Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I am thrilled! Not only am I a sucker for a day devoted to telling those close to you that you love them, but also my anniversary is a week later. February really is a month filled with love. One of our favorite designers, Tory Burch, teamed up with renowned artist Leanne Shapton to design an exclusive collection of items for Valentine’s Day. The collection is made up of cosmetic cases, totes and pajama sets.

The collaboration resulted in two prints, the watercolor Tory logo and the lips prints. Both are done in hues of red, perfectly suited for Valentine’s day. My pick goes to the lips print (I ordered the pajama set yesterday!) though the watercolor Tory print has a colorful whimsical touch.

The tote is perfect to use for multiple occasions. The body of the bag is canvas with leather trim. On the inside there are two interior pockets. The cosmetic case makes for a great gift as well! It is also canvas with leather trim and a cut out logo at the center.

Buy the totes via Tory Burch for $195 and cosmetic cases for $55.

The pajama sets I adore! I have always had an affinity to long arm and leg button up pj sets. All I want to do is wear my pajamas and sit in front of a fire with a mug of hot chocolate. AMAZING. The pajama sets are 100% cotton.

Buy via Tory Burch for $125.

Log on Valentine’s Day for an exclusive follow up to this post!

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I am thrilled! Not only am I a sucker for a day devoted to telling those close to you that you love them, but also my anniversary is a week later. February really is a month filled with love. One of our favorite designers, Tory Burch, teamed up with renowned artist Leanne Shapton to design an exclusive collection of items for Valentine’s Day. The collection is made up of cosmetic cases, totes and pajama sets.

The collaboration resulted in two prints, the watercolor Tory logo and the lips prints. Both are done in hues of red, perfectly suited for Valentine’s day. My pick goes to the lips print (I ordered the pajama set yesterday!) though the watercolor Tory print has a colorful whimsical touch.

The tote is perfect to use for multiple occasions. The body of the bag is canvas with leather trim. On the inside there are two interior pockets. The cosmetic case makes for a great gift as well! It is also canvas with leather trim and a cut out logo at the center.

Buy the totes via Tory Burch for $195 and cosmetic cases for $55.

The pajama sets I adore! I have always had an affinity to long arm and leg button up pj sets. All I want to do is wear my pajamas and sit in front of a fire with a mug of hot chocolate. AMAZING. The pajama sets are 100% cotton.

Buy via Tory Burch for $125.

Log on Valentine’s Day for an exclusive follow up to this post!

Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I am a fan of the day of romance, in spite of the overblown commercialism. A true romantic at heart I adore all things pink, girly, and sweet – but all in good taste of course. And even better if there is an edge to the sweetness! Can you say Lanvin? Well I’ve scouted out some heart inspired handbags and accessories to get in the mood for Valentine’s Day. I’d much rather receive a handbag than perfume or candy, wouldn’t you?

Tory Burch Nylon Ella tote, (top left, $195 at Net-a-Porter) is perfect for weekend getaways or even as a gym tote. It is made of nylon which makes it light and travel friendly. Embellished with a turquoise and plum leopard-print heart appliqué on the front, this over-sized tote features two patent top handles and base corners. Inside you’ll find two zipped pockets and a stone canvas lining.

The petite and sweet Mulberry Heart Zip Purse (top right, $125 at Mulberry) makes a noteworthy gift for your sister or BFF. It is lined with a grosgrain fabric. From Marc by Marc Jacobs is a nylon printed heart tote, (middle right,$150 at Shopbop). The multicolored ditzy print shopper tote folds into a compact pocket inside the applique heart.

From Burberry a patent leather heart keyring (bottom, $85 at Net-a-Porter). The keyring has pewter-tone hardware and a heart charm. It would make a perfectly charm-ing Valentine’s for a loved one as well.

Another heart-inspired design from Marc by Marc Jacobs is the ‘Party Girl’ Heart Appliqué Clutch, (bottom left, $248 at Nordstrom). A scattering of fringe-edge hearts add a whimsical touch to a satiny clutch handbag embellished with MJ embossed studs. Any picks of these would make a special Valentine’s gift indeed.

What is on your wishlist for Valentine’s Day?

via The Find

It has been quite some time since I’ve given serious thought to a loud and attention grabbing clutch. Usually, I go for a sleek design or one with maybe an aspect or two that grabs my attention. However, like many of you, there are times when I step outside my handbag comfort zone and at least entertain the idea of something I wouldn’t typically carry. This happens to be just that kind of clutch.

