Friday, May 28, 2010

Cleopatra Hits the Big Screen

Last night I was one of the guests of gorgeous jewelry designer and blogger Wendy Brandes at her Sex and the City II viewing party, where us lucky girls all wore her silver Cleopatra earrings for the opening night of the film. The same earrings, but in gold, were worn by Kim Cattrall in this scene:

At the Ziegfeld theatre (which also had a cameo in the movie):

From Wendy's website:












Real-time earring closeups:

Me wearing H&M FAA dress I bought that day, left. This picture helps illustrate why Jeffrey told me, as I was walking out the door, "Don't bend over." I swear I don't know where my dress went in this photo! Midtown Girl looking gorgeous in the Cleopatras.











Yes, these earrings are that beautiful in real life (have you seen Wendy's jewelry? Hello, Marie Antoinette and swear rings). And they aren't a bit heavy on the ear. I also think they look a little different on everyone, am I crazy?

Left, gorgeous bloggers Midtown Girl and Stacy of Taffeta Darlings. Wendy and Stacy are wearing the gold Cleopatras.

















There were several other fabulous bloggers in attendance, so check out Wendy's blog for more photos. Many, many thanks to Wendy for a memorable and fun evening!

Now for the 34th Street H&M tie-in: On the left is a full-length of the Fashion Against Aids H&M dress I wore last night. And below are some others I considered:

This felt a little too much for a city movie night.
















I really wanted to wear this.

Oh, how I love this fringe dress/top. It's sitting in a bag on my office door, unworn as it was too clingy so I need to go up a size. A warning, this is one of those H&M dresses that I wish was made of better material. The design is perfect, but it's a challenge finding a dress on the rack that doesn't already have a snag in it. So you know you'll wear it once and come home with snags and threads hanging everywhere. Too bad, because I was willing to buy it for one event anyway as I thought the design was such fun. More H&M FAA pictures to follow after the holiday, but don't wait for me, shop it this weekend. And please try on every sequin piece that you normally wouldn't look twice at, they are fantastic. I am very impressed with the cut and design of this collection.


H&M, FAA collection available on 34th St only at the 7th Ave store

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

An Express Visit on 34th Street

Today's staff guest post features Vita who visited Express on 34th Street (we've got two in the district, one on 34th and one in Manhattan Mall).

After coming across some really fun dresses, tops, and cardigans in the last few months of sales, I was excited for today’s trip to Express. And it seems like the majority of their items is on some kind of sale.

This three-tone dress had a great warm color palette, and plus it has pockets! ($69.50, plus 30% off all dresses)


I wanted to try a few pairs of pants for work, and wound up enjoying the shirts, that I had hastily grabbed, more than the pants. I like this purple throw-back for $29.99:










Anyone else reminded of Jessie Spano? (Pants are $49.50 to $69.50)


Speaking of ruffles...
I’ve been slow to catch on to the ruffle trend this spring. I think these ruffles are a little too large for my body, but the shirt ($49.50) does a good job of adding curves while maintaining mine. The only thing I don’t understand is the fins on the back – maybe much? Or needed to keep up with the sharks in midtown?


Express,
34th St. btwn 5th & 6th, or Manhattan Mall, 33rd & 6th 1st fl.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Fossil for Fall: On Your Arm and on Your Feet

These are a selection of a much bigger collection, of course, but you should be seeing it all in the 34th Street Fossil store come August and September (don't forget the Justin boots will be arriving in store the end of July).

Yeah, I want that leopard buckle shoe.





















If you like birds, look for this motif on all sizes of bags this fall. Little clutches, too. But move fast, this laptop bag is a best-seller at Macy's.














Click to view some of my favorites from the "key" collection of bags. And I want those boots (lighter color, I think).


















Quilted, but not like-your-grandma-quilted bags. And that red bag on top is the color I want for cowboy boots.

















Of course, clogs! You have to get a clog, you have no choice. And I knew I was going to have to regret my Western eye-roll. But which color?












Fossil, 38 W. 34th Street between 5th & 6th

Monday, May 24, 2010

Enter Billabong's Big Wave Bikini Design Contest

I first titled this "Billabong's Swimsuit Competition," and then visions of women strutting the stage like Miss USA floated through my mind. Whoops, no, this is not a bikini contest, it's a design contest. But when Billabong mentioned big-wave surfer Maya Gabeira and sent these photos along, yes, this is pretty much what I expected to see:













My heart stops just looking at that photo. I admit that I am now a big chicken and waves above my head freak me out. I used to be fearless as a kid, but discovered on my honeymoon in the Caribbean (post-storm, Atlantic Ocean-side) my fear of really big waves.

Maya, obviously, does not have honeymoon-related big-wave anxiety.

But you can win a 3-day Hawaiian surf vacation with Maya and a $350 Billabong shopping spree if your swimsuit design (custom-made for Maya) is chosen to be produced for Billabong's spring 2011 collection. Go here for details and enter soon as the deadline is May 31st. The contest is also sponsored by Lycra, and you can draw your submission by hand using their design template or design online using Lycra's "apparel configurator." Get to it, kids.





