Fashionable fete

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) held their annual awards ceremony last Monday night. In case you missed coverage of the fabulous festivities, check out my post for Green Cotton. It's a big night for American designers ("the Oscars of fashion"), and while I love and root for all the showcased artistes, from Marc Jacobs to Anna Sui, a few chic, summery dresses on these celeb attendees caught my eye...

Coco Rocha and Blake Lively both rocked strikingly different frocks by Michael Kors. Lively called hers, from the fall 2009 collection, "hi-liter pink."

Kirsten Dunst looked sweet in a grey stunner by big winner of the night, Rodarte. And she managed to work head-to-toe monochrome without looking like a robotic drone. Kudos, Kikki!

Ashley Olsen proved that twins are imbued with special powers when she pulled off this orange vintage gown-- without looking like the Great Pumpkin. I think the color looks great with her skin tone, and, hey, orange is supposedly the new red. I don't know what her other half was wearing, or doing, that night. Perhaps off sulking somewhere, envying her sis's obvious awesomeness. Olsen Twin Powers, Activate!

Diane Kruger, muse to Karl Lagerfeld, usually chooses Chanel. But for this all-American event, she couldn't have picked a more perfect dress. The ingenue wowed in It designer Jason Wu. So maybe red is the new red. Or something.

See Green Cotton and the CFDA's official site for more coverage and a complete list of winners. And let me know which attendee's looks you love most!

*Photos from WWD and WhoWhatWear

Secret sanctuary

Today, the weather was finally fair enough for a little trek into the woods...

Or is it an enchanted forest? Call it what you like; I call it my sanctuary. It's become my secret hiding place...

Surely no one will ever find me!

Tunic, leggings: Forever 21
Cardigan: BDG, Urban Outfitters
Boots: Payless

I hope you find a little sanctuary today.

Jane Erin

I wore the wrong outfit to work today.

It's spring, almost summer, it's supposed to be all about brights and whites. But those are hard to pull off when it's cold and drizzly. My mood tends to match the weather - just like in Jane Eyre, one of my all-time favorites - and I like my outfit to reflect the weather, too. (Really, I love any excuse to bust out my favorite khaki trench!) So I bundled up in my favorite layers-- sure, they're from last year, but let's look forward and call it "pre-fall."

Beret: H&M

Sweater (Silence & Noise), vest (Lux), dress (Kimchi Blue): Urban Outfitters
Leggings: Forever 21
Boots: Payless

Trench: Gap
Scarf: Kohl's
Bag: Simply Vera by Vera Wang, Kohl's

I love you, khaki trench, but I still hope the sun will shine so I can go play outside. :)

La vie en rose (and an old samovar)

June seems to have forgotten it's summer. Let's hope some roses (and a straw fedora) will remind her.

Cardigan, skirt, fedora: Ann Taylor Loft
Heels: Jessica Simpson
Locket: vintage

Happy little bluebirds fly...

Feeling blue? March certainly came roaring in like a lion, and I'm longing for warmer days to soothe my frazzled spirit. Lately I've been in a blue mood, but it turns out that's not necessarily a bad thing. April's Glamour reported that people tend to feel happier when they see the color blue... so much for it being a sad hue! So the other day I put on a bright new cardigan (bought on sale!) and let my little blue bird of happiness chirp to its heart's content.

Cardigan: Gap
Tank: Urban Outfitter's
Necklace: Gift
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Payless

Swing coat: H&M
Scarf: Borrowed from Mumsie!
Purse: Victoria's Secret

Bluebird of Happiness: Gift

The City: a hairstory.

