Hollywood's Hottest Good Luck Charm: Otrera Scarves

Scarves are a fashion accessory that crosses all seasons, especially when they are made of silk. When in doubt, I throw on a scarf and voila, instant chic! Hollywood fashionistas are known for finding the most fabulous, up-and-coming accessories, and that is why we always look to them when trying to discover the latest trends. Lately, starlets can not get enough of their Otrera scarves, designed by Elle Sakellis.

Otrera by Elle Sakellis is rooted deeply in Greek tradition, and Elle looked to her Greek heritage for inspiration . She named her fabulous accessory brand after the mysterious Greek warrior goddess known for her astounding beauty and strength. Her evil eye scarf was created after admiring a display of Evil Eyes ahnging in a small Mykonian tourist shop. Recently, Elle has also come out with a line of hamsa print scarves, which is also a symbol that has been thought to protet people from jealous glares and enemies since the ancient times.

A-listers such as Alicia Keys, Rachel Ray, Paris Hilton, and Maggie Gyllenhaal are all huge fans of this growing trend, and have been seen sporting their good luck charms all over. Just think, all of these big-earners have each experience an enormous amount of success in 2009...could it be Otrera's luck? Hmmm...

Not only are Elle's scarves chic looking, they area also extremely luxurious to the touch. Each piece has hand-sewn glass evil eye charms at the ends, providing protection from evil all day long. Made of 100% silk chiffon, these wraps make a high-class statement, but at a less-than high-end price. At only $198.00, you too can have your very own Otrera original. I for one can't wait to get my hands on one of each design...I just have to decide on which color (turquoise is so classic Greek!).

Wear your Otrera scarf and you too will be surrounded by good karma and positive energy in 2010! And, oh yah, Elle designs exquisite jewelry as well...that's for another post...check out her site and spread the good luck this year!

http://www.otrera.com/

Follow on Twitter: @OtreraByElle

Lacquer Up Your Laptop

I don't know about you all, but I am practically attached to my laptop. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't open my baby Dell up for at least a few moments, even on vacay. Our laptops are not only the mother ships to our whole lives, personal and professional, but they are also accessories that can tell a lot about who we are. Less tech-savvy individuals usually carry around dinosaur looking machines, artsy folks tend towards trendy and modern Macs, and many average Joe's opt for a basic Dell or HP portable comp. So, if our computers are accessories, why not treat them with the same careful selection as we do our other accessories; ties, shades, handbags, footwear? I must admit, I notice how others accessorize and tend to mildly judge their personality based on how they do so. I chose a purple skin for my Dell laptop, which doesn't make a huge statement, but it shows a little bit of my girlie personality.

Now, Dell has announced that they will be coming out with a whole new line of laptop skins that are much more eye-catching than a simple color coated cover. The computer co. has partnered up with one of my favorite nail polish brands, O.P.I., and have fused technology and fashion, producing a line of fab laptop skins modeled after 26 of their best-selling polishes. Shades include: 'I'm Not Really a Waitress', 'Strawberry Margarita', and 'Kyoto Pearl'. The collection will be available as part of the Dell Design Studio and can be used on all Inspirations Mini, Inspiration, and Studio (that's mine!) laptop models.

These brightly polished skins will be sold in stores sometime later this year internationally, and are currently only available to US customers. I am heading to the Dell site as soon as I publish this post...wonder what shade reps me best...'Rosy Future'...?? Type on, in style hopefully!

Link to the Dell Design Studio, O.P.I.: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/design_studio/en/us/design_studio

Be Naturally Thin In 2010: The Skinny Girl Dish

"I'm just naturally thin," is probably a phrase you've heard before...you know, those annoyingly thin girls who swear on their own mothers that they "eat whatever they want" and "don't exercise much at all". Most of the time when I hear someone say that they don't diet, I assume they're lying and are secretly running home and jogging 10 miles on the treadmill and surviving on nothing but fruit and water. However, what if I told you that this idea of being "naturally thin" really does exist? Furthermore, what if I said that achieving a thin body is actually attainable and practically painless? Well, let me introduce you to a fabulous woman who I am sure you are already more than familiar with: Bethenny Frankel, star of the hit Bravo series, The Real Housewives of New York.

