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one size does not fit all



Junior high was awkward for me but made even more awkward by my unique sense of style. The lines Multiples and Units (both started by Sandra Garrett) were battling it out in the market place as I was dealing with having my hair pulled by Kevin Cohen. But back to me..I was a total mall rat and had found the line multiples at Macy's fascinating. The 80's cotton clothing line came in clear plastic bags much like what you might store your out of season long underwear in and was all one size fits all. Colors were also limited to black, white, mint green, navy, and other 'wide' appeal shades. The concept was that many pieces were multifunctional-a miniskirt could be a top, belt, scarf, or headscarf as a medieval bride and the design was meant to adjust to different sizes. Translation-everything was cut super big. For a budding stylist this line provided me with endless entertainment after school while listening to Madonna on my cassette boom box. But when I look at pictures of myself I see how ridiculous I looked (but hey didn't everyone look ridonculous in the 80's?) and it would have been virtually impossible to be popular with my far out style. I was just walking to my own set of maracas. But the other lesson I see in glancing back is that one size does not fit all and fit is the most important thing I share with my private clients. Because if you don't look good, we don't look good!
If you want to read a bit more about Multiples and Units click here

I'm dying!

Rachel Zoe launches her recessionista line.
check it out!

Jewelry Low to High




In the world adornment in the form of jewelry is everywhere. It is truly a universal craft. I'm a big fan as most women. I would like to highlight 3 companies that I have recently discovered.
*Marc Bernstein I found at the Designer Market on the weekend on Mulberry Street. He makes necklaces and belts but really it was the bracelets that I fell in love with. A mix of uptown equestrianism, casual luxury, and chunky femininity I am an instant fan. I immediately bought this bracelet in rose gold and chocolate leather for the affordable price of $65. Find out more on his website. Mbernstein.com
*An adorable little jewelry store in the west village called Lori McLean at 49 Grove Street had a fabulous pearl necklace by Lenora Dane in the window. Upon closer inspection I found out it comes in a few different lengths and this one shown is a mere $68. How about that for affordable luxury!
*I went to the Plaza Athenee (here till Saturday Oct 24th 11am-6pm) to check out a couture jewelry line from Germany called Hemmerle. I had seen this ruby ring in a magazine and was fascinated to learn more about their craft. One-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art all made by hand. Absolutely nothing outsourced, family run business using imaginative materials such as copper, aluminum, wood, and brass. They find exquisite superior stones all over the world and then create the jewelry inspired by the stone. Family head Stefan designs, the son does PR, and the wife Sylvie wears seems to help with many aspects of the business. Modern luxury starts at $9,000-sky's limit and custom orders are accommodated. Talk about old fashioned style! Hemmerle.com

Lady Gaga Lifting Looks?



So I'm watching a very classic but slow moving French film called 'Last year at Marienbad' and although I have the slight feeling of a bad deja vu from the film I'm loving the costumes. It's a black and white film so her outfits are either BLACK or WHITE. But one in particular strikes me because it looks familiar. It reminds me of something Lady Gaga wore. Is her 'haus of gaga' lifting inspiration from old films or is it her stylist B. Åkerlund? Inquiring minds would like to know...

if you'd like to read more about the collaboration between Lady Gaga and her stylist click here

Ruffles go round




Ruffles are nothing new to the fashion scene. Men used to wear ruffled shirts at Versailles and I found a wonderful ruffle inspiration on Catherine Spaak in the 1969 movie The Libertine. To me it looks like a Ralph Lauren shirt. So I’m still loving ruffles and I love that all these wonderful companies are bringing ruffles to washable fabrics like cotton and modal. I bought this green grey one last year from Moth at you guessed it Anthropologie and continue to wear it incessantly.
My 2 top pics are from Anthropologie. I really want to get the burgundy one.
How I wear it:
*with jeans and high boots on a Saturday in Soho
*over a dress to meet with a client
*as an in between weather sweater coat
*over sweats on the plane (shown above shot by Nichole Wright of Bon Vivant)
*Over a cute bra and pantie set hanging with a beau

How would you wear it?

