Classics: The Remix

At a moment in which many of us are focused on getting the best bang for our buck, classic pieces become even more treasured for their tried-and-true mileage and ability to come through in a pinch. Like blue chip stock, wrap dresses, LBDs, statement bags, trench coats, and go-to pumps are long-term investments that almost always pay off.

That said, classics are rarely impulse purchases, and normally take time and planning to successfully add to one's wardrobe. I know I'm making it sound like chess, but trust: when you're left staring helplessly at a pair of $300 lemon yellow suede keyhole booties you somehow convinced yourself at the time of purchase would be *the* shoe to cinch all the gaps in your wardrobe, you come to understand the value of strategic thinking.

We've all had our lemon yellow suede bootie moments, and I think what often leads us to them is not so much the desire to own a citrus-hued boot, but the shake-up from the routine that it offers. Much as we know that classics are a smart investment, let's face it: rarely does the appeal of picking up a sensible black blazer match that of buying something with a little bit of daring in its design. It's that daring that we're attracted to, and the idea that this piece will differentiate us from the Aldo and H&M-wearing masses.

To achieve a happy medium, start combining your twin desires for practicality and pizazz, and take some calculated risks on your basics. The trick is to find clothes and accessories with distinguishing details whose functionality isn't impeded by their flash. I find the "Can it go with a skirt and a blouse, as well as a pair of jeans and t-shirt?" litmus test extremely helpful in gauging many pieces' versatility and potential for outfit enhancement.

Add a satin lapel here, a patent leather finish there; a flash of animal print, a dash of ruffle. Folds, tucks, and asymmetrical hems can also add a flourish of difference. What's appropriate for daywear has now changed to include sequins, lace, and well-placed sheer panels--so take advantage of them in modified doses, too. Switch the color of your day-to-day bag from black to a rich navy, emerald, or chocolate. The possibilities for changing up your routine are out there in a wide variety.

The below slideshow is meant as a guide but there are some fantastic finds in there I'd cop in a heartbeat for my classics cache (the Vivienne Tam dress and Vivier flats are toying with my emotions in a very good way...).

Image Source: Shopstyle

The Best Little Necklace You're Not Wearing

The feelings that accompany sliding on a beloved piece of jewelry are akin to those that surface when you don a favorite t-shirt: the security in knowing that its fit is tried-and-true; the comfort it envelops you in; the confidence that you need not once look down to tug, turn, or push it back into place - good jewelry evokes this, too. Usually, it takes months - sometimes years - to become that cozy with a piece of bijoux but once in a while the connection is instant. Especially when it comes at a reasonable $45.00 price point and with the name "RJ GRAZIANO" on its tag.

This pretty lady landed in my lap (literally) as a gift from Robert Verdi at his recent Valentine's Day Gift Guide Tweet-Up, and I haven't stopped cooing over her ever since. Officially, she's called R. J. GRAZIANO's Clear Lucite Bubble Bead Necklace but we've become so well-acquainted that I've taken to calling her "Bubbles." Unlike her namesake, the only place she's strung out is perfectly around your neck, and she'll work for you day and night without needing a fix.
Needless to say, we've bonded instantly (the beads go especially well with the color grey, which I recently proclaimed my conqueror for 2010 in this Honey Magazine article). Lightweight, multi-purposeful, and striking yet simple in its design, it's a fantastic, affordable addition to your accessories cache you'll get mileage out of for years to come (Lucite, like roaches, never dies). Also, at $45.00, it comes in at a great price point for a gift or to just treat yourself. Pick it up online or in-store at Lord & Taylor.

FYI: RJ GRAZIANO's got some sweet and similarly affordable pieces in his line for HSN (like KFC, no one says "Home Shopping Network" anymore - get familiar), which I stumbled upon while writing this post. The "Luster Cluster" is my fave, both name and style-wise. Luster and Bubbles might well become sister-wives soon!



Top Image Source: Lord & Taylor

Stylesaver: The Dreaded Fall Wardrobe Transition

My jones for fall clothes is serious at the moment. After the worst New York City summer for fashion in recent memory (a Morse code-like repition of "rain-heat-heat-rain"), my legs can't wait to get into opaque tights and boots, and I keep running my hands over my cashmere sweaters to reassure them (and myself) that I'll soon be wearing them.

That said, there's still some time left before it's cold enough to wear any of the above consistently: in the interim, we're left to suffer through 55 degree mornings that sometimes lead into 75 degree afternoons. So what the heck do you wear that's comfy for the next few weeks of schizo weather?