Bethenny is a fast-talking, energetic, tiny and stylish natural food chef who has made a big name for herself in the past few years. Her wit, humor, and wisdom won the hearts of America when she was first runner-up on the NBC show, "The Apprentice: Martha Stuart", and later as a non-wife on the hit Bravo RHWNY series. A self-proclaimed "health foodie", Bethenny has become the spokeswoman for many health food brands, and has launched her own health food brand called Skinny Girl. Her Skinny Girl Margarita is a huge sensation with skinny-girls all over the world, containing only 100 calories and all the flavor of the real deal.

I first realized that being naturally thin was a realistic goal, when I blew through Bethenny's first book, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting. I have always thrived to live a healthy lifestyle, but quietly sacrificed my desired and a lot of good flavor in order to achieve my smaller frame. After reading Naturally Thin, I threw out my old dieting and over-exercising ways, and traded it in for a new, more free lifestyle; one that focuses on keeping proportions down, eating in moderation, indulging responsibly, and living like the Europeans do, care-free, pretty much...And it worked! I am happier than ever, and have said cyyyaaa to dieting. It's a fabulous feeling!

So, I am so excited to dive into Bethenny's new book, The Skinny Girl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life, so that I can be sure to keep my new healthy eating habits on track for 2010 (and keep with one of my NY resolutions...get in the kitchen more often!). The book includes helpful and insightful tips on how to end the anxiety you experience over what and how to eat when you have to cook, for yourself or for your family. No more standing in front of the fridge staring at odds and ends wondering how to make a meal, only to end up resorting to ordering a greasy pizza from the nearest place that delivers quickly. I'll be sure to keep you posted on what I think about the new read, but so that you don't have to wait to hear it from me, head to your local bookstore and pick up a copy yourself!!!

(check out Bethenny's website at: http://www.bethenny.com/ )

...and stay tuned for the new season of TRHWNY coming soon on BravoTV!

Like This Look: Lingerie

One of the first trends of the season that I have embraced fully for 2010, is the lingerie look. Boudoir dressing crossing over and onto the streets has become a huge hit on major runways and in retailers across the country. The look involves putting lingerie touches on an otherwise, more covered up outfit. For example, pairing a lacy bra under a sheer, tulle blouse, paired with a great pair of trousers and finished off with a chic boyfriend blazer. The idea of mixing the uber masculine with the ultra feminine works very well with this smashing trend. No one wants to see you in full-on bedroom attire, however, a little "peek-a-boo" of undergarment here and there is just the perfect touch to achieve a devilish but sophisticated look.

Louis Vuitton

I first fell for lingerie as everyday apparel after watching it strut down the catwalk during Louis Vuitton's Fall 2009 RTW show. Jacobs paired a sexy black lace bra with an over sized, brilliantly tailored black blazer, and a tiered mini with hot but sweet ribbon lace-up boots. It made me want to wear nothing but a bra under my blazer some day...when or if I ever get up the courage...

Rodarte for Target

I first purchased the look two weeks ago, the day that Rodarte launched it's line for Target. I literally sprang to the computer and ordered up almost every item in the collection. There are tons of lingerie inspired, lacy, girlie tulle and satin numbers to choose from. My favorite is the dress pictured below, which I snatched up in a spicy yellow. It is just so flirty and fun, and looks like a million bucks! Everyone was shocked when I told them it was from Target. Definitely Target's best collaboration yet (u must buy some, if there's anything left...).

Take a look at some of my other favorite lingerie looks of the season, they may inspire you to do some boudoir crossing of your own!

