BROOKLYN BRAT (BACK) PACK

It took consecutive snowstorms to break me down and finally agree to a backpack. After fighting against the Brooklyn mom stereotype, I relented. It was pulling up that f*&#ing sled for the umpteenth time with the leather tote sliding down my arm as delicately as an anvil that made me change my tune.

CHANEL created a backpack I can finally get behind. So to speak.

Check out these other faves….

Titania Inglis - Italian vegetable dyed leather. Vegetable dyed even sounds cool.

Neiman Marcus Signature Collection: a metallic backpack may be the only thing that makes sense in the world.

THE PERFECT COLOR. THE PERFECT TIME.

MY 3 ESSENTIALS FOR STEPPING INTO SPRING:

1) LACE UP SANDALS THAT FRAME THE LITTLE PIGGIES AND ANKLE (but still keep that "winter heel" under wraps under a major pumice intervention can be held)

2) SNEAKERS EUROPEAN ENOUGH TO BE WORN WITH JEANS

3)  NARS LIPGLOSS in Pantone's new IT GIRL color: Marsala 

I WANT TO BE COOL WITH CULOTTES, BUT...

...thats a whole lotta' shin. I need courage. I find it in the following 2 tips:

1. Monochrome. 

The monochrome trick will work with ANY color. The eye is relaxed and it lowers the volume of well, the volume of the pant leg.

2. Heels. Preferably booties.

(Above booties by Maje. Slightly similar version here and here)

These Reed Krakoffs are as neutral as a Converse All Star this season. Pair them with your culottes. Or anything that brings you joy!

OUI. IT'S TIME.

I love this photo by Julian Wasser. Joan Didion in front of a corvette. 

Speaking of things as "aching cool" as Joan Didion, the new face for Celine's latest ad campaign, my favorite shop in Brooklyn is having their bi-annual Sample Sale. 

French Garment Cleaners. The reason my credit card calls me with fraud alerts.

The Sample Sale lasts until Feb. 17th. So what Cupid couldn't deliver, Alec Stuart may. Take a quick look inside. The collection is curated so expertly by Stuart, anything you manage to grab during this free-for-all will be chic. Guaranteed. 

LOVE. LUST. OR RUN.....

TONIGHT!
The only thing I talked about - ad nauseam - this Fall besides the marathon was my work as Lead Stylist on the TLC show "Love, Lust Or Run"

Hats off to Skye Hilton and the amazing production team of Amy Stanford Derek Gannon Sue Kinkead

So much fun!
Please enjoy the fruit of our labours tonight @ 9pm on TLC.
(And, um...can I come over? When we moved to Brooklyn, hipsters broke in and took our TV, tailored my husbands jeans into "skinnies" and aggressively forced knit beanies upon our heads).

CAN AN IMAGE BE A MANTRA?

This is how I want 2015 to feel. 

I don't want to wait until I know the answer….I want to shout out my best guess.

Happy New Year, folks. 

STRING THEORY.

"String unification is as simple as it is seductive."

This came from an article I read on Digg.com today - damn, those boys know how to make string theory sounds sexy.

String, unlike a print or palette, has no alliances. She's not a trend. She's not a season's "It" girl.

She has a contract to enhance her castmates.

A binding one.

I DON'T WANT TO BE MORBID

Therefore I won't punctuate my adoration for these ankle boots with "I want to be buried in them."

Other alternatives apply: I want to...

be married...

be interviewed...

be arrested...

be served...

be the recipient of double points at Duane Reade...

be adored...

be courted...

be guilty of jumping the turnstile at west 4th street station on date night...

...in them.

Oh, Isabel Marant. "She made me do it!" would be my plea. A jury of stylish peers would agree. Unanimously. 

THE ONLY WAY THIS WOULD HAPPEN TODAY...

...is if you sat on someone's phone. And punched in the code.

But this post isn't about time-honored office holiday behavior.

This is about looking good. Damn good.
 

You've got office parties, holiday events and in-laws to impress.

Let's find your sparkle this season!
 

Book a session before the 25th and get $75 off!

Come on kids, there's work to be done.

Your tushie isn't going to photocopy itself.

Marie Claire magazine + Ralph Lauren

Fashion is hilarious.

Marie Claire magazine invited me to host an event with Ralph Lauren over the weekend. I had the pleasure of introducing Ralph Lauren's Resort collection to the holiday shoppers in Manhasset. The highlight? Meeting my celebrity style crush, Nicolette Mason . You undoubtedly recognize her name from Marie Claire's column "Big Girl in a Skinny World."

We introduced the collection together...and did some sneaky shopping of our own!

SEQUINS. SIMPLIFIED.

Matte. Thats all I ask from my sequins.

Sequins are so much easier to digest when they meet the following criteria:

Matte.

Fishtail.

And is there anything more humbling than being confronted with this trifecta? Matte. Fishtail. BLACK.

BAUBLES AND BUBBLES IN BROOKLYN

(Left: me, designer Alp Sagnak and sis Susan Naci wearing my favorite lipstick! Don't you love it on her?)

