Photos from the Tweed Run in London

The Ralph Lauren Rugby Tweed Run is a charity bicycle ride with special activities along the way, including a tea break in Chelsea. The London version (there are also rides in New York and Florence) included several hundred participants all dressed in their tweed outfits. How fun does this look!

High/Low Decorating- Stylish Boudoir

I don't know about you, but the one thing that keeps me sane is having a place I can retreat from the world and just be by myself. It's the place where the decor describes me and the books and pictures are my favorites. And while my place isn't as gorgeous as the pictures below, I like this so much that next year it may look like this! It has a very baroque feel- with the the rococo style ceiling and walls painted pink and white. Sort of like Marie Antoinette at Versailles, just scaled down a bit, so it's the perfect size for you. For the prices and where the stylists went to find the different pieces visit Style at Home here...

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My Week With Marilyn

Opening this past week, was My Week With Marilyn, starring Michelle Williams. It covers a week of Marilyn Monroe's life during my personal favorite movie of hers, "The Prince and the Showgirl". Emma Watson also has a small part in the movie, as well as Julia Ormond (Vivian Leigh) and Kenneth Branagh (Sir Laurence Olivier) who play some of the greats of Hollywood at that time. I'm very interested in seeing William's take on Marilyn in this movie. Marilyn was moving towards the end of her career, and was such a fragile soul at this point, that you can sense it even as she was acting the bombshell in the film. I couldn't decide if William's had captured her spirit when I watched trailer for the film, but she certainty seems to have it in the set of pictures she did with Vogue. Can't wait to see it!

Top photograph by Annie Leibovitz of Michelle Williams for Vogue, Bottom photograph of Marilyn Monroe. 

Annie Leibovitz: Looking Back

Normally, I try to feature current or upcoming editorials; whether they be from Vogue, InStyle, Elle, or other more indie magazines. But, every once in a while a vintage editorial will really inspire me and I just have to share it. This editorial isn't vintage but it's inspiration all the same. I was watching an early 2000s documentary on Annie Leibovitz recently, and they went to Versailles for a Vogue shoot with Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette (she had just finished shooting the movie). The clothes and the atmosphere were exquisite and it reminded me of just how opulent the period was. Leibovitz manages to capture that over-the-top feel while not losing the fragility of the people she shoots, which shows what a masterful photographer she is.

High/Low Decorating: A Tiffany Dressing Room

Style at Home gives a creative take on decorating for a large or limited budget. This installment they chose to decorate a dressing in a gorgeous Tiffany-inspired blue. My favorite part of the rooms is the blue and white striped wallpaper. So often, stripes scare people, but used in the right colors and size they can really make a look standout. And, the crystal chandelier is such a gorgeous idea for a dressing room! We all need one! For any of the prices on the pieces used in each of the photographs, click here...

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The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Wardrobe: Capes in Transitional Weather

Capes are big this season. They aren't difficult to style when it's cold, but since most of the US is currently stuck in transitional weather it's hard to figure out how to wear them. So I've pulled outfits from Atlantic-Pacific, Late Afternoon and 9-5 Chic for some inspiration for us all.

Atlantic-Pacific's outfit is created around a simple color palette. Neutral accessories frame a floral dress that gives a great pop of color.  A short sleeve cape (under which she can later on wear a long-sleeved shirt or turtleneck once the weather gets cold) in a neutral tone, a large bag (also neutral), black heels and sunglasses and a floral dress in gorgeous rust, ochre and chocolate brown colors make the perfect outfit when it's not too cold outside. 

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A Video On How Not To Be Boring

I'm not one for surfing YouTube. To me it has the same appeal as Sunday Football... or is it Monday Football? Anyway, the point being that I don't like to sit and watch all the cute cat videos, or the kids whose parents ate their candy (which was totally cruel) for hours on end. But, that's not to say YouTube videos don't have their uses. So, for today's post we're going to look at a useful YouTube video done by an overly perky girl who reminds me of Mandy Moore. Heading into Winter the scarf is your best accessory and this gives different ways to tie them so that you don't get bored too easily (or bore everyone around you). Enjoy!

For more videos by Wendy, visit her YouTube site or her blog, Wendy's Lookbook 

Shop It To Me Gives 48 Thanksgiving Sales to be Thankful For!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whether you're getting ready to work, ready to shop, or staying sane by staying home, have a wonderful Black Friday!



The Power of the Cameos

Writers and fashion trendsetters Miroslava Duma and Shala Monroque have been attempting to start a mini-trend with cameos ever since Paris Fashion Week. Already a favorite of street-style photographers (and both bloggers themselves), they were snapped in quite a few outfits showing off their take on the trend. Miroslava went for the more subtle approach (if a five cameo choker can be considered subtle?) while Shala Monroque dressed more by the "go big or go home" approach.  

