how do I look?

last night was the celebration of 100 episodes of style network's how do I look? can you believe it!? one hundred episodes!! that's a big deal in teevee land. I was around for episode five so obviously it holds such a special place in my heart to have watched it grow into such a success. finola hughes is a tremendously talented hostess who has entertained millions making HDIL the longest running show on the network. the party was held at social and they had yummy cupcakes and fruity drinks named after the cast and crew members. and of course, it was a pleasure to spend time with all of the people for who I am so greatful for having given me my start on the network. namely deana delshad and renee simon. happy 100. you don't look a day over 21.

spectator sport

I was in target the other day and saw the cutest pair of spectator heels for $26. that sure beats the price of the pricer hot trend at $300 or more. thing is, I didn't get them and now they are gone. darn shoes. where did they walk off to? will they come back to target? I hope so because this is the PERFECT example of a trend. these shoes won't last past the next season, so buy 'em cheap and then discard of them when you have fabulously walked them into the ground. pair them with opaque black tights or menswear-inspired trousers.

holy sheet!

I need your help on this one. I just got done doing my laundry and I think I've figured out an appropriate combo of detergent/cleaner sheet BUT! I'd love to hear what you guys are putting in your whites to really whiten things up. I currently use the most yummy smelling oxy clean, which I thought would whiten but no such luck. the smell however is to die. for the dryer, I throw in some lavendar scented method dryer sheets from target. it softens while it dries so thats a double whammy. for the most part, I do not dry the clothes in the dryer, I stick to airdry as it preserves the life of the garment. while I'm at it - if you're taking your things to the drycleaner, make sure to take the clothes out of the plastic immediately, as it does not let the clothing breathe and will ruin the piece. I was using the laundress for a while but I did figure paying $25 for a bottle of detergent seemed a bit too excessive as I'm sure the budget fashionista would agree. hey maaan, if it will whiten my stuff up (cleanliness is godliness), I'll go to great financial lengths to make my clothes look, smell and last great.

(t)oki doki

I'm sure by now, you've seen the toki doki brand. they've been on everything from america's top model to l.a. fashion week to cutie lesportsac bags. started by pooneh and her hubby, who also started hard candy, they are at the forefront of the fashion/art mix. they hold unbelievable events and have thought so out of any box to build buzz that their urban hello kitty-like looks from japanimation inspired italian artist, simone legno would beat out anybody in a pants-off brand-off.

high school musical 2

I headed down to disneyland on tuesday to cover the premiere of high school musical 2 for j-14 magazine. it was a hot and sweaty day so thank gosh I was given a shady spot on the blue carpet to get my interview questions in. the celebs made their way down the carpet in front of thousands of screaming teen fans. what a sight! cindy crawford was decked out in roberto cavalli and most of the young HSM2 cast was wearing bebe with the exception of vanessa hudgens who was in a floor length red satin gown reminiscent of old hollywood. paired with her dress was chanel's black satin nailpolish of which she told me was her absolute fave. up and coming moviestar, zac efron was in country club casual in slip on vans and a breezy brooklyn industries blue button down. after the premiere I headed over to the house of blues with my new access hollywood buddies (including billy bush) for a after-work drink. turns out, the access hollywood.com hostess had a ticket into the theme park which I promptly took off her hands, paid up my bill and excitedly headed over to the park. for four hours, I rode the rides and enjoyed disney solo (including the new finding nemo sub ride that for a line two hours long was no big deal). I finished off with a frozen mickey treat, disney gifts for S and a fireworks show over cinderella's castle. I had a pretty magical night!

a nice ports.

have you seen the line, ports 1961? perfect name for perfect cocktail wear. if you're in need of a dazzler for an impressive night out, all the hollywood chickadees are wearing it. and as a stylist insider, I can tell you its true.

baby makin' hips.

I've got a big bum. and not in a sexy badonk-adonk way but in a large, flat pasta-making way. and on top of that (literally), I've got a short yet small waist. it is pretty difficult for me to find a pair of jeans that truly flatters and feels right. the low riders give me muffin-top and the newly-popular high waists accentuate my thighs. I ain't too proud to share my womanly wardrobe woes, so I'd like key you in on a denim secret -- maternity. if you can get over the fact that you are not pregnant and would be willing to wear pregnant pants, you may find a world of wonder in these jeans. I was shopping for a preggers client the other day when I popped into two maternity clothing stores and ended up walking out with a pair of the jeans (in small) for me (don't worry ma - I am not pregnant. yet). they have the great elastic band that makes my rump look round and the flare at the ankle to bring the look up to date. in the small size, it flatters the tummy and fits perfectly. and like that seinfeld episode, I take out the tags so no one knows (should they see) that I'm rocking maternity jeans. so lets please keep this between you and me.

triple xxx, errrr.... A

here's a trend that everybody with a car should tap into - triple AAA. my car broke down the other day in an underground parking garage and thanks to months of my mother and boyfriend pleading for me to acquire the service I did. and boy am I glad I did. I was running an hour late on a dinner party I was throwing when the incident went down and it took triple AAA fifteen minutes to come and tow the car back to my place for a $50. a year fee. this is most definitely something you want to have in your closet of life.

bite me.

