Flower Power

Simon Tu necklace

Every time I wear this Simon Tu necklace I get tons of compliments.  Friends and strangers alike will ask where I got it so I wanted to post it and give everyone the scoop on this beautiful piece.  It is from Simon Tu on Lexington Ave and the low East 60's in Manhattan.  Simon, the designer, is in there a lot and he really gets involved in helping the patrons pick out the jewelry which is nice.  Simon Tu jewelry is used a lot on tv and in photo shoots.  The pieces are made from natural stones and are statement pieces.  This necklace is African jade and agate.  Pieces are not inexpensive, but they are not prohibitive either.  I first became aware of Simon Tu jewelry while watching the show Lipstick Jungle that starred Brooke Shields and Kim Raver.  They wore his pieces in almost every episode and I loved the look so I tracked them down.

I love this piece with yellow or beige.  I wore it the other day while shooting a reality show/documentary for Nat Geo with the cockatoo.  I had on a beige dress and the crew wanted me to add something colorful, so my friend Christine loaned me the really cute yellow jacket above, which I now covet!  Later that night I went to an event and traded in the jacket for a long light beige sweater jacket and everyone started asking about the necklace which inspired this post.

Here's a closer look at the flowers:

Semi precious stone flowers

Greener With Envy

Green is the hot color for Fall, specifically dark green shades like hunter and emerald.  Every store I visit has a beautiful, dark green suede purse for sale.  Green is my favorite color so I am very tempted every time I see one of those luxurious purses, but I already have a dark green suede purse that my mother gave me for Christmas a few years ago.  We think she got it from Bloomingdales, possible Neiman Marcus, we just remember that it was from one of the major department stores and it came in a few colors, but she picked green because she knows I love the color.

Dark green suede purse

The hobo shape of this purse isn't what I normally carry:  I like a more structured bag, but I really like this purse and I love the lighter sea foam green stitching.  

Stitching detail around handle

Green purses are not as common as some other colors, but this Fall they abound, so if you like green this is the time to get one.  Dark green looks great with tan, brown, black, yellow, navy, and so many other colors, it would be great addition to any wardrobe.

Super Swag

Swag isn't just for celebrities on Academy Awards night.  Swag bags (aka goody bags) are given out at many charity events as a little 'thank you' to ticket buyers/guests.  Sometimes, depending upon the event sponsors, the swag is stellar, ie:  a silver David Yurman necklace at MoMA, a CH by Carolina Herrera purse at the Frick, and Tiffany & Co. perfume at AMNH in the past.   Usually, swag is an accessory of some sort like a nice umbrella or a tote bag.   Make up, skincare products, nail polish, sunglasses and fragrance are also popular goodies.  I end up giving a lot of it away to friends or my manicurist (for her daughters) or even to charity.  Sometimes I save up a bunch of the toiletries and donate them to charity when I donate clothes.  I assume that people who need new clothes will also appreciate free shampoo and soap.

Today I attended FIT's Couture Council luncheon honoring designer Oscar de la Renta.  The luncheon was fabulous, with many well known fashion faces and celebrities like:  Sarah Jessica Parker, Anna Wintour, Judith Ripka, Real Housewife Caroline Manzo, Diane Von Furstenburg, Nina Garcia, the Bush Twins, Martha Stewart.....On the way out everyone received an Oscar carrier bag including either a beautiful scarf or a pair of earrings, and a sample pack of six of Oscar's fragrances.  Very generous of Oscar I must say.  I was lucky enough to snag both a scarf and earrings because I was one of the last people to leave and there were only a few bags left and the people manning the table had a couple pairs of extra earrings.  Sometimes the best accessories are free accessories!

Oscar de la Renta earrings and scarf

Fragrance sampler



Accessories for the Accessories

A few months ago a friend loaned me a cool cow print bag.  When I looked inside there was a small pillow in it still in a sealed plastic bag.  I emailed her and told her she must have left one of her kids' pillows in her bag.  As it turned out she had just come up with an ingenous way to keep the shape of her bags.  Instead of keeping all that annoying paper stuffing inside of bags she had purchased small pillows from Pottery Barn Teen and was using them in all her bags.  They come in a variety of sizes and start at about $10 each.  Totally worth it to keep an expensive bag worth hundreds or even thousands in perfect shape.  I orderd a bunch and stuffed all my bags.  Now I don't have to pull out wads of paper stuffing every time I use a bag. Tip:  leave the plastic wrap on them.

Pottery Barn Teen mini pillow



Also important in keeping bags and shoes in good condition are the pouches (usually felt, sometimes other soft fabric) that most quality ones come with, especially if you store them where dust can reach them.  I keep my shoes in shoes cabinets, but I still leave them in the pouches because somehow in NYC dust and soot seem to be able to reach everywhere.  The pouches are also great for protecting shoes and bags when traveling.   A while back my mother ordered me a few personalized pouches for my bags and shoes.  They are so cute and I use them for the shoes & bags that didn't come with pouches of their own.  They are extra roomy and made of a soft canvas.

Personalized shoe bag

My mother thinks she ordered them from a company called American Stationery.  I think they make nice gifts and would be great for kids going off to camp or college!

