What to Wear: nOir jewelry

As you all know I am a huge fan of vintage and re-purposed vintage jewelry, but nOir JEWELRY may just tempt into buying some modern pieces. Founded about 14 years ago by Leeora Catalan and based in NYC, "Noir’s fresh and cheeky take on style blends glamour with an edgy street influence". In short, all the makings of a craveworthy collection - even for notoriously picky me.

There are so many amazing pieces in the collection, but here are just a few of my personal favorites.

1. Goldie the Elephant Ring (5-7, 10; $175.00): This is what I love about nOir Jewlery - they take what I normally hate and make it into a must buy! I usually love my rings simple and sleek, but I just cannot help myself from falling in love with this elephant ring. Made of Cubic Zirconia and Rhodium plated brass this ring could seriously bring any outfit up a notch.


2. Cactus Ring (Sizes 6-9; $135.00): Same goes for this unique piece. I know the design name references cactus, but what I love about is that it reminds me a flower just about to bloom. This adds a bit of mystery to the piece in my mind as you would never get to know the color or type of the flora about to burst onto the scene. Solid brass plated in 18K gold with Cubic Zirconia Stones as thorns this ring will be sure to add a bit of daring glamor to any occasion.
   
   
3. Mercutio Bracelet ($60.00): I never have been much of a bangle person as I feel the design lends itself more often than not to bulky as well as cumbersome construction. This piece could not be any farther from that due to its elegant execution. It comes in several variants, but my favorite one shown here made of Gold and Rhoduim. The color combination and design being such an attention grabber this piece will be sure to turn heads no matter the destination or the pairing!
   
   
4. Venus Necklace ($435.00): Statements necklaces are normally hit or miss. Designers more often than not miss that fine line between fashion forward and bejeweled baby bib in my humble opinion. This Austrian crystal cluster necklace in red thankfully escapes this fate. The gold plated brass metal finish coupled with the bright red crystals is edgy and sophisticated at the same time. This is also what prevents it from becoming dated as well as ensures that it can be worn with pretty much anything!
   

Any other indie jewelry designers out there that you love? Leave them in the comments!

Where to Shop: Wine Edition

I love wine, but hate what normally passes for it in a social gathering. More often than not it is nothing more than food coloring with splash of rubbing alcohol and grape juice. I try not to blame my hosts as many times the poor selection is the result of being led astray by the store they frequented. This has even happened to me on occasion and I was really pissed as I upped my normal purchase price for a special occasion.

I mean a bottle of 2 buck chuck may be passable in a sangria (key word: MAY), but drinking it as-is is a no go for me. My mom likes to say it is because I am snob or a yuppie that I demand more out of my wine drinking experience. Personally, I just think I just demand the most bang for my buck. That is why I find it absolutely essential to find a store with a great selection and price point.

My favorite's on the Upper East Side/East Harlem where I live are:

1. Mr. Wright Fine Wines and Spirits (1593 Third Ave; between 89/90): This is my go to store for everything. They have hard liquor as well and they deliver to my house. The salespeople know their wines and overall I have never been disappointed with my purchases.

My favorite wine from here is a sparkling Shiraz called The Chook ($15.99). It has a great textured and sweet flavor that goes pretty much with everything. If you love Lambrusco you will adore this!


2. Astor Wines and Spirits (399 Lafayette Street; at East 4th St): I used to go here when I worked downtown every once in awhile. They have so much wine and if you snag the right person you will wind up with a great bottle. I love to use them for parties for that very reason. Also, they have these amazing wine education classes and ship all over the USA.

My favorite selection from here is surprise-surprise a sparkling wine! Scu Do's Prosecco Brut ($8.99) is what I use for toasts or for after dinner/desert drinks. It has such a great light but sweet flavor, so it goes over well with dessert or on its own as a post dinner treat.


