Belts, Flats and FB Update

Cheers to NY Magazine's Approval Matrix from the November 6th issue which put "Overbelting" in the highbrow-despicable quadrant! (Double cheers to the magazine's website which allows you to click and drag your own approval ratings and then compare them to other site users.) What's with all the belting around town? Like skinny jeans, just because you could, possibly get away with the style doesn't mean you should.

Another point - flats are cool with slacks or jeans. These chilly days in NYC mean a lot of flats and pants and wool coats and scarves. Ladies, I love this fashion sense. Truly. But do not under any circumstance think that you can push the stilo a little further into the cold days of November by wearing nude stockings or stocking socks. No m'am; if you're too cold then you're done with flats for the season.

Update: Filene's Basement in Union Square has a lot of Ted Baker and Tory Burch gear so get it while it's hot.

Jeans Priced Right

It's probably too late for those of you reading this to enjoy the sale, but two weeks ago I popped into JCrew on a lark and low and behold - jeans on sale for $17.99. No joke, I got one pair of blue jeans and one pair of black jeans and a blue jean skirt for $11.99. Who needs to go to Wal-Mart or Target? (Wait a second, Target jeans are phooey high-waters on me.)

Boo!

Yesterday it was hard to tell who was wearing a costume and who just can't dress themselves. I found myself horrified at a side ponytail combined with a bra-strap headband being worn more like a sweatband. Then I realized - perhaps she was simply acting the part of tacky on All Hallows Eve?

On a similar topic, I am intrigued by the standard costume for young women on Halloween - sexy anything. How dare they choose to check their intellectualism at the door for a chance at shaking a tail feather? I must admit, I spent a lot of last night tsk-ing and shaking my head. At one point, I pulled up to a red light in my car and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz teeterd across the street in one very short skirt and stilletto ruby slippers. Girls, what are you doing?!!

But for some reason today I had a change of heart. Wasn't I once a 20-something? Didn't I once wear 3 inch-long shorts as part of a "person from the 70s" costume in college? Does it matter that I was out in the sticks in Ohio and the NYU kids are all around me on the streets of New York?

My friends, it doesn't really matter. Kids will be kids; young people, young people. When it all comes down to it, who am I to judge? EK and I dressed up as Laverne and Shirley for Howleeween and just look at this shot. I don't think Laverne ever wore a belly shirt.

Oldishnessesque

"I'm between jobs"

"I'm between boyfriends"

"I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place" (If you are KHQ, replace with "a tookie")

As for me, I'm between pant sizes. Guuurl, you know what I'm talking about. It's painful, eXpecially when you need to be wearing slacks as part of your new job with a business not-casual dress code.

Suddenly, I no longer feel stylish. I feel old.

Exhibit A: When I wear cardigans, I only button up the top three or four buttons and leave the rest open with a tank or tshirt underneath. I think now the style is to button the three or four bottom buttons and keep the top open, but I'm not sure.

Exhibit B: I still like and wear wide-leg or boot-cut jeans (whatever they're called!). "Ultra-skinny" sounds like a death sentence at this point.

Exhibit C: A knee-length skirt with ankle boots?! What the?

I'm going to go order something on LandsEnd.com

From the Fashion Front

Two fabulous new bits of news about shopping that you'll be very happy to learn about.

1) Banana Repulic Post-Purchase Sale Deal:

The ol' BR. Remember when the theme of those stores was all safariesque? What about the Tshirt with the jungle animals on the back and the logo on the front? I digress from the point which is that according to roving Caroline's Closet reporter KHQ, if you buy something at Banana and it goes on sale within 14 days of purchase, you can bring your receipt back and get a refund on the difference between the sale price and the price you paid. All true and you read it here first! Make money from shopping.

2) Who's Your Urban Daddy?

Calling all metrosexuals and the men and women who love them! This is Daily Candy for the urban male but it's even better because sometimes it scoops all the major resources I know you turn to all the time for the latest restaurants, sales, cool places, the list goes on. http://www.urbandaddy.com/

What's up, Dude?

I let this blog go for the past two months, I'm ashamed to say. As most of you know I started a new job which has been occupying most of my thoughts, time, etc. No longer! My spidey sense is back, cuties and I am posting this today to report on a couple of male trends I've been seeing around town (which is to say, around the East Village).

