This Is Why I Love Anthropologie...

I don't know of any other place where one can go in to shop and come out with an amazing shirtdress...



Hardware for the vintage dresser that you're refinishing...

A cool yet quirky fedora with a patchwork flower applique...

And a $2300 chandelier that I would die to decorate a room around...

...all in one trip.

Not to mention that I want to move into the bedding display area. Or at least take a long nap on one of their puffy duvets while I wait for my girlfriends to finish browsing the sale area.


And, I still love this mirrored dresser.

Freethinker Shirtdress $268
Mother-of-Pearl Knob $14
Flora Fedora $48
Bird and Branch Decoupage Chandelier $2298

Ankle Gloves...Yea or Nay?

Lindsay Lohan is all set to release her new line of leggings called 6126, and Shop Intuition is carrying a first look item excusively. They are leopard print "ankle gloves," a kind of mini-legging, if you will. Here is Lindsay wearing the ankle gloves:




So, I am not feeling this. I kind of think that we don't really need more leggings in the world, and certainly not a celebrity line of leggings. I like leggings, don't get me wrong, it's just that I don't think there is a need for expensive styles designed by the star of "Freaky Friday" when they are so easily obtained at AA. I also wonder if "ankle gloves" isn't a fancy way to say "leg warmer" and I'm not going there again.



Perhaps I'm being hasty...What do you guys think? Do you actually love them, would you buy them, and what will you wear them with?


If you love these and must have them, they can be had at Shop Intuition for $42. Click here to shop.

Happy Independence Day!

Old Navy Print Halter Dress $24.50

Ray Ban Wayfarer $95

Lux Colorblocked Sailor Swimsuit $98

Mikey Pave Double Star Necklace $38.93

Havaiana Lighthouse Top Flip Flops $20

CC Skye Gold & Enamel Bangles $198

I Heart Stacey Lapidus Headbands

I adore these Stacey Lapidus braided silk headbands. They are an easy way to dress up an outfit or tame your hair on day 3 of a blow out. Try the plain silk for day or the gorgeous crystal embellished version for evening. Shop for headbands at the Stacey Lapidus website.

Double Braided Silk Headband $70

Silk and Crystal Braided Headband $100

Coolest Thing Ever

Wear Your Music takes donated guitar strings from musicians you know and love (Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Etc.) and turns them into very cool bracelets that can be purchased from their website. Proceeds from the bracelets are donated to a charity determined by the musician that donated the strings.

I'm eyeballing the John Mayer model, but need $200 to turn my dream into a reality. If you don't want to cough up the cash for used-but-touched-by-a-hot-musician guitar strings, Wear Your Music also sells bracelets crafted with new and non-celebrity guitar strings that also look really neat and only cost $9.99. A portion of the profits from the non-celebrity bracelets goes to MusiCares.

Check it all out at http://www.wearyourmusic.org/.

Give Me A Break

According to columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin, Rachael Ray was recently sporting "hate couture" in the form of a paisley fringed scarf in a recent commercial for Dunkin Donuts. She called Ray "dumb" and "clueless" in a recent blog post for wearing the scarf. Here is a picture of the offending accessory:

Rachael Ray wearing a silk paisley scarf.

Yasser Arafat wearing his trademark keffiyeh back in the day.

Malkin contends that the scarf resembles a pro-palestinian jihadist keffiyeh. Uh, ok. A stylist put the scarf on Ray, I don't think she is promoting jihadism through a donut commercial. Ms. Malkin may be stirring the pot here to garner some attention, no? The thing is, she stirred the pot so hard that DD pulled the national ad spot. Because of a scarf.

Folks, sometimes a scarf is just a scarf. Rachael Ray is not supporting terrorism with her choice of fashion accessory. Get over it.

Read all about keffiyehs at Wikipedia.

Read Malkin's take on "hate couture," Rachael Ray and Dunkin Donuts.

If Reese Can Do It...

...Then so can we. I thought the fedora hat was a tired accessory only Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears could love, but recent pics of Isla Fisher and Reese Witherspoon rockin' the jazzy chapeau seem to be bringing the fedora back.

To get Reese's look, try this raffia fedora from Shop Intuition. It comes in several colors, incuding yummy summer brights, and at only $30 it is an easy way to get the look without shelling out the bucks for what may be a short lived trend.

I also like this classic banded fedora, again from Shop Intuition. Very jaunty and only $40.

Express Yourself

Express has a beautiful new line for summer that looks like it is off the runway instead of the Mall racetrack. Floral silk dresses, skirts and clutches that look handpainted are an unexpected surprise coming from a retailer that normally skews sexy rather than romantic. Unfortunately, Express doesn't retail from its website; check the site to find a store near you.

Purple Haze Silk Strapless Dress and Green Meadow Silk One-Shoulder Dress $128

Midnight Roses Silk Skirt $88

Assorted Beaded Jewelry $18.50 - $39.50

Floral Silk Clutches $49.50

Little Helpers

I was waiting in the doctor's office the other day, reading one of those women's magazine's full of recipes and relationship advice when I noticed a little article full of useful gadgets that I knew I should pass along to you, dear readers.

The Strapper is a little plastic clip-type device that is designed to pull the straps on a regular bra into a racer-back configuration. They can be used on bras, camisoles and bathing suits. From the testimonials on the site they also help lift and support. The strapper comes in several bra complimenting colors and they also have a Swarovski crystal embellished version. The site includes a You Tube video with instructions for using The Strapper. Singles are $5.99.

The Invisibelt provides a solution for that unsightly belt buckle bulge you get when you wear jeans and a fitted top. It is a clear, smooth belt with a flat buckle that is invisible (hence the name) when worn under fitted tops. $19.95.

