Last night’s episode of Project Runway was strange without Blayne. No “icious,” no hot pink sweatshirts… I felt bad that he had to leave, but I know he is happily lying in a tanning bed somewhere, soaking up the artificial rays.

We are down to six designers now, but only one of them really has any talent: Korto. The rest are just sorta coasting by with their crappy designs, poor quality and total lack of a fashion sense. And that couldn’t have been more obvious than in last night’s challenge.

The challenge was actually an interesting one that we can all connect to. The designers were to create a look for recent college graduates who were heading out into the working world. Oh, and their moms were coming to stir things up a bit.

As I watched the designers attempt to appease both mother and daughter (or in the case of Anna, drag queen and daughter…seriously, did you HEAR HER TALK!?), I tried to imagine how it would go if my mother and I were part of the episode.

“I like black, white, and gray. I like classic lines, but very trendy looks.” I would tell the designer.
“What about this bright orange and yellow swirly pattern? Or these culottes?! HOW CUTE IS THIS LEOPARD SKIRT?!” My mother would react. And then she would somehow guilt the designer into making what she wants me to wear, which she has been doing to me since I was 4. Read More »

I love fashion. I even love everything that is just soo ridiculous about fashion. Like how sweaters are in store windows in July and bathing suits in January. Or how friends will tease you for buying into a trend that “is so ugly it makes me want to vomit all over you” only to be wearing it three months later (while you have already moved on to something else -that they want to “vomit all over” -all over again).

Or how magazines will spend an entire season convincing you to get rid of your wide-legs because “Skinny is here to stay!” and then four months later, all you see in the same magazine are super-duper-I could fit 5 kegs in here-wide legs that are a “Must Have” for the upcoming season… “Wide legs are here to stay!” Riiiight.

And I even love what is perhaps, the most ridiculous concept about fashion: nothing is really ever all that original. Sure Marc Jacobs (whom I adore and would date if he wasn’t on another team) makes Flannel look effortlessly chic- but at the same time, my brothers wore plaid flannels in high school along with Doc Martens and their Walkman clipped inside their Z. Cavaricci’s (ah the 90’s….).

I’m usually all for fashion comebacks. Since I’m a vintage junkie, I will jump at the chance to wear something that was once the IT style. Partly because I’m a sappy nostalgic- I love the idea of wearing bell bottoms and imagining what my life would have been like had I grown up in the 70’s. I like to give fashion the benefit of the doubt. I enjoy playing dressup. I do believe that a flannel top could be cute. And aside from the recent seasons of awful Maternity wear, I usually look forward to the “New” (recycled) trends coming out each season- wondering what era will be in this year. Read More »

Unless you have been living under a rock — or spend so much money on uber expensive fashion that you’ve had to forgo cable and internet – you know about the new fashion trend sweeping the nation:

Handbag rentals.

Hell, even my mother knows about bagborroworsteal thanks to the Sex and the City Movie. The idea is simple; you just pick out a designer handbag that you covet, but can’t come even close to affording, and pay a small fee to rent it for a little while. It is every poor college student’s dream situation.

What could be better than sporting the latest Miu Miu around town for a measly $80-ish bucks? The hardest part is sending that bad boy back, but even that can be negotiated in a rent-to-buy situation.

The idea is so perfect that some people are taking it a step further:

Dress rentals.

The idea really isn’t so novel; men have been doing it for years with tuxedos. It is actually quite perplexing that women have caught on just now. At Ilus in New York City (website coming soon), women are able to choose from tons of gorgeous, in-season designer dresses to rent for short periods of time. The store even does minor alterations. It is ideal for those of us who need a dress, but don’t want to make the financial commitment. You just go to that event, turn heads, and then bring the dress back the next day. Read More »

Top three favorite things: 1) Margaritas, 2) Fashion, 3) Art projects.
Top one favorite activity: A fashion-based art project fueled by margaritas!

This spring, designers such as John Galliano, Christian Lacriox, and Dolce and Gabbana have been drawing inspiration from the art world to produce amazing, eye-catching pieces that are an art school dropout’s (read: me) dream come true. And while pieces like this might be difficult to put together on a Sunday afternoon; with some ambition, craft supplies, and a little buzzed-up creativity, you too can be a part of this wikkid hot trend!

