Dannijo

Day to Night

As I was putting together a day into night outfit this week, I wanted a casual look for day that would seamlessly transition into a chic evening look with a nod to the coolness factor. I first thought of the multiple uses of this particular white cut-out eyelet shirt that I recently scored on Net-A-Porter. I have been was furiously searching for white cut-out anything on the internet recently, and when I saw this, I immediately fell in love. White cut-outs pants can be tricky, but an eyelet top is not. When I got around to styling it for NYFH, it became clear we could paint the shirt as the ultimate blank canvas and build around it for two different looks what could be a fun story idea.

In the snapshots below, I have featured a typical day in the life of the Fashion Hunter and how I might dress on a typical day. The top tells all: it lends a feminine twist to a rather sporty vibe. Keep in mind, I tried to make the fuss as seamless as possible with a quick 2 minute footwear change for an evening out. Cue the proverbial skin peeking through the eyelet top for effect.

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Outfit one, I’m wearing the one and only Isabel Marant top, get a similar one here, over Tibi black shorts, and Converse Chuck Taylor All Star High Top sneakers in washed neon. Super Sunglasses and a Reed Krakoff bag complete the sporty look. Fait accompli.

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And then, a quick footwear change, albeit more Sex and the City, less Cinderella, for those who love their glitter. I maintain my shopping rule of thumb–if I can’t picture it with at least three items I already own, I don’t buy it. Admittedly, these shoes were an indulgence but I have a million things to wear with it, (See: denim jeans, skirts, skorts, et al.) and they were on SALE (does that count?) That doesn’t mean that is was utter decadence. Add a black and white graphic bag for a bold statement, throw those Converse in the bag, stash the bag, and the look is more polished without the trivialities of getting dressed up for the night.

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Tom Ford sunglasses, Cuore & Pelle Caterina purse, Christian Louboutin shoes, oh my! And finally, you can’t go wrong on any given day or night with a bunch of bracelets and rings to filtrate your limbs. I’m loving dainty rings and watches these days.

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On my right hand, Dannijo Swarovski crystal link chain bracelet, by boe black beaded bracelet, catbird ring. On my left, Skagen watch, Jacquie Aiche rings, Reed Krakoff bag.

photos: Jim D’Angelo

What do you think of the versatile white shirt?  And on a more important note, what about the Isabel Marant X H&M collection coming this fall? Her style is so organic and now that it will be available on the streets for the masses, do you think it will lose its cachet?

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5 days ago • Fashion, Style • Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Dream On

It was apparent to me from the onset that I didn’t want a sedentary secretarial job after graduating from college  - I longed for a more esoteric position – when I failed my first typing test. On my first job interview, little unbeknownst to me, the requirements for the position, were to type at a lightning fast speed of 55 wpm among many other unattainable requirements, like owning a few pairs of Manolo Blahniks on an assistant’s measly salary. My fingers did excel at Katherine Gibbs secretary school, knowing it probably was an applicable skill to have under my belt. I finally procured that highly covetable editorial position, albeit circuitously, and realized there was a lot more that came with the entry-level position. I was able to cover the market, style shoots, attend press functions, and meet with industry professionals, all at my day job.

Little did I know, fast forward many years later, I am speed typing on my laptop, producing blog posts at the speed of sound, all in the name of working from home. I get to wear pajamas all day! Perhaps it is time to celebrate. When Marc Jacobs paraded pajamas down the runway at Louis Vuitton, and Rihanna and Sofia Coppola showed up at parties in pajamas like tiny Julian Schnabels, I was elated.

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If pyjamas were fair game to wear to actual events in the day, my wardrobe actually just became much larger and significantly more cutting-edge. Remember last spring, designers like Stella McCartney showed lingerie down the runways and I along with everyone else adopted the look? Designer pajamas are still so cool, like better-cut, ultra-feminine suits that a very short person could wear. Yes, Spring has sprung finally, and what a better way to celebrate the new season than a pair of comfy silk jammies. And in that same spirit, I will wear pajamas and sweatshirts out of the house and see if I will become Sofia Coppola. Or, at least, enjoy brunch as much as her.

Starting down at the pants which are printed and loose, and let it be known: are as close to cozying in bed as they come. Photographed below: Sea New York drawstring pants FTW. All links optimized for your stay in bed with your laptop shopping pleasure.

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Photography, Lydia Hudgens

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Linda Farrow sunglasses, J Crew lightweight denim blue shirt, T by Alexander Wang grey sweatshirt, Dannijo necklace, Sea New York (On Sale! I might add) drawstring  pants, ASOS clutch, get a similar one by Givenchy, Manolo Blahnik metallic single sole pumps.

