Battle of the Louboutins

Between the Minibout and the Very Prive...which would you splurge on?? The Minibout is a fairly new design that runs about $60 dollars more than the classic Prive peep-toe pumps but both are to die for! I've been trying to get DZ to buy the Minibout for the longest time but still no action :P I think the next time we go shop I'm going to forcefully sit her down and make her try them on! But in the meantime, I've taken the liberty to add them to my WANT list but I'm not at the point where I can spend $1700 on 2 pairs of shoes so I'll have to choose one :( The Minibout is sort of a interesting twist on the the Very Prive peep toes but both have the covered platforms, sexy arch, and of course, the eye-popping height :) Both would also look fabulous with just about any outfit. I know I have too many black pumps to begin with but like I always say, a girl can never have too many black pumps!

Fendi Baguettes

Yes I am indeed very good at procrastination :) Anyhow...this should be quick! So back in early March, the anniversary Baguettes came out and I can confirm that they look no better in real life than in pictures. The embossed look cheapens the bag and you end up getting a monogrammed bag that somewhat resembles plastic (especially since the leather is quite stiff...) :P Yesterday the SA called yet again to see if she could put aside any colors (I'll admit, the bright and bold colors are a plus...) and I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was not interested in fug so I said I would just come in at a later time to take a look. So today I decided to browse around to see if maybe there was something worth getting since the SA seemed pretty reliable and would probably be a great contact to have. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this demure baguette on the Saks website. THIS IS WHAT A BAGUETTE SHOULD LOOK LIKE PEOPLE!!!! A simple shoulder bag with the double F enclosure in the front is what originally made this bag iconic and this is how things should remain. I am oddly very excited over this bag...and you know what?? I am lacking a patent bag in my collection :D BUT...I had already made up my mind that my next purchase would either be the Muse or the Bayswater...SO...not quite sure how to rationalize getting this baguette :(

B*fly

Something very exciting has happened! Amidst my frantic cramming for tonight's exam, I discovered that Bluefly has given itself an upgrade :) The new B*fly section features a long list of contemporary designers ranging from 3.1 to Catherine M to Vince!! I've already picked out a few items to contemplate over and will blog more later but for now I must go back to microbio :( Oh but before I go...just as an FYI...the shoes you can probably skip since most are a bit hideous but the clothes are definitely worthy of your attention and most are at least 40%!

Now THATS a Laptop Bag...

I've been kinda lagging on posts cus I'm sorta swarmed at work AND I have a microbio test tomorrow (I see this as a 3 hour break between a long day at work and a long night of cramming...)! Anyways, I found this beautiful croc Romanek laptop bag by accident. I was browsing through Decades, checking to see if there was anything drool/blog-worthy and somehow found myself wandering around on the Romanek website. If this laptop bag doesn't scream "Female Powerhouse Exec", I dont know what does. The interior is lined with suede and the dimensions are 10.5 x 13 x 2.5. Also available in Cognac Matte seen in the sexy pic below:I need to call for the price but this might exceed the $3000 I was given (the Rockstar clutch starts around $1700) but hey...worth asking :) And I know...I never did blog about LV laptop bags BUT its only because I had a damn hard time locating pictures online :P So anyways...I'll hopefully be back on Friday to ramble on about something new to crave...til then, you can find me either crying my eyes out over Randy Pausch (ABC special tonight at 10pm!) or frantically trying to memorize my short answer responses :D

Mulberry Bayswater

I had a random A-HA moment at work last Friday. While sitting bored at my cubicle, I suddenly realized that the iconic Mulberry Postman's lock has finally grown on me! I've been pretty indifferent towards the Bayswater tote thus far but something about its classic, no-nonsense style has finally caught my eye. Mulberry offers its iconic bag in a wide array of colors and leathers so you're sure to find something that caters to your style. The other great thing about Mulberry is that it wont cost you 2 month's worth of rent :) I was browsing the website and the wallets with the Postman's lock are also drool-worthy! Since I haven't tried one on yet, I can't really say much about the quality of leather but I'm hoping its of the soft and durable variety :D Yay...something new for my WANT list! BTW...does anyone else agree with me that YSL sorta copied the Bayswater design with the Muse Two??

Out of Shape?

