A Field Guide to Fall Fashion

A quick reference guide to the hottest trends of the season, in all price ranges:

SOMETHING COLORBLOCKED

Emanuel Ungaro skirt, www.net-a-porter.com, $3620

Emilio Pucci, theoutnet.com $744

Hayden Harnett bag, www.haydenharnett.com, $598

A ONE SHOULDER DRESS OR TOP

Thread Social dress, www.threaddesign.com, $545
Topshop dress, www.topshop.com, $90

A FAUX FUR VEST

Rebecca Taylor vest, www.bloomingdales.com, $350

Fred Flare vest, www.fredflare.com, $60

OPEN-TOED SANDAL

Jessica Simpson platform sandal, www.macys.com $79

Miu Miu platform sandals, www.neimanmarcus.com, $640

SOMETHING NEON

Neon trainers, www.nordstrom.com $68
Christian Louboutin pumps, www.bluefly.com $476

SOMETHING FRINGED

Fringed pouchette, French Connection $131

Tory Burch fringed bag, www.luisaviaroma.com $691

A LEATHER TOPPER

Kirna Zabete leather vest, www.kirnazabete.com, $320

H&M leather jacket, www.hm.com for stores $73

SOCKS WITH SANDALS

Burberry, Spring 2009

BOTTOM'S UP: EMPHASIS ON THE LEGS!

embellished skirts, pants, tights - plain on top, nuts on the bottom.

Missoni knit leggings, www.net-a-porter.com $1900
Marni Fall 2009

Doo.Ri embellished tights, Doo.Ri Fall 2009

Get inspired by these, and head out to the high street shops to

Isaac & Eartha: Here, Kitty Kitty

Inspired by The September Issue, I went digging in the fashion documentaries and un"Eartha"-ed Unzipped, the 1995 documentary about Isaac Mizrahi. Live for this clip. Just watch it and get inspired to....whatever! If you see the whole movie, pay particular attention to Carla Bruni and Linda Evangelista - unintentionally hilarious. And in the clip below, I'm not sure what's going on, but it's incredible.

Click below for a clip of Isaac Mizrahi and Eartha Kitt from Unzipped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eFW8TjGlDo

Perfection.

This. Is. Perfection. Chloe Sevigny + Kate Lamphear + Elle + Vuitton FW09 bow belt = The #1 shot from Fall books.

Currently making my own version, stay tuned for the results!

What We're Listening To Now

1. Taylor Swift "You Belong with Me"
2. Kate Nash "Merry Happy"
3. Boys Like Girls "Love Drunk"
4. Blessid Union of Souls "I Believe"
5. The Fratellis "For the Girl"
6. Finger Eleven "Paralyzer"
7. Lauryn Hill "Selah"
8. Paul Simon "You Can Call Me Al"
9. Jason DeRulo "Whatcha Say"
10. Santigold "Creator"
11. Ladytron "Destroy Everything You Touch"
12. Rilo Kiley "Paint's Peeling"
13. Demi Lovato "Here We Go Again"
14. Regina Spektor "Laughing With"
15. Petula Clark "Downtown"
16. Sean Kingston "Fire Burning"
17. Kristina DeBarge "Goodbye"
18. A*Teens "Can't Help Falling In Love With You"
19. Shakira "Whenever, Wherever"
20. Van Halen "Jump"

Don't Sweat It

Or do, actually. Are you sitting down for this? One of the hottest trends to hit the Fall 2009 runways was sweatpants. That's right. And not just pants - blazers, vests, shorts, tops - sweat is sweet. The key to wearing it of course is a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e - otherwise, you'll just look like you're wearing sweatpants in public. Below, some inspiration from the FW09 Isabel Marant show:

All sweats. The thought of designer sweatpants makes me a little queasy, even if they are Isabel Marant, fashion's reigning Parisienne Queen of Cool, so I've of course done it my way by going to the no-fail one-stop shopping mecca - Old Navy. I bought a pair for $7.99 on sale in a soft heather grey, making sure that they fit like regular pants in the seat, and then cuffed the bottoms like they were boyfriend jeans, pushing up slightly on the leg. Pop on with a burnout tee, little boy's blue blazer, and killer heels and you've got one comfortable fashion week go-to outfit!

Images courtesy of www.elle.com and Old Navy.

One Day My Prince Will Come...

