HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

Mother’s Love

Her love is like
an island in life’s ocean,
vast and wide
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind, the rain, the tide.
‘Tis bound on the north by Hope,
By Patience on the West,
By tender Counsel on the South
And on the East by Rest.
Above it like a beacon light
Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;
And thro’ the changing scenes of life
I find a haven there.

Author Unknown

Dedicated to: Mom, Kim, Grace, Jeannie, Cheryl, Barbara, Trisha, Cathy L,  Cynthia D, Michelle F, Alexandra, Mimi, Laurie, Jill F, Michele G, Kari, Jane, Pam, Jill C, Cathy, Cynthia H, Stacey, Mary Ann, Mary Jane, Amy, Maria, Allison, Erin, Cathy N, Bonnie, Elizabeth, Heidi, Ia, Joanie, Lisa, Patti, Nancy, Sandy.

Get The Look For Less – Lily Aldridge

Lily Aldridge has a lot on her plate these days. Along side of her Victoria Secret’s gig, being a mom and wife to Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill, she recently added designer to her resume with her capsule collection – Lily Aldridge for Velvet.

With a schedule like that you must make every minute count, and that includes putting together uber chic looks in a New York minute.

Lily lends a pop of color to her AllSaints leather pants, J Crew vintage tee and Stella McCartney over sized wayfarer sunglasses with a pair of red Gianvito Rossi statement pumps. Add a brown croc-embossed leather tote by Joie and a touch of bling with an Ice Middleton Collar from Baublebar, and you’re out the door in no time flat. Looking simple, cool and chic I might add!!

Of course, we don’t all have Lily’s budget for clothes, and while not everything she’s wearing is pricey (J Crew tee and necklace from Baublebar), for everything else I’ve curated the same look for less!

Clockwise from top left: Black leather Look Olive Skinny Jeans $90.00 0n sale for $50.00 www.riverisland.com, J Crew Vintage Cotton T-Shirt $30.00 www.jcrew.com, Topshop Faux Leather Tote $72.00 www.nordstroms.com, Ice Middleton Collar $68.00 http://www.baublebar.com,  Le Specs Cat Eye Sunglasses $59.00 www.urbanoutfitters.com, Justine 4 by Boutique 9 Red Suede Pump $140.00 www.piperlime.com

Target Finally Gets His Man – Phillip Lim

After courting him for five years, and on the heels of their success with Proenza Schouler, Target announced its collaboration with Phillip Lim.

Debuting September 15, 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target will be a limited-edition collection of more than 100 items of apparel and accessories, including an assortment of bags, shoes and travel accessories, for women and men. Target describes the collection as having a classic Fall palette of neutral tones with a mix of basic prints in a variety of materials including chiffon, real leather, jersey and French terry. It will range in price from $19.99-$299.99 with most items under $49.99.

The question everyone is asking is where will it be made? Target works with many factories in Bangladesh, but with the recent building collapse at Rana Plaza two weeks ago, which claimed more than 900 lives, along with the eight people that were killed the day before yesterday in a clothing factory fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh; isn’t it time to ask when will we address the issue of labor in fashion. As the folks over at Racked asked, “Would you pay more for Target’s Phillip Lim collab if it were ethically made?” Let us know!!

Met Ball’s Most Inspired Looks – Punk: Couture To Chaos

This year’s Costume Institute Gala Benefit – celebrating the opening of the Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibition – was co-chaired by Rooney Mara, Moda Operandi creative director Lauren Santo Domingo, Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

Some attendees obviously didn’t read the invitation, missing completely that the evening’s theme was based on the exhibition (Punk: Chaos to Couture), and were as boring as plain vanilla ice cream. Fortunately, there were those that took the theme to heart and delved into the task of creating a “punkish” ensemble with imagination and zeal.

Madonna won for the most passionate, true-to-the-theme look in a Givenchy blazer, thigh hi’s and bright pink pumps. Her Cleopatra wig topped off the look with her usual aplomb. Sarah Jessica Parker, in her divine combination of a Giles Deacon’s gown and velvet tartan plaid Louis Vuitton thigh-high boots, along with Ashley Olsen in a Chanel Haute Couture gown paired with a vintage Balmain jacket, were close runner-ups. They looked awesome!!

Other winners were Sienna Miller, who completely grasped the concept in a Burberry white low v-neck fitted dress topped off with a studded black motorcycle jacket. Nicole Richie expressed her inner punkdom by dying her hair grey. Her selection of a custom-made, beaded, column white Top Shop gown let her hair do the talking. The two were the epitome of chic punk.

Then there were those that celebrated the sexy side of punk – Anne Hathaway looked uber sexy in her see through vintage Valentino gown, and her platinum dyed locks. Ciley Myrus’s slinky fish net Marc Jacobs gown – though it covered more – and her blonde-tipped spiked hair had more of a punkish sexy flair to it.

I would be amiss if I didn’t mention the night’s co-host, Rooney Mara’s, Riccardo Tisci – another of the evening’s co-host – white lace, exaggerated shoulder dress with a high center split. Simply stunning!

Top section – from top left to right: Nicole Riche in Custom Top Shop,  Anne Hathaway in Vintage Valentino, Karolina Kurkova in Mary Katranzou, Kristen Stewart in Stella McCartney, Gisele Bundchen in Anthony Vaccarello, Leelee Sobieski in Dior Haute Couture, Jessica Biel in Giambattista Valli, Dakato Fanning in Rodarte.

