“I don’t do fashion. I AM fashion.” – Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel
Haute or Not: DIY Louboutins
These crystal-studded ‘Daffodile’ platforms by Christian Louboutin are $6395.
Want the look of Louboutins but can’t afford the steep pricetag? The Telegraph UK reports that across the pond, lovers of the red sole are buying look alikes and (gasp!) painting the soles scarlet. From the piece:
Peter Rooney, manager at the Homebase store in Acton, London, said sales of the paint have “rocketed.”
He said: “Many people tend to look at magazines to get the right paint colour for walls and furniture, but we’ve noticed significant numbers of girls colour-matching tester pots to pictures of designer shoes in fashion magazines.
“They have also asked staff for tips on how to paint on leather or rubber.”
Homebase senior paint buyer Richard Johnson, said: “Clearly paint is meant for decorating walls rather than shoes, so we are amazed at this new trend that has hit our stores.”
Irene Rubaum-Keller, a blogger for TheBlush.com, owns genuine Louboutins and considers them worth the splurge (or worth the
time spent searching on eBay), but admits to doing the same using red nail polish. As she notes (and as I have always thought interesting), unless the wearer has red rubber soles placed on the shoes, the color is going to wear off fairly soon. In the end, your faux designer footwear may fool onlookers but you won’t fool yourself. I say save your money and splurge on the real thing.
What do you think, readers? Is stopping in Home Depot or Lowe’s for red paint and touching up a pair of non-Louboutins something you’d do in the name of fashion?
Image via Net-a-Porter
Project Runway Season 10 Hits the Catwalk Tonight
Are you in…or out?
The gang’s all here for the tenth season of Project Runway: Heidi, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors (whom we have a super secret crush on) and the uber-diplomatic Tim Gunn (yay!), and sixteen designers are set to cut, stitch, hem and claw their way to the top. We CAN. NOT. WAIT.
Click HERE to view this season’s teaser video.
Watching tonight on Lifetime at 8:00 CST? We’ll be live tweeting the fabness from @SameChicSouth; join us!
Image via Lifetime
Gotta Have It: Clinique Moisturizer
As hot and dry as this weather has been, our skin needs all the TLC it can get. Of course, you should be drinking plenty of water and using sunscreen as part of your skincare routine, but as I swiped the last of my moisturizer this morning I wanted to share just how awesome it is. I’ve been using Clinique’s Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator ($37 plus tax at Belk) for about six months.
Quite simply, this stuff is heaven in a jar. The oil free cream-gel makes my dry skin feel velvety-soft all day long. If you’re balking at the price, just know that a little dab goes a long way, and consider it an investment in your complexion. It wears well under sunscreen and makeup and does not irritate sensitive skin.
Image via Clinique.com
I Love My: Nude Pumps
‘Parade’ pump by BCBGeneration, $89.99
Ladies, there’s nothing like a buff or beige pump to lengthen the leg. What I also love about a nude pump is that as a neutral accessory, it’s very versatile. So whether you’re wearing neon, pastel, a primary color or basic black, this shoe will complement your ensemble. My best practice is to keep a couple of pairs: a strappy sandal to wear with sundresses, jumpsuits and shorts and my current love: a closed-toe platform in a cashew-colored snakeskin. The animal print gives it visual interest, and the covered platform and stiletto heel will give your legs a wow factor!
Of course, skintones vary and thankfully so do the options. It’s very easy nowadays to find a shoe that will flatter your complexion in a toasted almond, beige, tan and so forth. Make it a must-have for your collection.
P.S. if you find your pair is a little too tight, be sure to stretch it so that you don’t injure your feet. Your local shoe repair can do this, or you can try what I did: a shoe stretcher! It’s a wooden insert with a screw you turn to widen it. Mine (okay, the one I borrowed from my mother) is cedar and can be slipped into either the right or the left shoe. The stretcher is strategically perforated; it has a plastic nodule (or “ortho plug”) you can remove and place in key spots where your tootsies need the most relief. It works like a charm!
Image via Nordstrom
Recommended Reading: ‘Why You’re Not Married…Yet’
Single readers: don’t you just love those well-meaning (okay, nosy) people who love to come up and ask “WHEN are YOU going to get married?” As if there aren’t a million plus other ways to spend your life and time productively? Nothing against marriage (ahem, I’m all about marriages and weddings) but the firing squad questioning gets old. However, if you’re interested in reflecting personally on why you aren’t married, Tracy McMillan’s latest book (which grew out of her wildly popular Huffington Post piece about the same topic) may help.
In Why You’re Not Married…Yet: The Straight Talk You Need to Get the Relationship You Deserve, the thrice-divorced McMillan shares the wisdom she’s gained through her own life experiences, and in an often-funny, totally no-nonsense way helps the hapless and hopeless narrow down
and address their personal issues. Whether you are hoping to find Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now, the ten chapters in this book aim to help you face the ways you may be sabotaging healthy relationships with suggested solutions for how to change. She also shares her observations on male behavior, and in a big sisterly way, shares the information people around you wish you knew about your own antics. (Like maybe you’re selfish, co-dependent, or you need to address your inner Amy Winehouse.)
As McMillan noted in her HuffPost piece, “I believe every woman who wants to can find a great partner. You’re just going to need to get rid of the idea that marriage will make you happy. It won’t. Once the initial high wears off, you’ll just be you, except with twice as much laundry.” So don’t expect this book to hand you a magic coupon and MapQuest directions for the perfect husband. But it may give you the tools to be a better person, which may lead to being a better mate.
You can also catch McMillan on the upcoming NBC reality show Ready for Love, in which she will play matchmaker for three bachelors in search of their true loves.
You’re welcome, Alexis
Images via Amazon and TracyMcMillan.com
Love That: Yay! Life! Magnets
As seen in O Magazine, June 2012 in The World According to Gayle:
These colorful and cheerful magnets are too cute. My favorite is the Yay! Big Hair!”
The higher the hair, the closer to God, honey.
There is a Yay! magnet for just about any situation or interest you can think of (wine, pay day, bacon, etc.), and they go for $3.50 a pop.
Image via Yay! Life!
Recommended Reading: Women from the Ankle Down
From Ferragamo’s humble beginnings to Dorothy’s ruby slippers, from Wonder Woman’s boots to the shoe envy created by the latest Louboutin creation (with a good measure of Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolo habit mixed in), Rachelle Bergstein illuminates the social history of shoes in Women from the Ankle Down: the Story of Shoes and How They Define Us. Witty and captivating, she shares how design innovations and trends have coincided with social change. More than a mere fashion choice, shoes have come to signify personal empowerment and economic freedom. Jane Fonda helped lead a fitness craze with a pair of Reebok Freestyles (which, by the way, are back in style); Gwen Stefani and Courtney Love helped change the perception of women in music in wearing pairs of Mary Janes. Men aren’t left out; Bergstein also looks at how Vans, Chuck Taylors Doc Martens transformed the scene, and she even devotes a chapter to Tony Manero’s towering platforms in Saturday Night Fever.
My “shoe confession”? As I sit writing this in my red Italian suede flats from J.Crew, I still believe one shoe can change your life. Hey, it worked for Cinderella!
Image via RachelleBergstein.com
Sneak Peek at ‘Steel Magnolias’ Remake
SCDD reported a few months ago that the classic tearjerker was being remade for Lifetime with an all-black cast; now here’s your chance to see the trailer.
Click on the image above to view the new cast’s roles, and click HERE to view the trailer.
Ummm…yeah…I’m going to withold my comments until the full-length movie is released.
Your thoughts?
Images via wegotkidz.com
Same Chic Different Day 