Glamorous

Remember when your Vogue weighed more than your Biology textbook from high school? Those were the days...Sadly, with the worsening economy, Vogue had to go on a serious diet. I was very upset when I picked up my copy the other day. It lacked a certain amount of glamour, style, and chicness that it usually delivers. My Glamour, however, inspired me to write this post...

1. It had a magnificent cover...Jessica Simpson (who I feel is still fabulous). To all you Jess haters, I don't care what you say about her. I know she's not a Harvard grad (or even a college grad for that matter) but she's got something special. In the world of grotesquely skinny fashion icons, it's nice to see a girl with some killer curves!

2. Don't we all love the Glamour "Dos and Don'ts"?

It inspired me to share with you my "Dos." These are some of my favorite things: (clockwise)

Sunglasses: Throw on a huge pair of sunglasses to make any outfit more chic (or when you don't have time to put on makeup....when they cover your whole face, who needs it anyway???)

Turquoise: Turquoise is a symbol of generosity, sincerity and affection. It is also been known to ward of evil!

Cowboy Boots: Bought my first pair of cowboy boots last year from Nashville, TN. The real deal. These durable duds are extremely versatile. From jeans to dresses, make sure you have a pair of these in your closet.

Cardigans and Belts: and not necessarily together! Long cardigans are "in" again this fall and so are big belts. Belt anything and everything! (Like costume designer of Sex and the City does!)

Chanel: Gabrielle or "Coco" Chanel is one of the most iconic designers of the 20th century. As the inventor of the "little black dress" and hater of corsets, you have to love her always!

Super High Heels: Wear them to dinner...you'll be sitting the whole anyways! High heels always make you look 10 pounds lighter! I swear!

Gold Watch: If I could buy anything right now, I would buy an over sized gold watch (ok really I would buy a sofa but if I was being selfish...)

Bright Nails: Always sexy! Your outfit looks a little more complete with a pretty manicure. (NO CHIPS PLEASE! If you see a chip, touch it up or take it off!)

Designer Look-A-Like: These $190 Badgley Mischka pumps look almost IDENTICAL to the $700 Mui Mui ones! Don't you love that?

Skinny Jeans: With pumps, flats or boots, everyone needs a pair of skinny jeans! Just trust me on this one! And you don't have to be skinny to wear skinny jeans.

This was fun! Hope you enjoyed my list of "Dos." Maybe I'll do a list of "Don'ts" too!

Catching up!

Yes, it's part of my job to read fashion magazines and of course Women's Wear Daily. Women's Wear Daily, or WWD, is what most refer to as the "fashion bible." It "is the authority for breaking news, comprehensive business coverage and trends in the worlds of fashion, beauty and retail" (http://www.wwd.com/). It's more than just pictures of the latest gown from Oscar, it's the business behind the glamour.

Anways, I was catching up from about 2 weeks of WWDs and look at what I found in the July 22nd Issue! This cute bodysuit from Noble Youth! In this piece, "American Girl," WWD shows us how the "Classic Americana look gets an update for resort with playful layering, easy shapes, and plenty of stripes." Don't wait 'till next spring though! Start layering your looks for fall or wear an adorable striped dress like this one from ALC:
I love the neck line of this assymetrical sweater dress from ALC's fall line. So cute!

Fine Dining

This week was busy busy! I don't eat out a lot; however, this week, I went all out for my friends who were in town! I had never heard of the restaurants where I dined this week. Noah and I decided that we are going to try a new restaurant every week. Since Richmond is officially our home now, we need to know more about the city and what it has to offer!