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72 days ago • Fashion • Tags: , , , , , , ,

What I Wore

Fashion Week is anything but boring. It is comforting to know that we are living in a never-changing cycle of fast fashion and that will always remain the same. With the ongoing debate in the press (see: Suzy Menkes’ article “The Circus of Fashion” in T magazine where the new poseurs outside of Lincoln Center are creating a circus), I find myself pleasantly surprised and content with dressing for myself, and not gagging for attention from the paparazzi. I shutter at the notion that people who do not actually have tickets to the shows, stand outside waiting to be photographed in every possible way. The article struck me when it said, “fashion has always been an industry populated with wonderfully colourful characters and self-promoters alike, but in the glare of fashion’s growing ‘circus, differentiating between the two is rarely as simple as whether their native medium is digital or analogue”. Since when can’t we just be ourselves without pretense of the pomp and circumstance? Wow…how things have changed from just a few years ago. That said, change is good, right?

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This season, like any other, I meticulously created outfits on my bedroom floor, days before fashion week even started. Among the vigorous reporting that I do from the sidelines, there is also a lot to be said for taking styling cues from the street. I took virtual footnotes from both the runways and the concrete catwalk. Maybe I wouldn’t wear head-to-toe-Prada, or over-the-top insane amounts of Jamiroquai Seuss hats (remember Marc Jacobs from last year?) but I am always amazed by all the creative experts at Fashion week. Bare legs with white shoes? That happened. Menswear looks paired with fuscia single-sole heels? No brainer. Add socks? Why not!

The inclement weather actually worked to my advantage this season, sharing cabs with strangers who quickly became my friends. From “Hey! Are you going to Milk?” to “Wanna have drinks after the shows?” became the catch-phrases of the week. As far as what I wore, I pulled staples that I love (leather sweatshirt, chunky necklaces, and my blanket vest) while bearing in mind my Blahnik’s weren’t great for the ice and snow. I was waiting for a Carrie slip from SATC, but it never happened. Trying to stay original, I am neither the black crow nor the peacock. I just have a personal style blog and I am a stylist. And I watch “Girls” too.

It’s not about what you wear, it’s all in the attitude. Smiling optional.

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114 days ago • Fashion • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Beanie Hunting: Street Style edition

Contrary to popular belief, the beanie has never eclipsed. The now ubiquitous hat, seen all over the streets in cities likes New York, London, and even gasp, suburbia!, is very similar in nature to comfort food. In colder climes, you know it feels good to eat oatmeal, so you keep doing it. Same truth goes to the indispensable use of the beanie. It is a discreet arbiter of cool.

From the concrete jungles of New York and London’s Fashion Week, peep down below to spark your imagination. It is sure to be landing in Milan and Paris as we speak. I especially like Kate Lanphear’s, T Style Director, (fourth one down) spiky black number. It takes the typical black beanie to a whole other level.

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117 days ago • Fashion, Style • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Treacherous Conditions

As Day 6 of Fashion Week rears its head, I’m sick of talking about the weather. On Friday, as fears of Nemo were building, schools closed, flights got cancelled, and all the divas attending the shows were subsequently worried about their lack of shoe choices. A shoe hoarder/lover myself, I also understood their dilemmas, but still insisted on ignoring the elements.

“Its going to be really slick out there and conditions will be dangerous,” said everybody, even my mother who is basking in the sun in Florida. Well, the rough wasn’t so bad. On Saturday at Lincoln Center after attending the Mara Hoffman and Hervé Leger shows, and after my daily tread to Milk Studios, among the UGG boots, parkas and knee boots surrounding me, were a surprising number of stilettos. But not for me. Knowing full well that stilettos are not ice picks, I chose a pair of sturdy white boots to strut my stuff. No, they are not snow shoes, but just in case of treacherous white-out conditions, they would hold up just fine. I almost chose my black Stella McCartney rubber-platform faux-leather boots, but instead dared to blend into the winter white out with these See by Chloe boots, now on Sale!

Besides shoe follies, I have been playing the head games with myself this week, seeing how many days I can go with a different hat on my head. Day 1, slouchy beanie. Day 2, newsboy cap. Day 3, fedora. Day 4, neon pom-pom. Day, 5, a rainy Monday wool newsboy cap. Hats are great for shielding the elements, and take note, beanies et al. make quite the fashion statement . They have appeared in 90% of the collections thus far. On a scale from 1-10, here’s the thing. Snow – a disappointing 0. In the southern regions, practicality gets a -1. But my happiness, a glowing +6. And that, is everything.

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Photography: Lydia Hudgens

What I’m wearing: Alexander Wang beanie, Linda Farrow for The Row sunnies, Rag & Bone sweater, Nili Lotan plaid shirt, Dannijo Vala necklace, Zara pants,  Reed Krakoff bag, See by Chloe booties, Topshop boyfriend coat.

