Barbie Bling for the Adults

Did you play with Barbie as a kid? I was a huge fan of Barbie and Ken and her entire posse. As I got older, it was not acceptable to be playing with or collecting Barbie dolls. I guess jewelry designers Layna and Alan Friedman thought of me when they designed these blinged out Barbie jewelry for the grown ups. This bling doesn’t come cheap. The Barbie Rocks collection features bracelets, necklaces and rings with the style icon, Barbie, herself on them. The prices range from $8 to $15,000.
If you still love Barbie, show your loyalty with some bling. That’s what Barbie would do.

Celeb-Spiration: George Clooney

If George Clooney were to ask me to marry him, I would do so in a heart beat. Now I am not into old guys but for George I would make the exception. Besides his good looks, acting talent, passion for humanitarian efforts and just being an overall nice guy, Mr. Clooney sure knows how to dress. Men everywhere take note. His look is effortless. He manages to look chic and approachable at the same time. This all black outfit is a stunner.

Guys, achieving this looks is as easy as one, two, three. Honest. For this look, you will need a black suit, black shirt and nice shoes, please don’t do loafers. I would love to see a guy in all gray instead of black for a nice change.

Armani Collezioni Three-Button Suit, $1,695.00, Armani Collezioni Button-Front Shirt, $235, Ermenegildo Zegna Abburatto Buckled Loafer, $525, Dandy – Black Silver Plated Cuff Links, $76

Lauren by Ralph Lauren 2-Button Charcoal, $299, Handmade Black Cotton Italian French Cuff Dress Shirt, $139, Kenneth Cole New York ‘Club Kid’ Slip-On, $255, Silver London ‘Gherkin’ Tower Cufflinks, $150

H&M Announces Comme des Garçons Line

Riddle me this…what do the following people have in common Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli, Jovovich-Hawk, Behnaz Sarafpour? Yes I know they are clothing designers. Try again. Stumped? Alright alright I will give you the answer. All of those designers have partnered with mass retailers like Target and H&M to create affordable clothing for the younger set that crave the lux styles but cannot afford to buy them.

H&M just announced a new partnership with avant garde designer Comme des Garçons. The designer will design a variety of womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, and accessories and create a new unisex fragrance for the Swedish retailer. So fab. I am certain designer Rei Kawakubo will deliver an amazing array of wearable designs for the glam youth market.

In an interview with British Vogue, Rei explains why she decided to partner with H&M.

“I have always been interested in the balance between creation and business,” says Kawakubo of the collaboration. “It is a dilemma, although for me creation has always been the first priority. It is a fascinating challenge to work with H&M since it is a chance to take the dilemma to its extreme, and try to solve it.”

The collection is set to debut in November 2008 and I for one cannot wait.

Ecologie Bags

Throw out those trashy plastic shopping bags and opt for a more eco-friendly shopping bag that can be reused over and over and over again. ECOLOGIE bags are reusable, recyclable shopping bags taking retailers by storm. The line of totes come in a myriad of colors (pink, red, blue, green, and orange) and are named after some of your favorite cities like Dublin, LA, New York, Paris, Hamptons and more. At just $2.50 a pop, these ecofriendly bags make it cheap and chic to go green. Each bag holds four times the amount of stuff a plastic bag would hold and is lightweight, durable, water and dirt resistant AND recyclable. It’s the best of both worlds.

The Look of Plaid

Don’t limit plaid to Halloween school girl costumes or Scottish kilts. The look of plaid is jovial and innocent. Don’t go overboard with an all plaid outfit. Mix and match solids with plaid for a more grown up look. Check out my favorite plaid pieces for inspiration.
H81 Straw Plaid Hobo
Crinkled Plaid Halter Dress

Plaid Ruffle Panty
MARC by Marc Jacobs Plaid Lame Mod Dress
Nanette Lepore Brushstroke-Plaid Dress
Tartan Slingbacks
Won Hundred Bash Dress in Puritan Grey
Jovovich-Hawk Darla Dress in Navy Plaid
LaROK Sitter Coat in Yellow Plaid

Members Only "Classic Bomber " Leather Jacket

Babies of the 80s might not remember the Members Only jacket invasion. I remember the Members Only jackets were the hottest things ever for guys. Nowadays I am not sure whether guys of my generation really wear Members Only jackets anymore; however, the brand is back with the classic bomber jacket for the ladies. Join the exclusive club by owning the ‘Classic Bomber’ jacket. The jacket is available in Cognac and Gold. Go for the glitz in gold or classic rocker chic in the cognac. Either way, you will not go wrong.

