk in heels." This is true; currently she walks heel-toe which looks kind of like this:

But what Laura doesn't know is that she's dealing with a woman who, if there was a PhD in heels, would have two. I spent many years walking up and down department store and shopping mall runways. This was not just simple strutting in high heels, but often involved prop management. Besides canes, umbrellas, streamer guns or suitcases, there were drooling standard poodles, rabbits that jumped into food court fountains, and the cast of some local Wizard of Oz production. Oh, I could go on and on, but I'll end with a query: if you were once queen of the shopping mall runway, can you teach anyone to walk in heels? Even Laura, the die-hard, anti-heel sneakerhead?  This post may evolve yet again, perhaps into a Fashion Herald video how-to starring our Laura, the girl who falls in shoes.

more Laura! Soon she'll be gracefully twirling with bunny rabbits in her arms and not falling down...










Macy's Herald Square,
151 W. 34th btwn 7th & Broadway

Monday, June 23, 2008

When Mirrors Lie

Don't you hate it when you get dressed in the morning and think you look really cute, and you're walking down the street all happy and "I'm hot!" Then you get to work and hit the ladies' room, and what's looking back at you in the mirror is not what you were expecting. No, what's looking back at you has frizzy hair, shiny skin (greasy shiny, not glowing shiny) and an outfit that just doesn't really work. So who's lying, the mirror at home or the mirror at work?

Until science solves this perplexing, vanity-destroying conundrum, one can shop for temporary solutions. Here's a little blouse remedy, bought last week at H&M for $20 on sale:

I like this with pants or a skinny, short skirt. It's got the biggest pocket on a top ever. More like a built-in muff, it's very convenient for subway cards. This blouse buttons up the back, which isn't too annoying but the plastic white buttons do kind of bug me. Luckily, I don't have to look at them all day.

And $20 is about all I'll spend on a white blouse in the summer because I'm going to sweat and destroy it pretty fast. Yup, I'm cursed with the sweat gene. In my innocent youth I'd watch, in awe and horror, as my sisters got dressed for parties and agonized over deodorants, and frantically sewed armpit pads into silk gowns. Yes, armpit pads! Think "cousin to the removable shoulder pad." I wonder if they still make these?


H&M, 47 W. 34th between 5th & 6th

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Fun With Diabolik

A perfect weekend movie: Danger: Diabolik! Austin Powers fans, this is a must-see. Sorry, tried to embed the trailer from YouTube, but failed and George does need a day off. Click on above link to view. 

Not just a great film adaptation of a comic book, this 1968 movie is also full of memorable fashion. Eva, Diabolik's girl played by the ravishing Marisa Mell, wears one sexy, skin-baring outfit after another. Her black stud bikini shown in the trailer is brilliant. The other girls are also decked out in some outrageous 60's fashions: think Paco Rabanne but racier. Seriously.

Then there's Diabolik, with the black latex mask, second-skin bodysuits and black Jaguar. All we want in a man. John Phillip Law, who also played Pygar in Barbarella, has cheekbones for years. The original music is by Ennio Morricone, the master.

Warning: this is a cult classic, featured on the last episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, so if you like kitsch and 60's fashion this is your film.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Here's To George

Sorry for no post today, but the "internet" went down in the office. Which brings up our favorite IT guy, "George." Which is really his real name, I'm just a little quotation crazy because I couldn't go online for the ENTIRE day. And I got so much "work" done, work that I've been avoiding for weeks because I'm visiting all my favorite blogs that you can see on the left. Won't my boss be happy? Which brings us back to "George" who is very supportive with the whole blog thing because, to be honest, I'm not so computer savvy and he had hold my hand when we started Fashion Herald and answer questions like "George, what's a blog?" Today my messages to him have been like this:


"Arrrggggh!! Head is exploding! Must read The Preppy Princess and Cupcakes and Cashmere!"

 and:

"Fix online thing NOW!! Just got complimented on cute white H&M blouse bought on sale for $20! EMERGENCY!"

and (sobbing):

"What am I going to do? Why am I here? What's it all mean, George?"

So let's all give George a big hand, and repeat after me: "Topshop 34th Street!" Oops, no, I mean "Thanks, George!" 

Thursday, June 19, 2008

GRRRRRREAT!!!

This post has nothing to do with Tony the Tiger, but that sentiment exactly describes how I feel about Little Miss Matched at Macy's Herald Square. Here it is in kids, a collection based upon children dressing completely mismatched:






















Adorable, right? Socks, stockings, etc. that come mismatched! And from WWD (April 7, 2008), about the apparel line for women and girls launching in the fall: "...there's a T-shirt that comes with detachable long sleeves that can be mixed up and matched." And "There's a super-long dress designed so the wearer can cut it to create a dress at the exact length she wants." CHANGEABLE DRESS! SWITCH OUT THE ARMS! Dang, that's cool. I've wanted a mixed-up pattern look ever since I saw the Zang Toi 2008 collection.

Even better, Macy's Herald Square supposedly has the home collection; check it out here. What will LittleMissMatched do next, a mismatched car? Oh, the possibilities.

Macy's Herald Square, 151 W. 34th between Broadway & 7th

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Looking For Cynthia's Shoes

I posted a query about Cynthia Rowley's great shoes on the Cynthia Rowley blog, and her staff promptly replied. It's very embarrassing that I'm all cheesy and ask her if she's "going to do shoes," and of course the shoes are hers! Oh well, once a geek....Sadly, the shoes are sold out.

But I've been prowling 34th Street, where there is nothing similar although I still have to check out the entire Macy's shoe floor on 5. Usually I get stuck right by the elevator amongst the Hale Bobs, the Betsey Johnsons, the Biviels, the Fryes, the Sam Edelmans, et al. Here are some eye-catchers, not necessarily anything like Cynthia's. First up, Steve Madden:







Aileenn $99.95 (warning, these are patent); Togga $99.95; and the very fun Blosommm, black & multi-colored, $69.95. Get the feeling Steve Madden is running out of shoe names?

From Bakers, the Gweneth, so not like Cynthia's but sort of irresistible, especially as they're $19.99 ;








And from Aldo;





Paramaribo $100, Celabinsk $64.98, and Kolwezi, black and brown, $64.98. I wish the heel on the oxford was different (maybe chunkier & taller?) but I love the idea of a beige oxford shoe boot. And the heel height on the Kolwezi rivals Gwenyth's McQueens.

I also dropped by Shoe Mania and saw nothing like the Cynthia but discovered these:


Have you guys heard of Pikolinos? I kind of fell in love; they are so hippy and hand-crafted and environmentally conscious (but not vegan!). I'm grooving on the natural look of the sandals, especially for this season although these shoes are definitely lifers, don't you think? Here's some more from their website, but not seen at Shoe Mania. I really covet the ankle strap flat in the middle.








Steve Madden, 41 W. 34th between 5th & 6th
Aldo, 15 W. 34th between 5th & 6th
Bakers Shoes on 34th Street @ 5th Avenue
Shoe Mania, 11 W. 34th between 5th & 6th