Put a pin in it

Any of my friends (and especially my roommate) can tell you, I love bobby pins. I shed them everywhere I go and instead of having a wrist full of hair bands I have enough bobby pins stuffed in my pockets to set off an airport metal detector.

So I'm thrilled to see my standby hair accessory going mainstream. The fashion forward started letting their zippers show last year, so showing off your bobby pins is another way of celebrating the art and tailoring that went into your coiffure.

Diane Kruger stepped out in a nude Hervé Léger by Max Azria dress and her bobby pins showing at the “Inglourious Basterds” Berlin premiere.




The First Lady relied on well hidden pins to create this chic faux-bob that set the presses on fire. But the convenient tuck-up was last year's craze, and this fall will see the inconspicuous bobby pin in the limelight.


Carolina Herrera's Fall 2009 show used bobby pins on the outside of the bun, instead of hidden underneath. Then Dior took things to another level with flapperesque bobby pin bobs.




You can pick up bobby pins in a shade to match your hair at any drug store, but amp it up with a little romance or rock by trying bejeweled or neon colored pins from an accessories store like Claire's or Icing. Or you could DIY it with a trip to a craft store for feathers, ribbons and charms.

The swimsuit issue

With summer well underway, most of us have been obsessing about our swimwear for at least the past 6 months. Immediately following the winter holidays, in fact, women start considering the diet regimes to attempt in hopes of attaining the impossibly perfect bikini body.
Here's one less thing to worry about: forgetting you suit while on holiday. There's no need to go skinny dipping if you're staying at The Standard Hotels, where bathing suits are on hand poolside, from a vending machine. Quicksilver has partnered with hotel chain to sell a line of boardshorts ($75) and bikinis ($84) for the forgetful.

"We decided to collaborate and make something cool as well as useful for Standard guests. Our core product is boardshorts, and The Standard hotels have pretty notorious pool scenes, so swimsuits made a lot of sense," Quiksilver's Joshua Katz tells WWD.

“This is a 24-hour customer, and a lot of times they might not have a swimsuit but want to take a late-night swim, after the hotel’s boutique is closed,” Katz said. “We are very much interested in new and progressive ways of reaching our customers.”

There are four different swim trunks and just one basic black bikini for the ladies (I guess boys are more forgetful).

With an $84 price tag, inconvenience doesn't come cheap, but -now that we're all past caring about how skinny we look in our suits and have moved on to perfecting that line-free allover tan- it's time to cash in on the swim suit clearance sales.

The past few summers have seen the revival of the retro one-piece suit, while popular runway trends like ruffles and 80s neon leaked into swimwear as well. Below is a mini look book (all on sale!), but you can also find great suits at discount stores like Marshalls and T.J. Maxx.

J.Crew ($29.99 each)

Macy's ($65.80)

Target ($29.99)

Style Challenge: 07/28

In honor of the Delaware State Fair, this week's Style Challenge will be to wear the fair to work.

So break out your plaids, belt buckles and denim - extra credit if you manage to incorporate livestock as an accessory. But the rub is, you have to keep it office appropriate.

Send in your photos and the best will make an online gallery. My own take on fair wear will be posted soon.

The (fascist) fashion police on Hillary Clinton

Ok, that's not a PC term for North Korea - it's officially the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea. Their system of governance is hardly worth discussing evidently, because a Foreign Ministry spokesman would rather trade insults with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The spokesman called Clinton "by no means intelligent" and a "funny lady."

"Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping," the statement said.

Hmmm...don't know where they got the school girl idea, unless North Korean school girls typically dress in pantsuits.

But this international incident is more interesting for its style repercussions than its political fallout. Hillary is not know for her fashion choices, hence this reaction by the New York Times to a very conservative V-neck blouse.

The cleavage, however, is an exceptional kind of flourish. After all, it's not a matter of what she's wearing but rather what's being revealed. It's tempting to say that the cleavage stirs the same kind of discomfort that might be churned up after spotting Rudy Giuliani with his shirt unbuttoned just a smidge too far. No one wants to see that. But really, it was more like catching a man with his fly unzipped. Just look away!

Steady on - I guess MObama's one-shoulder Inauguration gown really was a giant step forward for First Lady fashion.

The article does point out the conservative nature of Washington's dress code: "it wasn't until the early '90s that women were even allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor." !!!

Maybe there was some logic behind that archaic rule, since no matter what their policies (or their sense of style), women in Washington have always been targets for their wardrobe choices.

Would you wear it?

This Would you wear it? is for the gentlemen: the man girdle. Or "mirdle" or man corset, if you will.

