Sunday, September 30, 2012

Oversized Coats...

A popular trend at the most recent runway shows were the vast number of voluminous or oversized coats!  I have to confess to being a little surprised and somewhat unsure of this latest trend for fall, but the more I see it the more I'm warming to the idea!  This trend is one you have to be very careful with how you put together, because not done right it will look strange and make you look huge - and I know that's not something any of us want.  So if you decide to try this look, make sure that whatever else you're wearing is streamlined, that way you don't have that 'big' look from head to toe.  Or, do what Calvin Klein did with his beautiful red wool and mohair coat and belt it to highlight your waist.  Comme des Garcons also had a similar look in red but in felt with exposed seams.  Celine showcased a couple of different looks in a dusty-violet shade, and Jil Sander had a VERY oversized look in a blush pink wool and cashmere coat.  Dries Van Noten showed off a peacoat, and Chloe a wool coat again in blush pink.  My favorite however was a faux-fur coat by Nina Ricci (again pink!).

Again, this look is not for everyone, so think about it before trying it out.  Take a look at some of the (sometimes somewhat extreme!) looks shown recently on the runways and decide for yourself!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Award season kicked off last night with the Emmy Awards, and I was in my element devouring all the fashion hits and misses of the night!

Common trends on the red carpet were neon colors (worn by Julianne Moore), and assymetrical styles (showcased by Hayden Panettiere), as well as various shades of blue, from navy to royal to ocean and turquoise.

Some of my favorites of the night were January Jones in a black full-skirted gown by Zac Posen with simple slicked back hair, and Ginnifer Goodwin in a red and sheer strapless Monique Lhullier gown - gorgeous!  Tina Fey surprised me with her lovely plum colored Vivienne Westwood gown (and in my opinion looked the best she's ever looked on the red carpet), & Sofia Vergara showcased her curves in a turquoise Zuhair Murad gown (though she is getting a little predictable with her choices and I'd like to see her try something different).  Allison Williams looked fab in an emerald green peplum gown by Oscar de la Renta, and Lucy Liu got it right in a major metal gown by Versace.  Padma Lakshmi also looked lovely in a tangerine chiffon gown by Monique Lhullier. Edie Falco wowed in her amazing Stella McCartney dress which was a far cry from her scrubs worn in Nurse Jackie!

While there were some great gowns on the red carpet, there were also a lot of misses in my opinion.  Mad Men's Elizabeth Moss wore a Dolce & Gabanna that looked like a hot mess!  The print, peplum & graduated hemline was just all too much!  Another Mad Men actress, Christina Hendricks (whom I love and hate to diss her!), showed off her decolletage in a belted gown by Christian Siriano.  Unfortunately she looked like she was literally busting out of it!  I'm all for women showing off their curves and generous bosoms, but really Christina?  I also was not a huge fan of the Reem Acra dress worn by Zooey Deschanel.  To me it looked like the top part didn't fit her properly.  But one of the HUGE misses of the night for me was Lena Dunham in a lacy cap-sleeve Prada dress.  There was absolutely nothing redeeming about this dress, and I can't believe that someone so young would choose to wear something like this.  And Glenn Close?  What on earth was she thinking?  She really should fire her stylist for letting her go out in that dress!

But never mind what I think!  Judge for yourselves what you think about these dresses....









Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Europe Part 3 - 2012

Today I want to continue sharing my journey in Europe with the second part of our trip in Italy.  Once the family celebrations came to an end and everyone returned to their respective countries, Bob and I continued our vacation in Italy.  We certainly needed time to recover from all the wedding celebrations and family get-togethers, so we had a couple of days where we just stayed at our lovely hotel and lazed by the pool.

Once we were re-energized we were ready to do some more exploring in this lovely country.  We decided to do a tour of the Amalfi Coast, and it didn't disappoint!  We took a boat along the coast and both of us kept saying "oh my God this is so beautiful" or "stunning!".....it really was a sight to behold!  The beautiful blue waters and rugged coastline were quite something, and I would urge anyone who goes to this part of Italy to explore this area.  After the boat trip we went to a small town called Ravello up in the mountains and enjoyed a nice lunch overlooking the spectacular coastline.  It was definitely a day to remember!

We also decided to go to the isle of Capri, and we took the ferry over (which is just a short journey).  Capri is also a beautiful island, and we took the bus up to Capri town as well as Anacapri, where we explored the shops and visited some churches.  We stopped for another great lunch and bottle of red before heading back to Sorrento.

On other nights we would go into the main town of Sorrento and explore the narrow cobbled streets and stop at cafes to have a glass of wine and soak up the atmosphere.  The town was upbeat and busy and I loved sitting with the hub people-watching.  There is also plenty to buy there if you have lots of money to blow!  Trust me, spending money in Italy is very easy, whether it's on the unusual and lovely jewelry, local limoncello liquer (which we loved!), or leather goods which were everywhere!  My weakness was for the Italian gelato (or ice cream!).  It's the best I've ever had and I was partial to the pistachio and limoncello flavors!  In fact, I had so many gelato's that Bob started teasing me that I couldn't pass a gelato stand without having one!

One night the hotel we were staying at had a buffet dinner by the pool area and we decided to go.  I have never seen so much food in my life, and it all looked (and tasted) delicious!  Honestly, there is only so much one person can eat, and I think I successfully raised the bar on that one!  I loved some of the Italian desserts, in particular the rum-baba dessert and a cake that was called a nougat cake which was sheer heaven.  In fact I am going to try and find the recipe so that I can attempt to make it at home.

As you will see from the pictures below, I kept my fashion simple in Italy.  The weather was hot and I wanted to stay cool and comfortable, so I kept it simple with thin layers and flowy summer dresses.  Despite the fact that I took many clothes with me, I did actually wear almost all of the items I took!

So as you can gather, our trip to Italy was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to go back again to explore more of the country.  Please enjoy some of the pictures I've attached of the remainder of our time there.

A beautiful view of the Amalfi Coastline...

Another great view...

A dinner in Sant Agnello with a lovely view of Mt. Vesuvius

More great views...


The basilica in the main palazzo in the town of Amalfi

On the boat during our tour of the Amalfi Coast

The view from where we had lunch in Ravello...

The hub relaxing at a cafe in Amalfi...

Another view from Ravello...


Me after our lovely lunch in Ravello

This was buffet night at our hotel...


Me and the hub...


Our last night in Sorrento...

Me enjoying yet another gelato....

yum...

On the way to Capri...


The marina on the isle of Capri...