Folli Follie Happy Nugget bracelet #RANBonusBox

Brand Discovery

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Mar 5, 2016

Good morning all, happy Saturday. We just wanted to share a quick post about the Folli Follie Happy Nugget bracelet that we received in the 2016 Q1 Bonus Box by Rakuten Affiliate Network. Our #RANBonusBox arrived earlier in the week. We already wrote a post about the Sweaty Betty yoga tank that came in the box. You can read that post here.

Folli Follie is a Greece based company that sells jewelry, watches, bags, and other fashion accessories. They describe as their core philosophy a dedicated focus on “the original design and sale of a fun, versatile, and affordable luxury collection designed to meet the varied and dynamic needs of trend-conscious women and girls worldwide”.

We first discovered Folli Follie last year thanks to the Rakuten Affiliate Network. The first Bonus box we received contained a Folli Follie watch. You can read the post we wrote about that here.

We’ve since been crushing on Folli Follie jewelry but you know how it is with the struggle. We have some items on our wishlist and hope to get them off our wishlist and into our closet this year. Check out our Instagram to see the Folli Follie items we’re eyeing for purchase some time in 2016.

Meanwhile, we’re thrilled to have received this Folli Follie Happy Nugget bracelet in the Q1 Bonus box.

Now we have two Folli Follie items in our collection.

Our Folli Follie Happy Nugget bracelet is a rose gold plated bracelet from Folli Follie’s Happy Nugget Collection. It’s made of PU leather and features a clear crystal stone. It’s a cute little bracelet that’s ideal for stacking. It comes with a $75 price tag. There are other colors in addition to the orange, including white, beige and yellow gold.

For more fun and versatile Folli Follie bracelets, check out their website at follifollie.com.

#Yoga in a Sweaty Betty tank- thanks #RANBonusBox

Health & Fitness

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Mar 3, 2016

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#Yoga in a Sweaty Betty tank- thanks #RANBonusBox

Do you start your mornings with #yoga in a Sweaty Betty yoga tank?

Hello all, we know we’ve been missing in action for a few days. That’s because our editor-in-chief is facing some personal challenges. She will be undergoing surgery on Monday and so things have been a bit off schedule and will remain off schedule until at least April. But we wanted to get something posted before Monday, and thanks to the #RANBonusbox from @Rakutenmarketing_US ( and the things that came in the box, including a Sweaty Betty #sweatybetty #yoga tank), we can probably get a couple of posts up by Monday.

If you don’t know about the #RANBonusbox…

The RanBonusBox is a little box of awesome goodies that the folks at Rakuten Marketing send out to a group of publishers who belong to their Rakuten Affiliate Network. We’ve been very lucky to have been one of the 50 publishers chosen to receive the 2016 Q1 Bonus box. We also received bonus boxes in 2015 and we discovered many interesting brands thanks to the Bonus Box. We now regularly use products from some of the brands, and without question these products have enhanced our lives.

The 2016 Q1 Bonus box contained a fun yoga tank from the British brand Sweaty Betty. Here are some pictures of our editor in chief wearing the Sweaty Betty Avesha Yoga Tank earlier this morning to illustrate that it’s a great tank even for ladies with big tummies.

For the last few years Adela (aka Monica) has lived with very large tumors in her stomach that have made her look permanently pregnant. But you can barely tell just how large her stomach is in this yoga tank from Sweaty Betty. Sure you can see that it’s large, but you would never guess that it’s so large she’ll be undergoing a hysterectomy in just a few days because the tumors have reached a size that her stomach can no longer house.

So if you’re someone with a stomach that makes you look several months pregnant (or if you are several months pregnant), and you’re looking for a stylish tank top you can wear to do your yoga or other exercise without feeling self-conscious about your stomach, you should consider this Avesha yoga tank or other similarly styled Sweaty Betty tank. You can visit the Sweaty Betty website here. You’ll probably be wanting to buy a few things. We know we sure do.

Here’s what the tank looks like from the back.

If we have a complaint about this tank it’s that the material seems a little thin. It’s 83% polyester and 17% linen. It has a bit of see-through. But we absolutely love the style. For the lady who wants to look stylish working out, but needs the cover-up for her stomach, this tank style is perfect.

Our editor-in-chief rates her Avesha yoga tank 5 stars because it does such an amazing job of minimizing her stomach. Sharing these pictures with her stomach front and center is something she would usually have been too embarrassed to do, so she thanks Sweaty Betty for the Avesha tank and Rakuten Marketing for the Bonus Box. And she encourages women who are embarrassed and self-conscious about their stomach for whatever reason, to find the right style of clothing and work with what they’ve got.

Like, fan and friend yourself first and foremost.

Thanks for reading and see you again soon.

Hot Spring Sandals via Mytheresa

The Shop

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Feb 25, 2016

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Shopping for Spring Sandals?

Like pompoms on your shoes? Then you might like the Aquazzura Pon Pon 105 raffia and leather sandals which feature colorful pompoms in pink, green, yellow, blue and white. Made from “summery white raffia with lamb leather trims” these cute, fun heels are the perfect spring sandals. They will surely keep your spirits bright and high. Just looking at the picture makes us feel spirited and happy and excited for the arrival of Spring 2016.

These gorgeous sandals are only $825. Totally affordable (by comparison to shoes that cost $2000). Unfortunately we can’t get our hands on a pair right now so we’re adding them to our wish list.

Also from Aquazzura are these Desert Sun 105 embellished suede sandals…

For the girl who likes to adorn her feet in jewels and gold embroidery, these sandals deliver with multicolored, speckled rocks artfully dispersed around an orate gold embroidery design.

These beauties are also only $895. They are perfect for the Spring 2016 evening or Sunday afternoon events.

Hey, Spring is around the corner!

Can you believe the winter is almost over? Seems like winter just started yesterday and already we’re weeks away from the official start of Spring 2016. Not that we’re complaining. Winter 2015 was pretty tolerable, but winter is still winter. Although, just this past Saturday we had temperatures in the sixties and people were walking around downtown in shorts. Of course two days later we have snow on the ground again. But it won’t be too long before we can say farewell to the white stuff for another six months.

Of course that’s going to mean putting away the winter boots and pulling out the warm weather footwear. We’re not really prepared for Spring 2016 in that regard. We haven’t refreshed our closet to add new sandals and shoes for 2016. What about you? Have you done your Spring 2016 shoe shopping?

Here are some other hot spring sandals you might like…

These Miu Miu metallic ruby red leather platform sandas look like they should be a breeze to walk in even for the heels-challenged lady. The thick platform and block heel along with the broad straps seem like they should aide with balance.

These shoes come with a $690 price tag. We’re adding them to our wish list for now.

Here are a pair of strappy satin sandals from Dolce & Gabbana with a cute floral adornment at the heel. Something about these make us think about Alice In Wonderland. Maybe these are heels Alice would wear to go on a date? These definitely say fairy world date afternoon spring sandals to us.

The Dolce & Gabbana Embellished satin sandals come with a $1,395 price tag.

Here’s the view from the back…

What do you think of these sandals? Would you wear them? Do you think the $1,395 price tag is justified?

