I Miss You Like The Deserts Miss The Rains

Hello from the Hyatt New Brunswick. (West Brunswick? East? I don't know. Also, why are there that many Brunswicks? One's really enough.) Oddly, the room service is quite good here.


My SINCEREST apologies for the delay in blogging. It's NOT because I'm mad at you or anything. What? You heard I was mad at you? WHO told you that? That's SO not even true? Ew. Don't believe anything she says. Come on. She's an idiot. I would NEVER.


Seriously. I miss you! I miss our talks! I've been traveling like a BAWSSE. First I was in Palm Springs taking in all of the angular mid-century modern architecture and Googie signs and enjoying NOT WORKING for a few days. Then I came back to work, endured the resultant shitstorm as one does when they're out of the office and Outlook is like OH HELL NAW when you try to make some semblance of sense of the gravitas of the gravity of your inbox, and then I turned around and went to New Jersey for Bamboozle. (SHUT UP. IT'S FOR WORK.) Which explains the Brunswick.


Anyway, this is a blog about SHOPPING, so let me quickly share that I got a pair of Nike x Liberty of London Dunk Sky Hi platform wedge hi-top sneakers, and HOLY SHIT, they're the best things I threw a honit and twenty at in a minute.

$130, Nike, Nordstrom
These things corner like they're on rails.

Next thing I don't regret buying at all -- the apotheosis of the best-ever boyfriend jeans: Current/ Elliott's Boyfriend Jeans. Best fit, best slouch, and best of all, I sized about three sizes down. Thanks, C/E, for that body image shot in the arm.

$206, Current/ Elliott/ Shopbop.com

Okay. More blogging soon, I assure you so can sleep well tonight. INCREDIBLE tinted moisturizer with a cruiseship-sized boatload of SPF, gorgeous geode jewelry and other fun finds. But I REALLY must shower and wash the power pop off of me. And the Jersey. (No offense.)

LL Bean's Signature Collection Has About 1 Million Cute Things

Believe it. Yes, I too think of fly fishing and WASPs in sensible shoes when I think of LL Bean. But the brand has taken a cue from J. Crew and the heritage-Americana trend and SIGNIFICANTLY stepped it up in the appealing-to-younger-sorts department with their Signature collection, which references the brand's timeless signature pieces with the understanding that the Internet now exists and everything's gotten cuter. And this younger sort right here is 100 percent ready to board the USS LL Bean Signature, which is setting sail for Cuteness Cove... Or something.


As you're surely aware, LL Bean started out as a sportswear company back in approximately 1302 AD, when people depended on killing beavers to survive and needed to wear proper footwear and rainproof outdoorsy gear to then trade the fur pelts for crude forms of thread and early iPod docking stations. I mean... that's kind of a fractured version of LL Bean's history, but I'm pretty sure it's pretty close. LL Bean was clothing of necessity, not of desire. But their Signature collection, which was given a retro update and features smart, sophisticated, easy-to-wear and simple-to-style summer staples, is a far cry from what your great grandfather, Ulysses P. McGillicutty Honeypot, wore to roll logs and shuck clams or whatever olde-tymey people from New England did back then. Or still do. I don't know. I'm from Cleveland.


Whatever, check out the seahorse pants and looks I love from the lookbook, which was styled by The Glamourai.

$79.99, LL Bean Signature

Y'all. LL Bean Signature seahorse batik pants must be seen to be fully appreciated. I bought a pair, and they're so Carole King-dreamy, and you'd best believe I'll style them with a leather jacket and my Tuleste Market black open-toe rosette booties. Also, you're in luck, because the seahorse pants are on sale for $79.

$59, LL Bean Signature

And like, would YOU EVER in your life think LL Bean would tie-dye ANYTHING? No. You'd be out of your mind. But you're not. Because it's happening. Oh, and this purple tie-dyed maxi skirt is also on sale. No, this isn't heaven. You're actually awake.

$59, LL Bean Signature 

Cute batik boatneck top! Never in a million could I, a woman with, let's say, ample curves, pull this off, but if you're not chesty, I imagine this would look full-frontal adorbs on you. And if you have black leather pants, I really think you should do that.

$79, LL Bean Signature
See? Twill school-teacher skirts can be SO CUTE!

$89, LL Bean Signature
REALLY cute bellbottom jeans, right?

$149, LL Bean Signature

I actually might consider violating my own no-ruffles-on-adults rule for this silk 8-bit crane print dress.

Oh yeah, LL Bean Signature has perma free shipping. Which is just beyond generous if you ask me.

Disclosure: I was invited to a private press preview and received a gift card. The more you know!

Good News! I Just Impulsively Bought These Current Elliott Stiletto Leopard Print In BLUE!

$120, Current Elliott, Nordstrom.com

Wait. There's a BLUE version of Current Elliott's Stiletto leopard print jeans? And they're on SALE? So, I bought them. To keep my other ones company. And because I'm WORTH IT.

