Sale Alert

Do you ever see items on sale and think, "how is that not sold out already?" Well, I do.

Lands' End Canvas is running an additional 20% off sale items if you use the pin 8265. Some of the highlights are:
The boatneck sailor tee
The cashmere striped cardigan
The seersucker jacket
The lightweight mini shorts
The madras mini shorts
The plaid wool skirt (which I own)
The striped t-shirt dress

Also having some great deals today is 6pm.com, who has a number of their North Face jackets on sale. It's worth a look if you're into North Face. It's also worth a look if you a shoe addict, since 6pm is the clearing house for a couple of the major online shoe stores.

2010 Emmy Fashion Wrap!

Without further ado...

Worst Dressed:
3. Edie Falco - probably the least flattering black dress on the face of the earth.
2. Holly Burrell - yeah, Carmen Miranda called and she'd like her costume back.
1. Rita Wilson - no surprise here, and no explanation needed.

Best Dressed:
3. Angela Kinsey - a perfectly cut dress with just the right amount of detail and suited to her figure.
2. Sofia Vergara - the vertical line of sequins adds length to her frame.
1. Claire Danes - I realize she was on everyone's list, but for good reason! Perfect fit, perfect color, coordinating hair.

Worst Accessorizing: Anna Paquin - when your dress has that much glitz going on, you really shouldn't have any jewelry at all, and definitely not layers of bracelets.
Best Accessorizing: Keri Russell - I realize she made some worst dressed lists, but I think the accessorizing pulls together the Grecian-meets-beachy look of the whole ensemble.

Worst Use of Color: Naya Rivera - if you're going to do an '80s-style silhouette, don't do teal. Just don't.
Best Use of Color: Katrina Bowden - the wrong style dress could make this color seem garish, but in a floaty dress like this it feels perfect.

Worst Hair: Julie Bowen - I love her on Modern Family, but this looks like my hair after a night of drunken dancing with my friends.
Best Hair: Nina Dobrev - just the right amount of height, perfect with her dress and earrings.

There it is! My thoughts on this year's Emmy Awards red carpet.

Photo - moviestarstyle.com

Get your ax, the zombies are coming

Oops, I disappeared for a while.

Has anyone else been browsing the runway shows from New York Fashion Week? I love it, because with autumn around the corner (ugh) it's nice to see the bright, happy fashions for next spring. I'm loving Tory Burch's collection.

I've been terrible about reading lately. I got wrapped up in summer television - My Boys, Top Chef, etc - and haven't really finished any books. I've started a couple, but I've lost interest. With many of my favorite TV shows premiering in the next week or two, I'm afraid I'll be even more behind. I'm hoping two new books I received for my birthday from my brother will spark my interest in reading; the previously mentioned True Prep, and The Zombie Survival Guide - because my brother cares enough to educate me on zombie protection.

I promise an Emmy wrap up is coming. No, really.

That's a Don't

If you're waiting for an Emmy wrap-up post, don't worry - it's coming!

There are a lot of weird trends in fashion right now, and some of them just simply aren't classy, polished, classic, chic or flattering in my opinion. Maybe it's the prep in me. I just think we can all do ourselves a fashion favor and go without them. So, without further ado, here's my list of fashion dos that I feel are don'ts.

Raw edges
Torn denim
Jodhpurs or any other fluffy-thighed pant
Over-sized grandpa sweaters
Cargo pants
Leather or patterned leggings
Buffalo plaid
Black skinny jeans
Uber-masculine military jackets
Mixed patterns
Open-toed boots or booties
Thigh-high hosiery
Socks with pumps
Neon colors
Cut off shorts
Zippered dresses (more often that not your zipper won't lie flat)
Whatever "Snooki" is wearing
18 different bracelets at once

Of course, my list isn't exhaustive, but it does include plenty of the current crap I'm seeing on the celeb crowd. Just say no to trashy, useless, and unflattering clothing.



Photo of Miley in a number fashion don'ts: people.com

I love you, but I love myself more.

