Crisp and creams

We are entering into my favorite part of the year: Holiday season! Carving pumpkins, egg nog, pumpkin pie, and best of all: cool weather to bundle up in. Oh, and presents of course!

Ever since I first discovered Sephora in 1997, I have been obsessed with it. The endless plethora of sampling possibilites! Currently, the newest edition to the "obessed" category is New Beauty magazine. I am in love with not so much makeup, but rather creams, potions, scrubs and masks. When I was a little girl, I used to get into my mom's Mary Kay cabinet (she was a saleswoman for the company) and use the creams and polishes, sneaking away hundreds of dollars away to my room. There is just something about youth - and wanting to keep and perserve it for as long as possible.

Do you wear sunscreen? You should. I hope it is above 30 spf.

A few years ago, I started keeping a journal. Not just any journal mind you, but a beauty journal. A record of all my findings. I write down of samples I tried, and mark the ones I am impressed with, with lipglosses have the best consistancy, which foundations cake, and mascarras what don't smear. It's a beautiful thing, much like this season that is approaching.

There is something about this season, with the crisp air, and foggy nights that make me want to spend my afternoon inside a Macy's/Bloomindales, Sephora's or Neimans. The glitz and the lights just seem all the more welcoming these days.

Cheers to the holidays!

She Lives

It has been rediculously long since I have writen a blog. Indeed, no, I am not dead. Although, at 2:15 in the morning, I should be dead alseep. I have just opened a new blog. However it is not for me, but for my internship. I spent 3 hours today simply messing with the background. It was worth it for me, for the boss pointed to me and announced "This just doesn't happen" Compliment? I'll take it.

Ladies, Estee Lauder has an amazing "purchase with purchase" going on. $28

Gone with a Whim

According to Rhett Butler, one should never drink alone; it may cause one to think that you might be an alcoholic. Well frankly m'dear, I don't give a damn.

I'm alone tonight and I have decided that my white Zinfandel is in great need of some lip service. Readers, it's beautiful. A soft rosy color, dancing on the tounge - and best yet, the sweetness. So tonight, it's luxury night at Amber's Spa. With decanting in progress, there will be microdermabrasion, those disgusting nose strips, waxing, and WWD reading in abundance...With Legally Blonde. Ladies, here's to entertaining ourselves.

Heavens to Betsey!

While the leaves of summer may just be starting to fade, designers are already well on their way (and finished) with their Spring 2009 fashion shows. As usual, one of my favorite designers Betsey Johnson pushes the creativity of fashion to the edge. This season for her looked like a combo of Little House on the Praire meets Willy Wonka, with a dash of Anna Wintour (the hair)... all while sailing on the good ship of Jack Sparrow. Can't imagine it? Delve into it below.

It appears that florals are still in full swing for Spring this upcoming year (gee...), but keeping a dress up with suspenders halter style? All the more reason to love BJ - quite possibly the coolest grandma one could ask for. However, my favorite highlight of the show?

Girls walking down the isle of the runway in wedding dresses...with their hands cuffed behind them. Yes.

7th Street

While I often tend to avoid speaking or bring up politics with anyone, I'm afraid that Miss Anna Wintour may have had a point when she said you can often read the world's political story from a good editorial spread. However, this time it isn't what is being worn: The story can be found in the cloth, the buttons, zippers, and thread.

The Garment District of New York (mainly 7th ave and 30th St) is under fire. Many designers such as Anna Sui, Ralf Lauren, Donna Karan, Kenneth Cole, etc are based in New York, and much of their fabric, buttons, zippers, etc are purchased in the district. While their actual samples may be assembled in...Italy (although some are done here in America), it is in NY that the final tweaks are made before the mass product is produced. Yet with rental spaces rising in rent costs, these mom and pop owned stores are being pushed out of their own livelyhood.

