Ladies in Red

Forget Christmas. Take a hike Easter. It's my favorite religious holiday...Fashion Week! As I speak, a multitude of Spring 2010 collections are being shown in NYC. I pray that someday I'll get to attend the shows of my favorite designers. But until that day comes I'll be viewing them via the slide shows on Style.com in my pj's & coffee. Almost as good right? Eh.

So last Sunday I was viewing Chado Ralph Rucci's collection and was immediately drawn to the gorgeous red dress which can be seen here. And it got me thinking. I always say red is my favorite color, but there are practically no red garments in my wardrobe. I think I need good, red statement piece. But what type of piece to choose? Perhaps I should look to some well known ladies in red for inspiration:



Veruca Salt - She may look innocent, but she's a force to be reckoned with. She knows what she wants and she wants it NOW DADDY! Love her dress, but I don't think I can pull of a Peter Pan collar at my age.








Jessica Rabbit - She's not bad, she's just drawn that way. Is it sad I will never be as sexy as her in a red dress? Sigh. And that dress has one hell of a slit...too much for me!
















Dorothy's Ruby Slippers - Being bestowed the powerful sparkle-y pumps gave her the moxie to take out the Wicked Witch of the West. But I've actually already worn ruby slipper heels....to my senior prom!







Heather Chandler in Heathers - When she ruled the school she always wore her favorite red scrunchie. She even insisted on the red ball when playing croquet w/ the other Heathers. No way in hell will I wear a scrunchie!





Nancy Regan - Red was Nance's signature color when Ron was the head honcho. Her style's a little too....senior citizen for me. I'm going to "just say no". I couldn't resist :)











Little Red Riding Hood - She may not be the brightest bulb in the tanning bed, but any little girl who has the guts to travel to granny's through the woods, alone is ok by me! Come to think of it I could use some sort of outwear......aha that's it! A coat it is! Let the hunting begin.

Every Task You Undertake Becomes A Piece Of Cake

One night recently while bored and perusing movies On Demand, I saw Mary Poppins was available. Realizing it had been YEARS since I watched it, I decided to partake. I forgot how delightful it is! Not only do I love the character Mary Poppins (played by the wonderful Julie Andrews) but I'm SO jealous of her. Why can’t I fly with the help of a wise-talking parrot umbrella? Why can’t I have a bottomless handbag? Why can’t I jump into sidewalk drawings, win a carousel horse race and invent fourteen syllable words? And most importantly why can’t I have her practically perfect wardrobe??? After doing a little web window shopping, it turns out her style is alive and well! Emulating a modern Mary Poppins style is easy with pieces like these:



Tapestry Day Duffel $378, Anthropologie















Trench with piping $50, Chinatowner.com














Bow headband $5, Forever 21











Two-tone Mary Janes, $208 Anthropologie











Parrot Handle Umbrella $40, Amazon.com













*Maybelline Mineral Blush in Fresh Plum $8, Drugstores

*For those rosy cheeks the kiddies requested!

The Holy Grail

There are few things on Earth that are coveted by almost every woman. Diamonds. The Dream House. A Miracle Anti Cellulite/Wrinkle/PMS Pill. At this particular moment I’m coveting the perfect pair of jeans. That go-to pair that always looks great and can be dressed up & down at the drop of a hat. If I find these magic jeans all my wardrobe problems will be solved. But alas....I have not been so lucky in the jean department. I have a love/hate relationship with jeans. Eh...it's more like a hate relationship. I've tried countless brands, fits, price ranges etc. No one pair has ever completely satisfied me. As soon as I think I’ve found the perfect pair, something always goes wrong. Like I'll realize the elasticity sucks and they're stretched & baggy out after one wear. Or the color of the rinse considerably fades after only a month's worth of washes. Shopping for a new pair gives me ADDD (Attention Denim Deficit Disorder). Trying to focus on which brands to try on can be overwhelming and frustrating. But no matter how much I hate it, it's a purchase I need to make. So I’m on a mission to find the Holy Grail of Jeans. Every woman should have the perfect jean pictured in her head. Mine is as follows:

#1 Straight leg, Medium or dark blue rinse

#2 The Goldilocks Rise – the rise isn't too low or too high....but just right!

#3 Make my tushie look like a million bucks

#4 Doesn’t cost a million bucks (Within the $100 range)

All other aspects of fit such as waist gaping or length can be easily tweaked by a tailor. As a petite and curvy girl I’ve come to depend on my tailor to create a more flattering fit on many pieces I buy, especially jeans. If you find a good, affordable tailor never let them go!

So does such a pair of jeans exist? Where do I start? I originally planned to narrow my search down to specific retailers/brands that had decent customer reviews & magazine write-ups. I decided instead to just attack the Cherry Hill Mall, picking stores at random. After visiting many stores and trying on dozens of pairs, I found THEM! And at two retailers I never frequent: Banana Republic and New York & Company.

Banana Republic straight leg, mid-rise $80

New York & Company, straight leg mid-rise $39.95

Both fit me wonderfully and both are well under 100 bucks...jackpot! I left the mall without buying either pair, but after thinking it over I may just buy both. That way I can see which pair stands the test of time. Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition ;)

Are Friends Electric?

