Jan 8, 2010 | Fashion
300 Followers! You guys are awesome!! I can’t believe there are so many of your out there, reading, commenting, being on the journey along with me. After starting this blog, it took almost a year to even gain one follower. I had that one for a very long time after that. I wondered who that person was and what she was into – and I was thrilled she was out there somewhere, reading. Then, one day, a second follower appeared! I was ecstatic. To think there was a time when I squeed at 2 followers! (Then the next day I was back down to 1 follower. I took that really badly.;-)
Now this little blog has 300, and I’m so so proud. Thank you for being there and reading! I have the best readers in the world!
So to commemorate this momentous occasion – I’m giving away not one – not TWO – but THREE SETS of items this time – SIX pieces in all! Wow!
Accessorize.com has graciously partnered with Chic Steals to offer my readers a sampling of their Spring 2010 line. (If you don’t know about Accessorize.com, you can check out my intro post to the brand here.) They are a U.K.-based mega-chain of affordable and chic jewelry and accessories – hence the name. They’ve just introduced U.S. shipping on their website (and they already ship domestically in the UK and to much of Europe).
Here is what is available for the giveaway (in 3 sets):
SET 1: ONE SEQUINED CLUTCH (TOTAL ARV = $48)
SET 2: TWO BOHO BAGS (Total ARV = $104)
from left, Safari Sequin Bag from the Harlem Collection, ARV = 35 pounds ($56 US)
(Note: the bag I have for the giveaway differs slightly from the bag in the photo…it has gold beads on the ends of the drawstrings instead of tassels.)
Rope Handle Beaded Carryall, ARV = 30 pounds ($48 US)
SET 3: THREE FLOWER RINGS (TOTAL ARV = $40)
from left,
Mauritiaus Cluster Ring, ARV = 10 pounds ($16 US)
Large Flower Ring, size S (adjustable), ARV = 5 pounds ($8 US)
Triple Flower Gold Ring, size 8, ARV = 10 pounds ($16 US)
So…one sequined clutch, two boho bags, and three rings! (Somehow that has a lovely ring to it, don’t you think?:-) It’s over $190 of merchandise up for grabs – my biggest giveaway yet!
How to enter?
1. Follow this blog (subscribe thru Google reader, Bloglovin’, an RSS feed etc.). If you’re not a follower already, please become one! I’d love to have you here:-)
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me which set of items you want: the sequined clutch, the boho bags, or the rings. (You can’t split up a set – if you win the rings, you get all three!) Your comment must have an email address in it/method of contacting you. Don’t just leave your Blogger profile if there is no “Contact” option in it!!
3. Extra entries? Tweet this giveaway, post it to Facebook, blog about it, Digg it…whatever you like! Come back here and write the link to your posting in a comment AFTER your original entry comment. And you can pick a different item that you want the second time around…or the third time around…or whatever. You get my drift!
Any comment that does not conform to entry method will be removed. Sorry, but that’s the way it rolls.
3 Winners will be chosen one week from today on Friday, January 15, at 12:00 PM midnight PST, by Random.org.
Edit 1/16: Entry period is now closed and winner will be announced shortly.
Giveaway is open only to those with a U.S. or Canada mailing address. Sorry – I will go broke shipping things internationally if, say, all the winners are in Italy. I’ll be having a giveaway open to all my readers worldwide soon!
Please enter – tell your friends – and spread the word!
Best of luck to all, and thank you for helping to make this blog what it has become!:-)
xoxo
Carly
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Jan 7, 2010 | Fashion, Media
DOLL PARTS by V Magazine
Photographs by Glen Luchford / Styling by Panos Yiapanis
Natasha Poly, shot by Glen Luchford for the upcoming V MAGAZINE (issue #63). Inspired purely by Hole front woman Courtney Love, Natasha sports textured bustiers, kilts, petticoats and headpieces constructed of toys throughout the spread. Although the release date has yet to be announced, “Nobody’s Daughter,” the fourth studio album by Hole, is set for release later this month. V63 does not hit newsstands until January 14, 2010.
The self-made, rough-and-tumble glamour of Courtney Love couldn’t feel more of-the-moment. In an ode to the queen of grunge, whose album is out this month, supermodel Natasha Poly piles on the ruffles, prints, and girlish fineries of spring
I’m not sure I agree that Courtney Love’s “rough-and-tumble” is any more “of the moment” than it was when she first rose to fame (I personally love the deconstructed mish-mash that is her “look” most of/some of the time) but I find it amusing that after being a media pariah for so long she’s now being featured again in a spread…well, sort of. Her style is being featured, that is. I wonder why Natasha Poly is playing her rather than Courtney appearing herself? (Maybe an attempt to fashionize someone whose actions are just too controversial for glammed-up photos anymore? An attempt at iconography whereas the musician and paparazzi train wreck that we’re all familiar with defies iconic status and in fact, doesn’t really have a singular style?)