Court Jeans Sample Sale: February 23 - 26

Court Jeans -- they've got those flattering high-waisted skinny jeans and flares on lock -- is having a sample sale, and my are they being generous with the reductions. The fall collection's up to 50 percent off, and sale prices are under $100. None of that triple-digit sample sale disappointment. Because you don't need that.

When: February 23 - 26 12-8pm
Where: 178 Mulberry Street between Broome & Kenmare
Cash, Visa, Mastercard, Amex accepted. 

Outfit Post/ GPOY: Current Elliott Leopard-Print Stiletto Jeans + Kurt Cobain Sweater

My Current Elliott leopard-print jeans arrived from Community Collection, and they're the absolute apogee of comfort. It's all I can do to keep from wearing them every day. And you know what? So what if I did? It's one of the joys of living in a relatively free country. Same pants every day? Not your problem! Stay noninterventionist about it. In the words of T.I. and Rihanna, live your life. But I digress.

Outfit:
+ Sweater: Dex: I've been looking for slouchy, '90s leaning (Kurt-ish RIP!) sweaters, and when I found this black and grey mesh sweater at ShopAddiction.com, I went in.
+ Jeans: Current Elliott
+ Boots: Marais
+ Necklace: Anthropologie (sold out)

T.I. - Live Your Life - Music - More Music Videos

Outfit/ GPOY Post: LNA Cardigan, Forever 21 Ripped Jeans & Other Comfie Pieces For Pizza

Saturday night was one of the last pizza binges of 2011, so I had to bring it in the comfort competition. But I also felt like wearing something cute, and God forbid someone see me going H.A.M. on some carbs in something UNCUTE!

+ Cardigan: LNA Zip Pckt. It's jersey, has two oversized zipper pockets, and if I lost this thing I'd call the cops. That's how attached I am to this layering staple. Get it for $50(!!!!!!)

+ Ripped skinny jeans: Forever 21.

+ Silk tank: Forever 21.
+ Pour La Victorie studded Oxfords: I have these in olive/ beige too. Wear them at least once a week. #known
+ Bracelet: Ippolita Hard Gloss mother of pearl bangle (gift)
+ Lipstick: Shout out to that Cover Girl LipPerfection Siren 415 lipstick.
+ Pizza: Sam's Chops -- BEST pizza in all of New York. No competition. Just ask what once passed for my midriff.

Community Collection Is Awesome And Will Eat Up All Of Your Money. Proceed With Caution

Oh dear. You need to know about Community Collection. And you're gonna HATE me, but really, you're gonna love me. I just found out about Community Collection, which is an online boutique that sells limited-edition selections of, oh, I don't know, PRETTY MUCH ALL OF MY FAVORITE BRANDS like Alexis Bittar, Tucker, Matthew Williamson, LNA, Adam, Diane Von Furstenberg, Rachel Roy, Steven Alan, Mackage, Current Elliott, Veda, Genetic Denim (LOVE Genetic Denim's skinny jeans), and Elizabeth and James AND 20% of each purchase goes directly to charity.

That (and an almost astonishing inability to control my impulses) is why I purchased these Current Elliott leopard-print Stiletto jeans (and would you just LOOK at them on Dina of Eye4Style), which I've have had on my hit list for a while. Knowing that $39.60 of my purchase went directly to Goods for Good (which helps people in impoverished parts of Africa gain access to educational resources and job skills) as well as the fact that my mental wheel of rationalization was spinning out of control was all I needed to shut it down on these jeans.

$198, Current Elliott, CommunityCollection.com

OH, and hi, I liked Community Collective on Facebook and got 30% off my purchase. See? Your money is gone.

People Continue To Buy Bootcut Jeans

Sad, sad fashion news out of the number-crunchers at eBay: PEOPLE ARE STILL BUYING BOOTCUT JEANS!!!!!! Like, a LOT of them.

Apparently of the 3 million pairs of jeans purchased in the U.S. on eBay this past year, 793,289 pairs were... buh...buh...boot... UGH I CAN'T EVEN SAY IT! BOOTCUT jeans. Maybe this is simply an eBay-only phenomenon? I haven't seen any overall stats from the Denim Council Of America (surely that exists), but if eBay is representative of America's denim-buying habits, then we've got a major problem on our hands. Or, rather on our legs. Bootcuts are bad, bad, bad baby. They make you look short (I should know!), and, worse even than that, they make you look like just emerged from a cave for the first time since 2003. Skinnies, wide-leg jeans, boyfriend jeans or JUST DON'T WEAR PANTS!

