shopping SOHO

I love store hopping through SOHO. On Saturday I trekked down to check out a few stores I still hadn't been to yet.

On the short list:

Madewell- the store opened its doors in 2007 and has been picking up a serious following ever since. small store, 2 floors, great product! loved a lot of things, but with leaving for Spain on Thursday everything was out of reach.

DASH- line to get in, small, no product and Kardashian branded items galore. with rent so high, I doubt this store will last.

TOPSHOP- huge, hit or miss. reminded me of H&M/F21/Zara combo. purchased the blue dress below. LOVE IT. great for right now, spain and the upcoming season!

TOPSHOP- blue layered long sleeve shift dress and STEVEN by Steve Madden- Mercyy 

Madewell- gallery hop sequin shorts

ooolalala OSCARS

Happy Friday. I can't wait to tune in Sunday for the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony. I am the one who has to make sure the channel is switched over to E! red carpet coverage an hour before to catch all the fabulous (and not so fabulous) gowns the stars have chosen to wear.

Here are some of my 2011 Oscar dress predictions! I am hoping out of the 100's of gowns, I can get at least one right...then again these are the one's I would want to wear right now!

Oscar de la Renta - FA 2011

Oscar de la Renta - FA 2011 and L'Wren Scott - FA 2011

Badgley Mischka- FA 2011

Carolina Herrera - FA 2011



manhattan manicures

I have always loved my mani's but as soon as I moved into the city I became addicted. A mani runs me about $10/visit and to me makes all the difference. I always look forward to my manicure every week and sometimes feel the pressure when I have to choose a color.

I used to be an OPI girl, but when I came north essie was all the fuss and what took over every "salon" (which you can usually find 1 per block). Essie does it and does it so well. Say goodbye to the brown, navy and deep purple and check out their entire Spring Collection. Here are my picks for March!

essie- nice is nice and essie- sand tropez

JORTS

Ohhh jean shorts. I love them, but to all the men out there...please stay away from all things JORT.

I bought a pair of Joe's last summer and think I wore them almost everyday when I wasn't at work. I wore them to near death. You can pretty much rock them anywhere and with anything. To the beach, to the park and heck even to happy hour. The pair I have is super comfy and not restricting in the slightest. Here are a few pairs I want to try on and snag before the spring season is underway.

Citizens of Humanity- manic cheeky short and 7 For All Mankind- pleated short with self belt



Joe's Jeans- cuff denim shorts and UO- levi's sailor shorts

left the BIG EASY, back in THE city

I got back from NOLA late last night. What an amazing trip and a fab time catching up with friends. We listened to amazing live music, ate delicious food and sipped on hurricanes into the wee hours of the night. There is no place like the BIG EASY and it kicked my ass, but as much fun as it was... it's good to be home. I love the big apple.

I did get a chance to do a little shopping while I was there...obviously. I hit up the french quarter on my last day in town and fell in love with a few things. Who doesn't love new purchases, especially when you're on vacation!?!

Dolce Vita- 'gi' jacket and MARC by Marc Jacobs- oversized square sunglasses with retro temples

UO- pins and needles basic straw floppy hat and UO- floral print crochet eternity scarf

daydreaming or soft-core porn?

After seeing Nanette's amazing FA2011 collection yesterday I still wasn't understanding her entire inspiration (originally NYMag said it was "daydreaming"). As I started reading a little more about her show I found out she had been on Stanley Tucci's new PBS show and revealed her inspiration was indeed soft-core porn. *See NYMag Article for more details!

Having never seen late 70s/early 80s soft-core porn I can't really piece together her inspiration, however, I do have my favorite looks. I'm most def going to rock the white tights this fall...and I LOVED the makeup and nails. An overall great runway show for Nanette.

LIPS: MAC new Runaway Red Lipstick NAILS: clear polish with a swipe of silver glitter at the tips

Many thanks to Jillian for inviting me into such great shows this week!

NOLA bound today! Everyone have a safe holiday weekend!

LOVED this. Excited about THAT.

from my blackberry: inside the tent and at the end of the show!

What a gorgeous show last night. I scored a third row seat in a middle section and just sat there staring at the precise dying on all the furs of the luxury label, J. Mendel. I wasn't crazy about some of his looks, but overall it was amaze. I love knowing fur will still be all over the place for Fall 2011. Here are my favorites from last night!