Aquazzura Lily 105 patent leather sandals

Here we go again with Aquazzura. These are Aquazzura’s ‘Lily 105’ sandals. They are glossy patent red leather sandals with “dainty straps tempered by a chunky heel”. For us the appeal is in the high gloss red patent leather. These look like a fun pair of sandals, and the price tag is only $675.

Ready to shop for your spring sandals?

Kendall Jenner: the 10 million dollar woman

In The Mix

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Feb 11, 2016

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Kendall Jenner: the 10 million dollar woman

According to a story we’ve read, Kendall Jenner is allegedly suing a skincare company for using her picture in their ads without her permission. And she’s (allegedly) demanding that the company turn over any profits they’ve made from the use of her picture. And it had better not be anything less than ten million dollars (10 million) because that’s the least amount they would have had to pay had they legally booked her to rep their company.

The company being sued (Cutera) apparently used Kendall’s photo in advertisements for a laser treatment.

In the ad they wrote:

Acne “completely ruined” Kendall Jenner’s self esteem. Visits to a dermatologist for Laser Genesis (a treatment to help reduce redness and scars) has left her with nearly flawless skin.

Guessing the company underestimated Kendall and thought she was already so rich and so famous she wouldn’t be bothered by something as trivial as having them use her picture in their advertising material. They probably figured she was too busy to notice and certainly too busy to bother setting her lawyers on them. Guess they thought wrong.

You would think a company that’s going to run very public ads using the face of a person as famous as Kendall Jenner would know how the law works with regard to that sort of thing, so we’re tempted to think that somebody gave them permission to use the picture. Or else they figured they were covered under the fair use laws.

But Kendall is having none of it. Through her lawyers she has made it clear that she has:

“graced the covers of the world’s most prestigious fashion magazines, including Vogue, Vogue Paris, Vogue Japan, Vogue Brazil, Harper’s Bazaar (shot by Karl Lagerfeld), Allure, GQ, Glamour, Marie Claire, LOVE, Interview, Paper, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Cleo, Garage, Dazed, Raine and BLANK, amongst others.” (source TMZ)

And we’re assuming the point of that is that with such a resume, the implication that she would be endorsing any company that doesn’t have the name recognition of those listed in the quote is insulting?

Last year Kendall was #16 on the Forbes list of the top 21 highest paid models. And of the names on the list, the #1 position was held by Gisele Bundchen with earnings of 44 million and the #2 position was held by Cara Delevingne with earnings of 9 million.

Update: The lawsuit was apparently dropped

Via dailymail.co.uk –

EXCLUSIVE: Kendall Jenner mysteriously dismisses $10 million lawsuit against skin care company she accused of using her face in ads without her permission

- Kendall Jenner dropped a $10million lawsuit against Cutera on Tuesday

- Kendall accused the skin treatment company of illegally profiting off her face and name by using them in advertisements

- The company’s advertisements for their Laser Genesis treatment for acne claimed their treatments were the reason for Kendall’s ‘flawless skin’

- Kendall said she never did a deal to promote the company and claimed she would charge eight figures for a similar endorsement

- Court documents don’t explain why Kendall threw out her lawsuit

- Kendall did, however, dismiss her lawsuit against Cutera without prejudice

See more Kendall Jenner news updates at www.dailymail.co.uk/kendall

Hermes bags heritage auctions Moda Operandi

Articles Stories Essays & More

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Feb 10, 2016

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Hermes bags heritage auctions Moda Operandi

Hermes Saffron Constance Elan niloticus crocodile — Hermes Saffron Constance Elan Nile croc – image via Moda Operandi

Loving this saffron yellow Niloticus Crocodile Hermes Constance Elan bag. Not so much loving the $57,400 price tag (for a used bag?). Bag is from 2014. It features fold over closure with signature Hermes hardware (palladium).

Shop vintage Hermes bags at Moda Operandi

Looking for a Hermes 30cm Potiron clemence leather Birkin? You can find one at Moda Operandi for $19,000. The vintage bag (2005) is said to be in excellent condition, with signature twist lock closure, two top handles and palladium hardware.

By comparison to say, the Hermes 35cm Matte Rouge Indienne Alligator Birkin bag which comes with a $92,800 price tag, the 30cm potiron Birkin is rather affordable. That’s of course if you’re making at least a million dollars per year. We imagine that’s the average yearly salary of ladies who can afford to purchase Hermes bags.

vintage hermes bags Hermes 30cm Potiron Birkin 19000 heritage auctions — vintage hermes bags Hermes 30cm Potiron Birkin

Interesting note: The price tag for the potiron Birkin above, while seemingly reasonable by comparison to more expensive Hermes bags, is more than many people earn in income in a year.

Owning a Hermes bag must feel like…

Honestly we can’t imagine what owning an Hermes bag feels like to women who own them. We’re guessing these women must feel pretty special. These bags are status symbols after all. And who doesn’t feel good to know they own things that establish them as people of high status? Who wouldn’t prefer to be considered someone of high status over being regarded a nobody who has nothing? We’re not saying if you can’t afford a Hermes bag you’re a nobody who has nothing. Frankly we think it’s unfortunate that people rely on possessions to establish a sense of superiority and high worth. But the world is what it is. And things have the power that they do. We can’t say that if we came into millions of dollars we wouldn’t buy a Hermes bag just to find out for ourselves what owning a Hermes bag feels like. And this is while knowing fully well that it’s just a bag and can never provide anything in the way of real joy or true pleasure.

How about this Indienne alligator Birkin bag? Gorgeous right? But check out the price tag ($92,800). This bag is from 2008.

Can you imagine spending nearly one hundred thousand dollars to purchase a used handbag? At the end of the day that’s what vintage Hermes bags are. They are used handbags. And people are paying tens of thousands of dollars to obtain them.

Of course sellers of vintage Hermes bags aren’t marketing their product to ladies like us. And the ladies to whom they are marketing the bags have the money to afford the bags and have no issues with paying tens of thousands of dollars to get their hands on the bags, used or not. These women belong to a world of which we are not a part, have never been a part, and are not likely to ever to be a part. They think differently. For sure a price tag of $92,800 for a bag doesn’t render then stupefied with disbelief.

Are you tired of the Valentino rockstud pumps yet?

In The Mix

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Feb 7, 2016

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Are you tired of the Valentino rockstud pumps yet?

It wasn’t so long ago that we were salivating over Valentino rockstud pumps….

But today while working on an outfit idea and trying to find the right shoes to go with the outfit, we realized that our excitement over Valentino Rockstud pumps had waned considerably. So we started wondering if it was just us or if maybe other people were starting to get over their rockstud obsession.

We used to get so excited looking at pictures on Instagram of lucky girls showing off their rockstud pumps. We would have given almost anything to be so lucky that we could afford to buy ourselves a pair. And to be honest, we’d still buy a pair or two if we could afford it. It’s not that we no longer think these shoes are nice. They are still nice shoes and we still like them and would love to try them out. But we’re not at the heart palpitations stage of being in love with the rockstud pump any more.