Adventures in hipsterland at the ACE




Last night a gaggle of girls and I assembled at the Ace to check out the Thursday night scene. Ok we were a large group of 10 almost like a bachlorette party but without the hideous veil. Again I was struck by the ambiance and décor-as if I’m hanging out in my older brother’s dorm common room minus the old pizza. God this place is cozy and with oodles of style. After one drink our group became restless because the male pickings were thin and it wasn’t totally happening but one of my girlfriends was clever enough to befriend the owner of the hotel and talk him into getting all of us into the private party down stairs. What awaited us was the band Fool’s Gold and what we perceived to be a more exclusive scene. Upon entering we we thrown into the tail end of what seemed to be a mock musical jam session/photo session with almost every hipster at the party. All flocking to be in front of the camera. Pictures blown up digitally on the wall run as a slide show. Was it a ritual I wondered? No it was just a wild moment of enthusiasm for this wonderful setup brought by a company called Studio Booth. (Vera Wang’s been there done that!) With a remote control for the shutter party peeps take time posing although shots were amazingly candid refreshing and real. No posed shots were taken. A miracle. You can see the debauchery moments with much flannel here. One of my girlfriends asked me, “Wasn’t this the scene you wanted to avoid by moving from Williamsburg to Manhattan?” I guess I’m still scratching my head as to how all these hipsters are here on 29th street? Go figure. Thestudiobooth.com

Best Dress!



One of the best dresses I ever bought I almost returned. It’s by Splendid from Shopbop and I thought it might be a little ho-hum. But boy has this dress pulled it’s weight in cost per wear! Navy being a universal color that flatters most everyone helps. The cut is very roomy without adding weight to the body-(it's also great for those who are various stages of pregnancy). Wash, wear, repeat.
Here’s how I wore it:
*On the plane with H&M leggings since it’s super soft and cuddly
*On a date with a red Pashmina draped over one shoulder, faux ruby ring from H&M, gold strappy sandals by Elie Tahari.
*Daytime with bronze flat sandals, floppy hat, and easy chain.

Splendid.com still sells it in black. Buy the modal Lycra short dress here! http://www.splendid.com/Modal_Lycra_Short_Dress/pd/np/106/p/1172.html

Photos by my talented friend Nichole Wright of Bon-Vivant

Milage from a Dress



ONE DRESS ENDLESS LOOKS

Another amazing cotton dress by Velvet. I buy at least one a season from Anthropologie. I’m kinda on this cotton dress kick because they are so easy to care for are super versatile and have simplified my wardrobe. There’s an ease to dresses that I love-no hunting for the perfect bottom or something that matches. The shape and cut are amazing for my long torso/hourglass shape. The neckline adds volume to the bust which is good for me, perfect cocktail length hits at the knee, color brings my eyes alive, and skips over the thigh area. The day to night possibilities are endless. Season less, timeless.

Here’s one for sale right now that’s similar
http://tinyurl.com/yzhzp8h
Saks

How I have been wearing the dress to the max
*Sightseeing with flat bronze sandals, hat, and sunglasses
*Over a bathing suit hat and sunglasses
*Daytime for work consultation with teal velvet Marc Jacobs blazer, labradorite necklace by V'TA jewelry, brown retro pumps by Kenneth Cole (shown above)
*Nighttime for a date-good jewelry, vintage clutch, gold Elie Tahari shoes, cotton wrap lacy cardigan by Deletta from Anthropologie in teal. (shown above)
Fall nighttime with Red DKNY statement coat, hounds tooth hat, tights
Thrown on to run errands-good for feeling cute at Duane Reade

I tell you what works for me. I encourage you to find dress styles and colors that make your body sing. There is no one shape for everybody. Working with a stylist can help you identify your best styles and colors. www.alexandrastylist.com

Photos by Nichole Wright of Bon Vivant

LESS IS MORE!


