Monthly Archives: April 2010
Monthly Archives: April 2010
Duck Duck…Bill!
During my early days of playing Duck Duck Goose, I was never without my favorite hat (Go Yankees!) on. But as the years have progressed, I have often put aside my well worn lid in favor of more stylish options. I love all hats and believe that they are an absolute accessory to everyone’s wardrobe. And while nothing will replace a good ole baseball lid, I have to admit that Duckbill caps make me smile. I love the masculine lines and long brim that the hat is known for. The vintage styles are near and dear to my heart but the contemporary caps are sexy and unique with subtle patterns and unexpected colorful lining. And most importantly, Duckbill caps look good on everyone. Ready to Duckbill?
Men Should Have Sassy Bags Too.
Our men have lots of stuff to carry, not to mention our occasional additions of cardigans and gloss. Let’s make sure they have a sexy yet functional bag to throw over their shoulders.
Fiscally Responsible Studs
RLove the studded belt look but don’t want to spend a lot? Compare Bergdorf Goodman versus looks at Forever21. I think we have a winner!
How Many Cardigans is Too Many?
1,2 sequins for you 3,4 buttons galore 5,6 look at my pic 7,8 knits are great So I am not a poet but I was inspired after folding my 21 cardigans this evening. Some people are obsessed with shoes (me) and others are passionate about cardigans (me). 21 seems like a lot (to a guy) but each of my cardigans are different and unique in their own cozy way: 5 grey (different lengths, buttons and shades) 5 blue (varying shades of blue, stripes, stars and threads) 3 pink (pink and green striped, pink with green sequins, shoes with sequins) 1 camel with sequins, beads and tulle 1 champagne (sheer, 3/4 length) 1 heather 1 white 1 green, yellow and white striped 1 orange with silk back 1 brown with jeweled yellow and white flower 1 black Fine, fine. I have enough cardigans (not) but I wear every single one with love and appreciation. They save the day every time. They come through every time when I am cold, when my outfit needs a kick start or I need an extra layer to shove in my bag. You know, there was a time when I thought green sequins had no use in the world but they showed me the light. So tell me… how many cardigans do you have?
Not Your Daughter’s Jeans
Let’s face it. Jeans shopping sucks. We all have problem areas that we obsess over and shopping for jeans usually requires a post-shopping cocktail. Too many versions to choose from, too expensive, too tight, too low…. Not Your Daughter’s Jeans – You might have heard of them but they don’t sound as stylish or sassy as Skinny and Rich or Rock and Republic. You probably might even be a bit embarrassed to tell someone the name if they asked. Well, I finally had an opportunity to check them with a client out over the weekend. Let me preface this by saying she is a beautiful plus-size woman standing 5’3” in her early 40s. Recently lost 40lbs, she currently wears a 14w and has a bit of a tummy. I had to get her out of her comfy go to sweats but she was a bit worried about walking down the denim road. I brought in 10 pairs of jeans and we narrowed down to 2 fabulous looking pairs – both Not Your Daughter’s jeans approximately $100 each. They were both high waisted with a built in tummy tucker, nice lycra stretch and flattering dark wash. She looked at me waiting for me to call it. I said “They both look fabulous but it comes down to whether you want to flaunt the bootie or not draw so much attention.” She smiled and said “I am not afraid of flaunting the bootie.” Well I smiled like a proud mamma. And more importantly, she was happy. As someone with a derriere, I can say this to you ladies out there. It doesn’t matter how big your bootie is but how good it looks. So ladies, it turns out that Not Your Daughter’s Jeans are stylish after all. Not because of the name but because they look great. And isn’t that what style is all about?
In Search of My Perfect Clog
It bothers me that clogs come in and out of fashion. I have contemplated buying a new pair in recent years as they came back into the trend fold. But on principle I couldn’t. They looked so contrived with the beading, embroidery, belt buckles, horse hair, buttons, shoe laces, embossed brand initials, peace signs, gold trim, studs, and god knows what else. There is one thing to remake a classic and then another to completely destroy it. When I was 5 or 6, my dad bought me my first pair of Dr. Scholls that I absolutely loved. In my mid-20s, I wore my black suede clogs to death. They were so comfortable and I didn’t slide out of them backwards (well, not very often). My late 20s brought me clogs similar to Dr. Scholls but the sole was painted bright cherry red with a red and white patent leather strap. But in recent years, the perfect clog has eluded me. So I set out to find it. I saw many in my exhaustive shopping travels and I am happy to say that I am now confounded with too many awesome classic versions with edgy twists. Hm, now which one (or three) should I buy?
April Fashions for Men
Spring Favs ★ Vanishing Elephant is one of my favorite men’s designers. The Fairmont Oxfords ($175) made of canvas/leather are must have for spring. ★ Orthodox is awesome men’s line that includes button downs with cool detailing. Check out the Parker Shirt that is marked down to $85. ★ Odacite is an organic, paraben free skin care line started by a breast cancer survivor. This stuff is made so fresh it literally is sent to you with an expiration date.