Layers are key. Bright, crisp hues that throw towards fall without completely leaving summer behind (darker citrus colors, mustard, fuchsia, royal blue). Cardigans. A navy blazer over a funky dress always adds a cool, serious touch to a light outfit that's perfect for these in-between times. Small, textured details like brooches (I'm officially declaring them back) and eye-catching headbands. Dresses should be sleeveless so that you can easily layer over them (avoids bulky arms, and also a good way to go from day to night). And go for open-toe booties or skimmer flats, which allow you to retain some of summer's breeziness while giving you a more substantial shoe for the cooler weather. And for us stocking devotees, it's now cool enough to get away with sexy sheer tights.

Here's what Stylesaver has on tap for the transition to fall:

Stylesaver: Primary Colors

Back to school season's begun, kids, and I'm going to insert a new trend amongst the metallics-leather-'80s-'40s-plaid glut of predictions fellow fashion scribes have already heralded: primary colors.

Aside from the annual battle with the 'rents about where to shop for back to school clothes (they said "Caldor" while I heard "Macys"), nothing signaled the end of summer vacation more than the myriad, primary color-loaded posters that advertised school supply deals and featured unnaturally sugary children projecting a disposition quite unlike the rampant nervousness most of us felt. My own anxiety was often caused by what to wear on the first day (Fearing I'd find out that, despite what I smugly thought, draw-string Benetton bags--'member those?--were no longer on trend. The potential for unmitigated horror, I tell you.).

I was thinking yesterday that as an adult, unless you have children (and even then you're observing at a distance, probably both grateful it's not you and fearful some Gooch is gonna test his or her headlock skills--newly acquired from summer--on your kid), there's no way to re-insert yourself into that nerve-wracking yet exciting back to school fray.

One way to get some of that feeling back, though, is through any one of these snappy Stylesaver pieces. An added back to school deal: nothing over 100 bucks. They're a fun way to kind of get your back to school on sans the cafeteria smell, school bus trauma, or awkward class picture preening (Gary Coleman's stellar example at left not withstanding. What? You thought I could just leave it at the Gooch mention?).

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Grace Jones @ Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands

Part of the charm of the European summer music festival circuit is how it can create some strange bedfellows on a given bill. Case in point: the Lowlands Festival in The Netherlands this weekend, which featured two people I could listen to and watch for hours, even if they're just reading the phone book: Snoop (right) and Grace Jones (below right).

Along with a lot of other people, I happen to think that today's young female celebrities pushing hard (or hardly pushing?) that "edgy" vibe would be wandering around far more clueless if not for the path trailed by Grace (And the kids--good enough to dress ya but not good enough for you to publicly support their rights, eh? But that's a whooole other blog post.). I could go on but I'm not in much of a soapbox mood today (Ha!), except to say that Gertrude Stein's profound, simple modifier about there being "no there there" has never resonated more than when I think about the style underpinnings of today's current crop of female pop stars. Now, as my man to the right would say, back to the lecture at hand...

Fashion is as much about function as it is about form. While I love Grace's wild getups (especially this one at left), pretty much only her and Strangé can get away with them. More than the "oh ish!" quality of her outfits, what's engaging about her style is that it seems driven authenticallyby the force of her personality: powerful, vulnerable (Surprised at that one? It's there in spades if you've read one of her interviews.), and her plain and simple bollocks to just not give a eff and let her artistic light blind us, handlers and "people" be damned.

You can recreate the vitality of Grace's pieces by incorporating powerful geometric silhouettes, fiery flashes of color, and elegantly offbeat accessories. For references, think of Issey Miyake, classic Gaultier and Thierry Mugler (Grace used to wear Mugler jumpsuits to attend her son's school meetings. Mustn't that have been about a Mom Jeans bitch for all the other playground mummies?), and Philip Treacy, Grace's long-time pal and preferred milliner.

Capture the incomparable Grace's energy and joi-de-vivre with any of these Stylesaver picks:

Image Credits: WireImage, Eubie Panache

Stylesaver: The First Gams

My mother asked me yesterday in an e-mail "How come you haven't weighed in on the Michelle in shorts controversy?" I've been up to my Karu Arke clip-ons in HTML coding, Feed setups, and coming up with clever tags, so if it doesn't jump out at me at 6 a.m. in the morning when I'm writing Seen ünd Heard, chances are I have no clue it's going on.

I wasn't even aware that there *was* an uproar but after the tip from The Jedi Council, investigated and concluded that this battle's one for TODAY's Yenta Hour (ironically, the headline that's up there now when you land on the homepage is "James Spader on 'Shorts'," which is also the title of his new show. Thanks to the Jezzies for coining the term.). At the risk of sounding ageist, the brouhaha appears to be making waves mostly amongst the 50+ set, as I have yet to read one Tweet, Facebook status, or blog post about this (Or am I just really out of the loop?).