I don’t know, but I’m getting a lot of great DIY ideas just looking at this spread. And Jo-Ann’s sells pre-pleated and ruffled cotton trim – so just think how simple it would be to sew that on to the bodice of a dress like the right one in spread #3! And a crown…made of doll legs. Somewhat disturbing, but yes – this says Courtney Love!
What do you guys think of the spread?
-Carly J. Cais
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Jan 7, 2010 | Fashion
Wow! I’m so honored to be the recipient of this award – and from such an inspiring source, too.
Tamara from Brunette & Pink is such a gorgeous lady – classic and elegant – with wicked skills with a makeup brush. Having survived a bout of thyroid cancer (!), she blogs about makeup, style and life in an upbeat, inspiring way. I love her “Footwear Fridays” and her “Makeup 101” posts. Great reading and necessary fashion food!
The award requires me to list 7 details about myself – well, here they are:
Swoon. Maybe it’s the effeminate hairstyle??
1. I had this major, MAJOR crush on Lou Diamond Phillips when I was a kid. (Young Guns II was my favorite.movie.ever for like 5 years in a row.) I even sent him a fan letter and got an autographed photo back that said “God Bless Lou Diamond Phillips.” I was never sure if he was writing “God Bless” to me specifically or if it was an attempt at reverence for the actor himself.
Is it wrong that George Bush’s photo is bigger than Lou Diamond Phillips’?? Blogger, your photo compression sucks!!
2. While we’re on the subject of autographed photos…When I was 9, I was horrified to find out that such a beautiful thing as the rainforest was being destroyed at an acre per minute [it’s actually now an acre and a half per second, apparently) in the name of “progress.” I was so incensed I wrote a letter on my best scalloped-edge stationery to Pres. George Bush (the senior, who was Pres. at the time), that he needed to do all he could to save such an important and necessary part of the environment. I received an autographed 9 x 11″ photo of the Pres., sitting in the Oval Office looking important, in reply.
3. I graduated high school in 3 years instead of 4 by condensing my junior and senior year into one and taking double the courseload in order to get the credits to graduate. Majorly bad move.
4. I get horribly chapped lips during the winter. Nothing helps them – not even the infamous Kiehl’s. I’ve tried just about anything, and now just slather on Neosporin covered with a layer of Chapstick when I sleep. If anyone has any recommendations for a super-healing lip cream, I’m all ears!
5. I pierced my bellybutton myself when I was 16. It came out, though.
Um, okay…that’s not me. This popped up under “Oahu Activities” when I googled snorkeling images. Gee, I wonder who that website is trying to lure to the islands???
6. I love snorkeling for shells in Hawaii and when my family and I go, we always go to the same secluded off-the-radar bay to find the best shells on the whole island. I haven’t found anything extremely rare though!
7. I don’t drink alcohol. At all. I hate the stuff, the taste, the burn in the mouth. Blech. I tried to force myself to drink 4 oz of red wine a day for the health benefits like a year or so ago – on the second day I was already gagging and so gave it up. I can stand rum raisin ice cream though, but that’s it!
The seven other Beautiful Bloggers I am passing this on to?
Please list 7 little-known facts about yourselves on your blogs…and pass it on to seven other Beautiful Bloggers!
Thank you Tamara! You are the sweetest ever!
xoxox
Carly
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Jan 6, 2010 | DIY
$498 for a piece of fabric with some spikes on it??? Wow.
Jennifer Behr’s couture headbands have been featured in countless magazines (including Vogue) and TV (on Gossip Girl, for instance). Beautiful and distinctive, they are a favorite of brides and Hollywood starlets. They’re hand-made in New York City.
And they’re very, VERY expensive. Take the turban above, for instance.
It’s silk with patent leather and stainless steel spikes, and $498. Come on.
Obviously I’m in a bad mood this morning, noshing on Cheese Straws. Note to self: DO NOT EVER BUY CHEESE STRAWS AGAIN.
Cheese straws: the work of the Devil.
But back to this “turban” headband.
Lately turbans are experiencing a revival: evidenced in part by Forever21 offering up a turban last month on their site – no, not towel wrap for drying your hair, folks…a real, live turban – as fashion accessory. Plus the girls at BleachBlack blogged about wanting one awhile back (I’m just too stuffed with cheese straws lazy to find the link). Eek.
