i love this dress

...just wanted you all to know that.
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i love the beautiful shimmery nude/champagne color of this dress and the one shouldered cut, and the sexy short length. it's so on trend, but at the same time it has a touch of class to it. it shows skin, but it's not showing cleavage...it's just perfect! i could see this as looking really interesting if it was odified into a gown as well. i think the color of this piece could be flattering to a lot of skintones, and the beading detail is exquisite.

this is the second time i've featured an herve leger piece on my blog. i guess i'm an herve leger girl at heart...(but one of the classier ones of course).

memories made in the coldest wintour

anna wintour and i have something in common!
she's been recently quoted as saying that she loves to wear sunglasses outdoors as well as indoors. she says that she can "sit through a show bored out of my mind and not have anyone notice." she also says, "they have become armor".

i love sunglasses for the same reason. not only do they protect your eyes from the sun, they protect them from other people! people can tell how you feel by looking at your eyes, but if your eyes are concealed no one knows if you're asleep, awake, or if you have a bunch of old eye makeup on your face. i ride the train and bus a lot and i love to have my sunglasses on so no one can see my eyes. then i can just have a vacant expression and stare at nothing and not seem strange, or i can stare at people who look interesting and not have them look up or stare back. and even if they do look up at me, i don't care-- because i have sunglasses. :)

Forever 21 loves Alexander Wang

forever 21 is a really popular store because it is relatively cheap and offers trendy, chic, and fashionable clothes. they often take inspiration from major designers and produce similar looks for their stores. most recently forever 21 has started providing long silver chains, black leather bags with long straps, fringed black high heel open toe booties, and mini dresses. sounds like alexander wang right? here is their most recent product that was inspired by dear alexander.
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on the alexander wang fall 2008 runway chanel iman pounded down the runway in this beautiful taupe and black v neck dress with all over ruching. for mesh overlay sweater dress for $34 from forever 21 isn't an exact copy, but the color scheme, length and ruching is similar. i like both dresses. even though they are similar they both have their own feel but are both undeniably cool.

forever 21 also produced shoes similar to the ones on alexander wang's spring 2009 runway but when i looked for them on the site i didn't see them. you can view and purchase them in stores though. i am not sure of the price.

thanks for reading! toodles :)

shoe lust list

i've recently developed a pure, passionate and frightening obsession with shoes. here are only but a few of the some of the shoes i'm loving right now.
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if you want to view the image larger i think you can click on it and it expands.

i first saw these alaia brown laceup gladiators on sxy fashion queen's blog, as she wrote about how lindsay lohan has been wearing them everywhere and more recently rihanna has been sighted in them. i absolutely love these. they can really dress up a casual outfit and make you look so unique. these are very feminine and delicate along with being so strong and sexy at the same time. i'm really appreciating alaia at the moment (not his costume institute gala drama though).

pour la victoire makes great shoes and i love their creamy ella zip ruffle flat sandals. i love the big zipper edged frill and the nudey/creamy color. these are so girly! love love love them.

i'm really loving nude shoes right now...forgive me! and these tapeet open toe pumps with neon heel from shopbop are so cool! the heel comes in neon orange or a bright neon lime green. i love the classic cut of the shoe and the fact that they made it more youthful and more interesting by adding that brightly colored heel. ingenious!

alexander mcqueen is proving to be quite the shoe genious. i love classic pumps, and instead of getting them in black (though i really do need some normal black pumps) i'd get them in this bright pink hue. i love this color so much, and my feet would look so good in these pink patent platform pumps which are $860 from netaporter.com. i love the dominatrix look of his metallic leather shoe boots. they could really spice up a simple black and white outfit....they could pull any outfit together really.

the christian louboutin suede multi strap deva sandals are just too good to be true....maybe that's why they're so expensive. le sigh.

i could definitely rock those jean-michel cazabat christa cutout laceup pumps daily. they are simple shoes, and yet are still fashionable because of the strategic cutouts, the slightly conish heel and the beautiful suede the shoe is crafted out of.

i'm really loving fringe, and instead of slipping on flats or slip on sneakers the mia women's taboo fringed flat boot for $43.97 (cheapest shoe on the list) from endless.com would be great to put on with jeans, a skirt, a dress, for when i need to dash out of the door.

there are many more shoes that could find a place on the list, but i just wanted to share a few with you. do you love shoes as much as me? it's getting so bad now that my mom is asking me to give away shoes (but i don't have as many as other people's shoe collections i've seen on here. my shoe collection is like a pea compared to the forest of shoes i've seen on the fashion blogosphere). i'm going to try and reign in my obsession for shoes though, if i bought all the ones i wanted...number 1--i'd be more broke than i am now and number 2--i would have no space in my house, and i wouldn't even be able to wear them all. :)

well, i'm supposed to be studying. toodles.