And hopefully I'll be wearing this! What an amazing, fabulous, to die for 1950's cocktail dress. very Sabrina in Givenchy, yes? It's a pretty penny at $440, but if you consider it artwork it's an investment.

Check it out on TimelessVixenVintage on Etsy.com.

Whip It

I adore lemon - I was never into it until I went to Italy and had fresh, amazing, huge lemons. Now, it's one of my favorite smells and flavors. So when I came across a recipe from Claire Robinson, a newcomer to The Food Network, I was delighted to see she had a wonderfully refreshing recipe for the perfect lemon ending.

CLAIRE ROBINSON'S FROZEN LEMON WHIPS

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 lemons, zested, plus thin slices for serving
• 2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Line a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin with paper muffin liners.

Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until well combined, then add the lemon juice and zest. Pour into a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to the consistency of gravy, 8 to 10 minutes, (it should cling to the spoon when you stop stirring). Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve placed over a glass bowl. Stir the mixture occasionally to help release some of the heat. Once cooled to room temperature, put plastic wrap directly on the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until firm.

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Whisk the chilled lemon curd to loosen it and fold half the cream into it to lighten. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until just blended. Divide the lemon whip between the muffin cups, smoothing the tops. Put the pan on a sheet tray, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours.

To serve, remove muffin tray from freezer and let stand 10 minutes. Serve immediately by placing thin lemon slices on a plate and inverting the lemon whip directly on top of the lemon slices (this prevents sliding on the plate). Drizzle berry sauce over the top and around the frozen lemon whip. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries and enjoy your refreshing cold treat!!!

You can check out this and other recipes from Claire on www.foodnetwork.com.

Hey Baby, Hey Baby, Hey!

Hey Babylons, rather.

Of course, you could string together a lot of painted wooden beads and make your own, but why when these girls can do it for you for under $30?

Shop their store at http://www.heybabylons.bigcartel.com.

South of Broad

Pat Conroy is hands down, my favorite author. Coming from a Journalism and English major you would probably expect something more erudite, classic, and stuffy. But Pat Conroy's books are the only books that have ever hit me so hard I've openly cried (Prince of Tides and my absolute hands down all time favorite Beach Music; my copy is missing the front cover I've read it so many times). He and his characters are everything I am: Southern, crazy, and Catholic, which is not the easiest cocktail of roots to make. While the book has some faults, including the usual love-hate relationship I have with his novels - it spans too far of a time period, it's too sweetly sentimental - there are all the same reasons I love them, including his magnificent way with words. Pat Conroy can take me out of this apartment and into South Carolina in one paragraph. In South of Broad, his new novel, he brings to life a melange of backgrounds, histories, time, race, and class. It's been 14 years since he's had a novel, and this one is up there with the others, but not quite at the same level. At one point in the book, Pat's main character, Leo King, says:

"I never knew how strange a breed of cat a Southerner is until I began to travel around the country. Only then did I learn that the Southerner represents a disfigurement in the national psyche, a wart or a carbuncle that requires either a lengthy explanation or cosmetic surgery whenever I would stumble upon the occasional Vermonter or Oregonian or Nebraskan in my journeys...I once compiled a list in my column about the reasons people seemed to hate the South, and I invited my readers to add to the literature of contemptuousness a Southerner might encounter on the road. My list was fairly simple:

1. Some people hate Southern accents.

2. Some fools think all Southerners are stupid because of those accents.

3. Movie buffs hate the South because they have seen Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind, In the Heat of the Night, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Easy Rider.

4. a man from Ohio hates the South because he once ate grits at the Atlanta airport. He admitted that he put milk and sugar on them and thought it was the worst cream of wheat he'd ever tasted.

5. Many women who married Southern men, then divorced them, hate the South, as do any men who married Southern women and divorced them. All men and women who married Southerners, then divorced them, hate their Southern mother-in-laws, ergo the entire South.

6. All liberals based in other geographies hate the South because it is so conservative. They refuse to believe that any true liberals could also be Southern.

7. All women not from the South hate Southern women because Southern women consider themselves far more beautiful than the women of lesser states.

10. All Americans who are not Southern hate the South because they know Southerners don't give a rat's fanny what the rest of the country thinks about them."

This month's Southern Living has a feature on Pat Conroy, and I cannot wait to find some holiday time to actually enter his world in Charleston. Until then, his books will just have to sustain me -Beach Music is up next for the 100th time. I hope I can keep the pages from ripping.