Zakkerz are flexible fabric strips that contain specially designed strong magnets. They are used to create a temporary pant roll-up wrap that holds pants to a shorter length to wear with flat shoes. The inventors of Zakkers are sisters who were tired of ruining their nice pants walking to work through New York city. Their trousers were hemmed to wear with heels but they had to put on their sneakers to walk through the city, which caused their hems to drag on the ground. Zakkers allow you to roll your hem up so longer pants can be worn with sneakers, flip flops or flats. They come in a variety of colors, including denim, and run from $24 to $27.

Foot Petals Kick Dr. Scholls @#$%

OK, I have serious issues with foot scrunch. You know, you're wearing your most adorable and flattering high heels and everything seems OK when you're strutting around in your closet, but 30 minutes into a party your foot starts to throb. Or sometimes it will slip out of the back of your shoe when you walk. Or the back strap slides down (Thanks Banana Republic for two pairs of espadrilles that I can't wear because the straps won't stay up). Or the ball of your foot begins to hurt in such a way that your eyes water with each step you take. You name the type of scrunch, it's happened to me.



That's why I am so excited about Foot Petals. I wish I had known about these fabulous products sooner. They are Dr. Scholls meets Sex and the City. Foot petals are little shoe cushions designed to work discreetly with high heels. There are shapes and sizes designed to counteract every type of foot crunch that a stiletto heel can cause.


Foot Petals also has several other products that offer solutions for all those annoying issues that pop up with high heels. Ever taken sand paper to the bottom of your shoes because you were afraid you would slip and fall on slippery new soles? Apply Sole Stopperz to the sole of your shoe and you will never slip around in your new kicks again.


A basic set of Tip Toes or Haute Heels Foot Petals are $6.95. Or you could pick up a gift set like the Sole Solutions pack that comes with everything you need to keep your feet perfectly cushioned through a long day or wild evening out for $29.95.
Seriously, check these out. Available at Nordstrom, Dillards, David's Bridal, Zappos, or at the Foot Petals website.

C.L.I.C.K With This Hot Handbag From Moe

After years of frustration when going out at night with the hassle of a purse falling off her shoulder or clutched in her hand, Designer Mary Rambin has created the perfect solution for the ultimate party girl... The Moe C.L.I.C.K. bag. This distinctive bag is one of the hottest accessories among Hollywood's A list. Celebrites like Jessica Beil are carrying the bags to award ceremonies and red carpet events.

The name comes from the bag’s intended contents, a girl’s nightly essentials: Cell phone, Lip gloss, Identification, Cash, and Keys. Call it a tackle bag, if you will. It holds everything you need, and you won’t have to worry about it all night.


The unique strap-in-strap design allows the C.L.I.C.K. bag to slip on your wrist and remain without fuss or further attention. The light leather bag simply hangs from your wrist as you continue flirting with a new beau, balancing your martini, and dancing the night away! Versatile and adorable, the C.L.I.C.K. bag works with everything from jeans and a tee to the hottest of haute couture. They are available in a variety of colors and textures to coordinate with anything your wardrobe can dish out.

Rachel Bilson Shows Us How To Do It

To those of you (like me) who aren't quite sure how to pull off a belted look, here's some celebrity guidance. The always fashionable Rachel Bilson adds a skinny belt to a sheer blouse and jeans. An easy way to add a cute accessory to any outfit.

Belt It Out!

Belts are all the rage these days, particularly when used to cinch in a dress or long shirt. If you are keeping up with the trend, you can snap up this set of 3 highly fashionable skinny belts from Alloy for less that 20 bucks.

Pick Your Letter

Urban Outfitters has so many necklaces and charms and accessories that it's rare that something stands out for me as cute enough to purchase. I, however, am a sucker for anything monogrammed. So when I saw this delicate little Initial Necklace in an email that they sent, I said to myself, "Self, that delicate little Initial Necklace is really cute." Perfect to go with summer tees and dresses, and looks special because it has your initial. $18. I'll take it in "J" thank you.

Crazy For Clutches

You don't have to pay a lot of money for a cute summer clutch. I've found a few hot styles for under $20.

Old Navy has this absolutely adorable clutch with an oversized wooden handle for $19.50. You may come across different colors and fabric patterns in your local Old Navy store.

Target is a great source for cute, inexpensive handbags. They have been teaming with high profile handbag designers like Rafe and Loeffler Randall to produce collections that look great for less money. In fact all of the remaining Loeffler Randall bags are on clearance now and they are going quick.

This adorable clutch is selling for $9.

I also love this little bag from Target's Merona brand. The colors are perfect for warmer weather and the little medallion embellishment gives it a bit of Tory Burch-ish designer flair. Target's website has 6 pages of clutch bags most right around $15.

Need A Belt?

Fred Flare has these adorable belts in a rainbow of colors for only 10 bucks! This faux suede braided belt would look great with jeans, shorts or a spring dress. Cute!

How Cute Are These?

ICU Eyewear offers a line of adorable reading glasses. Instead of buying drugstore granny glasses you can take advantage of their many cool designs and patterns, some of which come with a matching case. They also have mens styles and sunglasses. Most pairs are in the $20 to $30 range and the studio line starts around $60.

Your Friends Will Love You (Even More)

We all have girlfriends that are difficult to shop for. The ones with impeccable taste and a penchant for handbags, that like to shop and love labels and luxury. You want to give them something that says you know they have great style, and that you spent some time thoughtfully picking out their gift. But, you can't spend a ton of money on any one person. I know, I know. So here is a little hint from me to you. Try a ponytail scarf from Coach. Elegant, fun, and just enough designer style to fit in with her wardrobe at a price that will not blow your budget. In California we don't really wear scarves, but we do wear a lot of ponytails. So this is perfect for the Coach-obsessed girls here in our little corner of the world. They are $38 at the Coach website and come in several very cute patterns.