Fall Wishlist #5: Aigle Ecuyer Boot

There's nothing nicer than having warm, dry feet during a rainy day.

This year, I'm going to buy these Aigle rubber boots to look stylish during San Francisco rainy days.  The shiny rubber looks almost like patent leather, and the streamlined (non-Wellie) look is perfect if you're going to be trekking around a frosty East Coast city.

Aigle Ecuyer Boots $198

Lauren Conrad wearing the Aigle Ecuyer boots.  

Chic and Affordable Jewelery: Rich Rocks NYC

Is it embarassing to be nearly 40 years old and still love shows like Gossip Girl, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and The Hills?  I think it keeps me young.  RY thinks (and others) think I'm slowly killing off any remaining brain cells that survived childbirth and motherhood.

Well, I guess one benefit of being obsessed with these shows is I have no shortage of fashion inspirations.  I stumbled on Rich Rocks last year during the height of my obsession with Lily van der Woodsen (the mom character on Gossip Girl).  She's kind of a plain looking character who wears rich but plain clothes - but her accessories are absolutely amazing.

Rich Rocks has a lot of big, glam costume jewelery.  A lot of celebrities, especially the cast of Gossip Girl, have been photographed wearing their jewelery on the red carpet.  But I've found a lot of well priced, everyday pieces in their collection as well - below are some of my favorites!

Large gold tone pave clover hoops
$75



Small White Full Clover Pave Hoops
$42



Gold & Silver Hammered Fringer Necklace $70
You get two necklaces - one gold, one silver (only the gold one is shown here).  Looks great together or
apart.  I have a necklace very similar to this and it's incredibly versatile.  I like wearing it long but adding in
2 or 3 other gold-tone necklaces in varying lengths. 

Fall Wishlist #4: JCrew Booker Boots

Have you noticed how hard it is to find a pair of simple, good quality boots?

Everything these days is either cowboy (think Frye) or motorcycle inspired.  Yuck to both.  I especially hate Frye boots.  Leave aside the fact that they fit horribly - the bigger philosophical question is - why the hell would I want to look like a cowboy?

Anyways, I've gone 3 seasons without buying a new pair of boots because I can't find one that looks normal.  So my hunt for the perfect boot started early this season. 

What I really want is this Chloe buckle strap boot ... $975 hurts a little but I was going to justify the cost by telling myself that it'll go with any outfit and I can get many years of wear out of it.  To be honest,  neither statement is particularly true. 



Chloe Buckle Strap Boot $975

 Happily, I saw this boot on J.Crew's fall catalogue.  Is it as fabulous at the Chloe boot?  No.  But it is a close alternative?  Absolutely.  Plus they always do a 20% off boot sale sometime in September/October - so I'll just wait and snag these beauties in black and brown when they go on promo.  Two boots for less than the price of one- who can beat that?  :-)

J.Crew Booker Boot $298

Maternity Inspiration Styles

I caught up with 3 pregnant girlfriends this weekend who asked for style tips on staying fabulous through their pregnancy.  EF, CT and JT - this entry it dedicated to you gorgeous mamas! 

1.  Jersey is your friend
Jersey dresses are comfortable and stylish.  Look at how amazing Selma Blair looks in the Isabella Oliver maternity dresses.  I reallyl love the olive one in the middle ... the color is great, as is the boatneck and the rusching.  (hint - see my posting on Rich Rocks NYC later this week - there's a necklace that looks a lot like the one Selma Blair is wearing).

2.  Show off your legs
Just because you have a bump doesn't mean you can't still show off some leg.  Kate Hudson looks adorable in these above-the-knee dresses.  I personally can't tolerate heels (pregnant or not!), but if you can swing it - a pair of 5" Louboutins will make you one sexy hot mama. 

3.  Accessorize
Now's the time to play up scarves, necklaces, shoes, bags, hats - anything to draw attention away from your belly! 

4.  Look great in long, flowy dresses
I love the way pregnant women look in long, flowy dresses.  Small all-over prints tend to work better than bold geometric prints (depending on the stage of your pregnancy).  Bold colors (think jewel tones) work great too!  In chilly SF weather throw on a cardigan to complete the look.

Ideas for bridesmaids dresses

I just had brunch with my dear friend AT, who got engaged a few weeks ago and is starting to plan her fabulous Malibu wedding (can't wait, AT!!).  It got me thinking about bridesmaid dresses ...

1.  White bridesmaids dresses - is it weird or is it chic?
Both Kim Kardashian and Kate Middleton went for the all white look and I can't decide if I like it or hate it.  What do you guys think? 

2.  Mix of colors and silhouettes
I love it when brides vary the hues and silhouettes of their bridesmaids dresses.  Case in point - Khloe Kardashian's wedding - three shades of purple & 3 silhouettes add a lot of depth & dimension to the overall look.

3.  Love Thread Social!!
I have been in love with this Thread Social bridesmaid dress forever.  The best part is that this is definitely wearable as a non-bridesmaid dress!  It comes in a number of colors - check out the Thread Social website.  It's also available on the Priscila Boston website.

Iconic watch: the Cartier Tank Francaise

For as long as I remember, I have always loved the clean lines of the Cartier Tank Francaise:

But when RY offered to buy me one for my birthday a few years ago, I felt frivolous spending so much money on a watch (I know, I know ... what was I thinking???!!!!)  There we were in the jewelery store near the Spanish Steps in Rome, and I kept insisting on buying another less expensive watch.

Lucky for me, RY knew me well enough to disregard my temporary moment of insanity and bought me the Cartier.  Nearly 2,000 wears later, I am still as enamored with this watch as I was 10 years ago.  It's simple, elegant, classic, and goes with any outfit.

Lesson learned:  if you're going to wear something every single day for the rest of your life - take the splurge and get something you really want - you won't regret it.

How to pull off the multi-layered bangle look

My friend CT loves to wear bangles.  She recently bought a huge stack of bangles (you can hear her clanking from a mile away) so it inspired me to write an entry on bangle bracelets.  This one's for you, CT!


Why this works:  JA's bangles are super thin, so you can really layer them on
and still get things done b/c they're not weighing down your arms like 5lb hand arm weights.
I think this look is especially interesting if you mix brushed gold and shiny gold bracelets.

Why this doesn't work:  while this is undeniably stylish, it's just not practical for anyone who
has to get anything done.  Can you imagine trying to type on your laptop?  So while not
practical for the average human being, the key lesson to take away from this
inspiration photo is the eclectic mix of designs, textures, and shapes.  This is better illustrated
in the photo below ...

Why this works:  VH mixes two different bracelts by Maria Melinda (http://www.melindamaria.com/).  
This particular style is called the Pod - she's wearing the infinity pod and the 
mini pod.  It's really hard to tell from the tiny picture but the infinity pod is an awesome bracelet -
each pod is a different size and they're all textured (but not hammered, which I hate). 

Why this works: JC, who is hands down the most fashionable woman I know,
looks incredibly chic w/ 1 thick-ish bangle bracelet worn high up
on her arm.   A great bracelet for this look is House of Harlow's black lether Aztec
bracelet (http://www.charmandchain.com/products/navy-aztec-bangle).