Zac Posen for Target MUST HAVES

It's that time again to get excited about another for-Target designer-- Zac Posen (side note: not too thrilled about JPG's line, so I'm not really counting down to it; also, looks like Tucker is up for the summer!). I can't wait for the flowy looks and the bright colors that permeate the line. The prices seem pretty reasonable as well, so I can't complain here. It's due in late April. I'll be saving my pennies fo'sho. Here are my picks/must-haves!

(p.s. Personally, I am totally loving the T-Strap/hot pink sock action!)

New year, new lusts

I suppose this is one of those posts interesting to me and possibly not-so interesting to you, but it's such eye-candy and I wann'em so bad that I just had to share. Hey, you're the only ones that listen to me, 'cuz hubs sure ain't caring. Tear. :-P

TOP FIVE DESIGNERS I WANT IN MY CLOSET

(ok, so I've given this a lot of thought over the years. If I had all the means in the world, or if I stumbled upon a boat load of money and there was world peace and no one was dying of hunger and LoHo finally made it through rehab successfully.... wait, don't know how that last one got in there, but yeah those first two... Anyway, if I could spend money on revamping my closet, these are the designers that would fill it):

1. Mara Hoffman


I don't know what entices me so about her designs. Maybe it's the Rorschach-looking prints that have my heart a-fluttering, or maybe it's her pretty color combos, but I just love her designs. Sigh. Her pieces give a little oomph to staples and her dresses stand out in a crowd. I think if I had my pick rightnow, it'd be this romper. Oh la la, ga ga ga.

2. DVF


Almost a no-brainer, as most fashionistas will tell you her pieces are basically staple items. Not only has she mastered and made famous the wrap-dress, but she has consistently recreated her designs and pushed the fashion line. The colors in this dress are li-ter-ah-leeee to die for. Eeep!

3. Giuseppe Zanotti

Most girls long for their first pair of Jimmy Choo's or Christian Louboutin's, and while I can't say I don't, Mr. Zanotti has my heart racing every time. I don't know how it's possible, but I adore almost every single pair he's created. Trendy, structural, feminine and edgy all at once, he's mastered the art of sex-in-a-shoe. Somehow.

4. Hudson Jeans


This one isn't so far-fetched, since this denim line is generally within my budget, but I think these jeans are the perfect pair. I rarely recommend brands to girls since jeans are so unique to each person, but when I worked at local boutiques here in Dallas, I would always tell a girl to try on a pair of Hudsons. I'd say nine out of ten times, she'd walk out a happy woman. Great pockets, great amount of pizzazz, and perfect fit. Loves!

5. Rebecca Taylor


Just... beautiful. She's a master of feminine, flowy fabrics and has the power to take my breath away (cue song). Even hoodies look pulled together and girly when Ms. Taylor gets her hands on them. Her designs are a good example of what I mean when I talk about the feminine/edgy mix. Just the right balance of being light and airy while still keeping a few ounces of sex appeal. Yep, just perfect.

Oh, and just to be interesting (and possibly contentious), here is one designer you may never see in my closet.

Alexander Wang... whaaa?

Listen. I know most of the fashion community goes head over heels for AW, but I just can't seem to jump on board. Maybe I'll change my mind in the future, but for now, this is one designer I'll happily stay away from.

Who are your fave designers? Or who would you be OK with taking a hiatus to Timbucktoo?

What I wore...

Happy 2010, lovies! Hope you all had tons of fun. My evening was... interesting. We went to a local bar to celebrate and a Beatles cover band played four sets of Beatles songs. Don't really know why we didn't think of this before, but when we got there, the average age was probably around 55. The best part about it was that these were no typical middle-agers, no no. They were rowdy. I was even sacrificed to a very large, scary oldie by my husband for a dance. There may be imaged evidence of this somewhere. Anyway, it ended up be a fun night, loaded with champers, singing, dancing (with and without creepy men), and even an engagement (they met at the Paul McCartney concert four months prior. Precious). I've only got a few pics of my outfit, as it became very difficult to snap photos with company at the apartment before hand...

Dress: Rodarte for Target Leopard print dress (I just love this thing)
Necklace: Free People (in red hue here)
Shoes: oh, you know.
Hair: colored and cut by Aveda Institute's finest 18-year-old stylist who loved Lady Gaga as much as I do (thanks for the suggestions, all! I am happy with my first attempt at Aveda Institute)

Oh... and a little fun with my friend, T:

(p.s.: T is rockin' Banana Republic's Tiered pleated dress, cutes!)