Necessary supplies:

* Something you want to spice up. This can be a dress, purse, pants, skirt, t-shirt…literally, anything. If you want to go blank canvas style, hit up American Apparel or save your money and just get a three pack of Hanes wife beaters. However, I personally think this project gets even more exciting when you’re working with something that already has a pattern on it, so don’t rule out that plaid skirt from your private school days. Read More »

Shopping can be hard work. How many times have you walked out of a store or clicked off a website saying, “I’ll come back later to see if it goes on sale”? And how many times have you actually remembered to go back and check? Wouldn’t life be so much easier if you had a personal shopper?

Well, now you can have your very own personal shopper with just a few clicks of the mouse. The new website, Shop It To Me, is your web-based personal shopper, helping you shop the best deals with barely any work on your part. Shopping where I can sit back and relax (and possibly even nap) and still find good bargains? Count me in! Read More »

Let’s be honest here: The Gap hasn’t been lookin’ too good these past few years. Their clothes have been getting a tad dowdy and besides the occasional cute dress or super comfy PJs, their stuff is overhyped and over-priced.

Growing up, I was Gap’s biggest fan; my first-day-of-school outfit was always a collection of Gap pieces and, I am embarrassed to admit this, the manager at my neighborhood location would call me when new shipments arrived. We broke up sometime in college when I realized that their jeans really weren’t so flattering, after all, and their tops made me look like a box.

I like to think, then, that it was losing me as a customer that forced them to kick things into high gear and start making some major changes. Like their designs for Bono’s philanthropic program, Product Red. Or their Design Edition white shirt collection.

This innovative line launched last year and received tremendous praise…especially from me (and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?) The purpose of the line is to reinvent an American fashion staple: the crisp white button down. This versatile piece is a must-have in everyone’s closet (even Oprah says so) and has been essential to fashion – both casual and couture – for-e-ver. Read More »

Until sorta recently, I was never one for matching my bra to my undies, let alone buy super sexy lingerie. I felt like it was all a waste of money; if someone was interested in taking me home and ripping my clothes off, they wouldn’t lose interest just because my bra was nude and my underwear was pink with black polka-dots, right?

After spotting a set of pretty lacy lingerie on sale, I decided to take it for a test run. That is when I realized what I had been missing all along; lingerie made me feel sexier and more confident. It wasn’t about showing it off, but rather about me knowing it was there. Letting someone else enjoy it was just a little bonus.

I started going a little lingerie-crazy. I bought all sorts of sets: lacy, silky, cami’s, bras, thongs, bikinis. I built myself quite a collection. Never mind the fact that I have had no one to share it with lately, I just kept buying. And, truth be told, I have grown a bit bored with all of it. I may have a lot – and it all may be pretty – but there is only so much variety out there right now and it all seems rather cliché, overdone and commercialized.

Not anymore. In an era where you can personalize everything from your latte to your footwear, it was only natural that someone brought that along to our most intimate of apparel. The dream-team over at evloveintimates.com has made your lingerie as personal as the occasion you are wearing it for.

You pick the color, the fabric and the cut (even the piping and a little extra appliqué!). They do all the work, and in three weeks your sexy new under-thingies arrive, just in time for you to work ‘em. Rar. Go get em, Tiger.

Say it ain’t so.
Tell me it isn’t true.
There is no way Isaac Mizrahi would ever leave Target to design clothes for dowdy designer, Liz Claiborne, right?

Wrong.

According to the New York Times (I wish this article were in a less prestigious publication like Star or something… at least then I could argue its truth) Mizrahi is giving up on Target in search of greener (read: more lucrative) pastures. He has been named head designer at the failing label, in hopes that his big name and fashion-forward designs will pump some life into Ms. Claiborne’s line for women.

Obviously, Target is having a difficult time dealing with this news. Isaac Mizrahi was the first high end designer to work with Target, later inspiring many other exclusive designers to make clothes for the regular woman (Proenza Schoeller, Erin Fetherston, Vera Wang).

Without Mizrahi Target may lose out on potential new designers and, more importantly, their target (ha!) audience. Without Mizrahi Target may become…gasp….K-Mart! Read More »