Bloomies!

I've been totally stuck in hearing hell the past few weeks, so to my total delight, I received an invite to the "private opening" of the new Bloomingdale's in Chevy Chase.

Let's just say that the place was packed, despite my efforts to make an early departure from work.

However, the place is fantastic.

Seriously.

I had recently been going to the Bloomies in White Flint which...well, it blows. This one...it's like night and day.

The merch is gorgeous, and they carry pretty extensive selections of designers that are harder to find in D.C. Big Sonia Rykiel section, loads of M Missoni, and a Tory Burch section I plan to hit like a ton of bricks once my birthday gift money starts rolling in.

The shoe and bag section is notably good. Spotted: Mulberry and Anya Hindmarch, two of my favorite stops in NY, and a solid collection of Theory shoes. And yes, they are as cute and classic as the clothes.

Also, my mother will be so happy, I checked out the home section and liked it enough to pick up some information about registering.

Not that I've ACTUALLY registered or anything (unlike Heidi on "The Hills," who feels the need to shop for a dress and register in the same week) don't get crazy....

If you are in the hood...stop by and check it out.

News! News!

I've been hearing grumblings from people who are in desperate need of some Project Runway.

And by people I mean me.

Well, some others too.

I noticed that Bravo has been doing some sneak peeks at the Season 4 designers during Tim Gunn's new show and that just whetted my appetite for all manner of sewing and bitchy craziness wonderful. A quick Google seach for the new start revealed nothing official.

But, I did a little digging on my favorite place for all things PR, Blogging Project Runway and hit pay dirt.

They state that Heidi Klum got all out ahead of Bravo and posted that the start date is November 14. They quickly issued a ceasse and desist and she took it down.

Sooo...Nov. 14th people! Set the Tivo! And tune in here for loads of my early morning cranky recaps!

So, so guilty...

Of watching "Gossip Girl" on the CW last night!

I can't help it! As an alumna of a New York City private school, I had to check it out.

My verdict...definitely guilty pleasure trashy tv worth watching. It's like "Cruel Intentions" with out the knowledge of what happens to Ryan and Reese in real life. I also appreciate the unfake shots of the characters at my favorite haunts, like Bergdorf's and Bendel's.

Also, the clothes are fabulous! I'm dying for everything in Serena's wardrobe, especially that leather jacket and the sparkly dress.

I never could have gotten any boys I knew in high school to wear a tux though....

Oh Zoe.

For a little light reading with your coffee this morning, I recommend heading over to an article printed in the New York Times Magazine section this Sunday about stylist extraordinaire Rachel Zoe.


And by "stylist extraordinaire," I mean, freakishly skinny wrinkly woman who has some how transformed actresses into walking billboards for her friends and managed to talk them into dieting until they practically make Holocaust victims look rubenesque.


Some of the highlights:


Rachel will only drink Starbucks coffee. Even in Paris. A city with one of the greatest cafe cultures in the world. But, if you don't drink it there, you may as well just be a terrorist and hate America. You pinko Commie freak.


Zoe brusquely sends back a plate of steamed vegetables at a Paris restaurant because there is a small dollop of some kind of sauce. Rachel, apparently, cannot tolerate sauce or calories of any kind.


Also consumed in the article: diet Snapple and tea.



Rachel is in shock to hear that vegetables actually DO contain calories.

Readers are informed that her last name is pronounced "Zoh," like "No." However, when she was just a babe in Jersey, people pronounced her middle name "ZOH-ee" like everyone else. Oh, she also dropped the surname "Rosenzweig."

Clients will not be dressed in any color that does not flatter the stylist herself.


We discover the mystery of the Marchesa explosion. It's what you thought. Harvey Weinstein decided that people should wear his girlfriend's clothes and Zoe made it happen.


Her ring tone is "Riders on the Storm" by the Doors. 'Cause that's not cliche in a look-at-how-highbrow-recherche-I-am way.


Nicole Kidman is one demanding crazy person.


The author of the article does not seem to disguise a sense of amusement and distaste for Zoe. Great reading though....

photos courtesy of nytimes.com

Emmylicious

Ahhh...the Emmys.