An OOTD and a postponing...

I wish I didn't have to postpone the giveaway I was planning to do this week, but difficulties in stocking (i.e. NO ONE HAS THE RODARTE BELTS DAMNIT) means I'm going to have to come up with a different item to give. I literally called every Target in the metroplex. Never fear, though-- whatever I choose will be equally awesome. Or more awesome!! I'll probably do it once the holidays have settled down, but as I said, just keep your eyes peeled. It's coming, I promise.

On to other matters. I'm not sure if posting this makes me the "used car salesmen" type, or it just makes me the "likes to share goodies" type, but I thought some of you might enjoy this:

https://subscribe.hearstmags.com/subscribe/crosssite/43194

$5 magazine subscriptions? Yes! Too bad I already have too many coming to my casa, but you may be interested!


DEAL YOU CAN'T RESIST! PRICES SO LOW YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES! (car horns honking, large clowns popping out of the corners, men with huge hair and bad camera angles, etc., etc.)


Anyway. Here's my outfit of the day. Simple yet colorful and appropriate for 70 degree weather (not even kidding)--

Looksie! It's my shoes! ohhhahhh....

Shirt: J. Crew ruffles and roses tank

Sweater: F21, I think?

Skirt: F21 leopard print pencil skirt (sold out, kinda similar here)

Shoes: Steve Madden Tristano (and for those of you who fancy Canadian Tuxedos, it comes in denim, too...)

Earrings: Francesca's Boutique

OOTD: Vested interests

Random thought #1 that has nothing to do with the rest of this post: Do you ever love an item so much you don't want to wear it, because by wearing it you're spoiling it's "newness?" That's how I'm feeling about those new Steve Madden pumps, I'm just that excited about them. (please tell me I'm not alone, MAKE ME FEEL NORMAL-- isn't that what this blog thing is about? hehe)

Anyway. So. I did a little closet-hunting last night, as I had a burst of inspiration for outfits this week (and a realization that I haven't done any OOTD's in a while). In the effort to wear clothes that I really like, I brought out this super-old menswear-inspired Anthropologie vest (hey Kim-- do you know anything about this? It's by Sparrow, I believe...). I wanted to girl it up, so I paired it with a skirt and shirt I wear often. Here's what I came up with:

(This last picture is a more accurate depiction of the color of this skirt-- it never photos well!)

Top: Express ruffle blouse

Vest: Anthropologie (Sparrow)

Skirt: F21 Bubble Skirt

Socks: Nordstrom (Hue?) thigh-highs

Necklace: Francesca's Boutique

Shoes: Chinese Laundry zebra hair peep toes

I didn't post similar links because I'm at work and keep having to minimize this screen (hey boss! I'm totally working!). Comment/email me if you want some ideas on similar items! On a side note, I cannot wait until I get a tripod (Santa?). Although I love my iPhone, these pics never allow me ot get the whole outfit and you lose the coherence. Argh. Hopefully you and your imagination make it work.

Girl Power!

I think it's hilarious and awesome that almost every single blog I follow is posting about the cold. And her absolute detest of the cold. It's generated a lot of discussion, lovies! It wasn't all that long ago that I was excited about a little chill in the air, but this seemingly arctic winter isn't pleasing anyone. Oh well... just like the rest of ya, I'm not letting it get me down! What I am upset about is my stupidity and forgetting not to step in the grass today so as to not ruin the suede on my new Madden Girl pumps. Shite. Having pretty things takes responsibility... and I seem to forget this often. Oh well... here's a pretty, girly, frilly, pink outfit to cheer you me up.

Top: gold satin ruffly thing, from Express (sorta kinda similar to)

Sweater: cropped embellished cardi, WHBM (similiar to)

Belt: uhh... stretchy and black.

Skirt: F21 side ruffle skirt (still available)

Shoes: BCBG reptile print slides

Necklaces: Express and maybe F21?

Most of these items are ones I drug out of my closet, with the exception of the slides (bought this summer, but maybe no longer available) and the skirt. Although I love doing this, I hate that I can never link my stuff... I'm going to try and do something similar to the other fashion-bloggies and link a "similiar to" item next to the things I wear that are old as poop... hope it's helpful!

p.s., Funny thing about this skirt. I bought it larger so I could wear it lower (like I've mentioned), but wanted it high waisted for this outfit. So I took a thick belt and cinched the skirt, using the belt as a way to keep it up. I think this works for a lot of skirts, which gives me some versatility I wouldn't have had without the trick. Some skirts may not look nice when cinched, but it's good to at least attempt!