So much to say, so little time....last night I had a meeting, tonight I have a dinner to attend, tomorrow night I have a margarita date with a couple of my favorite girls, and Saturday I have two gatherings in which to make an appearance. I feel like I have very little time left for myself every week!

Things not getting done right now due to my calendar: my toes need a new pedicure, I still haven't reorganized my closet, still haven't hung art on the walls, and I haven't done any other art or DIY projects I had planned, either.

Let's talk about gold. It seems to have come back into fashion in the past few years. Yellow gold jewelry is making a resurgence, which I trace to Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw's gold "Carrie" necklace. Maybe that wasn't the item that started it, but that was the first time I personally started seeing yellow gold come back into vogue. Now it's everywhere in fashion, from sparkly gold metallics to deep bronzes. It's huge in shoes - J.Crew and Blue Tux Shoes have been doing gold shoes for a few years now. I was surprised this past weekend, however, to hear some people talking about yellow gold in much the way we talked about it in the late '90s - as some sort of 1980s nightmare that our one uncool aunt is always wearing. Me, in my little bubble, was not aware that people still felt that gold was in the same league with Hammer pants. I thought it was hip and classic, as long as you don't do it in a Miami Vice sort of way. So how do you feel? Is yellow gold fabulous once more, or a dated color best left in the past?

Photo - sugarscape.com

Closets I Once Knew

So design TV shows, decor blogs, and ladies magazines are always suggesting that you organize your closet by color. I tried it. I've been doing it for two or three months now, and I'm pretty much insane. Worst.Idea.Ever. I have no idea how this system works for people. I'm the kind of person who picks out an item I want to wear in the morning - let's say it's a sweater. Well, I have to find a cami to go underneath, so instead of going to the cami part of my closet I now have to dig through each color to see what I have for camisoles. It has done nothing but frustrate me and eat away at my time. Next chance I get, I need to reorganize back to my original system - camisoles and tanks together, tees together, cardigans together, button-downs together, etc. I highly recommend this system.

I'm really hoping that long-sleeved dresses stay in vogue for this fall. I didn't get a chance to jump on this bandwagon last year, and I'm ready to hop on. I'm also hoping Oxford shoes are still on the radar. It appears that equestrian boots, scarves, and suede will still be hot for fall 2010, so I'm excited to see those sticking around.

Now I'd really like to go home and clean out my closet, reorganize, and make room for some new things. And, of course, Project Runway premieres tonight. Fabulous.



Photo - evadesigns.com

Sunday on the couch

I promise that in two weeks, I'll be back to blogging with some normal frequency.

I mentioned earlier that I'm planning to run a 5k with a friend. Since I've been so busy, I haven't really had a chance to do much in the way of training or building up my non-existent stamina. Today I made it 2.5k, so I'm half way there - although I wasn't running the whole time.

I have a new channel on my Directv - The Cooking Channel. Oh, Nigella, how I love thee. I'm thoroughly entertained.

I miss my old roommate, bridesmaid, and friend "A". A lot. She's one of the few people I lived with that was relatively normal. I bet she and I would have a blast sitting on the couch today watching Nigella. But I was crappy at staying in touch, and now that I've moved I'm even more removed from our friendship. That sucks.

Can I say that I don't like the new chambray shirt trend? Dear 1991, please take back your chambray. Please.

Happiness is a new skirt

If I haven't told everyone about my love of shopstyle.com enough already, I'm going to reiterate it. I was shopping this weekend at Ann Taylor LOFT, and saw a skirt I had to have. I was in love. LOVE. Even my mom said, "that's so you!" Problem was the $80 price tag. $80 for a basic that will last forever is no problem - a little black v-neck dress, a grey wool cardigan, a pair of leather pumps. But I just couldn't pull the trigger on a shimmery gold animal-print pencil skirt.

That night, I went to shopstyle.com and located the skirt. I set a sale alert; you can have them notify you when the price drops on an item. Two days later - AMAZING. I get an email saying the price is now $25. This, THIS is why I love this website. $25 for a skirt is very palatable.

