Gold Digga Contest Look

Whitney over at Whitz World of Makeup is having a "Gold Digga" contest that ends tomorrow, Jun. 25. I had a lot of fun putting this look together and adding the captions to my photos. Coming up with slogans about greed wasn't as easy as one would think...

Jimmy Choo for H&M

H&M is teaming up with Jimmy Choo to release a line of strappy stiletto shoes this fall. The retailer said in a press release that the shoes will be available starting Nov. 14 in about 200 stores across the world.

There will be a dozen women's styles and four for men's, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch blog. Prices for the women's shoe line are expected run between 40 euros/$55 U.S. and 100 euros/$138 U.S. There will also be a line of accessories and bags, some of which could cost as much as 200 euros/$276 U.S.

(Press photo from H&M linked from the Vancouver Sun.)

(Btw, I didn't realize that Jimmy Choo -- which will always be linked to "Sex and the City" in my mind -- only launched in 1996. And H&M, which has featured clothes by designers like Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Karl Lagerfeld and Roberto Cavalli, says this is its first designer shoe line.)

Those prices aren't cheap, but they are attainable for a young professional like myself. And the shoes pictured above look pretty awesome. I'd love to see the full line in person to feel what the construction is like and check out the stiching. It'd be very poor form for either company to release a sub-par product just because it's not going to cost $600 U.S. like a typical Jimmy Choo, though.

Which makes me wonder, would we be as excited about this line if it didn't have the flashy name attached? Of course the answer is probably 'no.' While the shoes pictured above do look a lot more intricate than, say, a Payless or Forever21 knock-off version (and no hating, I buy there too!), the aura of the Jimmy Choo brand makes them even more desirable. Like anyone could put these on and pretend to be Carrie Bradshaw for a little while.

The bigger question though is, would you actually wear these shoes...and be able to walk? Since a beautiful shoe is meant to be displayed in its full glory on your feet, not hidden away in some (albeit well-organized, spacious, sigh) closet.

And that leads to the epic shoe question -- pretty shoes or comfortable shoes? And can there be both?

Fashion Tips for the Office Gal

As easy as it is to just throw on black slacks, a shirt and call it an outfit, there's more to dressing like a professional woman than that. But I didn't have any resources to regularly reference for this kind of attire until I came across Corporette.com.

"Corporette is a fashion and lifestyle blog for women lawyers, bankers, MBAs, consultants, and otherwise overachieving chicks who work in conservative offices and need to look professional, but want to be fashionable," the site says.

Its posts are descriptive but succinct, and often feature one specific item of clothing (ie: St. John's paisley print top) to highlight general style tips (the kinds of things you can wear with said top). There are also posts with reader questions, interesting links from other blogs and a 'suit of the week.' They also suggest pieces in a variety of price ranges throughout the week, starting with a splurge and ending with a bargain. (Which can still be a bit pricey, such as a $44 sweater on sale at the Gap, but I figure that anyone can take the ideas and work with them. And maybe once I've been in the working world a few more years, those prices will seem more attainable?)

Corporette's aesthetic is in line with Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J.Crew, the Gap, etc. Professional, polished, a little bit fun, feminine, confident. I will definitely be checking it out for attire ideas that are both office- and style-friendly.

Would You Get Married in a Pantsuit?

I was clicking through articles on the Daily Mail's TV&Showbiz section and happened upon this story about a German tennis star and his Dutch model bride, who wore a white pantsuit to the wedding.

Other than this article, I don't know anything about this couple (Boris Becker and Lilly Kerssenberg) or why she may have chosen this unconventional look. After debating how I felt about it in my head, I've decided I actually quite like it. It's very effortlessly chic and striking. It looks comfortable too! And it brings out her natural beauty. I don't like seeing brides who are so made up with pounds of makeup and hairspray that they don't even look like themselves!

(I do think the pants look too long, though. Click on the story link above to see more photos and you'll see what I mean.)

By the way, I definitely prefer this look to the ones that came up when I googled her...Exhibit A:

Yeesh. It was for some sort of event but still, too much there...

