Santa, Please Put These Carin Wester Klea Sherpa Ankle Boots In My Stocking

($429, Carin Wester, Urbanoutfitters.com)

Granted, Santa, I know I don't "celebrate Christmas" or "believe in you," but perhaps if you could please somehow fit these perfect, putty-colored Carin Wester wedges into the stocking I do not own, I could make a gracious exception. How does that sound? Also, seeing as how they're $429, I will completely understand if this is my only stocking stuffer. I think that's more than fair.

Solestruck Is Having A Big Shoe Sale. HUGE.

Guise! Solestruck is having a MASSIVE shoe sale. Get 50% off of any sale shoes with promo code FP72HMPZF. Through Monday!

($279, Maurie & Eve, Solestruck.com)

Sadly these Maurie & Eve leopard wedges weren't on sale, but I did get these Rocket Dog Otto heels in white leather. Because you can never have enough of those!

($191, Matt Bernson, Solestruck.com)

I paused briefly to consider these Matt Bernson Ripcord wedges because they're like $80, but I took a pass since I'm terrified of high wedges.

($19.95, Rocket Dog, Solestruck.com)

These were like $9. I mean, come on. Anyway, Solestruck also has free shipping for return customers, and you can opt to ship your shoes in an earth-friendly box. Now go forth and consume!

A Round Of Applause For My Hair!

To know me is to know that my hair is kind of the bane of my existence. I like having curly hair, but, in the words of Kanye West, it's a process. Getting the right balance of conditioner, styling products and the providence of the gods of anti-humidity is a non-stop chore. While some people have the occasional "bad hair day," I have about 345 of those every year. The remaining 20 calendar days are random and unforeseen good hair days. Like today, lo and behold! So I had to document the rare event that is my good hair day. Credit goes to Davines No. 1 Finest Oil Non Oil, my beloved LA Looks Cashmere Curls, and C.O. Bigelow Protein-Enriched Conditioner for Dry Damaged Hair, and the dry climate of Los Angeles, where I'm holed up on a work trip at the lovely Andaz Hotel, where the beds are comfy and the WiFi is free! L'chaim!

Post script: Sorry for the lag in posting! Work grind keeps on grinding, plus I'm beatin' up the beauty beat for Naag.com. But the 'Binge abides!

Hey, Do You Have $1,250?

Good! So you can buy me this vintage Chanel letter necklace from What Goes Around Comes Around?

($1,250, vintage Chanel, shopwgaca.com)

I Don't Like That A Brand Called TITS Exists

Look, very little makes me uncomfortable. Profanity, frank, open talk about bodily functions, medical oddities, self-expression, whatever. It all has a time and place, and it rarely bothers me. But really? Do we REALLY need a clothing brand called "Tits"?

Tits stands for "Two In The Shirt," and according to their blog, the name "'Two In the Shirt' is derived from the acronym T.I.T.S., which is quite fitting considering the nature of the clothing itself." We also learn that Tits is a "provocatively unique clothing brand that uses the female body as the focus of its design... embodying a unique prototype of various fantasies of women."

Really? That's not unique. It sounds like you're just... using the female body -- specifically breasts -- to sell some t-shirts and hoodies. Do you really need boobs to sell hoodies?

"Each design showcases classy prints of nude or nearly nude women." Well, at least you're up front about it. But since when is a greased-up woman eating a banana in a locker room while wearing a cheerleading skirt is classy? She is many things, but classy is not one of them. And DON'T get me wrong -- if you like looking at photos like that, have a BLAST. Have a ball, even! But don't call it fashion.

I NEVER thought I'd say this, but at least American Apparel owns it! They just like pervy ads. They're gross but they don't pretending it's something it's not. 

Sure. Tits just isn't a brand for me. For one, I already have two in the shirt. But it's also not for me because it's Just. Not. Clever. ("Titter" instead of "Twitter"? Okay, fine. At least it sounds similar. But "Titbook" instead of "Facebook"? REALLY?)  It's just porn someone threw a t-shirt on.

I Can Has Ray-Ban Wayfarers?

Ray-Ban Wayfarers are the trench coat of sunglasses -- they're timeless, they look good on everyone, and everyone should own at least one. Or several pairs, if you're me.

The nice folks at ShadesDaddy asked if I'd like to review a pair of sunglasses, and since I'm becoming somewhat of a Wayfarer hoarder, they kindly sent me a pair of Ray-Ban's Button Pins - Summer Special Series #4 Wayfarers, which have fun, hazy badges and little peace signs printed all over them.

($125, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)

It's like someone took Kevin Arnold's big sister Karen's political ethic and printed them on a pair of sunglasses.

What I love about Wayfarers is that the style is instantly identifiable, but Ray-Ban keeps renewing a tried-and-true product with unexpected new prints, patterns and colorways (impossible to resist for a collector like myself) without altering the signature Wayfarer shape.

I'm especially into the whimsical pink-striped take on these tortoiseshell Wayfarers:

($125, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)

And as a New Yorker of 10 years, I have to endorse the Rare Print Subway Series. (I own them in orange with the Subway print on the inside).

