Month: February 2009

A Minute With: Lymaris Diaz de Villegas

Posted on by Style Icons
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As a swimwear designer for Calvin Klein, Lymaris Diaz de Villegas helps to streamline the design process by keeping up-to-date on current fashion and accessory trends, creating one of the most simple yet fashion-forward swimwear lines available. We caught with Lymaris to find out what her favorite thing about being a designer is, what is on her spring wish list, and exactly what else a Balenciaga bag can be used for. Let’s just say she’s going to be one stylish new mom.

1) My personal style could best be described as:

A high /low mix of feminine, minimal and comfy, with a touch of 70’s flair

2) My favorite designers are:

Chloe, Marni, Philip Lim, Karen Walker

3) The last thing I bought was:

The last non-fashion related thing: a baby car seat

The last fashion thing: studded ballet flats from bonadrag.com

4) My favorite places to shop are:

American Rag, Barney’s Co op, Pixie Market, the Rose Bowl flea market, Scout in LA, APC, Urban Outfitters, H&M

5) Right now I’m listening to:

The new Animal Collective album, Nico, and The Organ

6) My most recent luxe buy was:

My dear, sweet husband gave me an awesome Balenicaga bag for Christmas that I will be using as a diaper bag for my baby on-the-way!

7) My most recent budget buy was:

Oversized t-shirts and a super cozy sweater seriously on sale at Urban Outfitters

8) On my spring wish list:

Lots of new shoes! I am expecting my first baby any day and my feet have grown a full size! I have been scoping out a couple pairs of dolce vita sandals and am looking forward to getting into heels and wedges again.

9) Right now I’m reading:

The Nursing Mother’s Companion by Kathleen Huggins

10) Trends I’m loving now:

Still loving ditsy florals; plaid; light wash, worn in jeans; any kind of caged or lattice shoes; and nautical stripes and blazers

11) My favorite thing about being a designer is:

Meeting with artwork and textile studios to select prints for the line. It’s like having hundreds of gorgeous works of art at your fingertips. Half the time I just want to frame them and hang them up on my walls!

12) My dream closet looks like:

Rachel Zoe’s!

Milan City Guide

Posted on by Travel
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By Courtney Peterson


On a recent trip to Milan, I found myself exploring the city of fashion in a whole new light. After having lived in Milan last year, I returned to visit some of my old favorites: my beloved ‘wine and pasta’ restaurant, the best gelato in town, Milanese women’s ‘secret’ shoe boutique, and my favorite jewelry store. I also got to preview Il Giardino di Via Solferino, a new restaurant in Brera that has created quite the buzz among locals. Being that it is Milan Fashion Week, the timing couldn't be more appropriate to create a Milan city guide with some new and old favorites.

La Cantina della Vetra: Next to the Colonne di San Lorenzo in the heart of Porta Ticinese, locals enjoy traditional Italian cuisine and wine from an exceptional and extensive wine cellar. (After all, cantina is the Italian word for wine cellar.) With a romantic and antique ambience, it’s about as warm and Italian as you can get. I enjoyed ‘risotto alla Francia cotto’ (champagne risotto). It’s something that I can assure you is not to be missed. The restaurant is always packed, so be sure to make a reservation.

Via Pio IV, Piazza Vetra

+39 02 89403843

Chocolat- Combine style and gelato in the city of fashion, and the result is Chocolat. Practically a local phenomenon, you’ll find a line that wraps around the street corner surrounding this sophisticated gellateria. Flavors not to miss: rum chocolate, orange chocolate, ‘In Governo’ chocolate (mixed with amarena cherries), and Gianduia (hazelnut and almonds). You’ll wish you never even knew Ben & Jerry’s existed…

Via Boccaccio 9 (2 blocks away from one of the city’s main train stations, Cadorna)

Maura Leone- Whether it’s on the runways or in the grocery store, Italian women wouldn’t be caught dead sporting sneakers or flip-flops a la Americana status. (Sorry to those who love their Havaianas and Rainbows.) Maura Leone is a young and hip shoe designer, whose colorful flats and hipster leather boots have become staples among the young and stylish Milanese. Extremely small, exclusive, and always crowded, be sure to bring cash, as they don’t accept credit cards.

Corso Porta Ticinese 103

Maschio- Located just two passes behind Via Montenapoleone, Maschio’s creations embody the inventive jewelry traditions and craftsmanship of the Italians. Using a variety of exquisite semi-precious stones, Maschio’s jewelry ranges from dainty cocktails rings in rose gold to personalized charm bracelets and glamorous chandelier earrings in sapphire and onyx. Maschio combines chic sophistication with a contemporary edge and the outcome is truly magnificent.

Via San Pietro all’Orto 17

Il Giardino di Via Solferino

In the heart of the fashion district, Il Giardino di Via Solferino opened last week after a long anticipated wait. Combing traditional Southern cuisine in a stylish and fashion forward atmosphere, Il Giardino di Via Solferino is perfect for a gastronomic aperitivo, a romantic dinner or a late drink before a night out clubbing in Moscova or Corso Como, in the heart of Milan’s night life. Il Giardino di Via Solferino is also opened for brunch on Sundays with a beautiful outdoor garden.