A total non sequiter in the awards season, as it occurs months ahead of all other awards shows, but whatevs! On to the snark.

This list is in no way exhaustive. I have opinions on lots of other gowns, but these are some of my own highlights and lowlights.

Here are my least favorite ensembles of the evening.

Seriously? I swear Debra Messing wore this exact same dress two seasons ago.

I think Hayden Panettiere might be hiding small children under her skirt like Mother Ginger in "The Nutcracker Suite."

I see Rebecca Romijn rocking the Tyra arm chub. I can't figure out where it came from though since she usually has such a slamming body. It's like stunt chub or something.

Again with the dress you've worn a thousand times before?!? What the eff? Ugh, I'm so bored with Teri Hatcher with her pneumatic boobs and botoxed forehead.

Ok, this really hurts. I have loved Elizabeth Perkins since "Big" and adore her show "Weeds." Basically this was fabric for a skirt at Anthropologie gone awry.

The outfits I liked!

While I'm a little confused by the massive influx of mermaid tail gowns and I stopped watching Grey's Anatomy when they started interviewing a neurosurgeon and a cardiothoracic surgeon for the chief of the GENERAL surgery department (hint, the chief is usually a general surgeon. Couldn't they find a real doctor to consult on that show?). I happen to love Katherine Heigl in this gown. The red lip was nice, but not scary and the neckline is super sweet.



My feelings on Wisteria Lane extend only to the following noise: (insert cacophonous vomiting sounds here). However, Eva Longoria looks stunning in this dress, I love the spangles and I happen to think short for evening is so modern.

Whoa, Heidi's not preggers! For once! Well, she looks amazing and I think this is the best color ever. I would wear a muumuu in this color. The neckline is more interesting than a typical strapless gown, and she was the only person who pulled off the leg-poking-out-of-her-slit look. I just wish Seal had buttoned his collar.

I happen to think Edie Falco looks good at most ceremonies. Not breaking ground or anything, but also doesn't look like mutton dressed as lamb. Just classic elegant and beautiful looking. See also: Sally Field.

So, office faves? People you trashed? Because, let's face it, no one is doing any work today.

photos courtesy of style.com

Quick Question

I was curious to see how people who read the blog found me, and I am experimenting with polls!

Look at me all down with technology and such.

Anyhoo, if you wouldn't mind...



Off to New York this afternoon for some shopping and a meet 'n greet with my florist!

Wish me luck!

UPDATE: So, clearly I forgot to add that a way to find me was through another blog! Also, please let me know where you read about me...unfortunately, people in publishing don't seem to keep you updated when they write about you. I'm always the last to hear!

Your Civic Duty

Not about beauty, but I could help myself from sharing this article in the Washington Post:

"It would be hard to find two bigger advocates for jury service than James and Maxine Moore.

They met 17 years ago while serving on a jury in D.C. Superior Court. They got to know each other in the middle of a medical malpractice case, later fell in love and have been together ever since.

The trial ended in a hung jury. But the Moores offer themselves as Exhibit A that something good can come out of jury service.

Yesterday, they returned to the courthouse to help unveil a new U.S. postage stamp depicting 12 multicolored silhouettes and framed by the words, "Jury Duty" and "Serve With Pride." The Postal Service has printed 40 million of the 41-cent stamps and began selling them nationwide yesterday."

As an attorney, I fully believe in jury service. DC has a terrible time filling juries and I encourage everyone to fulfill her civic duty and show up for jury duty.

And NOT because you might meet your future husband there!

Seriously?

If people start showing up to jury duty looking like they are ready for a skanked out night at Tom Tom because they think they can hook up with someone during the voir dire, I might just have to hand in my bar card and call it a day.

Maybe the couple should have spent less time making mooney faces at each other and paid attention during the Allen charge. Maybe they wouldn't have had a hung jury.

Oh, also, what's with the Post using the term "rap session?" That's like your grandmother saying that she's "jiggy" with something. It's just wrong.