1) Full body suit uniforms. I've seen one man in a bright orange head-to-toe number with "Montauk Ambulance Services," or something to that effect, emblazoned across the back. Another guy was straight up wearing something that referenced a prison. Make no mistake about it, these are hot right now.

2) Jazz shoes. Duh, no major news here. Still, I wanted the chance to write: and a 5, 6, 7 8!

Nothing too inspiring on the women's scene. I am big into blazers right now, care of the new job, so that's what I've got my eye on. More to come on that and the work scene in general.

Little Surfer...

A zip of the suit, a swath of sunblock, a quick wax of the board and he's headed out. I look down for a moment - now it's my turn to cover myself in SPF - and the tide has swallowed him whole. A head bobbing up and down, then beneath a wave until he's a head with shoulders. A steady rhythm. Up and down, up and down, anchored by the board. It's busy today - a sea of torsos. Every other board protrudes at an angle to that the surfer and the board make the shape of a giant fish mouth coming up to nip at a passing water bug.

* * *

Wetsuits, rash guards, bathing suits, board shorts, surf boards - my husband's beloved sport has some serious gear. I was lucky enough to score a very cute yellow short-sleeved rash guard from the CFO of O'Neill when we met her in Mexico on our honeymoon. Combined with my Old Navy board shorts for $7.99, I almost look the part. Now I just need to master actually catching waves. If Vanilla lasts for the rest of the summer, I might just have a shot.

The Plight of the Sample Sale Worker

Goodness, it's been a while, no? Hmm, let's see what I can tell you. Went to check out a Miguelina sample sale last week. As most of you know, I love me the sample sale, but what I don't love about it is the people working the sample sale. I guess the deal is that the women who actually work for the designer have to work a shift during the sale. You are therefore presented with the nasty fashion industry person (I am generalizing, yes, but please bare with me). So I stroll into the Miguelina headquarters to check out the sale, smile at the women at the front desk and I kid you not when no one said "hi" or even cracked a smile. Get over yourselves, I beg of you.

I then proceeded to get stuck in the elevator for about 10 minutes right on the same floor as our beloved Miguelina. When I pressed the alarm button did anyone on that floor react? Nay. Needless to say I did not purchase a thing at the Miguelina sale, but bought a Cutie McCute turquoise-blue leather shoulder bag from at the Rafe sale later that week. The women working at Rafe answered questions and smiled. It's called a positive brand image ladies, and Rafe gets it.

Happy 4th of July! Eat a lot of good bbq, watch parades and fireworks and relax.

My Sense of Fashion: A Retrospective

Returning from my 10-year college reunion I realize I've learned a lot when it comes to style and fashion. Herewith, my top-ten lessons learned in the past 10 years.

Lesson #1 Cut-offs and flannel shirts are appropriate only in the middle-of-nowhere Ohio.

Lesson #2 Purses are not evil and are sometimes a lot better than big, bulky backpacks

Lesson #3 Perfume is not “girly” but nice and appropriate

Lesson #4 Heels can and should be worn on occasion, but that occasion is usually not in the middle-of-nowhere Ohio

Lesson #5 Product is your friend, especially facial moisturizer and hair care product

Lesson #6 Drinking a lot of beer = having a beer gut

Lesson #7 Painting one’s toe nails is not “girly” and is absolutely necessary when exposing the toes

Lesson #8 Wearing a lot of black does not make you a miserable, negative New Yorker

Lesson #9 The pinnacle of shopping existence is not necessarily J.Crew

Lesson #10 Never say never

Trendspotting: Update

Two more trends I am seeing around town:

Tank tops and summer scarves
This is everywhere right now in New York. The idea is to rock a thin summer scarf or a lightweight pashmina (usually the latter) and a tank top. It looks very Euro, very downtown. It's paired usually with shorts or cut-offs and flats.

Peep-toe flats
I love this trend – enough said.

I Spy With My Little Eye

Now that I'm back from Scottsdale, the land of faux hair color, faux nails and faux boobs, I wanted to notify you of the trends I'm seeing around town. NYC stylie, yo~

Men:

Handle-bar moustaches
(Image courtesy of HatefulHelp.com)
Uh-huh, you read that correctly. I've seen 4 thus far - last night at Employees Only in the West Village (the bartender), today in Union Square area (random guy), 2 weeks ago at Beth's exhibit (hipster attending the opening), every day at Drop Off Laundry in the East Village (Pete was the first one to rock this look back when he was working at the Ciao). Keep your eyes peeled and post a comment if you see anymore around town!

