Bobbi Brown, Trish McEvoy and Laura Mercier worked closely with the Havaiana’s team to create three very special pairs of flip flops, limited edition season must-haves in fact! 

I’m constantly amazed by the trickling in of Brazilian influence on international style and culture.  Now you may be thinking, flip flops are that important? yes, they are the icons of footwear, I’ve never met a Brazilian who didn’t have them.   I seriously never, ever in a trillion years imagined the Havaiana’s I loved and left with no regard in Brazil would get designer attention some day abroad. But they are getting just that AND being sold in Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks.com (now there’s a link you don’t see everyday!) 

I can’t help but find them strange bedfellows for some reason but I’m a sucker for charity and I’m thrilled about Havaiana’s success!  I also love the fact that the proceeds of the sale go to charity water. The price point,$15, is great because it’s reasonable and attainable for many people.  For those of you that have never tried Havaiana’s for some reason, you’ve got to, limited edition or not, they are thin but bouncy… I love mine and can walk for miles in them.

Here are some excerpts from the press release…

“Bobbi Brown created a pair that reflects the spirit of summer- keeping it simple, enjoying every moment, and of course, and always looking fabulous in the process. “The beach is where I go to unwind with my family, so I keep things easy by wearing sunscreen, simple makeup and a fun pair of flip-flops.”  (Julia are you getting these or what?)

 ”Trish McEvoy wanted to bring to her sandal design the feeling of a walk on the beach—her favorite way to relax. “My colors this season brighten your complexion and call to mind the deep blues of the ocean, the pearlescent shades inside a seashell, and the glitter of the sand-taking you on an instant vacation.”

Laura Mercier decided to fill her canvas with kisses showcasing the new lipstick shades in her summer assortment, saying “A comfortable sandal should be as comfortable as wearing the lipstick on your lips.” 

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Tags: Bobbi Brown, Brazil, flip, flip flops, flops, havaian-039s, havaianas, Laura Mercier, rubber, SAKS, saks fifth avenue, sandals, Trish McEvoy

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I don’t know if it’s all this talk about the upcoming Sex and the City Movie or if I’m in a spendy sort of mood but I can’t help clicking on Patricia Field’s website and browsing.  I was messing around the Mercedes-Benz website yesterday (yessss we’re in the market for a new car) and reviewed an email I got from them mentioning an interview with Patricia Field, only problem is now can’t get her out of my head!  I’ve been visiting PatriciaField online all morning and I find some of the stuff distasteful, i.e. the ho on the go kit! 

Still, I can’t help looking because I’ve never grown out of playing with dolls, I’m totally in love with the PF Barbie Girl stuff at this moment!  If I was into wearing someone else’s name on my neck I’d be all over this Barbie necklace. I am really tempted by the compact though, it reminds me of an old time cameo, mirror mirror in my hand.

 All this thought about Barbie’s got me in the mood to hear that terribly good song by Aqua.

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Tags: Aqua, Barbie, fashion, jewelry, mbusa, mercedes-benz, necklace, online, Patricia Field, website

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Some beautiful latinas are taking a stand and posing for Peta ads and I couldn’t be happier about that.  Sadly J Lo is still festooned in fur… I’m steering clear of posting anything else about her until she gets the fur out of her “sweetface” line.  I have high hopes that motherhood will shake JLo into caring about little defenseless creatures.  It’s one thing to act like you don’t know but when you see the images of animals that have been skinned alive they are undeniable.

 For now I’ll concentrate on Eva Mendes, I know she went through rehab and seriously hope she can keep it together.  After all she’s going to rep for Calvin Klein’s fragrance AND Calvin Klein Underwear which I will have to see to believe.  As you can see in the photo ad for Peta she has plenty to get in those panties and in my personal experience the cuts are not favorable to us girls with assets in our jeans.

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Tags: ad, ads, animal rights, anti-fur, eva mendes, fur, Peta

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While in New York recently I had the pleasure to go on a shopping trip with The Elegant Tightwad.  As a native New Yorker I dabbled in sample sales with limited success, if you know there is a sample sale that’s one thing but it’s getting in to see those collections that are not attracting every bargain shopper in the city that is the key.  Some of those women are really nasty when they get a look at something they want.

The Elegant Tightwad can take your shopping to a whole other level gaining you access to closed designer showrooms and guiding you through the garment district with ease and expertise.