Good News/Bad News

... for me, that is. No worries, your lives are not affected.

1. GOOD NEWS: There is a Dallas Etsy Expo today! Yay! I've been wanting to support the local market more lately and have been searching Etsy for Dallas merch but have been a little unlucky. Too many shops! I get overwhelmed. But today, they're all going to be under one little roof. Or big roof. I'm sensing some holiday shopping!

2. BAD NEWS: LuLu's totally sold out of my dress. You know, the "One" to get me over my shoes? One minute it's there, the next its gone. Which is depressing. But, I have my eye on this dress, which will be more than 50% off with a few coupons and sales...

LaRok Blushing Ruffle Dress, originally $198, My price= $84

This is good news, yes... but the price is more than double the original "One." And that pin! Sad... I'm still on the lookout from one of those sites, as the less I spend= the more I can save (to spend later. What? You think I have self-control? HA!). But this is a good alternative, since LaRok is great (I love their dresses), it's a brag-worthy sale, the color is purple (eek and eep!), and I could do a lot with this bay-bah. We shall see, lovies. We shall see.

Tempting... and a little surprising?

Macy's? Sure, your NYC store boasts beauty and allure, but lemme tell ya, folks. No beauty or allure come anywhere near my local Macy's. I actually think it's the smell of that funky Chinese food court restaurant... but I digress. I want the following, Macy's, and I think you should oblige. Merci.

(p.s. I apologize for the picture size, but I had a hard time figuring out where to find a picture of these I could save... click on the links below for better detail!)

INC Fringe Trim Cardi


INC Sleeveless Sequin Stripe Dress
(Hi there, Haute Hippie copy. You are cheaper. I love you.)

Many of you may be thinking, Heellloooo Justine... this is not new news. Macy's roxors! Or whatever... but honestly, I never seem to have luck there. Of course, there is a hefty section of BCBG items, but why shop at Macy's when you can go to one of their many locations in Dallas? So it gets a pass-by. But I think I'm going to make a stop tomorrow and check it out-- see if I can catch these beautes in person. Because that cardiagan has to be mine. Has to be. Stat.

Its heeeerreeee!

I apologize ahead of time if this post contains numerous typos or generally makes no sense, as I just spent the last 3 hours racking my brain over a long and arduous test. (p.s. I just pressed the BACKSPACE button about 500000 times just for that one sentence. Ugh.) But it's done! One less thing on the checklist of get-me-back-to-school-NOW.

But. I got my BB Mia tote yesterday in the mail... Here are pics and an OOTD!

OK first thing's first. The purse! It is very sophisticated-- there is a vintage-tote feel to it in person, and it's just what I hoped for. The grey is gorgeous and the pattern is pretty and fun. I'm lovin' it!

Next, deets on the outfit: Forever 21 paisely ruffle tank, AE super skinny jeans, Juicy Couture tiered-sleeve jacket, Etsy necklace (thejewelrybar) and MICHAEL Michael Kors dual-metallic pumps. Here is an up-close of the Juicy jacket... I love love LOVE this thing. Its made of a soft wool and has a cute little tie belt that creates a great waist-line. I tied it around the back today because I wanted to showcase the tank, but it does look nice belted. And the brass/gold buttons are very rich looking. Sigh. Fab-oo.

Going for good Texas barbeque tonight with some friends... I'm pumped! However, I will not be wearing this dry clean only jacket for barbeque. Smart idea, no? :)

Pretty Little Things...

It is now time for another installment of "Pretty Little Things," i.e. THIS IS WHY I'M IN LOVE WITH ETSY.

Join me, won't you? :)

Clairelafaye, $88

Genevievedietz, $95

ShugaRose, $55

yystudio, $159.80

SmadarsTreasure, $68

I'm not kidding about ruffles/frills problem I have, lovies. Look! It's a problem! I think it's a reaction to last Fall's "I'm a badass and I wear black" phase I went through. However...I have to say... I'm not yet ready for FA (frills anonymous). Do you blame me, can you blame me? The details, the sparkle, the texture. It's seducing and intoxicating.

By the way, get a load of the winter-white choices. Nice. :)