Link Likes: A beauty interview, a fashion line, two blogs and a recipe

First, an interview with the fabulous Tracee Ellis Ross.  She is the celebrity with whom I have the most physical traits in common, so it was great to see this interview. The product that I most want to try is Bumble + Bumble Quenching Complex.
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/face-time-tracee-ellis-ross/

photo: Tina Turnbow

 The Stolen Girlfriends Club was featured on Fly Girls, and I am in total lust with this T-Shirt dress below.  The more vibrant prints that Andrea featured are to die for also.
http://www.stolengirlfriendsclub.com/collections/womens

photo: stolengirlfriendsclub.com

If I remember correctly, a commenter on Jezebel linked to this next blog.  Esme and the Laneway features enviable vintage style and great photographs:
http://esmeandthelaneway.blogspot.com/

photo: esmeandthelaneway.blogspot.com

I am looking for home decorating inspirations and stumbled on this post of vintage vanities and dressing rooms.  It is amazing to see how important perfumes and a handheld mirror were to a glamorous woman's arsenal! (warning: this site plays music automatically)
http://loveyourplace.blogspot.com/2009/09/vintage-vanities-old-hollywood-glamour.html

photo: precodecinema.blogspot.com (I think)

And finally, I went to Whole Foods the other night hoping to find  Valrhona cocoa powder, but I had no such luck.  I ended up with Ghiardelli, which is still great of course.  I also had to think about how to properly sweeten the bitter cocoa powder and remembered that Angelina's hot chocolate was dark, sweet, and perfect.  Here is a recipe:
http://www.savory.tv/2009/12/12/paris-hot-chocolate-recipe/

The September Issue

It's waaay to early to even think about cool-weather clothing where I live (the mid-Atlantic region).  But I just got the September issue of Lucky, and I can't say I was too impressed, so I wanted to write out my thoughts on what I expect to see.  It is not so different from what Bill Cunningham has seen on the streets of New York.  In line with what Lucky likes, I imagine we are going to see a lot of nudes, knee-length to mid-calf dresses and skirts, horizontal stripes and a general vintage feel .  I think they went over the edge with overly textured things (like feathers, velvet, pailletes and shearling), stars and polka dots.  I mean, the expiration dates these trends are still fresh (I think stars were hot in 2006/2007 and dots were not to far after).  And we just need to stop trying to make velvet happen. If you are (as awesome as) Prince, you get a pass.  Everyone else, please just don't. 

The most recent Bill Cunningham feature was about people recreating Breakfast at Tiffany's out on Fifth Avenue. Even in the summer, New Yorkers are still wearing all black but the daytime hemline is mid-thigh, but still fairly conservative.

With all the louche behavior and fashion that we are continually inundated from reality TV shows, maybe  these normal people on the streets of Manhattan are protesting by returning to a time of elegance.  Holly Golightly's circumstances are probably not that different from the modern woman: she lives in a world with a lot of uncertainty - about money, love and family.  And besides all that, most nights she goes to parties and drink, because well, that's what people do when they don't have a solid sense of direction or don't have to get up to go to work (plus, it's fun!). She manages her eccentric activities always with a lot of charm.

So now the issue for September is how to recreate the late 50's/early 60's classiness now?

please click through to see product recommendations

A Mid-Summer's Wardrobe Dream

It's a dream because I have no money to spend!  Since I live in the mid-Atlantic region, I still have a month and a half of hot weather to look forward to.

I always loved Yigal Azrouël's drapey dresses, and this one from the Outnet is on sale for $312!

I love a floral skirt that accentuates the waistline ALICE by Temperley, $96.

I hate my arms, so this dress will cover them perfectly and is super cute.  Missoni, $656.

This short-sleeved kimono-inspired Boudicca dress is perfect for hot days, but for $3,020, it will put a hurt on your wallet.

Asymmetric jersey by Zero + Mario Cornejo? love! This grey dress will ship in September for $575.

This gorgeous red Narciso Rodriguez dress is made out of jersey appears to be cut on the bias.  $1,295.

Cropping Skinny Jeans with Raw Edges

Earlier this week I took a pair of shears to a pair of skinny jeans that I wasn't wearing often and cut them above the ankle.  It wasn't as easy as just cutting and calling it a day. I have some experience in sewing, so I used chalk, a sewing gauge, pins, a good pair of shears, and a needle & thread.  I kept the edges unfinished, but I have another pair of the same style of jeans that are white, so I want to do a finished edge on that pair, probably sometime next week.  The jeans that I altered were by BDG, and I bought them a year or two ago at Urban Outfitters. I think they are the same ones as these:

photo credit: Urbanoutfitters.com

Step 1: Put on your jeans and wear them for at least an hour.  Skinny jeans usually need to be adjusted during the day due to sitting and walking, so wearing them for a little while to find the ideal fit will lead to accurate length. This is my starting point:

Step 2: Fold the bottom of both jean legs upward and mark where you want to cut.  To determine your ideal length, look in a mirror after folding your jeans.  Wear it around for 15 minutes or so then look again to see if you are truly satisfied with the length.  Use a piece of chalk to mark the bottom of the fold on in the inner and out seams of one leg.  You can use chalk that is from a fabric store or even a WASHABLE chalk that kids use.

Step 3: Take off your jeans and turn them inside out.  Lay the pants flat on the ground or on a table.  On the leg where you put the chalk marks, measure the distance from them to the bottom on each seam (I used a sewing gauge, but a ruler or tape measure would work).  Make sure that the fabric is smooth and pin above the chalk marks and along the seams to ensure that one side won't move out of place while you cut.

