Thank you all for making 2011 a wonderful year! Enjoy the holidays and we'll see you back here on January 2, 2012. Until then, smooches. XOXOXOXOX
Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!
Links A La Mode
Links For Your Holidays!
Edited by: Collette Osuna of Statements in Fashion
At the risk of sounding like a Christmas song, isn’t this the most wonderful time of the year?
I love hearing all the Holiday music playing in the stores! Trees are getting trimmed, gifts are being purchased, and people for the most part, haven’t forgotten the true meaning of the season. I’m taking some time over the next few weeks to re-vamp my closet, bake up some Holiday goodies, and make some new memories with my family and friends. However you may be spending the Holidays, be safe and keep the ones you love near to your heart. I will see you in the New Year!
THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: DECEMBER 8TH
- Acquaallegoria: December dressing: How to rock a festively fug-a-licious jacket
- Ambassador of Fashion: Village Style: Thrifting in NYC
- Arash Mazinani: A guide for those wanting to buy clothes as gifts for Christmas this year.
- Boyish Chic: Home decor gift ideas for the boyish chic fashionista in your life!
- Coming Unstitched: How to be a really cute snow bunny.
- Ethical Fashion Blog: Ethical outfit competition winners - some very stylish and sustainable ladies
- Fact This Blog is Awesome: Quick Under Eye Circle makeup tutorial
- Fashion is Evolution: How I made a belt from an old Dior keychain I never used
- High Point Shoulder: How to dress comfortably & warm in the winter and still be chic
- In Her Glam: Style inspiration from Ashley Davenport, Victoria Grayson's assistant on ABC's hit drama Revenge
- Joyful Outfits: How to wear a denim shirt in the winter
- Little Miss Makeup: How to do wedding makeup the modern way
- Over 50 Feeling 40: Beginning to Process how bloggers can make a difference for small businesses
- Pandippo: Killer heels and a necklace stolen from my mom
- Pippa Holliday: Get out of bed hair - Bed Head
- Statements in Fashion: Our Christmas Home
- Synthetic Elegance: Illustrated holiday gift guide
- The Dapper Bun: Outfit Of The Day: Decorating the Christmas Tree
- The Frugalista Diaries: DIY Jeweled Collared Sweater
- The Style Confessions: Three inexpensive yet glamorous red lipsticks from the drugstore
Have You Ever Wanted to Buy Something Out-of-Season?
Well, the weather outside isn't frightful just yet. But Summertime is definitely a distant memory in this chilly Autumn. So, why do I have the strong, sudden urge to get one of these lace party dresses from LucieLu?
I mean - there will be parties over the holidays, right? And I could possibly Winter-up these dresses with some nice tights and a cardigan, right? Ideas?
Labels: all season, dilemma, lucielu
Halloween: The Saga
The office costume party sort of sneaked up on me this year. But I'm not going to run out to the mall in a panic. Nope, that was the old me. I'm thinking that with my quirky background, surely I already own more Halloween-y things than the average chick. So I'm going to "shop my closet" for the perfect pirate get-up. And if I need anything else, I'll make it with my own widdle hands. I've spent the last couple of days doing research on (Googling) female pirates and the one with the best swag in my opinion is whatever character Penelope Cruz played in that movie.
I'd like my attire to be something like that, but a little more fancy. I've already started decorating a crushed velvet hat I bought a few years back and I've added a felt flower blossom to a plain eye-patch. I have a tiered lolita skirt, striped bloomers and some big lace-y shirts (one of them will surely work, right?). I think if I pile on enough seaworthy jewelry and accessories after that, I'll be all set. What do you think? And more importantly, are you dressing up for Halloween this year. If so, who or what are you going to be?
Top left picture from Hostess with the Mostess
But On The Other Hand...
So Long, Crystal Renn
Well, we knew this day would come.
You ladies know we love to champion plus-size models here to be sure they get the love they might not get other places. So, it was obvious a few months ago that we might eventually have to say goodbye to Crystal Renn as a subject on our blog. Not as a person - she has the right to do whatever she wants with her body. But as a woman who used to show the world that curvy can be beautiful, she no longer fits the bill. Yes, she's virtually unrecognizable since her most recent weight loss. But it's not her it's us. We're just not here to shed light on everyday stick thin models. That's what those other style blogs are for.
As EntertainmentWise.com wrote last week, such a dramatic change after years of Renn's talk (and a book!) about plus size beauty seems to promote the idea that "everyone wants to be thin, regardless of how many times they say 'I love my body the way it is.'" And we can't be part of that.
