august 11, 2008   the other night i watched ‘please don’t eat the daisies’ mesmorized as doris day put on elbow-length leather gloves.  i knew that this fall and winter, it was imperative i add a pair to my wardrobe.  behold, i walk into h&m the next day finding a pair for a reasonable price! with a wide sleeve sweater or coat, leather gloves will definitely be a trend for any nyc fashionista.  i’m in love with the idea of referring to classic cinema for articles of fashion – in some way making us feel a part of that era

july 17, 2008   the difference between a fad and a trend: a fad is a small-scale, short-term event, while a trend has duration and leaks to mainstream (kudos to the wikitionary).  an obvious trend in baroque-style floral and chandelier patterns, damask, lace, scroll designs, and concepts alike appear more often than ever in fashion as well as interior design.  the cameo emblem seems next in line – photo from martha stewart (the trendsetting genius) – and im sure we’ll be spotting it in mainstream soon enough.

june 26, 2008   no offense D&G (after all, who am i??) plaid just reminds me my catholic school uniform.  one must be totally committed in order to pull of plaid. such as an overlaid argyle sweater vest as seen in D&Gs fall/winter 08 collection, which was just a lightning round of plaid-tastic ensembles.  the plaid opaque stockings are so tempting!  looks like ill be increasing my treadmill sessions to look thin in those!  one piece added to your outfit wouldn’t hurt, but please, just promise you’ll put the plaid to rest by December – don’t want your outfit to be camouflage to a macy’s window display.  at least Dom & Steph didn’t do paisley…  psych!

now for the ugly: upon reading the collection description by style.com, “balmoral” caught my eye. assuming it had something to do with plaid/scottish attire (c’mon give me some credit), i went to wikipedia to confirm.  my curiosity led to scrolling ..”northern ireland” … “scotland” … wait– “balmoral chicken” ?!  “this is a popular Scottish dish comprising chicken breast stuffed with haggis”

wait– what?!  haggis?  just look it up and get back to me…

June 24, 2008      yes, i eat least one meal a day with chopsticks, whether salad, sushi, or thai-tofu chicken.  what brought the odd habit to my recognition? an article in Jun/Jul ‘08 NY Spirit Magazine entitled, “The Year Of Chopsticks”  where Katherine Poili writes, “reaching for a pair of chopsticks in search of tranquility seems completely appropriate.  they are, after all, a tool originating from the same land that gave birth to meditation, tai chi, and tea ceremonies.  of course, the original reasons for eating with chopsticks had nothing to do with meditation.  an ancient chinese rule of etiquette banned knives from the table to avoid reminding the eater of the gruesome event of the killing of the animal being eaten.”  who knew?

fyi- chopsticks are traditionally held in the right hand, even by left-handed people and it’s considered poor etiquette to hold them any other way.

i like the idea of being conscious of every morsel of my meal.  and anyway, forks are so last season- it’s much more chic to be seen using chopsticks!  here’s an idea.. reusable designer chopsticks & cases saving the world one plastic utensil at a time. genius.

june 20, 2008   thank god those giant wrestler belts have been put to rest. fall 2008 is all about the normal-to-skinny sized belt whether layered over cardigan sweaters or vests, peeking from under a cute leather jacket, or cinching those highwaisted skirts.  my 6th sense keeps whispering “cowboy” for some reason & i have an impulse to buy cowboy boots for fall despite past qualms…

april 12, 2008   if you haven’t yet, allow the brooklyn museum to rob you of $10 to view art, which should be free!  takashi murakami’s colors and “Super-Flat” images are bold and exciting.  Murakami’s work has influenced fashion, made clear with a louis vuitton showcase and cashier smack in the middle of the exhibit.  Don’t be fooled by cute little flowers or his charming D.O.B character, the explicit captions on some of the paintings implies mystery behind the master.  The paintings’ blurbs, usually meaty with some history or artist intentions, were disappointingly sparse, leaving me wanting more murakami!

march 8, 2008   ive been saying it since october ‘07 but now i have enough evidence to confirm my trend hunch and will put it in writing.  roy lichtenstein’s pop art style and colors have been popping up more often.  this fun, crisp, clean lined look is just in time for summer.  the royal blue and regal red was all over the runway, especially with christian lacroix.  later this month, the metropolitan museum of art will feature super hero-inspired clothing, related to the comic book theme.  courtney cox’s new show dirt features advertisements with lichtenstein’s design.  its on the runway, on tv and polka dots have been in for a while now– so using pop art for inspiration on a summer wardrobe would not be comic at all.

february 16, 2008    what a terrible concept.  fashionable eco-friendly fabrics should shouldn’t be a fad, it should be permanent.  nonetheless, FutureFashion is led by Earth Pledge and Barney’s NY along with the top players of fashion including Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney who used organic fabrics to design outfits.  not only are the clothes eco-chic but they’re wearable!  to read more check out vogue.com for coverage on NYs fashion week.  i wonder if ethical, natural material makes up for all the energy and electricity wasted to run a fashion show…

blown-off steam is no reflection on the photo, from Manish Arora, props to his innovative design and entrepreneurial attitude I strongly suggest you check out his website.

december 23, 2007    just because Forever21 displays forests of costume jewelry from earrings to toe-rings, you need not wear it all at once.  if you’re going to wear a cocktail ring, leave your bangles and gold cuffs at home.  if those shoulder-swiping chandeliers are absolutely necessary to your outfit, then don’t even think about wearing a necklace.  i know you’re tempted by trends of dangling skulls, keys, elephants, and chili peppers, but you will thank me looking back on photos in which your accents are timeless.  accessories are meant to compliment your outfit… unless you’re wearing Harry Winston- then you need not wear clothes at all.