Bargain Sites–the great, the good, the not so much
I LOVE to shop. I love to touch fabric and feel textures. I literally stop in my tracks and ogle over dresses. Not great when you are with shopping with clients but this is my happy pill. My point in bringing this up is because I was resistant to the online bandwagon. Looking at one dimensional photos of a Chloe top just didn’t result in the same euphoria. But I do need to keep up with the times and shopping online does have some benefits – great deals, easy access and your feet don’t hurt from browsing for hours. Here are my thoughts on some that are out there. The Great GiltGroupe Beware, this is not for the faint of heart fashionistas. You have to be on your game and ready with your credit card. All over the country, trigger happy women are waiting for their desktop app bell (yes, it’s a bell) to ring for the sale to start. Featuring 24-48 hours sales, Gilt features high-end designers for women, men, children and home at extremely reduced prices. Unlike other ecommerce, the site itself is pretty to look at and easy to use. The photos are clear and you can zoom to your heart’s desire. This is my favorite feature since it has stopped quite a few purchases. The purchases arrive on hangers and wrapped in protective plastic and tissue. If Phil Lam goes on sale at 9am but you have a meeting, have no fear. Install the free iPhone app and excuse yourself from the meeting to visit with Phil for a few minutes. You can also plan your meetings around your shopping habit with the weekly sale calendar. The prices are reduced however they are reduced from hundreds or thousands. This means you will still gulp at the prices if you are not a high spender to begin with. The return policy is 21 days for credit. The Good My Perfect Sale If you don’t like sifting through Loehmans or Filenes, this is not the site for you. If you do, keep reading. Aggregating bargains from various online stores, you can create your perfect sale by choosing only the designers you want to see. From there you can filter by price and store to find some really awesome items. But sifting through this takes time, patience and a beverage. But it is worth it if you really covet a designer or look. Take note: if you only search by category, you will be taken to DesignerApparel.com. Same company and site but you will need to go back to myperfectsale.com for your customized view. Return policies are based on the store you purchased from. RueLaLa.com Featuring more mainstream and well known designers, the prices on this site are a bit more digestible on average. Starting at 11am EST, you can check out their bargains on clothes and items for the home from designers including DKNY and Tano. The clothing is a bit more trendy than fashionable. The site is extremely easy to use and the photos really pop. I don’t love the zoom feature as much as Gilt but it works just fine. The purchases that I have made came wrapped in tissue and plastic. Using their pre-paid label, return policy is 30 days for credit. Ideeli Seems like a relative newcomer to the bunch with a lot of advertising everywhere recently. My favorite feature is the emails that come through with an oversize picture and a description. You can find mainstream designers, reasonable prices and good variety of options. Offering free shipping, they have a 14 day return policy for store credit. The Not So Much Haute Look This site has gone downhill for me. It was one of the first that I visited regularly. Not sure when this happened but it seems to feature a lot of mid-to-low end designers that don’t really tickle my fancy. The site still has the likes of William Rast and Joie but it feels like an online flea market now. The page feels cluttered and not as welcoming as the previous two.
Bargain Sites–the Great, the Good, the Not So Much
I LOVE to shop. I love to touch fabric and feel textures. I literally stop in my tracks and ogle over dresses. Not great when you are with shopping with clients but this is my happy pill. My point in bringing this up is because I was resistant to the online bandwagon. Looking at one dimensional photos of a Chloe top just didn’t result in the same euphoria. But I do need to keep up with the times and shopping online does have some benefits – great deals, easy access and your feet don’t hurt from browsing for hours. Here are my thoughts on some that are out there.
Image – What the Heck is That?
Per the dictionary, image is the general or public perception of a company, public figure, etc., esp. as achieved by careful calculation aimed at creating widespread goodwill. I was thinking about this today because I am redesigning my business cards. Not an easy thing to do. How many times have you looked at someone’s business card and told them how cool their card was? Or worse, you didn’t even notice it and chucked it aside. Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I shared my business card design with a few people yesterday and one response triggered this long blog. My friend said “I just think of you as so lively and more colorful… it just feels a bit faded and that doesn’t fit with you… I’m surprised you aren’t doing anything with Gold color”. So of course I sat at my desk thinking is that my image? Lively and colorful? When did that happen? It is quite a nice image but is that how I want you to describe me? I am not sure. I see me as an equal blend of instantaneous dimply happy with snarky moody pain in the ass. Unfortunately, anything that I think or feel is written on my face so I can’t even fake it. But do I want that to be my image? I can see it now. “Work with Jami, the snarky stylist. She is greeeeaaat.” Insert anecdote here… a friend of mine, E introduced me to J who relocated from NY to CA. J called E sometime later and in passing mentioned I was sweet. E cracked up laughing and said “Are you talking about the same Jami, sweet?” Needless to say, E called me and I had the same reaction. No one in my entire life has ever (ever) called me sweet. You saw the adjectives above right? I am getting to my point now. How much do we really care about what people think about us? At what point in our lives do we start taking our image seriously? When do we start untagging ourselves from Facebook? Should we strive to live up to a perceived image or how we want to be? They are not necessarily the same and sometimes contradictory. I don’t have all of the answers right now but I do know this. I look in the mirror everyday and like the image that I see. Until I figure out the rest, that is good enough for me.