A Vintage Inspired Look
I just received some pictures of Mad Men's Christina Hendricks at the premiere of "I Don't Know How She Does It" in New York City. I think she's a curvy girl who knows how to wear vintage-inspired looks in a modern way. What do you think? Who are your fashion idols when it comes to this style?
Jewelry by Katerina Maxine
Labels: Christina Hendricks
Crazy Month!
What a weird and wacky month. East coast earthquakes, hurricanes, and power outages. If we haven't been blogging as much as usual, it's because we've sort of been through the wringer. On top of that, my little one started Kindergarten on Monday and turned five on Tuesday. (Happy Birthday, Pumpkin!) But you know what? We're making the best of it. Plugging away, barreling through, grinding it out, making headway. I don't know where we're going, but we're getting there! So expect lots of new and exciting posts for next week. As for you, August 2011. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
My New Favorite Body Cream
August is no time to get caught with dry skin, amirite? The higher temperatures mean we have to bare more, so we have to stay moisturized. Plus, it's just good grooming. I don't think I'm the only woman who has a choice of creams, lotions, salves, oils, and butters to slather on when she gets out of the shower. But recently my collection had been seriously lacking and I know from experience that having products you're excited about makes you more likely to actually use them. So I decided to buy one of the items I'd bookmarked on Etsy. It was the Whipped Satin Luxury Cream by PinkDandy. I had contacted the seller ahead of time to make sure the fragrance I wanted - OK Sugar - was available. She was friendly and very open to customizing my order in just about any way possible, which means a lot to a very picky person like me.
My order arrived a few days later, well-packaged and with a generous sample of a second body cream labelled "birthday cake". I dove right in to the full-size body cream and - what a treat! It was very thick, but also light and creamy. The scent was divine. It reminded me of Jones Cream Soda, but with the tiniest twist of lemon. Very crisp and summer-y. I will definitely be using this cream for the rest of the season and beyond. And as for the sample, it is entirely too yummy. Since the Birthday Cake scent layers well (see what I did there?) with the OK Sugar fragrance, I keep the sample on my desk at work for little touch ups throughout the day. Here's a picture of my little haul today at the office.
Links A La Mode
Love Yourself Always and Forever.
Edited by Nubia of NubiasNonsense
Loving yourself might very well be the key of living a happy life. Love your strengths, your weaknesses, everything! Everyone who made a submission to Links à la mode should be very proud and content with themselves. You are all fashion bloggers with a voice and have something to share with others. Did you know that your post could make someone's day? Your DIY shorts might have been the highlight of a young girls day. Your inspirational post might have motivated someone who had the blues. These are all reasons to keep writing great content and when in doubt remember... YOU INFLUENCE PEOPLE.
- Aqui : Heres now: tie a turban
- Arash Mazinani : Build Your Brand: How To Create Your Signature Look
- Bachman's Sparrow : How to Keep the Passion Going in Blogging and Other Endeavors
- Brunette Blogging : The Blogging Sins
- Couturelust : DIY Isabel Marant pink lace up shorts
- Dignity Zine : Photoshop Expose, Penelope Cruz in Vogue
- Divergent Musings : The Cost of Blogging
- Dramatis Personae : What Carrie Bradshaw Taught Me About Aging & Getting Older
- FIERCE : Don’t Keep Up With the Blogging Joneses, Just Keep Up With Yourself
- IFB : The Reality of Blogging While Working a Full Time Job
- Inbetween Seams : Let’s Talk About Internships: What to Wear
- LAW OF FASHION : taking trends to the office [neon]
- LucyPlease : Making a User Friendly Blog
- Made to Travel : My Faves in Ethical Swimwear
- Oh, the Plaves You'll Go! : Naturally Beautiful
- Seamstress stories : Adaptation
- Style Nugget : Commenting: Still the Best Thing About Blogging?
- Sugar and Spice : Be a Better Fashion Blogger
- The Fashion Police : Skin Color is Not a Not a Fashion Statement
- Titine & Totoche : Warao Tribute
Angel Secret Review
So, I was looking for a season-less blazer. If this year's Spring cleaning taught me anything it's that there is almost no point to having so many clothes that can only be worn for a few months out of the year. I was looking for something out of the ordinary and slightly punk-y when I spotted this plaid power-shoulder blazer at a store called Angel Secret on eBay:
Don't worry - I had no intention of wearing it the same way as the model. That would be a bit much, even for me. No, I saw myself toning it down with a plain white shirt underneath, a well-worn denim skirt, and my strappy Aldo wedge thingees. I saw that the seller Angel Secret was locatedin Hong Kong, which meant the jacket could take a long time to arrive, but I took a chance and bought it anyway. A couple of weeks later it arrived in good condition. Here's my experience: The jacket is made in several sizes, but I was surprised that it fit as well as it did. I thought the sleeves might have been a tad too long. I'm not sure that's actually the case or if it has to do with my personal preference, but I rolled them up. This turned out to be just fine since the entire jacket is lined with a satiny dotted material. It has cute brass-y buttons down the front but they don't actually button; instead a super-strong hook-and-eye mechanism holds the blazer closed in the front. I thought this was a well thought-out detail because it's the same way that my favorite military blazer works. Anyway, here's the final result. (Forgive the blogger-at-work pics and the flat hair and the leggings- it's very cool in my office.)
