Stylish with Substance

Lately, I've been yearning for a new Sex and the City; well at least a show (scripted, please!) with women wearing the latest fashions who are likeable (no housewives, thanks) and maybe, only maybe a tad younger.

Michael Patrick King, the man who produced HBO's Sex and the City, has a new sitcom pitched to deliver some of what many women must be craving, but far from all of it. It has the city, the sex and the fashion ... with a cast from a *new-SAT-scoring* age. The set is Queens, the fashion isn't all high, and also unlike his older masterpiece, no one in this twosome is disproportionately wealthier - I guess that tastes quite savory after the unabashed overspending in Sex and the City 2, when Carrie joined the rest of the foursome in (matrimonial, for her, and even greater) fortune.

The series premiered last night on CBS (though it has the aura of The CW) at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and like many pilots, it had jokes that fell flat and characters who were slow to bloom. The preview of next week also wasn't promising.

Still, there's good, even beyond the peeks at high fashion pieces (Chloé, Louboutin and Chanel [for the huge pearl necklace] made the accessories du nuit).

I can imagine myself commisserating and bonding over budget and style with Caroline, the former-heiress of a Madoff type; this rich "b*tch" and "dumb" blonde is actualy nice with a decent business mind and an SAT score in the 99.65 percentile.

The second broke girl is Max, the tough-talking hard worker who, I imagine, won't be keen on talking style with Caroline - which might mean this series is to leave us with a bad taste for fashion, but time will tell and I doubt that's desired by creators. What the girls can share is a business dream and at least some morality, with Max hopefully teaching Caroline to drop all of her inherited "shady business" instincts. Meanwhile, Caroline vowed to impose some self-esteem onto her cynical new friend.

It looks like the goal for this show's series finale, if these girls can make it there, is to strike it rich with a cupcake shop. While baked goods fare well today, the writing of this show threatens to not make anyone in its credits any richer.

Bottom line, if this series picks up, I may at least have some up-through-2011-fashion viewing pleasure met, but I doubt the substance of this show will ever have me addicted like King's queens of HBO. For now, I keep DVRing but I'm finicky, and not just with my own accessories.

Photo credit

Mainstream fashion journalists have held beef against the blogosphere for some time now. What I didn't know is that I may have predicted this in 2006.

I just found an old article (written in December of 2005 actually, but published January 1st, 2006) with this quote, "... the lines of fashion could be blurred as such that the next issue could be a fight between different sides of fashion and its media".

The article, titled "Fashion is the New Pink", explored how far fashion had come by the mid of the last decade.

"Editors on Bloggers" April, 2010

... more

I don't know how proud I should feel about my little bit of foresight. Heck, I don't even remember quite what I had in mind at the time of writing this article. However it does make me smile, and that counts for something.

What counts even more, I think, is that this piece was basically a big warning of the then-impending major recession we're still fighting in the new decade. As I signed off, "overdoing it is the new black", I summed up American's erroneous ways.

Bonus: the entry quotes and links to a lot of blogging friends. Overall, it may be a fun read as either new to you or forgotten ... I hope a gem.

No, this "rockin'" fashionista is not Ashlee Simpson getting another MTV reality show and a fashion line (does she have one already? Oh she will - of t-shirts or of whatnots). She just happens to be a lookalike but yes, she is filling the fashionable shoes of sorts of Lauren Conrad on the network.

This is Jazmin Whitley, emerging (obviously about to become famous) fashion designer, not rockstar. And she has a new show coming to MTV; "House of Jazmin". I supposed the former music station at least likes rockstar style? That skirt is nearly identical to a Forever 21 item I thought looked so "on stage". But anyway... Jazmin Whitley's line is actually called, Li Carli. Inexplicably non-eponymous - I mean her (real??!!) name is Jazmin (what ze-flaire) and she went with something that sound's like another chica's name?

I mean for me, I even go by "Ella" partly because too many heard "Lauren-Noelle" and asked me if there was no "L" in "Lauren". LE SIGH. Ha ha.

But the thing is, the show is named after her name. Guh.

Apparently "Li Carli" is her grandparents' last name. (By the way, mine have the name Hominsky, sounds so ... professional.)