One can buy all the nice things in the world but lets face it, too many fat rolls can ruin just about any outfit out there :P Now in no way am I suggesting we all adopt a eating disorder and get down to 80 pounds but likewise, eating till you physically can't eat anymore is not exactly what I would call healthy. Everyone should figure out a balance between indulgence and healthy self-control. Yes, all body shapes and sizes are beautiful in their own way but a little exercise and portion control can't hurt anyone! I have to admit, it took gaining the entire Freshman 15 to motivate me to get on the treadmill but better late than never :) Before you start exercising, might I recommend the perfect workout outfit?? I used to throw on my old high school track pants and a white tank top but I have since fallen in love with Under Armour and I suggest ya'll try it too.

The Under Armour HeatGear T is wonderful for keeping everything in place and absorbing sweat. It comes in different color combos and its tight-fit will highlight your body's sexy curves!

The HeatGear Shaper Bra is GREAT at preventing too much jiggle and like the T, does a good job of absorbing sweat.
HeartGear Capri Pants. While I have to admit, my capri workout pants are Nike, I imagine these Under Armour pants to be just as good. For workouts, I like to stick to capri pants since it takes away having to worry about stepping on your pants as you sweat those calories away.

While Asics is not Under Armour, these are probably the lightest and most comfortable shoes you could ever hope to find. I slaved away in New Balances for 2 years before finally taking Kent's advice and bought myself some Asics. I remember running in them and feeling as if I was flying...yes, they are THAT good!

Now you can go out, work up a sweat, AND look good while doing it!


**PS: In Libby's defense, the above picture was taken at a bad angle!

Angry Little Girls

Visit www.angrylittlegirls.com for more adorable comics :)

Homework Assignment

So today ND assigned me the task of finding the perfect laptop bag for her. She wants something that screams powerhouse female exec, gave me $3000 to play around with, it has to be structured (not hard hard but definitely can't be slouchy), and she wants to avoid handbags since shes sick of using oversized handbags as laptop bags. So I've been browsing the internet for over an hour now and my gosh...this is one difficult task!!! First of all, I kept leaning towards structured handbags...I couldn't help it, I kept on wanting to bookmark frame bags, satchels, totes, etc. I finally decided that a true laptop bag needs to be a zip around...not a handbag, not a messenger bag, and not a brief case! I then realized that the only way to find laptop bags was to browse the mens section. The problem there?? Everything was way too masculine. I was also very bored with what I found...the colors were either black or brown or monogram hell. OH! And it completely irked me that designers seemed to shy away from using leather for their laptop bags...canvas and nylon (yuck) seemed to be the weapons of choice :P *Sigh* So after close to 2 hours since beginning this assignment, I present to you what I have found thus far:Canvas Logo Dior ~ $788
Nylon Fendi Selleria ~ $784
Canvas Fendi Zucca ~ $568


Nylon Prada ~ $824
Canvas Prada ~ $1276
Canvas Burberry ~ $940
YSL Muse ~ $1195 (AND ITS FLIPPIN' LEATHER...THANK THE GOOD LORD!!!!!!!!!)


Leather (YAY AGAIN...) Violet May of London ~ $990


Hey, I warned you the selection was boring and made in canvas heaven! My favorite from above is the Muse...YSL stuck to the motif and *gasp* dared to actually use leather!! All in all, I've decided I still should go visit the stores in order to properly pester the SAs :D And no, I did not forget about LV...I'm just too tired right now so I'll save the LV laptop bags for a later post...

Florals Galore!

So yesterday ND and I were talking about whats in for this season and we came upon florals. To be honest, I first started noticing florals not from this seasons runway shows but actually from Fashion Toast...now theres a gal who loves her florals! Anyhow, I personally don't have too many florals in my closet...on the top of my head, I can only think of my blue Rebecca Taylor sundress. Some florals out there are a bit too bright for my tastes while others are a bit too reminiscent of curtains. Another thing I observed as I was browsing for florals today, was that most floral items tend to look great from far away but the pattern up close was not exactly something to go crazy over. And finally, whenever I think florals, I can't help but bring back nightmares of me in elementary school running around with floral leggings...dont ask! Anyhow, here are some more florals for you to look at as you contemplate whether or not you'll be buying into this trend for spring :)