Forget Carrie Bradshaw's Closet!

This is the motherload of them all. Model Tamara Ecclestone (and when I say model, I'm being generous here), daughter of billionaire Bernie Ecclestone was given a $45 million dollar house by her daddy- and her closet takes up an entire wing of the first floor! The Daily Mail had the exclusive tour...

"Miss Ecclestone’s dressing room and private bathroom are spread over an entire wing at the back of the first floor. The centrepiece will be the £1 million stone bathtub, carved out of white crystal. The bath, which will require reinforced floors to support its two-ton weight, will be illuminated from underneath and semi-transparent.

The other half of the wing will be dedicated to the model’s exhaustive designer wardrobe. Miss Ecclestone, who once said that she had ‘lost count’ of the number of £5,000 Hermes Birkin handbags she owned, will have her clothes stored in six rows of wardrobe racks, dedicated to either ‘eveningwear’, ‘casual/gym wear’ or ‘everyday’.

The Proper Feeding and Care of Your Wardrobe- Fur Vests

Yes, it’s the major trend right now, and yes it’s kind of hard to pull off, but that doesn't mean you have to avoid it like the plague. There are two tricks to making this trend work that you can use if you aren’t model tall/skinny ect… The first is to find a fur (real or faux) that isn’t too bulky. This vest isn’t for warmth, no matter how much it might look like it- warmth is more of an afterthought than anything else. Thinner furs will add less bulk and make you look better, and this goes double for anything you wear under it.

People come into my store all the time and try the vest with their cable-knit sweaters on and then moan on and on about how bad the fur vest makes them look. That’s because they’re layering wrong. When you layer, thin pieces are key. The perfect look is a thin long-sleeved turtleneck under a vest that is half an inch thick at the most. However, that’s not to say you can’t wear the bulkier look, which brings me to my second point… How you wear the vest.

Obsession of the Day: Glitter Heels

Glitter shoes are the best way to amp up your holiday look. They are perfect with the little black dress you've worn to too many parties. (It might be time to buy a new one?) Don't save them just for parties though! You can put them with skinny jeans, and a leather jacket for the perfect Girl's Night Out look. The possibilities are endless if you are feeling creative!

Ready, Set... BLACK FRIDAY!



This week, the majority of America will be taken up with planning for, shopping during, and recovering from Black Friday. My personal marathon will involve starting work at 9pm on Thanksgiving (Yes, that's right, N-I-N-E on Thanksgiving) and working till 5am Friday morning. So, with only my hour break to shop the "midnight madness" sales, I've got a couple of things that I (and I suggest you ) will be doing.

• Make a list. Don't get to the mall and walk around aimlessly. Know the three stores you absolutely want to shop at, and what you want from them. Most of the people visiting my store this past week were scoping out what product we had in, if anything they wanted had a limited quantity and asking about our discounts for Black Friday. If you target the stores you want specific items from you'll have a much better chance of actually getting them. Once you have your main stores out of the way, you can get some coffee and wander around- the pressure's off. Of course, once the pressure's off you'll probably still manage to make stupid purchases. I have three seasons of House M.D. with the wrapping STILL on them.
• Know the discounts and what you're prepared to spend. Missoni for Target was the gauge for how well we were going to do at this and most people failed. I personally spent about $200 on merchandise and only kept about $80. When you're under pressure, and there is a limited amount of time or product, most people buy whatever they can get their hands on. They spend WAY too much, only to have buyer's remorse and try to bring it back the next week. Which brings me to my next point...
• Know the return policy! Some stores won't give cash back. Some have a limited time (like two weeks) for you to return something. Other stores, like mine, will only do store exchange or store credit. If you impulse buy, and then they have a crappy return policy, it's your fault for being an idiot. Thankfully, most stores begin their holiday return policy on Black Friday- so you should have till after Christmas to return since theoretically you're buying gifts (although we all know you're only pretending to, while actually spending all your money on yourself) and your giftees will need the option of returning. But again, YOU are responsible for knowing the policy and throwing a hissy fit when you find out there's a problem with the return a week or two later doesn't help anyone.
• Decide if you should even bother going to the mall on Black Friday. Everyone knows Cyber Monday is when to get great deals on electronics and the best thing about it is you don't have to leave your house! But, the little known secret you don't hear about is that most of the stores start their sales on Tuesday or Wednesday of the holiday week. (My store's deals start Monday) If you wait till Thursday, you might get the early bird discount of 15% or 20% but you're actually only getting to choose from the leftover merchandise people have been picking through for the last two or three days. Unless you are getting a massive door-buster discount, it's probably better for you to hit up that store on Tuesday.
• Don't forget the little stores. Sure, everyone hits up the malls, but this is a tough economy and there are a lot of small-town stores and boutiques that need your business too. Sure, they're a little more expensive than Walmart, but you're getting great quality items (often hand-made and limited edition) that makes the gifts you're giving (or keeping for yourself, shhh) so unique. Ultimately, the money you put into your local stores will make the entire community better and more stable.

