Green With Envy

I’ve always loved wearing green to bring out the color in my hazel eyes, especially in winter. Emerald green is a flattering color for such a wide range of skin tones, too, and looks great against pale winter skin. A festive holiday color, it’s easier to pull off than many shades of red, and looks universally lovely on blondes, brunettes and redheads… what more could a girl want?

Well, since you mention it, I suppose I can name one more thing I want – this gorgeous Antik Batik long sleeve ruffle dress. Preferably wrapped up with a pretty bow, placed neatly beneath my Christmas tree *smiles demurely*. What I love so much about this dress is the endless possibilities to dress it up or down. It can be worn to a brunch and shopping trip with the girls by rolling the sleeves to elbow-length, adding a black scoopneck tank underneath,  tights (the J. Crew herringbone tights in the caramel color, perhaps?) and flats.

Or, make your entrance to a swanky holiday party as belle of the ball with bronzer liberally applied to your gams and decollete, a killer pair of heels and eye-catching clutch. Oh yes, and a fabulous pair of gold or citrine and gold earrings for a finishing sparkle and pop to the outfit. Better yet, it would also make a perfect New Years party frock; just throw on a short fur or faux fur coat, tights and sexy boots and you’re ready to brave the cold without looking frumpy.  I usually don’t love Antik Batik designs, but this stunner is surely the perfect dress for a stylish girl’s winter wardrobe.

Long Sleeve Ruffle Dress by Antik Batik, $375 at Net A Porter

More 20-something musings.

It’s just been one of those days. The kind where you wake up on the proverbial wrong side of the bed, nothing goes right, and no matter how much work you get through, the to-do list keeps growing.  In spite of my commitment to remaining positive in the face of adversity, today simply has me beat. The dogs stole my favorite cozy house socks and chewed them up, not once but three times. My lovely new car ended up in the shop less than a week after we bought it, and the hubby’s car, apparently a magnet for nails and other sharp objects, got a flat tire immediately following a client meeting. Stranded in front of a florist’s shop in Hollywood, I waited half an hour for the (very rude) AAA guy to arrive and change my tire. He felt that speaking on the cell phone with his paramour the entire time he was changing my tire was an appropriate thing to do. Let me assure you, it was not.

The hubby, my go-to source for peace and happiness, is traveling on business and can’t help too much from thousands of miles away. When I called dear old mom for a pick me up, all I got was more bad news dumped on my head. And by ‘more bad news’ I mean guilt, insults, and a lot of really, really bad news. Yes, it was just one of those days.

In my opinion, being in your mid-twenties is just as confusing as being a teenager. Not only do you go through the same soul-searching about who you really are and what you want to do with your life, but you also have the added responsibility of car payments, student loans, rent, grocery bills, parental issues, and friends with expensive tastes… who like to eat out… a lot. I wish I could just throw caution to the wind and leap blindly into wedding planning, hoping that the soft clouds of ambition, hard work and good luck will catch my fall, that I’ll be magically bestowed with a full roster of clients for the upcoming year. But I simply can’t, knowing that one paycheck can’t sustain our lifestyle, and knowing that my parents, who I’ve always turned to for assistance, suddenly find themselves in a worse position than I am.

Blech – the growing pains of the Quarterlife Crisis. With issues like these, I’m looking forward to my 30s like a kid dreaming of Santa. (And if you have some age advice like, “you’ll only have a whole new host of issues in your 30s”… now’s not the time to share. Don’t burst my splendid vision of the future, not just yet . For now, all I can really do is count my blessings, have faith and keep on trekking.  If you’ve already suffered through a quarterlife crisis, how did you finally get through it?

Shopping Indulgence: J Crew Herringbone Tights

Okay, okay, I broke down yesterday and bought something completely overpriced and frivolous. Granted, the final cost was under $25, but it was only for a pair of tights after all – and not even on sale – gasp! I just had to do it though. You see, the J. Crew herringbone tights that I buckled and bought were the same herringbone tights that made my heart leap two years ago when I bagged my first pair: the year was 2007, I was employed as a fashion editor, and I couldn’t stop wearing my herringbone tights under all my fall dresses. Life was good.