Photo: equman.com

This product hit the market several months ago and yesterday the Times reported that Saks Fifth Avenue has sold more than 30 percent of its stock in four weeks. The men's fashion director, Eric Jennings, called the sales figures "incredible."

“No one really knows what to make of it, of course,” he said. “But one of the reasons why men are interested now is that silhouettes in general are getting trimmer.”

Er, have you taken a look around the average cubical pod lately? Silhouettes may be slimming down, but the Supersize option at a McDonald's only costs a recession-friendly 89 cents. So are guys really that concerned about looking trim?

Oh, wait. Men do it for their health. The premiere manufacturer of the body-con undershirts, Australian company Equman, claims their shirts will improve posture and reduce back pain.

Priced from $89 to $119, the shirts are made of a blend of polyester, nylon and spandex and come in a selection of styles and colors. Other companies (yes, including Spanx) are developing similar ergonomic, gut-sucking girdles.

If you are still on the fence about squeezing your spare tire into one of these tops, don't take the company's word for it, The Daily Mail got two male staff writers to try on the man girdles for a product review. (They have pictures!)

Write in with your first-hand mirdle accounts or opinions.

Coming soon to Christiana Mall

After settling for the somewhat less well dressed cousin (Gadzooks), we will finally get the keys to the mother of all couture-copying closets. And it's a two-story closet at that!

Chrisitana Mall is promising shoppers that the new Forever 21 store will be open in time for this year's holiday shopping. I, for one, am looking forward to the racks of "cheap-chic" clothes on their way. With the company's launch of a plus-sized line (Faith 21), a swimwear line, as well as home and beauty lines, the store may very well become the one-stop shop for tweens and twenty-somethings on a budget.

The only concern, besides Christiana's construction schedule, is whether Forever 21's designer look alikes will survive the latest copyright lawsuit.


What do you think of the legal battle over designer knock offs? Do you still buy them because it's your best chance to wear couture?

Polish up

This summer has saturated everything with color and the best part is that mix and match is definitely in. Since recessionista fashion loves the cheap accessory, I offer up the suggestion that you make nail polish your bling investment for the season. (Plus you're saving on the salon visits if you DIY.)


The beautiful jewel tones in coral, turquoise and royal blue take some careful coordinating to make sure you don't take on a 'Tuncan Sam' look. But if you have a little more time on your hands (ahem, recently unemployed friends), you can try on the whole rainbow on hand at a time.

Various celebs have been spotted sporting the ring finger painted in a complimentary color, but lately some have taken it a step further.

While we all know The Hills/City girls seem to exist in a self-tanner-induced fashion world of their own, their style is undeniable. (You can't run your fingers through your hair without running into an LC side braid.) The paint swatch look has great potential - in my opinion.

Try it in subtle shades at first. Bring back the plumy purple that was the shade this past winter, only soften it into shades from lavender to lilac to mauve. Tone down that electric yellow with a sunny range from tangerine to butter. And translate the nude trend into a polish pallet of beige with tones in pink, gray and tan.

OPI has a great collection with subtle steps between colors. If you don't want to shell out $9 apiece for five nearly-identical polishes, try the $4.50 options at Icing or, better yet, mix your own.

Get the beach look

Just in time for the start of 'staycation' season, Remington has come out with the perfect gadget for homemade beachy waves. The Spin Curl is a hairdryer that twists sections of your hair as it dries it, leaving you with a tousled, bed-head look.

According to an interview with the Daily Mail, British hairdresser Brian Coombes, 32, went through several designs before the simplest idea, in the form of a plastic cup prototype attached sideways on the end of a hairdryer, proved to be the most effective.

The hair is placed into the tube and whipped about by hot air from the dryer, and swirls around itself, creating ringlets that can then be tousled into natural-looking waves.

Mr Coombes said: "Whenever anyone sees it they are amazed it hasn't been thought of before.

"It really is quite a simple design and it doesn't damage the hair like straighteners which can be used to curl too. It just gives it a nice, soft look."


Using this device looks just as time-consuming as straightening your hair, but you give off the impression that you just rolled out of bed. There's another beauty conundrum.

I can't help but notice that if you were to leave you hair at step 3, you'd have a lovely head of dreadlocks. I bet Hot Topic would hardly be able to keep them stocked.

The Spin Curl doesn't appear to be sold in stores in the US, but is already marked down online.