First of all, the Giuseppe Zanotti Multi Studded Clutch isn’t even out yet and I am already thinking about how I can make it mine. I am in love with the different shapes, textures and sizes of the studs along the front of the clutch. While it might seem a bit over the top, everything comes together rather wonderfully. This clutch is bold, eye catching and extremely unique. I would pair this with one of my favorite black dresses just as I’d pair it with skinny jeans, a form fitting top and sky high pumps. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $1696.50.

So, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that this episode finally wasn’t full of filler. Some stuff actually hit the fan, which is what we’ve all been waiting for (yes, that was a Royal We right there). We don’t watch The Real Housewives of Orange County for the avant garde fashion choices, after all.

The bad news is that it was all of Lynn’s uncomfortable family issues that hit said fan, which made my skin crawl for approximately 45 minutes of the hour-long episode. I like this whole car-crash of a show a lot better when consenting adults are the only victims, and I also like it a lot better when it doesn’t subject me to a caterwauling drunk woman who is somehow still smiling because of how tight her stupid facelift is. That is a combination of annoying and creepy that I’d rather not have in my Thursday night.

As always, let’s talk about the housewives that weren’t directly involved in the meat of tonight’s show.

Vicki, obviously, was working during the majority of the episode so she wasn’t there during the final fireworks, but we did see a bit of her. First, she was on another of her dates with Don, who surprised her with a big ol’ ring and then wiped some bird poop of their server’s head. Don is easily the least terrible person on this entire show (he may be the least terrible person in the entirety of Bravo’s Housewives universe), and the fact that he seems to genuinely like Vicki makes me wonder if she’s not as bad in real life as she is on the show. I shudder to think what other reason he would have for staying with her.

Before she disappeared back to her office for the rest of the episode, she managed to redeem the botulism-and-orange-chemicals “party” that she had for her employees last week ever so slightly by bringing in a financial planner and providing lunch for her younger employees (and both of her kids). That’s actually a decently nice thing to do. I wish someone would teach me some of that stuff. More specifically, I wish someone would teach me how in the world I’m supposed to do my freelance taxes. If this were to be a Twitter trending topic, I would tag it #ThingsTheyShouldaTaughtMeInJournalismSchool. Just sayin’.

Ahem. Anyway.

Although Tamra was present at the night’s trainwreck, she mostly just sat there with a excrement-eating (I’m not allowed to cuss on here – hello, advertisers! – so just fill it in mentally) grin on her face the entire time, happy that she wasn’t involved in the fight. Previous to that, we saw her and Beta Douche Simon cleaning out their garage in anticipation of selling their house before the bank foreclosed on it. Tamra took the opportunity to tell us that things were fine, just FINE, between her and Simon, which is silly, considering that we’ve already read the ending to that book, so to speak.

Gretchen played an integral part in Lynn’s eventual meltdown, but she also rode around on her motorcycle for part of the episode and showed off some makeup that is apparently a part of her new line, Gretchen Christine Beauté. Yeah, with the pretentious ‘e’ and everything. If there’s one thing I really don’t need in my life, it’s eyeshadow endorsed by a housewife who always looks like she puts her makeup on with a trowel.

And then there was Alexis, who facilitated the whole meltdown by throwing a boozy party in the middle of the day, to which she invited several women that hate each other in various ways. She did it under the guise of peacemaking, which is adorable. Absolutely precious. No one ever resolves anything on Real Housewives – if they did, we wouldn’t have a show. Plus, they all know that they don’t get any camera time if they’re not beefing with someone, and these people need camera time like the rest of us need food, water and shelter.

Before we talk about what went on at the party, however, we have to talk about the spectacular parenting FAIL that Lynn had beforehand. She took her daughter to the mall to talk to her, because apparently no one in Orange County is able to communicate with anyone else if they’re not both engaged in an activity that involves boozing, tanning or shopping. They’re almost like the Jersey Shore kids, but not as ironically lovable. While in the car on the way there, her teenager told her that she was hung over, a fact which did not seem to trouble Lynn at all.

Once inside, Lynn tried to engage in a Serious Discussion at the mall, but Alexa was not interested in participating in said discussion. She chose to display her distaste in her mother’s timing by doing the most mature thing she could think of, which happened to be calling her mother a witch-with-a-b and throwing Lynn’s cuff down on the table.