A tree grows in Brooklyn. Actually, not a tree but more of a branch. And when I say branch I mean a gorgeous bracelet made of oxidized silver sprinkled with black diamonds, sapphires and emeralds.  Last week I was invited to the gorgeous home of Joanna Latham for a  private trunk show of her designers. It was hard to distinguish between the stunning pieces for sale and the pieces that was part of her home. "Yes, I agree that the organic lines and shape make it  seasonless...but that my son's skateboard" Jo smiled and informed us politely.

Alp Sagnak was a crowd favorite and made a special appearance.  We swooned like One Direction fans. Stop pretending you don't understand the reference.

His pieces are raw, sexy and breathtaking. So get in touch with Jo  before the holiday and scratch off Find Perfect Gift from your list!

MONOCHROME

When there's absolutely nothing to wear - nothing, I swear! - and 3 minutes left to run out the door...go Monochrome.

Black Top + Black Bottom + Accent Shoe / Jacket / Bag = Foolproof Chíc

Make Navy your Black. Or white. Or Grey. Or Orange (with good behavior)

Prints work nicely.

Did you really think stripes wouldn't make an appearance in this post?

A few looks pulled together from our friends at TheSweetThread

AND FOR A SPLASH OF COLOR...CAMEL!

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This is totally the trench Olivia Pope would wear if she abandoned her whites and went for a daring color. Anyone who puts on this Dolce & Gabbana number takes about 8 seconds to go that place in her mind where she "ain't wearin' nothin' underneath that overcoat."

Or perhaps Im the only one living her life through the smoky lens of an Aerosmith video?

BOYS OF SUMMER

You're not off the hook. No flip-flops for dolls means no flip-flops for guys.

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Sitting across from mens flip-flopped feet that have never been dipped in a "pedicure pool" , I leave my head and drift into a world where Arno shoes are the summer footwear of choice for men. Those these men are often found in Capri and usually named Jeremy Irons.

"Paging style...Style, to the front desk please!"

Dropped by friend Page Sargisson's studio today in Brooklyn. What a treat! We got to sneak a peek at her new collection before it was packed up for next weeks trade show.

Page brings out the rocker chic you dream you are every time you pull on those moto boots. But then surprises you with the delicate design of her "everyday" jewelery. You know, the type of jewelry you can wear and just forget about - like a tampon. The Quinn collection has a hold on my heart.

*check out the photo of my hand creeping up a bit too close to those gorgeous hoop earrings. busted!

Its called: Flatter Me Fridays

Of course I woke up like this.

…...at 5am. Then took the Q train to Canal St. and walked to the studio through a flood my iPhone would not stop "alerting" me about with a deafening sound. 

The army of beauty warriors curated by Andrea Linett met me with terror-stricken eyes. Quickly, they rolled up their Billy Reid sleeves and got to work.

Thank you to my dear friend Melissa Guarino, who posted this story about me on her magnificent blog: Turning Fashion Inside Out.

BLISTER-FREE FLATS (man, i need a sexier headline)

Prada's being a little lenient this season and offering them in a neutral too. Studs and all!

When the commute has taken a toll on your beloved Tom's, there's always Tory (not Spelling)

You got your d'Orsay, your hot color for summer, your comfy heel…all in all, the perfect flat!

What? Im going to find a nude patent leather Miu Miu flat with a bow and not post it?

Subway platform, to playground, to party. Not necessarily in that order. But Kudos to Kooba! We're all been anticipating your expansion to shoes.

Because they barely go with anything, wear them with EVERYTHING.

Pardon moí...My Francophile needs to be fed and these Repettos will do nicely, mercí.

So there you have it. A little variety for your usual go to commuter footwear choice of Tom's, flip-flopsand / or Chuck Taylors. They need a break. Thanks, Julianna, for the great post suggestion!

BROWSE SUMMER BROWS

Summer is here. You feel it waiting for the train. You feel it down the back of your non-iron shirt. You feel it when your foundation trickles down jawline. Admit it: you despise wearing make-up in the summer. Here are my 2 tricks for a fresh face this umber:

1) tinted moisturizer

2) eyebrows

A tinted moisturizer smooths out the nooks and crannies with a light touch. Whilst eyebrows - free from tweezing, plucking, threading and waxing - become a frame for your pretty l'il face. Minimal effort. Maximum result. 

THE ONLY SKIRT YOU NEED

It's arrived! My new favorite skirt by the Girls from Savoy came on Friday. So my weekend was spent frolicking about in the park.  Anna Campanelli, my talented photographer friend, ensured my every frolic was strategized and lit well.

This skirt is super stretchy and sits perfectly at the waist - which looks like it shrunk about 2 sizes in this sneaky little number. So flattering for the tush, too. Wear it with any of the crop tops your girlfriends insisted you buy. Come Fall, pair it with tights, a knit sweater and a hot toddy.

Grab it today. If hot pink isn't buttering your biscuit, also avail in navy.....

Shirt: Rag & Bone (similar men's only) / Shoes: Coclico (similar) / Lipstick: Shisedo