I Heart.....

Elena Miro.....


























'Nuff said!

I'm loving this concept....

This from In My Bag

Spinning off in Coach

My fav?....



Unbelieveably, the Anna clutch. I don't usually favor clutches but this one is lovely and just the thing for a holiday night out!

Now just one more thing....When are they opening one in Chi-town! ;-)

How about a bit of Monday Morning Fun.....

Because if we don't need a bit of fun on Monday, when do we?......

Fashion Classics - An Interactive Tour

Perfume, Pearls and Pumps - now THAT'S the way to start off the week! ;-)

The Glam Girls....

Aren't the only ones looking forward to this tome!...

Twiggy to Pen 40+ Style Guide

And yes, she still looks fab! ;-)

Over at....

The Budget Fashionista, Ms. Kathyrn gives petite ladies leads on places to find that indispensable jacket:

Petite Fashion: The Jacket

I think....

The The Bag Lady might just have ID my Christmas present to my beloved friends (at least the female ones!)....

The Shemergency kit sorts out all those girly crises

There is actually a more expensive version of this handy little kit by the same folks that contains a sightly different lineup of emergency equipment in a more substantial case....

Working Girl's Survival Kit

Sadly, this one only comes with 22 products - must be the case!

And, by the by, if you have daughters - or sons - marrying soon, they have a line of wedding related emergency kits as well...

Wedding Day Survival Kit

(This would be great to have at the church, synagogue, temple, wherever the ceremony is taking place - for those last minute oops!)

Bridesmaid Survival Kit

Looks like this one could be a great bridesmaid gift!

I'm not usually a fan....

Of painted bags...

But these, for some reason, ring my chimes!

Maybe it's the big cities themes....






Rian Tower Tote






Rian Cab Tote

All leather, they go for $320.00 - quite a bit more than I would (or can at this point!) pay for a tote! Still if I had it - I might just!

There is also a handbag version....





Rian Handbags Bryant Park Shoulder Bag with Studs


An even though I'm not wild about the yellow color - I've got to give the shout out for my home town!



Rian Grant Park Shoulder Bag

(Why they only offer this one in yellow I just don't know! :-p )

Both are $190.00.

Style.com's take....

On the best of the Spring 2008 collections...

Style.com's Top Ten Collections - Spring 2008

Okay I admit that I think it's just plain crazy to be taking spring when winter hasn't even started! Still, that's the fashion calendar for ya!

Take a look -- it's a quick primer on what might show up as trends this spring!

Come on now....

Don't tell me you've never felt like this...

Horrormone SCREAM
by

LadyDenise

Get this custom card
at Zazzle

That's why dressing in layers post 50 isn't a fashion statement - it's a survival technique! ; - )

Time for a little Bling!

Earrings that is!

I'm not a huge earring person, even through I've had pierced ears since my late 20s.

However, recently I've kind of gotten back in the groove, much to the delight of my empty ear lobs and my sister who is something of an earring diva!

But I have a small head, so I favor small earrings - and my girl The Urban Socialite may just have hooked me up to a whole new source...

Bling! Bling!

Now this is the kind of bling I can come to love! Do check out Ms. JoJo's site - the jewelry (yes she has bracelets too, the kind I love - I could be in real trouble here) is lovely!

Get the lead out....

of your lipsticks!

You've probably already heard about the study that shows that many popular lipsticks have been discovered to have unacceptable levels of lead in them.

If not check out the Q&A on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics site:

A Poison Kiss: The Problem of Lead in Lipstick

Fat Chic offers a great summary of the most important info - a list of the lipstick brands in question from the those brands containing the least amount of lead (I was happy to see many of the brands I've used over the years on that list!) to the most (really unhappy to see Burt's Bee's Merlot shimmer on the middle list - I love their shimmer product line and use it! But I'll be sparing in using the Merlot color going forward!) in the following post - along with some possible natural alternatives:

Alternatives to Lead Laden Lipsticks

Spiegel gets back to Reality.....

Dressing that is!

Here is their Fall 2007 take on dressing for any age...




Realty Dressing - Fabulous At Every Age

Once again (I posted on this originally back in March when they did this the first time) they have some interesting choices. My favorites across the years that contain elements that could work for the 50+ woman as well?:

For the 20 something:



I don't think that faded jeans work for the older woman - a dark wash serves her better. But the tank and sweater could definitely work for the 50 plus femme!

