An ode to the cropped flare jean

I don't wear jeans often. My office does not have casual Fridays. We may have the rare dress down day connected to the success of the Arizona Wildcats, that's once or twice a year. I live in the desert where at least six or seven months it's far too hot for long pants and certainly for denim.  There are some lovely chilly days in the winter when I wear jeans. I look forward to those opportunities all year long.  Just any old pair of jeans will not do.

I've been searching for the perfect jean for me.  I like a mid rise.  The tummy no longer allows for a low rise pant.  I like a slim cut.  No retro 70s wide leg for me, I lived through that the first time.  I need jeans that will work with flats or heels.  I've spent hours on the internet clicking on image after image until I thought I finally found the pair of my dreams.

Behold the MIH Brighton jean.

Lovely!  A mid rise slim with a little kick flare. Ticks all the boxes.  Except one.  Sold out in my size.  And back to the drawing board I go.

What do you do when you strike out completely and descend into despair?  (Okay, that's a bit melodramatic but these are jeans we're talking about here.)  You reach out for help, that's what you do.  Having seen the gorgeous Tabitha of Bourbon and Pearls in the very style I was lusting after, I emailed her.  She shared the information, the pair that made her stems so gorgeous were J Brand Gigi jeans.  The bad news was the style was several years old and no longer sold.  Undeterred I turned to eBay and there they were.  As worn by many celebrities including Elle McPherson, one of my style icons, they are the perfect combination of rise, rinse and flare. January Jones wears them all the time.

They're fabulous with heels, Audrey Hepburn-esque with flats.  The dark wash is dressy enough to be worn with a black blazer and pumps, and they can go casual with flats and a tee.  I'm giddy waiting for their arrival. 

Who is your muse?

Muse  (myooz)

n.

1. Greek Mythology Any of the nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, each of whom presided over a different art or science.

2. muse

               a. A guiding spirit

               b. A source of inspiration.

3. muse A poet.

 

In the days of movie magazines, before tabloids and ET (that's Entertainment television, not the extraterrestrial), women had only the images the stars wanted them to see.  Beautiful shots of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Katherine Hepburn filled the pages women thumbed through at the beauty parlor.  While they are still relevant fashion icons, we now have pictures of fashion editors, designers, singers, actors and those who seem to be famous for no reason at all. 

 

The explosion of street style photographers, personal style blogs, fashion show coverage and red carpet recaps give us plenty of examples to follow.  Still, finding your own style can be quite a challenge.  It helps to have a muse.  Or maybe more than one.  Following someone whose style you admire and want to emulate can give you a blueprint. 

 

My closet has evolved after using my muses as my source of fashion inspiration.  Here are a few of them.

 

Carine Roitfeld

 

 

Elle McPherson

 

Victoria Beckham

 



 

 

The elusive perfect coral lippie

The ups and downs of my search for the perfect summer lip color, first chronicled here, almost threatened to wear me down. I thought the Revlon lipshine was "it".  Then I realized I couldn't keep it on for more than 10 minutes.  Seriously, where does lipstick go?!  I wasn't eating or drinking, licking my lips or even talking much. Yet it disappeared into thin air.

Someone I work with sells Mary Kay. Although I've never had good luck with their products, she swore to me that if I tried the True Dimensions line, I'd be sold.  I took the leap.  Why not?  If it didn't work out, it would join the many dozens of failed attempts at the perfect lip color in the plastic container under my bathroom sink. Also known as the lipstick graveyard.

I ordered it and waited patiently.  When it arrived, the first thing I noticed was the novel tube.  You press the clear lid at the top and the bottom pops out.  Turn it up like any other lipstick and apply.  It's a pretty silver cylinder, quite chic for those quick after dinner touch ups.



I've had it for a week.  The verdict?  Beautiful sheer color in the lovely coral shade I hoped for, just a touch on the orange side.  Staying power of 2-3 hours, lots of moisture and just a bit of sheen.  I've ordered 2 more since I now live in fear that it will be discontinued.  Everytime I find the perfect lippie, it gets discontinued.   

It's $18 and can be purchased directly on the Mary Kay site if you don't know a representative.