Step 4: Cut that leg using a good pair of shears, keeping your cutting hand as even with the table/floor as possible. I cut above my chalk line, at 5 and 1/8 inches.

Step 5: Put your pants back on and check out if you like the way that pant leg looks. Satisfied with the length? Move on to the next leg.  If it can go shorter, cut again, and remember to measure and mark with chalk where you want to cut. 

Step 6: Again, while inside out, measure and mark the second leg where you want to cut.  Above the chalk mark was 5 and 1/8 inches, so I made the new chalk mark above the ruler when it measured 5 inches.  Repeat pinning and cutting correctly.

Step 7: Almost there! Right-side-out, the outside seam is not anchored. So I took a piece of dark thread with a study needle and with tiny stitches, attached it to the inside of the jeans, trying not to go through to the right side(the part that shows when you wear the jeans). 

Good luck with making your cropped jeans out of a pair of skinnys! For my white pair, I will probably do the "French cuff" way of folding it under, but I will probably stitch it down using my sewing machine.  We'll see. Sorry for the poor pictures, if and when I crop the white pants, I will use my actual camera instead of my flashless blackberry! (By the way, the nail polish I am wearing on my hands is Dr.'s Remedy in Mellow Mauve and I can't remember what was on my feet)

Sale Alert - Asos Mid-Season Sale

With free shipping and returns, you cannot beat Asos's mid-season sale.  I bought the skirt below a few weeks ago.  I ordered on a Monday, and got it on Thursday or Friday!   They have a lot of great maxi skirt options I had to restrain myself from.  Remember what you like or want to hide about your body when choosing the skirt of your choice.  Even though some of the models are super skinny, you can can still see some extra curves due to shapely legs or hips in a tight, unstructured skirt.  They usually try to hide these body bumps with arm and hand placement. 

photo credit: asos.com

What to Wear with Cropped Pants (Under $200)

Above-the-ankle pants will be pretty hot until about next year, and we can probably expect to see them most with ballet flats and a fitted tee - a very classic look that is very commonly associated with Audrey Hepburn.  But I would like to see a different look that is a little more unexpected.  Suede lace-up shoes will toughen up the look, while the drapey-ness of a jersey top will make the look more feminine, relaxed, and sexy.

Shoes:

Clark's Desert Boot (men's sizes, $100):

Rachel Rachel Roy Lenice ($120):

DV Dolce Vita Pascal ($88):

J.Crew MacAlister ($198):

Tops:

Rachel Rachel Roy  Maggie ($49):

Rachel Rachel Roy Twisted Shoulder Top ($43.99):

TopShop Orange Seventies Stripe Tee ($32):

TopShop Grey Marl Baseball Tee ($50):

Reiss Holly ($115):

Reiss Bluebell (also pictured above, $135):

Mossimo Drapey Tee ($14.99):

photos lifted from: reiss.co.uk, zappos.com, rachelroy.com, shopdolcevita.com, jcrew.com, topshop.com, and target.com

The New-again Silk Shirt

OK, first I saw it on Garance Doré's blog...

Then I see it on Tommy Ton's coverage of the fashion weeks..

Then again on Mane and chic's blog...

Well..... in the middle of this series of events, I saw a shirt in this style at H&M, but I only got one size to try on. I liked it, but I need a bigger size but I had to get outta there so I gotta go back soon to try on a size 8 and buy if it looks good.  I will try to snap a pic as well. I think it was about $40, but I am not 100% sure.

I did some research and I didn't see many, but I really like Club Monaco's "Iman" shirt (oh, and STUDENT DISCOUNT!!!) so I will try to check out that sometime soon. I think I prefer this shirt with a voluminous, A-line skirt, but Club Monaco's styling is always on point (en pointe? I dunno).  No pricing info.

You can always go for the Equipment "Signature" Silk Shirt for $178.

Reiss actually has a few nice ones!  I like this sheer brown "Charlie" print for $215:

This style "Chris" has jersey paneling on the side for $175:

If you want to show your guns, go for "Kansas" for $175:

Lastly, ASOS has a boyfriend shirt for $37.07:

photos lifted from garancedore.fr, style.com, maneandchic.com, clubmonaco.com, nordstrom.com, reissonline.com, and asos.com

Raspberry for fall?

I noticed a small, but exciting presence of red, burgundy, and raspberry in some of the Fall 2010 presentations.  Some looks were head-to-toe, and others were more subtle as a pop of color.


In the Burberry Prorsum collection, in the sea of off-white, mustard, black, and army green were pops of royal blue and raspberry.  This look came off as very fresh to me.  The economy in the US and other places are still slumping, and from what we have seen in the past few years is that people are wearing color in spite of the dreary economic forecast (overcast for a long-ass time).

In Dior, we saw in the sea off pretty chiffon, ruffles, and soft pastels some darker-toned raspberry accessories and clothes (as well as mentally-unstable-heiress hair *love*). 

After an army of black, Altuzarra presented quite a few all-raspberry and all-red looks.  I am also really like high slits and visible underthings lately. I think we may see more of this next year, though.

I loooooooved the peek-a-boo red from Ann Demeulemeester.  Her and Burberry's were among my favorite collections for Autumn/Winter 2010.

Like Dior, Balenciaga had a very pretty, fresh-faced, light-colored palette.  The darker colors, like this pair of dark raspberrypants and a few black pieces were stand-outs because of the spring-feeling show.

Well I hope you enjoyed it, I hope to see raspberry as the unexpected color to make an outfit.  There were shades of yellow and pastels that were unexpected as well for the presentations as well.

photos lifted from style.com