Friendly reader Kay sent me the photo above saying that the Jennifer Behr piece reminded her of my DIY’s. I do like me them studs, heh heh!
So, here’s the DIY if you’re curious…
You Need:
*20-pc bag of 1/2″ cone spikes ($5.59, Studsandspikes.com)
*100-pc bag of 3/8″ cone studs ($2.89, Studsandspikes.com)
*strip of stretchy black fabric (I used a Lycra swimsuit fabric)
Tools: fabric scissors / matching thread / sewing machine / hand-sewing needle / pliers / awl / Phillips screwdriver
How To:
1. Cut a piece of fabric long enough to go around your head and then some. Mine was about 8″ wide and a yard long.
2. Fold cut piece in half horizontally, right sides together, and stitch along long edge.
3. Turn piece right side out and you now have a long tube.
4. Wrap the tube around your head and pin at the correct length. (I made a single twist in the fabric at the front center.) Make sure the tension is correct – you need it a little looser than what you would think is a good tightness for a headband/wrap, lest you get a headache after wearing it all day.
5. Sew ends of wrap together (right sides together). (not pictured) Then fold seam allowance to inside of wrap, cut excess. This will give you a clean seam on the outside of your wrap. Sew one more time vertically down that seam allowance to secure it down. (not pictured)
—>If you just want a plain twisted-front turban like the Olsen twins below…you’re done! If you want to spike it and stud it like Jennifer Behr’s piece, keep reading…
Tutorial continued…
6. Try on head-wrap; bunch it up in a couple places and pin.
7. Hand-tack the bunched-up areas so the piece has a “gathered” look to it.
8. Now we stud! I slipped the turban over my leg and sat it on my knee for stability. I pushed the prongs of the cone studs into the fabric, and folded them over on the underside of the fabric using pliers.
9. Then use an awl to pierce the holes for the cone spikes, which have a thick screw that needs to pass through the fabric. (The easiest way to do this is to poke the hole thru from the right side – then thread the spike screw in from the wrong side, following the awl as you pull it out.) Then attach the cone spike tops, and use a screwdriver to secure from the underside. (not pictured)
As you can see above, it turned out kind of like a wide headband!
You’re done! I didn’t add quite as many spikes ‘n’ studs as the Jennifer Behr version – simply because I got tired of it. I actually made a second layer to the piece so the center twist wouldn’t be so narrow and I could stud and spike through the upper layer only. This ensured no scratchy stud prongs would be directly against my forehead, but it turned out that the inner layer was a no-go since the spikes wouldn’t sit properly when there was fabric sitting underneath them. If you do choose to add another piece of fabric inside the headwrap (making it shorter than the headwrap and stitching its edges to the headwrap edges so it’s like a little stitched-down flap inside); I’d recommend studding the cone studs in the upper layer of fabric, but setting the spikes through both layers so they sit right. I know that sounds confusing!
The fabric’s stretch is a bit of a problem – some spikes may fall out if you pull the piece too much, so this requires care when handling. FRA-GEE-LEH as they say in Italian! (Okay, I guess I’ve seen A Christmas Story way too many times…;-)
What do we think? Does this work? Is this a no-go? Do I look like I am about to join a biker gang?
If you need further proof that studded headbands are all that this season, this Givenchy studded headband was featured in WhoWhatWear’s December holiday gift guide. Loving the chain gloves too!
But I’m a little wary of the studs-around-the-head look…they remind me of something quite Biblical. Ah, who’m I kidding?? It’ll be my next DIY, guarantee ya. (DIY available here.)
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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Jan 5, 2010 | Fashion
Tirana Jewelry / Metalicious
Tirana Jewelry / Tirana Jewelry
Mesh NY / Bethany Cocco
Metal Nat / Tam Aura
Spragwerks / Macha Jewelry
Is it wrong that I want to cram every single one of these onto my fingers? (They’re all above $70 each, though, so I may refrain. But I still covet nonetheless!)
xoxox
Carly
From StarsandInfiniteDarkness
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Jan 4, 2010 | Fashion
Like taking polls? Click below to answer 3 single-question polls – where style and shopping converge, at Ideeli.com. Your opinion is in high demand!
What are your plans for 2010?
Style Maven Poll
Was 2009’s most stylish person Lady Gaga? Vectoria Beckham? Agyness Deyn? Blake Lively? Vote above – or write in your own if none appeal.
2009 Fashion Recap
Ditch or keep some of the major trends of 2009? Sequins, biker black, high heels, the “Wilma” [one-shouldered] dress – should they stay or should they go now?
