Sandy!

Cue the leather pants, pink ladies and Capri cigs. SJP served some major Sandra Dee hair on the set of SATC 2. Come to think of it, Big does have a bit of a Danny Zuko thing going on…

Surprise! Real Women Do Sell Magazines.

Courtesy of Glamour

Everyone, their mother and Matt Lauer are abuzz over 20-year-old, size 12 Lizzi Miller—AKA the girl with the tummy in Glamour’s September issue. Just who didn’t stop to notice the blonde with the radiant smile and carefree pose on page 194? And more importantly, who didn’t think, “I want to be like her. This woman is healthy, this woman is happy; this woman has thighs like mine!”? Heeding that message, Glamour has announced that Miller will return—once again in her birthday suit—in the November issue, along with Kate Dillon and five other plus-size models. Whether or not the momentum to put real women in magazines will hasten or slow lies largely in the hands of readers (buy November Glamour, ladies!) and, of course, the none-too-tummy-friendly deciders helming other glossies. One such, Anna Wintour, recently appeared on 60 Minutes and touted Vogue as the every woman’s “glamorous girlfriend.” I happen to know this glamorous girlfriend quite well; she fits sample sizes, has the perky privilege of going sans bra when she wants to and never gets blisters from the five-inch heels she wears 24/7. But frankly, that girl’s exhausting and a bit boring—I’d rather be friends with Lizzi!

Shoes to Dye For

Courtesy of OakNYC

I’ve always loved LD Tuttle and this Parabolic Slip on Heel is one of her greatest creations. It’s turquoise with a soft, slouchy lambskin ruffle and a stacked wooden heel.

I snapped up a pair as soon as they went on sale, but soon found that there’s a drawback to beautiful blue leather. It fades. After a few months, my shoes turned from a brilliant turquoise to a sort of aqua, with tinges of pale green and yellow. Not good. I also had a couple of water marks that spread when I tried to get rid of them. I suppose I might have been able to get the shoes  replaced, considering that they have a serious design flaw, but I had other plans for them.

After looking up info on shoe dying, I found lots of pictures and  real-life stories of people painting Christian Louboutins on the Purse Forum. This was enough to give me the courage to go for it with my LD Tuttles.

Freshly dyed LD Tuttles

I ordered Tarrago self-shine shoe dye in sky blue off of Amazon, and painted my heart out. The end result: a uniform, smooth color, and the lambskin ruffle is a bit more sculptural than slouchy.

Admittedly, the leather does feel a little tacky, but I’m hoping a few applications of leather conditioner will help with that. The upside is that my blue shoes are a lot more durable now and I can wear them without shying away from a few raindrops or little patch of sun–and all of which is priceless.

On the Cheap

Spent the past few days reading Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. It’s mostly about how we shouldn’t buy all that “Made in China” crap. Cheap stuff means workers aren’t getting paid, the economy goes bust, yada yada.

I’m not so interested in that. What I want to know is: How am I getting ripped off? Cheap offers a lot of insight into this all-important topic. Here are some of the retailer’s tips and tricks that I’ve learned:

1. Take a $300 handbag and display it next to $1,000 handbags, and it looks like a steal. But put that same handbag next to a $30 handbag display, reality hits and it’s suddenly too expensive for your customers.

2. If you offer a brand label jacket for $100 below market price, people will think something’s wrong with it. Price it $80 higher, and you’ll get the people with the rose-tinted glasses who are motivated to buy.

3. Get two generic brand items of the same type (such as suntan lotion), and price one higher than the other. Most people will assume that the more expensive one is higher quality.

4. Use rebates. Your customers are lured to buy, then they won’t bother to fill out the forms. Don’t give them too big of a discount though–that will motivate them to mail in the paperwork.

5. Set up an outlet mall in the middle of nowhere. Your customer will burn up gas and wear out shoe leather in order to save money at Coach and Anne Klein. You save big time on rent and shipping costs.

6. Sell cheap stuff that breaks easily (like IKEA). Your customers will buy all new stuff rather than trying to fix or modify it themselves.

7. Seal up your products so that your customers can’t change the batteries (like Apple). When the time comes, your customers can pay $60 to have you change the batteries, or they can pay $300 for a new iPod.

8. Get a brand name prescription drug and slap a generic label on it. Hand it to your guinea pig, and you’ll find out that the drug is less effective than it was before. This means that generic brand drugs will always be less effective, regardless of quality, simply because of people’s perceptions of it.

Bag, Borrow and Shpeel

Courtesy of Rebecca Minkoff

Rebecca Minkoff’s shoulder strap clutch, hot off the UPS truck and mine ’til September 15th. I know, I know… Bag, Borrow or Steal is “sooo 2006,” but in 2006 I was a Ramen soup loving intern with no bag rental budget to speak of. Finally on the payroll, I’ve been bagging and borrowing for about six months now. It’s a great way  for back and forther’s like myself to experiment with different labels.