The Look of L.A.M.B

Gwen Stefanie’s unique style has evolved over the years. As a result, her 3 year-old clothing line, L.A.M.B, is hotter than ever. The eclectic mix of Harajuku, rocker, femme fatale, school girl, and goth styles is chic and wearable. I love her use of color and cuts for skirts and dresses. Gwen is a style icon and No Doubt will be bringing us beautiful clothes for a long time. Most of you know I am shoe girl and cannot resist a well made shoe. Check out a few of pieces from her L.A.M.B collection. The collection features luxurious leather bags, shoes and clothing. I am in love with the Lucille pleated dress. I love the sweetheart neckline and the pockets. Reminds me of a really glam teacher. L.A.M.B is available at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, We One You Two and other stores in the DC area.

Lucille Pleated Dress
Cascade Skirt
Triple Pocket Trenchcoat

The Patio Dress

The look for the season is effortless style and nothing says effortless than a maxi or patio dress. These long frocks are a must for the spring and summer weather when all you want to do is relax by the waterfront with friends while sipping on margaritas. The secret to looking fab in patio dresses is to pick a silhouette that flatters your figure. Show of your back, arms or your tiny waist in different cuts and styles. Remember to have fun with the dresses. Bold prints and vibrant colors are chic. For a toned down look, simply pair a necklace, earrings and flats or kitten heels. If you want to vamp it up for night, put on heels, and accessorize. Here are a few of my favorite looks.

Issa London Printed Silk Gown, $715, Single Watercolor Patio Dress, $312, Development Ruched Racer Back Floral Sketch Jersey Dress, $495
Janie Maxi Dress, $44.50, Rachel Pally Shirred Cami Dress in Diamond, $220, Diane von Furstenberg Long Chifon Print Dress, $425

Curvy jersey maxi dress, $109, Long halter dress, $89, Women’s Maxi Tube Dresses, $29.50

The Look of Estée Lauder

I am living on the bare makeup essentials right now because I lost my makeup bag a couple of weeks ago. Bare essentials being my Sue Devitt Triple Seaweed powder, a powder brush, Cover Girl quad eyeshadow and Rosebud Salve lip balm. How I manage to still look so glam is baffling to me. I went to the Bachelors and Spinsters Ball last night and needed to look a little bit more glam than my usual self. I had about an hour and a half to get a mini pedicure, hair washed and blow dried and makeup done.

I dropped off my Zipcar, Mazda Maisey, at the Ballston Metro so I decided to make a hair appointment at Kenny’s Hair salon and a pedicure appointment at a cute little nail salon on the corner of Randolph and Stuart Streets. The event started at 9 and I had a couple of pre-parties before hand. So after the hair and nail appointments, I went over to Macy’s to see if I could purchase some eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick to complete my look. I usually choose Shiseido eyeshadow and lipstick but there was no one at the Shiseido counter so I hobbled over to the Estee Lauder counter.

I asked the friendly sales woman at the Estee Lauder counter if she could do my makeup for me. She kindly obliged and completely made me over. I told her that I wanted to feel like Barbie, so she chose pinks and muaves for my eye colors. I loved the entire look, from the eye shadows to the mascara and pencils. My favorite item in the collection she used was the Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Candy and the Pure Color Gloss. The cotton candy pink color looked amazing with my complexion without looking cheap. I loved that the lip color stayed on all night through drinks, food and kisses. At less than $20 each, I left the makeup counter with both products.

Greenify Your Space

Join the green movement and help keep our planet clean. As Captain Planet would say, “the power is yours.” As a consumer, you have the buying power to make decisions that will be beneficial to you, your family, your community and the world. Helping the planet is not hard. Simply switching the light bulbs in your house to Lumiram Ecolume full-spectrum compact, $19.95 makes a big difference.

The green movement is changing the way we do business. The demand for green products has increased ten fold and various industries are taking note. Department stores and online retail vendors have begun selling everyday products that are organic and environmentally friendly. I went to Macy’s and found an array of bedroom linens, towels and even clothes that are made from environmentally sustainable materials. We still have a long way to go to ensure that all the products we use are environmentally friendly. Until then, here are a couple of products you can incorporate into your green living space.

1. Soft and luxurious sheets and towels from Macy’s Haven by Hotel Collection are made from 100% organic cotton. 2. & 3. 100% certified-organic cotton towels from the Company Store are naturally soft, plush and highly absorbent.

4. Check out Loop Organic’s signature line of 250 thread-count organic cotton sateen sheets for a pretty sheen. The sustainable hemp accent pillow is filled with kapok, a fiber harvested sustainably from the pods of a tropical tree. 5. Anna Sova’s eco-silk linens are prewashed with organic nut soap instead of harmful formaldehyde and come in romantic shades of champagne, marigold and espresso. 6. Veritas is dazzling the bedding industry with its gorgeous eco-linens. These decorative pillows stand out for their beautiful embroidered or printed patterns.