Internet Ordering Question...

IH asked: Hey, Fashionista.As time constraints increase, I'm learning that on-line shopping is quite convenient. The only issue is sizing. Any helpful suggestions on how to buy online and avoid purchasing the wrong size (especially since shipping costs are often non-refundable)? Thanks!


Fashionista says: I would suggest looking at the given sizing charts and/or calling the online site to find out the fit of items, sometimes customer services reps have more details than are given online. Also for shoes, you should also call to inquire whether or not shoes are euro sized, cuz most of them are. And a lot of sites now offer free shipping unless you request expedited shipping. Another tip for finding free shipping is to do a Google search for "free shipping codes." I have gotten lucky a few times with promotional codes for places such as Gap, BR, Neiman's, Jcrew. Hope this helps!

Keep the questions coming!!!!!!!!

Live long and Dress Well!!!!!!

Question for the Fashionista...

Kim G asked: What color undergarments go under white????

Fashionista says: Great question Kim and so appropriate for the season. It is during this time of the year that we are faced with the challenge of wearing our summer whites and linens, which call for suitable undergarments. This question holds true for both the ladies and gents. My thoughts...Always go with black!!!! But I have tried chocolate brown and even deep plum under whites and they have both worked perfectly!!!! Also, flesh tones or nudes can work, depending on how sheer the fabric may be. I have found that flesh tones never really match one's true shade, so go with something as close to your skin tone as possible. Ladies, try out www.figleaves.com (thanks EB) for an abundance of ladies lingerie, swimwear, and sizes galore!!!! They carry designer lingerie as well as hard to find sizes like double F!!!!!!! And they have very cute styles! Also, Nordstrom and Neimans have excellent bra specialists to help with finding your true size, because soooo many of us are wearing the wrong size. I myself was included in that bunch, but no more!!!! I have a great bra specialist, Cynthia at Neiman Marcus who even sends me a note or gives me a ring to let me know when new items of my size are available. Also, if you are in the DC metro area and you are in need of some expert advice, check out Dorne Corset Shop(thanks LMC). These ladies know what they are doing and can fit you just right!!!!!!

As for my fellas, always go with a solid color under your white linen pants or white boxer briefs. Only you all can get away with this!!!!!

Until next time... Live Long and Dress Well

mini blog....Livin' For the City

Word has it some of us are living in the best cities for young professionals!!!! What do you know about DC, LA and ATL being in the top 5!!!! Say Word?!!?!! Check it out!!! Get out and enjoy your city and look good while doing so in a cute mini dress, wedges(if your feet are too tired from a long days work, throw on a cute patent leather flat), and hobo bag(gotta do a blog about that next) and work it out, you young professional you!!!!! Check out the website slideshow for more info: http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/2007/06/21/cities-jobs-young-forbeslife-cx_mw_0621realestate_slide_2.html?thisSpeed=15000

pssst...for my girls in DC: Nana on Ust is having a great sale(50% off) of cute little tanks! Picked up a couple myself!!!! Stop in Now!!!!!

live long(in your city) and dress Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Westside Connections

Hey everyone! Just got back from my hometown...The LA, FlossAngeles, Cali, West-Side, whatever you wanna call it! Had a blast as usual visiting with family and friends. Did some shopping. Did some eating...well did lots of shopping and lots of eating and discovered some hidden gems while doing so(thanks cuzzin Will B.) Next time you are in L.A. you might want to definitely hit up the following: Shintaro Sushi and The Bar Bar both located in Hot Hollywood!

Shintaro had the best sushi (and I'm not that into sushi) and they had this one tuna dish prepared on hot stone...Taste like Chicken!!! It was yummy!!! After sushi and Saki, check out The Bar. This spot has quietly become our spot for a drink and meeting up with my cuz. There is no cover, drinks are good, ambiance is laid back, real California style! One thing, fella's should definitely wear pants, other than that you re set for some good eats and good drinks next time you re in SoCal!

The Bar: 5851 Sunset BlvdLos Angeles, CA90028
Phone: (323) 468-9154
Cross Street:Bronson Avenue

Shintaro Sushi: 1900 N Highland Ave Ste 5Los Angeles, CA90068
Phone: (323) 882-6524
Cross Street:Franklin Avenue

http://www.shintarosushi.com/

Live long and Dress/Party Well!!!!!!