How Not To Wear A Dress

Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer....just because its the Kids' Choice Awards does not mean you can go about mismatching your clothes!! Did you not get the memo that says it is no longer cool (which begs the question...why/when was it ever considered cool?!) to wear your dresses over your jeans?! You've managed to completely ruin a perfectly decent MJ dress and a pair of skinny black jeans!! Here is what you should have done...either wear that dress with those wedges (black leggings optional) OR wear those jeans with a cute top. Perhaps you were trying to go for a younger, more hip look or maybe you wanted to be more conservative for the kids...either way, didn't really work :P

Tyra

Minor Slip-up

I decided to put myself on shopping probation after I unexpectedly splurged on the metallic purple reissue. Unfortunately I had a minor slip-up today...all thanks to stupid shopbop. Okay fine, I wont blame shopbop. I blame my work...if I hadn't been bored at work today, I wouldn't have gone browsing on shopbop! I couldn't decided between a Juicy Couture dress and a dress by Thread Social so I bought both! Yes, not only did I break my shopping probation, I once again went for dresses instead of separates :P

*Juicy Couture Cascading Ruffle Dress*




















I'm not exactly a big fan of Juicy, actually I think I only own one other thing from Juicy, but I just couldn't resist those darn ruffles!

*Thread Social Bow Dress*




















I've been wanting something from Thread Social for awhile now but never really felt like I could pull off any of their funky plaid designs. Yet, dontcha think this bow dress is so me?? The front is a bit boring but I LOVE the big bow on the back.

Okay now I'm REALLY going be on probation...no shopping until the end of May!

Manolo Pumasli

I've never been big on Manolos...their a bit too flat and strappy for me. However, I have a strong desire to run to Barneys and pick up these sandals. I will now exercise something called "self-control" because 1. I'm on shopping probation until further notice and 2. I've already told myself to focus my money on clothes instead of shoes and bags. *Sigh* The pain and suffering of being addicted to shopping...

Buy Some Get Some?

Us shopaholics see ads like these practically everyday...Neimans, Barneys, Saks, etc. love to lure you in with these so called buy some get some deals. But lets stop for a sec and explore if these promotions are actually worth your time and money. First of all, you do realize that in order to get some back, you need to buy ALOT right?? Take this ad for example...$150 for 2 pairs of shoes $400 or more. Sounds good but then again...most shoes at Saks aren't even $400 when they're on sale! Most likely, you'll be spending close to $1000 for $150. Okay so whopeee...you have a $150 gift card, now you gotta ask yourself, what can I buy with this $150 gift card? The most likely answer? Close to nothing. So now you gotta add a couple hundred more to your hard earned $150 just to make use of the $150 that cost you close to $1000 to earn in the first place. Still think its a good deal?? You know to be honest, this shoe deal is actually alot better than the normal buy some get some deals...usually you have a breakdown that looks something like this:

Spend $250-500, get $25
Spend $500-1000, get $50
Spend $1000-2000, get $150
Spend $2000-3000, get $300
Spend $3000+, get $450

Now just use the logic I just provided and you should be able to figure out that what you earn back is not worth all you had to give in the first place. The lesson here ladies? Dont jump at every "deal" or everything thats given to you for "free"...most of the time, you're better off waiting for the bi-annual sales!

YSL Tribute Sandals

Since I've blogged about every other sky-high YSL platform, it would be discriminatory if I didn't blog about the Tribute Sandals. These first came out with the Cruise collection in a wonderful blue color but is now available in a wide array of pretty colors. I love these shoes and so does everyone else in this world. I can barely go through my daily celebrity websites without seeing these on some famous person's feet. I haven't tried these on and I dont plan on it either since I know it would be unavoidably coupled to me pulling out my American Express :P These look deadly but I'm sure they're just like all the other YSL platforms...super comfy! Dont let the height of the heels (5 inches) scare you... the platform is so high, you have enough cushion to strut around comfortably. However you can expect to get looks of disbelief from males and females alike.

Fetish by Christian Louboutin and David Lynch

Now you all know that I absolutely love Louboutin shoes but his collaboration with David Lynch for an exhibit in Paris at Pierre Passebon's Galerie du Passage frankly gives me the creeps...

Louboutin designed 5 shoes for this exhibit and each shoe is featured in a photograph by David Lynch. While I understand these shoes are not meant to be sold or worn and are purely for the sake of art...aren't you also a little put off by the images?? I mean other than the fact that they're murder weapons, just the thought of a girl actually walking in these shoes screams Japanese horror flick *shudder* It also kinda reminds me of the White Stripes music video for Blue Orchid...also creepy...