3. Vinyl Wine (1555 Lexington Ave; between 99th and 100th): This one just opened up in my neighborhood and I stopped by yesterday. Where I live literally there was nowhere to buy a decent bottle of wine within walking distance. Ok, Mr. Wright is within walking distance but it is NYC - I want a stone's throw god dammit. I was a little leery that it might be like Best Cellars (bleck), because they were pretty heavy on the design aesthetic. (It is pretty awesome by the way - just made me wonder if they were light on wine like BC.) I was happily proven wrong upon entering the store when I was greeted with great price points and awesome selections! The best thing about the store hands down (well besides the wine) is the speaker lined cash register.
   

I bought a bottle of red for I *think* $14 or so and it was absolutely fantastic. Also, they have quite a bit of organic wines and now come to think of it the one I bought was organic too! (If you are interested it is called L'Alba).

A bit off topic I know, but as it says in the header I am a "weapon of massive consumption". Well, especially when it comes to wine.

Got any great places to get wine from? Leave them in the comments!

Nerdgasm: colette x DC Comics

Nothing like writer's block to totally prevent any progress being made in the blog-o-sphere. I think watching Bridezilla has something to do with it. Seriously, that show is where all creative thought goes to die. I mean have you seen some of the weddings that are cranked out?

Luckily, I came across the colette x DC comics collection created to mark DC's 75th anniversary. It was damn near impossible for it not to break me out of my writing funk as it combined 2 of my most favorite things in the world: fashion + scifi. As you can imagine, I had a total nerdgasm!

My favorites were the ones that were inspired by the imagery, but didn't dwell on it or try to shoe horn their re-imagining onto it. They just let it happen and it turned out amazing.

1. Repetto x DC Comics - Ballerina Shoes (US Sizes 6 - 9; $251.14): Taking their inspiration from The Flash these flats are essential for any fashionista trying to make a mad dash across town. These gold lightening accented red flats will be sure to stand out amongst the sea of standard black flats out there. Also, seeing as they are from Repetto you are guaranteed an amazing comfortable fit!


2. Alexis Mabille x DC Comics - Joker Bow Tie ($167.43): The name just about spells out this item's inspiration. Though more menacing than jolly this bow tie is still nothing short of adorable. Or maybe my version of cute is just as warped as that of the Joker?


3. Karl Lagerfeld x DC Comics - Gloves (Sizes 7-7.5; $591.97): Green Lantern does not exactly jump to the forefront of your mind on first glance, but these gloves are amazing. The more you look at it the more it becomes clear that these were inspired by GL iconography. Lagerfeld after all is known for his amazing ability to tap into iconography to create pieces that use the mythos as building blocks for his own amazing ends.
   


4. Lanvin x DC Comics - Tee Shirt (FR Sizes M - XL; $179.98): Combining the seriousness of Batman with the cuteness of a pug is just the type of insanity that always keeps calling me back to Lanvin. No one else could have managed to capture the seriousness of Batman and the absurdity of comics better!

The ones I was not too fond of either lacked the creative spark or just did not understand where to go with the iconography. Interestingly enough, these pieces were those inspired by characters with the most clear cut imagery associated with them - Superman and Wonder Woman.

1. Maison Michel x DC Comics - Headband ($275.06): This piece inspired by Wonder Woman's tiara just falls flat for me. You all know I am obsessed with headpieces so I was excited to hear there was one included in the collection. I am also a huge Wonder Woman fan, so this should have been a slam dunk. Maybe you just need to see it on?


2. Pierre Hardy x DC Comics - Bag ($1793.06): This was the only piece in the collection I absolutely hated. It just seems so unnecessary and poorly designed. It is supposed to show the duality of Clark and Superman personas, but overall it just looks like they slapped the logo on a bag they had in production. I mean it could have been a really interesting piece since you know Clark/Superman had to constantly change clothes!
   


3. Julien David x DC Comics - Scarf ($382.69): Inspired by Superman's logo this item was borderline for me. I just feel like they could have done more with it than make a scarf that looks like I could have bought it at 6 Flags Great Adventure.
   