For the 30 something:




Once again, the dark washed jeans definitely works - and I think the sweater could work as well with the right 50+ figure! ; - )

For the 40 something:



I've been looking at this jacket for a while, wishing it came in grey as well as this tan tweed. But I must say that with the pants (which can look a bit much I know which might not work for a more petite gal) I'm a bit more inclined to like the tan! And I even find the leopard print acceptable (I'm not a huge fan of animal prints!)

For the 50 something (Hurrah!):



I would probably ditch the foo-foo blouse in favor of a more crisply tailored shirt in either the same color or white - but the dark blazer and pants definitely work!

For the 60 something:



My general dislike of animal prints aside, I would wear this outfit in a heart beat!


To infinity and beyond!




I simply love the shirt and shoes of this outfit!

Once again, I appreciate the acknowledgement by Spiegel that women of all ages want to keep a modern spin to their dress. So skip on over and check out the other looks!

A new NYM Look Book Video....

To the right!

Can you believe this lady is in her 70s! Designing jewelry and still going strong!

No excuses ladies -- NO excuses!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.....

Actually you'd almost have to be living under a rock not to know that!

Still, it's well worth noting!

But first things first.....

If you haven't gotten your yearly mammogram this year (or maybe for several years) stop what you're doing (yes, even reading this blog!) get on the horn and make an appointment!

And keep it - no excuses! It's one date that could actually save your life - rather than potentially ruin it!

And if you want to give to this worthy cause - well you can throw a stone in any direction and find a way! But if you're looking for ideas....

1. The Budget Fashionista is rockin' it, not only by featuring products and services that are donating 100% of their net proceeds to breast cancer research and treatment but TBF herself is donating one dollar for every published comment posted on her site this month to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

So go on over, make your opinion heard on one of the posts!

2. Not only does Payless have a Bogo (Buy one, get the 2nd item 1/2 off) going on right now, but you can also contribute to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure by buying this lovely little wrist bracelet:



It's a stylish spin on the pink rubber bracelet, don't ya think? Oh and on top of doing good, you get a $5.00 off $25.00 coupon for your next Payless purchase.

Good and good for ya!

Okay, at our ages....

You probably know someone - spouse, friend, lover, significant other, co-worker, family member, whoever! - who is hitting that big 40!

Well assure them that they remain fabulous at 40 and beyond!:



Fabulous at Forty Card by floatinglemons


I love this design - sassy and confidant - the way everyone should feel at this momentous benchmark! (I hope the designer will do a similar one for those hitting 50!)

You can make it a whole theme present by pairing the card with any of the following items with the same design:




Fabulous at Forty T-shirt by floatinglemons


Okay I know - T-shirts with writing can be hard to pull off after a certain age. But you can get this design on different styles of shirt - I particularly like this fitted style. Remember this is a for fun gift after all! ; - )





Fabulous at Forty Mug by floatinglemons




And put it all in the bag!





Fabulous at Forty Bag by floatinglemons


A gift bag that can be used later! How good is that! ;-)


(A note of full disclosure - I am a Zazzle Associate. Sadly, this is not my design! But I will get a couple of pennys if you link through from here and decide to buy - just so you know!)

Boots for Wide Calves.....

I'd promised to do a post on boots for those of us with wide calves - but darn it if YouLookFab hasn't beat me too it!

Are Your Calves Too Wide for Long Boots?

Other sources of wide calves boots:

Jessica London (Through not as many as you might think for a plus-sized focused retailer.)

Women Within

Zappos

Lands End (Okay, it's only one pair - but they are a great looking pair of riding boots so they definitely rate a mention!)

Lane Bryant (Ladies, these boot are just fierce lookin'! Growl!)

And speaking of boots....

I've got very mixed feelings regarding the whole ankle lenght boot thing that's going on this fall. I walk away from it with the feeling that, yeah can be cute - but not on me!

However, if you feel just the oposite, check out YouLookFab's post on styling in these shorties....

Instant Style with Short Boots

Over at Aging Fabulous.....

A couple of good post on makeup...that even I might follow! ; - )

Radiant and Restored


6 Steps to Looking Your Best

A bit more on the beauty beat.....