Baby's First Pair of Choos

My mother tells me that, as a baby and small child, I loathed shoes.  She said it was a huge fight to get me to wear them and/or tights, even in the winter.  Hard to believe considering how I LOVE shoes now. 

In last Sunday's New York Times Style Magazine there was an article about Bergdorf Goodman's new shoe salon and they mentioned Manolos (a personal favorite) a lot.  That got me thinking about my first pair of Manolos and my first pair of Jimmy Choos, the two brands that are synonymous in pop culture with luxury shoes, thanks in large part to Carrie Bradshaw on Sex in the City. 

My first Manolos were purchased at their fabulous annual sale over a decade ago.  I got there a few days into the sale.  I didn't want to brave the line that forms the first day in the bitter cold so decided to wait and take my chances.  There wasn't a huge selection left in my size and when the saleswoman suggested these I didn't really love them.  I was hoping for something more basic, but once I put them on I was hooked!  They look smashing with a gray pencil skirt and jazz up an otherwise sedate outfit.  For half price shoes I almost passed over they are still going strong in my wardrobe over a decade later.

Gray, green and pink Manolo Blahnik slingback stilettos.

 

Close up of the front of the shoes

 

 

 

From the moment I put these shoes on I became a Manolo girl.  If you wear Manolos you know what I'm talking about.  Sex in the City sparked a "are you a Manolo or a Choo girl?" debate.  I think they both make beautiful shoes, and I do have some Choos, but overall I find the Manolos fit me better.  I try to get to their sales when I can, because they have some great deals.

 

 

As for the Choos....my first pair was also about a decade ago.  They were a gift from an ass of a boss who was trying to keep me from quitting on him.  Trust me nothing gave me greater pleasure than going over to the Jimmy Choo store and buying a pair full price (which he bitched about to the saleswoman on the phone when she called him for his cc#).   He was so obnoxious to the sales woman on the phone that she didn't charge him tax because she was afraid to call him back and tell him there was tax on the price she had quoted him.  She certainly empathized with me and realized exactly why I deserved the shoes!  He is now long gone as my boss, but the shoes are still part of my collection.  No point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater!

 

 



Plaid with leather flower Mary Jane Jimmy Choos.

 

 

So, I want to know, are you Manolo girls or Choo girls?  Feel free to send photos of your favs!



Cowgirl Chic

Cowboy boots and booties are back in a big way this Fall.  They've been back for a couple seasons, but things seem to be peaking this Fall.  In fact, I think I'm going to cave and buy a pair of cheap tan suede cowbooties for Fall.  I saw some I loved, but passed a couple times and now I regret it and can't find them.  Project for next week....The reason I'm going to get inexpensive ones is because this trend can't last too much longer.  Here is a picture of really nice, expensive ones from Roger Vivier that I spotted on line...I'm lusting after these....

Vivier tan suede cowboy influenced ankle booties

Of course I already have several pairs of cowboy boots and booties, but they are all vintage and not tan.  I had a fabulous pair of vintage Frye cowboy boots, but during one of my periodic decluttering, downsizing frenzies I gave them away (stupid, stupid, stupid) and deeply regret it.  The three pairs of vintage I have now are still in great condition, and I think I'm going to keep the tall boots, but am probably going to sell the booties, because I can't really see myself wearing them any time soon.  In fact, I think I am going to start selling some of my accessories on Ebay because I have accumulated too much and feel a decluttering episode coming on again. 

Vintage black suede Chilies cowboy boots

I used to wear these with black stirrup pants (okay, dating myself here), black turtleneck and a green blazer when it was cold out and I wanted to be comfortable, but still have some pizzazz on casual work days.  This time around I may pair them with a black dress.

My cowboy booties, or cowbooties as I like to call them, are both Guess.  The black ones are the same ones everyone had in the 90's.  Mine are still in pretty good condition.  I used to wear them with black or blue jeans and a black blazer when I went out with my girlfriends.

Vintage black leather Guess cowbooties

I also have a very special, and I suspect uncommon, pair in white.  I remember buying them because I had not seen anyone with white ones and I had a pair of dark navy jeans with white stitching that they looked amazing with.  (I still have those jeans and they are now vintage, lol.)  The only problem is that NYC is not the cleanest place to wear white cowboy boots, so I only wore them a handful of times.  They are in excellent condition and so comfortable.  If I lived in Texas or Southern California I would keep them and make them a Fall staple.

Vintage Guess white cowbooties

If you're into western wear enjoy the cowboy boot/bootie trend, just please pass on the fringes.  Unless you plan to ride around town on a horse fringes on boots or pants are just over the top and ridiculous.  Fringes are okay on bags as long as they are not paired with an outfit of western wear, because that just screams rodeo.

In Love With Love and Some Ducklings

Two of my current favorites purchased at local shops in Katonah....not expensive, but fun.  (Special thanks to the cockatoo for letting me use his beautiful feathers as a backdrop.  More of his photos from this photoshoot can be seen on his blog:  www.cockatoochronicles.blogspot.com)

I love the "love" jewelry.  Not only do the pieces make sweet gifts for loved ones, but they are an important reminder to women to take time out to love themselves. 

Love ring on a cockatoo featherbed

On a human finger...

This necklace just makes me smile.....

Duck with ducklings necklace..