So those are my tips for Black Friday survival. I also suggest a survival package including electrolytes, morphine and bandaids if you're trying to work it like me and not just shopping. At least those people get to decide when they leave. I'm stuck!

Happy shopping y'all!

Picture via BGR.com

Minimalist Style: Miranda Kerr

Miranda Kerr has an effortless street style. She knows what looks good on her and repeats the looks. Whether it's a white tee with leather, or a basic blazer, she knows how to make each look amazing.

Street Style: Paris

So much about this girl intrigues me. The raspberry and pale mint of her socks and skirt... and are those pen drawings? She is so unique to look at that you can stare at her for hours. And even if I hadn't put Paris in the title, wouldn't you have known she was French anyways?

Create the Look:
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Jason Wu dress, Alexander McQueen bag, Lacey Ryan bracelets, Lois Hill rings,
Versace socks, BCBG heels

Obsession of the Day: Lover Serpent Dress


So obsessed with this Lover Serpent lace dress! I've already featured the white version that Hanneli Mustaparta wears in this post . But then I saw the red version that Miranda Kerr wore to a David Jones event and started drooling. Not only is red a HUGE color for fall, but it's such a statement dress. Add some silver Alexander Wang heels like Hanneli and you're ready to go running down the streets of Paris (not that I'm saying you should... just an option).

Because All We Really Need in Life is SHOES!

Miu Miu Shoes. You've probably seen the dresses from the show, but these were the real stars.

Vintage Inspiration

I'm sure you've already seen this picture, but every time it shows up on my computer I'm so inspired by the gorgeous (and apparently double-jointed) model. The photographer is Norman Parkinson and the model, looking so elegant while in the most awkward pose known to man, is the famous Jean Patchett, a glamorous model of the '50s and '60s

Picture via Dustjacket

Editorials from Around the World: Elle Mexico

 Santiago Ruisenor photographed Elle Mexico's October cover girl, Jessica Marie, in some amazing outfits. If you're looking for some new Fall outfits perfect for your trip to New York, look no further!

Inside DVF's Latest Collection

Diane Von Furstenburg set the standard for dressing women with her wrap-dress in the '70s. Since then she has continued to design gorgeous, flattering apparel for women. And none more so than her recent Fall collection. Our favorite bloggers from Atlantic-Pacific and Late Afternoon were lucky enough to get the chance to partner with stylist Brad Goreski for the full DVF experience.



Details

Fans at Lanvin

Who Left a Tree in the Library?

This post isn't in keeping with my normal fashion-centric postings, but when I saw this on NPR.org I just had to share. Art and libraries are so important that anything we can do to bring attention to them is laudable. I hope the unknown artist continues to leave these gorgeous works around Edinburgh!

 

She is Awesome.

Everything about this picture makes me happy. The craziness of the clothes (please don't try at home), the braces, cotton candy pink hair, the awkward skinniness... It's precious!

Pictures via Candice Lake

Behind the Scenes at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Saucy Glossie was lucky enough to get an invite to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show that will be airing on CBS, November 29th. She goes behind the scenes for some great pictures of the models getting prepped for the show and what the makeup and hair stylists are using on them. Check out her entire blog post here.

I can't wait for the show to get here!



Vintage Inspiration: Picture of the Day

Courtesy of Dustjacket, a vintage image by photographer Signe Vilstrup

Editorials From Around the World- Vogue Australia

Katie Fogarty is photographed by Max Doyle for Vogue Australia in this shoot. It's inspiration is based on African Chic which makes me think of Michael Kors recent runway. Can I just say how happy I am about all the turbans in these pictures?

ColorBlock Inspiration: Gary Pepper Vintage



Street Style Spotlight: Nicole

Nicole, of Gary Pepper Vintage.

When Accessories Make the Outfit



The "It" Nail Colors for Fall

I'm always looking for amazing colors for whatever season I'm currently in. That was why I was ecstatic to find the Glitter Guide's article on the 7 colors for Fall. I've already got a couple of these, but my collection will soon be expanding to include that gorgeous sage green as well as a few of the others on their list. Be sure to check out the rest of their article here...

Street Style Spotlight: Erin Featherston

Designer Erin Featherston- Her hair is so pretty!



Etsy Obsession: Fairytale Pendants



According to her, Mab Graves was discovered in a cabbage patch on a cool Summer night several years ago. The note pinned to her blanket said CHANGELING but her parents decided they would call her Mab instead. Later in life she would be diagnosed with “Terminal Artist” . A condition she lives with to this day.

Street Style Spotlight: Esther Quek

Esther Quek, Fashion Editor