Women:

Shagadelic hairstyle

(Image courtesy of BeautyRiot.com)
This is the best photo I can find online right now of the hairstyle I've been seeing around the East Village (yes, this is the lip-syncher Ashlee and I promised myself I would not include celeb photos on this blog but oh well, it's just so dang easy to find photos of these peeps online). I've only seen women with stick-straight hair rockin' this do. Each woman has had the longer hair in the back in two ponytails or two braids, fully accentuating the shaggedness.

Wedge sandals
I know what you're thinking - "Duh, we all know these are in fashion," but before you click through to another site, hear me out. I am not talking about the 4-inch Jessica Simpson brand sandals with towering cork wedge heels, I am talking about a late-70s/early-80s style wedge that is only about 1 inch high which starts of the width of the heel, but narrows out closer to the ground. Here's an example of what I'm referring to from Zappos.com (these are Marc Jacobs):


*****

On the shopping front, here's a tip: don't be afraid to shop in the shoe section of Strawberry's. Yes the clothes are bad quality, but the shoe section is not to be overlooked.


I bought these DaniBlack sandals, currently on sale on Zappos.com for $63- for $20- and I had two other pairs of Baci sandals in my hand, but I held out...until tomorrow.

Personal Shopping, Target-Style

This past weekend I was in the sunny South…Florida, baby. Or Flahridah as I like to call it. And while Fla is good for the sun and the beach and the early-bird specials, it is also GREAT for the Target, or Targé as most of the modern world likes to call it.

The beauty of shopping at Targé out of state is that whatever is in extreme high demand in your mother city isn’t in your visiting city. You know I purchased enough to clothe a family of four, that’s not the point of this posting. The point is to share with you (a) what I should have bought and (b) my impromptu personal shopping experience.

What I should have purchased

These snakeskinesque shoes (care of the Isaac Mizrahi for T line):



This faux leather "flap bucket bag" (also care of Isaac Mizrahi for T line):



Personal shopping

So I’m standing in line with KHQ who has in her load to checkout an avocado over-the-shoulder purse. The woman behind us asks where she got it and she points her in the right direction. The woman returns and mentions she could not find it anywhere. *Bing – this is my cue. I head straight for the handbag area, review and realize that she is correct, the particular style is no longer available in avocado, but it is still on the shelf in black, white and brown. I return to the register, bring her back to the section and point out the other options. She goes for the black.

Today, Target, tomorrow...who knows!

Photo Opp

My friends, it's true: being fashionable sometimes means more than peering over fashion magazines and shopping 'til you drop. Sometimes it means exercising the mind, being inspired and searching for creative ideas through art. That is why, if you live in New York City, I urge you to go see my friend Beth Fladung's photo exhibit at Redux Gallery.

Beth has been working for years now on this series of photos. She traveled around the U.S. capturing the culture of people who are living in motels. The exhibit is captivating, moving and bright.

Redux Gallery | 116 East 16th Street | 12th floor | between Irving Place and Union Square East

Lunch Hour Shopping Excursions

Sneaking out of work during your lunch "hour" to go shopping is fun. It's especially gratifying when you go out with a work buddy (JHall) and he does all the buying! On Thursday we headed around the corner to Lord & Taylor to see if we might be able to take advantage of the Friends & Family 20% offer. Indeed JHall did very well. With my help (hello, personal shopper. I now have proof that I can even do it for men), he purchased the following – all Calvin Klein:

• Black loafers - The mission: need black shoes more round-toe than square-toe. These puppies were buttery-licious and with the discount, less than $80!



• 2 long-sleeved, button-down shirts One blue with a subtle flower print, the other green stripes – an effort to move away from a closet full of blue shirts.

Success. A little to-go at the Italian restaurant across the street rounded out the lunch hour. Isn't retail therapy grand?

Today's Dos and Don’ts

I am bursting to write about the following two items.

DO
1) I discovered today that I am working with the husband of online shopping royalty. Michelle Madhok is the founder of SheFinds.com. This woman has my dream job (check out the blog: I am in love). I was giddy looking though this website today. Sign up for the newsletter now!

DON’T
2) My personal fashion no-nos. Here goes; I have wanted to get these off my chest for a while now.