What about you? Are you still in love with rockstud pumps or has the excitement worn off for you? Maybe you were never rockstud obsessed to begin with? Or maybe you’re one of the lucky girls who happens to have a pair or five in her enviable designer shoe collection?

How many pair of Valentino rockstud pumps do you own?

While our lust for the rockstud pump has cooled from a hotly raging boil to a tepid simmer, we would still get very excited if we were to come across the sale of a lifetime that allowed us to get our hands on a pair or two. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could find a brand new authentic pair for under $500? Or better yet under $200?

You can probably find Valentino rockstud pumps on sale somewhere but…

Valentino shoes cost a pretty penny. So even though you can probably find rockstud pumps on sale, the sale price is likely to still be quite high for us ladies for whom high end purchases necessarily have to be delayed until that lucky day when we hit the jackpot of some lottery game or sweepstakes.

Finding rockstud pumps on sale will be of no benefit if spending $99 on a pair of shoes is something that you have to consider from numerous practical angles and calculate your expenses to ensure it’s something you can afford.

The reason: you’re not likely to find a brand new pair of Valentino shoes on sale for under $500. You can probably find a pair of used rockstuds for under $500; but not a brand new pair. And it just wouldn’t be the same buying a used pair. You’re paying hundreds of dollars to purchase shoes that someone else wore and didn’t need anymore. We’d rather use our money on something else than to purchase used shoes. The only way we’d buy used Valentino rockstud pumps would be if the price was under $50. And even then, we’d only do it if the shoes were in really good condition.

What about you?

Would you buy a used pair of Valentino rockstud pumps for $500?

Or would you rather wait and hope that someone decides to hold the sale of a lifetime? We’d rather wait and hope.

Shop around for the best prices on Valentino Rockstud pumps

Shop Valentino shoes at Tessabit.com

Shop Valentino shoes at Nordstrom.com

Shop Valentino shoes at Farfetch.com

Shop Valentino shoes at Stylebop.com

Fruzsina Keehn Red Coral And Ruby Ring

Shopping bag recommendations

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Feb 3, 2016

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How gorgeous is this Fruzsina Keehn red coral ruby and diamond ring?

From the Fruzsina Keehn collection, this ring is said to have been inspired by old Hollywood glamour. It features a red coral gemstone that’s surrounded by rubies set in gold.

The price tag for this beauty is $16,940.

14 RBD set in 0.20ct of diamond
14 rubies set in 12ct of diamond
16.3 gr of gold

This ring is available at Moda Operandi. Looks like they only have it in a size 5 right now, so we would only be able to wear it on our pinky finger if we were so lucky to be able to afford to buy it. As it is, we’re not rich ladies who can afford to purchase $16,940 rings.

What we love about this Fruzsina Keehn Red Coral And Ruby Ring:

The red coral gemstone
The rubies that surround the gemstone
The diamond accents

Anatomy of a red coral

From Wikipedia – In common with other Alcyonacea, red corals have the shape of small leafless bushes and grow up to a meter in height. Their valuable skeleton is composed of intermeshed spicules of hard calcium carbonate, colored in shades of red by carotenoid pigments. In living specimens, the skeletal branches are overlaid with soft bright red integument, from which numerous retractable white polyps protrude.^[3] The polyps exhibit octameric radial symmetry.

A short short story:

She was virtual window shopping when she saw the Fruzsina Keehn Red Coral And Ruby Ring. It looked so big and beautiful. She immediately fell in love with it; but then she saw the price tag. Sixteen thousand nine hundred and forty dollars. “Wow”, she thought to herself. She had expected it to be expensive. After all, she was on ModaOperandi.com where they strictly sold high end merchandise. But it was just a ring. So although she had expected it to be too expensive for her to afford, she hadn’t expected it to have a 5 figure price tag.

“How are some people able to afford such expensive things?” she wondered to herself. Her mind ran on a headline she’d seen earlier in the day. It was about Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian and how readers would be jealous to see the inside of their homes. She remembered reading the headline and wondering what accounted for how much fortune some people were able to amass by comparison to others. Was it just being pretty? Was that all that it had taken for the Kardashian girls to rise to such a height of fame and fortune that each of them lived in multi-million dollar mansions and could easily afford to spend sixteen thousand nine hundred and forty dollars on a ring without batting an eyelash?

She wasn’t convinced that it was just because they were pretty. Their prettiness was a big factor; but if just being pretty was all it took to reach that level of success she too should be living in a multi-million dollar mansion and be able to buy herself the Fruzsina Keehn Red Coral And Ruby Ring. But she didn’t live in a multi-million dollar mansion. She lived in a one-bedroom apartment, and she made under $30,000 per year in income even with her Bachelor’s degree. What had she done wrong? She was asking herself that question as she browsed away from the page on the Moda Operandi website. What was the mistake that she made with her life? And was it something that she could fix? Was it possible now that she was thirty-two to start over her life? Was it possible for her to ever be so wealthy that she could afford to spend sixteen thousand nine hundred and forty dollars on a ring because she liked it and wanted it?

Roberto Cavalli Pre Fall 2016 what we want

The Shop

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Feb 2, 2016

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Roberto Cavalli Pre Fall 2016 what we want

We were just checking out the Roberto Cavalli Pre Fall 2016 trunk show on the Moda Operandi website…

The Roberto Cavalli Pre Fall 2016 collection features lots of fun and interesting furs and prints. These styles are definitely not for ladies who are conservative in their style of dress. Pieces include crystal embellished sheer georgette blouses, ornate ankle boots including a pair covered in colorful swarovski crystals, fox fur and ostrich feather jacket, ornate military style jacket trimmed in fox fur, animal printed velvet blazer, leather, fringe, chiffon, mink fur, snake print.

Wild is a word that came frequently to mind while browsing through the pictures of the pieces from the Roberto Cavalli Pre Fall 2016 collection. The editorial text described the collection as reflecting “exquisite decadence with a rock ’n’ roll twist” and featuring “cosmic-themed beading and prints”. The use of fur would seem to classify as decadent for sure, although that’s probably not the context in which they mean it.

Roberto Cavalli Pre Fall 2016 what we want

The Roberto Cavalli embroidered leather blazer…

The price for this embroidered leather blazer is a little bit out there at $6,505. We’re not sure exactly why the price is so high. It seems a bit extreme. It’s a nice looking jacket, but it’s just a jacket and all it’s made of is leather with silk embroidery work. The embroidery detail is nice but still, six thousand dollars is kinda nuts. Even so, if we were filthy stinking rich and could spend $6,505 on a leather blazer just because, then we’d surely buy it. Why not?

One of more of the silk georgette blouses…

We love the look of this Roberto Cavalli ‘stardust printed’ silk georgette shirt. It comes with a $1,140 price tag so it’s not in the budget right now; but if we had the freedom to shop the Roberto Cavalli Pre Fall 2016 collection, this would definitely be one of the items purchased.

Roberto Cavalli High Rise Flared Jeans

We think these jeans would go perfectly with the stardust printed silk blouse. They are high rise jeans with a flared legged. The crystal star embellishments add some extra flare. Unfortunately these are also too expensive for us to afford right now. They come with a $2,225 price tag. They’re cute for sure, but to be 100% honest, we can’t think of any reason in the world that a pair of jeans should ever cost $2,225. Can you?

