Attention Southern California Lifehouse fans!! Want to be a part of an exclusive major internet event with Lifehouse? Yahoo! Music and Geffen Records want you to join us when Lifehouse takes the stage for Nissan Live Sets in West Los Angeles, CA.
GET the BEST shopping deals around at Planet Lulu!! Why? Because there is no car, no getting all dressed up. You can shop in your jammies and get the best deals on name brand denims, clothing, accessories and score major fashion points by NOT paying full price. It doesn't get any better than that. Check out the LA STORY BLOG for all the details.
The sale starts Thurs night 3/22 at 9:30 PM EST ( 6:30 PST) and ends Friday 3/23 at 12 midnight (9 PM PST)
By now you should have a pretty good idea who Josh Kelley is-- maybe you have read the other blog about his CD (Just Say the Word) or heard his music on the radio. Or maybe you haven't a clue-- no matter.. there's good reason here to take a listen to this "long-ish" podcast with Josh Kelley as he's just about to go on the road.
Currently on tour with Keaton Simons, Kelley is more than just a musician. This guy brings a wealth of talent to the table musically and artistically. Savvy-smart about his musical career, he's created his own label to allow him to create and present his music his way. Not only is he into his music but he's into the production end --not only of his own music-- but of others as well and Kelley talks about it on this podcast on the LA STORY Blog-- so check it out!
Irrespective of Posh Spice the (skinny) person, her style is generally impeccable. Like Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, & other timeless style mavens have shown, the secret to timeless chic is to find a "uniform" that works...and then work it to death. These pix show Victoria Beckham successfully doing various takes on the same theme: a black shift, slimming black stockings & footwear, and then adding accessories such as a chic bag & shades, and topping it off with an eyecatching jacket with graphic appeal.
Some options for stealing Mrs. Beckhams' style without breaking the bank:
In our fave post of the week, it's a truckload of unsolicited - but oh so necessary - advice from chicas in the know! The Bag Snob weighs
in on everything from incontrovertible evidence about why it's essential to protect one's delicate face from aging SPF, to
the right bag to carry for your frame (especially if you're teensy), to whether Terri Hatcher should get jaw realignment surgery...or simply wait 'till the end of
the full moon. FASHION:
Think ahead! Girlawhirl offers up a spring 07 fashion forecast & primer.
Meanwhile, it's fall in the here & now. A hot product: long scrunchable, cuffable socks. [Stylehive]
Paris Style Summary: Mattie Roberts cracks the French style code.
This fall's staple: the turtleneck dress. [Stylebites]
Want to Find Great-Fitting Jeans? Turn to Kasil! LA Story gives you the "skinny" (& bootcut, straight leg) in a podcast with David Lim, Kasil designer.
Coquette shares a preview of a new women's fashion line, Mademoiselle Parasuco, while attending the San Francisco launch party.
Second City Style
interviews Uluru NYC's Designer Caroline Priebe - you can't help being
drawn to the elegance and styling of her cashmere sweaters and dresses.
Not available on the Internet to purchase, but available for window shopping none the less - fab Ebel watches for men & women. [Jewelry-Weblog]
Your typical holiday gathering is awash in black-black-black. Fashiontribes shows how to turn the tables (affordably) in a chic white frock with black accents, a la the Elie Saab runway.
BEAUTY:
(left to right: red kissers at Blumarine, Costume National, Anna Sui)
Red Lips: Be Not Afraid! A step-by-step guide to nailing this season's hottest look. [Bonbons in the Bath]
Beauty Buzz
"hearts" this terrific new hair dryer: tourmaline (check), ionic
(check), ceramic (check), lightweight (check), quiet (check!!) and LESS
MONEY (check!!!!)
What you need to know before you shop for foundations, concealer and powder. [Beauty Newsletter]
eBeautyDaily reviews the newest offering from Tom Ford, Black Orchid.
Beauty Addict gives you the full breakdown of the NARS holiday collection...the good, the bad, and the...muddy brown?
Every week, Najwa Moses of Styleaholics.com drops a new episode of her videopodcast, The In List. This week, zip on over to Styleaholics.com to find out why diamonds are a girl's best friend.
In between shooting all over NYC and just generally being fabulous, Naj checks in with Fashiontribes each wek to let savvy stylistas in on the trends...straight from the stylish streets of Gotham:
Some fun New York fashion trends:
ANKLE BOOTS "I've been seeing all shapes, sizes, colors & styles, but especially the pointy toe and stiletto heel. Also popular are slip-on moccasin boots that are lower to the ground, with a kind of Arabic or Indian look. One person was even wearing a cowboy ankle boot with spurs a pointy uplifted toe." (Available at UrbanOutfitters.com)
HOODIES "Hoodies are hot right now. They come with really short sleeves, or all the way down to mid thigh. I've seen them where the hood is a different color. On guys' hoodies, there are a lot of graphcis. Girls are even wearing them as a dress, or cropped, with a drawstring - and in all colors." (Hoodie - Pharmacy-Industry.com)
ANKLE LENGTH PANTS "Sometimes called highwaters, these look adorable paired with a ballerina flat, a loafer, or even a cropped blazer & turtleneck." (Skinny "Audrey Hepburn" black pants - Gap.com)
More layers than a layer cake...and counting. Fall is a vision of leggings, tights, skirts, vests, scarves & overcoats...all at the same time, thanks to Monsieur Marc Jacobs in particular. The good news, however,
is that no one need freeze in the name of fashion this winter! Additionally, layers mean tons of different ways to customize the trend to your particular taste & style.