The One-Run Dress

It's the antithesis of the LBD. It's the Little Sea Green, Ruched Gauze Overlay, Fake Rhinestone Detailing On The Train Dress (or LSGRGOFRDOTTD for short). Or maybe it's a Little Burgundy Dress from that wedding a few years ago that no longer fits. These dresses are beautiful in their own right, but just can't seem to make it out of the back of your closet.

With prom/graduation season coming to an end and wedding season just beginning, I think it's the perfect time to save you a little closet space and put those one hit wonders to good use - and a good cause.
There are several organizations in the area that take lightly worn dresses and donate them to girls who might not otherwise have the means to splurge on a one-time-wear gown.



The Formal Dress Project and a volunteer project by University of Delaware's Spirit Ambassadors both hold prom dress drives.

Men's formal wear is also welcomed, so, gentlemen, take advantage of this legitimate excuse for why you can't get dressed up for the family reunion.

Fashion to die for

The first in a litany of fashion catch-22s, skinny jeans have the potential to give you that long lean look of an adolescent fashion model, but also exponentially increase you chance of having a muffin top, oh yeah, and “tingling thigh syndrome.”

Before you get excited, this is actually a nerve condition called meralgia paresthetica, occurring when constant pressure — in this case, from the skin-tight denim — cuts off the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, causing a numb, tingling or burning sensation along the thigh.

An MSNBC article found one such fashion victim: 28-year-old Parmeeta Ghoman.

When she wore a pair of super-tight skinny jeans to dinner with friends in December, she noticed an odd tingly sensation running up and down her thighs. And when she got up to walk around, things got weirder. She felt like she was almost "floating," because she couldn't feel her legs. “It felt really strange — it felt like my leg had gone to sleep,” Ghoman says.

Not to cast your favorite stovepipe jeans in a dark light, but this nerve condition usually afflicts construction workers or police officers with heavy, low-slung belts, pregnant women or obese people. Young women of a healthy weight who complain of symptoms should look to their closet for the culprit.

"It can take some time for it to dissipate weeks or months even sometimes, if the damage is extensive,"says Dr. Orly Avitzur, a neurologist at Yale University.

A WebMD article reveals that nerve damage isn't the only risk you take wedging yourself into those skin-tight pants.

"Yeast, being a fungus, grows where it's warm and moist. If you have clothing that's tight-fitting and won't allow air circulation, that's where the problem is," says Josephine Von Herzen, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Salem Hospital in Salem, Ore., and a spokeswoman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Tight garments also cause rubbing and irritation, she adds. "That can be pretty uncomfortable."

What's the phrase? Right, beauty hurts. Maybe jeggings are worth a try.

Lady GaGa to launch 'Pants' Fashion Line

Ironic doesn't begin to cover it.
The Mirror is reporting that the Just Dance singer, 22, is in talks to launch her own line of ... can we call them pants if they are actually see-through leggings?

"I can't wait to do my own line. It's definitely something I want to do in the next year as I do have my own style. I'm already talking to my boy Akon about it."

What does Akon tell the pants-less pop singer?

“People dissed her because of the way she dresses, but she’s hot. Everyone wants to look like her. She’ll walk around in London in her underwear and you watch, everyone will catch on.”

Photo: NBC, Getty Images, Newscom

Thank God London is experiencing their heaviest snowfall in 20-odd years. Please, London, keep your herringbone trousers on! Could you imagine seeing anyone shimmy down the street in those stockings?

The Yonkers, New York native developed her eclectic style sense while working the New York club scene, where she often shared the stage with drag queens and burlesque dancers. From bows of hair and giant crystal-encrusted leotards to bleach blond locks and a legging collection to give Lindsay Lohan a run for her money, Lady GaGa's fashion certainly has some interesting mass-production potential.

I hesitate to do this, what with Halloween so far away, but if you're interested in channeling the Lady GaGa look try these stores:
You can find some leotard options at the Danskin Factory Outlet in Rehoboth, The Dressing Room in Newark, or American Apparel at King of Prussia. TJ Maxx and Target both have piles of tights and stockings on sale. Unfortunately, you are on your own trying to recreate those crystals.

Green is the New Black

The green craze has been running rampant since its inception in a Hollywood marketing office a few years ago (of so my theory goes).
In the fashion industry, green equals green (dollars that is). There are those designers and companies taking careful stock of their environmental impact, making sometimes costly changes to their production system, while the big chain stores go on mass producing cheap clothes. The unfortunate side effect being it seems that only the wealthy are capable of saving the environment. (Over the past few months, McDonald's is one of the few 'recession-proof' companies. Anyone else notice the uncomfortable parallel between cheap food and cheap clothes?)

