So what if it’s cold? So what if it snowed and it’s icy out and you have to be bundled up and wearing your flat winter boots, that you loved but are quite frankly getting sick of at this point?
In spite of the cold, or maybe because of it, I decided to turn my attention to spring and summer. Some may prepare for summer by exercising obsessively, other by dieting (have you ever tried eating only salads when it’s freezing out? yeah, good luck with that)… I prefer to get ready by looking at fabulous clothes and deciding which ones I might be able to fit into my budget and which ones I’ll have to just settle for a pale (but still fabulous!) imitation of.
Let’s start the inspiration parade with my faves from the latest additions to the Kate Spade S/S 2010 collection:
Reina polka dot dress worn with red Bet sandals, Addie tweed jacket, sheer striped anklet in Cherry Sorbet with black and white t-strap peep-toes
and continue with those from the amazing Diane Von Fustenberg collection – I’m usually not big on prints, especially florals, but there is something almost mesmerizing and yet gracious and elegant about these pieces:
Cipolla Silk Blouson, Zora Draped Silk Dress, Greo Jersey Wrap Dress, Swann Silk Bubble Dress
and the cool graphics prints and brightly-colored basic shapes at BCBGMaxAzria:
asymmetrical-hem printed silk dress, strapless printed chiffon dress, slit-sleeve silk dress in Ultra Violet and Emerald, one-shoulder fitted dress in Larkspur Blue and Begonia
and the effortless day-to-night sequins and metallics at Tory Burch:
twill skirt with sequins, Alton top, Alton blazer, Rennon dress
Designer clothing may be expensive, but looking doesn’t cost a penny. And if they are out of our budget, we can still use them as inspiration. Doesn’t beauty make you feel more creative? Then it’s up to you to decide how to use the creative energy.
Image credits: 1. Kate Spade; 2. Saks Fifth Avenue; 3. BCBGMaxAzria; 4. Tory Burch
It’s snowing. AGAIN. And everything is so quiet, like time is frozen, much like anything standing ouside in what has undoubtedly been inclement weather. Just the train interrupts the silence, reminds me that time isn’t frozen, that it’s still passing.
Sometimes I wonder if snow is Nature’s way to remind us to slow down. Stay home, where it’s warm, cuddle in bed, or curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a book, oblivious to our obligations, to anything but what feels good, the warmth of the blanket and the tea versus the unwelcoming cold that shocks me every time I step outside. We cannot, of course, indulge in that – no matter how hard Mother Nature may try to convince us to ignore our obligations and just take a break, let time be frozen – life just doesn’t stop happening because it’s cold outside, or because it’s snowing. Work to be done, timelines to meet, errands to run – life waits for no one, or at least modern life does not.
And I wonder why I find the snow so irritating, so especially annoying this year. It isn’t that I otherwise love it, but we have been known to coexist fairly peacefully, the snow and I. Is it the cold? Is it the risk of slipping? Is it the traffic? Or is it that it feels like a slap in the face, this being forced to slow down when all I want to do it go, go, go. Now that I feel like I have been awakened from a long sleep, now that I feel like any place can be somewhere I belong, as long as I create the life I want. Now that I feel like I have emerged from a peculiar state of suspension, much like a coma of sorts, or maybe more like sleepwalking. A state where everything has been happening around you, and you there, in a sort of suspended animation; and then you wake up and you are older, but really, none the wiser. What happened to my life? You wonder. Where did the time go? And you just can’t wait to make up for lost time.
That’s what’s happening now. And I can’t help but resent the snow, no matter how graceful, how beautiful – I can’t help resenting the snow for holding me back.
But is it? Can anything really hold you back once you are set on your way?
We do love designer collaborations, don’t we? And Target has been especially good at experimenting with low-budget designer lines. The latest in the series just dropped today in select Target stores around the US, and online at Target.com: the designer is Jean Paul Gaultier, the enfant terrible of fashion, famous for giving an edgy makeover to classic pieces, and androgynous looks with a touch of vintage glamour.
A favorite of strong, edgy, fashionable women everywhere, Jean Paul Gaultier’s biggest moment of fame came in the late 80s and early 90s, when he became a favorite of Madonna’s and started designing her costumes and outfits for concerts and public appearances – his best known creation is without a doubt the burlesque-inspired gold conical bra worn by Madonna on her Blonde Ambition Tour.
Jean Paul Gaultier has been designing fabulous clothing for many years now, but he enjoyed a new wave of popularity two years ago, when Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for her performance in La Vie en Rose and stunned everyone with her mermaid dress, which had been designed, you guessed it, by Jean Paul Gaultier as part of his Spring/Summer 2008 collection.
Back to present times, the Jean Paul Gaultier for Target collection has been unveiled and from what I have seen online, it seems to be everything we imagined: irreverent, edgy, feminine – and with a lot of surprisingly wearable pieces, to boot.
Some of my favorite looks from the collections:
Stripe Trench Coat in Khaki, $59.99; Lingerie Dot Dress in Green/Black, $34.99
Leather Moto Jacket in Brown/Red, $199.99; Tank Dress in Red, $34.99
Pinstripe Vest in Black, $29.99; Eyelet Halter Dress in Black/White, $59.99; underneath, Bustier Top (comes with Shrug, not shown) in Red/White, $29.99
The collection will be available until April 11, 2010 – but chances are that it won’t really, since some items (like the adorable floral skirt, which fits right in with one of the strongest Spring trends) are already sold out online.
I really wish I was there to look at all the individual pieces in person, because unfortunately the sizing is junior/contemporary, so I’m not really inclined to order the pieces without trying them on or being able to return them. And it’s a pity, because with prices starting at $17.99, I would probably find something to add to my wardrobe.
How about you? Will you be checking this out at your local Target store? Are you even still there? I’m pretty sure some of you dropped everything half-way down this post and just left to run to Target 
Manor is one of the three main department store chains in Switzerland. On Thursday evening Manor, in collaboration with Swiss Annabelle mag, presented the winners of the Annabelle Prix de Beauté 2010 (basically a local version of the SELF Beauty Awards) in several categories, which had previously been announced at an event a month and half ago. That event wasn’t for the hoi polloi though – rather for the “profis” of the industry (plus select Annabelle staff, since that’s who sponsored the Awards.)
The Manor event, named Soirée Beauté, took place at the store on Bahnhofstrasse, in downtown Zurich. There were free drinks, free makeovers, discounts and a very nice giveaway. How can a girl resist?
Things like this happened all the time in New York; I went to a few, skipped several more, because there were just so many. Here however, this type of event is a fairly new thing, at least the kind that’s open to the public – so I wasn’t about to miss it And I managed to take a few shots before the crowds came in, so I can show you what the stations looked like before the event and during, with makeovers in progress:
There wasn’t much in the way of food, but there was juice, water and bubbly (note to self: eat before even next time so as to not risk getting sloshed on just one glass of bubbly)
and there was a pretty awesome DJ
and there was a fabulous beauty giveaway, with the first prize being $1000 in beauty products, and a whole bunch of smaller prizes (none of which was destined to land in my hands, unfortunately 
.)
The Editor in Chief of Annabel Switzerland Lisa Feldmann was there (as were her Deputy, her Beauty Editor, and a petite blond in a really short dress ), introducing the winning products:
and here they are, the winners (for a complete list, go here):
All in all, a fun event. Especially because it served its purpose: I found a promising skincare brand in -417 (where I also got a goodie bag – yay!)
and decided to make an appointment with one of the MAC makeup artists for a consultation after seeing the gorgeous colors in the Spring collection. It could definitely have been worse