To make this look work, focus on balance. While a 5'10" model can pull off having every inch swathed in heavy-duty fabric, the rest of us mere mortals are somewhat less blessed. In order to look chic rather than homeless, pick a single area to have the most bulk. A cape, cowl neck
sweater & fabulously oversized winter'y hat combination couldn't be cuter, but all that fabric needs to be offset by a slim silhouette on the bottom; good options include a skinny
jean with a delicate shoe in the same color or tone. Alternatively, voluminous menswear pants
with chunky platforms require a body conscious top. In both cases, balancing the bulk with a slim counterpart keeps things chic & avoids anything that might confuse bystanders with the Michelin Man.
The second secret of layers is fit: get on good terms with a reliable tailor. In particular, pay attention to hem lengths. If you're rocking a cropped pant, it should hit the bottom of your calf precisely where the leg begins to taper into the ankle. An oversized, wide-legged pant a la Chanel? Make sure the tailor measures them on you while you're in the heels you intend to wear them with. If a sweater is meant to be slouchy, make sure it's doing the precise slouch you want while it's on your body - again, a tailor is your magic weapon in this endeavor.
"It all started because I was broked & married to a man who put the "f" in frugal," explains Kathryn Finney, the fashionista behind The Budget Fashionista blog & the author of the fun & extremely readable How to be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. "I started the blog in 2003 as a way to share my shopping finds. The book is similar in that it shows you how to be fabulous and still have a 401K."
Some tips from Budget Fashionista Kathryn Finney on Looking Fab for Less:
YOU AIN'T OPRAH, DARLIN' Put an sticky paper address label on the metallic label strip of your credit cards. "I wrote on mine: 'You ain't Oprah' because I don't have her money. Another good one is Armani vs. Equity. Put it right on the credit card so you see it if you want to use it. It makes you stop and think, and adds in another step before you can use it."
DO YOU LOVE IT? "Only buy what you love, and love what you buy. So many times we just buy whatever. Doing this means I have a lot fewer things in my closet, and I wear them a lot more.
SHOP WITH A PLAN While not an advocate of only shopping for certain items at certain times of the year, Finney advises only purchasing items which will already have a mate. "If something doesn't have at least two items to wear it with, either in your closet or in the store, don't buy it." This saves the money-wasting habit of an it-was-so-adorable-in-the-store shirt or pants still hanging, unworn with tags attached, a year later.
KNOW YOUR BUDGET "Don't spend if you don’t much money you have. Figure out how much you can spend and still eat."
KEEP A CHIC LITTLE SECRET Designer goods from consignment stores are
often a fraction of their retail price. Sure, you'll still drop around
$400 for a Fendi Spy bag, but that's still at least 70% off retail, and
much of the time, consignment goods are in fabulous condition. "No one
need know someone else owned it before."
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE? Focus on dressing for you, and not just on what’s trendy. Not only will not every trend be suitable, but it's better to focus on getting clothes that send the message you want people to receive about you. "Buy what looks good on you, not because it's on the Celeb that's in at the moment, or in Vogue or W. Think about where you're at, both physically and economically. I call it reality dressing." In other words, if your lifestyle neither involves - nor supports - red carpet gowns or oodles of little cocktail dresses, they probably shouldn't comprise the bulk of your wardrobe.
In parting, Finney offers this advice about dressing above your station in life...tax bracket-wise. "Really stylish people don’t focus on labels, they focus on the look. They also make sure their clothes fit perfectly. If something is meant to be slouchy, make sure it slouches correctly. If it's tailored, get it to a tailor," she admonishes. And don't forget that less is more: "Focus on buying on one or two pieces a year – build a wardrobe...don’t buy in bulk."
Unlike money-driven Pret-a-porter, the couture is a lab where fashion & design ideas are explored, tweaked and often followed to ofttimes outlandish extremes. And when designer like John Galliano are brave enough to go for it, interesting things come down the runway.
Unless you're a drag queen, the looks right off the couture runway aren't really feasible for real life. However, they contain vast amounts of important information about the direction of silhouettes, shapes, colors and details. In other words, pay attention to the function rather than the form.
This swashbuckling look Galliano sent down the Dior couture runway is easily adapted for the real way. Simply pair the season's ubiquitous leggings or dark skinny jeans with a structured, tailored jacket that has rounded volume at the shoulders, sleeves and neck - and that nips in fetchingly at the waist. Details to look for: puff sleeves, a high and/or ruffled/layered neck, and bell sleeves. And weather permitting, finish it off with towering platforms that show off that snazzy pedi.
Some great options for interpreting Christian Dior couture for your non-couture life:
