Modern Glam

For Men - Gift Ideas for the Women in Your Life at a Cost of $150 or Less

::I am very selective, some would say extremely picky, and thus, the gift selection that you see in this post is guaranteed to please any woman between the ages of 20 and 60. And if it doesn't.....well, don't blame me, I am choosy, not psychic. ;) Oh, and by the way, click on any image to enlarge.

:: No. 1 is a gorgeous, white hydrangea and magnolia cuff, embroidered with a charming mix of beads and thread, from Etsy seller, WaterRose. At $128, it's a steal, and a work of art, a future heirloom, and it promises to please your lady. Absolutely gorgeous.

 
:: No. 2 is a luxurious, silk and cashmere Pashmina scarf, in your choice of colors, currently on sale for $51 at Bloomingdale's online. Chic, functional, luxurious.

 
:: No. 3 is a luxurious, lined leather key pouch with nickel hardware by Marc Jacobs.The interior is fitted with a key ring/fob, and the pouch is also available in brown and black. Bloomingdale's online. Très chic, and functional.

:: No. 4 is a beautiful silk scarf from Belisi. Literally a choice of hundreds of prints and solids, in high-end silk with hand-rolled borders, all at fabulous prices. The scarf on the left is $25, and the scarf on the right is $32 Two of my fave's below.

 

:: No. 5 is a pair of black calf leather boots by Kenneth Cole. Great shape and heel height to wear with trousers or jeans, and on sale for $99.97 (they were $250!). Gotta luv a man who buys you a great pair of shoes or boots!

:: No. 6 is a lucite necklace or a lucite bangle by Alexis Bittar. The lucite glows with a sort of luminescence, and I love the soft look of the gold. The necklace is $135 and the bangles are $75 each. Available at Nordstrom online.Très trendy.

 

:: No. 7 is a fine silver and vintage photo hand-crafted bracelet by Etsy seller, Stacie Jewelry. A beautiful and unusual piece, destined to become an heirloom, and very nicely priced at $115.

 

:: No.8 is a fragrance set, 'Love' by Ralph Lauren. Like a poem in a bottle, roses, magnolia, and amber blend to create a beautiful fragrance that will delight you as much as it will please her. The set is available only at Neiman Marcus, and is priced at exactly $150.

Chic & Casual a la the Boyfriend Jean

::I love the look of boyfriend jeans for hanging about the house or grocery  shopping, or any other very informal thing that we typically do in a day.

These jeans are by CurrentElliott, and they are très comfortable as well as looking rather casual chic [yep, I have a pair]. The layered look of the sweater and shirt is very now, and will also keep you warm when it's cold outside. 

One caution. The model in the image actually has on sneakers, and I have one word to say re that --- DON'T. Wearing sneakers with this style of jean will make your legs look heavy, and will make you look shorter, neither of which is desirable, comprenez vous ? ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All three pieces are available at barneys.com,. The images are courtesy of, and copyrighed © by barneys.com.

Do you covet Michelle Obama's red dress?

::So, are you drooling over that red dress worn by Michelle Obama [by Chicago designer, Maria Pinto] to her meeting at the White House? Can't afford it?

Drool no more -- there are a couple of things you can do to acquire a very close copy of this dress for your very own!

1. Find a pattern and sew the dress yourself. If you are a reasonably good seamstress, this dress is very doable for you. Either draft a pattern or buy one whose lines are the same; a sheath with long, set-in sleeves, a darted bustline, a round neckline, and optionally, a high/empire waistline.
Adding the pleats to the neckline of a basic pattern is not that difficult. If you want to sew it, and need help with the neckline, leave a comment, and I'll describe the process as best I can (I used to design women's clothing). Make the dress in the best quality wool crepe or gabardine that you can find (there are online sources), or try making it from a raw silk or linen if you live in a warm climate. This dress will cost you between $75-200 to make, depending on the quality of the fabric. This is the least expensive way to get exactly what you want, including great fabrics, and I highly recommend it!

