Feb 10, 2010 | Fashion, Life
So we’ve arrived here in Hawaii and despite my forebodings the plane didn’t go down in a flaming ball of carnage.
However, about 2 hours into the flight my son had woken up from his nap and was lying with his head in my lap – and I noticed the guy sitting in front of me was shifting around a bit and suddenly, OUT OF NOWHERE this gigantic, cumbersome, heavy blue thing whizzed up in the air and landed in my lap 3 INCHES FROM MY SON’S FACE. I was staring at it blankly for a few moments, trying to figure out what the hell it was, and the guy in front of my turned around and was staring at me – and I realized that the thing in my lap was the headrest to his seat.
image from hobotraveler.com because I was too shaken to take a photo of the real thing when it happened.
Yup, that thing! He had tried to adjust the sides to the headrest forward, like in the photo above, and the whole thing had snapped off the seat, flown up into the air, and landed smack on my lap behind him. Apparently the whole headrest is secured to the seat with a 4″ steel pin, which had loosened from its bearing and the whole thing had come out. And so there I was, with an amazingly heavy (like 8+ lbs, heavier than my son’s head) headrest with a 4″ pin sticking out of it in my lap, just stunned. I handed it back to the guy, who murmured “sorry” but then I just realized that had my son not shifted a few minutes prior to it happening the headrest would have landed right on his face! (And likely broken a tooth or two.) Lil Tot wasn’t really upset or anything, just a little confused. It was a close call (plus the guy in front of me wasn’t particularly apologetic or concerned – which I thought was weird because if it had been my headrest that flew behind me into a woman with a child, I would have been almost in tears worried that either of them had been hurt) and I was so thankful that my son hadn’t been hit by the headrest.
So once we got over the Headrest Incident, landed, and got to the hotel, we went to
Ala Moana Shopping Center so I could check on my favorite shops.
It’s strange to be back – in some ways it feels like we never left. Hawaii is one of those places that stops in time; every day is the same, the weather is the same; the endless stream of tourists is unchanged; parts of Waikiki get knocked down and rebuilt; the radio stations are still playing what they were 2 years ago. It’s interesting to be back and look down at my side and see a little boy, because I keep feeling like I will see a baby (as my son was before we moved away).
Anyway, at the mall I was quite bummed that Miss Sixty is no longer at Ala Moana (replaced by Lucky Brand Jeans, it seems), so that puts my
Waikiki Shopping map out of date already. Aldo Accessories had some boot chains to be wrapped around the shaft of the boot, kind of like this:
photo from Nelliinen vaatehuone, one of my fave Finnish fashion bloggers
I was sorely tempted, but at $30 they weren’t a deal, and even the ones on sale for $16 were too much for my stinginess. Just buy a studded belt for $8 from Forever21 and wrap it around! (Though a solution will have to be devised to keep the darn thing up. Hmmm….)
Fendi’s cork wedges clocked in at $595 at the Fendi store (I claim no responsibility; mother-in-law wanted to know); Le Lotus Blue was jam-packed with so much Ed Hardy I felt like I was Jon Gosselin’s closet (ewwwww); and the store I had been dying to go to for months – Spiral Girl – was amazingly disappointing.
I only had my camera with me so the quality of my photos isn’t very good, but this is kind of an idea of what the store is like.
Trendy stuff straight from Japan. Usually my cup of tea, but the prices….
Last April the clothing ranged from $30 – $70 or so; with few items being over $100.
Now, most of the clothing started above $50 and ranged way into the $100’s. Even the on-sale shoes were $105 (remember my cone-heel pumps I got there on sale for $20 2 years ago???)
Well, the recession has also hit this store hard and certainly isn’t helped by the yen-dollar exchange rate. I found sequined tops, cropped leather jackets (for $155 ON SALE), drapey tees, and blouson dresses, all way out of what I would consider okay to spend on something that’s basically Forever21 quality.
Tights with super-large polka-dots…
I seriously contemplated this frilly blouson top decorated with tiny gold studs all over but at $79 I decided no.
They had a few different colors, though I was drawn to the green one. Aren’t the dots like starlight? Lovely.
But I picked up some DIY ideas, even if I wasn’t in the mood to buy…
Add lace to the back of a hoodie to girl it up a little…
Punch a variety of sizes of eyelets into a clutch bag…
Decorate a beret with studs. Oops! Done that already. Turned out pretty cute – have to take a photo to share with you guys.
I left the store somewhat let down, I have to say. 🙁
And then we went to this little Greek place called the
Greek Corner that we’ve been going to ever since we first came to Hawaii in 2004…best Greek food on the island! It’s like a little hole in the wall over on University Ave. that’s amazingly good, as far as island-based greek eateries go.;-) Yummy thick-cut oven fries with garlic-mayo dipping sauce, gyros with generous portions of lamb, and thick baklavas with layers of pistachios, oozing butter and honey. I wish I had had the presence of mind to take photos of the food before we ate, but we were so hungry I only realized mid-way through the meal that I hadn’t…and so I demurred, assuming none of you would like to see a half-chewn gyro.:-)
and some weird thing called “Sprunch” on the menu…I can only assume it is Sprite with punch…shall have to try sometime!
Tomorrow…a trip to the beach for the best shells on the island, and maybe a couple naps??
I know I need them!
xoxox
Carly
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Jan 28, 2010 | Fashion
Soooo meant to write a post yesterday, but ended up falling asleep while waiting for Lil Tot to fall asleep first. FAIL!