($120, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)

Oh, and sidenote: these aren't Ray-Bans, but it's worth mentioning that these plastic black sunglasses, hand-beaded with seed beads by jewelry designer Jenny Dayco, just moved to the top of my very very long covet list. Available at Oliver Peoples.

Hello, Lover... Sweater Dress, That Is

($416, Lover, Gargyle.com)

Hello, Lover, you beautiful cream sweater dress, you. I would very much like to spend the winter sitting by the fire, drinking cocoa with you.

Interested?

Consider this your open invitation.

xoxo,
t

Welcome To New York City, Dr. Martens!

 

New York City just got a little '90s-er, because Dr. Martens, which just turned 50 years young (really, he looks AMAZING for 50) FINALLY opened a Doc shop in Soho. It's not only the first in New York, but it's the first on the East Coast. Can you even? I was invited to check out the store the other week, and let me tell you, 1992 me was FREAKING OUT. And so was 2010 me.

The brand-new Dr. Martens shop is cozy and inviting and smartly adorned in the signature black and yellow of the very first pair of Docs I ever owned 18 years ago (shudder) and wore to a Violent Femmes show PRAYING they'd get all scuffed up and even-cooler looking.


Check out some of my favorite Dr. Martens from the Spring/ Summer 2011 collection and some photos I snapped of my favorite Docs. The animal print Docs are musts, and the patent leather teal floral embossed Darcies need to find their way into my closet IMMEDIATELY.

($130, DMUSAStore.com)

Dr. Martens New York

148 Spring Street
10012  

Mandy Aftel's Face Exilir Will Give You Toddler Face

I recently had an INTENSE moisturizer conversation in the bathroom at work (I was talking to a friend, by the way, and not to myself. And we were in the anteroom, and not like on the toilet -- it's always so weird when people converse while on the toilet), and I ACTUALLY heard myself using the term "anti-aging." Ugh. Mortifying that that's actually in my lexicon now. It was like one of those moments where you suddenly find yourself hovering above yourself, watching and listening in horror as you actually say something you can't believe you're saying.

($40, Aftelier Perfumes, Aftelier.com)

Anyway, I said "anti-aging" because I've recently been using Mandy Aftel's Aftelier Perfumes all-natural face Geranium, Jasmine and Ylang Ylang elixir. I recently discovered Mandy Aftel after Nathan Branch (who's one of the smartest fashion/ retail writers I've a fortnight), introduced me to Mandy and her phenomenal collection of all-natural, handmade fragrances. I loved them so much I wrote a Naag.com story on her fragrances. So, where was I? Oh yeah, Mandy included a face elixir in the generous package she sent me, and I tried it out almost as an afterthought, having already fallen in love with her fragrances and not really looking for any extra love, you know?

Hand to God, people, her elixir made me look instantly younger. Like TEENAGE years, guys. Pre-teen even. It  moisturizers, hydrates and RADIATES youth. There's absolutely no messy greasiness. Just the clearest, brightest, softest skin I can ever remember experiencing. I wouldn't be surprised if people mistook me for a toddler. The difference between my skin when I use this and when I don't is the difference between awesomely perfect and gross.

My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that the bottle is very small -- 7 ml. BUT, I'm kind of an overuser, and while each bottle's $40, I figure lots of anti-aging products are barely bigger and about five times the price. And I guess what price toddler face?

REVEALED: I Bought These Christian Louboutin Clou Noeud Spikes!

($1195, Christian Louboutin, Barneys)

Oops. I confused "I bought these" with "I'd look really amazing in these." Sorry. Won't happen again.

I Bought It Files: SHARK Bracelet & Faux Fur Leopard Print Coat!

I realized yesterday that AN ENTIRE DAY HAD PASSED without me engaging in ANY sort of online shopping experience. So today I vowed to right that terrible wrong.

I had an online gift certificate to Fred Flare, which is one of my favorite stores of all time (run by some of the nicest PEOPLE of all time -- Chris, Keith and Jen are LITTLE MIRACLES), which is why I'll soon be the proud owner of a new leopard-print faux fur coat AND a Disney Couture shark bracelet. TWO NECESSITIES, of course.

($78, FredFlare.com)

I've been on a mission for MONTHS now to find a great faux fur coat, and I hope this one delivers. It's no Wren fur coat, but it's also not $795, now is it?

($54, Disney Couture, FredFlare.com)

I'm not necessarily a Disney person, nor am I usually into licensed merch (often it skeeves me out), but I do positively LOVE Disney Couture's jewelry, particularly because it doesn't look like kid Disney stuff. And it's made really well. My Disney treasure chest ring, also from Fred Flare, looks brand-new after years of wear. Oh yeah, and Disney Couture's Tron merch is out of this world. (Get it?) Anyway, I ended up buying this shark bracelet. Because I really really needed a shark bracelet, as it turns out.

Oh yeah, get 30% off with code word "Flare." YAY! Love a sale!