2. Can't sew? Then try this. Hire  a local seamstress to make it for you.. If your seamstress can draft the pattern, you are good to go, just make sure you view samples of his/her work prior to hiring them, and provide the fabric yourself so you are sure that you get what you want.
If the seamstress can not draft a pattern, measure yourself, and go out and buy a pattern (see no. 1 above) in your size. The seamstress should be able to adjust it to not only fit you, but to reflect design details such as the pleated neckline. Cost is approximately $150-300 unless you are in a large metropolitan area.  

3. Another alternative is to buy a red pencil skirt, and a body-hugging sweater to create a similar look. This will cost you $100+.

Whichever method you choose, share with us! Pictures, descriptions, compliments from others.......post 'em here so we can see! If it's a pic you wish to post, you will need to email it to me at mgcontributorsATgmailDOTcom, and I'll gladly post any and all of the results.

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Christian Louboutin Nooka Satin Pumps

Gorgeous pink slingbacks by the master of elegant and sexy, Christian Louboutin. Available at Net-a-Porter.

 

She's Got the Look: Work to Evening Suit - Fall|Winter 2008 Collections

Wear this completely stunning leopard-print suit to work with the addition of a blouse worn under the jacket.

Take the blouse off in the powder room, wash up, freshen your makeup, reapply your perfume, and you are fabulous for an evening out, be it business or pleasure.

A close-up of the jacket. Note the French cuffs and the shawl collar. Trendy details, beautifully combined.

Individual images are copyrighted © by their respective owners, as listed on the resource page.   Collages are copyright © 2008 by Modern Glam.
For availability of clothing|accessories, please visit the resource page. 

 

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This Week's Shopping Find: Lanvin Pumps and Handbag

After focusing on all of that stressful political stuff, shopping for something special to share was such a relief. The gorgeous blue handbag and metallic heel pumps are way pricy, but oh so delicious. A girl can dream..... Both are Lanvin, available at Barney's.

 

 
Note the pleated ruffle at the throat of the pump. Très chic.

 

Technorati Tags: lanvin,handbags,pumps,fashion trends,fall 2008 collections,barney's,shopping,style,lifestyle,women,fashion,glam,modern glam

Fashion Tips: How to Pull Together a Smashing Wardrobe for Work | Part Three

Okay, so now you have your core wardrobe (for a quick look at the core wardrobe, click here), and you can begin adding pieces to expand your options. When you do so, keep a couple of things in mind:

• 1. The pieces that you choose to expand your wardrobe, should coordinate well with your core wardrobe.
• 2. As with your core wardrobe, choose pieces that you love so that you don't tire of wearing them over a period of at least several years.

Additionally, I'm not sure if I was really clear about the fact that the selections I presented for the core wardrobe are simply representative. When you are buying a wardrobe, or even just a couple of critical pieces for a wardrobe, I advise doing so in person, in your fav shopping mall.

The representative options that I choose:

  
The cheetah print sweater set may be worn with all of the core wardrobe pieces, and the skirt (which should match the beige in the sweater set) will coordinate with all of the blouses, sweaters, and blazers of the core wardrobe. Just these few pieces will give you many more options!

The black bag is a tote bag, rather than a handbag, and while the cheetah print handbag and shoes are yummy, please do not wear them together! Wear one or the other at a time so you don't look like a fashion victim.

Besides, if you wear them together and I find out, I'll tell your mother on you. :)

Dressing Elegantly: Comment Response

 
Margaret brought up some good points in a comment to my last post, and I felt it would be worthwhile to discuss the issues she raised in a separate post.

The comment from Margaret:

“These are great, Nicole, but I don't think I would wear the same skirt two days in a row. I would probably mix it up more than you have here bottom-wise. I also think you might want to incorporate one more pair of shoes that's not black to give a teensy bit more pizazz. I know you started out with these set pieces and the person you're designing for said she already wore a lot of black, but I would get really bored with just these color choices. Red is a power color for sure and I have no problem with how you've used it here. I would just add other colors as well to get out of this sterile environment that's going to get very predictable in a really short time.”

> Regarding the wearing of the same skirt two days in a row......the days can be switched around in order to avoid this, but really, no one looks at what you are wearing on the bottom half if you look well-dressed overall.