Match Made in Shopping Heaven

Since I would prefer to refrain from using personal pictures of my friends and I, I decided to stick this picture of LC and Audrina in just to have some form of visual aid for this post :P Anyhow...I wanted to blog about the importance of having a GOOD SHOPPING BUDDY. I used to be one of those girls who could only really shop when they were alone but ever since meeting DZ, I feel like I need her to be there when I'm shopping. Not only do we catch up on gossip together, we take time to really discuss what we like and dislike. We both have our own unique styles but we're also both open to what the other person likes. Shes there to let me know if something is cute or if its fug and she's also very good at reminding me of the things I dont need! Usually when I find out anything about anything, DZ is the first person I run to with the news and really...who else can I have the following gchat conversation with (copy and pasted with only minor edits...)?!

me: so anyhoo
when i come out of my shopping probation
i've decided to try to avoid shoes and bags and go for clothes

DZ: omg...me too!

me: YEA!@
i realized it this weekend as i was dying in my bed
lol

DZ: me too!
when i was doing my laundry

me: i realized i have nothing to go with my shoes and bags

DZ: i realized that i really need to invest in my clothes

me: well i do have dresses
but i want more clothes in general
and i realized
when i buy clothes i always think...no its too expensive
but buy shoes and bags in a heartbeat
so what i'm going to try to do is aim that money towards clothes
Sent at 10:46 AM on Monday

DZ: yeah, i realized that i always say "oh, i won't have anywhere to wear that to"
but when that times comes, i always end up with nothing to wear

me: yeup!
so when do u get off of probation?
lol
btw
can i use this conversation in my blog?

While we do sort of sound like ditzy, spoiled brats...this is such a DZ and JJ conversation (and I assure you we aren't airheaded brats)! In closing I would just like to say that the two markers, in my opinion, of a good shopping buddy are:

1. Credible taste in style: Be real...you dont want someone with bad taste giving you pointers now do you??

2. Independent thinker with strong opinions: You want someone to tell you the truth. Dont trust the ones that tell you everything is cute cus thats basically impossible and I personally like to avoid the ones who dont have opinions of their own and just buy whatever you buy :P

Hermes HAC Done Right

For the most part, Pamela Anderson is not really someone that I look up to. Her choices in men are a little bit out of whack and most of her "outfits" are really just down right hooker-gear BUT lookie what we have here! Yes, that is in fact Pamela all covered up and looking quite stylish with her Tom Fords and Hermes HAC. Now this is how one should utilize the ginormous entity known as the HAC!! Remember when I posted a picture of Katie Holmes trying to pull the HAC off as just one of her day handbags?? Didn't work so well for Katie cus the HAC really should be used as an expensive (make that very expensive...) duffel bag. It is just too big for anyone of any size to carry around as they go about their normal day to day activities. Save it for the weekend getaways and airport trips when you actually need a lot of room for your stuff!!

From Heels to Flats

I love working in a corporate office since it gives me an excuse to play dress-up everyday but my feet suffer a bit since wearing heels five times a week is not always comfortable. Take today for example. I finally decided to wear my bronze Rolandos that have been hibernating in my closet since I dont even remember when. They look great with my skinny jeans but I've been in them for about 7 hours now and I officially admit defeat! Good thing I thought ahead and had my gold Tory Burch flats handy...

For The Past 7 Hrs I Was In These...

Now I Am Breathing A Sigh Of Relief In These...

Tory Burch - Clothing and Bags

While I am somewhat addicted to buying Tory Burch flats, I am a bit turned off by her clothes and bags. The "T" signature really only works well on her flats...Tory should think twice about covering her clothes and bags with it as well. To be fair, not all the clothes from Tory are horrendous...the ones without the "T" are aight. BUT...Tory should definitely lay off of the bags...

I think I've proven my point...I'll end the parade of fugly bags and move onto the clothes...

Compare the stripped shirt with the big ass "T" in the middle to the white "T"-less tunic dress below it. Which one is better?? I don't think you can argue with the fact that the big "T" is just flat out cheesy on clothes (and lets not even waste our time going back to the bags...). So my advice? Keep up the good work with the flats, avoid using your signature "T" on your clothing, and immediately halt all production and designing of handbags :)