As someone who owns an alarming amount of denim, here are some of my favorite denim brands and styles:

+ My favorite skinny jeans: Hudson does skinny jeans worthy of an Oscar, if they gave Oscars for jeans. And Uniqlo's skinny jeans are amongst my favorites. Also, I was just gifted a pair of Genetic Shya skinny jeans, and they're buttery soft, stretchy and feel like they were made for my body.

+ My favorite boyfriend jeans: Current Elliott. The boyfriend of all boyfriend jeans.

+ My favorite wide-legged jeans: 7 For All Mankind Dojo wide-legs. Perfect trouser silhouette.

These Are The Definition Of Crazy Pants

$98, Urban Outfitters

The only explanation for the print on these jeans is this: I think someone spiked a Petri dish of one-celled organisms with MDMA, photographed them under a high-powered microscope, and a pair of REAL-LIFE crazy pants were BORN! The worst part is I actually kind of love them.

Air Conditioning And These Textile Elizabeth & James Slouchy Collins Jeans Are The Only Things That Make Summer Tolerable

($225, Textile Elizabeth And James, Shopbop.com)

Just like you're either a hat person or you're not (I'm decidedly not-a-hat-person, by the way) -- I've come to realize that I'm just NOT a boyfriend jeans person. Maybe I just haven't found the right... boyfriend... but they always give me Humpty Dumpty Mom butt. Which is a hybrid term I made up for a dumpy-looking butt and mom jeans. Though that's pretty self-explanatory, I think.

ANYWAY, point is, I love a nice pair of slouchy, comfy jeans, especially in the summer. And these Textile Elizabeth & James Collins Jeans are like the apotheosis of comfy slouchy summer jeans. I love the slightly Huck Finn-ish nature of the roll-up cuffs and the front patch pockets -- front patch pockets are more summery than those double Popsicles!!! Plus, the forgiving drawstring means there's room for me AND that massive bag of Kettle Corn I straight CRUSHED during the Tonys.

LOFT Is Basically GIVING IT Away

For a while now I've been writing about LOFT and how they've totally turned the store around in the past few years. Years ago I'd thought of it as like "meh" momwear (granted, at the time I was dressing like a Spice Girl with like silver eye shadow, cropped tanks with the Union Jack flag and some crazy Gaga-esque hot pink crinkle skirts and other monstrosities, so what did I know?), but they've truly stepped it up with on-point designs -- I can't you the number of jaws I've had to retrieve from the floor when ladies be askin' where my super-soft chambray shirt or black silk ankle-length pants or black motorcycle jeans with ankle zippers and I tell them LOFT. Anyway. LOFT = get involved. Great silky grown-up-but-not-stuffy blouses and EXCELLENT dressy dress pants that aren't mom pants at redick prices because they're NEVER not having a sale. Speaking of which, LOFT is having a MEGA sale today, Saturday, May 14. It's their Summer Style Event, and basically, you get 30% off of your ENTIRE purchase, and get a $25 savings card for every $50 you save. Yahiknowright? Get on that.

 

Also, if you have NO intention of leaving your house today -- and I get that -- you can save 30% online with promo code MAYSE14E AND you can also enter LOFT’s “My Perfect Summer Getaway” sweepstakes for the chance to win a trip to Mexico, NEW Mexico, Maine or... why not... Minnesota. (Hey, a vacation's a vacation), and other stuff like a $1,000 LOFT gift card (that's a LOT of silk blouses).

Enter by liking LOFT on Facebook.

($69.50, LOFT)

CRAZY cute wide-legged flare sailor jeans! Looks like they're sold out in all but size 16 (BECAUSE THEY'RE THAT CUTE -- EVERYBODY WANTED THEM!) -- but hopefully they'll restock them. Also, if you're a size 16 and you love these flares, then you're in luck.

(49.99, LOFT)

Someone call the cuteness police and ARREST this jacket on grounds of being TOO PERFECT for spring. Look at that collar! The fun drawstrings! BREAKIN' THE LAW!

+ Disclaimer: LOFT generously sent me a gift card.

OMG. Wax Stirrup Jeans ARE HAPPENING!

($69.50, Gap)

Believe me, I did not create or doctor this image. You are ACTUALLY looking at a pair of WAX DEMIM LEGGINGS WITH STIRRUPS! Or, if you REALLY wanna go there, they're WAX JEGGINGS with stirrups. Gap! Have you LOST it?

Actually, I don't HATE them or anything. They're so deliciously Olivia Newton John in the last scene in "Grease" that I almost appreciate the sentiment. Anyway, like 'em or not, in the words of Radiohead, "this is really happening."

Guys, 1970s Flared Jeans Are SO Coming Back!

AND I'M SCARED!And I know that Tory Burch is going all '70s, and so is Rebecca Taylor, and Etro and  Derek Lam -- especially Derek Lam. But I don't know if I can commit!

So, Topshop's got a handful of flared jeans for fall. Thoughts?