-Carly J. Cais
Jan 4, 2010 | Fashion
Now it’s common knowledge that I love Forever21, H&M, Target, Topshop, and ASOS.com. I love being able to navigate to a website and click around for hours, looking at an extensive selection of affordable clothing, jewelry, and accessories that are on-trend and versatile. And the more affordable it is, the more I espouse the brand as one of my personal faves!
When it comes to online budget shopping, I thought I was pretty well-versed in what’s out there; that I knew many of the trendy destinations already on the web. But I was floored to hear about Accessorize and Monsoon.co.uk – and I can’t believe they have slipped under my radar up until now!
Accessorize may be familiar to those of you on the other side of the pond or in Asia already, but here’s a little intro for those who haven’t heard of it. I, for one, was completely unaware that it even existed up until now – shows what I know, right?? And I love the story behind the brand and its evolution up until today.
From their website: The parent company Monsoon was founded in 1973 by Peter Simon following a period of selling shaggy woollen coats on the Portobello Road and hand block printed clothes from Rajasthan to anyone who would buy them. The original focus was always clothes with an ethnic origin from faraway places, including unusual dresses from Afghanistan and countries en route.
In May 1973, the first Monsoon shop opened in Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge, London. In 1984, Accessorize evolved as an exciting and a strongly differentiated High Street concept for fashion accessories in an adjoining shop to the Monsoon, Covent Garden Piazza branch.
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This was later followed by the launch of the Monsoon Home brand shop, Monsoon Baby, Accessorize Angels, Monsoon Boy, and Monsoon Men, now spanning the globe with more than 600 stores worldwide (and 400 in the U.K. alone!) (See a list of all Accessorize stores throughout the UK and the world here.) To draw a comparison to a brand many of us may already be familiar with- they’re kind of like Icing by Claire’s…except bigger and um, better.
With its own in-house design team, Accessorize holds a unique position on the high street with its inspirational, globally sourced, well-priced and good quality collection of fashion accessories. Displayed in an original and impactful colour-bay design, the constantly changing range includes every kind of accessory imaginable; bags, purses, jewellery, belts, hats, scarves, flip flops, gloves, hair accessories and cosmetics.
The jewelry, bags, shoes, beachwear, swimsuits, hats, hairbands, sunglasses, wallets, and scarves from Accessorize are super-fun and flirty – they have a tongue-in-cheek whimsy about them. I love that they’re not dark and super-serious, like so much is lately in fashion. They play to the lighthearted side of every girl – and with everything retailing less than $70 – the line is supremely affordable and glam at the same time.
Now the shopping cart function for the website is in British pounds, but even if you’re not from the U.K., what’s a different currency to deter a savvy shopper from getting a great deal? (1 pound = $1.59 U.S. at the current exchange rate – see XE.com for currency conversions.) They do ship overseas (10 pounds to the U.S.) – 3.95 pounds domestically in the UK, and 7.95 pounds to other European countries. If you live in a different country from the above, add yourself to their mailing list to get notified when shipping will be available (coming soon to Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Russia, and Canada, among others).
Definitely check out their website to get a better feel for the brand – because the items above barely represent one-one hundredth of what they have to offer! (And check out their parent site Monsoon for home furnishings and accessories, women’s and children’s clothing, and lingerie as well!)
-Carly J. Cais
(Disclaimer: Accessorize.com sent me some items to review and invited me to check out their website. I would have loved them regardless of receiving the pieces since their jewelry and bags are indeed what I would term a “Chic Steal.” I will also be posting some items from them for a giveaway soon! Stay tuned!)
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Jan 3, 2010 | Fashion
Yup – Japanese fashion (both street style and designer lines) is one of the best-kept fashion secrets in the world – and now the New York Times is in on it. (Thanks Jenn for the tip!! Luv ya!) I’ve often lamented on this blog that very few Japanese lines are available for purchase outside of Japan (and nearby Asia, if that) – and there’s a dearth of information regarding Japanese brands as well. (In the U.S. for instance, almost every company out there knows: no website, no company. In Japan, so few companies actually have their own multi-page website – and if they do, often it’s just a landing page, poorly-made, or impossible to navigate! They’re slo-o-o-wly catching up with the times, though. So strange from a country so technologically-advanced in many other ways…and fashion/style sites in a blog format? Still on their way. There’s no Japanese FashionToast just yet.;-)
Very few established brands actually participate in the annual renamed Japan Fashion Week (I can’t believe I’ve missed going to NINE of them already!) – and very few venture out beyond the country’s borders, let alone sell online (both domestically and abroad). There is very little cohesiveness to the industry as a whole – and the Japanese government has once again royally screwed things up by appointing 3 “style ambassadors” to introduce other nations to their idea of “Japanese style.” (Said “ambassadors” are working to spread the Lolita style, the secondhand mashup style, and the “schoolgirl” style – such a tiny facet of the incredibly diverse fashion landscape that is Japan. )
But I’m sure you’re already familiar with style sites such as Dropsnap, Bijin-Tokei, Japanese Streets, Style-Arena, where you can see thousands of images of Japanese street style in all their uncategorizeable glory. (And if you have a hankering to buy Japanese-style fashions but don’t want to deal with the mess of international forwarding, try Japanese-style/Asian-trendy shopping sites that do ship internationally, like AsiaJam, TokyoStyle, and YesStyle!)