Beans, Beans, They're Good for Your Heart...

Couldn't help myself, but beans are also good for other things, like lowering your cholesterol, lowering your risk of heart disease, and curb your appetite for other items higher in fat. Here's a recipe courtesy of the August Southern Living for quick, easy, healthy beans.

PASTA WITH WHITE BEANS AND ARUGULA

1 package farfalle pasta

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 package fresh arugula

1 package crumbled feta

1/4 cup chopped basil (fresh)

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2. tbsp. olive oil

salt

cook the pasta, stir together the beans and next 7 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in hot cooked pasta until blended.

This Post is about C.S. Post.

So the below designs are nothing new - we've had a Georgia and Washington and New York pillow in my childhood house (hi mom!) since I can remember. But you can buy them as placemats and dishtowels at www.cspost.com, yet another brilliant gifting website I'm now addicted to.

Check out the website for more well-edited odds n' ends, such as apothecary jars, jacks door stoppers, and vintage poodles!

Check it out!

The nice folks of the Brooklyn Flea have linked me on their website - thanks!!!

http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/2009/07/in_the_news_1.html

Green Apple...and Watermelon, and Pineapple, and Mango...

I am a sorbet/gelato aficionado (Ferrara's sees way too much of me and my $), so of course I jumped when grubstreet reported the opening of a sliver of a store, Green Apple, last week. I marched the two blocks over to them and was excited to see flavors like blueberry, green tea, watermelon, mango, pineapple....and almost melted (more) when I tried watermelon and pineapple. For $4 you get two scoops of heavenly, delicious sorbet or gelato made of absolutely fresh fruits. My watermelon and pineapple did not taste syrupy, but perfectly cold and sweet, like biting into the actual fruit. If I were you I'd jump out of line at Ciao Bella and head on down to Green Apple, where they're so happy to have your business you can't help but smile.

Green Apple is located on Mott Street between Spring and Kenmare.

In Honor of a 65 Year Old Woman Living in 1992...

Sequined parrots!! I know, it's weird and too kitschy, but in that weird, fashion forcasted way they have about them, designers have chosen sequined parrots a la the 80's of all things. Behold:

marc jacobs resort via www.style.com

marc jacobs resort via www.style.com

topshop, $185

can't afford marc or topshop? take this Forever21 top - for $14.90 - and add a touch of sequins where you want them. Hate it? You can throw it out! But I have a feeling you won't think it's for the birds and will end up loving it.

Fashion's Night Out

In support of the 9/11 fund, Vogue and others are hosting "Fashion's Night Out," their own stimulus plan. I'm eager to see how this pans out - it seems like mass hysteria might ensue! No worries if you're not in New York, the entire roster of headliners can be found at www.fashionsnightout.com.

And now, taken from our friends over at Racked (www.racked.com), I've taken their top tens from music, contests, and events and edited them down for you:

MUSIC

Coca Rocha at DKNY We know where all the modelizers will be closing the evening: at DKNY where Coca Rocha is due to deejay from 9-11pm while DKNY cupcakes and bubbly are passed around. Following her, a duo will perform "violin and electro pop music." Trippy! 655 Madison Avenue.

The Misshapes at Versace Like it or not, the neon skinny jeans and ironic lens-less glasses will be out in full at Versace for The Misshapes' DJ set. Oh yea, and Ciara, Amy Sacco, Taylor Momsen and model Chanel Iman will be there too, so expect bouncers. Frankly, we're even surprised that this is a public event. If you're planning on going to this, get there early and don't even think about making it to anything else. 647 Fifth Avenue.

John Lennon-Edition Guitar at Fossil Even Fossil is getting in on the fun; they'll be giving away journals and passing out "seventies-era treats" through the night, but aspiring musicians should enter to win the John Lennon limited-edition guitar and Fossil gift certificates. 1585 Broadway..

Polo Lesson With Nacho Figueras from Ralph Lauren Men's Want to learn how to play polo? Why not learn from Ralph Lauren's model and pro player Nacho Figueras? Win a private lesson with him, although we guess that since this prize is only being offered to entrants at RL's Bleecker Street Men's store, that it sadly can't be turned into a date. 381 Bleecker Street.