How I only took one suitcase for one month of traveling to Greece this summer

*Clothing has to play double and triple duty in adaptability
*Basic dresses that could fit into multiple occasions-basic solid colors, adaptable, and flattering
*3 pairs of shoes-all metallic 2 flats, one strappy small heels
*1 clutch with multiple metallic colors-gold, silver, bronze. Usage for daytime nighttime, matches almost everything
*All items are washable. Limited my dry cleanable outfits to 1 that I knew would work for several occasions- cream linen sailor pants, cream ruffly sleeveless BcBg top
*No valuable jewelry-just fun costume
*Limited toiletries-all travel size when possible. For example instead of bringing on large toothpaste I brought 5 travel sized ones that I could shed as they were used up.
*No bulky sweater items or sweats. Nightgowns super light from Gap Body.
*Wrap cardigan in cotton dressy enough to wear with a dress or pants.
*Only 1 dressy party dress-also super light weight that doesn't wrinkle but fabulous enough to attend a wedding . Sparkly, filmy sheath, and wonderful bronze gold for my coloring. No need for a full length gown if you are under 40. Cocktail length is always appropriate. (dress shown)
*Pashmina’s as much as they came in and out of fashion they are travel musts. No sleeves means no sweating so longer wear. Great use as a blanket on plane, over the shoulders at night, over nightgown first thing in the morning, a cover-up over bathing suit.
*I learned this trick while in Hawaii. Use pareo as a dress, bathing suit cover up, and towel

Try Anthropologie, Splendid, Velvet, and Banana Republic, American Apparel for basic dresses

Happy Travels!

HATS HATS

So I’m a hat person as you may know. There are not enough milliners in the this city but one of my favorites Heather Huey is really tearing it up at the moment. You may remember I blogged about her a few months ago. She just made a hat for Audrey Tautou of Coco Before Chanel (a movie that I highly recommend) and is in all sorts of fabulous press like Numero and Lucky. Hats off to you Heather!
You can find Heather in her Chinatown studio in New York City.

TOP NOTABLES IN FASHION IN NYC

1. Harold Koda-Head of Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Brilliant, talented, and down to earth despite working with the most difficult ones in fashion-hello Karl, Iris, Anna, Madonna, I could go on..
2. Chado Ralph Rucci-New York's only designer who has Couture Status from Paris. Don’t throw that word around ladies as it means nothing. Every time I see his show I cry it’s so beautiful. Works of art really.
3. Patrick Macdonald-Dandy and muse, editor and gentleman about town. And he’s nice!! Odd fact he’s a twin.

Who inspires you??

A little press is always a great thing

Great press on me! If you've got any sort of event or wedding to dress for read this for some great tips.
Vail Daily by Laura Ball

The Perfect Plaza experience




When I was a little girl one of the highlights was dressing up and dancing the night away on my father's feet at the Father Daughter dance at the St Francis Yacht Club. I imagined that moving to New York my nights would be filled with eligible suitors courting me the way my father had treated me. Last night was what dreams are made of. This old fashioned girl who is currently making old fashioned beef stew hit the newly renovated Plaza last night in style. My good friend and event planner extraordinaire of Bon Vivant Nikki brought me along to the tail end of a glamorous event put on by Susan Shin. After that fete wound down and the champers ran out we headed over to hear the wonderful crooner Michael Fredo. Nikki's a good friend of
Michael Fredo since he used to be a fixture at the sadly closed Le Royale (owner Terry Casey's new project is in Williamsburg which I attended the soft opening in may).
Anywho nothing could prepare me for the evening. Good news was I was dressed to the 9's in my best custom bronze/gold sheath dress (designed by moi of coarse)
Michael Fredo and his band are single handily bringing old world class and style to the Plaza while breathing some fresh air and youth into the joint. Michael's act is American Jazz standards influenced by Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington and other greats has some serious chops. What is so entertaining is that he breaths a freshness, an ease, and almost kid-like fun to the show. He's breezy, light on his feet, smooth, and does a killer spot spin to wow the ladies. He's dressed in a burgundy velvet suit with a mock handkerchief that's really red panties which he uses as a fun prop to mop the sweat off his brow and engage the audience. Ladies this man is straight, single, and probably knows how to woo!
When he sings, 'I get a kick out of you' I realized that he shares this wonderful old fashioned attitude of men truly being excited to be the presence of a LADY. This is an attitude which I believe is lacking in the female over populated New York city. During the evening I noticed that as usual the men were outnumbered and stuck to their corners like wallpaper where they held court as the barrage women came to them. What's wrong with this picture? How did we get here?
Even the Countess Luann Lesseps who had been at the Rosenthal event with us was toe tapping and at one point looked like she might sing. Other crowd notables was a 'Mikey' who claimed to represent Micheal Fredo, Lady Gaga, and Wyclef Jean but couldn't produce a card but his room key and wad's of 50's. 'I like the way you roll in your dark sunglasses and diamond studs-you just aint my flavor sorry'.
The gamut of the hipsters came to represent-my favorite wedged between gossip girl lookalikes in headbands was the coolest Japanese hipster with a Mohawk and an older artist who had clearly never seen a razor.
I can sum up the night by saying it was what you want classic New York to be and never is. Today I can eat my words and my beef stew.

