Archive for February, 2008

I just got back from this year’s New York City Toy Fair! It was so great to get a firsthand look at the newest and hottest toys. I saw lots of wonderful net enabled toys, much like Webkinz and UB Funkeys.. I’m also psyched about the latest Eyeclops. Last holiday I picked the first version as my top pick, because of the toy’s good natured educational aspect. The fun gadget lets you look at a magnified version of household objects on your TV. The newest version lets you go even further –it’s wireless, has an on board LCD screen and allows kids to record what they see onto a memory card which they can later upload to their pc! Bravo, Jaxx Pacific!

Of course all of the oldies but goodies (Lego, Matel…) showed off their new stuff and I shot some great video footage – check it out!

There is still snow on the ground, but before too long spring will be here, so this is the perfect time to start thinking about your outdoor furniture!

When I go to Paris I love relaxing on the chairs in the Tuileries, around the fountain…so comfortable! They have these dark green metal chairs scattered around and when you sit in one you can lean back so you’re relaxing in a reclining position…I’m sure you can imagine how hard it is to nab one of them on a beautiful spring day!

I actually was able to locate the vendor who makes them (Fermob), and they come in a rainbow of colors. I’m a fan of dark green and black, but these chairs would look great in any color and the best part is that you can use them as single, stand alone pieces or in little groupings.

Check out this chair I found on eBay –

Fermob Chair

Besides metal, I love teak outdoor furniture because it’s durable and when left untreated, turns to a beautiful silvery-gray.

Check out these chaises –

Teak Chaise

However, if there is one trend to note with outdoor furniture, it has to be the amount of color and fun, bright patterns in everything from cushions to umbrellas.

Here are some nice eBay finds:

Outdoor Chaise Cushion

Patio Umbrella

The key to shining on the red carpet is a dress that plays up a star’s best assets in a shade that flatters her complexion, in a style that doesn’t fight for attention. The hair and jewels should be restrained yet glamorous like Penelope Cruz.

BEST DRESSED

Penelope Cruz in Versace had a grand picture in her mind of a royal event so she went dressed as a contemporary princess.

Reese Witherspoon in swinging hair with bangs and Olivier Theyskens strapless number for Nina Ricci is what young stars should look like. Not like a fossilized Elizabeth-Taylor wannabee.

Jessica Biel in a simple flow of color.

Maggie Gyllenhaal in sophisticated blue black Proenza Schouler (not cooler, shooler or whatever The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck was mangling).

Nicole Kidman’s adventurous Balenciaga (yes, from some angles the bow looked like a Christmas ribbon) but mostly it was traffic-stopping.

Helen Mirren. Immediate kudos for finding something so light, effortless and balletic.

DRESS LESS

It takes more than a pretty smile to wow us mean-spirited, get-a-life acolytes of the red-carpet. Cameron Diaz seems to think it takes green earrings, a huge breast-obliterating flap, an asymmetric ruffled hem, silver shoes and tousled hair. If it sounds like it’s too much, it was. And how about losing the brown hair?

About the only thing more disappointing than Eddie Murphy not winning an Oscar was Jennifer Hudson’s Leontyne Price -meets -CZ Guest outfit. It didn’t even look like an Oscar de la Renta frock. No matter. Jennifer we still love you. And no doubt you’ll redeem yourself. Right?

Kelly Preston reminds us that a little leopard goes a long way. If you hear the call of the wild…..You don’t always have to answer, Kelly.

Beyonce’s pistachio-colored Armani -a case of a dress that tried too hard with a slit up to there (it’s the Oscars not the Bootylicious video), a strange nude lining, and an awful beaded harness strap

Naomi Watts just shouldn’t stand next to her friend Nicole Kidman…ever, but especially not on Oscar night. Yellow is hard for any one to wear and when it’s falling off you…well….

Anne Hathaway. It was her first so she gets to try again. (But can I just ask, what was that Rorschach test doing on her dress?)

NEITHER HERE NOR THERE…DIDN’T LOVE ‘EM, DIDN’T HATE ‘EM

Gwyneth Paltrow in Zac Posen

Cate Blanchett in Armani - regal but a little severe

Jennifer Lopez in Marchesa (Is she deliberately trying to make us think she’s pregnant?)

Jodie Foster - a little overkill on the blue

Next Post: AWARDS NIGHT STYLE TRENDS AND NOTES ON MERYL STREEP

*Just kidding about Meryl (who inspired the title of this blog). But if one was going to bother, one would need a post devoted entirely to Meryl’s distinct fabulosity. And wasn’t it fabulously sick that her strange get-up was Prada.:) Is Prada taking credit? Love it!