I could definitely see myself buying again from Angel Secret. For $49 and free shipping I received a lightweight blazer that could be dressed up or down. In fact, I recently ordered this jacket from there...
...and I'll have a review of it very soon. As you can probably tell I'm a hard core fan of blazers because they help me to get out of the door in a hurry. There are lots of mornings when I'll just throw on a pair of jeans, a random top and a blazer. Regardless of the season, the blazer pulls it all together. Do you have your own secrets for looking "pulled together" in a hurry? If so, please share! Also, where do you get your blazers? I'm always on the lookout.
Canvas & Fabric Handbags
Maybe it's a sign of the economic times, but canvas and fabric handbags are apparently making a comeback. I've been seeing them everywhere. Dolce & Gabbana wants over 300 bucks for that little number in the corner up there, but you can find similar ones for a better price! I'm definitely thinking about picking one up but... read more on our review blog
I haven't narrowed down my choices just yet. When I do, I'll be sure to come here and share. So, what about you? Any interest in canvas handbags or are you partial to another material? Tell me all about it in comments!
Links A La Mode
Your Blogs Perfect Accessory: Brilliant Pictures
Edited by Denimology
As I was selecting my posts for this weeks Links A La Mode, I realized how important it is to have attractive and original images in your posts. I noticed that I would open a post and close it promptly if the images looked rather..... what's the word... meh.
Here is how to have your blog posts chosen by me [Denimology] for LALM:
- Images Are The Main Course -- A great image will draw in your reader. The image might be beautiful, odd, heartwarming, instructive or just curiosity-provoking, so long as it keeps the reader wanting to read your post.
- Don't Forget To Use an Image -- It’s better to use a generic image than no image at all but ultimately your image should represent what the subject of your post is about.
- High Quality Images Are Best -- We've all heard the saying "Pictures speak a thousand words", but in the blogging world they speak even more. Adding HQ pictures to a blog post will visually stimulate your readers and help them identify with you, the writer.
- Resize Your Images -- While images can make your blog looked polished and professional, having images that hang over into the margins or that are cut off is sloppy blogging.
Links à la Mode: May 19th
- And She Loved: How to DIY more-- list of resources for DIY projects and ideas
- Beautifully Invisible: 5 Things Jack Sparrow Taught Me About Fashion & Makeup
- bestofbklyn: Summer getaway essentials
- Beyond Fabric: Incorporating ethnic pieces into your attire
- Chic 'n Cheap Living: Wardrobe staple: Trouser jeans
- Denimology: Denimology's 5th Anniversary 'Free Jeans Every Day In May' Denim Giveaway Want free jeans? We have Lots to give away!
- fashionablynumb: Angel Garcia The Label Whore. People who get carried away with labels and logos.
- For Those About to Shop: 10 great designer quotations
- ggfashionista: A tutorial in how to achieve a chic headband look with a scarf
- IFB: New IFB Feature -- Twitter/Livestream Chat
- Kirstin Marie: A shopaholic's tips
- Mary Jane Girl: Kristen Leotsakou Interior design: do's, don'ts and must have items
- My Favorite Fashion: Victoria Vintage Vision: how & why vintage fashion has become so popular
- Rose tinted uncertainty: Rhona Nolan - Should we pick one look or reserve our right to be polystylish???
- Sample Sale Sites: Jeans Make A Difference - Denim Unites For Peace
- Speak2Ashley: Style lessons from French women, the French way
- StyleSizzle: How to build a better wardrobe
- Styling You: Why the colour navy is so Posh
- Stylish Thought: Are you a Savage Blogger?
- TheStylishButterfly: Confessions of a new blogger: High fashion vs. real fashion
- ThisIsAYes: Summer Ready? - from less Makeup to more Sailing, Mint Green Dresses, more Maxi Skirts and Round Sunglasses
- truequeen: 11 Ways to Revamp Your Dresser
SPONSOR:
Sexy Tops at Shopbop: Vena Cava, Blue Life, Monrow, Vince, Wildfox,
LnA, Equipment blouses, LAMB, Zac Posen, Rachel Roy & Jill Stuart
DIY Almond Rosewater Facial Scrub
I've been playing around with this for a few weeks, but I think I now have the perfect all-natural facial scrub. My skin is pretty clear right now and I think I owe it all to my new creation. I've been using it every night and I made it with four really simple ingredients. Here's what I used:
1/2 cup of almond meal (I got mine from Trader Joe's but there are lots of sources online, too.)