Living on the W-Edge

One of the summer's hottest shoe, next to the flat(soon to blog), is the Wedge!!! This season has brought back the wedge with a little remix...The platform wedge!!!! Its hot, its great with wide-legged pants, shorts, and dresses, and most importantly, you can WALK in it without going over the edge!!! Check out some of these styles. I'm really loving the fact that the wedge creates lengthy legs and looks fabulous paired with the hottest dress this season...the mini dress or for my ol' school heads, the Babydoll dress! So cute! Along with the fact that they come in such an array of colors and styles and can definitely be worked into your fall wardrobe, paired with some funky tights!Try out some of these looks and you too can live life on the W-Edge!!!!!

Oh, and don't forget you can always pair your mini's with cute tights or leggings for the fall too!

Remember, Live long and Dress Well!!!!!

psst...all shoes and dresses can be found at anthropologie.com and shopbop.com

Call of the Wild

Check out what's going on at Wild Women Wear Red ( A great shoe boutique in Washington DC, one of my fav's)!!!

Congrats, T & B!!!

look cute AND still have enough cash for a full tank of gas!
Gas prices are through the roof. That doesn't mean you have to let yourself go. Take advantage of Wild Women Wear Red's 30% off sale. Yes, you can take 30% off ALL the shoes in the store. Doesn't that sound good?!

You made the Soles4Souls Shoe Drive a success. You donated over 11 large boxes of shoes within a 7 day period. That's over 450 pounds of footwear. A very deserving woman in Tanzania will be getting her sexy on with those stilettos you donated. Phenomenal!

Aren't you tired of hearing people say that the fashion scene in DC is boring and conservative? Saturday, June 23rd the BEST fashion show DC has to offer will take place at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium. You owe it to yourself to attend.
This year's Style Maven awards will go to Tim Gunn of Project Runway and Toddre' Monier and Bill Johnson of Wild Women Wear Red (I think you might know them).
Rachel Roy's feminine designs and Wild Women Wear Red's sexy shoes will be featured.

Web-O-Rama

Hey all you online shoppers! I couldnt decide what I wanted to blog about today, so I have decided to compile a top 10 list of some of my favorite online places to shop and surf from time to time(some days more often than others). Im sure a few of these will be all too familiar to you. Hopefully, you will find some delightful treats and something to add to your favorites!

Here ya go! Enjoy!

10. bluefly: www.bluefly.com great place for finding deals on brand name handbags, clothes, shoes and accessories. fyi they are offering 40% off swim wear

9. Ron Herman: www.ronherman.com Great L.A. boutique that offers some of their top designers online. I found the cutest pair of high-waisted overalls by serfontaine here! expensive but a great source for putting together an of the moment trend. see their lookbook.

8. Eluxury: www.eluxury.com The name speaks for itself. Very high end, but they often have great sales, so check them out! They carry high end designers including: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Versace and the list goes on. (great resource for hard to find jeans)

7. Le train bleu: www.letrainbleu.com This is an interesting online boutique I discovered 2 years ago. They carry out of the ordinary designs and have been mentioned a few times in Lucky Mag. They offer a nice change from the norm, which is why I like them. They carry a lot of European and Canadian designers (Cacharel, Devotte) in addition to American designers (12th street by Cynthia Vincent). Definitely, one of my favorite sites by far!

6. blog on the cusp: www.blogonthecusp.com One of the latest in the trend of urban, contemporary boutiques for women. This spin off of its parent store, Neiman Marcus, blossomed late last year and has since opened 2 additional boutiques in Georgetown and Century City, with Illinois being next on the list for openings. It is reminiscent of Barney's coop, catering to the 25-45 year old female market. I am in love with this place and the blog basically offers the "of the moment" item or up and coming designers, or upcoming events such as their manicure parties to get you ready for a Friday night out on the town!

5. Shopbop: www.shopbop.com Can you believe this online boutique is based out of Madison, Wisconsin??? Who woulda thought! All I can say is I love it love it love it! From the shoes and handbags to the clothes and the sales! They not only offer a slew of designers, but they also have free shipping and no tax!!!!! Holla at that!

4. YBF: www.ybf.blogspot.com for all of my urban gossip. This is definitely one of my guilty pleasures(thanks for putting me on Toddre', im soooo hooked).

3. The Fashion Bomb: www.thefashionbomb.blogspot.com This young lady was one of my inspirations for starting a blog site. She gives lots of great fashion news and great info on fabulous boutiques in the NYC area.