The skirt itself is a neutral, which makes it even easier to wear two days in a row. If it were a bright color, or a bold print, however, you probably couldn't get away with this without people noticing it, as it would be too memorable.

> Regarding the addition of an additional pair of shoes in a different color....adding shoes that aren't black is a great idea if they incorporate black, such as in an animal print. I do provide additional options in my next post, which is about expansion of the  basic wardrobe by adding other pieces.

One caution. Adding a shoe in a color such as red will accomplish several things but probably none that you were hoping for. A colored shoe (with no black) will shorten your legs visually (making you look shorter), and make your entire look less elegant. It can also go along way toward creating a "fashion victim look".

The core wardrobe is intended to be exactly that. If you create a core wardrobe out of more than a few colors, you won't have a wardrobe that can be worn repeatedly without a lot of additions. You also will fall short of looking elegant.

So what does the term "elegance" mean in fashion? The dictionary defines it as follows:

Main Entry:

el·e·gance 

1 a: refined grace or dignified propriety : urbanity
   b: tasteful richness of design or ornamentation <the sumptuous elegance of the furnishings>
   c: dignified gracefulness or restrained beauty of style : polish <the essay is marked by lucidity, wit, and elegance>
  d: scientific precision, neatness, and simplicity <the elegance    of a mathematical proof>
2: something that is elegant

Elegance in your appearance means to keep your clothing simple in it's design, usually/frequently monochromatic, although you can include a bit of another color. Elegance is always comprised of primarily timeless style. Elegance will cause people to notice how well you look, not necessarily what you are wearing. 

Thank you to Margaret, who very likely commented not only on what she was thinking, but what others of you were also thinking. I very much appreciate her sincere input!!

The options post will be up on Wednesday.........I am trying to keep up with too many things, and I apologize for the delay!

Related Posts:

- Fashion Tips: How to Pull Together a Smashing Wardrobe for Work
- Fashion Tips: How to Pull Together a Smashing Wardrobe for Work | Part Two

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Fashion Tips: How to Pull Together a Smashing Wardrobe for Work | Part Two

In the first post in this series, Fashion Tips: How to Pull Together a Smashing Wardrobe for Work, I posted the images of the pieces that comprise the  core wardrobe that I sourced for a Modern Glam reader.

Now we'll put the pieces together to form a workable, versatile, and attractive wardrobe for our reader to wear to work.

A few things to note:

1. While this wardrobe was pulled together with Fall/Winter fabrications, it would work just as well for Spring and Summer with a change in fabrics to linens, cottons, and silks.

2. The pieces are generally classic and will not look out of style in five years. You will be able to wear the basic pieces for at least ten years.

Fashion Tips: How to Pull Together a Smashing Wardrobe for Work

Recently, I received an email from a reader requesting advice.

  “Hi Glam,      
I'm graduating from college in December, and I need a new wardrobe for work. I am on a limited budget, and I want to look professional, attractive, fashionable, and promotable. Can you help me? What should I buy? I like to wear a lot of black.”        

I felt that answering this request would make a great post as it is so common to be in a position to need a work wardrobe suddenly, considering that so many women begin working again after a divorce, or after their kids are grown, after graduating from college, or even after extensive weight loss.

The main components of the wardrobe that I put together for the Modern Glam reader are pictured below.

The Main Components   

      Three blouses: 1. ruffled blouse; 2.fitted shirt with spandex; 3. black & white print blouse, very feminine.

     Two Sweaters - Two Jackets/Blazers: 1. red sweater or sweater set; 2. black turtleneck/mock turtleneck sweater; 3. red blazer or jacket; 4. black blazer or jacket.

 
Two Skirts - One Pair of Trousers: 1. "fishtail"/flip black wool gabardine skirt; 2. wool crepe black pencil skirt; 3. black wool trousers.

     Main Accessories: black pumps, black leather belt, red print silk scarf, black handbag.   
Optional: black leather knee-high boots with heel.   
   
My next post will pull everything together to provide at least 10-12 days of combinations to wear to work.

Along with the completed combinations, I will be posting options to expand the wardrobe, an outline, and instructions for applying my method to your own wardrobe.

Resource and image info:  
Fall 2008 Fashion Resources by Modern Glam

   

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