"It's a catch 22," says Alice Demirijian, Director of Fashion Marketing at Parsons at The New School. "To be truly sustainable is to buy less." Designers are well aware they need to educate consumers to make a business out of sustainable fashion. Not only do they need to differentiate themselves from other green designers (especially from eco-posers), and spread the word about the virtues of greening the industry, they also need to compete with non-eco-products, which tend to be more reasonably priced. This is why marketing is key for these labels. But there is a difference between informing customers and outright fibbing about environmental claims, also known as greenwashing. According to many environmentalists and critics of this practice, marketers often employ tactics that paint products greener than they actually are. -Fast Company
To be fair, some of the pricier green options are due to the company going green in a big way, like only buying organic cotton of wool from free-range alpacas. A more practical approach would be simply re purposing recyclable materials or that bolt of unused fabric from two seasons ago. Here are some Very creative examples.


Here's the reality check: You can shell out for a top from Banana Republic's green line that debuted in Spring 2008. Both the product and the packaging have been made form sustainable fibers and the store itself is using energy-efficient light bulbs. Banana Republic is know for it's classic styles, so it could be a green purchase in that you will wear it for years. Or you can swing by your local thrift store and go rack-diving for a 'vintage' piece. Recycling clothes is the obvious green solution, with no manufacturing or packaging involved. It's all about finding a shade of green that will fit your budget.

Enough about Michelle, let's talk about Jill

The fashion world has gone crazy for Michelle Obama. Designers are tripping over their samples to dress her while fashionistas analyze her every clothing choice. (Remember when we were all dying to know what dress she had chosen for the Inaugural Balls?) Impeccable, classy, the next Jackie O perhaps, but what about Jill?
Our Mr. and Mrs. VP (aged 66 and 57, respectively) may not be a young as the First Couple, but they share the same youthful energy and looks. Jill's chic teacher-y style deserves as much praise as Michelle's. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before her shopping habits are also put under scrutiny, but forget about the recession of a minute and have a look:

The campaign trail can take a toll on a person, but here is Jill at several stops in September still looking sharp. I'm not in love with the grandmotherly yellow twinset, but the color looks amazing on her.


Sorry to knock on our First Lady, but Jill modeled the lemongrass suite for us first on election night. And there are no questionable green shoes in her ensemble.


Jill and Michelle must have called each other when they got dressed on the morning of the Whistle Stop. We all know how cold it was that day, but I wish Jill had tamed that scarf a little bit.


Jill perfects cold weather wear on another cold day in January, Inauguration Day. Beautiful color and, more importantly, killer boots.


This is the show stopper, Jill wears a red strapless Reem Acra gown to the Inaugural Balls. Strapless is quite a daring look for any woman over 40 and Jill manages to keep it classy and show off her great arms.


Just a glimpse of what is to come: Mrs. Vice President's first day on the job, showing a group of D.C. area school children around her new home at the U.S. Naval Observatory.

Diet Makeup

Girls, it's the answer to all your prayers: makeup that makes you skinny. These lip glosses will plump your pout and trim your hips at the same time. Take that Lisa Rinna!

Its creators, beauty industry insider and author Karen Robinovitz with cosmetics company Purple Lab, say this lip gloss will help you lick away the pounds.
Huge Lips Skinny Hips features Hoodia Gordonii extract, derived from the plant found in South Africa and Namibia, which has been used for centuries for its appetite suppressing benefits. So, the next time you find yourself drooling over the office candy cache, you simply have to run your tongue over your lips and the feeling of hunger will disappear.
Not to leave you wanting, the lip gloss also contains vitamin B3, which “stimulate[s] blood flow to the lip surface, diminish[es] the appearance of unsightly wrinkles around the mouth and create[s] a plumping effect without stinging or burning.” the manufacturers say.
This makeup miracle is available in six colors, from hot pink to nude, for £18 in the UK. Sadly, I've had no luck finding it on this side of the pond and may need to look into trans-Atlantic shipping costs.

Coming Soon

Reruns:Eva Longoria 2008 SAG Awards, Miley Cyrus 2008 Academy Awards, Heidi Klum at the 2008 Oscars

Big earrings – translated from the Fall ’08 trend- big necklaces. This is an understandable evolution, and the red carpet provides plenty of fodder for this fashion option.
**Where to shop: Check out the antique stores for some vintage bling (Olde Tyme Antiques & Gifts 294 E. Main St., Newark) or go big and go fake at accessory stores (Icing and Claire’s) or Froever21 and Burlington Coat Factory.