Belles of the Ball

Earlier this week the much anticipated Costume Institute Gala or Met Ball took place. The theme this year was "Models as Muse". Starting in mid-2008 and continuing into 2009 models have been a source of immense fascination, especially the supermodels of the 90s, such as naomi campbell, christy turlington, linda evangelista (the trinity) and cindy crawford, shalom harlow, amber valleta...the list goes on. In attendance were many dazzling models, as well as our favorite celebrities. There are many posts in the fashion blogosphere about this star studded occasion, and I wanted to add my few opinions to the pool of thoughts on the Met Ball. Here are the gals that I thought deserved the join title of Belle of the Ball.
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first i must say that i wholeheartedly love every look that i've put in this entry. for each girl i saw walking down the red carpet i was literally jumping out of my skin with excitement. they all looked so riveting, and so beautiful, and were all able to showcase different facets of style. one of the first ladies i fell in love with at the ball was marion cotillard. marion knows how it feels to look amazing on the red carpet, she's done it many times before, and on this red carpet she really shone. i love the nude color of her christian dior dress and the beautiful iridescent details on the bodice.

anne hathaway looked like a barbie in marc jacobs. i didn't know what she was going to wear to the met ball, but i'm happy with what she chose to show up in. marc jacobs' fall 2009 collection was heavily 80s inspired, and most of the pieces were out there, but anne makes this work and just adds such glamour, sophistication and sex appeal to it. i love her hair. not many people could wear this style now and get away with it.

kerry washington was so eccentrically cute in louis vuitton. i loved the LV fall 2009 collection (jacobs is a genius!), and i'm so happy she was able to pull this off.

lou dillon was absolutely ravishing in nina ricci. again, i loved the nina ricci fall 2009 collection and i'm so glad to see a piece from this on the red carpet! lou is obviously not trying too hard to look cool, but she looks cool, beautiful, radiant, and every other positive adjective in this dress. :)

liv tyler and kate hudson both came to the ball in shimmering pieces by stella mccartney. liv looked like an absolute amazonian princess and kate looked cute, sunny and playful--as always.

vera wang has been one of my favorite designers since i was a young girl (i'm talking about 9-12 yrs old...i'm still pretty young, but you know what i mean!)...however, i always noticed that whenever she walked the red carpet at events she looked either boring or absolutely horrendous. this might by the first time that vera wang actually looked absolutely beautiful in one of her creations. she chose an amazing beautiful blush pink dress, and i love her makeup and her hairstyle. she always wears it hanging down and i love this side pony.

alek wek knocked it out of the ballpark in this emanuel ungaro. i LOVE this color. i want that dress (and alek wek's height wouldn't hurt either!).

i'm not the biggest blake lively fan. that's mostly because she dresses as well as serena is style on the gg....but i thnk she looks like a total GLAMAZON here! she looks AMAZING. some people said this look is too overtly sexy, and she's trying to hard, and blah blah blah. she totally pulled this look off, not many women can look this great in a dress that shows so much. i love this look! you go blake! oh, and she's wearing versace.

magdelena frackowiak was absolutely stunning in this blue violet thakoon creation. from the little piece of the fashion world that i get to peruse through magazines and fashion blogs i've noticed that although models are supposed to be the most beautiful women in the world, on the red carpet they always look absolutely atrocious, wearing the most outlandish things and never styling their hair. i'm happy to say that at this ball most of the models looked fantastic and mag was one of them.

if you ask me who my favorite olsen twin is i always answer ashley. however, my fave olsen twin at this event was mary-kate. she looked like a beautiful punk victorian couture doll. i absolutelty love the design, color, and handiwork on her christian lacroix haute couture masterpiece. i love her makeup, and her slightly ratty hair. at this event, i really want the wow factor. ashley wore a clean white gown from the row...and it was decent, but mary-kate really had some oomph in her look. this has got to be one of my favorite mary-kate looks ever.

i started getting obsessed with oluchi onweagba ever since i read an article on her in a recent vogue issue. my obsession continues as i am completely awestruck looking at her in this oscar de la renta gown. she just looks so good. i don't know what else to say!

dr. lisa airan is working it in balmain. she is so wearing this dress and not letting it wear her. i love her fashion versatility.

aerin lauder zinterhofer, much like vera wang, works in the fashion industry (more specifically the beauty industry as head of estee lauder) but doesn't turn out very stylish looks. i was pleasantly surprised when i saw this image of her looking like a vision in a peachy gown by j. mendel.

oh sessilee...let's be best friends. i absolutely adore sessilee lopez in this zac posen gown. she is another model who knows how to dress for events (at least for this one). the various colors in the gown work so well with her warm brown skintone. i love her shoes and her sweet smile.

caroline trentini looks like an angel goddess in this john galliano ensemble. i don't think i've ever seen her look so beautiful.

miranda kerr is tastefully sexy in this jil sander piece. i love the fringing, and the cut-outs on this dress. this is proof that black doesn't have to mean boring!

dree hemingway just looks so cool in alexander wang.

katie lee joel is an absolute vision in vintage alfred bosand. i'm loving this nude trend, because everyone has a nudish color that looks great on them.

arlenis sosa (another model that knows how to dress for events) is absolutely smashing in her alberta ferretti frock with her megawatt smile.