Being that I'm super busy and managed to not get my mother something for her birthday, I feel like the worst daughter ever. However, I just made a purchase online and I'm having it sent to her house which should improve my status: the adorable cupcake apron from Sex and the City 2. What woman wouldn't want this? I hope she loves it!

Lady Gaga - Amy Winehouse with 50% less coke?

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been MIA as of lately. Another thing you may not have noticed is that Martin+Osa’s website is now “All Sales Final”, which means the end is near. Get over and check it out before it’s gone – and with 50% off this week it’s a good time to stock up.

I saw Sex and the City 2 last night. Of course I went on opening night, why wouldn’t I? The critics had complained ahead of time that the movie lacked substance, so I went in with low expectations. But really, by the last couple seasons of the HBO series it had taken a turn from being Carrie-sex-column-based to more relationship-based. The upside was that the fashion and the big-city living glamour were still part of the background appeal, but not the story line. The first movie tried to tie up loose ends while moving fashion to the front. I didn’t mind the first movie. I wasn’t looking for something earth-shattering, I was looking to reconnect with the characters I enjoyed.

So, back to SATC2. I went in with low expectations. It really was not as bad as critics made it out to be. Yes, Samantha was terribly un-politically correct. And no, it wasn’t another Shawshank Redemption (but who expected it to be?). And I definitely could have used 25% more Mario Cantone. But otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Great cameos. I got home and into bed by 12:30, and what did I find on TV while flicking around trying to find something to lull me into sleep? Well, an episode of SATC of course. So I watched the episode where Carrie meets Berger and has her book release party, with Samantha’s terrible chemical peel. It was a nice end to a girly day.

Dirt Sandwich

I stopped by Subway today for one of those free breakfast sandwiches on my way to work. The news is not good. I described the smell of my sandwich to a coworker as smelling like “my dog after a day at the dog park; he smells like aggression and dirt”. I’m not sure you want your breakfast to smell like aggression and dirt. It was super bland. Maybe I should have added banana peppers and chipotle mayo to my egg sandwich to spice it up a bit? Gross.

What sort of shoes do you wear with skinny or straight-legged jeans? My skinny/straight-leg pants are easy to figure out, as they’re all cropped. But I’m struggling with full-length, non-flared jeans. Sandals are always easy, but not always appropriate for Midwest weather or casual Friday at work. My go-tos have been a pair of bejeweled ballet flats and a pair of equestrian riding boots, but I’d like to have a few other options. I just feel like I have clown feet when I wear loafers or fashion athletic shoes with a jean that doesn’t flare on the bottom. I’ve done the rolled-leg jean look which seems easier to pair shoes with, but again I don’t feel like it’s appropriate for all situations.

Since I’ve started using Google Reader, I respond much less frequently to blogs. I read all of the blogs of my friends, design blogs, fashion blogs, etc, but I don’t comment because it requires me to click through from Reader to the actual blog. How lazy am I? But I know my friends must be doing it too, because people tell me they read it but I rarely get comments. Have sites like Reader reduced interactions on blogs? Do you avoid viewing commenter drama, or having to visit lots of individual sites, by using Google Reader or the like? Is this convenience one more way technology is allowing us to have less real interaction with one another?

This & That, and your mom

I read a great article that Kohl's will be expanding its ELLE line to include ELLE Decor. Um, yay!

I recently wrote to the author of a J.Crew fan blog that I read, asking for help on fitting the tops. No help, though. I thought it would make an interesting post, asking which tops fit best on the bustier set. Since most J.Crew tops seem to be fitted for the I'm-built-like-an-adolescent-boy crowd, I was wondering if certain tops work better for the busty. I guess that didn't sound interesting enough to mention on her blog, so I'm mentioning it here! Anyone? I just don't live terribly close to a J.Crew (well, there's an outlet, but I'm talking first-run), and I HATE ordering items just to have to pay return shipping.