But by and large Japan’s up-and-coming brands and stylish in-the-know people keep to themselves, according to the article below.
I love that the article mentions furfur – a brand I’m in love with (and that Jane from SeaofShoes purchased some items from when she was in Tokyo in July of last year)…I just sniffed out where you can purchase items from them online: at nuan and from Rakuten – for the reader who emailed me re: where to purchase their stuff. (nuan only ships to an address in Japan but with Rakuten, depending on the seller, they may ship overseas. And there are forwarding companies that can forward parcels overseas for you to get around this little annoyance.) But Jane’s fabulous cardigan that she posted on Sea of Shoes is nowhere to be found!! Japanese fashion has a super-quick turnover. (An ambitious DIY, perhaps??)
But I was not familiar with the other brand the article above mentions: Garcia Marquez Gauche. Hmm…must investigate more.
And another update on one of my fave Japanese brands: if six was nine and L.G.B. (I wrote about them here) has collaborated for the costume design on the film Filth and Wisdom (2008), directed by Madonna. Yes, that Madonna!! I had no idea – must rent film NOW.
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Jan 1, 2010 | Fashion
via Fashiontribes but I loved this image so much I just had to post. It’s so freakin’ true!!
I quit making Resolutions when I was 29. I actually didn’t write anything down that year, didn’t make a list, didn’t decided what areas I was going to better myself in. (So uncharacteristic of me!!) I’m not exactly sure why – but I think it might have been because I would always write the same thing every year – and so now those “To-Do’s” are permanently emblazened in my brain; a constant reminder in the back of my head. I don’t need to write them down anymore.
Or maybe I finally realized that by making a plan, I tend to stick with it – and miss out on all the little opportunities that present themselves, refusing to veer from my plan in the slightest – and not realizing that I’ve overlooked that the journey is not always a straight line but often a meandering, crazy-ass wander that pitches you into a pile of brush on one hand, gets you lost on the other, makes you regret that you ever chose this path – but eventually, gets you exactly where you want to be in the end.
So No Resolutions! No To-Do Lists for the Year! (I make those on a daily basis, thank you very much.;-)
Just Life Goals:
1. Be good at something.
2. Share, share, share. Eventually it will come back in droves.
3. Make friends, keep friends, appreciate loved ones – multiply the love.
4. Be fit and healthy.
5. Be HAPPY!
What are your resolutions/goals?
xoxo
Carly
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Jan 1, 2010 | DIY
For most of you, the champagne’s probably already been uncorked, the toasts made, the celebrations well underway by now. I’m relaxing at home in front of the yearly impersonation challenge marathon on Japanese TV, munching on tangerines. And updating the old blog!
So here’s a look back at all the DIY tutorials I shared with everyone for the entire year. Well, gosh – when you look at them all like that they look like a huge amount. I really did a lot this year! (I actually made tons more things; these are only the documented-on-Blogger items.) And this was really only posting in earnest since April, since I had sort of forgotten about this blog since founding it in 2008.
Here are the DIY links again, if anyone wants them:
Hope you guys have enjoyed them and been inspired to try your hand at making some of them! Here’s to many, many more in 2010! *raises champagne flute of nonalcoholic cider*
As always, Happy DIY’ing and best wishes for a creative and fulfilling year!:-D
xoxox
Carly
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300 Followers! You guys are awesome!! I can’t believe there are so many of your out there, reading, commenting, being on the journey along with me. After starting this blog, it took almost a year to even gain one follower. I had that one for a very long time after that. I wondered who that person was and what she was into – and I was thrilled she was out there somewhere, reading. Then, one day, a second follower appeared! I was ecstatic. To think there was a time when I squeed at 2 followers! (Then the next day I was back down to 1 follower. I took that really badly.;-)