Getting back to Becky, I really really love this bag! The strap is the perfect length–sits right at the hip if you’re a cross body fan, like me–and the pretty vintage patterned lining (chocolate and cream paisley) makes me smile every time I reach in for my lip gloss. From the substantial hardware to the rich embossed leather, I have no complaints.

Ask me whether I’d buy it, or try it? I’d say buy it!

Buy it from Becky: $325

Try it from Bag, Borrow or Steal: $14 per week or $40 per month (No shipping fees–woo-hoo!)

Also try eBay: Prices range from $170-285 (a total of 51 bags in this style up for bid)

The TopShop Challenge (Part 2)

Here are the answers to the TopShop Matching Challenge, as promised:

a is 5. Christian Louboutin Dillian

b is 6. Rebecca Minkoff Market Tote

c. is 4. Proenza Schouler PS1 bag

d. is 1. Chloe ankle boots, Pre-Fall 2008

e. is 2. Herve Leger bandage dress

f. is 3. Marc Jacobs Stam bag

The TopShop Challenge

Here’s Round 2 of the Matching Challenge, this time with TopShop. Can you match the TopShop item with its fashion inspiration? Wait for Wednesday’s post (August 12) to see the answers.

1. Chloe

2. Herve Leger

3. Marc Jacobs

4. Proenza Schouler

5. Christian Louboutin

6. Rebecca Minkoff

Possessed with Distressed

Courtesy of Balenciaga

I’ve heard of people rolling cars over their favorite jeans, pouring rubbing alcohol on handbags and crumpling up leather jackets–all to get that worn-in, distressed leather look. Then there’s the alternative: paying thousands of dollars to get something new that looks old, such as this Balenciaga City in Storm, $1,395.

Since you and I fall somewhere in between, check out my top picks for budget-friendly, yet totally luxe handbags that look perfectly worn in.

Courtesy of Kale, Tano, Kooba and saks.com

Kale Chilton I in oxblood, $695
With a rainbow of eye-catching hues and high-quality leather, Kale handbags equal total sophistication.

Tano Dangerous Indeed in espresso, $259
I’ve only just discovered this brand but it already has a die-hard following. Not surprising, because Tano will give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to the aged leather look. Be forewarned, these bags look better in person than they do online.

Kooba, Celia
Out of these four, Kooba always comes up with the most innovative,  structural shapes. Add on smooth, squishy leather, beautiful hardware, and I’m sold!

Foley & Corinna City Tote, $444
Nobody does vintage style better than F&C. Their bestselling City Tote is reimagined in distressed detail and yummy colors like this poppy red.

Lily’s Got a Brand New Bag

Courtesy of Chanel

Lily Allen—my favorite four-letter lyricist—has had her fair share of headlines lately. A busy little bird she’s been, posing topless in i-D Magazine, singing “fuck you very, very much” via video to our former Prez and building her brand with Lily Allen Jewelry. And now, properly crowned and clutching a puffy bag bearing the double c’s, Lils stars in the fall campaign for Chanel’s Coco Cocoon bags—shot by the Kaiser himself. The internets seem to have spoken on the inspiration and “golly, gee, damn” if it isn’t Miss Holly Golightly. Though, I doubt Karl allowed any croissants—Golightly’s breakfast of choice—on set…fatschist. Getting back to the bags at hand; they-are-a-hot. Street chic and practical, the reversible nylon and lambskin totes match the dolled up Chanel Lily as well as they do the sneakered day-glo makeup’d Lily we all know and love. Word is the Coco Cocoon bags are “recession friendly” on the wallet (believe it when I see it…). Wait-list it now ladies, they drop October 3rd.

Fashion Reimagined

Reworked vintage can be a lovely, covetable thing when it’s done right. Think beautiful, psychedelic patterns and prints, vintage fabrics and delightfully distressed leather that can be remade into stylish playthings for you and me. It can be done and to prove it, I’ve gathered up the best of internet “trashion” for your shopping pleasure.

1. Novella Royale: Vintage jackets find new life as leather purses. All are hand-crafted; no two are the same.

2. The Glamourai: Delicious confections in jewelry form. These pretty baubles are made from charms, brooches, and buttons picked up in vintage shops.

3. Sara Claire and Esther: A collection of glamorous dresses, inspired by the idea of little girls’ tea parties and playing dress up. They are made from bits and pieces from pre-owned garments and cloth-covered buttons and trim.

4. Glenda Gies: Delightfully old-school, framed handbags and totes made from vintage fabrics. The materials are rare and hard to find, so most of these purses are limited-edition or one-of-a-kind.