Roberto Cavalli Water snake Scarpa Ankle Boots

We figured if we were wearing an outfit made up of the stardust blouse and the embellished high rise flared leg jeans, these ankle boots would be great to wear with the outfit. The Roberto Cavalli Water snake Scarpa Ankle Boot features a multi-color watersnake print. The boots come with a $1,410 price tag. Yes, they are also out of budget at this time.

Roberto Cavalli Water snake Borsa Flap Bag

No outfit is complete without the right bag accessory. We think this Roberto Cavalli black leather shoulder bag with its panels of multicolored watersnake print works perfectly with the outfit. It matches the shoes without being too matchy matchy, and the colors match the top as well.

The bag comes with a $2,245 price tag.

Want more Roberto Cavalli?

You can check out the Moda Operandi Roberto Cavalli Pre Fall 2016 trunk show on the their website.

Kendall Jenner Mango Tribal Spirit

Fashion Talk

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Feb 1, 2016

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Have you seen the looks featured in the Kendall Jenner Mango Tribal Spirit campaign?

Today we swung by Mango.com and discovered that Kendall Jenner has teamed up with Mango and stars in their “Tribal Spirit” ad campaign. We haven’t been keeping up with Kendall lately so we were clueless about the Kendall Jenner Mango Tribal Spirit campaign.

You’ve got to hand it to Kendall because Mango usually works with pretty big names in the modeling industry. They’ve worked with Kate Moss for a while. We believe Cara Delevingne also works with Mango. Miranda Kerr had a short-lived run with Mango. Even Gisele Bundchen once had a contract with Mango. So Mango is known to work with the biggest names in modeling, which means Kendall Jenner is securely established as one of the biggest names in modeling. Even so, we were surprised to see Kendall repping for Mango.

Mango is a pretty affordable brand, and from what we can tell they make pretty stylish clothing.

Here’s Look #1 from the Kendall Jenner Mango tribal spirit campaign

Kendall Jenner wearing Mango cargo pants with a Mango sweater bracelet and sandals – Image via Mango.com

In this look Kendall is wearing a pair of Mango khaki Cargo palazzo trousers ($49.99) with an ecru-colored Mango fringed cotton sweater ($69.99), a pair of black Mango Interlinked cord sandals ($79.99), a Mango braided belt ($19.99) and a Mango gold cuff bracelet ($15.99)

Another look from the Kendall Jenner Mango Tribal Spirit campaign

Kendall Jenner Mango blouse skirt trench coat earrings – image via Mango.com

In this next look Kendall is wearing an ecru-colored Mango blouse that comes with an attached necklace adornment. The Mango Appliqués neck blouse comes with a $39.99 price tag. It also comes in black and it’s made of 100% viscose. With the blouse she’s wearing a medium brown Mango suede wrap skirt that comes with a $79.99 price tag, a Mango flowy trench coat that comes with a $149.99 price tag and a pair of Mango Metal pendant earrings that come with a $15.99 price tag.

In my shopping bag today – sale at Macy’s

Shopping Journal

Monica

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Jan 25, 2016

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In my shopping bag today – sale at Macy’s

What’s in my shopping bag?

I just added $247.32 to my debt by purchasing some items (with credit) at Macys. The items in my shopping bag include some beauty products, a hat, a scarf and a pair of gloves.

Sometimes I get to feeling guilty about buying stuff for myself. And I don’t even buy stuff for myself often because I seldom can afford even a $9.99 purchase once all available funds have been meted out to pay bills. But lately I’ve come to realize that I can’t continue to live my life saying no to myself because of guilt and fear of spending money I don’t technically have. I’ve also come to realize that it’s okay to pursue happy moments. And if buying myself something new will provide a happy moment, then it’s okay for me to buy myself something new. Because I deserve to have happy moments in my life.

I know “things” can’t bring long-lasting happiness. They can only provide a fleeting sense of pleasure; but better an occasional fleeting sense of pleasure than no sense of pleasure or joy at all.

So I bought some things from Macys today. Mostly anti-aging beauty products because, well, I need them badly.

So here’s what’s in my shopping bag…

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Serum

I wanted to try out the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Serum. I’m still loving the Ole Henriksen products that have become my staples since I first discovered them. But my skin has been looking a bit dull lately so I wanted to give it a boost trying out something else. Don’t have a clue if Elizabeth Arden products are any good as I have never tried them, but the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Serum has 5-star reviews so I’m hoping for the best. Don’t want to have spent $76 on something that doesn’t turn out to do what it promises.

The Product: Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Serum, Total 60 capsules, .95 fl. oz.

Details: A golden opportunity for your skin. New and improved supercharged anti-aging benefits in a capsule. New Ceramide Lipid Complex Clx anti-aging technology is proven to: strengthen and repair mature skin, firm and tone skin, diminish lines and wrinkles, improve skin tone and clarity and support collagen production.

I have no idea what to expect from this product but if it turns out that it lives up to its promise to diminish lines and wrinkles, firm and tone skin and improve skin tone and clarity while supporting collagen production, I will be very happy.

Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Eye Serum

In addition to the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Serum I also purchased a jar of the company’s Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Eye Serum

My eyes are the biggest culprit in making me look tired and worn out and I’ve been trying numerous products hoping to reduce the signs of aging around my eyes even if I can’t restore them to their youthful condition. I am especially keen to see some reduction in the puffiness under my eyes. I’m hoping when they say “puffiness” they’re talking about bags because I have unsightly bags under my eyes and they’ve been worse in recent weeks as I’ve been very tired from lack of sleep.

Estée Lauder Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Broad Spectrum SPF 25 Makeup

I also purchased an Estée Lauder Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Broad Spectrum SPF 25 Makeup in shade “Rich caramel”. I was trying to decide between it and the Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme Radiant Lifting Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 based on the specs of each. I had decided to go with the Resilience Lift extreme, but then I checked the shade options and there wasn’t one for ladies with a brown complexion. At least not online at Macys. Don’t know if they make dark shades of this particular product; but at least they do for the Perfectionist Youth-Infusing so I got that one.

It’s tricky buying foundation online. I usually end up with something that’s either too light or something that’s too dark. I’m hoping this won’t be a shade that’s too dark or too light. And I’m hoping it’s as good as the reviews say.

Also in my shopping bag:

Steve Madden Polar Vortex Beanie Hat

I ordered the cobalt blue color. I’m not sure what the attitude is towards women over a certain age wearing beanie hats. But I wanted a beanie hat and this one was on sale for $13.99 so I purchased it.

I was at first going to get a Michael Kors hat but then I decided I needed to keep things a little bit more real. I don’t need to be impulse purchasing $40 knit hats.

Cejon Solid Italian Acrylic Muffler

I wanted to get a red scarf so that I could add a little pop of color to some of my winter outfits.

This scarf was on sale for $20. I hope the color in reality will be as bright a shade of red as in the picture.

Hopefully it will turn out to be a nice soft scarf that doesn’t catch lint easily.

$20 isn’t a lot of money but for me, it’s a bit much to spend on a plain acrylic scarf.