Whenever I think about food, restaurants, recipes, etc., I can't help but think about my best friend, Sally. I miss her terribly! We usually talk everyday but she has an amazing job where she's touring the country promoting organically grown/ locally produced food through Outstanding in the Field. Her blog (appropriately titled "Come to the Table: Share, Eat, Learn") is interesting to read and she has taken some breathtakingly beautiful pictures! (This is a picture from Ford Farm in Sauvie Island, OR). Needless to say, we don't get talk everyday! I think I am going to try to convince her to move to Richmond :)

Restaurant 1: Cous Cous

It was a girls night on Tuesday and we went to Cous Cous. This Mediterranean/Moroccan tapas restaurant is a great place for dinner with the girls or date night! It's located at 900 W. Franklin Street. It was sooo good! There wasn't one dish I didn't like and I can't wait to take Noah there. I love tapas restaurants because you get a little taste of everything. My favs: the Sangria (the "white" one was the best...I can't remember the name of it exactly), Manchego Fritters, Saganaki, and to finish the meal off, Chocolate Bread Pudding. I can't believe it took me this long to discover this cute restaurant!

Restaurant 2: The Arcade Cafe

My collegie roomies, Margaret and Caroline, were in town from Charleston

and New York this weekend! Of course we had to go to dinner and catch up! Margaret chose this great restaurant near Libbie and Grove. We sat outside and enjoyed our tasty dinners. I don't remember a ton about the restaurant because I was having so much fun chating with my old roommates! Margaret is getting married in May of 2010 and I love to hear all about how the wedding details are coming along! I'm wedding obsessed. I miss them sooooo much! I wish we could go to dinner every week.

Restaurant 3: Coast

Coast, a relatively new restaurant to Richmond, is located 2 doors down from the Arcade Cafe on Grove Avenue. Noah chose Coast for our date night on Saturday. Noah chose the Shrimp and Grits and I picked the Wild Salmon. Both were DELICIOUS! This restaurant was the priciest of the three but definitely worth it! It was nice and relaxing after a long day at work! I love date night. It's important to have date night at least once a week (even if you cook at home) no matter how long you have been dating/engaged/married! It keeps it interesting :)

One more piece of relationship advice I learned from my mother:

Always wear something sexy to bed (don't you dare wear his old football t-shirt from high school!) My favorite lingerie designer is Hanky Panky because it's comfortable yet sexy and it doesn't wrinkle! Also, Victoria's Secret makes some cute/comfy/sexy cotton nighties. Just a little tip!

Future Brides/Friends of Future Brides:
Looking for your "Something Blue?" Hanky Panky makes this adorable "I DO" thong and it's blue! My sister gave it to me to wear on my wedding day!

Lovin' Louboutin's Love!

Every girl should own a pair of these red-soled shoes. As soon as you slip your feet into a pair of these ultraluxurious shoes, you can't help but feel beautiful! And now Christian is making us feel love too! For his new fall line, this "love" pump (also available in a flat) has a unique story behind the design. Mr. Louboutin saw an old picture of Princess Dianna looking down at her feet. She looked so sad and lonely...Mr. Louboutin wondered what he could have done to put a smile on her face. And that is how the "Love" shoe came to be. I love it!

If you haven't ever been to his website, you should definitely check it out! It's very quirky and you can view his shoes from 360 degrees. It's one of my favorite sites. Don't know much about this famous Parisian designer? Read this TIME article about his life long journey to make women sexy! Feeling sexy in his shoes will cost you though, his shoes average $800 retail. Now is the time to buy them on SALE!!!

Noble Youth

I know I know...I'm going blog crazy! This topic will most likely be my blog priority...fashion. Since I work at Coplon's (a high end women's boutique), I'm pretty much addicted. This is my favorite time of summer, fall is arriving and the store begins it's yearly transformation from bright, sunny colors to the sleek, rich colors of fall. Goodbye Spring RTW 2009 and hello Fall 2009.

I must have my first fashion post about an amazing up-and-coming designer Megan Quinn. Her line Noble Youth is quickly becoming the topic of conversation in the fashion world and the celebrity world. Her line has been featured in WWD, Daily Candy, Lucky Magazine, and Life & Style (pictured below).

Her fall line is amazing and fresh. But I know it's only August and most of us aren't even thinking about fall. If you want a dress, however, that you can wear in the hot days of August and pair with tights and boots in October, you must buy the "Beatrice Dress." It has the feel of Marni and the femininity of Theory.