• Plastic shoe heels You know what I’m talking about. That “click, click, click” of the heel as she walks down the sidewalk is a lot more treble-kicking than your wooden or even rubber-based heel.



• Two pig/ponytails Call them what you may, you should not sport a hairstyle meant for no one over the age of 10.



• Xtra large sunglasses I recently learned, care of Lucky magazine I believe, that even the Jackie O style frames were crazy large. Oh well, I still think the frames that are deliberately too large for your face are just plain silly. Choose your large frames wisely.



• Muffin top-creating pants/shirt combos People, there’s now a term used to reference this poor fashion choice…and I didn’t make it up. Stop the madness.



• Hardware mismatch Silver handbag hardware and gold jewelry or vice versa.



• Matching top and shoes If you’re wearing a coral top, don’t wear coral shoes. Just don’t.

Bad Shopping Days: Sad But True

For me, there are better days than others to go shopping. Not just payday or the day my favorite store(s) is(are) having a sale, but also there are days when I think I look better than others. I don’t especially like to go shopping in the rain. That’s because I have very curly hair that gets super frizzy in the rain. Frizzy-headed is not how I want to normally appear, so if I do go shopping in the rain, no matter what I try on, I don’t like the way I look. And speaking of hair, I find it better to go shopping newly-shaven. I think my legs look bigger when they’re hairy. Male readers, forgive me if this last comment grosses you out, but if we do it we should be able to discuss it openly. I suppose this sentiment could apply to men too – if a clean shave is how you spend most of your days, that’s how you want to appear when trying on potential additions to the wardrobe, no?

What are your rules of shopping engagement? Share them, please!

2 Diamonds in the Rough

You know I love discount department stores, so please put the information I am about to share into context. I consider these stores diamonds in the rough, but knowing our opinions on discount stores could differ greatly, I supply this forewarning – you might see more of the “rough” aspect in these two stores than the "diamond" aspect I favor.

The first place is Anbar Shoes on Reade Street, west of Broadway. I walked in on Saturday afternoon and the manager who is most likely the owner (a family business?) was working the register at top volume. In other words, he’s loud. This discount shoe gem features labels you rarely find post-season at places like Century 21 and Loehmann’s – this place has names like Audley, Sasha Too, Blay and Coclico. The shoes are arranged by color; on the first floor you’re presented mainly with black shoes, downstairs you can review yellow, metallic, flower-print, green, etc.

So back to Saturday afternoon: I had thoroughly reviewed the ground floor and moved downstairs when I heard the manager/owner speaking specifically to a shopper. "You're making a mess and I want you out of the store,” to which she replied, “I’ll call the police and report you. You can’t kick me out of here.” He retorted, “This is my store and I’ll kick out whomever I want. Please leave, you’re making a mess.” At this point, and with this owner’s voice booming through the store, I am freaking out. Every pair of shoes I review I am carefully putting them back in the box and stacking the box gently back on the shelf. I figure if he’s kicking someone out for being a messy customer, he could easily do the same to me. Well, it turns out that he actually caught this person attempting to shoplift, and was therefore using his gift of gab volume to humiliate her into coughing up the shoes she was stuffing down her pants and to ultimately leave the store. (All of this back story learned how? The sheer volume of his conversation!).

The second place is De Janeiro with locations throughout Manhattan, specifically, Nassau Street downtown in the Financial District and uptown on Lexington Avenue around the corner from Grand Central Station. This is a place that I used to frequent with my friends at my last job. Whenever we needed a little retail therapy, this place was guaranteed to give it to us. It is a 2nd-tier American brand discount outlet, so you’ll find Kenneth Cole, Anne Klein, Calvin Klein, Express and various Massimo (the Target brand) at seriously discounted prices. I’m talking $6.00 shirts and $8.00 skirts. It is absolutely 100% lacking in any atmosphere though. I mean seriously lacking. Go there if you know you need business basics and you want a couple of outfits for a total of $80.00.

Note that both of these stores are for women only (sorry, guys). I guess they figure we have a higher tolerance for shopping pain? I clearly do.

RIP, Sweet Boots

They were perfectly molded to my feet and resoled just once. They were of the softest black leather I have ever experienced in a boot. They were ankle-length and perfectly flat – not a completely ground-level flat; just enough of a heel that they were ideal for the pants that were just a tad too short. They worked in the Spring, Winter and Fall and had a very subtle stitching detail noticeable only if you were looking at them up close. They cost entirely too much money, but lasted me seven years. They were purchased at Brown Thomas department store in Dublin, Ireland and had been with me to Luxembourg, London, Barcelona twice, Phoenix, Arizona and even Peru, Illinois.