A generous amount of rosewater
2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil or almond oil
1 teaspoon of natural witch hazel (different from the kind at the corner drugstore)
Optional: capful of gin or vodka
I added the almond meal to a bowl and mixed in enough rosewater to make a very thick paste. (Feel free to experiment with the consistency, though, and make it the way you want!) Then, I whisked in the oil and followed with the natural witch hazel. I used a whisk or fork each time I've made it, though I supposed you gourmet-types could get a smoother concoction using a hand-mixer or blender. Any way you mix it, it's a great little scrub that isn't too rough and won't leave your skin all red and angry. In fact, it's pretty soothing. As with all natural products you'll need to think about how to keep it fresh. I've been either refrigerating mine or adding a capful of gin. With the gin it will last 3 or 4 days in a cool/dry place, but it'll keep for more than a week if you shove it in the refrigerator when you're done.
I'm really pleased with the results (obviously, right?) so I just had to share. But I'm still fiddling with other creations, so I'm pretty sure I'll have more of these projects to share down the road. Do you make any of your own skin care products? If so, which ones?
Short Rompers & Jumpers
Maybe you were hoping rompers would just go away? They certainly didn't seem convenient or even entirely flattering the last time we talked about them. (We can only imagine what Tim Gunn would say!) But here we are taking a look at the updated "one-piece jumper thingees" coming out in time for the warm weather, and we have to say - some of them are pretty darned hot! What do you think??? Way to go? Or... oh honey, no? See more of what we're talking about here.
Links A La Mode: This Week
As the World Turns
Edited by Fajr of StylishThought.com
With so much going on in the world, the Japan earthquake, the upheaval in Libya, the aftermath of John Galliano’s actions and the social phenomenon that is Charlie Sheen, it’s great to see the fashion blogging community talking about the issues and bringing a little light with the fancy of fashion! Included in this week’s amazing links: Shopping to Aid Japan Relief, an outfit post for Charlie Sheen, exploring the new neon trend and behind the scenes of how Hermes scarves are made!
Links à la Mode: March 24th
- Arash Mazinai- Bling Bang: Exploring the Blood Diamond Trade
- Cheap & Chic Living- For Japan with Love
- Dress with Courage- Do you dress older or younger than you really are?
- Fashion Evolution- Ups and Downs in my Fashion History
- Fumiko Kawa- Two Patterns of Minimalism
- FOTW- When did Fashion become porn?
- Juliette Maxwell- How to Take Runway Pictures
- La Rouge- How to Live in Two Places at Once
- Missemmamm- An Ode to Charlie Sheen
- Miss Viki- Chat with Russian Art Illustrator Lena Ker
- My Heart Blogged- Blogs from the Heart: Citizen Rosebud
- Obsessive Coolness- Should Talent be Boycotted in Favor of Morality?
- Snappy and Snazzy- Rules of Flattery
- Style Bizarre- Beware of what you Wear
- Sugar Coated Style- Cherry Blossoms in the Breeze
- Tres Awesome- Hermes Festival of Craft
- Try It On Me- The Bright Stuff~ A neon color palette brings back memories of 1990's fashion and fun!
- The Button Owl- DIY Fishtail Braid Tutorial
- The View from 5 ft 2- Aldo x Julian Louie x Spring/Summer
- Stylish Thought- 5 Fanciful Frocks for a Swinging Spring
SPONSOR:
Shopbop Sale: Jen Kao, Maison Scotch, Free People, Tibi, Jil Sander, Herve Leger, Tory Burch, & Alexander Wang
Sick!
This time of year it seems everyone is either sick or taking care of sick people. Guess which one I am? The latter, or course! So far, I'm the last (wo)man standing so I've been busy looking after two fellas who seem to be taking turns with various manifestations of cold and/or flu. They're getting better, but for the last couple of weeks I've had absolutely no time to blog. I'll be getting back into the swing of things with new reviews and posts before the end of the week. Hang in there - Spring is almost here!
Intimates & Sleepwear Sale at Torrid
Is your underwear unraveling? Shapewear out of shape? Bras no longer lifting-and-separating? Just in the mood for better lingerie? If so, you might be in luck. Until Valentine's day, Torrid is giving 25% off sexy sleepwear, bras, shapewear and panties. So pop over there if your intimates need updating.