Back to the Republic

I don't know what's going on, but I'm heavily in lust with Banana Republic's fall line.



Don't get me wrong, I own plenty of BR staples, but lately I've found their stuff a little lame. The colors always seemed a shade off...like they had been washed too many times before being put on the hanger. Or they were pushing those uber long shorts as a work outfit. And that's something I just can't condone.



But I was in the store recently on one of my fall shopping recon missions and found myself grabbing at things like Bob Packwood on three Viagra with a Cialis chaser.



Back at work, I began perusing the website for more lustworthy togs and stumbled upon a neat perfect "work" bag.



A little background:



Work bags for professional women have to be one of the most difficult fashion conundrums. Do I buy a man's briefcase and try to rock the androgeny like Madonna in the "Express Yourself" video and basically end up looking like a huge dork? Or do I carry a purse which simply looks wildly inappropriate in most professional settings and can't carry half of my essentials for surviving a day in the urban jungle?



Oh, and I also want to be able to fit a redwell in there. Maybe even, gasp!, a laptop.



GOOD LUCK!



Well...hello, Somerset Vertical Tote!




Isn't she pretty?



Available in black and brown, it also looks suspiciously like the Mulberry Elgin tote that I wish I could afford. While this one isn't exactly cheap, I think it looks like a nice addition to any fledgling professional woman's wardrobe.



Start making Christmas/Chanukah/Whatever lists now!

photo courtesy of bananarepublic.com

A Green Pioneer

I was really sad yesterday when I read a small blurb in the New York Times about the passing of Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop.

Like most girls of my generation, or anyone who was interested in beauty during the early to mid 90's, I was head over heels for The Body Shop products when they first came out. Not only were they just the coolest products that you just HAD to have, you felt even cooler knowing that they were "green" before green was cool.

Or at least, before it was as cool as it is now.

Anita Roddick was always the driving force behind the brand that promoted all the ecofriendly-fair trade-sustainability ideals. She was a cool, rebellious looking woman who was always traveling and protesting. She was like your hippie mom, if she hadn't grown up and become a Republican.

I recall visiting the big store in Boston during day trips from my summer camp, and spending my daily allowance on vanilla perfume oil (I thought smelling like a cookie would make the boys come running!), multicolored bath beads, and that pink peppermint foot lotion that would spawn a million copycats for years to come.

The article talks about the sale of The Body Shop to L'Oreal just last year. It was always an odd choice, since L'Oreal is widely known among environmentalists for their not-so-super animal testing policies, but Roddick stated that she hoped the sale would spur the company to change their policies.

Honestly, I haven't been in a Body Shop in years, but I will always remember the brand for making me aware of issues bigger than my middle school life and for being the first to make it cool to be green.

You can read the full obit here for another week or so.

Any classic beauty faves or favorite memories from The Body Shop?

I think I'm in Love

with this jacket...

and it makes me kind of nervous to say so.

mostly because of the price tag. ouch.

photo courtesy of bananarepublic.com, lyrics ripped off from Beck.

Shoes, Glorious Shoes!

I have a teensy weensy confession to make.

I've never actually been in a Payless Shoe store.

Maybe there are others out there too, but a girl in my office looked at me like I had three heads when I told her this. Seriously, three heads. And maybe as if I had acne on them too.

Honestly, I've always been a shoe snob. I walk a lot, I don't want disposable shoes, and frankly, I just plain like expensive shoes.

But when I heard Lela Rose did a collection for Payless, I began reconsidering my boycott. So yesterday, I mustered up all my energy and headed out to Wheaton, Maryland, to find these shoes.

WHEATON, Y'ALL.

As I've said before, as a full blown east coast girl, things have to be dire for me to use the word "y'all." So, you know I'm serious here.

I was hoping that my tackling a far away store I might be able to snag a pair of the T-strap pumps from the collection, but alas, that was not to be.

I don't actually think they exist. They were a myth, like the Loch Ness Monster or a compassionate conservative.

But I did try on the other shoes from her collection. I really liked, and actually purchased, the Finsbury pump in black and the Chancery peep toe in red. They were surprisingly comfortable.