And then, suddenly, life was not so good. December of that year was a craptastic month in more ways than one – not only did our office close down, leaving me out of a job, but my beloved J. Crew herringbone tights became hopelessly frayed when I foolishly wore them with my tall riding boots. Apparently the inside of the zipper at the boot’s top had a rough edge, and when I took them off that day I was dismayed to find the area just behind the knee of my tights filled with irreparably fuzzy, snagged stubble.  I couldn’t bear to throw the tights away, and have attempted to camouflage the surly snaggles by wearing extra high boots and by pushing my tights down super low. Let’s just say it wasn’t quite working.

So when I walked into J. Crew yesterday for a little Columbus Day stroll through the mall (prompted by the hubby, in search of a jacket), I was over the moon to find that the Crew brought back my beloved tights for the Fall 2009 season. I might have gotten a little too carried away, and actually ended up buying the herringbone tights in two colors. But I’ll return one of them… tomorrow. I promise.

Pair This with That

I’m a huge fan of mixing high and low fashion. It’s such a great way to pull together a stylish looking outfit, and mixing in the low price items with expensive pieces you own elevates the whole look.  Guiseppe Zanotti’s fall collection includes a pair of black leather peep toes with a zipper-edged rose on the top that are seriously badass and sexy.  Then today I came across a mirror image of the zipper-edged rose… in the form of a $4 ring. How fun and sassy would it be to pair these two together to roughen up a prim and proper outfit? Maybe a ruffled collar, sleeveless button down blouse with high waisted pencil skirt? Or a ruffled white cami tucked into skinny ankle jeans, topped with a colorful sweater? What would you pair this with?

You Got That Where?!

Take a good, long look at these stylish baubles. Lovely, right? If I didn’t know where they came from I probably would have guessed they were sold at J. Crew or Anthropologie and cost somewhere between $40 – $100. I’ve lusted after so many J. Crew and Anthro jewelry pieces that I’ve lost count, yet every one I’ve refrained from buying because they usually cost a pretty penny. If you, like me, are in love with their feminine, irresistible jewelry pieces, you are in luck. Because all of the pretty pieces above are from good old Forever 21.

Ranging in price from $3.80 to $15, these lovelies are so affordable you can snap up three or four and still come in under budget. Speaking of which, I may or may not have made a detour to the Beverly Center this weekend and snagged a few new $4 rings myself. Happy Bargain Shopping!

Tear Looped Jewel Bracelet, $14.80

Floral Hinge Bracelet, $8.80

Anisa Studded Bracelet, $7.80

Emerson Made

After my last heavy post, I thought I’d pass along a sunny new blog / accessory line I happened to find. The blog, called Emerson Made,  is mainly a marketing tool for a small accessory company of the same name.  Emerson Made somehow manages to be an incredibly lighthearted, whimsical and intriguing despite serving as a sales catalog.  I don’t know much about the woman behind the line’s signature blooming flower pins, although her creativity, wit and authenticity make me think she’s the kind of person I’d become fast friends with.

She (Emerson, presumably?) models all her own clothes and puts together undeniably stylish ensembles that I want to recreate with my own wardrobe. She stages Anthropologie / J. Crew inspired photo shoots on what seems to be her own rural, verdant farm, complete with an old fashioned wooden porch and spotted guinea fowl. Last, but certainly not least, she creates lovely one of a kind fabric flower accessories in all shapes and sizes that would go fabulously with my wardrobe.

What’s not to love?

P.S. Emerson Made can be purchased through their website, but her photo shoots & musings are found on the blog.

100th Post, and new 20 something musings

"This as real as it gets" (10 pts for anyone who knows where those lyrics come from). I realize this picture is totally random and does not correlate with the post whatsoever, but I love it. Plus, I really wanted an excuse to make reference to the "I'm on a Boat" music video, hehehe...