($125, Topshop)

I don't know dude. They're just SO Those '70s jeans. And SO '90s. I don't know if I'm ready to wear 1994 all over again.

($80, Topshop)

I'm more tolerant of these jeans as they're less elephant bell, more biz-cashe trouser.

But I am TOTALLY tolerant of these Rebecca Taylor high-waist zip-pocket flare jeans. Hearts!

Rebecca Taylor Spring 2011/ Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com

Derek Lam Spring 2011/Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com

I ALMOST Bought These Serfontaine Jeans (And Still Might)

I stopped by the perfectly lovely Kaight boutique in the Lower East Side. It's an eco-friendly boutique, but I'd call it more eco-forward, since it's got really cute stuff that isn't all hemp-y/ Hare Krishna looking, you know? Like eco-friendly stuff -- Melissa troupe + Alexander Herchoivch Oxford wedges and the like -- that doesn't look like it was stitched together from corn husks found on the ground at a farmer's market. (Look, I get HIGH off of recycling and energy efficient light bulbs and reusing stuff. I have ABSOLUTELY nothing against preserving the planet. I just don't wanna dress like it.)

Anyway, the shop is sweet, as are the employees, and I fell in love with a great pair of Serfontaine jeans.

($152, Serfontaine, CoutureCandy.com)

They were. SO. EFFING. COMFORTABLE. It was like sitting in a perfectly worn catcher's mitt made of denim. In a good way. They felt absolutely custom-made for my ass and mine alone. And I LOVED the slightly dusty, semi-'70s medium rinse. And they were soft as a kitten's ear. I rolled them down since I'm 5'2" and certainly can't do the denim capri look without look like a dwarf (side note: I'm NOT into the denim capri look at all anyway). Remarkably, I left without buying them, only because I wasn't in love with the cut of the ankle, which was a little too wide.

Kaight had them on sale for $132. Looks like Kaight doesn't offer Serfontaine online, but if you're into Serfontaine jeans -- and you should be! -- CoutureCandy.com has a ton.

Chill Out, J Brand! Hudson's Doing Skinny Cargos Too, Mkay?

Remems back a few Fridays ago when Catherine posted about lots of fashiony types sharting themselves over J Brand's Houlihan skinny cargo pants and how Bloomingdale's practically exploded trying to keep them in stock? Well, everyone, please calm down and take your seats. Because Hudson Jeans is quietly doing pretty much the same thing, okay?

Observe: Hudson Jeans' Skinny Cargo Pocket Jean from their fully covet-worthy Resurrection line, which is all military inspired.

($305, Hudson, Barneys.com)

SickaThanAverage has a great round-up of all of Hudson's Spring 2010 collection, including Resurrection and DIY, which has exposed zippers like you would not believe.

AND, check out Rich & Skinny's Cargo leggings, if you're still serious about skinny cargos:

($172, Rich & Skinny, Couturecandy.com)

How great would these look with a chunky cream-colored cowl-neck sweater, or a big, boss black sweater?

And if skinny cargos bring out the "aw hell no!" in you, might I suggest some of my all-time favorite, most-comfiest jeans? Hudson's Signature Bootcut Jeans in a light wash. They're kitty-cat soft and hang purrrfectly on my hips, to further the cat symbolism.

($176, Hudson, Saksfifthavenue.com)

(* Disclosure: I was gifted the Hudson Bootcut jeans. But I really do love them.)

Fashion Shame

I've sure everyone has been bombarded with enough eco-consumerism today, so I'm not even going to mention it beyond: Earth Day. Okay? Moving on....

I'm just going to tell you about the jeans I purchased the other day. With my lovely co-blogger, in fact, who approved the purchase. We'd gone to Uniqlo, which has tons of cute stuff for cheap, and long fitting-room lines to match. After we were done buying things (jeans for her; a faux-leather light gray skirt and short-sleeved sweatshirt for me), Tamar wanted to check out the jeans at Express. Now, I'm not too ashamed to admit that I have shopped at Express in the past, but I'm not totally unashamed, either. Eighty percent of the clothes in that store are cheap-looking, ho-y, or just plain embarrassing (Tamar to me: "Step away from the sequins"); eighteen percent is boring workwear; and two percent is what you and I might call acceptable. And usually that two percent resides in the accessories department. Annoyingly, Express has gotten more expensive over the years, but I digress.

Point being: I bought jeans. And I kinda love them!





Express Ultra Skinny Stella jeans, $79.50. They weren't even on sale! Something about the ratio of bleach to dark rinse and the level of distressing (and lack of retarded sequins or embroidery) appealed to me. And they fit me pretty righteously. All that said, I do work in a bastion of high fashion. I can't be walking around with an Express Fashion tag on my ass. And so, dear reader, I took my stitch-ripper and ripped it out. Shame!

And with that, I have to go eat some dumplings and see some rock music. Happy Thursday! (I mean Earth Day....)