IFB Presents: Links a la Mode
It's Getting Hot In Here
Edited by Ann of Holier than Now
Though you may be living in a snow globe (sure feels like it here on the East Coast), you're never out in the cold - assuming the snow hasn't knocked out your internet ... This week's links will warm you up with hot topics that, ideally, bring out the best in a thoughtful, vibrant blogging community. Take your gloves off (the wool kind, not the boxing kind) and join the conversation!
P.S. If you'd like your voice heard here in Links a La Mode, take a look at this helpful guide by Grit & Glamour.
Links à la Mode: January 27th
- Alternations Needed Petite Body Tips Are Usually Bunk: Find Out Your Real Body Shape
- Styling You Jeggings: For or Against?
- Ruby-Eyed Okapi How The Media Tells Us How to Look Through the Lies of Photoshop
- Melina Bee 8 Tips on How to Leave Great Comments
- Love Brown Sugar The Great Debate: Do Skinny Girls Have More Fun?
- Fashionwrites On the Controversial Debate on Fashion and Ethnicity
- Peachy Keen A Week with No Pants
- Full Time Fabulous The 10 Commandments of Building a Loyal Blog Readership
- FOTW A Controversial Take on Burberry's SS/11 Campaign
- Independent Fashion Bloggers: Proezna Schouler speaks at IFB Evolving Influence
- The Haute Hoosier One Man Admits His (Sartorial) Man Crush
- A Perfect Midnight What's In a (Blog) Name
- The New Professional Walking the Halls, Not the Streets: Can Tall Boots & Skirts Work for the Office?
- The Demoiselles What Does it Mean to Be Labeled - And Does it Matter?
- Brunette Blogging Privacy and Blogging
- 260 Days No Repeats Can the Stripe Trend Work for Any Body Type?
- Makeup and Jeans Girl Orange Lipstick for All? 5 Tips to Make It Work
- Holier than Now Crossing the Line: The Cross Jewelry Trend - Offensive or Innocent?
- Dress with Courage Androgyny, Prada, and Taylor Swift: My Relationship with Perfume
- Analogue Chic No More Mugshots: How to Look Better in Profile Pics
- Over 50 Feeling 40 Is Fashion Over 50 More Fun?
SPONSOR:
Shopbop: Clogs, Flats, Heels, Platforms, Knee Highs Boots, Wedge Sandals, Booties, Open Toe, Shoe Sale, Designers
Tennis, Anyone?
IFB Presents Links A La Mode
In With The New
Edited by: The Sunday Best
It's funny how an arbitrary measurement like time can cause us to reassess our lives, make long lists of promises, and end up overpaying for bad parties filled with depressed people staring into their drinks. Just me? Let's start the year off right with a collection of links bursting with new year-y goodness.
Links à la Mode: January 6th
- 55th Street: Twelve months, twelve photos, twelve words
- Analogue Chic: Fashion anomalies - under-the-radar trends from 2010
- Archives: Best of the worst 2010 (photos)
- Awakened Aesthetic: The heiress and the architect
- Brunette Blogging: The blogging flu
- Dramatis Personae: 50 radical New Year's goals
- Elle Enchanted: Tips on being a better blog reader
- Fashezine: Delicate matters (organic cotton)
- Fierce: How an editorial calendar can save you
- Forever Amber: What I learned from a month of wearing dresses
- Independent Fashion Bloggers: 10 Tips To Get Back Into Blogging
- Inkblot*Photography: Sound Off - A note on body image
- Karma-Style: No mutton allowed...
- Miss Vinyl Ahoy: 8 simple rules for mixing patterns
- Moda de la Mode: Let's start a colour revolution
- Naked Glory: Fashion and sex
- Tall Girl Blogging: Remarkably unremarkable - Blogging and body image
- The Cheap Girl in a Chic World: Fashion rules were meant to be broken
- The Coveted: Wearing Summer Dresses in the Dead of Winter
- The Elegant Bohemian: All the glitters
- The Fashion Planner: New Year Detox
SPONSOR:
Shopbop Boot Sale: S.Weitzman, Dolce Vita, Ash, S.Edelman, T.Burch, J.Campbell, Minnetonka, Loeffler, Hunter, UGG, Frye
Happy New Year, Brickhouses!
So far, so good in 2011. After just a few days, this year is already looking better than the last one. We are working on a kick-arse list of the top trends going into the coming seasons and we're writing-up some long overdue fashion reviews. But we'd also love to hear from you! What are you looking forward to in the coming year??? Beauty-wise? Fashion-wise? Life-wise? Do tell!