I went on the 4 hour Garment District Diva shopping trek with 7 other women and a wonderful guide, Pillar.  We went to several showrooms, some brands I was familiar with others I only knew from the glossy magazines.  Most of the items were priced to sell, many pieces were unique and one of a kind.  Which is the hardest part for a shotgun shopper like me, I usually have a gut reaction - like or NO like at all.  Since it is a group tour there is a little waiting while everyone is done.

 Be sure to let them know what type of pieces you’re looking for, work, leisure, gowns, accessories. Our guide was very sweet and willing to send different members of our group to different places which saved time.  If you are looking for a personalized experience and couture pieces you may be better off on an Individualized Trek.

There are even Accessory Addict Treks and Vintage Vamp Tours available, whichever trek you choose be sure to have cash, credit card and even check available to pay for your purchases.  Sizes up to 16 and XL were available but the most selection was in medium sizing.  I bought a few great pieces from Betsy & Babs for my daughters for $10 each and a pair of cutoff gloves for myself made out of a washable knit from Catherine’s.

Check out The Elegant Tightwad’s website for upcoming tours and events, if you absolutely can’t make a tour consider buying the book Dress Like a Million Bucks by Pamela Parisi (The Elegant Tightwad herself!) It is chock full of great info on places to go to get great bargains!

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Tags: accessories, Dress Like a Million Bucks, events, new york, NYC, Pamela Parisi, save, shop, shopping, shopping tours, The Elegant Tightwad, tours

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 I don’t know about Coutorture but I do know what it’s like to live through off-the-rack clothes shopping.  Ready to wear can make you ready to swear!

 There are a lot of reasons beyond the control of the store that make me dislike this, my “SWEET” size tops the list following by a hungry husband and roving children.  Some things could be done to make my experience more enjoyable and I really don’t know why they haven’t happenned yet.

First is finding out where you want to go, if you don’t shop in the same department store it’s hard to know which way to turn.  It’s  easy to get sidetracked with all the tables on your path, you start thinking about upcoming gifts and events.  You do pick some things up and walk around with them and others you put down thinking you’ll come back after you settle on the other stuff that you really came in for and more importantly you may not want to lug all this around.

Which brings me to the next thing that must happen if department stores expect to see me shopping in them again.  Get something like a cart or rolling hanger thing for me to wheel around and collect the stuff I want to try on, like an iv drip thing. If this is happenning somewhere let me know, it’s definately not happenning in Maine. I saw a small statured woman dragging dresses all over the floor, I’m sure she would have appreciated having something to hang up her dresses.  I know it stopped me from browsing because 6 dresses and hangers can take a toll on your hands.  All I wanted to do was get in a fitting room and see if I could get into these things.

Which leads to the dreaded fitting room wait, I stood in line behind 3 women.  I could hear a lot of chatter/laughing doors slamming for a few minutes which prompted the lady in front of me to walk ahead and see what was going on.  She started speaking to the woman who I later found out was the mother on a shopping trip with two teenagers.  I heard that the girls were trying on six dresses and trading them in the stall and she had no intention of spoiling their fun.  The line starts getting really long behind me and ladies are NOT happy.  Whenever I look back there’s lots of eye rolling and huffing/puffing like it’s MY fault.  All this while my hands are in agony holding all these dresses and these girls are still not out of that room.  That’s when an associate comes up to me and says they’ve opened up another fitting room across the way, no wait, whew… I’m in.

Deciding on some dresses and being the great shopper I am, I put everything back on hangers, strut out and hand to the employee. I found not one but TWO dresses.  They’re both on sale and I spot the one good thing of this trip - the price checker, seems they learned from the box stores, we want to know how much this stuff is going to be!

Now I’m so very ready to get in line. Wait and more wait, finally I’m there and the lady is in no hurry, she picks up dress #1 and holds it up to herself and asks, “how would this look on me?”  I didn’t answer with words, I just smiled, she looked disappointed and said it was really pretty or something like that.  When she saw how cheap it was $39.99 from $109 she paused and I almost thought she was going to take it from me.  I really wanted her to hurry but she kept feeling the material and folded it beautifully, the only problem is it’s going to get all messed up in the plastic bag it’s going to get thrown into.  I’ve got the pret-a-porter woes really bad. 

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Tags: clothes, fashion, pret a porter, shopping

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