Instead of doing what my mother (and presumably, most mothers everywhere) would have done and dragging her little ingrate of a daughter out of the mall by her hair, Lynn sat there with a creepy smile on her face (presumably because her facelift does not allow her to make other facial expressions) and tried to use her words to express to her daughter how sad she was to see that she was disrespecting her cuff. Alexa very plainly tried to tell her that if Lynn forced her to abide by her punishments, then she might act right every now and then, but the sentiment didn’t seem to penetrate Lynn’s leather-like face. She just cradled her poor cuff and mentally frowned. But not physically, because she can’t.

After seeing that interaction, I can no longer bring myself to fault Gretchen for anything she’s said or done toward Lynn and Alexa in the past few episodes. In fact, when they played back some of the clips, it was obvious that Gretchen made it very clear that she was just trying to give Alexa an outlet and make her feel heard, since most teenagers have a hard time talking to their parents. Doubly so for Alexa, since I’m not sure that Lynn has entirely mastered the English language.

Considering all of that, things were definitely not going well when it came time for Lynn to sit down with the other women (minus Vicki) for a drunken lunch at Alexis’s place. As soon as Gretchen asked how Alexa was doing, things careened out of control so quickly that I can’t even entirely remember how Lynn, who appeared to be both drunk and possibly on some pills (she accused Gretchen of slipping something in her drink on Watch What Happens Live, although she pretty much always seems high to me), went from making inappropriate jokes about Kegel exercises and her husband’s manbits to wailing about how hard it is to live in the OC, where sixteen-year-olds get BMWs.

Listen, Lynn. Orange County is not the only place on the face of the planet where parents try to live vicariously through their kids by buying them expensive cars – it happened where I grew up, and I’m fairly sure that it happens in the chichi suburbs of every major city in America. It’s also not any semblance of an excuse for not actually parenting them, or for giving up on them when they get into their teens.

Although she began her little scene by repeating how hard she tries to be a good mother, she eventually started talking about Orange County expectations, and that’s where she lost my support. It seemed entirely as though she was lamenting her own lot in the world – her crappy facelift, her fake tan, the hours she spends at the gym that aren’t making her any younger, the house that she’s about to get kicked out of on next week’s episode because she has no skills and never thought to save a dollar in her life. When she spends so much time thinking about all the things she has to do in order to keep up with her own ego, how can we possibly expect her to take the time to deal with anything else, much less something so exhausting as an unruly teenager that seems to desperately want someone to ground her? And then actually stick around to make sure she stays home? Clearly Lynn doesn’t have the time for that in the middle of busy aesthetics schedule.

It was pathetic and sad and thinking about it still makes my skin crawl. I can’t write funny little jokes about this stuff. This woman needs to get off my television, get out of her plastic surgeon’s office, and do something about her family. You know, besides just getting defensive when an adult that has made some mistakes in her life offers to help her stop her daughter from making the same ones. Anyone care to guess what attention-starved, attractive teenage girls with clueless, absentee parents do in their spare time? I shudder to think, but perhaps Lynn should ponder it for a while.

I don’t want to end my last post of the week on such a sour note, but there was absolutely nothing bright or cheery or not soul-crushingly awful about this episode of Real Housewives. So, instead, here’s a cute puppy video:

To finish out Paris Couture Week, I thought it might be nice to have something that’s not at all intellectual or challenging. If as many of you guys go out on Thursday nights as the people in my group of friends, then Friday morning is not the time to be looking at and making sense of Difficult Fashion. No no, Friday is the time for obvious things.

So, for the princess/teenage prom-goer/Oscar-winner in all of us, Elie Saab Haute Couture has the beaded, tulle’d ball gown that we’ve always wanted. In case you don’t have an occasion to which to wear a ball grown, there are a few super sparkly, pastel cocktail dresses as well, but don’t worry, they don’t skimp on the beading or tulle. Ever for someone like me, an Alexander McQueen fangirl that likes things dark and edgy if at all possible, it’s unquestionably fun to drool over something girl and light every now and then. Here’s your chance, folks.

Photos via Style.com.

To finish out Paris Couture Week, I thought it might be nice to have something that’s not at all intellectual or challenging. If as many of you guys go out on Thursday nights as the people in my group of friends, then Friday morning is not the time to be looking at and making sense of Difficult Fashion. No no, Friday is the time for obvious things.

