Item of the Week: Chie Mihara boots

Chie Mihara Fall-to-Winter Boots

I love the granny boot concept, and these are just so lovely and vintage looking. The way they lace up remind me a bit of my old ice skates!

$480 at BHLDN

Inspiration: Jour et Nuit

This is such a pretty lace butterfly, truly delicate enough to look like it's going to flutter away at any moment.

Jour et Nuit Brooch by Cecile Boccara

Inspiration: The Boys

Girls have had a long history of stealing from the boys for fashion inspiration: military jackets, fedoras, sailor chic pants, jeans from cowboys...the list goes on and on. I think it's a great way to find new twists on the old and done.

Currently I'm being inspired by Darren Criss's outfit as Blaine complete with red pants, black polo shirt, bow tie, white belt and funky yellow sunglasses. It's a look I would never think anybody could pull off, but with the right flair, even fashion saavy Kurt seems to approve. I could definitely envision a feminized version of this combination, potentially with a black blouse and heels instead.

It's Not Unusual (Darren Criss) Glee Performance

Lisa Eldridge's amazing makeup skills have extended to a more pretty boy type of look, which is refreshingly chic and not too masculine as she knows how to walk the fine line between boyishly pretty and manly.

Lisa Eldridge Boyish Beauty Look

For more inspiration, see my prior post on Janelle Monae, a lady who has really mastered incorporating menswear pieces into a unique look with a certain glamour to it.

What I Love Now! - Gaga, Gaultier, and Gorgeous Lashes

Gaga by Gaultier. At first I thought this could be a really cheesy little documentary, but having Jean Paul Gaultier interview Lady Gaga was rather fascinating, and fashion fun ensues! There's a lot of portions where Gaga goes into her pre-celebrity life that are quite interesting.

Of course, Gaultier's studio is ridiculously amazing, the whole modern yet spooky all white covered interiors with bits of black are really artistic. I think the main issue I have with the documentary is it's unclear why the filmmakers selected Jean Paul Gaultier and not anybody else, besides the fact that he happens to be a famous designer whose last name begins with a G.

Gorgeous Lashes. To continue with the black and white theme, lately I've been digging Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Noir Black, which is one of the few mascara's that don't seem to weigh my lashes down, isn't irritating, and is reasonably easy to remove. It's very heavily pigmented black and stays relatively put for something that's not labeled as waterproof. The only negative is like with all things Chanel, it's rather pricey for a mascara. Another good one I like is the Becca Ultimate Mascara (review here).

Speaking of lashes, I'm also a fan of Shu Uemura's eyelash curler, since my lashes happen to be naturally stick straight. The limited edition holiday 24 kt gold version is once again available, though the regular version works equally as well. 

Item (Review) of the Week: JK Jemma Kidd

JK Jemma Kidd I-Design Eye Colour in 08 Must Have

I decided to go out on a bit of a limb and try a navy blue eyeshadow from JK Jemma Kidd I found on sale. I thought the overall colour was quite lovely, really helps make my brown eyes pop, and the packaging was nice. I applied it with a pencil liner brush to avoid blue panda eyes syndrome.

The one problem I had with this eyeshadow was the irritation from the fallout - as it is a glittery, not matte navy. However, my eyes tend to be extremely sensitive with a lot of powder eyeshadows.

Overall love the colour, but wish this were in a cream or gel form to avoid the fallout issues and have better staying power over time. I think a primer or some sort of base to help the shadow stick is likely necessary to help retain the colour and prevent too much fall out.

$18 at Target

Item of the Week: September Fashion Reading

I've been spending the last couple of weeks reading through phonebook sized September issues of various Fashion magazines. If you've watched The September Issue - then you'll know that September is usually a massive kickoff issue that anticipates the upcoming fall/winter view of fashion. I'm personally a fan of Harper's Bazaar - I just find it more diverse and refreshing than Vogue, but unfortunately until Grace Coddington moves over to Bazaar I suppose there'll still be a reason to look at Vogue editorials. Lucky has improved though I sometimes still feel like it's more of a catalogue hawking goods to flip through than an actual fashion magazine. C has some good Californian perspective that I find tends to be lacking in the rather NYC-centric fashion magazine world.

Happy Fashion's Night Out!

Of course I'm also muttering curses to Vogue for being so East Coast centric but whatever - the party is on, it's fun to celebrate Fashion for a night, and a big virtual toast to all the gals out there like me who can't quite make it to the FNO party in NYC (or their local fashion capital). Cheers and hope you like the outfit!

Sour Apple Sweater with Bow along Back

BCBG MaxAzria Linen Blend Striped Pants

Item of the Week: Quilaree Jacket

Maybe I'm completely nuts to love this jacket for some odd reason. I mean it definitely is on that border line of crazy (doubles as a feather duster?) versus beautiful (exotic plumes to wear!).

Quilaree Lush Botanics Jacket
$800 at BHLDN