Via Solferino, 48

+ 39 02 655 11 80



Photos:

Il Giardino di Via Solferino

San Dario Chandelier Earrings, Maschio

San Dario Ring

Chocolate Gelato for gellateria, Chocolat

Cantina della Vetra


Style Icon: Melanie Fascitelli

Posted on by Style Icons
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Melanie Fascitelli founded Clos-ette in 2002 and has been helping women solve their wardrobe dilemmas ever since. Her impeccable style and good eye have helped thousands of women refine their closests and their style. We caught up with Melanie for some good old fashion talk.

How did you come up with the idea of Clos-ette? I mainly styled people and celebrities prior to leaving my corporate jobs, but the last time I went out on my own, I was freelance styling showrooms and retail spaces seven years ago and one designer asked me to work on her new residential loft, I design and built her out a railroaded bathroom, closet and personal office space. She told a writer at vogue and the rest is history! The first story written about Clos-ette appeared in Vogue, 2002 September issue two pages!!

What are your rules when it comes to updating and re-vamping your wardrobe? I think bringing back the old in an updated way is so valid. Like this year, I am so into the oversized blazer and boyfriend sweater look with tight jeans and boots!!! That was a look from long ago, the 80’s actually even the 90’s and now it is back and I am loving it. It’s relevant to bring back looks which last. It is also important to be realistic about what looks good on you. Not all shapes and sizes work for everyone. So if tight jeans are not your look maybe it isn’t so wise to go big on top and bottom. Maybe tighter on top with a wide leg pant is your look! Take chances and experiment and ask a friend who’s style you admire to help you out, or go online to closet couture and work with a stylists. Point is opinions as long as they’re true ones, like not the ones from a sales girl, but someone who has no reason to lie, are a really good way to validate your own intuition about how things look on you. Maybe your on the right path or maybe you need to find another direction.


When is it time to let something go; a ratty old fur shrug, sweatshirts from college, the “it” bag from 1992? Ask yourself would I buy or wear this today? Only Asking yourself how old something is can be just too general.

What is your most prized possession? I love my wedding ring and an old V-neck camel cashmere sweater of my fathers which I am wearing now with leggings.

Tell us about your first fashion memory. Lol. Oh god, well I had a white rabbit fur coat, bonnet and muffler that I got when I was three and wore till I couldn’t fit in it. I still have it!! Going to put my daughter in it! I also loved plastic Barbie pink high heels. My mother would call it my tick tacky wacky, but I just loved wearing them!

Which designers rule your closet? Lanvin, Brunello Cuccinelli cashmere and coats, I’m pregnant now so I love Michelle Jonas stretchy dresses and Billabong makes great cheap cool maxi dresses as well, Helmut Lang suiting, I just bought an azzaro and Alexander McQueen dresses that I absolutely love…and J. Crew. I LOVE J. CREW!!!

What items are you on a perpetual hunt for? Jewelry, costume and real…and jeans…great fitting jeans. I like the Earnest Sewn Harlow fit and I love J Brand love story too.

Who would you most love to spend a Saturday afternoon with? My father


What was the biggest closest disaster that you have ever encountered? Right now I am working with a woman who is a professional artist. She is a performer, amazing and married now and moving in with her new husband. Her current closet in her single girl apt is all over the apt, shoes in the cupboard kind of thing, and kept clothes from 80’s that should be destroyed. It is hard to tell someone who is such a genius at something else, that “hey, you dress like a bad 80’s movie and half this crap has to go.” But, it’s the job!

What is your favorite part about your own closet? I love my tufted wallpaper and my shoe shelves. And I love my long dress area. It has really grown in the last year full of all the designers I admire. Doubt I’ll be buying as many in 2009 but all the dresses are classics so I hope to hang onto most of them for a long time…

London Fashion Week Playlist

Posted on by Culture
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Kanye West and Patti Smith? George Michael and MGMT? It was a mix of old and new hits that rang through the crowds at London Fashion Week as models strutted their stuff down the runways, some probably too young to even know who the legendary rock goddess Patti Smith is. But music doesn’t discriminate (not even in fashion!) and I must admit that I love me some George Michael and would take him over Kanye any day. Here are my top picks of songs from London’s fashion week playlist:

Christopher Kane: So far, this is my favorite collection for fall’ 09. Leave it to the brilliant, young Kane to play the soundtrack to one the greatest movies of all time, Natural Born Killers. If only Juliette Lewis made an appearance as Mallory….

Basso & Brooke: String quartet version of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. I have never been a huge Metallica fan, but I like the idea of taking it out of its heavy metal context and making it sound like classical music.

Todd Lynn: The man played George Michael’s “Faith” – don’t you love that song? I used to sing this at the top of my lungs in elementary school without even knowing what the words meant. One of my hopes is that Wham! will someday reunite.