Bottom Section – from top left to right: Madanna in Givenchy, Diane Kruger in Chanel Haute Couture, Ashley Olsen in Chanel Haute Couture gown and a Vintage Balmain Jacket, Sienna Miller in Burberry, Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles Deacon and Louis Vuitton Boots, Rosie Huntington in Gucci, Rooney Mara in Riccardo Tisci, Miley Cyrus in Marc Jacobs.

More Things We Love – Tom Odell

2013 is turning out to be quite the year for Tom Odell. Besides riding the critical success of his 2012 EP, Songs From Another Love, touring the US (a long time dream of his) to rave reviews, and opening for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park this summer, Odell was named the BRITs’ Critics’ Choice Award winner, previously won by artists including Adele and Florence and The Machine. To top it off he was also announced as one of fifteen nominees for the BBC Sound of 2013 poll in January 2013.

It’s hard to believe that a young man of 22 (21 when he recorded Songs From Another Love) can write such poignant, passionate love songs coupled with music so magnificently formed. But, when you learn the Chichester born lad has been writing songs since the wee age of 13, and had the confidence to walk into pubs and clubs and ask to perform on the spot, not so much.

Odell spoke with Nowness about the his songwriting process and says his lyrics are inspired by his “inability to sustain a relationship with someone for longer than six months … I find that I write much better songs when I’m being honest, and writing about things that happen to me. It can get a little weird though, when friends or girlfriends work out that a song is about them. But it’s amazing what you can get away with it. Artistic license I think they call it.”

When discussing his debut studio album, Long Way Down, which is set to release on June 24th, the balladeer had this to say, “I hope the album feels human and real and that there are some flaws — because the flaws help make it what it is. Really, I’d love to live in a time when music felt uncontrived and imperfect and gave people a real sense of elevation. When it’s sad I want it to be REALLY sad. When it’s happy I want it to feel euphoric… I suppose I want the record to express the heightened feelings and emotions we all get in our lives.”

I love having something to look forward to!! Hurry up June 24th!

Oh, To Be Twenty Again

To celebrate being twenty (oh, to remember those days) Intermix has gathered up some of their favorite 3 designers they’ve worked with over the years and created a must-see capsule collection. Every one of the – you guessed it – 20 piece collection was designed exclusively for Intermix with such acclaimed designers as Rag & Bone, L’agence, Proenza Schouler, IRO, Yigal Azrouel and Jerome C. Rousseau, just to name of a few.

This commendably fresh collection’s pieces are ideal for spring and summer, each individual item in the collection works on its own but can also be mixed and matched to let your sartorial splendor shine through. Rag & Bone’s silver and white combo blazer has got to be seen to appreciate how fantastically awesome it is.

Hurry, this collection is flying out the doors!!

Clockwise from top left: Rag & Bone Silver Combo Blazer $538.00, Bajra Tie Dye Scarf $298.0, L’Agence Lace-Up Back Strapless Maxi dress $475.00, Alexis Bittar Crystal Encrusted Long Spear Necklace $155.00, Ohne Titel Jacquard Jersey Dress $498.00, Jerome C. Rousseau Suede Naked Sandal $585.00

Thought You Might Like To Know

Sarah Ellison Lewis, founder of Bootleg Airstream, is a seasoned fashion stylist and market editor with extensive experience in celebrity, editorial, red carpet, and wardrobe consulting. Especially shoes!

Bootleg Airstream, founded in 2011, offers customers impeccably curated, high fashion footwear from all over the world. This first and only shoe store in an Airstream trailer is parked in Austin, Texas in the center of the popular South Congress shopping district. But what about the shoe obsessed that doesn’t live in Austin?  Are we to do without her awesome, must have shoe collections?

Sarah has heard our cries of woe and answered them with the just launched BOOTLEGMarket.com.. Think of it as a muse for us folks with shoe obsessions, where you can also buy, sell or trade shoes. You can be inspired by and shop closets of the fashion elite, or do the same for street fashion from around the world. This global peer-to-peer shoe marketplace houses e-commerce, social aspects, news and inspiration all under one roof.

https://bootlegmarket.com/

Are you tired of paying a 9% commission fee to Ebay? Don’t have the homemade or vintage goods for etsy? There’s a new kid in town where you can buy and sell clothing on line, and it’s going to be the next big thing.

Dresm is an online marketplace that is the result of a collaboration between a small group of friends, web designers and sales people, who hail from Portland Oregon. Their motto is ” We all wear clothes, we all spend money on clothes, we all discard clothes. With the idea that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, we hope that Dresm will encourage people to buy and sell used clothing”. They believe the fast turnover of fashion trends can take a toll on the planet. Their hope is to keep clothing in circulation longer to help reduce clothing’s demand for natural resources.

It’s user friendly- designed to simplify buying and selling clothing online – and their listing fees are cheap 15 cents (and free relisting), and a 3.5% sales fee which are then added up, and sent to you as a bill every 30 days – items for sale stay listed for 30 days. The sales fee is really the only draw back because you pay whether the item sells on not.  Try Dresm on a few items (I did), see what happens in 30 days! Let me know how it goes and I’ll share my results a month from now!