sarah jessica parker does it again. for a while now, she has been designing clothes for her line, bitten. I had read about it but only knew of it as a wardrobe myth. like finding chanel at the salvation army or socially acceptable knock-offs. I caught a seventeen magazine spread that used alot of the line which was so cute that it motivated me to get online and look it up. bitten is exclusively sold at steve and barry stores and I had never been to one, let alone know where one is. turns out across the street from the beverly center in the beverly connection is a steve and barrys where the old old navy used to be. I headed out just before closing time to see what the fuss was about. sjp has designed everything from great wide leg sailor pants to flats to bras to workout gear. and ALL UNDER $20!?!? and so cute to boot. there is such a wide selection that I was shocked we havent heard more about. I walked out with a sweet tote in distressed gray for $10!? I would've bought out the whole line but I ended up in the store after it registers closed. I'll be back tomorrow. locate the nearest steve and barry's yourself and get bitten. you'll be glad you did.

kickin it old school

stopped by the reebok fall preview party at the chateau marmont tonite. hosted by kari feinstein in bungalow one, with morty spinning, it was a charming get together for a classic brand. they are putting alot of work into resurrecting the brand and I hope it gets off on the right foot come fall (pun intended). the pieces were sportswear to be expected with some throw-back neon numbers thrown in for good measure. very cute for the teen set or a harajuku girl armed with a spray can. walked away with some fab goodies, including a nights stay at the chateau, which is divine because its my fave. on the way out, ran (in my new reebok kicks) into robbie williams and jamie sigler. that place never disappoints.

boobs!

being a female means always having to buy a good bra. since I first picked up a leopard-print number at ross a few years ago, my favorite and best fit has come from the betsey johnson intimates line. it was time for a new bra (mine can get pretty worn out from wear) so I headed into victoria's secret to pick up a BJ special (ross has since yet to carry any more of her pieces). for $42 I picked up a cream colored number that has me feeling so supported and sexy that I was inspired to post this blog. in my bra. and nothin' else. its that good. you can check out the selection and make an online purchase here. this spectacular line of pretty underthings has got my stylist stamp of approval.

buy the friendly skies

I found these awesome sunglasses in the atlanta airport today. they remind me of something diane keaton would wear in an early 80's woody allen film. keep an eye out on your next flight out for the fab airport store named bijoux lerner where all the fun accessory goodies are $10.

mind the gap

OMG! have u seen the new gap ads as shot by annie leibovitz? for a clothing brand that went down hill, they sure know how to work it out with their marketing skills. besides john mayer (thanks perez for the pic), the big leibov-ski also shot sarah silverman and ken watanabe. you'd think with these names they'd get a little cool cred...

sample of a sample sale

for the ladies that asked, I usually get emails or fliers for the local sample sales. in fact, if you are in los angeles, you can go to this one...

Vanitas of California is going to be participating in a fabulous group Sample Sale, including Wilen and N.Fem. There will be Amazing clothes at Amazing prices!
If you are a woman, have a woman in your life, or know a woman, I suggest you stop by!!! :)

When: Saturday July 21 from 12-4pm.
Where: 7600 Melrose Ave, Suite N (upstairs), LA 90046.

libertine has arrived!

took a pop in to target this morning to pick up some necessaries and saw a wild crowd of women tearing apart the new libertine line for the GO! collection. yup. it's here and it's kinda cool.

cheap and chic

I head to tampa on monday for a couple of home shopping network appearances and I decided to pull some designer duds for myself to rock on air, considering I am a trend expert and all. I am very lucky to have friends in high fashion places and was able to pull a fab moschino dress and three pairs of moschino heels from my friends at bluPRint who rep such unbelievable lines as oscar de la renta, zac posen and more. I also borrowed three dress from my fave new line, mon petit oiseau from my friends at bollare. I'm on air the 23rd and 24th of this month so (like waldo) watch for the cute couture. p.s. for the girls that ask, a stylist usually pulls clothes through a PR house to style out the subjects/celebs in the most fashion-forward yet to be released finds. p.s.s. it's a good idea to keep and build your contacts at the local pr firms/department stores for such occasions.

that's all folks

me and andi hit up the warner brothers studio sale a couple of weeks ago and walked away with some fab finds. the studio sale is when they rid themselves of all of the wardrobe, sets, misc. pieces that are used throughout the years on the different television shows. you pick up a cute purple gap tee and chances are you walking away with television history. it was fun to rummage (for hours) over the racks of clothing and furniture looking for fun and cheap finds. as a style expert, I was able to decipher between a pill-y, unwearable no name from a comme des garcon original. we were pretty happy to have me around.

sicko

see michael moore's new movie sicko and get to talking.

in the (k)now

if you're looking to stay tres chic, c'est chic, follow these simple trends:

- bangles, bangles and more bangles layered up
- big tassles on your bags ala 80's chanel
- red lips and red nails
- channel annie hall with menswear-inspired wide leg trousers and fitted tops

happy trending!

marc my words

people tend to have misconceptions when it comes to designer shops. a fear of the unknown (and exorbitant pricing) keeps many a good shopper out of a prada or a versace. well fear not high fashion lovers! I am here to report from the front lines that marc by marc jacobs on melrose has the freshest affordable trinkets this side of target. I picked up a quilted oversized bag, a gold wallet, flips and a tee for S. and another carry-all bag for me, while spending close to $100!?!? if you're not in the la. area hit up their website or check out eBay. rumour has it, someone is selling some of the cheap stuff there. speaking of rumers, if you are in the la. area, rumer willis is a shopgirl at the marc by marc joint. perhaps an ashton sighting is in your fashion future?