So, for the princess/teenage prom-goer/Oscar-winner in all of us, Elie Saab Haute Couture has the beaded, tulle’d ball gown that we’ve always wanted. In case you don’t have an occasion to which to wear a ball grown, there are a few super sparkly, pastel cocktail dresses as well, but don’t worry, they don’t skimp on the beading or tulle. Ever for someone like me, an Alexander McQueen fangirl that likes things dark and edgy if at all possible, it’s unquestionably fun to drool over something girl and light every now and then. Here’s your chance, folks.

Photos via Style.com.

As of late I have been finding more reasons to love Burberry. Their leather bags continue to not only be fashionable and current but also affordable. And now I found a new Burberry bag that I want so badly to like but can’t help but look at it and see jean pockets.

I know many designers put two pockets on the front of their bags. This is nothing new. But there are times when I see a bag with pockets on the front that has me feeling like I am staring at a pair of jeans. And I am not sure the belted top detail helps the Burberry Tumbled Leather Tote look less like half a torso of someones body. Nevertheless, the bag still has many likable features.

The oversized buckles add a utility feel add an unexpected twist to the bag. The combination of light pink or white leather with the slouchy body, pockets, and buckles makes for an interesting finished product. As much as I kept talking about this bag reminding me of jean pockets, I am only seeing an online image. Once you try any bag on it looks entirely different than in stock images, so I would like to give this bag the benefit of the doubt. I love that Burberry uses sheepskin, which gives ultimate softness, on this bag. Dimensions are 16″W x 13″H x 6″D. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $995.

What do you think of this bag: Fab or Drab?

To (very loosely) paraphrase the great Raymond Carver, Jean Paul Gaultier is what we talk about when we talk about couture. In a week of shows that have left me at times both dazzled and underwhelmed (Valentino, I’m looking at you), Gaultier showed up just in time to remind us all exactly why we’re here: because only a handful of people on the face of the planet are capable of so masterfully creating clothes that make us dream.

That’s exactly what we got with this woven, corseted, sombrero’d Mexico-meets-Avatar collection of things that no one could ever wear out into the real world, except for maybe Daphne Guinness and Lady Gaga. But the beauty of couture is that no one needs to wear most of it, which unshackles the designers and enables them to create truly resplendent and inspiring clothes-art without the burden of functionality (or the burden of reality, for that matter).

More so than any collection that I’ve seen so far this week, the conception and construction of these clothes is absolutely masterful. Yes, with the italics and everything. It’s that good. I usually flinch a bit when clothing is called a art, but I find it difficult to deny when I look at this collection – it’s everything fashion can and should be.

What Gaultier does best is not leave a detail untended. Not only does much of the collection have a Latin flavor, but even the bags and shoes look like they’re made of palm fronds and banana leaves. The clothes are great from the front, but some of them get better from the back. The weaving and boning are so meticulous that I find it hard to believe that human hands created them. The looks are fully realized and complete from head to toe, and a world where clothes like these are de rigueur is a place that I want to live.

Photos via Fashionologie.com

I’m…I’m underwhelmed. And a little sad, maybe. But mostly confused. Is this what Valentino Haute Couture is supposed to look like? Are they serious? I think we’ve been tricked. Fooled. Bamboozled.

It kind of reminds me of what would happen if Balenciaga and Valentino had a baby (the term ‘Valenciaga’ has already been coined elsewhere, I can’t take credit for it), and a few of the tight minidresses are reminiscent of Herve Leger, particularly with the neon inserts that were also in the previous Leger spring collection. Which is all fine and good, except neither of those designers make couture – they do a dandy job at pret-a-porter, but this is couture week, people.

Some of the signature Valentino ruffles, flowers and bows were present, but their inclusion at time seemed cursory rather than enthusiastic. And there were, of course, a few gowns that will look beautiful against a red carpet and over which I’m sure Rachel Zoe is currently having some sort of conniption.

The rest of it was just…the Balenciaga collection that Nicolas Ghesquiere forgot, and I’d say that I mean that in a good way, but I obviously don’t. It was reductive and mostly bland, but with a few truly odd moments – a ruched jumpsuit with a camel toe problem, non sequitur neon inserts, a red leather minidress that came out of NOWHERE.

It would be one thing if this was bad couture, but it’s just bad, with no indications of the kind of intricacy, construction, or care that go into forming and finishing a garment by hand. In their second couture season as the heads of Valentino, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli failed to actually make a couture collection. The ideas and realization hardly seem above that of ready-to-wear, and even then, I’ve seen several brands do these looks better as recently as last season. Chiuri and Piccioli have been quoted saying that they wanted to make couture for the younger generation with this collection – trust me, this is not what we want.