I have a confession. I have been putting off my 100th post for over a week now, ever since I realized that it was the 100th Shopaholica post. The enormity of the milestone post weighed on me for some time, and I didn’t want it to be wasted on a random hair piece or a few trivial sentences about eyelash enhancing mascara (which, if you are interested in the topic, is on the posting horizon).  However, as the days dragged on and I grew increasingly busy with other work (you know, the painfully dull kind that pays the bills), I realized that unless I just sat down and started typing, Shopaholica would never have a 100th post.

So it is without earth-shattering news,  stories involving wedding planning hilarity or a fabulous must-have frock that I begin my 100th post. I thought perhaps I’d spend the post reflecting on the twists and turns of Shopaholica and my life, and see where it takes me. Who needs a well-planned post when random musings will do, eh? Well, I suppose I’ll let you be the judge of the method’s success.

February 9, 2008 is the fateful day Shopaholica was born into the webiverse. At the time I found myself newly engaged, sitting at home all day and utterly, hopelessly lost as to what my next career move might be. Just two months prior the fabulous fashion startup company I was euphorically climbing the ranks of imploded with a sudden bang, absorbing with it my aspirations to become a young fashion VP selling the virtues of our blog and trend stores to the retail world.  The first day after finding myself jobless I took out every Manolo, Jimmy and Prada pump in my closet and busied myself by hand cleaning and polishing each one to an impeccable gleam. Career be damned, I was going to step out in style regardless of my employment status.

My Best Friend’s Wedding…

… or alternately, Adventures in Wedding Planning. Be forewarned – this post is a wry glimpse inside my personal life, not a fluff piece on fashion, and is much longer than my usual posts. It also – gasp! – doesn’t have any pretty pictures to go along with it.  So consider yourself warned, and read at your own risk.

As some of you may (or may not) know, I have a passion for event planning as well as writing and marketing. When my good friend J – who claimed the title of “Bestestest Friend” in the fourth grade – asked me to plan her wedding, I wholeheartedly threw myself into the affair.  After months of helping her pick the venue and vendors, design coordinating menus, napkins, table numbers, ceremony programs, place cards, stuff favors and create a precise day of schedule, the wedding day arrived last Friday.

New Jewelry Line: Annoushka

While poring over my Women’s Wear Daily, some gorgeous baubles caught my eye and I wanted to share them with you, my fellow fashion lovers.  The jewelry is crafted by new jewelry company Annoushka, which was founded by the same people who created Links of London.  Though the pieces aren’t in stores yet, once they officially debut at the end of this month there are plans to distribute the jewelry throughout the UK  in stand alone stores and in major retailers like Harvey Nichols.

What I love about Annoushka’s jewelry designs is that they have a very organic, handmade feel to them.  They’re also stylish without relying too heavily on trends, which means the pieces will have a long life in the buyer’s jewelry box.

Since all pieces will be made from 18K gold, they’ll likely cost a pretty penny…. but perhaps it’s worth saving to own special jewelry you’ll keep your entire life rather than buying a million trendy pieces for $30. Thoughts?

Style Crush: Emma Watson

So, being the absolute nerd that I am, I’m very excited for the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince premiere this week.  Not only do I love Harry’s character, but Hermoine is one of my favorite characters in a series – she’s smart, sassy and brave; the perfect strong female character. Emma Watson depicts Hermoine to a tee, although I think I’d admire her as an actress even without the Harry Potter fame.

She has a certain class and sophistication about her, and doesn’t run around committing drunken debauchery like other young starlets.  Something about her poise reminds me a little of Julia Roberts, although I can’t put my finger on why. And besides, I have a complete crush on her style – she consistently pulls off the perfect ‘classic with a twist’ look that I love.  While I’m sure it helps to have Chanel on your side, not everyone can look so chic in their designs. It’s too bad that Hermoine was never much into fashion… Emma can pull it off so well!

What do you think about Emma Watson’s style? Love it or leave it?