The Oscars were a big yawn in the style department as well as in the awards area.

That is, if one overlooks the creep factor of dramatists Tilda Swinton and no, let’s not let her off easy… Katherine Heigl in a misguided imitation of Marilyn Monroe meets Dorothy Dandridge.

RED CARPET TRENDS worth doing and doing better than the stars were:

• Red dresses
• Strapless (again!)
• One-shoulder
• Draping
• Fishtails
• Jewelry – such as there was – statement necklaces

Radiant Oscar winner Marion Cotillard’s Jean Paul Gaultier dress was the most interesting look of the evening. It proved that it’s all about how beautiful the woman looks in the dress, not the dress itself.

Macabre runner-up Tilda Swinton.

Sure she looked creepy, but I loved it. I’ll take creepy over sleepy any day. After that lame parade, you just wanted to be tucked into bed and given a glass of milk.

And hopefully, Shaun Robinson, who hosted ABC’s red carpet show with Regis Philbin, has learned the hard way the perils of wearing form-fitting satin in the spotlight. Either that or she’s six months pregnant.

Red roses: Heidi Klum in a dress by John Galliano, Ruby Dee in Kevan Hall, Anne Hathaway in Marchesa, Katherine Heigl in Escada, Miley Cyrus in Valentino, and Helen Mirren in George Chakra.

I can’t believe Polaroid is actually going through with this, but they’re discontinuing Polaroid film and cameras!

A pack of the film does set you back about $30 and only gets you nine shots, but there is something so wonderfully nostalgic about Polaroids that I don’t want to let go!

And what about the whole fashion industry?  Every shoot I’ve ever been on I’ve had to make sure the stylist got a quick Polaroid of what I had on just in case we had to re-shoot something. Though, now that I think about it, on my shoot last week the stylist simply snapped a shot of me with her camera phone then sent it to her flickr page…I’m beginning to see where the issue stems from.

Well, friends of the Polaroid, good thing eBay exists, huh? I took a quick look and found countless cameras and film for sale! Ahhh, I feel much better now.

Poloroid Camera


Polaroid Film

Day 2
Arrived in LA, and already a stylist dropped by the suite — 8 p.m. but Hollywood is still working. Getting ready for the Oscar parties which go on all week and for the Academy Awards itself.
Waiting for the fabulous Douglas Hannant fall pieces to arrive by overnight mail from NY.
It’s hard for designers to send all their clothes to LA for celebrities when they have the opportunity to sell the clothes to retailers. Tough call.
So many designers don’t bother with the LA circuit though they would love to. Selling to stores is more important.
Permanent fake eyelashes - a trend inspired by celebrities - are so hot.
They last for about two to four weeks. My hairstylist - Sharon of ShaPazzaz - applied a pair of perm fakes to a woman who must have been upward of 60. Immediate glamour.
Then into my local drugstore and the cashier - upward of 18 - was batting some big ones. $25 a pop, she said. Sharon says it’s now safe and quick and everyone’s getting them done. Just don’t get the lashes wet. Wipe your face. Don’t wash.
At the eBay Style Suite at the lavishly glamorous Four Seasons Hotel, Peter O’Toole sat in the bar knocking them back. Dining on grilled whitefish as the waiter started putting two tables together and making a table for six.
The seats were shortly taken by Reverend Al Sharpton and company. Thought I should invite him to suite to check out our fashions and $1.8 million Royal Asscher diamond necklace.
Well, you never know. He might be interested. These days everyone wants to look like a celebrity.

Day 1

Can’t wait to get to LA - sunshine, blue skies - all that dreamy stuff. Here in NY, there’s ice on the ground, wind-chill factors and just generally harsh weather for days now.

People slipping and falling left and right.

Speaking of dropping to the ground. I now own a pair of Baby Phat knee-high boots. Very Kimora Lee… Which of course is quite scary.

I mean that I would be channeling the overly-fabulous KL. But it was forced upon me by circumstance that had to do with crashing to the ground 60 minutes before I was to go on the TODAY Show and busting my knees and my suede Adidas boots.

Oh well. I just felt the need to explain why I owned a pair of Baby Phats.

I ordered the last of fashions for the eBay Style Suite which this year will be at the Four Seasons Hotel. We’ll set up on Tuesday with amazing finds like a red, beaded Judith Leiber Minauderie. Exquisite beyond imagination.