On to the next one...I have Nanette Lepore @ 11am and I am so so excited to see her show. Her inspiration for her FA2011 collection is daydreaming. I expect to see a soft retro style with just the right amount of frill. Her dresses always fit great and I can't wait to see what the runway unfolds! Keep you posted as always on twitter @VSALT_FASHION.

Nanette's Inspiration

FW now. SHOP later.

Today and tomorrow I am finally getting my taste of  Fashion Week 2011.

I am kicking it off tonight with J. Mendel's show. Rumor on the street is the show will be packed and I can't wait to drool over the fall line. I love a brand with a lot of family history and that is what J. Mendel is all about. Family-owned since 1870 the brand is currently under 5th generation CEO/Head Designer Gilles Mendel, where he continues to create amazing pieces.

Here are my top 4 picks from the 22 piece pre-Fall 2011 Womenswear collection.

 

                    


I'll be tweeting from the show @ 6P. Follow me @VSALT_FASHION for the latest on the fall line!

Valentine's Skivvy Picks

Happy V-DAY! When a fellow OWU journo major shows interest in doing a guest blog, ya know your blog has made it big. Ha. We spent many nights eating gummy bears while laying out pages of the transcript and giving Mike and Greg shit about who knows what....at one point I believe we suggested a mini fridge, so we could sip on delicious beers while we put together our weekly paper. 

As an OWU journo you have a special bond with one another. You get all the 'Reganisms'. We all know he can't spell and that he isn't a fan of fox news. You love Underwood and you know Rhodes was the greatest addition to our small family. And the day you declared, you hoped by the time Senior Sem rolled around (2nd semester, senior year) it wouldn't be Tuesday/Thursday at 830 AM...phew.

So cheers to all my journo's out there and a big thanks to ER for doing a guest blog on this hallmark holiday! xoxo

Two types of underwear exist in a woman's life: the kind guys all assume we wear (skimpy, lacy, and sexy) and the kind we actually wear (gigantic, cotton, loose elastic, graying from the washer. In other words: horrifying). I'm of the belief that in order to be a fully balanced person, any Veruca girl worth her salt should own a combination of the two. But for Valentine's Day, only the former is kosher. Though your guy won't tell the difference-- I've never met a man who actually cared about lingerie-- you don't have break (or rob) a bank to look ridiculously hot this V-Day.

My picks this year are casual, fun, and flirty: they aren't like, "I went out and bought this underwear specifically for this purpose." Rather, they say, "Oh, I'm just this sexy all the time, and wear lace panties under my work clothes. Because that's something I do." Even if it's not something you do AT ALL. (Read my previous statement about the loose elastic and giant cotton.) To start, I love these thongs from Hanky Panky-- they're the best of their kind, last forever, and come in a bunch of cute colors. Pair with a black bra, and you're all set. The others are on my short list for this year's St. Valentine's Day massacre.

Hanky Panky- valentine's gift set thongs and Juicy Couture- tiered ruffle nighty

Betsey Johnson- stretch mesh balconette set and Honeydew- intimates floral lace chemise

birthday > vday

I was going to focus on gifts for VDAY for your significant other....but my 2 best friends from HS are en route to NYC (coming via bus from Boston and DC) where we will all be together to celebrate Lindsey's 24th BDAY, thus we are having the furthest thing from a romantic weekend.

Last weekend J. Dansie was in town from DC. (Yes we have a lot of visitors and bffs, our apt is basically a hostel!) She packed along a new purchase which I absolutely fell in love with. This bag was a perfect combo between a Chanel and a Bottega Veneta. It was also the perfect size and style for going out at night; and even better it was a F21 purchase!

I know plenty of my friends struggle with bringing a purse out at night (cough cough Kathleen) and I think the crossbody bags are where it's at when you know it's about to be a long night.

Here are a few choices I love, including Jen's great purchase!

F21- small mock croc leatherette handbag and Rebecca Minkoff- 3-zip rocker leather crossbody bag

MARC By Marc Jacobs- 'percy' turnlock crossbody bag in black and JCrew- corsa pursette

 

MICHAEL Michael Kors- 'charlton' crossbody bag in black (SO many color options!) and F21- compact shoulder bag in black