4. Sonia Rykiel x DC Comics - Dress (US Sizes 6 - 8; $1076.31): This dress seriously is a disappointment. I really do not know where to begin, but it takes all of the awesome out WW and replaces it with twee. Sonia Rykiel is about the softer side of femininity and I get that - but this was just not a good match up. There is just no excuse when the end product looks like a bastardized version of Sailor Moon cosplay design.

This post has brought me to another point. I think there are tons more people out there like me that love sci fi and fashion. I mean love her or hate her Lady Gaga is practically the walking representation of it! So, every once and awhile a scifi post might pop up amongst all the great fashion dish. I hope you don't mind dear readers!

Bounce Back from a Bad Cut

As I wrote earlier this week, I got a horrendous hair cut that seriously put me in a tail spin. I know a lot of people would not think it a bad haircut worth getting into a tizz about, but trust me if you saw it you would understand. The worst part, I feel about the horrendous cut, is the betrayal.

I mean if you are like me: you do your research on a site like yelp, do a drive by preview of the salon, and then spend time deciding how to describe what you want. Exhausting yes, but I and like many of you out there take my hair maintenance perhaps a bit too seriously. Then again, how many mistakes besides the odd tattoo that can not be covered do you have to show to the world on a daily basis?

So, having done all that I decide to take the plunge at a highly rated salon with only a few bad reviews. I figured "I have done my due diligence there is no way this can go wrong", but I made a fatal mistake. I overlooked the fact that fthe only thing more common in NYC than out of work crappy actors are unskilled "hairstylists". Seriously, it is like the street is littered with them!

Flash forward to the day of my appointment: I leave the salon knowing I paid $90.00 to look like "someone had a seizure cutting your hair and did not bother to finish" as a dear friend put it. As you can imagine, I was sincerely pissed off as the salon owner/stylist complemented me on the cut! I should have known that when I left it was a dud when I stared into the mirror and looked confused. Sometimes, cuts take time to settle with you - I pleaded with myself. A couple of days later, however, I could no longer keep the delusion going. It became clear that this was not an issue of taste but rather an inept hairdresser hacking away at my mane.

The reason I bring all of this up is that we have all had this happen to us, but rarely anyone talks about how to fix it. Well, fret no more as I have some suggestions on just how to do that!

1. Call the salon: This is mostly for the brave of heart who believe that maybe it was just a miscommunication that caused the mistake. I, personally, have never done this as I am the type of person who gives second chances. Some, however, swear if you invest that much in your hair you should for the price tag alone. Others think its best to give a stylist a second chance as they now know what does not work for you.

2. Dye your hair: Sometimes, a color and a cut just do not mesh well at all. In my situation, a dye job helped salvaged the situation. I went from light to dark and presto chango it became less hideous. One important thing to note is that when you can - USE PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS. It is very easy and inexpensive to do this at home, and the results are normally x10 better than store brands. Just make sure you know what you are doing!

3. Deep Condition: My hair sees a lot of action from blow dryers, flat irons, curling irons, hairbands/ties, and dye jobs. The cut, unfortunately, highlighted the current state of distress of my hair. After dying it to combat the horrendous haircut, I deep conditioned it every week and now its glorificus luster is back.

4. Change styling products/methods: I had to learn a whole new way to style my hair to deal with the change. I went to Ricky's and Bloomingdales to scope out new products and tried them on my hair. Then I found two hours to sit down and try different styles. Time consuming I know, but if I was going to walk around with this mop it was going to have to look somewhat decent. I learned a lot in that span of two hours, and trust me I thank god every morning now that I took the time to do it.

Do you have any horror stories out there that you would like to share? Drop them in the comments!

Fashion Cinema: Chloe

There are many reasons I haven't blogged lately, but I highly doubt you are interested in any of it. Suffice it to say, it was not exactly the best time in my life the past couple of weeks. In short, my best piece of luck was getting a hair cut that was best described by a friend as "someone had a seizure while cutting your hair and then didn't finish".

