This Just In…

Trend watchers and style makers have spoken and the color for fall 2010 is-–RED!  There was a lot of it heating up the fall runways and it looks so right with the workday neutrals.  Everyone looks fabulous in red and there is a shade that flatters every skin tone.  It’s a color that warms the soul, stokes passion, whets the appetite.  It’s bold, sexy, confident, and may lower your inhibitions. 

But before you jump out there in head-to-toe ruby with rose-colored accents, please remember that most things are best is moderation.  Consider a pair of tomato red suede pumps with a black sweater dress, or a cherry red cardigan with a chocolate felted wool pencil skirt.  I would like a coral cashmere scarf tucked snugly around my neck with a black pea coat.

So, get your red on, and wear a little bit of your heart on your sleeve (or your back, head and hands) this fall.

Sweet and Lowdown

Some say that lower heels are just around the corner.  Leaning towers of woman are almost passe.  Skyscraper soles that put your perfectly coiffed head closer to the clouds are clumping towards oblivion.  Sleek kitten heels will be padding their way back into your closets.  Modern, easy-to-wear three-inch heels (the new “low”) will return.  You’ll be able to descend stairs without gripping your best friend‘s shoulder for support.

After a few years of shoe styles that led many fashion victims to the chiropractor’s office or left them yearning for a soothing foot bath and massage, “sensible” shoes are returning.  According to Mark Holgate in Vogue, “…it’s reduced heels that have really caught the eye.”  He advises us to “…get ready to look different and look at the world differently.”  He acknowledges, however, that his empirical research in Saks and Bergdorf Goodman yielded no takers for the new styles.  Superhigh platforms shape a woman’s legs as well as her view of the world.  A woman in six-inch heels can look her male boss in the eye.  But does equal in height translate to equal in power? 

Designers are working to make the new shoes colorful and sexy, with cutaways and ankle straps.  New styles from Christian Louboutin, Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and others promise flirty, elegant, feminine looks.  Get ready to walk!

M*A*S*H Notes--The Houlihan Pant

She was the love interest of the repressed, hypocritical war hawk Major Frank Burns, a talented and dedicated nurse, and an object of lusty ridicule by Majors Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre.  She was uptight, rigid and unquestionably sexy.  And now there’s a trendy military inspired pant named after her.

Major Margaret Houlihan gave olive drab an appealing swagger.  The J Brand Houlihan pant, the pant of the season, will give you some of that simmer.  This pant is a stand out in a season of military/utility inspired clothing.  The Houlihan is fitted, cropped, with a long ankle zipper and shorter inseam that makes it great for shorter women.  The fit is unforgiving, so keep up your leg and booty toning work at the gym.  It’s made from a lightweight but rugged fabric--Japanese cotton twill with two percent Lycra. Vintage wash.  Celeb endorsements: seen on pop stars like Rhianna, Gwen Stefani, and Ciara. 

If you can get your mitts on a pair, your wallet will be $230 lighter.  The pant has been available at Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Barney's NY and Bloomingdale's, but has been a sellout at each store. Knocks-offs have to be right around the corner--keep your eye on Forever 21, Uniqlo, and The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy.  In the meantime, you could prepay for one of the 40,000 pairs that are on back order. 

Hair Club

Janet Jackson has a new look -- very close cropped hair.  And it’s news.  Celeb watchers everywhere are feverishly asking each other -- why??  Most posts I’ve seen on the topic begin with an outraged “OMG!”

Here we go again -- the age old discussions about hair and women’s identity.  Janet removed the extensions and went natural.  She has (for now) shunned the flowing shoulder length locks that we associate with her.  Does she feel naked or free? 

Janet has a face that the camera loves and she’s rocking her natural hair.  She looked great in the photos that I saw.  This look has been embraced by many sistas for decades and has been carried off with ample attitude and tremendous style.

A pixie cap of curls, kinks, waves.  Yes, the crop is a bold move, but showing the world how much you love your hair is a sign of confidence.  And confidence is sexy.  Go, Janet!

Viva Vintage!

One of my 2010 style resolutions is to wear my beloved vintage items more often.  These quirky pieces are brimming with history and stories of love and loss, striving and succeeding.

A recent New York Times slide show ”Vintage Finds From Around the World” is a testament to our enduring love of unique, dramatic pieces.  Readers from around the globe uploaded pics of their favorite vintage pieces and shared why they loved them.  Sample items: grandma’s leather boots, Louis Vuitton luggage, prom dresses from the ‘50s, ‘70s and ‘80s, elegant day wear from the ‘50s that recall Grace Kelly, and a motorcycle helmet that recalls Evel Knievel. 

My favorite vintage accessories are the boxes of costume jewelry that I inherited from my mother and grandmother.  Attention-getters like a two-headed snake bracelet, bold brassy necklaces and medallions.  Ropes of faux pearls that dress up a classic black sweater and black pants. Glittery flirty pieces that add a little jazz to the day.

Do you have a treasured timeless piece that you found in an attic, the Salvation Army, or on eBay?  If so, you will love this delightful article.

Sew What?

A friend and I were discussing the importance of good tailoring which can make the difference in your suit jacket hanging on you like a sleeping bag, or looking as if was hand made to accent your gorgeousness.  And, yes, good tailoring can make you look as if you spend hours at the gym pressing, squatting, spinning and lunging.  It can make a cheap suit look expensive and mean the difference between “you’re hired/you’re hot” or not.

Tailoring is for everyone.  Nothing fits perfectly off the rack, not even spandex bike shorts.  Be honest in the dressing room.  Tailors are happy to hem your slacks, let out your waistband or replace that zipper that you broke in rush hour haste.  The best ones can give advice on the best fit or length for you.  If you have a good tailor you can buy that darling Kenneth Cole dress that is a little too big at ½ off and have it lovingly nipped and tucked to fit the best parts of you.

You can be tres chic with the assistance of a needle and thread in skilled hands.  The local dry cleaner can handle routine sewing requests such as hems and replacing buttons.  For more complicated matters such as refitting suits or replacing linings, I recommend an old school tailor whose work uniform includes a tape measure worn rakishly around his or her neck.  However, if you’re lucky enough to have an aunt or cousin who knows her way around a Singer sewing machine, take your clothes to her with a good bottle of wine as a down payment.  Just make sure that you raise your glasses after she has measured, pinned and basted.