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127 days ago • Fashion, Style • Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

NYFW Days 0 and 1

Days 0 and 1 of Fashion Week’s catwalk kicked off with kick-ass presentations and shows in new venues (see: Eyebeam, Highline Stages), that have me rest assured that my eye for deducing trends quickly (see: wild combinations of fur, leather over-the-knee boots, and beanies everywhere) have been on target. This season, instead of my usual winding prose, I am going to be writing less and saying more through visuals, showcasing the seasoned designers as well as adding new up and coming talents. As you know from my previous posts, there is just no time with the mad rush of shows to cover all 283 of them by myself. Granted, we are on the shallow end of Fashion Week, but try getting from Lincoln Center to Milk in the snow and slush, and back a few times per day. There is no rest for the fashion weary!

Starting out at Vaute, the first all vegan fashion label to show at NYFW, the velvet blazers and overalls and the bow made from organic material, produced at home in NYC, were quite impressive to say the least. Get thou on my body.

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Over at WHIT, the collection was inspired by the romantic Marianne Faithfull. Leopard, paisley, and plaids combined with the dark moody hues of ruby, forest green and deep blues, put me right back to the dreamy 1970′s.

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Next up, I went to Dannijo’s “Vanities” presentation for Fall. Say goodbye for now to the usual rock’n'roll tribal aesthetics and hello to red-carpet-ready dazzlers. The mood was more focused on Art Deco, and if you look closely below, there are mirrors which play upon the golden age of social media and our over obsession with sharing (See newest trend: Vine app). Look at those rings! Those lariats! Hashtag ridiculously divine.

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I then headed over to The Red Dress fashion show at Hammerstein which I blogged about yesterday right here and then finally, to the 1920′s themed Wildfox presentation at Capitale. The clothes were classic Wildfox flare showcasing pastel pink, graphic tees and sweatshirts, silk shorts and sequined dresses. Cropped wigs, colored tights with open toed shoes, and turban headwraps reigned supreme while Sinatra played “New York, New York” into the wee hours of the night. And the winner of the slogan tee shirt goes to “I left my wallet in East Hampton.” In true Wildfox form, girls just do want to have fun.

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Check back for more tomorrow!

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129 days ago • Event, Fashion • Tags: , , , ,

Go West

A creature of habit, my shopping habits are very simple – if I think I can get the most bang for the buck, calculating at the register cost-per-wear, I buy it. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, this theory works out in my favor. A pair of killer shoes on sale that I will wear over and over again? Yes. The pair of ripped jeans that I can’t take off my body? Remember, denim is the fabric of our generation. The Kanye West sweatshirt that sells for a mere $19.00 that I sleep in, and wear to Fashion Week?  I sing the Blame Game. “Who taught you how to put some mother freakin’ Jimmy Choos on?”  Yeezy taught me. Yup, Yeezy taught me well. It all comes down to buying the things you love while radiating your individual style.

Down below see a fashion week post that is pertinent for this coming week. A cabbie hat swiped from the photographer, a trusty denim shirt, a statement necklace, skinny leather pants, and sneakers will one hundred percent transcend beyond the boundaries of fashion month.

And why not insert some K for Kool in your look? Case in point: there’s an art to dressing “like the cool mom” as my own kids would tell it. And you don’t have to shut it down in a leather mini-dress like Beyoncé did at the Superbowl. You can strut quietly. No smiling allowed. And it goes like this.

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Photography: Mark Colbran

I’m wearing an Attitude Cabbie Hat, otherwise go for the Topman beanie, Warby Parker sunnies, J. Crew denim shirt, Kanye Sweatshirt, Elizabeth and James leather leggings, and Isabel Marant sneakers which I may never take off my feet. Accessories by Dannijo, Philip Plein skull bag, and a Kal Reiman herringbone vest, get a similar one here.

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135 days ago • Fashion, Style • Tags: , , , , , ,

Ring It In

Although Christmas and Hanukkah stress is a very recent memory, we still are knee-deep in the holiday season with New Year’s Eve left to rock out in 2012. Back from my beach vacation safe and sound, yet without an internet connection, this past week of lolling in the sun was nurturing for the soul. Yes it’s hard to get back to work, but before I do, with the New Year around the corner, I have mapped out my party ensemble.

This is the time of year where sequins are celebrated, short dresses are welcome, and backless is better. But I am a creature of comfort and I will be wearing what I own and will stick to the pieces that work for me. We as human beings fear change for change’s sake. Life is too short to blend in. There will be no body-con dresses for me but I will grab my feather skirt, shiny neckwear, red lipstick and go. But before you do, please bag the pantyhose (even in sub-zero temps), but don’t forget a coat and a pair of lace La Perla thongs.