I did, however, get the chance to catch the film Chloe. Oh and was it awesome. It's like a haute version of a Lifetime movie. Though, since I call Liam Neeson my imaginary father I had to watch it regardless. Ok, maybe I should explain myself a bit before his reps send someone to my door with a restraining order. I did not grow up with a father, and when I saw him in Taken I decided that well if I were to have a father that would be the one I would want. So, ever since then he's been my imaginary dad. No, not bizarre at all.

Back to the main point, Chloe's costuming was AMAZING. Every scene with the titular character Chloe, played by Amanda Seyfried, was like turning a page in an impeccably styled and shot magazine. The movie may have its faults, but seriously this movie deserves at least a nomination for best costuming.


This jacket is amazing. I love the usage of the intense colors and dynamic print. I searched and searched for something comparable for sale, but the closest thing I could find was this jacket from Jones New York ($158.99, Sizes M-XL).


I also fell in love with this jacket as well. You can't see it that well, but it had this amazing floppy collar, which really feminizes the traditional trench.


The closest thing I was able to find to this jacket was this hooded trench from Ellen Tracy (Sizes 0-18). It is currently out of stock at Nordstrom's the only place I have been able to find it, and I think you can see why.


Then there is the scene with this dress:


This picture does not even do the dress justice. It justified the ticket price alone! It is a Zac Posen, which accounts for the constructed sexuality of the piece. Unfortunately, I could not find a comparable piece that shared both the spirit and the likeness of the dress.

This Jeweled Satin Cocktail Dress by David Meister ($520, Sizes: 14-24) at least captures the soft sexuality of the dress quite well, even though its not a carbon copy.


This Lace Top Satin Dress by Tadashi Shoji ($415.00, Sizes: 18-24), however, is closer to the original design of the Zac Posen dress in question.


Then of course there is one of the titular pieces from the film. Chloe's hair comb! I could not for the life of me find a still of a close up of it, but you can just make it out in this scene.


Rooting around Etsty, I was able to find a comb that I felt closely resembled the piece. If you like it, you better act fast or else I may be forced to snag it for my self!


This comb is made of sterling silver and made of russet horn and priced at $60.00. You can find it on Etsy via lsadoree's page.

Honestly, these are only a few of the amazing pieces to be found in Chloe. The weather seems pretty awful today and it would be a perfect way to brighten it up. Well, for the fashion elements anyway. The story isn't exactly uplifting.

Framing the Modern Fashion Mythos: The Beautiful Fall

I had a post ready for today about bridal showers. I have to go to one today and I was racking my brain for what to wear and decided that might be of interest to my readers. Key word is HAD, however, as my computer just swallowed it whole.

So, instead we are going to do a short and sweet review of one of the greatest books in modern fashion history.

One of my favorite books to read about fashion is The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake. It has provides great insight into how ready to wear came to dominate the fashion scene and how all the major players came to be. The main focus of the book is on the relationship between Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, and if that is not your cup of tea it is still worth a read for the decadent descriptions of fashion in the 70s.

The reason I decided to do a post about this book in particular is that we all come into fashion differently. I came in via stories - well one in particular. My best friend and I were watching television one day and the history channel was doing a special on Coco Chanel. This was before the fashion craze went mainstream, and as such this was the first time I ever really heard of Chanel outside perfume.

Watching the program on a lark, I was in awe of her grit and determination to be the best despite her humble upbringing. She literally turned the fashion world on its head simply by being the best. That is no easy feat mind you and she did it all through sheer force of will. As you can imagine, I found her story to be mesmerizing and fell in love with fashion via Chanel that very day.

So, when I came across The Beautiful Fall I thought it was an amazing opportunity to learn about the man who took over the reigns: Karl Lagerfeld. I took away a lot more than I bargained for as I learned about all the ins and outs of the modern fashion business and its evolution from couture. In short, if you are interested in fashion it is a must read.

Normally, I would write more but I have to go pick my dress up for the bridal shower I have to attend today. Wish me luck as I have to endure a 1 hour commute in the rain to reach my destination in NJ. Let's just hope the PATH train isn't flooded by the time I get there.