kate beckinsale in marchesa was one of my top best dressed of the night because i adore that marchesa gown, and she really worked it. the model who showcased this dress at the marchesa presentation looked horrible in it but kate really made this gown her own and wore it with such grace and savvy.

gisele is ultra cute and ultra sassy in versace creation, it goes so well with her slight tan.

jessica alba looked really cute in this jason wu dress. jason wu is so having a moment right now!

what do you think of my list? i worked on this instead of studying for my finals...so show me some love guys! leave comments, i love to read them and they make me happy.

rogue rouge

like the title? i do too!
anyway, i decided to post this because red lipstick seems to have been everywhere lately. ever since jen brill came on the seen with her eternally red lips, it seemed all the girls on the late night scene wanted their lips blood red as well. we've seen the red lip done at a myriad of fashion shoes, in a slew of fashion editorials and on the high heel clad girls downtown. are you curious about trying this look? the look is appealing to me, but i'm not ready for it yet. before i jump into the world of sexy red lips i'm going to do some research. in order to get the perfect red look you need to take your skintone into account. here are some great options that i found.
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the lip of luxury lipstick in drop dead red by too faced is drop dead gorgeous. it goes on smooth and has a diamond shine. it's perfect for romantic evenings out or fancy events. this color is best for people with lighter skin with pink undertones. you can get it for $18 from freepeople.com. i think a large part of the price is accounted for by the fact that it contains champagne essences. i wonder if you wore it enough, if it would be possible for you to get drunk? farfetched...but you never know!

IMAN Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick in Iman Red 005 is an excellent choice for those with darker medium to dark skin. as you can see in the swatch above, it is a very warm red. but what i like about it is that it is still a true red. it's not too orangey or pinky, it's a pure warm red. there aren't a lot of makeup lines that cater to women of color, but i think Iman did a great thing by formulating a makeup line for women of color. believe it or not, women of color aren't just black women--they're indian, chinese, pakistani, hispanic--they're from island nations, from africa, etc. it's very hard to get all of those different skintones into a bottle, so i'm definitely an advocate for more specialty makeup lines! ok...that's my little spiel...on to the next shades...

Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lipstick is relatively cheap and has three good red shades for various skintones. poppy red is a less intense, muted red for those with light to light medium skintones. the red isn't too intense, so it'll leave your lips looking flushed. cherry twist is a glamorous red for light to medium skintones. it seems to have a slight blue undertones, so it would really pop on people with very warm, orangey/yellowy color in their skin. pomegranate is a beautiful red that reminds me of the sauce on pizza, and it looks just as yummy! this shade would be great for darker medium to dark skintones because it could bring out the gold and bronzey undertones in those complexions.

Luxury for Lips Moisture Rich Lipcolor from Kohl's also has three shades for different skintones. rose wonder is a sheer red that's good for lighter skintones, but could work as a nude color on darker skintones. nantucket red is definitely on the berry side, but would be a snazzy red option for darker skintones, and probably wouldn't require the wearing of lipliner. siren red is great for light to medium/dark skintones. i love it's bright hue.

other red lipsticks that i've heard are popular are from kevyn aucoin, sheseido and givenchy. so if you're willing to shell out a lot of cash you can look into those brands. :)

random fashion news

hi all,
hope everything is going well for you.
feast your eyes on some fashion tidbits.
♥ me

MAJOR LONDON FASHION SHOOT
it is now evident that sessilee lopez, chanel iman, jourdan dunn, and arlenis sosa pena (some of my favoriteeee models!) were involved in a major fashion shoot in london. there is speculation that this shoot can be for the cover or editorial pages of a vogue magazine, love magazine or for i-D's 300th issue. remember that all black italia magazine from last summer? this can prove to be even as momentous! all of the models involved seem excited and i am too.

sessilee lopez arlenis sosa

ADRIANA LIMA: HIGH FASHION MODEL
adriana lima is more known for baring her amazing body for victoria's secret catalogues, advertisements and fashion shows. however, she is ready to move on from that period of her modeling career. she has recently appeared in fashion editorials in popular fashion magazines and has scored shoots with vogue paris and love. she even walked in the givenchy fall 2009 show (remember how excited i was for that?) and might be one of the girls in the givenchy fall 2009 campaign! you go adriana!

PETER COPPING REPLACES OLIVIER THEYSKENS AT NINA RICCI
i'm really going to miss olivier theyskens working at nina ricci. i really liked his clothes and his creative vision. peter copping looks incredibly boring, but hopefully he proves me wrong.

this is his course of action for nina ricci:

“I think it’s a name with a very nice history. I love all the French fashionisms, and Nina Ricci is very much a French house . . . We want to move away from a girl and be more about a woman. I want the clothes to be very tactile, very luxurious — the kind of clothes a woman enjoys wearing, and with attention to detail, which is something I learned at Vuitton.”

ALEXANDER WANG + GAP!

in the past gap has paired up with cfda fashion fund winners or runners up, whether it was to create basic white shirts or other gap merchandise. this time they are pairing up with the man of the moment alexander wang. he will be revamping khaki pieces. already he has crafted a khaki motorcycle jacket that will sell for under $100, and i'm very excited to see how it looks.