Charter Club Chenille Roll Top Gloves

I have wanted to purchase a new pair of gloves for a bit.

These were on sale for $18.99. They are regularly priced at $32.

I didn’t notice that they only have a 3-star rating until after I purchased them. Most of the complaints are about the gloves being flimsy and falling apart. Not good when the price tag is $32 I don’t think. Even $18.99 would be too much to pay for gloves that don’t keep your hands warm (according to one review) and that start falling apart out of the box (according to others), so I hope these will not be my experiences with these gloves. I purchased the cherry red gloves.

So that’s what’s in my shopping bag today. $247.32 added to my credit card debt.

I can’t wait for my packages to arrive. Hopefully they’ll get here by Friday or by Monday the latest.

Feel like shopping?

So there’s this step where I have to fuse interfacing…

The Monica Archives

Monica

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Jan 20, 2016

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So there’s this step where I have to fuse interfacing…

The red pant suit and jacket sewing project 2

Update January 23 2016: I have discovered since writing this post that I mis-read the cutting guide for the pattern. So I now know that I don’t have to go out and purchase “utility fabric” to serve as the interfacing for the jacket. I was actually supposed to cut that out from the same fabric.

Original: I am still trying to attempt that DIY red pant suit and jacket sewing project. Today I decided to try to see if I could finally figure out what they are talking about in Step 1 where they tell me to “fuse interfacing” to the wrong side of the two front sections. I’ve been stuck at this point on account of having no idea what they were even talking about. But I think I might finally have figured it out.

But first…

So far I’ve managed to cut out the fabric pieces for the jacket. It took a bit of digging around Youtube tutorials, but I came across this video below and it helped me get a clue where to start.

All due credit to Liesl Gibson for doing a great job with the video. She helped me understand just enough to get started and reach the point where I thought I was ready to start the sewing. The problem is, like I said above, I’ve been stuck at Step 1.

Fuse interfacing to wrong side of two front (1) section, following the manufacturer’s instructions

So I finally took to the Internet to do some research today, and as near as I can figure, it seems like I’m supposed to have something called interfacing and/or lining fabric, neither of which I bought. So I guess I’ll have to buy some utility fabric (looks like that’s what fusible interfacing and lining fabric are referred to?).

It’s anybody’s guess if I will be able to figure any of this out well enough to actually make this jacket. I’m thinking based on this new discovery that I might not even have cut out the pattern pieces correctly after all. But we shall see how things develop.

In the meantime, I tried to skip forward a few steps thinking I at least understood Step 4 and could work on that, but that’s when I realized I might not have cut out the pattern pieces properly; so I abandoned that idea to spend some time doing even more reading of the pattern text and researching on the Internet to try to get a little closer to understanding exactly what everything means.

Now that I know what they mean by fuse interfacing to the wrong sides of the pattern pieces marked at (1), I have to figure out how to buy interfacing and what kind I need to buy for this jacket and exactly how the process of fusing interfacing works.

Hopefully at some point in the near future I will have a red pant suit and jacket made even if it’s a hot mess that cannot be worn.

Research notes/sources:

How to Interface Jackets: Lessons from an Yves Saint Laurent Garment

Jacket: sewing center back seam and staystitching the side seams for princess seams

Types of Interfacing Fabric and Interfacing Sewing | National Sewing Circle

Who are you wearing Union Square New York

Videos

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Jan 19, 2016

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Who are you wearing Union Square New York

Our second “Who Are You Wearing?” video featuring Selina from the Youtube channel Literally Selina.

In this second video Selina is in Union Square New York where she approaches regular New Yorkers to ask them “Who are you wearing?”

Who are you wearing brands break down…

Among the brands that are mentioned: H&M, American Eagle, Forever21, Chanel, Cartier, Michael Kors, Levis, A.P.C, J Crew, Apple (watch), Nike, Timbaland, Ralph Lauren, Urban Outfitters, Nine West

We’ve compiled a chart below showing the number of times a brand is mentioned by a different person.

The chart shows that the most popular brand worn by the small sampling of people Selina interviewed was American Eagle.

A brand that got mentioned in both our first and second videos was H&M.

The upscale brands mentioned were:

Cartier
Chanel
Ralph Lauren
A.P.C
J crew

American Eagle

Since American Eagle was the top mentioned brand we decided to check them out to see why they might be so popular. Of course we are aware that coming to a conclusion as to the popularity of a brand based on asking 10 people “Who are you wearing?” is faulty. But big companies, and even arguably governments, do exactly this. They come to conclusions about millions of people based on results of studies that sampled very small groups. So we’re taking the liberty of following their lead.

We swung by the American Eagle website at ae.com and took a look around. They carry some pretty nice-looking jeans and other apparel; and their prices are working gals and guys affordable. You can’t tell the quality of clothing from pictures, of course, but their stuff looks like they’re of decent quality. What we’ve seen is casually stylish. We’d have to agree with the first two guys in the video who make this claim (that American Eagle clothes are stylish). American Eagle clothing isn’t haute couture; but stylish isn’t limited to high fashion items that come with exorbitant price tags.

Who are you wearing?

So what about you? Who are you wearing today? Feel free to share in the comments below. And check out our Youtube channel (and show us some love by subscribing) Also check out Selina’s youtube channel at literallyselina.

Single gal Carly buys Valentine’s Day Lingerie

Closet Tales

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Jan 18, 2016

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Single gal Carly buys Valentine’s Day Lingerie

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Whether you have someone in your life or not, you can still indulge yourself in some new Valentine’s Day lingerie and sleepwear from #Nordstrom. Lingerie doesn’t have be something you only wear to tease and please the opposite sex. Instead of waiting for that day when ‘he’ comes along and buys you lingerie so you can parade around in it for his enjoyment, buy yourself something nice at (Nordstrom.com) to parade around wearing for your own enjoyment.

Valentine's Day lingerie shop Nordstrom — Image via Nordstrom.com

Carly buys Valentine’s Day Lingerie

It was early Monday morning. Carly had not too long gotten out of bed. She’d awoken from having a nightmare about being left at the altar by her fiance Javier. With one or two convoluted exceptions, the dream had played out pretty much the same way things had gone down in reality over a year ago. Javier had stopped suddenly in the middle of reciting his wows and whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry I can’t do this. I can’t marry you.” Then he’d turned and walked out of the church, his best friend (and two weeks later his wife) Gabriela running out after him.

Carly was still having nightmares about the experience, but she wasn’t crying anymore after waking up and remembering. The crying had stopped months ago. And the phase of waking up from the nightmares cursing him and his “true love” and wishing the jet on which they traveled between New York and Chile every week would crash into the Andes, that phase had passed too. She was now at the point where she could just take a deep breath, get out of bed, lay out her yoga mat on the floor, do some meditating, get up, take a shower and start her day. And that’s what she was doing when she came across an email from Nordstrom about Valentine’s Day Lingerie and sleepwear.