Do I sound jealous that this 20-year-old girl was picked for this major show on design? ... First in what will likely be a series of rotating stars, like those "love" disasters the channel puts out. Nah, how could I be chosen at this point, after all? No really.

Maybe I'm just annoyed because she seems really unintelligent (ok, moronic) in her interview to W. What'd she say? Oh "like ..." x21.

The show will likely be painful. And unlikeable. And that could bring the jealousy. Although I think that's what reality shows are supposed to be. No I mean the painful part.

Igh. I would so love to check it out just for the style factor. I watched The Hills just to try to catch glimpses of LVs, Chanels and Balenciagas. Sometimes. (No I only watched it sometimes.) So maybe it's just a good thing that I don't have cable - not until the big Fall season starts. I'm saving money.

Because I don't have such a big, well-paying job.

Yet. ;-)

Can't you tell I'm in a great mood? I'm so happy.

OK I'm a dork. :-)

Above are products either actually related to the Twilight film(s) and novels, items that might appeal to fans, similar items from inspired products, or merely seemingly-unrelated wares that have become all-too related. (Including that sports fan t-shirt ["Team", geti t?].)

Scroll to the right to view more pages. Inspire thought? Leave a coment!

For more on the inspiration of this post, and how I gathered the theme to find these goods, read my article "Twilight Apparel a la Nordstrom more Teenybopper than Vampire".

@ First Look: The Twilight inspired line coming to Nordstrom would fit in more at Delia's than with the store's mid-range/upscale image. Sadly, it's also too alone suited to the megahit's wild youthful fan base than anything more in tune with vampires or older admirers of the film and genre.

"Team" Tees Preview:

Right before and after the original film debuted, "Twilight" was also what a vamp-y trend-merely-film-inspired was called amongst the do-it-themselves fashion creators. Etsy.com was filled with Victorian-era inspired beauties like frilly wrist cuffs and luxe oldschool gothic jewelry (Read: no Hot Topic).

Example products from Fall 2008 by Little Sparrow Nest and Talula. Click images to view their respective shops.

But just like that keyword was thrown about, Sparkly Vampire mania has hit, and punched, and bitten  - extremely hard. Now the "underground" beings inspire further "Tra L.A. L.A. Land" carefree attitudes with this oh-so Junior's style.

The "glitter" from Hollywood glitz is spreading. Aside from the Nordstrom Junior's Department styles, the most recent evolution of this living trend has surfaced online from former-or-semistill-undergrounds, the indies...

Example Etsy.com clothing "Twilight" search

Another sad(ish) truth of today is that the movie-fangirlishness has brought graphic tees to Etsy as well, not that that's entirely bad and the items & slogans are not bad - or, beauty being in the eye of the beholder, at least they're not of popular-teenshop aesthetic. Fortunately, a lot of the designs are pretty dark - a stark contrast to this mass market promotion-in-sheep's-cotton-clothing at the department store.

At least we can help show fans that they have choices.

If your fashion style has a sweet tooth for notebook-doodles over Edward Cullen, by all means, shop mainstream.

If you crave something just a little more juicy or bittersweet, then do check out Etsy or other indie venues/shops. You can probably even do some hunting and find some "vamp" items, still.

So it appears the Jovi Cross-Body and its contemporary designer company, Treesje, have been declared Gossip Girl chic level by the stylists of the show. Here is Blake Lively sporting the bag we just blogged & raved about - and she's on set filming, no less.

Treesje Jovi Cross-Body

$368.00 by Treesje at Endless.com

Photo via Purse Page

One note: Turquoise and royal blue? NO!

Is this fab or fug? We say, change out of that tunic dress, or just trash it!

1. Yourself Express your personality.
2. Stylist Gurus like Stacy London. Learn to choose what LOOKS BEST on YOU.

... (Yourself, yourself, yourself, yourself, yourself)

8. Your BF. Or maybe just when you two are alone, if he's not a sexist dolt.

... (No one, no one, no one, no one - who cares anyway if you don't?)

57. Trends.
58. Magazines.
59. What every one else is doing.

...

10001. What people with the opposite of your body are doing. (See #2.)

=> Photo of Stacy London from her Twitter account.