Sheer – A few designers tried this in Fall ’07, most noticeably adding the transparent touch to long gloves. This spring brings back the 80’s feel, as previewed by Project Runway’s favorite designer to hate, Kenley. Just be careful where the sheer is and what you wear under it (remember Gwenith’s mistake).
**Where to shop: The younger stores (H&M for example) already have a few options in netted dresses. You can also look at Cache for a more sophisticated interpretation. Try to make this trend your own by opting for transparent scarves or returning to sheer stockings.

Project Runway-Kenley Spring 2009

Truly new:Agyness Deyn in Burberry Spring 2009, Colette Pechekhonova in Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2009
Nude – This may be a tricky trend to master (especially without a little bit of pre-summer glow) because the wrong shade of nude will wash you out. A handy trick is looking for photos of celebs or models with your coloring and copying their color choices (provided that they look good, of course). Why pay for a stylist when you have internet access?

Strapless Sash Belted Silk Jumpsuit in Aura $149, Italian Linen Halter Jumpsuit $179, BeBe

Jumpsuit – The earliest versions of this trend were laughable, fitted-jean bodysuits. Spring débuts a 1920’s, Katherine Hepburn silhouette inspiration. High waists and flowing fabric in sleek neutrals make the jumpsuit a real figure-flattering option for a significant portion of the population.
**Where to shop: You can find this hot new trend at Forever21, but the quality is lacking and this is one look that needs to be chic not cheap. Try BeBe, they already have some on sale (photos above).

Marnie, Gucci, Karl Lagerfeld, Ossie Clark – Spring 2009

Ankle-strapped shoes – It seems that designers just can’t let go of the bootie. Though, at least this trend is a welcome reinvention of the ankle-high footwear. The ankle strap does cut the leg line and therefore women with shorter legs should get a second opinion before investing in this trend. However, the placement of the strap does wonders for those of you coping with that anatomical aggravation, the ‘kankle’.
**Where to shop: I haven’t had any luck in locating this style in the mainstream stores. Steve Madden, Bakers and similar stores offer one or two options apiece, but it looks like I will have to lust after Whitney’s for the time being.

Kanye West goes couture

The jack of all trades has has done it again. Kanye West was approached by Louis Vuitton to design some couture kicks for the high end brand. Despite his own dubious fashion choices - of the "yeah boyee", Cosby persuasion - I had no reason to expect the worst when I heard about this venture. Then the shoes debuted on the Louis Vuitton runway.

To hear him brag on his video blog, you would think he invented the stiletto, but no, he just RE-invented the sneaker, circa 1980. The enticing qualities: they come in bright colors, are extra bendy and by some miracle aren't plastered with KW monograms. So, just how did Kanye tap into his creative genius to bring us this foot candy?

We started from the sole. We made it lighter weight and flexible, so you can bend it…. I was inspired by the movie “Dune” because, as you know, I love sci-fi…. The collection had all these jackets that were very padded. They looked like maybe they had hockey pads in the jacket, and there was one where the collar came up really high. I took that element and I put that on the back of the shoe. It’s like the opposite of the tongue. Usually you have the tongue at the front. [This is] like a tongue at the back.

Riiiight. My vote is that he sticks to rapping. No word on how much these backwards shoes are selling for, but I think it's a safe bet that the only Kanye-inspired apparel I can afford are those venetian blinds sunglasses.

The Rant: Shoes

Here's another addition to the ‘get over it already’ list, where fashion goes to die. This time, let’s take a look at shoes that not even SJP could love.

I’ve already mentioned my abhorrence of the stripper platform shoes. They were alright, bordering on trashy when the trend was a small, ¼ inch wood-finished platform a few years ago (OK, I bought two pairs of shoes like that). Now things have simply gotten out of hand. We can’t all be Real Housewives.

Maybe it’s a climate thing, but I really wish the Ugg fad would bite the dust already. How could an Australian even come up with sheep’s wool-lined boots? The temperatures here hardly warrant the fluffy foot ovens. And to make things worse, the only way anyone below the Mason-Dixon Line can wear them is with a mini skirt. Like the Croc, this is one piece of footwear that needs to be kept in its proper place – the snow-bound north.

I recently stumbled across this interesting find while shoe shopping with a friend. They are open-toed flats, but the ‘open’ part just looks like the manufacturer forgot the front of the shoe. I am probably being premature in placing these on my hate list (as I wasn’t even able to try them on myself), but they looked just bizarre on my friend. So I’ll leave this one open to a public opinion poll. Give them a try at Burlington Coat Factory and weigh in.