This was going to be Carly’s first Valentine’s Day since being left at the altar by her fiancee who had been her boyfriend for 2 years before he dumped her so he could marry his best friend and true love. She wasn’t sure how she was going to feel on the actual day of Valentine’s Day, but she knew that she did not want to feel the usual self pity that she used to feel before she’d met Javier. She’d had many lonely Valentine’s Day experiences pre-Javier and she was determined that this first post-Javier Valentine’s Day wasn’t going to be spent curled up in a ball on her bed crying and feeling sorry for herself.

When she saw the advertisement from Nordstrom about Valentine’s Day lingerie, it occurred to her that she should buy herself some lingerie and plan a fun night for herself sitting around in her lingerie surrounded by flowers and balloons and eating chocolates and Petits RICHART from richart-chocolates.com. Who ever said a person needed to have someone in their life to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

So Carly went to Nordstrom’s website to find some lingerie to buy and I was the first thing she saw on the page. I was being worn by a model in the featured picture. And Carly loved me instantaneously.

Chantelle Intimates Vendome Underwire Demi Bra — Image via Nordstrom.com

She loved my color and my embroidered starbursts pattern. She loved the single sparkling rhinestone charm dangling at the center of the demi bra part of me. She loved the matching boyshorts with the smooth satin waistband and cheeky back fit. I was sexy but not in a trampy way; and I could be worn all year long. I wasn’t just made to be worn on Valentine’s Day for the purpose of seduction.

But she didn’t want to rush into buying me before looking at what else was available. So she spent a little time browsing through the other items. And she did find some other things she liked a lot. I wasn’t the only thing she purchased. And I don’t know if I will actually get selected to be the set she wears on Valentine’s Day. There’s still some time to go; but I think based on how long she stared at her body and the fact that she took more selfies wearing me after I and her other Valentine’s Day lingerie items arrived, that I have a pretty good chance of being chosen to be the lingerie in which she will parade around her apartment while eating chocolates and petits Richart come Sunday February 14th.

Olympia Le-Tan Face Cotton Milk Box Bag

Closet Tales

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Jan 16, 2016

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The product: Olympia Le-Tan Face Cotton Milk Box Bag

What it is: An Olympia Le-Tan shoulder bag fashioned in the shape of a milk carton

Hashtags: #shoulderbag #olympialetan #forzieri

A fashion blogger contemplates writing a post asking her readers if they would buy the Olympia Le-Tan Face Cotton Milk Box Bag that was being sold at Forzieri.com for $1,150.

She had just bitten off the nail on her left thumb. It was Saturday night and she was sitting at her PC trying to decide if to update her fashion blog or not. In the living room nearby her boyfriend was watching Predator on the TV. She heard some expletives and a ridiculous Jamaican accent that made her roll her eyes.

“Why am involved with a fifty-something year old again?” she wondered to herself.

It wasn’t even as if he had money. Not that she thought a man’s worth should be measured by the size of his bank account; but it sure would have been nice if her boyfriend was at least rich. Then she could pacify herself with that thought at those times when he was blasting the television while watching stupid movies. She would know that she was at least getting some Louboutin heels out of the deal.

After a while she put on her headphones and started listening to Taylor Swift while browsing the internet looking for fashion centered things to inspire a post idea. She ended up on Forzieri.com, and after a brief moment browsing through their bags collection, she came across me.

Olympia Le-Tan Face Cotton Milk Box Shoulder Bag

“This is cute,” she thought to herself, but there was a question mark forming in her mind. I was a cute bag, but was I a little too silly? What woman over the age of 13 could possibly get away with walking around with me slung over her shoulder? How could someone fit a bag like me into her outfit without it looking ridiculous? These were some of the questions that were coming to mind as she contemplated me.

I was interesting for sure. After all, she had looked through a few pages of the bags being sold at Forzieri.com and none had made her really stop to look. When she saw me she actually clicked through to read more. So there was no question she found me interesting; but it was my seeming lack of practicality that made her want to write a post about me on her blog. The title “Would you buy this Olympia Le-Tan Face Cotton Milk Box Bag?” came to mind.

She posed the question to herself. “Would I buy this bag?” she wondered. “It’s cute and all; but it’s essentially a toy. I can’t see how I would ever find use for this bag other than as a prop in photos. It would be great social media like-bait.”

Then she decided to Google “celebrity olympia le-tan milk box bag” to see if the bag had been seen being carried by any famous women. And she came across some pictures of Emma Roberts carrying a similar Olympia Le-Tan milk box bag. Emma clearly loved her Olympia Le-tan milk box bag because she was seen carrying it on more than one occasion.

Seeing the bag in use didn’t convince her that it would be a bag that would make sense for an ordinary woman to buy, however. She thought to herself, that for women like Emma Roberts buying playful bags was no problem. They had money. They could afford to spend $1,150 on a bag that existed just to be cute and quirky and serve no practical purpose. And there was nothing wrong with them buying a bag that was essentially a plaything. She believed all women should be able to cater to their inner little girl and keep their playful, youthful spirit alive.

As for her conclusion about me, her final thought was that I was cute, yes, but was I really a bag? That was the question.

Nano Yellow Chloe Drew bag

Closet Tales

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Jan 16, 2016

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Featuring the Nano Yellow Chloe Drew bag

#Chloe #designerbags #chloedrew #drewbag #nano

The Bag: twist lock fastening, chain shoulder strap, suede lining, internal slot pocket – Yellow Chloe Drew bag – ‘Nano Drew’.

She wanted me. Of course she wanted me. Who wouldn’t want me? I’m too cute for anyone to not want. And I have a permanent sunny disposition. She saw me on another girl’s Instagram page and her heart skipped a beat. She felt all sorts of emotions, from excitement over the picture to jealousy. But her jealousy was really just wishing she could be as lucky as the girl who had taken a picture of me and posted it to her Instagram page.

I read her thoughts in that moment. She wondered how some girls got to be so lucky. She thought, “I guess blondes do have more fun. They get the guys with the money and so they get to buy nice things for themselves.” Then she corrected herself because she didn’t like to be that way, and she knew that many blondes worked for their own money and didn’t depend on some man to marry them and give them the things they wanted out of life. She knew that hair color didn’t have anything to do with anything.

But I could have told her that this particular girl had indeed married a rich older man for money, and that being a blonde had mattered very much indeed. That she had known being a natural blonde and being beautiful gave her an advantage, and she had used these things to her advantage in finding a man to whom it had mattered very much that she was blond. And so it was indeed because she was blonde that the woman on Instagram had been able to afford me. But it was nobody’s fault. That’s just the way life works. Beauty is an asset and sometimes a girl has to use her beauty to get what she wants out of life.

Unfortunately for some girls, this is not an option. And for this girl, this was not an option. She wasn’t beautiful. And she wasn’t young. She had made mistakes with her life and so she didn’t have a whole lot going for her. She had a job but it didn’t pay much. Only nine dollars an hour, which was minimum wage in some states. In her state it was seventy-five cents more than minimum wage. She definitely didn’t have the money to afford me, even though I wasn’t really that expensive when all is said and done. The girl on Instagram had only spent $1,190 on her clone of me. She had bought me on the internet at mytheresa.com. She mentioned that in the caption to her picture, so she (the one who couldn’t afford me) went on mytheresa.com and that’s where she found me.