The smart conclusion seems that while we're all (now) talking about it, none of the usual suspects (Coulter, Dobbs, O'Reilly, Hannity) have gone on record vilifying Mrs. O, nor has any publication actually officially called her out for flashing her gams. I'm chalking this one up to The Press Who Cried Shorts To Liven Up Ad Buys and possibly people's irrational fear of/fixation with M.O.'s buff brown body parts. I do like that the Newsweek reporter I linked to effectively issued a throwdown to find a pic of Eleanor Roosevelt in shorts (I just spent 10 minutes trying to find one online. No dice.).

In the meantime, beat the (remaining) summer heat in this Stylesaver selection of shorts, inspired in part by some I think our FLOTUS would enjoy (and some I'd just love to see her get risqué in).Image Credits: NBC, Obama Family White House

Stylesaver: Embellishments

ESSENCE has a comprehensive little slideshow on the advent of embellishments (bows, zippers, sequins, appliqués, etc.) this summer. They predict the trend's going to roll right on into fall and I'm with them, especially as people are looking to get the most wear for their buck in these weak economic times.

Also, anything that's embellished immediately adds a kick to any outfit. Many a party have I been to where embellishments have either been a conversation starter (by me or someone else). Much better than "So I hear you're just back from Promises!" or asking someone when they're due only to realize it's a spare tire. Thankfully, that has yet to happen (by me or someone else).

Here are a few Stylesaver picks to help keep that talk positive at your next cocktail hour. This one's a little heavier on the Forever 21 than I normally like but it's not my fault they're stepping it up lately. Love the little pink Chiffon Ruffle Front t-shirt. Topshop also has some gems (no pun), especially the Embellished Bodycon dress, which is reminiscent of Amber Rose's second-skin number, above left. And how about the sly little Lashes Clutch? Kuh-doos to French Connection.

P.S. I know this is a Stylesaver post but a girl's gotta live (vicariously), thus the Zanotti shoes and McQueen clutch that are living in my fantasy closet right now. Images: WireImage

Mad Men Stylesaver: Limit Your Exposure

I viewed last night's Mad Men season three premiere the way I normally watch the show: half trying to to keep up with the plot turns and snappy dialogue (BTW, can say we say "Score!" for "Moneypenny" and strange bedfellows like only Mad Men could imagine, Balzac and London Fog?), half squeeing over all of the stylistic details.

Most memorable visual from last night's ep was the full-screen shot of Don Draper and Miss TWA ("Ah don't jus' throw uh-way newspapuhs!") scrambling down the Belvedere's fire escapes. With the pockets of warm yellow light from the windows punctuating the slick darkness, it looked like something Hitchcock might have imagined: playful, absurd, and yet with just enough of a seedy undercurrent to remind you that gorgeous as he is, Mr. Draper might just be getting too close to the extramarital fire he loves to play with. To that point, note, too, his shaken demeanor when telling little Sally Draper about the night she was born (right after she plucked Miss TWA's wings from atop Daddy's dirty laundry from the road--symbolism much?). Makes you think somebody else was getting themselves entangled in Don's drawers that evening, as well...

On the sartorial side of things, last night's episode inspired the below Stylesaver selection, which I built around friend-in-my-head and Sterling Cooper Boss Broad Joan Holloway's tough onyx mod earrings, above.

And check out some of these shots from last night's screening of the season premiere in Times Square. Wish I could have been there to hear the collective gasp that no doubt went up when Brian Batt's (top left photo) character, Sal Romano, was spotted in flagrante de bellboy by Don.

Photo Source, Photo Source, Photo Source

Stylesaver: Tracee Ellis Ross

I'm an unabashed-gonzo-fangirl admirer of Tracee Ellis Ross's style: it's modern, playful, and sexy-smart in a way not unlike the '70s incarnation of her famous mom, The Boss, with just a bit of quirk added in to make it her very own. She's like the Joss Whedon to my sweaty ComicCon panel attendee. Plus, we've been on friend-in-my-head status ever since I read the ESSENCE interview where she gamely admits, "I come from a line of big-haired ladies." She wore this outfit, anchored by a to-die Balmain tuxedo jacket, to Stella McCartney's screening of the film HOME earlier this summer in L.A. It's got everything you want in a casual evening outfit: presence and comfort to spare.

Here's the Stylesaver version:

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