Spaces that used to rent for $20 a square foot are now going for $80. Many owners are shutting down, or simply walking away. What does this mean for the industry? It means small business owners are being hit hard, and as a result our American based designers may have to look to China or India and outsource. Marcus Wainwright of Rag & Bone claims that with the closing of these businesses, "All these women who have been sewing all their lives will have to go to work at Wal-Mart, and that will be the end of that craftmanship."
For the American baised designers and consumers, it could mean much more than a lost of craftmanship. It could mean the end of loyality.

So what are designers doing to help? Anna Sui has teamed up with fellow designers and designed a tee. Many designers durring their New York shows have made it manditory for their staffers and crew to wear the shirt. Marc Jacobs will walk out at the end of his show wearing one. However, with such a creative board, you would think they could have come up with a better shirt. C'on now Ms. Sui.

Gad, that font is fugly.

Reality

There are many women (and men) out there who want the prestiege that the wearing of a fine pair of Louboutin's can bring. There is something to be said about a fine pair of office worthy black pumps with a flash of sexy red underneath. I guess Christian understands women: While the top of us "needs" to fit in with the sophisticated world that will earn us our paycheck, it's the underside flash of red that actually brings others into our reality.

But what is our reality, really? For me, it's one day sitting in Anna Wintour's office, telling her that I'm after her job. It's having an internship under a curator, and realizing that I may not want to be one after all (unless perhaps it was at the Met, and in the textiles/couture wing). It's putting together my "ten year plan" and realizing that it may have to be made into twenty. All that, and lusting after a $300 hair tool, and fearing that once someone I know has it (before me) that I won't want it any more. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely adore my curly hair. I may even like it too much. In class, if my hair is down it has more attention from me than the teacher. The fact that my hair curls on its own is facinating to me. I suppose I just like to mix it up. Turns out, that's exactly what the deisgners this season like as well. Florals, plaid, lace; they may all seem as items that should never all be in the same place at once - but then the designers go and give us something else to stratch our heads at: androgyny with a bit of Victorian flare. How is it that the very concept sounds new and very so...very much a sumary of the last 30 years? Yes, we have entered a beautifed reinvented version of self identity.

For me, my self identity will be found in three things: florals, headbands and rice cakes. Roberto Cavalli has done florals to my taste this year. Here is a form of florals that a girl can step out in and not have to worry about seeing the same dress on someone more than three times her age.

Let me leave with you with perhaps the only Prada bag I have ever considered carrying. I can just see myself carrying this beauty while wearing a pair of vintage faded denim, and an off white silk tee. In Louboutins of course - with just enough red to bring you into my reality.

Why, of course!

So sometimes as an intern it's easy to get discouraged. You utter silly nuances, like "my life is going nowhere" and "I feel like I'm waisting my time". You make ugly faces without realizing it, and then you wallow away and watch silly shows like Janice Dickensons' Modeling Agency.

And then your boss mentions the huge annual fashion show. In May. Which just so happens to be 5 months after your internship ends, and she looks over at you and says, "Hopefully you'll be around to help with that - could you model?" Why yes, I could do that.

So a family member of mine is getting married, and I have been put in charge of outfits. And food-y ideas. The thing I can't get enough of? Lace gloves. Roberto Cavalli has a great pair, like these..! They make me sigh. They give me great creative ideas, and sent me straight to the fabric store.

I know I have said this before, but I am excited about Fall 2008. Ralf Lauren has done it again, and another favorite of mine this fall is Furla. I love the crisp fadora's and the shiny patent leather bags; and that little fashion prediction that I snuck in about wedge booties for Spring this year? I'm still holding on to that! This ad for Ralf Lauren reminded me so much of my fourth grade girl scouts holloween party. Why? Because I went dressed up as a fashion designer. I wore my mothers black sequined high waisted, long length skirt with a black heels (that were too big), a black turtle neck, and my hair in a bun. Looks like Lauren and I were in agreement all along! Now if I could just get him to make me a dress. I love that hat!