I should explain that I am only one even though there are many of me. I know that sounds pretty weird. How can I be only one if there are many of me? We’ll just call it food for thought so we don’t veer off on a tangent.

On the website I was described as a Chloé Nano Drew leather shoulder bag. I am one of many. Now I know that’s a contradiction of what I just said above about being only one though there are many of me. Or is it really? I mean, technically, those two statements can be argued to say the same thing. But I mean something different by each. You see, I am the Yellow Chloe Drew bag – the Nano Drew in yellow. I have many clones of myself. We are all the yellow Chloe drew bag; but we are not the only Chloe drew bag. There are many others. We are not even the only yellow Chloe Drew bag, but the other shades of yellow Chloe drew bags aren’t clones of us.

But I know you’re thinking to yourself, who cares about all that? What about the woman? Did she somehow manage to get her hands on one of my clones? Well, the answer to that is, no. But who knows what the future holds? Maybe one of these days she’ll be able to afford to spend $1,190 on a bag. All of my clones will probably be long sold out by then. Drew bags may not even be a thing by then; but there will be something else. There’s always something else…

Closet updated: London Fog Michael Kors DL1961

Shopping Journal

Monica

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Jan 15, 2016

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Closet updated: London Fog Michael Kors DL1961

Last month I added a few new items to my wardrobe, including a London Fog coat (#londonfog), a Michael Kors (#michaelkors) top and an INC International Concepts bag all of which I purchased on sale at #macys. I also acquired a new pair of jeans. The jeans were a gift that came my way via the #RANBonusBox from Rakuten Marketing courtesy of #DL1961.

I purchased the London Fog coat because it was seriously way past time for a new Winter coat. I’ve been wearing the same coat for a few years. I probably would have continued wearing it for Winter 2016 but it decided for me that it was time to let it go.

Lucky for me I found this London Fog coat on sale at Macys over the holidays. I bit the bullet and purchased it.

Features of the coat

Notched collar with layered detail
Button closure at front
Long sleeves
Slit pockets at hips
Lined
Mid-weight
Wool/polyester/viscose/other fibers; lining: polyester

My Impressions: I’m not sure if a peacoat is only for younger ladies; but if it is too bad. I love my new coat. I love how it looks on me and how girly it makes me feel. I haven’t “mid-west winter weather” tested it yet; but it seems like a pretty strong, sturdy coat that should keep me warm as long as I’m properly layered underneath.

The Michael Kors blouse and DL1961 jeans

The Michael Kors blouse is a nice, black, long-sleeved polyester blouse with a pull-over style, v-neckline and inverted pleat design in the front. It’s a fairly loose hanging blouse, so if you have a protruding stomach like I do (darned ugly fibroids), it can help to disguise it up to a point. Sometimes a loose fitting top only emphasizes a protruding stomach but the inverted pleat detail of this top helps to downplay my pregnant with fibroids belly.

I’ve been wanting to buy a black blouse for a while so I’m glad I finally did.

The DL1961 jeans

I received a gift postcard for a pair of DL1961 jeans in December’s #RANBonusbox. I selected a pair of coated “Instasculpt” skinny jeans because I’ve been needing a pair of black jeans and I’ve been curious to try jeans with that coated leather look to them. I have to say, I absolutely love these jeans. They are amazingly comfortable for being so skinny and fitted. And I think they look great on me. I would love to try a pair in an outrageous color like red.

INC International Concepts Pia Mini Bucket Bag

This is a cute little bag. In person the red is not quite as scarlet as it appears on my screen. It’s a mini bag so capacity isn’t going to be accommodating when it’s necessary to pack everything in your house in your bag. The gold chain drawstring is cute but you do compromise function for style in this case. You can’t exactly tie it (at least I haven’t figured out a way), so it doesn’t stay drawn tight.

I have to admit, I do think this bag, while affordable, is still priced a little bit high. It does look good. It’s well made. The quality isn’t inferior by any means; but I think the sale price makes more sense as the regular price.

The Worthington Ankle Boots

These are an old pair of ankle boots that I’ve had for a while. Probably the next addition to my closet will be a new pair of boots. I’ve been wearing the same pair of boots every winter for way too many years. I would be embarrassed to admit how many. I’ve been shopping around to find the right pair of boots to get me through the mid-west winter season with style. Maybe that will be the focus of my next Style Journal post — the acquisition of a new pair of boots.

Thanks for reading and happy shopping.

What people are wearing on the streets of New York

Videos

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Jan 13, 2016

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What people are wearing on the streets of New York

Selina from the Youtube channel Literally Selina takes to the streets of New York on behalf of My Fashion Wants to ask people about the designers and brands they’re wearing.

We thought it would be fun to go up to people and ask them what designers and brands they’re wearing, kind of like they do on the red carpet. So we enlisted Selina’s aide.

This is our first “Who are You Wearing?” video. In this video Selina is in Times Square in New York. This is just before the 2015 December Holidays. Selena approaches several people who were kind enough to tell her what brand they were wearing. People mostly replied about the brand of their jacket and shoes, which makes complete sense considering their outerwear is all you see.

How exciting does it look and sound in Times Square?

Watching the video makes us wish we were there. New York always looks like so much fun and excitement, especially around the Holidays. We actually used to live in Brooklyn New York and it was always fun to go into to the city during the holidays to window shop. We were never able to afford anything in the stores in Manhattan. For our shopping we went downtown Brooklyn to Albee Square Plaza and to other cheap stores downtown.

Who are you wearing?

What would you do if someone came up to you and asked you that question?

We’re hoping to do more of these videos as well as other (hopefully) fun and interesting videos in 2016.

Brands mentioned in this video:

H&M
Burberry
Vans
Puma
Adidas
North Face

Check out and subscribe to our youtube channel for more “Who are you wearing” videos coming in 2016.

Also Check out Selina’s Youtube Channel

And please let us know what you think about our “Who are you wearing?” video. Did you enjoy it? Are you interested in seeing more?

These TIBI culottes and other must have pants

The Shop

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Jan 13, 2016

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These TIBI culottes and other must have pants

Trousers are in says Moda Operandi (#ModaOperandi); and they are showcasing some of the must have pants of the season in their “Pants of the Season” editorial, featuring these #TIBI #culottes along with some other stylish pants.

TIBI white cropped trousers culottes — Image via Moda Operandi.com – TIBI white cropped flared pants

We are totally in love with the above outfit and would love to get our hands on the TIBI culottes, the TIBI feathered hem top as well as the Tabitha Simmons sandals. Although we’d probably keep the sandals to wear with something else. They look nice with the above featured outfit but for our personal taste, we’d probably choose a different pair of shoes for this particular combination of the TIBI culottes with the TIBI feathered hem top.

The complete look is actually reasonably affordable with the top costing $475, the pants $350 and the shoes $725.

Other must have pants featured in the Moda Operandi ‘Pants of the Season’ editorial…

These are cotton twill flower cut-out pants from Rosie Assoulin. They are worn below with a white Maticevski top.