Ah, ha ha ha. Soon you will be on my feet my pretties!

What were not comfortable were the Addle Hill flats. Ugh! I pitied the modeles who had to wear these for the collection.



But all in all, I think I'm most excited about the Finsbury pumps. They play into the menswear, buttoned up theme for fall and will certainly be worn around work as soon as the weather turns crisp. I'll wear them with pants for a little masculin-feminin action, and with pencil skirts and stockings for a sexy-librarian chic vibe.



And they cost less than my weekly latte-habit. And less than the amount of gas I probably used getting to Wheaton. Oh well, maybe they weren't such a good deal after all...

photos courtesy of payless.com

Oblivious to the World

Oh, wow, sorry...hi.

I've been totally out of the blogging loop because I have been deeply engrossed in my gadget selection of the year.

Yes, I get to buy a new cell phone! The Q is so cute! And I could keep in touch with my friends, instead of being forced to plod along with my government issued Blackberry, not emailing anyone fun for fear that someone subpoena my emails and then will haul me before Congress and make me testify as to why I made fun of Chris Dodd's eyebrows.

But the new iPods are on the way!

Crap, so many decisions. This is why I own three billion lip glosses.

Anyhoo, there has been big news in the world of bargain fashion!

First up, Lela Rose for Payless has debuted.

I'm not usually a fan of bargain shoes, but I am a HUGE fan of Lela Rose. (Loved loved loved her wedding dresses.) The pictures below look adorable, but I don't know how good they look in real life. Also, the T-strap pump is the one that everyone is all hot and bothered about and it's already sold out! What the F?

On deck is the Simply Vera by Vera Wang collection for Kohl's.

While this line was eagerly anticipated (well, at least by me) the response from Winona at Daddy Likey , who checked it out early, makes it sound pretty craptacular. How disappointing. (I also didn't like her wedding dresses.)

Ok, so, batting cleanup in this festival of low priced surprises is the Alice Temperley line for Target! Definitely a line for fall. With all the greys and blacks, it's just about perfect for all those upcoming funerals and sitting shiva that I've got planned.

Just kidding! I know that grey is the new black and that black is the new grey. I mean, duh, I invested all my spare time this summer reading about fall clothes in the air conditioning while it was a 100 degrees outside.

Ahhh, so now, if I could only bring myself to try on some fall clothes...

Nevermind...I'm going to go read some more articles about which iPod is actually worth $400.

photos courtesy of nitrolicious.com

I'll Never Go Hungry Again (in Georgetown)

So yesterday I celebrated my last day of freedom...errr...recess, with a quick spin around Georgetown.

Mind you, this was simply a scoping mission as the 85 degree weather puts a little damper on my eagerness to try on wool and faux fur. Look, they can AC the tar out of the place until I can see my breath, but sorry...not trying on long sleeves just yet.

I did get over to the currently-under-renovation Sephora, where they have kindly moved the makeup to the lower floor, thereby eliminating my last excuse to not browse any time I'm in the 'hood (Sometimes, even a short flight of stairs is an Everest I'm not willing to climb for the sake of makeup. Yes, I am truly that lazy.)

My favorite find of the day was the Vincent Longo Eyeshadow Trio in Biscotti. The single pot contains easily wearable colors, for both day and night, and they have great shimmer. I really like the idea of getting three shadows in one little jar...I feel as though it will help me pare down my makeup bag (Insert snort of derision here).

I also discovered that Le Pain Quotidien is opening on M Street next Saturday! For those of you who haven't been privy to the carbo-holic wonders of this Belgian chain, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Fantastic breads, yummy tartine sandwiches, lattes served in bowls the size of my head, and a praline spread that I would sell my unborn children for.

A staple for refueling on New York shopping excursions (they are convienently located near my favorite shopping haunts), I"m delighted that they have opened in Georgetown because (a) it's so close to my house! and (b) because I swear to God if I had to endure one more veggie cobb salad at J. Paul's I might scream.

Now, if only I could do something about the dearth of cheeky cupcake spots and frozen yogurt...

photos courtesy of sephora.com