Bebe and the Striped Slink

I'm pretty sure the title and the photos say it all. This is my stock pose when I'm wearing really tight clothing and am sucking it all in.

Bebe always has me covered with my favorite stripes. Look at my past with Bebe stripes:

• Here Design Lab makes me look like a striped Patrick Starfish
• Here Tara Subkoff makes me sailor-ific in a striped shirt

Ah, memories. 

Bebe 1 West 34th Street at Fifth Avenue

Ugh to the Nog

Thanks to too much egg nog in December, I am now puffing away in the gym in January. I'm definitely going to have to cut back on the nog next holiday season. This year we got hooked on Chipwich Egg Nog, so it's no wonder I'm busting out of all my pants. Yumm.

And this is NOT a New Year's resolution, because then I'll fail and end up head first in a case of Chipwich Nog/belly enhancer. No, this is just a stepped-up gym routine so I can fit into something like these:

These aren't really zipped up in the back. Oh, Joyeux Noel.



















Suede lace-up shorts found on the sales rack at Bebe on 34th Street (50% off $139). Although my short-short days may be long gone, a girl still wants to prance around a dressing room singing a little ZZ Top to herself while taking pictures, right? I mean, that never goes away.

You know their back-up dancers wear shorter shorts.















Bebe, 1 West 34th Street @ Fifth Avenue

Shine On, Bebe

I was cleaning out my Bebe picture folder and found these from last month. Which reminded me to remind you to check out Bebe for your holiday party shopping. The Design Lab had some serious sequins happening down on 34th Street:

It doesn't get shinier than this. Dresses around $269.














Jacket is $219. If I could, I'd get the jacket as it's really saying 80's Madonna to me. Or are the sequins affecting my hearing?












You won't be surprised to hear the feathers were flying at Bebe. Nothing more fun on 34th Street (maribou cape, $129).









What's underneath, also came in black and a very happy blue.













Hmm, I want more fringe on this, but I''m digging the concept:















Bebe, 1 W. 34th Street @ 5th Avenue

Bebe Design Lab: It's Purpleful

There is no sucking in my gut enough for purple horizontal stripes.















This leather is as soft as it looks. Love an asymmetric zipper.















Bebe Design Lab is full of purple. I adore the purple leather coat ($249), wish it was longer, but what a perfect hue. And me in that sweater dress ($119) reminded me of a kid's cartoon character, I just can't remember which one. So I called the experts, my 3 nephews, but haven't heard back. Stupid preschool and kindergarten. Meantime I've inserted a picture of Patrick Starfish from Spongebob. Close, yes?

More Design Lab and some Tara Subkoff for Bebe Design Lab later.



Bebe, 1 West 34th Street @ 5th Avenue

Old Rhinestone Dog

Man, you give someone a good review, and then they go and do this:


















Old dog, new tricks, you know the saying. The website calls this a studded decal tunic, but in my world studs don't shine like this. This reminds me too much of that Bebe logo shirt. Luckily, the Bebe Design Lab team also did this:










Sexxxxy vest. This shit, ladies, needs to be worn out at night with nada underneath, please. Construction is solid ($98).

How about this beautiful black jacket (below)? Sometimes, we forget the basics when we're obsessing over the newest trends. This is simple, fitted, and wait, a little braiding detail so we don't get too bored.











I likes! Crazy sheer stocking/legging things with buttons up the calf ($49). These are baggy because I tried on the large.





Love the dress shape and color, but the buttons look cheap. And one was already a goner. I can take cheap buttons from a $9 Bitten top, but not from anything nearing $100. Funny, because most of this line is very well made.







Little black dress ($169). It was going in the "studded" fright category, but then I put it on. Fits like a glove and dare I say I don't hate the rhinestone zipper back? Maybe I'll call it ironic?



Let's end with a cute woven hobo, not Design Lab but new in store ($229).



Despite the return of "studs" and rhinestones, I look forward to more Design Lab efforts for fall. Fall Tara Subkoff for Bebe is not in stores yet.

Bebe, 1 W. 34th @ 5th Avenue

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