Can you tell that they were my favorite boots? They are irreplaceable, though I will probably spend the next few years attempting to replace them. They went out with the trash this morning – perhaps to adorn someone else's feet (someone who won't mind the holes), or perhaps to a better place where boots get to walk on clouds but never get rained on.

Here I Am, Stuck in the 80s With You

Riddle me this, Caroline,

What is a lass to do when she is

(a) stuck in the 80s (I still yearn for the simple days of sweater sets, knickers, and leg warmers)

(b) a little older now and unsure of what is age appropriate and what should stay in the closet until Halloween (I was told puffy sleeves on a thirty something is not fashion forward), and

(c) still a little older now and in need of support in places she didn’t realize would sag (I am now the proud owner of upper arms that once belonged a beloved lunch lady I had that used to serve me, and herself, heaping second portions of just about everything).

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bewildered in Boston (aka KHQ)

Dear Bewildered in Boston,

There's a difference between having personal style and being trendy. As we all know, trends come and go, but personal style is yours forever. You might be surprised at my response, but my advice is: girl, embrace your inner 80s! Since you're my girl and I know you very well, I know that you are at your personal style best (in my humble opinion) when you're wearing a long-sleeved crewneck black sweater, boot-cut jeans, hoop earrings, your hair down and chunky platform boots. It's true!

Hey, don't be afraid of platform shoes – chunky-heeled sandals are in fashion this spring anyway. The advice you received about puffy sleeves is tricky. I myself am a proponent of a little jacket with slightly puffed shoulders, however short-sleeved shirts with puffy shoulders are a bit much for age 30+...I say as I own three. Speaking of age, yes, we have begun the phase of our lives when we start sagging in all the wrong places. But again, as long as you portray your personal style first and foremost, rather than the passing trends, you will always come out on top.

Sincerely,

Caroline

Get Thee (or Me) To A Discount Department Store

When my sister and I were young, my Mom enforced the "dressing nicely to go department store shopping" rule. These days, everyone shops in jeans. Not only that, everyone goes to dinner, to the theater, out at night, and to work in jeans. The jeans discussion, however, is for another posting. This one is about department stores. Last weekend I was with KHQ and DJ at Bloomingdale's Uptown (remember when that was the only one?). Though the basic layout of the store is the same as it has been for years, the vibe has decidedly changed.

I am not kidding you when I say I noticed a woman – blonde hair perfectly coiffed, black sweater perfectly trendy, jeans perfectly form-fitting – who was walking a few paces in front of her husband and had to simply gesture a "come here" motion with her hand while looking straight ahead in order to get her man to follow behind her willingly.

This quick visual exemplifies why I can barely stand department stores anymore. And Bloomie's is the least annoying in the 57th-street area. What about the stores that won't give you the time of day if your engagement ring stone doesn't meet the minimum carat size criteria?

Ever since AC introduced me to the Mecca (read: Century 21 Department Store) back when we worked on Wall Street, discount department stores have been my shopping destinations of choice. Sure, the customer service is non-existent, the lines to try clothing on are painfully long and the stores are always crowded. But the sense of accomplishment of finding a diamond in the rough among all the size XXLs or the Extra 30% Off racks is rewarding enough to cancel out all the negatives. Hey, it's all about throwing elbows. Here's what I've purchased in the past month from discount department stores:

• Calvin Klein light grey cotton sweater - $30
  
• BCBG brown leather driving shoes - $90
  
• Ben Sherman black and white silk skirt - $30
  
• 2 packs of Via Spiga loafer socks (3 pr) - $12
  
• To the Max coral top - $20
  
• French Connection cap-sleeved top - $15
  
• Chip & Pepper jeans - $60

Not too shabby, eh? So ladies and gents, if you'd like to appreciate the benefits of discount department stores without bearing the pain, I will gladly be your personal bargain shopper. I know you'd rather tote a cute paper Bergdorf's bag around town instead of the plastic sacks emblazoned with the words, "I just got a bargain at Filene's Basement." So hire me to do your dirty work. Post a comment and let me know how I can help you find that perfect whatever it is you're looking for - you'll help me exercise my shopping jones.