When skies are grey

Grey is one of those difficult to define colors. It's not just what you get when you mix black and white. It can have tones and shades stolen from other colors. It's softer than black against the skin, especially for day time.  Designers went a bit gaga over it for fall.

How versatile is this amazing grey dress by Maison Martin Margiela?

 

Really a long sweater vest, it could be worn alone, over a white long sleeved top, under a fitted jacket or over cropped pants for the office.  Dress it down with jeans and a tee or belt it over cashmere sweater and throw on some boots for weekend.  A sweater vest never looked so goo.

 

A grey suit can also do double duty.  The skirt will play well with tops of pretty much any color.  Grey is a great back drop.  A fitted jacket can break away from it's pencil skirt sister to top a sheath dress.

 

 

 

Not going to work?  How about something in a casual grey?  This sweet little dress is the perfect thing to throw on when the heat index is up and you want to look put together even while you're sweating.  Throw on flat sandals and grab your bucket bag, you're off to run errands. 

 

 

Of course, we're all about the shoes.  How about these amazing pump/bootie/slingback hybrids that have a grey upper and black heel? 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Some decisions aren't black and white

Yesterday I expressed my angst about choosing between the Miu Miu and the Prada flats.  Still undecided, by the way.  As I googled images of both and shopped various websites, I came across these beautiful Prada pumps.

White with black trim. Sigh.  How gorgeous?  A totally white shoe, not for me.  But add that thick band of black and you have a whole new ball game.

I already have oodles of black pumps.  Still, the reverse shoe also caught my eye.

Not exactly the opposite, this one is black with silver trim.  The silver elevates the basic black pump making it office ready and evening appropriate.

I'm not done yet, what about a different kind of black and white color block?

This pair my be my favorite.  The heel is my preferred height, 80mm, as opposed to the higher heel of the two pairs above.  I'm smitten with the cap toe.  I've got dozens of things in my closet that would coordinate with these and like the flats from yesterday's post, they're shoes that can be worn next year and the year after.

Now I just need to decide. 

This or that?

I posted these Miu Miu flats a while back.  Love the color block, the pointy toe, the slight bit of heel.

 

 

 

Then I came across these Prada flats.  The obvious similarities are the two tone, the pointy toe, that little heel. 

Such a dilemma!  The Miu Miu are slightly more casual, with the loafer or slipper styling.  The Prada are pretty and feminine, the Miu Miu a bit more borrowed from the boys.  Either works really well with cropped pants, jeans, sleek dresses. 

Which brings up a question.  What's the difference between Miu Miu and Prada anyway?  Aren't they all the same designer? 

But I digress.  What am I going to do about the flats question?  Prada or Miu Miu?  Miu Miu or Prada?  Both gorgeous, both very wearable and classic enough to last for years.  I don't need nor can I afford both.  I have to choose!! 

Another lip color review

I wasn't kidding in that earlier post. I love lip colors. I have literally dozens and dozens in my bathroom cabinet.  I am a sucker for packaging and marketing. If I see something fabulous in a store, I buy it.  When someone recommends a lippie, I buy it.  I watch for new products, I consume magazine articles about lip colors.  This explains the dozens and dozens I mentioned above.

Naturally, when one of my favorite bloggers recommended a new lip color, I tried it.  It was an epic fail.  Beautiful color and beautiful packaging that looked and felt good for about 1/2 hour, after which it became an odd combination of tacky and dry, wore unevenly, looked patchy and messy all at the same time.  But the color, oh the color! It was summer in a tube.  The perfect orangey-coral with golden flecks.  Here it is, but don't buy it.

Revlon It Girl Ultimate Suede Lipstick. Bad, bad, bad.

Still, the perfect color in that tube haunted me.  There had to be something similarly bright and pretty!  Something that wouldn't make me look like a failed science experiment.

Stumbling through Walgreen's the other day, looking for a new flat iron, I passed an end cap.  There it was.  My perfect summer lippie.  Revlon Super Lustrous Shine Lipstick in Lovers Coral.  It's almost the identical color to it's messy cousin, without the gold flecks.  It goes on very sheer, and the color is buildable by adding more coats.  It's very moisturizing with smooth and even application. 

 

 

This is a product I can get behind and recommend.  In fact, I've already picked it up in more colors.