I wear a lot of black. I adore color and prints but I always tend to gravitate towards black clothing, especially when I'm having a morning wardrobe crisis. To avoid looking completely dull, I love to add a pop of color to a basic look to via a shoe, piece of jewelry, etc. Looking to add color to your wardrobe? You might as well try something REALLY bright or neon. Go big or go home people! Electric shades were all over the Fall 09 runways. Michael Kors, Versace and Marc Jacobs all showed intensely bright pieces in their shows. Don't want to invest in a neon ensemble? Accessories are the way to go...super fun and affordable! Unlike the Marc Jacobs bag Kate Beckinsale is rocking in the pic (retail value around $1000...eeek!) there are bright accessories available that won't break the bank. Here are a few cuties:












Urban Outfitters, plastic two-tone sunglasses $10
















SR SQUARED by Sondra Roberts Neon Bow Clutch, $21






Miss Me Vernice Satin Platform Pump, $40

Last Gasp

Now that September's here it's totally sinking in that summer (sadly) is just about over. Although I'm super excited for fall: new clothes, pumpkin flavored ANYTHING & crispy weather...I'm bummed. So in a pathetic attempt to cling to summer I'll be playing my Summer '09 Playlist repeatedly until September 22, 2009 at 5:18pm (first day o’ fall). Maybe even beyond that.

The playlist consists of the songs I found myself playing over & over these past few months. I love how you can listen to a song and remember a certain time of year, person, event etc. This eclectic mix of old & new fav's will always remind me of Summer ‘09 :)

Coconut Girl - Brother Noland

The Ocean - Led Zeppelin

Summerboy - Lady Gaga

Sunday Morning - No Doubt

It’s A Good Day - Peggy Lee

Hot Pants (I’m Coming) - Bobby Byrd

The Greeks - Michel Colombier

Tennessee Jed - Levon Helm

Twenty Five Miles - Edwin Starr

I And Love And You - The Avett Brothers

My One And Only Thrill - Melody Gardot

Volare - The Maguire Sisters

40 Day Dream - Edwin Starr & the Magnificent Zeros

InVestigating

I usually write about fashion trends I thoroughly enjoy. Not the case in this post. I'm reluctant to accept the vest as a likable trend. In my opinion vests are silly. I’ve never been able to take them seriously as a wearable item of clothing. Probably because most of my vest associations are comical...

Ferris Bueller wearing a white t-shirt and knit leopard print vest. With a baseball jacket. God 80’s fashion was TERRIBLE! Only Ferris had the personality to pull it off that atrocious look and remain so darn likable.

Back To The Future. A 1980’s Marty McFly walks into a 1950’s diner. He’s wearing an obnoxiously puffy vest. With a button up shirt. AND a denim jacket (again TERRIBLE!). The cook promptly says to him “Hey kid what’d ya do, jump ship?”

And a great quote from Mean Girls. Such a hilarious movie! In one scene the mean girls discuss their wardrobe rules to obey. If they don't obey the rules they are banned from the cafeteria lunch table. The queen bee Regina is about to be banned and arguing the wardrobe rules aren’t legit. Her drone Karen is pissed.

Karen: Those rules were real that day I wore a vest!

Regina: Because that vest was disgusting!

Finally, I asked my Dad. Because he's the only regular vest-wearer I know, that makes him my go-to guy to uncover the allure of the vest. Here’s how our phone conversation went:

Me: Hey Dad, you still wear vests, right?

Dad: Yeah I have about four. Two that I wear for work and two suede vests, one black and one brown.

Me: So clearly you’re a vest fan. What do you like about them?

Dad: I like a vest because if your shirt sucks you can still look good.

Style words of wisdom from Mike Cicalese everyone.

There are a variety of vests out there, not just in Mike’s closet. Fur and faux fur vests are supposed to be super hot for fall. Celebrity stylist and author Rachel Zoe (whom I love but most people can’t stand!) will be debuting her line of fur vests on QVC very soon. Denim vests are also quite prevalent. They are so 80's to me I just can't accept them! But below are some vests that don't make me violently ill:

Corduroy vest, Old Navy $24.50

Leather vest, Express $88

Nylon Lace, Urban Outfitters $68

So will I be purchasing a vest anytime soon? Don’t hold your breath. But never say never.



Step Aside Mr. Hines.

Ah, brownies. So simple yet so delectable. Did you know that the brownie dates back to the late 1800's? It's said that the first brownie was invented (like many other enjoyable American snacks!) at the Chicago World's Fair. A high society broad named Bertha Palmer attended the fair & coveted a dessert that was small and easy to pack in a picnic lunch. She made her request known to a chef at the famous Palmer House Hotel and voila, the brownie was born.



I've made many a boxed brownie in my day, but never from scratch. After realizing how simple it was I decided to give it a whirl. I had heard that adding espresso powder to the batter heightens the flavor of the chocolate and gives the brownies a wonderful richness. It's true they were delicious, far superior to boxed brownies! I'm now a from-scratch brownie convert.

Brownies

Ingredients:
8- 1 ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter
5 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat; set aside. In large bowl beat eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture, then flour and salt. Finally add espresso powder and cinnamon. Pour into pan & bake for 35 minutes.