I don't know if I'd wear a pantsuit to get married in, though. I've ever only thought about your stereotypical beautiful white dress -- though I'd love something with a bit of a twist, like some colored detail around the waist or in the train.

My mind goes back and forth when it comes to what I'd envision for my ideal wedding. On the subject of attire...on one hand, a wedding dress is probably something you'll only wear one day of your life, and it's really the marriage that matters, not the party, so why go for an over-the-top gown? On the other hand, it is a big milestone in life and worth celebrating in style, right?

Is a pantsuit or a more subtle outfit more appropriate when it's a second marriage? I don't know if this model had been married before but the tennis star has, and has two children.

What do you think? What did you wear or what do you want to wear to your wedding?

Eki's Cosplay Contest Entry!

I whipped out my pink wig again to do this look for Ekimura's cosplay contest, which is running until Sunday, June 14.

My inspiration was the below photo meets Lady Gaga.

And here's meeeeee:



The goods:


Different lighting:

I Quit My Job

I gave my seven week notice yesterday. In August, I'm officially leaving my first full-time job as a newspaper reporter.

For weeks I'd struggled thinking about how I'd tell my immediate boss the news. And then it just happened - I pulled her into my office after she put a frozen meal in the microwave and said that I'd been offered another job. She knew it was a possibility, since my new employer actually interviewed her a few months ago before I was officially offered a position. She said she didn't expect that me leaving would happen so soon. And that was really all there was to the conversation.

I hoped that by giving early notice I could help prepare my materials for my successor. What concerns me is that our publisher is probably not going to hire a replacement for me, meaning that my editor will have a whole lot more work dumped on her. I know this isn't my problem. But it bothers me that this company's product, the newspaper, takes a back seat to marketing and networking. I think it will be a real shame if they don't bring a new editorial person in. Especially if they hire a new sales person instead of putting that money toward a new reporter.

Other than that, I feel pretty good. I'm writing my third and last cover story this month about people over 50 who use social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc. I'm taking more than five weeks of vacation between my new jobs, too, so I hope to write, spend time with my family, and travel. My tentative plan is to be willing to travel just about anywhere a friend will offer me free lodging (and in exchange I will cook!).

So yes, that brings me to the fact that I do have a new job lined up as an editor. It's a much more lucrative job with a lot of potential for advancement. How much I will enjoy it remains to be seen -- as is the case with any new endeavor -- but I'm excited to take this next step in my life.

I kind of feel like Lauren Conrad in the Hills season finale (I haven't watched the whole thing yet!Couldn't bring myself to...) when she says that for once, she doesn't know what comes next. It's scary, it's exciting, and a few weeks from now, it's where I'll be. :)

Crystal Chrome Nails

The Milani black cherry polish I recently sported didn't stain my nails and lasted more than a week without chipping. Even though the weather is getting warmer, the dark color really grew on me, too. But I felt like a change so applied Sally Hansen's crystal chrome polish in "Baby Blue Crystal" a few days ago. It looked fantastic right after application, however the love-affair didn't last.

The polish is a great platinum color. The first and second coats go on somewhat sheer, but after a third coat it looked pretty great.


Unfortunately, it already started chipping the day after application. (By the way, I used the same base coat and top coat for this manicure as I did for the black cherry nails.) Because the formula is so thin, I had to apply several additional coats to cover the chips, and it still didn't look very smooth.

Today, a day after touching up my nails, the polish started to peel off. And my nails are stained red! Yuck.

I believe this is a discontinued product, and maybe the fact that it's quite old is why it left a bad residue. Has any one else had a similar experience?

Vermont-ing

Hello hello! I've been having a crazy/busy/fun week, after being in New York last weekend and returning on Wednesday so I could drive up to Vermont this afternoon. My sister is a sophomore in college up here, and she, my mom and I are packing her stuff up from her dorm and going back home tomorrow in the early afternoon. I wish I had more time to spend since it's so beautiful. I adore New England charm. This place smells of delicious pine trees...hopefully I can come back in autumn to get some maple syrup! :)

I snapped a few quick pics with my web cam. Nothing very good, but just to give you an idea...(forgive me for looking tired, I just drove five hours).