I love my new job. I've been busy, which is why I've been terrible at blogging regularly, but here I am! Running around, meeting people, being random and doing 18 things at once - this is totally my thing. So far. Just remember your comfy pumps on the days you need to run around. I am rocking some serious blisters today.


Photo - austin360.com

Shoe love

People who love their shoes will keep them in the original boxes, tagging the front of the box with a picture of the shoes the box contains. People who are obsessed with shoes don't need pictures. They know what shoes are in every box instinctively.

Today is a rainy day, and I can never get myself to put on a cute pair of shoes in the rain. I don't want to ruin fabrics, don't want to get my feet wet, and don't want to slip and fall. So today I'm wearing a nerdy pair of Sesto Meucci loafers. Hot.

I painted my nails a festive green for the Easter holiday. I thought the color was going to be mint, but it ended up being more of a lime. Like I said, FESTIVE. Yikes.


Photo - frenchtouchimage.com

The Poll has ended

The poll on my blog regarding my favorite style influence has closed, and not one person guessed correctly! I'm a huge fan of Carrie Underwood. I've been following her since her In Style magazine shoot in 2008. She does preppy, she does sexy without being over the top, and she always looks put together. I love that her formal looks are always young and classic - never over the top or dowdy. She rocks neutrals and plenty of color. Carrie even looks great when she's running errands in jeans. I love it!


Photo - InStyle Magazine

Preppy clothing on the web, this and that

It appears that American Eagle will be dropping it's Martin + Osa stores in the near future. I'm very sad. Much like Conan, I feel like AE just didn't give the brand enough time to brew. My other criticisms are: the brand was often too basic, with not enough interesting pieces; the items were consistently $10-30 overpriced; the shoes and handbags were majorly overpriced for their demographic; and their website was always changing its format. The great things were the men's fleeces (nice looking, not Old Navy-looking) and the button up Oxford shirts for women which actually fit ladies with a full bust (aka me). Right now their website doesn't mention closing, so I'm guessing they're still a ways off. I hope that I can at least score some good deals before they disappear. Bummer.

If you're like me and enjoy all preppy, nautical, and navy fashions, I have a tip. If you are smaller in size, check out the children's uniform sections of sites like Gap.com. They offer larger sizes (for larger kids into teens) and often have great preppy basics like polos, khakis, and blazers. The best selection is usually in late summer when the school year shopping begins. Check it out.

Oscars Red Carpet Breakdown

It's Oscar time! So, without further ado, my opinions...

Worst Dressed

3. Meryl Streep in Chris March. It was dowdy, boring, and looked like something she dug out of Sharon Stone's closet in 1992.

2. Kate Winslet in YSL. I'm not sure Oscar fashion can get any more boring.

1. Charlize Theron in Dior. Hello, pink boobie whirls.


Best Dressed

3. Diane Kruger in Chanel. I realize this one isn't going to be universally loved, and is already hitting worst-dressed lists, but I love it. It's a risk, I epitomizes Chanel, and it's glamorous. What else would you want on the red carpet?

2. Maggie Gyllenhaal in Dries Van Noten. I love that she went with a pattern, and on a night when color was sorely needed she had a vibrant gown.

1. Zoe Saldana in Givenchy. It had beautiful color, it was age-appropriate, it was fashion-forward, and I loved it.


Other Awards

Worst accessorizing: Kristen Stewart's lack of accessories

Best accessorizing: Mariska Hargitay, for actually wearing a necklace. There was an extreme lack of jewelry at the Oscars.

Best use of nudes: Cameron Diaz

Worst use of nudes: Sandra Bullock in Marchesa. The bottom half looked like snagged lamé.

Most improved: Tina Fey

Best use of color: Vera Farmiga in Marchesa

They call it "gauze"

Tissue tees, sheer cardigans...can someone explain to me the new obsession with see-through, un-warm layering options? I'm from a part of the country that gets cold in the winter. For me, a cardigan is something I put on to keep warm. Why would I want it to be flimsy? I'm not saying I need arctic cable-knit wools, but I would like a densely woven sweater. Thanks.