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Dannijo necklace and copious amounts of other jewels always work with anything and everything, Markus Lupfer sequined lip sweater because although neon is on its way out, lips and kissing on New Year’s Eve and beyond is not.  Givenchy Iris Rottweiler print T-shirt so when you rip off your sweatshirt, you’re not naked. NARS Lipstick in Red Lizard will lift your spirits for a mere $24.00. Chanel Vintage quilted bag for the ultimate punch of color to match your fruit punch, Cynthia Rowley feather skirt, get a similar one here. Wear it high and belted for the perfect party look. And last but not least, go out with a bang with these Giuseppe Zanotti Strappy Sandal with curves if you don’t have them. So grab your red, the pink, your feathers, the glitz and get the party started.

Happy New Year everyone!!! xo

Shop it here:

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173 days ago • Fashion • Tags: , , , , , ,

Is This the End of the World?

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Tibi Lurex Jacquard top, Proenza Schouler wrap skirt, Loeffler Randall sandals, Dannijo necklace, holding Thakoon red Crisscross shiny pumps. Get a similar pair here.

Depending on who you talk to, the Mayan prophecy foretells that tomorrow, December 21, 2012, the Winter Solstice, will be either the end of the world as we know it, or a once in a lifetime chance to party our butts off. If you’re a believer in the mystical Mayan mumbo-jumbo, I’ll see you on the other side in just a few hours. If not, here’s an end-of-the-world outfit to go out with a B-A-N-G. Everybody should leave this Earth satisfied.

If you’re taking my fashion cues, I can tell you that Angelina Jolie’s red carpet thigh-high split skirt is still the schizz. And so are metallics. Whatever you’re doing to have fun– be it a bar-music-fashion-gallery-eatery-fest and everything in between, this is the party of the century.

Let’s dress-up, dance, and have a solstice party together.

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All photos: Mariana Leung
Or just maybe, as with every other apocalypse before it, nothing will happen. We could just wake up on Friday, grab our coffee, and go to work. As the end of the year draws to a close, why not take some time to cleanse  your body, soul, and your closet. I bet there are some unwanted threads that need a new home.  Head over to HelloLamode, the premier website where your luxury fashion will be tagged and sold and rid you of your former selves.
And from the mouth of Kesha, let’s make the most of the night like we’re gonna die young.
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181 days ago • Fashion • Tags: , , , , , ,

Giving Thanks

The flood of recent emails asking “When is a good time to get together for dinner, a drink, a gingerbread latte?” signifies the end of the year is near. My graceful return to the oven signifies an apple pie is baking, sweet potatoes are roasting, or a big bird is waiting to be scorched. The television ads promoting the heck out of Black Friday to “Come out and shop. We open at 4am!” And finally, the kids are off from school for a 4-day holiday weekend to celebrate sleeping, and their beds. These sure signs can only signify one thing: it must be Thanksgiving.

Not one to brave those long lines on Black Friday, I am so much happier surfing the web looking for that perfect gift. If you are one of those happy people glued to your laptop when the clock strikes 5am, never tempting to get out of your PJs’, then my holiday gift guide is for you. Without meaning to rob the retailers of their fair share, if you can casually click your mouse on the underlined items below, after your spin class at Soul Cycle, why wouldn’t you? You will be pleasantly more satisfied than just the “endorphin rush” you just received from the exercise class. Smiling ear to ear, it will not only stimulate our hurting economy, it will please your family and friends, and more importantly, have little impact on your wallet.

Below you will find my hit list, a perfect little cheat sheet for the start of the holiday shopping season, all for under $100. Each one is exactly something I would want to get for myself and that’s how I like to shop. When you adopt that mantra, you will avoid the “WTF am I supposed to do with this” exclamation foolishly disguised as a grateful smile.

Lulu Guinness red lined lip blot notebook. For the most glamorous note-takers.

Michael Kors wide buckle ring. Statement jewelry that is both masculine and feminine.

French Connection Ditton Sweatshirt. A timeless shirt that you can wear year-round under a bomber jacket or a wool coat.

Serge Lutens Lipstick. Dark berry lips for the holidays? Duh.

Topshop studded clutch. Finally a bag that you can wear day to evening.

NARS makeup brush. Top quality brush that you wouldn’t invest in yourself but could always use.

nOir hook earrings. I love the smooth curves that will hug your ears and add a dash bling to your face.

Diptyque Bougie Candle. One of my favorite fresh scents from Diptyque. Light it up while you wrap those holidays gifts.

Rebel Yell Fashion is Dead black tee. Why? We all know fashion isn’t dead, it’s the irony that kills.

 Topshop rhinestone peter pan collar necklace. Over a plain white tee shirt and there’s your holiday outfit. Give one to your sister too. She’ll thank you.

Mango dot leather gloves. Taking the train or driving your car, your hands will thank you for remaining warm and stylish.

Dannijo iPhone case. No matter what I wear, what bag I have, this case always produces positive chatter. Those sisters rock.

Happy Turkey! Cheers.

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210 days ago • Accessories • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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