A great post on keeping your skin looking great as you age over at the AOL Stylish penned by the wonderful Carmindy of What Not To Wear fame:

Beauty Before Age

Okay, I think Coach....

Might just be winning back my heart!

Back in the day, when I was a 20 something (oh so long ago!), Coach was THE bag to own (Come on, I know you remember those days too!).

Back then, being able to sling one of those sober, clean lined bags with it's iconic but discrete Coach keychain tag daggling off it over your shoulder, was making a statement that you were firmly on the grownup side of style.

I remember my breathless delight when I finally invested in a small version of the City Bag. It remained the most expensive bag I owned and my absolute go to bag for everything from dinners out to funerals to those weekend days when I didn't want to carry a big bag - just enough bag for what I needed to run errands.

With so many bags these days (oh good God, I can't believe I'm saying "these days"!) practically blinging their way off the shelf with more metal, chains and locks than a super max prison, it's hard to believe that understated elegance was once the mark of the "it" bag for young and old alike. (Okay, okay, there's the Kelly and the Birkin - but I'm talkin' bags accessible to us mere mortals.)

Over the years Coach's reputation faded a bit as the brand apparently began to look just a bit too much like "your mom's" bag. To compensate, the bags got blingier (is that a word?) with patterns just plain out of control and an affection for loopy designs that basically left me cold.

Except for the thief of my beloved Coach (no I won't go into the details - suffice it to say I was heartbroken. I'd owned and loved that bag for at least 20 years), I might never have gone back into a Coach store. But go back I did, looking to replace it. Sadly my stolen bag is no longer sold and so I settled for a classic Station Bag as a replacement (a decision I have since regretted - not because there is anything wrong with the bag, but it simply doesn't fit the style of bag that fits the life I live today). And I started to check-out Coach bags again.

Once again, I wasn't initially impressed. But over the last few years, Coach has seemed to find a middle ground between keeping pace with the handbag arms race while incorporating a more classic style.

And this fall I think they have really hit their stride! The bags I would add to my closet?.....



Coach Legacy Leather Shoulder Bag - $448.00

Gray is a hot color this fall and I would gladly bring some of it into my wardrobe via this lovely bag!



Hamptons Leather Large Carryall

What a great work bag this would make! (I actually saw this one in the wild just the other day - and yes it looked great on the lady's arm!)



Hamptons Leather Signature Medium Carryall - $428.00

Normally, I despise (yes that's right despise!) bags that have that logo thing going on all over them - I figure I spent enough for the bag, I shouldn't have to act as moving advertisement for the maker!

But I'm willing to put my despite aside for this one! The shape and color are just perfect and even the C design looks like it actually belongs on the bag!



Bleecker Leather Duffle - $328.00

If I had it to do all over again this is the bag I would have purchased to replace my stolen one - it's much more who I am today!

I could go on and on - but I won't. But I think another Coach bag is waiting in my future!

And may I have the chance to love it for another 20 years! ; - )

I must admit....

I've never thought of Talbot's when thinking accessories.

However, I recently received a Talbot's accessories catalog - and I must say I was impressed.

Their accessories have the same beautiful, classic understated styling as their clothes - a bit boring, perhaps, for the younger set, but quite indispensable to those of us still interested in lookin' good and keeping our dignity!

And with tailoring being the keyword for fall fashion this year Talbot's is a great source to bring your wardrobe the refresher it might need!

Some of my favs from their Fall line-up:

Shoes:



Mary Jane Flats - $98.00



Round Toe Kiltie Flats - $84.00




Suede Mary Jane Pumps - $114.00

And let's not forget the handbag!....




Slouchy Hobo Bag - $118.00



Tumbled Leather Dual Handle Bag - $178.00



Tumbled Leather Gathered Handbag

And my absolute fav:



Vintage Leather Saddle Bag - $128.00

This one reminds me of all the great leather bags that were available in my youth - casual enough to knock about on weekends but good looking enough to carry as an every day work bag.

To check out the whole fall line just go to Talbots: Accessories and Shoes

The coming of the wide leg pant....

Has brought me nothing but joy!

But, as with so many styles, one must master the art of wearing them!

Over at Too Fat for Fashion, Miss J gives a few pointers on wearing this classic style:

A Leg Up: Fall's Wide Leg Pants

And congrats to TFFF on their 100th post!