If I do get one of these jobs I've been interviewing for, I'm going to need to get some new clothes. My closet is comprised mostly of basics and some of them are looking tough. My black cardi lost a button on New Years Eve that I've yet to sew back on. That's sort of the story with much of my work wardrobe - each piece has an issue or just looks worn. I might have to dig out Tim Gunn's list of ten items every woman should own.

"I gave up dreaming for a while"

I'm not much of an American Idol watcher, but this season I'm watching for one reason - Andrew Garcia. If you haven't seen him, search him on YouTube. His versions of Straight Up and Sugar We're Going Down are absolutely recordable, and I'm in love with the duets he does with his friend Cathy. I haven't really been into music lately. I haven't purchased an album in probably six years. However, between cheering for Andrew Garcia and my recent love of Belgian artist Milow, I'm finally getting back into music. Hmm.

I received an email from The Limited today letting me know about their suit sale. If you buy a jacket you'll get a skirt or pant for free. I think this must be a sign; I must be getting a job soon, right? I mean, I want a new job and have shopping fever, so this must mean that the two are coming together. My current interviews include a local community leader position and a position planning/running a major Midwest ethnic festival. Sounds awesome to me!

Current trends

I'm making my spring fashion predictions and opinions, breaking down the current fashion trends by how I feel about them - the ones I want to go out of fashion, the ones that I think we'll continue to see, and the ones I've broke down and purchased:

I hope it's over soon

Buffalo plaid

Cropped jackets and cardigans

Handbags the size of luggage

Choppy, side-swept bangs

Brightly-colored plastic sunglasses

High-waisted shorts

Batwing sweaters

Extra long v-neck boyfriend sweaters

Black denim

Peep-toe boots

I think it's sticking around

Leggings

Distressed jeans

Platform shoes

Bib necklaces

Maxi dresses

Mermaid-cut gowns

Military-style jackets

Boyfriend blazers

Paillette dresses

Aviator sunglasses

Premium denim

Billowy blouses

I'm embracing it

Heeled gladiators

Cloche hats

Ruffled tops

Booties

Rolled jeans

Scarves with everything

Tunics

Opaque tights

Leather driving mocs

Yellow gold jewelry

Equestrian boots

White denim

Faux fur vests



Photo - martinandosa.com

Old. Navy?

Oops! I've been gone for a few days. I had an interview yesterday, so I'd been prepping for that pretty intensely.

I haven't worked out yet this week and my plans for today consist of a phone interview, afternoon errands, and then maybe a drink with friends. I'm not sure where my workout is going to fit in. Maybe walking my dog?

Is is just me, or has Old Navy's quality hit an all time low? I haven't been there for a couple months since the location closest to me closed, but it seems like they've really amped up the amount of thin, boxy and poorly made items in their stores. Don't get me wrong, I understand that they're Gap's low-end brand. But they seem to be falling into a new realm of crappiness. Ugh. It's like they're daring you to look cheap.

Photo - oldnavy.com

Canvas

I've just discovered Lands' End Canvas, Lands' End's attempt at updating itself, thanks to the folks over at J.Crew Aficionada. So far I'm a fan. Some of the stuff definitely reminds me of Martin+Osa (American Eagle's grown up line). A couple of the Canvas models I recognize as former Delia's models from my high school days. Yes, I actually recognize them. Odd.

I'm thinking about adding a blog roll to my Frenetic Studio; I figure if you see where I'm spending my time you might understand my ramblings. Although, I might seem less frenetic then...

I have a William-Sonoma gift card from Christmas that I've been itching to spend. However, I am super cheap and don't want to spend much over the $20 card balance. I've been hunting the sales at all the sites in which the gift card will work - WS Home, Pottery Barn, PB Teen, PB Kids, and West Elm - without finding any sale items I'm in love with. Well, scratch that. Sale items I'm in love with that aren't $699. Like I said, I'm cheap.