2. E-Space: www.espaceonline.net For some spiritual nourishment. E posts inspirational messages and questions that make you say hmmm...Every Monday! Check this out for sure and sign up to receive some spiritual guidance.

Drumroll...

1. Anthropologie: www.anthropologie.com Okay, I know this is a store as well, but anyone who knows me knows that this is my all time favorite store both online and in person. What can I say about Anthro...They have it all, from homegoods, to apothecary, to fabulous clothing with a hint of vintage-ness about them! Its sister stores are Urban Outfitters and Free People and it is definitely a step above the two. I still love urban, but Anthro is for the lady in me!!!!

And I have an honorable mention:

Out of Hand boutique: www.oohboutique.com I recently discovered this site while reading the fashion bomb and stumbled upon some amazing pieces of jewlery and accessories for Very Good prices and snagged a few items.

Happy Surfing!

Live long and Dress well!

Dining for Dollars

Looking for a fast way to find out about the latest, happening restaurants in your city? Are you looking for Thai food in Canada? Do you know about Opentable? It is an online restaurant reservations service. It is pretty fabulous!(thanks for hipping me Jig) Opentable is a great way to find out about restaurants in your city and other cities(just in case you are planning a trip) and internationally!!! How great is that? Some of the featured cities include New York, Los Angeles, Miami, DC and Atlanta, just to name a few!!! I just discovered some of the international cities, which include London and Montreal!!!!

Another great perk of using their service? Well, each time you make a reservation through http://www.opentable.com/ they will give you points towards an opentable dining cheque!!!!! And it's totally FREE!!!! Now, you can't beat that with a stick!!!

So, sign up today and dont worry about receiving annoying emails every other day; not here!

Grab a date and get to EATING!!!!!

Live Long and Eat Well!!! :)

Black Star Power

Black Star Power is in full swing this week in Beverly Hills, Ca. The annual Hollywood Black Film Festival is happening now!!! Check out the website for more details: http://www.hbff.org/

Go on and get your shine on!!!!! And don't forget to look the part while doing so!!!

Live Long and Dress Well!!!

Extra Sale Info

Fyi!

The Nordstrom Half-Yearly sale for men begins Friday June 15! You too can save 33% and more!!!!

So get to shopping men!!!!!

Sale Sale Sale

It's here!!!! The Nordstrom Half-Yearly has arrived today!!!!

(p.s. Gucci Sale begins in stores today)

Happy Shopping!

Live long and Dress well!!!

My first fashion question

Lil Sue in DC wants to know:

Hey fashionista! If you know anything about Tory Burch, let me know. She has these great shoes I want, but I need to buy them on sale.
Have you ever been to this shoe store in old town alexandria called Shoe Hive? That's where I first saw them. Cute boutique for shoes.

Fashionista Extraordinaire says:

Hey Lil Sue!!!!

If you are speaking of the Reva ballet flat, i am waayy knowing. I own two pair, I couldnt wait for a sale. There are a lot of larger department stores(Nordstrom, Bloomies, Saks) that carry them and they are more likely to put them on sale before any of the boutiques( i have heard of Shoe Hive and checked out their website, but not been in the store itself yet). I will keep a look out for ya, but the Reva's are sure to be a classic, like the Chanel flat. They are soooo comfy and a great transitional item from spring to summer, and summer to fall. I say invest if you can!They are totally worth it.

Fyi, Nordstrom is having their half yearly sale beginning June 6th and Saks and Neiman's are both starting their sales as well! Check them out!

Keep the questions coming, ladies and gentleman! I love to be of assistance in any fashion crisis!

Live long and Dress well!

The Great White Hope

Well it's official, we can safely pull out our summer Whites!!!!!! So bring on the weddings; bring on the All White Parties; let's get this party started! Are you ready? Do you have your summer staple? The White Shirt is making a comeback this season! From traditional blouses, to funky tunics, to hot sleeveless numbers! Even the Gap has recreated the White Shirt this season by introducing a limited edition collection of crisp whites done by noted designers Doo. Ri., Thakoon, and Rodarte (with hopes of putting Gap back on the map). The collection was featured on the cover of the May issue of Vogue. If you missed this collection, here are some other options to add to your wardrobe so you too will be ready to step out on the scene this summer! You are sure to be a hit in your Summer White! Keep Hope Alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Stepping out on the town:


A funky twist:


Fun with Polka Dots:


The White Party:

Live long and Dress well!!!!