I confess-- I'm more than a little obsessed with hair. And I'm not even embarrassed to admit that I'm also obsessed with The City. It's no wonder, then, that I'm captivated by the various hairstyles the cast sports each week. I tune in to see how Whitney will top off her goldilocks (crocheted flower headband or Renaissance fair-esque headdress? Dilemma!), ogle Olivia's perfectly curled and highlighted coif, and wonder whether Erin is going to top off her amazing bangs with a bizarre feather headband or just leave 'em be. Really, the suspense is just exhausting.But I do relate to the girls on this show, twentysomethings who are trying to "make it" in the fashion world (though most of them were born wealthy or do modeling to pay the bills...). I may not have grown up in L.A. or NY's Upper East Side, nor do I work for a famous fashion designer, but I still feel a special connection. But why?!? When I was watching Monday night's episode, I finally figured it out. I was shocked and awed to realize that, at one point or another, I have donned every hairstyle of each female "character" on The City. That's right-- every single one. Don't think that's remarkable? Read on...

Like Whitney, I once had long, dark blonde hair that I wore in wavy layers...

I also shared her penchant for scruffy Australian dudes:

I've sported blunt bangs, à la Erin...

Fitting that we also share the same name! Erins are inherenlty fabulous. Of course.

But eventually I grew the bangs out. Then I dyed my hair a slightly darker light brown ("caramel mocha," my Aveda stylist dubbed it), which shimmered with golden highlights...

... just like the coveted coif of Olivia Palermo:

This, however, turned out to be a mistake-- I asked for "chocolate brown," not mocha. So I marched back to Aveda for some serious hair repair. I ended up with delicously chocolate-hued tresses......much like those of The City's Allie:

Amazing! Right? Or am I just too easily amused? To see some truly inspiring hairstyles, check out The City. And now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go hack my hair off...

Think pink.

Oh, Natalie. I don't know whether I love you or hate you. On the one hand, I think you're a gorgeous, talented and super-smart actress, and this is certainly reflected in your sartorial choices. On the other... you make me feel seriously unaccomplished. And under-dressed.

But can you blame me for watching the Academy Awards and blogging in my pajamas? At least they're pink! And, truthfully, I love your gown selection. In a sea of black, white and beige, this orchid-hued Rodarte will easily shoot you to the top of every Best Dressed list. I have a feeling we'll soon be seeing plenty of pink copycats.

And speaking of pink...

Natalie, a vegan and animal-loving green gal, would love Pink Body, Victoria's Secret new range of beauty products. Each item, from body lotion to tinted lip balm, is all-natural, organic and vegan. That's right. I can't believe Vicky's gone vegan! I hope this is just one step toward greening the popular lingerie and cosmetics empire.

And I'm sure Nat approves!



*Photos: ABC.com, victoriassecret.com

Té Casan No Longer Making Vegan Feet Happy

Té Casan, the footwear company that housed Natalie Portman's line of high fashion vegan shoes, is shutting down. For good. No more store, no more website, no more sexy-sleek shoes for vegan fashionistas. It was so great to see vegan shoes interpreted in such a stylish way, and by a gorgeous and talented celebrity, no less. "It Girl" Taylor Momsen even rocked one of Natalie's designs on a September episode of Gossip Girl. What a moment! So I'm truly bummed. Not that I could afford a pair of Nat's divine slippers, anyway. But let's hope, for fashion lovers everywhere, that Nat takes her just-launched-this-year line elsewhere. And soon!

In the meantime, don't worry, fellow animal-loving shoe shoppers... We still have Mohop!

Change Indeed! Obama Supports Democratic Fashion

It's no style secret that Michelle Obama's wardrobe choices have sparked an American shopping frenzy. The White House/Black Market dress she wore during a June appearance on "The View" sold out across the country. The moderately-priced dress showed that Mrs. Obama is anything but a fashion elitist, though she does favor designers like Narciso Rodriguez and Thakoon. And Michelle's latest sartorial selection, as seen on the campaign trail, was even more budget-friendly: this black-and-bordeaux striped dress from cheap-chic retailer H&M!

Whether or not Michelle donned this frock as a nod to budgeting fashionistas during the nation's economic crisis, or simply because she's an H&M fan, we may never know (Though Obama did tell People magazine, "Some of my favorite summer dresses are from Gap and H&M"). What we do know for sure? Clad in looks from the runway or straight off the rack, Michelle Obama shows us how to be classy, confident and glamorous at any price.


*Photos can be found at glamour.com and blackbookmag.com