Billabong,
112 W. 34th Street @ Broadway

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Fossil + Justin Cowboy Boot

It doesn't pain me the way a bell-bottom revival does, but I admit to a little eye-rolling upon spotting the Western way wielding its influence on boots for fall. Until I saw these:These just evoke all my deeply rooted, never-to-be-forgotten, teenage desire for the perfect cowboy boot. I must own these, and you must see these in person (Jacinto boot, $195). Justin Boots has teamed up with Fossil for a line of the real Western thing for fall, and the results are tempting. Mighty tempting. OK, I'll stop. Just go try them on in July when they're in the Fossil store on 34th Street. And be happy knowing these boots are handcrafted in the USA.

These embroidered, mid-shaft boots ($75 $175! My typo-bad tease, sorry!) are pretty darn adorable.More Fossil later, as Craig and I visited the Fall Preview yesterday and saw lots of great vintage-inspired watches and plenty of cute bags. OK, I'm going to go scramble up some loot so I can buy me some new cowboy boots. OMG make me stop.


Fossil, 38 W. 34th Street between 5th & 6th

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

H&M's Style Eye: Get Two on 34th Street

Have you all seen the H&M Style Eye video on YouTube? It's a cute shoot of three friends with different style shopping at H&M, and relevant for 34th Street as our two H&Ms tell a similar story. I love how I get a total different vibe at each store, but to make sure I wasn't way off, I got a quote from fashion blogger/sample sale shopper extraordinaire eeps (sorry, her blog is no longer public), who once worked and shopped in the 34th Street district and was very familiar with both our H&Ms.

"The 7th Ave. H&M always seemed more fashion-forward and risk-tasking than the Herald Square one, and I think the average age of shoppers in that one shows it. There's a lot more people in their late teens and 20s who help move the merchandise quicker. I always went to the 7th Ave. store first, and go to the Herald Square one if my size had sold out of the 7th Ave. location already."
Excellent assessment, thanks eeps. I shop the 34th Street H&Ms opposite from eeps, as I always seem to be near Herald Square and not as often down by 7th Avenue. Unless I need some Garrett's popcorn or a cheap Bruce's Burger fix. Speaking of popcorn, enjoy the flick:

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

What's Inside: Zara Shoes on 34th Street

The shoes in Zara's 34th Street windows always look great, but how about what's inside?
39th & Broadway made mention of fabulous Zara styles in the Herald Square store, so I dropped by and tried on dresses (story here). But a whole lot of these managed to distract me away from the dresses for a bit:







































































What's inside is the usual fabulous shoe curating from Zara. Prices run from $29.99 to around $120. I tried on a couple pairs and they felt fine, but I've never actually taken a pair of Zara shoes home so I can't speak for the long term. Anyone with Zara shoe experience willing to tell all? You know, like they look so good but they hurt so bad?


Zara, 39 W. 34th Street between 5th & 6th Aves.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Lounge at LOFT on 34th Street

I'll be honest, I don't shop Ann Taylor LOFT. When I first started blogging about stores on 34th Street almost three years ago, I dropped by and tried on clothes. I was unimpressed, and only found a couple hats that I liked.

But you knew there would be a "but." The store has been working on updating their image, and it shows. I'm still not a LOFT girl, but you are if you have a slightly more conservative taste in clothes than the typical New Yorker, and you primarily buy for work and casual weekend wear, you are. And here's a selection of what everyone should drop by LOFT for:


The Lounge collection. Find it in the back of the store by the dressing rooms. This is a small, well-edited lifestyle line that is LOFT with big appeal. I want to feel like this big, cozy, but not-too-slouchy sweater every weekend (sweater $59.50, drawstring sweatshorts $29.50, T-shirt $24.50);



The embellished T-shirts and the hair accessories have great style appeal. It's not often you find unusual headbands in a chain store (not shown here, but also look for the Aztec headbands next to the sequin cluster headbands, below, on a table in the front of the store);










I also recommend the skinny jeans (above and below, $79.50) and the pretty, barely-there summer blouses ($44.50).


















Another great thing about LOFT is their weekend sales. A few weekends ago everything in the store was 40% off, and last weekend jeans were half off. Currently I believe all their sale items are reduced by another 30%. The store also carries Havaianas and a nice selection of sunglasses.


LOFT, 35 W. 34th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Zara Women Summer Dresses: Linen, Silk, and Sheer

This bolero has nothing to do with this Zara Women dress post, except it's from Zara and I had to try it on. Weighs about 20 pounds? And looks like a million.













I had almost zero fit problems with the Zara Women summer dresses the other day. The mediums were perfect which made me very happy, as I really didn't want to bitch again about the fit of Zara clothes. No bitching here at all, I love it when a general size like "M" fits me across the board. Of course, the majority of these are an easy fit.

The green ($79.90) is such a cool dress. Cool as in airy and not hot. And I couldn't believe I actually liked the floral print dress ($89.90) and it fit me.



















I always want to get a silk dress like this ($159), but I know I'd ruin it immediately. If you sweat, you can't do full-on silk.

















The orange version of the green above ($79.90). Pretty shoulder detail.













I often look to Zara's Women line for appropriate and not-dull work clothes. These dresses are great for summer work with a jacket, a few are a little too sheer and will require a slip. It's difficult for me to wear a slip in the summer. Actually, I hardly ever wear a slip at all, which is dumb, especially if you have an office job that requires a little dressing up. A slip is an undergarment that can render much of your clothing a lot more wearable and make it hang better. I wish I had a slip on this day in Zara, as then I could show you the really cute red/orange dress I tried on that showed way too much of everything. Look for it, it's very loose and feminine and great for summer over shorts or a cropped pant/legging.


Zara, 39 W. 34th Street between 5th & 6th