Rosenthal I love U!


On our way to the Plaza to catch the tail end of the Rosenthal event with my good friend Nikki we ran into the super dandy Patrick McDonald (who by the way if you don't know who he is...you're living under a rock-go check him out). What a great omen to see him coming from the Plaza. Once up in the marble foyer we were offered champagne and immediately hit on by some creepy older gentlemen. No thanks I think we'll go look at the Rosenthal china display which our friend Nick Dietz spent oodles of creative energy on. (we love you Nick!) Photographs by Karl Lagerfeld who was commissioned to come up with 12 images of the china but shot a massive 60 with a male model because he was so inspired. Can't believe I'm actually creaming for china but hey it must be hormones. I've never felt the urge to register but the gold tea pot is to die for! Party goers were on the OK side. Ladies were bringing out their bling and designer wares in honor of Louis, Gucci, and Louboutins. My favorite moment of the fete was spying Edward of Warren Tricomi twisting, twirling, and fluffing the already gorgeous Countess Luann de Lesseps (if she's divorced does that mean she's still a Countess??) perfect coif on the fly. His new salon which looked out onto the party is to die for and oh so chic in a studio 54 kinda way. Also up there was flirting wish a cutie with bright blue eyes, British accent and job selling super yachts to the super rich. Hopefully more to come on that one...

Ace is the place


Good things happen to those who wait...Waiting for the New York branch of Ace hotel to open was a bitch but it has a very sophisticated and stylish bar scene going on in their.....lobby? (making due with what you got!) . Despite the fact that the Breslin restaurant and bar (by the people who brought you the spotted pig) is not open yet hasn't stopped this place from becoming a hot spot with the hipster downtown Manhattan crowd (on 29th street!). Feels a bit like Jenny Humprey from Gossip Girl would hang out here. Last Saturday night was quiet the birthday time. I was there for a birthday and everyone else I met there were there for birthdays. I'll tell you why it's so inviting-because it is a big place with a cozy feel-vignettes of big couch living room seating. Good lighting, good DJ and music that isn't too loud (one can actually have a conversation) , and one of those old school photo booths you used to do with your 6th grade boyfriend or girlfriend. Decor is as if your cool older flannel plaid wearing older brother learned to decorate with ease. And I've totally decided that it will be my new living room day and night-laptop lane way cooler than Starbucks. And if you decide to take a room because you're too tipsy or you've met the woman of your dreams (for the night) rooms start at a reasonable $199. Who says New York is not affordable?

La Pomme was Ultra


Another day another club rehab. I have to say that the peeps over at La Pomme on West 26th street which used to be Ultra did a chic job. I was invited with to go to an event planners open house with my event planner friend extraordinaire Nikki. I liked the subtle 60's vibe and circular white overhang. It's a small intimate boite with a great location in relation to my house (I swear my hood is turning). The food was not stellar, music not too loud ( a big plus in my book) but what was extraordinary was the 'entertainment'. Turns out my buddy Aaron who is a regular at my parties handles the production for the very talented and sexy Ami Goodheart of SOTU Productions. Costumes as you can see above are out of this world fab and her performance art is featured Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. I can't say as to what the clientele will be like as to this open house was the usual mixed bag and heavy on those in for the free apps. But I would seriously check this place out while it's still a virgin apple.