Danielle Scutt: If you have Kanye sitting in your front row, you have to play one of his jams. Scutt chose “Flashing Lights” which is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head and fails to leave. Thankfully, it’s a good one.

Giles Deacon: It never hurts to throw in a little post-punk at fashion week, and that’s exactly what Giles Deacon did. He played tunes from the all-girl trio known as An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump. Word is that it was a little too much for a Monday night, but that makes me love it even more.

Topshop: Leave it to the most trend-worthy label to play the trendiest music. They chose MGMT, which always gets a party started.

Photos: George Michael album, Kanye West album, MGMT

Fashion Newsflash: Stella McCartney to Launch Exclusive Collection for Net-a-Porter

Posted on by Shopping + Trends
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In the midst of London Fashion Week comes the announcement that Stella McCartney will unveil a capsule collection designed exclusively for Net-a-porter.com. The collection will be released on the luxury shopping website this May and will consist of 17 looks as well as two shoe and handbag designs. Keeping it in the family, McCartney tapped the English artist Peter Blake (known for his iconic design of the sleeve for The Beatles’ album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) to collaborate on a limited edition print to be featured on seven of the pieces. The collection is being called a “best of” of her eponymous designs, which means we predict a sell-out. Save the date– this one is not to be missed!

Buy Now: TOMS Shoes

Posted on by Shopping + Trends
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The “one for me, one for you” mantra has been the cornerstone of my shopping strategy for years, but now, because of TOMS shoes I can feel a little better about this habit. Launched in 2006, TOMS has pledged to give one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that you buy – One for One. The shoes are inspired by a traditional Argentine shoe, and they are so comfortable – I think of them like slippers!

TOMS has been introducing new colors, designs, and fabrics which makes it so hard to choose, but fun to peruse all the options. Check out these cute girls rocking TOMS at the Coachella Music Festival (I love the silver!). To get their look, check out the TOMS retail closet on Closet Couture and you can try out all the colors with your outfits online and then buy them! Like I said, one for me and one for you.

Splurge vs. Save: Studded Sandals

Posted on by Shopping + Trends
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In one of our recent splurge vs. save stories, we drew attention to the gladiator sandal and judging by some of your responses, it’s safe to say that the gladiator is still ranked high on your spring wish list. But this season, there are variations of the favored sandal and we love the many studded styles we’ve been seeing. Sigerson Morrison’s suede version with silver studs has an element of edge but is still chic and wearable. The subdued taupe color makes it easy to pair with brights and neutrals and the mini wedge adds a little bit of height. For a budget-conscious option, we like Steven by Steve Madden’s studded front sandal in pewter. It has the same studded cuff and is similar in style but is much easier on the wallet.

Sigerson Morrison Suede Studded Gladiator, $695, available at www.lagarconne.com

Steven by Steve Madden Studded Front Cuff Flat Sandal, $206, available at www.asos.com

How To: Create Looks

Posted on by Announcements
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One of my favorite features on Closet Couture is the dressing room. For me, the dressing room is where I get to be creative and try out new styles, new trends and figure out how to re-work my old clothes in new ways. I especially love that I can try on a piece from our retailers that I am contemplating buying and see if it looks cute with a particular outfit.

To get started, head into your closet on the left hand side of your screen and click on “Create Looks.” Here you can begin putting together the outfit that you want and you can add everything from shoes, to accessories, to sunglasses by clicking on the drop down menus on the right side of your screen. If you have shared closets with friends and retailers then you can use their items by clicking on the cloests drop down menu and selecting a desired closet. Also, this is a great opportunity to test out items from your wishlist to see if they work with a particular style.

To save the outfit for a particular date, simply click the camera icon with “Save” written below it. When the “Save New Look” box comes up, find the “Date of Look” input box–there’s even a calendar icon you can click on to find the right date of your event! Enter your event’s date, and add a caption for your outfit, like “Jane & John’s Rehearsal Dinner.” Finally, save your look!

Vintage Pick of the Week: Polka Dots

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The resurgence of polka dots became evident during the Spring ’09 collections when Consuelo Castiglioni sent models down the runway at Marni in a mix and mash of colorful dots – some cut out and some claiming their “spot” on ladylike skirts and elegantly modest sweaters. A few short weeks later, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons unveiled a collection for H & M that caused quite a frenzy and was full of polka dots adorned on button-downs, oversized pants, bags, and even sneakers. Inspired by the brilliance of both designers, we turned to some of the best vintage stores on eBay to get our polka dot fix.

Vintage 1980s Polka dot mini dress:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI…em=370158983110

Vintage Polka dot fishtail dress:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI…em=120381099569

Vintage 1980s oversized polka dot shorts:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI…em=140302960893

Vintage 1980s Geoffrey Beene Polka dot suit:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI…em=170305480760

Vintage 1980s polka dot mini dress:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI…em=200312186242