Also excited about the Valentino and Versace dresses we found on eBay. Some expensive. Some unbelievable bargains.

Fabulous guest designers have been invited to be a part of the suite - Douglas Hannant, Armando Piquer, Stephen Burrows and Adrienne Landau. But topping it all will be these, jaw-dropping diamonds from Asscher.

Guards on duty all the time. Celebs and top stylists expected to drop by. Feel the jewels, try on the dresses and maybe find something to wear on the red carpet or to all those parties they have to go to. Hope there’ll be no fights between stars that both want the same dress, bag or diamond necklace.

Although, to be honest, I guess that might be kind of good. Just as long as there’s no name calling or pulling hair. I can’t bear it when things get ugly.

Maybe it’s because I grew up close to New England, but I’ve always had a thing for braided rugs, especially the classic oval wool ones with which we’re all familiar. I actually just got a beautiful one with a monochromatic weave that I’m using for a project in Connecticut. I think they’re wonderful because not only do they come in all sorts of cool color and shape variations, they’re totally durable and often times they’re reversible. You can use them anywhere in your home and there are even some made from polypropylene that you can use in an outdoor space.

Here are just a few great examples of braided rugs I’ve seen on eBay.

Hand Braided Jute Area Rug

Braided Rug Spring Meadow

Cotton Braided Rug Seascape

Although the Grammys are over and we all know who took a Grammy and who didn’t, let’s talk about who the winners REALLY were.

Loved Rihanna and Nelly Furtado in their royal blue dresses. Alicia Keys in her sea- green Hervé Léger dress. Aretha Franklin, on the other hand, chose a hot color, yellow. Great job Aretha! (She must have read my blogs.)  However, she stopped reading way too early because there was too much of the color. What she should have done is asked Tina Turner for tips on correct on-stage outfits. In their duet, Tina eclipsed with her outfit and her performance the fabulous Beyoncé.

Isn’t Fergie becoming Little Ms. Ferguson Fauntleroy? Seems she’s always so prim and proper now. “Boy, you clean up good,” Marc Jacobs said to her backstage after his Marc by Marc Jacobs show.

I expected more from Fergie who wore a long, grey/silver draped dress by Versace. Coming from a cutting edge group like the Black Eyed Peas, and releasing singles like  “Glamorous,” Fergie should have chosen a more interesting and exciting outfit for her live Grammy performance.

So what’s my vote? I am going with TINA on this one! HOW COULD I NOT?

I know some of you are over it, but if you’re not, tell me who your vote goes to.

This entry is dedicated to all of you out there that want to get that special someone something that’s gadgety and, well, special! The best way to bring a smile to the face of someone you love is with music! So this is what you do. Go online and buy a Zen Stone, an MP3 player with a built in speaker that comes in an array of different colors. PhotobucketThen, fill it with songs that really express to her/him how you feel. Take your time with this step. Don’t just go for the obvious like “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Although sweet, it is way too cheesy. Give me a Zen Stone with a lil’ “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure, “Space Age Love Song” by Flock of Seagulls, and “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and I’d be yours in a second! Then, when the time is right, bust it out and let the music do its thing. Good luck!

This morning I really didn’t want to get out of bed.  My dreaded alarm clock went off and I wanted to smash it!  So while I was doing my best to put off the horrid process of getting up, my mind wandered to what I was going to blog about today.  I decided to embrace this part of my day and use it to enlighten others as to possible alternatives to the alarm clock they’re currently using.

I currently rotate between a few different clocks, so here’s my take on them.
First off I have “Clocky,” which is an alarm clock that literally jumps off of my night stand, lands on its two wheels and rolls around my floor beeping r2d2 type sounds until I actually get up and turn it off.  This clock is great for mornings like today when the only thing that will get me out of bed comes in the form of a loud and annoying jingle that needs to be hunted down to be turned off.

Clocky

Next I have my iHome alarm clock.  Now this one is rad, because I can plug in my iPod, allowing it to charge all night, set it to a great “wake up” play list, and be gently lifted from my sheet by the sounds of “Shout” by Tears For Fears.  The clock also illuminates the time all night long, and with a 20 month old I like to know exactly the hour I’m being beckoned so I know if it’s really time to start cooking breakfast, or whether I should be putting my little one back to bed.

iHome

Last, but not least, I have the “Wake SunRise Clock” that slowly brightens the room by turning up the light intensity. The reasoning here is that light is the most natural way to wake up–this one just may do the trick for me, how about you?

Sunrise Alarm Clock