So I’m finally getting around to this and just wanted to share with all of you some great shopping sites out there- and some shopping picks for late January:
With a showroom in Capitol Hill in Seattle (offering local pickup for online orders), La Rousse is a fashion-forward e-store carrying a variety of under-the-radar lines. (Some of the more well-known include Anna Sui, Erin Templeton, Melissa shoes, and Sretsis – but just because the brands may not be all over the pages of Vogue doesn’t mean there aren’t some fabulous finds among their offerings.) Plus, they offer worldwide shipping.
And save 20% off your purchase with code INDUSTRY20 (though you’ll have to check with the site to make sure it’s usable on sale items!)
Rumor is a brick-and-mortar store off of Ventura Blvd. in L.A., known as a trendy celeb shopping destination. They also have an extensive online store – and their shipping was super-fast!
A couple fave picks:
ShockBoutique, another e-tailer based in L.A., goes the extra mile when it comes to customer service with wardrobe consultants and online stylists available for you and all your shopping needs. Their store is incredibly, ridiculously affordable, with an area for you to shop looks inspired by your favorite celeb.
Today (1/28) only, get 20% off all denim with code CELEBDENIM at checkout!
And get a free black nailpolish with any Valentine’s Day purchase! (Meaning not a purchase on Valentine’s Day, but by clicking the link above to shop from the selections in the “Valentine’s Day” subcategory – like the black peep-toe stilettos above.)
And another item I’m just dying to have…
Sometimes virtual shopping can make you feel so satiated…and virtuous.;-)
-Carly J. Cais
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Jan 11, 2010 | Fashion
As I happen across Phi and their Spring/Summer 2010 collection – something happens. I feel compelled to look – to click – to gaze in awe. My jaw slowly drops. Bondage straps? Lingerie-style boning? Fanlacing? Bodycon dresses, wrapped bandage pants, grommets, girdles? Love at first sight? I think so.
Founded in 2003 by Susan Dell (wife of Michael Dell of Dell Computers), Phi is a luxury brand that started off with a major advantage. Pronounced “fee,” the brand commanded a 10,000-square-foot showroom in New York, its own store after one season, and Norwegian designer Andreas Melbostad at the helm. Melbostad’s previous experience includes working at heavy hitters such as Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent, and Donna Karan. At Phi, he favors reinvented eighties silhouettes and masculine tailoring.
“I feel I’m very influenced by the ’80s. To me it feels like a period when fashion was quite impactful, almost a little freer than it became in the ’90s, when it began to be more business-driven. The ’80s just had a lot of artistic sensibility. It seemed like a freer, more adventurous time,” the designer said in Interview Magazine.
Counting Bijou Phillips, Emmy Rossum, Padma Lakshmi among its Hollywood clientele, the brand is now struggling in the current economic climate. Its boutique in Soho is slated to close at the end of next month.
For the Spring 2010, Melbostad put a sophisticated twist on biker chic with a black and white palette that included slim leg suede pants that buckle and lace up the leg, strappy and banded brassiers and bustiers, as well as metal-encrusted jeans, studded blazers and a leather zipper jacket.
Oh Phi, where have you been all my life??
Edit 1/11: The label will no longer be produced and the pieces shown above will not even be manufactured. Pre-Spring 2010 was the brand’s last collection to be in stores. So sad!
-Carly J. Cais
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Dec 17, 2009 | Fashion
The Holidays are now upon us, so let’s look at some high-end gifts vs. some actually affordable pieces, courtesy of Kipling.
HIGH PRICE:
MULBERRY METALLIC COLLECTION; TORY BURCH CLUTCH ($315);
FRANCESCO BIASA CLUTCH ($318)
AFFORDABLE:
HIGH PRICE:
CARLOS FALCHI PYTHON TOTE ( $2675)
AFFORDABLE:
HIGH PRICE:
MARC JACOBS BLUE SEQUIN BAG ($1396)
AFFORDABLE:
Kipling Blue Sequin Bag $59.00
HIGH-PRICE:
PRADA ($2,250); JIMMY CHOO TOTE ($1,396)
D&G ($1,252; CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN ($1,295)
AFFORDABLE:
I don’t know about you but I am coveting everything!
AND…take $20 off an order of $100 or more at Kipling-usa.com (for new BillMeLater customers) AND get free 2-day shipping until December 21 (mah birthday!)
Happy Lo-Priced Shopping!
-Carly J. Cais
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Dec 16, 2009 | Fashion
Runway photos: Roberto Cavalli, Antonio Berardi, Giles Fall 2009 Collections.
After seeing all those thigh-high boots on the Fall runways this season, I’m having a Pretty Woman revival moment and am lusting after a pair of thigh-high boots lately – gray suede, to be exact. I have wayyyyy too much black in my life, and gray I’ve found is almost as versatile. Plus black is so expected. But thigh-high boots can run you a pretty penny – especially with a platform and a high heel.
So what to do?
I bought GoJane’s Cuff Down Platform boot for $31.30 and folded the cuff up over my knee.
They’re technically not over-the-knee boots (and aren’t being marketed as such), but since the cuff isn’t tacked down to the shaft of the boot, folding it up is not a problem! I wanted them to be gray but I overlooked that the color said “taupe,” not exactly one of my favorite colors. But it’s growing on me. I guess being slightly brownish makes them even more versatile.
Since they’re no longer available, you could also try theFold-Over Suede Boot in Gray for $23.40. They don’t have a platform, though.
Or how about the Suede Slouchy Fold Over Cuff Boot in Dark Grey for $28.10? Sounds like a good deal to me!
Enter GJSHIP50 and get free shipping on orders of $50 or more at GoJane!
And now there’s Alloy’s convertible Marlane Boot available for $42.90, lined with faux fur! That boot is actually designed to be a thigh-high….but whichever way you go, I think over-the-knee platform boots for $30-$43 is a pretty darn good deal, no?
I’ll be announcing the winners of my Post #300 Giveaway shortly!
xoxox
Carly
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