A Customized Piece From Matthew Williamson
Now we are talking serious prizes, what with this offer to have Matthew Williamson personally fit and customize a one-of-a-kind creation for you. That means no reselling on eBay! Yet another incentive to hit MePa during FNO. 415 West 14th Street.

Fashion Week Tickets and more at Lord & Taylor Who would have guessed that it'd be Lord & Taylor ponying up some of the best prizes? Throughout the night, shoppers will be handed keys which might unlock one of these prizes: Fashion Week show tickets, VH1 Save The Music Concert Tickets, a wardrobe from BCBGeneration and more.

$5,000 shopping spree from Fashion's Night Out
You don't have to go anywhere to sign up for this prize, aside from your computer. The shopping spree sweepstakes is already up for registering on their website (click above) and the big news is that there will be 8 winners. There's a ton of participating retailers, so you won't be spending that 5K all at Bergdorf's...or will you?

Rag & Bone Guys, this is for you: Rag & Bone will turn their Christopher Street store into an Irish Pub, complete with free beer, a sawdust floor, and a live Irish band. We might just end up calling it a night here. 100 Christopher Street.

Adam Lippes
Not content to party until 11pm, Adam's Meatpacking store will stay open until 1am with free cocktails. He'll also have special edition personalized T-shirts for sale, and in case you've missed them thus far—the Havaianas customizing crew! All proceeds from the sale of the Havaianas will go to the 9/11 fund. 678 Hudson Street.

Kirna Zabete It's Kirna's 10th anniversary, so they'll be celebrating double-time by bringing in Narciso Rodriguez, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Thakoon Panichgul, Jason Wu, and Peter Som to debut their exclusive items for Kirna. Want to snap up a Wu sketch or a Proenza Schouler tote bag? This is the place to do it. 96 Greene Street.

Chanel Actually hosting two large events at different stores, Chanel will cater to both the rich and the poor. At 139 Spring Street, they'll debut the jade nail polish with free mini-manicures and a DJ set by Alexa Chung. Meanwhile at 15 East 57th Street, for the first time ever, Chanel will have a create-your-own-handbag studio. "Choose your favorite lambskin color, lining, hardware, and chain—and be among the first in the United States to own a customized, monogrammed Chanel classic bag." Oh yes, and there will be champagne of course.

Bergdorf Goodman
If this doesn't get you to BG, then nothing will: Andre Leon Talley hosting a fashion game show with "teams led by Donna Karan, Linda Fargo, and Robert Verdi." Also, Annie Leibovitz will be around, Padma Lakshmi will host a cook-off with Cynthia Rowley and Peter Som, Zac Posen will be selling his paintings, Alexander Wang will drop in and Isaac Mizrahi will hold a talk. This is some crazy shiz right here; make sure to jot down the exact times for the event you most want to see. 754 Fifth Avenue.

Alice + Olivia
Right alongside the Fashion Week tents in Bryant Park, the Alice + Olivia boutique will become a photo studio, with auditions to be a model in the Alice + Olivia presentation the following week. Hopefuls won't be left to their own devices either; they'll get pro hairstyling, makeup and wardrobe styling before stepping in front of the camera. Here's something for the resume. 80 West 40th Street

Opening Ceremony
In the spirit of Chinatown, OC will take their celebration to the streets, with special-edition items sold out of the backs of vintage automobiles (example: a Thai truck sporting Band of Outsiders gear). In addition, you'll able to meet and greet with the designers behind Rodarte, Band of Outsiders, Proenza Schoulder, Fendi, and of course Alexander Wang. Munch on food from neighborhood restaurants and enjoy DJ sets by "friends" of Opening Ceremony. 35 Howard Street.

Barneys
As expected, Barneys will be killing it during Fashion's Night Out, hosting such famous faces as the Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen bartending, Isabel Toledo, Alexander Wang for runway lessons, Juan Carlos Obando teaching salsa and more. Oh yea, and they'll be teaching knitting and hosting a fashion green market curated by Vogue editor Tonne Goodman. There's too much to list here; click above for all the details. 660 Madison Avenue.

Where will you be?? I'm still undecided x

What's Out at The OutNet

What's on sale at theoutnet.com, Net-a-porter's sister site:

3.1 Philip Lim dress, $157.50

Notify wideleg jeans, $85.50 ** (my favorite jeans!!!)**

Paul & Joe Sister sweater, $84

Anna Suit Top, $92

Missoni Tank, $63

Adam Top, $82

Zimmerman Dress, $116