Great new press!

I can't believe I almost forgot to toot my own horn. I've been featured in an article geared towards those who want to join the styling world.
Here's the link and happy reading!
http://mamasarollingstone.com/fashion-tips/fashion-stylist-pt-1/

Style Wars-it's your big chance


Budding stylists...now is your chance! Enter in the StyleWars Contest. New York one will be at Don Hill's on November 7th. I will be there for sure! Might even compete as a team. We'll see.

Casual Glamour

This fall upon my return to NYC I looked to find a new fashion inspiration. I found my new direction in a post of my good friend Marni's blog. The article talks about how sometimes it's better as a woman to not look like you're trying to hard in the dressing department. So I took this as my new fashion direction and one night decided to experiment. Usually to a cocktail i put on a simple dress and accessorize it. To Marni's party on the Upper East Side I wore cream linen sailor pants-fitting and flattering, a cream eyelet top with some subtle ruffles-also very flattering, layered pearls which had been my mothers, a touch of makeup and jewelry and metallic flats. During the course of the evening I received several compliments from men and women on how much they liked my outfit. The men seemed to pick up on my confidence and my natural attitude and applauded my daring to not wear heels. All of this was a nice surprise and a good lesson. Never let them see you sweat and confidence is key!

Most Stylish Blogger?





Ok,
So I'm not into contests but this one I can dig. I have entered into the stylish blogger contest sponsored by Bluefly. I have to show them pics of my in my stylish wares. Which one do you think is best?

Lights Camera Champagne



Back in the big apple. Back to my posh life right? I missed fashion week but was invited to the very glamorous Porsche/Vanity Fair Party at Skylight studios in downtown Manhattan. Luckily for me and my wing-girlfriend we were treated to pre-recession opulence in a swinging 60's glamour scene. We avoid the red carpet because we are so anti having the paparazzi snap our picture in front of a logo ed backdrop-she's private because she's in the media and I think low key is the new bold cool move. But accept a glass of champers aka Veuve Cliquot (which is the real deal pour from the bottle-not like that fashion party I went to where they displayed a magnum Veuve but poured the fake stuff-the horror!) and start to zig zag through the exhibit. This is truly a party/exhibit to pimp out Porsche. They clearly want to show that their design history is museum worthy. My favorite was the new Panamera they are enrobed in thousands of hologram stickers attached as an art piece. (Stickers bring me back to 5th grade) Staff were the best looking bunch of the lot and the most charming. There were actual waiters whose sole job was to pick up empty glasses but also bring you a new glass of whatever struck your fancy. The icing on the cake were the delectable doll sized hors d'oeuvres which were truly works of art. The size of my thumb but ohh so scrummy-fillet mignon with a toothpick dollop of onion creme on mini round toast, smoked salmon 'cake' with tiny layers of cream cheese and green paper thin soft tortilla all in cut into tiny rectangles, Parmesan hot pudding domes on a cracker with micro tomato (sounds weird but the butter and cream made them addictive) mini summer rolls (my personal fav). After speaking with a rep from Porsche about the car I asked about the food and he said during the tasting they had decided the most important factor was that they were one bite not too. Leave it to the brand of a German car to get the details done with flourish, style and taste. Who were the taste makers you ask?
Amongst the Porsche clientele-older, white, more suburban were fashion editors and the occasional celebrity. Gretchel Mol the actress was there in a cream mini dress that in person added volume around the hip area-why would you want that bigger?, black tights, and black bootie heels. Bai Ling was posing in pretzel like contortions in front of one of the cars and a gaping crowd that I was questioning her celebritydom. I'm sure there were others but we were mostly on the hunt to meet new and interesting people of the masculine nature.
When we left we were given gift bags with the usual plus a book and key touting the Panamera Car. I'm just wondering about this key that looks like it would open a Porsche does that mean mine is around the corner waiting for me or am I supposed to wear this as a necklace for luck??