Image via ModaOperandi.com – White maticevski top with black rosie assoulin flower cut-out pants

We are equally in love with this outfit as with the TIBI culottes and feathered hem top outfit above. The top, the pants and the shoes (Aquazzura Colette black leather cut-out sandals) are all on our fashion wants list; but they’re a bit pricey. The pants come with a $1,795 price tag. The top comes with a $975 price tag; and the shoes come with a $750 price tag.

Derek Lam 10 Crosby Cotton Linen Patterned Flared Pants

The vibe of these pants is retro 70s Bohemia to take the words from the Moda Operandi editors. The pants come with a $495 price tag.

The editors paired these pants with a Derek Lam 10 Crosby chambray top for a casual chic modern take on 70s style. Link to editorial is at the bottom of the page.

Giamba Cherry Jacquard Flared Pants

These Giamba Cherry Jacquard Flared Pants are just too cute not to want. We love how the Moda Operandi stylists paired them with a Thakoon Polka Dot Fil Coupe Cropped Camisole and Paul Andrew Datong printed sandals for a casual and stylish all-over print look.

The pants come with a $695 price tag.

Martin Grant high-waisted wool pants

We’re not sure if short girls can wear these Martin Grant high-wasted wool pants. We like them, but if they make the model wearing them in the Moda Operandi editorial look like she’s on stilts, we suspect they might not be all that flattering on shorter girls. With their $1,745 price tag they’re off limits to us right now anyway.

The Moda Operandi stylists paired these wide legged trousers with an off-the-shoulder Rosetta Getty striped top. Looks like these pants are designed to sweep the floor, so your shoes won’t be visible; but we’d go with wedge sandals to complete the combination.

To see more of the Moda Operandi ‘must have pants’ of the season selections check out their “Pants of the Season” editorial. And let us know which looks are your favorite.

Are you feeling the Valentino SS16 Kenya ad campaign?

Fashion Talk

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Jan 11, 2016

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Are you feeling the Valentino SS16 Kenya ad campaign?

Earlier today we were reading an article published on the website wwd.com. The article is titled: Bridget Foley’s Diary: Valentino’s African Sojourn

The article starts out:

If you were lucky enough to have been there, you remember it. You remember the power of the clothes — their intricate, captivating graphics. The communal swell of emotion. The wonder-upon-exit that led Karen Katz to note, “This is why we’re in fashion.” (source link)

Valentino’s SS16 ad campaign was shot in Amboseli National Park in Kenya by photographer Steve McCurry. We saw some of the pictures and we’re not sure we felt particularly wowed. Could just be our basic selves getting in the way of our ability to appreciate the awesomeness. But in a way it seemed to us that the two themes did not belong together. There is something a little incongruous seeing conventional models in Western style clothing posing against a rural Kenyan backdrop with Maasai people visible in the shot but not the focal point of the picture. It’s like clashing themes each taking away something from the other so that at the end of the day neither stands out the way it should.

If we were among the Maasai people with cameras we would want to only be capturing images of their traditional clothing and accessories. Valentino makes nice things to be sure; but we’re far more interested in seeing and learning about the garments and accessories being worn by the Maasai people in the background. We’re more intrigued by them and their attire than by the foreground models. Everybody already knows about the fashion and style of Western culture. There’s only so many things you can do to a Western Style dress to make it different and interesting. We’re sure that is one factor that makes the location of a photo shoot important. You want to shoot your pictures some place interesting and visually appealing; but we don’t know about choosing a location where the people who reside there have a style of dress that is so striking with so much more history and interest value.

Valentino Spring Summer 2016 ad campaign shot in Kenya by Stephen McCurry — Image Valentino.com – Stephen McCurry

Not that any of it makes a difference. The shoot was done where it was done and we’re probably the only people on the planet who aren’t particularly awed and wowed by the pictures. We’re sure everyone involved was happy to take part in it. Everyone got paid and that’s what it all comes down to at the end of the day. We’re just not convinced a fashion ad campaign is the appropriate avenue via which to achieve Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s stated goal of delivering a message of tolerance and the idea of beauty via the interaction of different cultures. We’re not even sure what he means exactly because the idea of beauty certainly isn’t challenged in the ad campaign.

The photographer, Stephen McCurry is quoted as saying about the campaign:

“The idea of these pictures is to take the viewer on a journey. The clothes were inspired by African motifs, so to take the shoot to Africa and show how these things interact and, this connection of the clothes, the models, the environment, the local people; I thought it was a great endeavor.”

We didn’t really get a sense of interaction at all. Did you?

Featured image of Maasai woman – “Masai woman” by javic – Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.

You won’t #win that 1.3 billlion #powerball #lottery jackpot

What's Trending

Avenue Sixty Writing Staff

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Jan 10, 2016

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You won’t #win that 1.3 billlion #powerball #lottery jackpot

The powerball lottery jackpot is 1.3 billion

It’s fun to imagine all the #Chanel bags and #Louboutin heels you will be able to purchase when you win that unprecedented 1.3 billion dollar #powerball #lottery #jackpot.

But before you run out and risk $100 of your money in the hope that you will go down in history as the #lotterywinner who won the biggest ever powerball lottery jackpot, think about this: A billionaire (like #DonaldTrump for example), can afford to purchase all the possible number combinations and trade in 292 measly million dollars for 1.3 billion.

Effed up isn’t it? But that’s what the lottery is all about. That’s why they made it harder to win a powerball lottery jackpot when they realized that lottery ticket sales were declining. They knew that enormous jackpots would bring out people in enormous numbers, many of whom can spend enormous dollars. So they can still make up for the declining ticket sales in a major way.

Maybe they have systems in place to ensure that no single person can purchase all 292 million number combinations. Who knows? But if there’s no such system in place, why wouldn’t a smart billionaire buy all 292 million combinations? What’s 292 million dollars to spend to gain 1.3 billion?

Granted, the winner will not actually get 1.3 billion; but they will still get back at least half a billion + the 292 million they spent. It’s still the most effortless way to increase their net worth by at least half a billion dollars.

So don’t bother dreaming that you’ll win the big powerball lottery jackpot and be able to buy your dream home and any number of Chanel bags and Louboutin heels your heart desires.

The powerball lottery and all other lotteries are designed to take your money. These games aren’t about giving you money. We’re not suggesting you shouldn’t play? We’ve played our fair share of lottery games over the years. We could probably afford a few pairs of Louboutin heels with the amount of money we’ve spent on lottery tickets over the years. By contrast we couldn’t afford a pair of shoes from Payless with the amount we’ve won.

So we’re not going to waste two dollars trying to win this 1.3 billion dollar jackpot. It would be the height of stupidity. Because if there’s no system in place to prevent a rich person from purchasing all the possible combinations, why wouldn’t a rich person do just that? We’re not talking about 300 million dollars here. We’re talking 1.3 billion. For that amount even billionaires who would otherwise look down on the lottery and lottery players will come out of the woodwork. Why wouldn’t they? All they have to do is look at is as a smart business move as a opposed to the act of stupidity that it is for everyone else.

If you still play, good luck. And we won’t say no if you want to buy us a pair of Louboutin heels and a Chanel bag!

NPNewspaperPublication

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The powerball lottery jackpot is 1.3 billion

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