Givenchy

Richard Nicoll

Stella McCartney

2010: New Year, New Beginings

Happy New Year!!! I can't believe yet another year has flown by (cliche to say, i know...but this has been a milestone year for me...). This time last year I was packing up my room in Fairfield, CT, headed back to Oxford, Ohio to finish up my Senior Year at Miami University. Since then, I've graduated, spent a whole summer trying to find myself...but mostly goofing around; jet-setting to Chicago, vacationing in North Carolina, and savoring what will most likely be the last summer of true freedom in my beachy hometown. I've been fortunate enough to find two amazing part-time jobs; one involving writing, and one involving fashion (doesn't get much better!); which have been keeping me very satisfied, up-to-date, and busy! The Holiday season came and went, and I flew out to Chicago once again, to ring in the New Year with college friends, taking on the windy city in true fashion like always! Chi-town was a site to see, so full of youth, style, energy, and possibility...it was very hard to say fare-well. Nonetheless, I found comfort in the fact that I would be coming back to the East Coast, where I can take my fresh start to a New Year, and find my new path for 2010!

It has been only 4 months since I've started the blog, although it seems like much longer...I started writing with no real reason or expectation that anyone would want to read it...I simply knew that I loved fashion, I had a lot of free time, and I might as well try to share my passion with whomever would possibly stumble across it and who'd be willing to listen. What I found in the process is a deep passion for something else: writing. Writing is something that I loved to do when I was in grade school...but, because of the endless and arduous papers that were forced upon me during my years of higher education, I seemed to have lost that love somewhere along the way. My posts began very lengthy and quite frequent, but have recently dwindled off until becoming completely non-existent...I've been negligent. Granted, I have gotten two part-time jobs since October, which have been quite time-consuming. However, I am a person who believes that there is always a way to find at least some time in the day to accomplish what you need to, or want to...no matter what!

Therefore, as part of my long list of New Year's Resolutions (yes, I've become one of those people..the resolution-makers I used to hate...so sue me) which I have scribbled down on two sheets of flashy neon poster board, number 3 reads: "Blog AT LEAST once a day". And, so, there it is; my dedication to myself as a writer/blogger/fashionista, and to you all as readers/friends/critics, to deliver a minimum of one write-up per day, throughout all of 2010. I know I can do it, because as I am typing this up, I am becoming filled with excitement at the challenge. After all, writing about all things fashion is without a doubt exactly what I love to do.

So, you all, stay tuned until tomorrow, for my first official post of the new year...stay chic, stay fabulous. Happy 2010!

xoxo

j'adore

Jewelry Crush: Tom Binns

If I could date a piece of jewelry, it would without a doubt, be a Tom Binns piece..so yummy!Straight out of Northern Ireland, this master of jewelry design knows how to make real pieces of art. Since he graduated in 1981, he's been heavily influenced and inspired by the Dada movement, which began during WWI and concentrated on anti-war politics through a rejection of the popular standards in art through anti-art cultural works. Tom's collection of "Object Trouves" was revolutionary, and his collaboration with Vivian Westwood and Malcolm Maclaren began his "Punk Couture" collection...a unique and fabulous style, which he is now so well-known for.

I first began to really notice Binns' designs popping up all over magazine spreads and on celebs' necks on red carpets (including our first lady MObama), just this past year...and I've been drooling over every single piece he's designed ever since! He has a number of different collections, which you can view extensively on his website, however my ultimate favorite is his Couture Collection (surprise, surprise). I mean, absolutely exquisite, magnificent, one-of-a-kind, to die for luxury jewels...bananas! My ultimate favs are the necklaces, I love a good statement piece, and if you're looking to make a statement, please..do so with a Tom Binns original! Admire the provided photo montage of his beautiful masterpieces, and head to his site to see all the other goodies he's whipped up! j'adore

http://www.tombinnsdesign.com/

Vogue Italia's Wraps up 2009 with Twitpic Cover Story

The media has caught a peek at the upcoming 2009 cover of Vogue Italia, which has a much different look to it than the traditional front page photo. The cover is a collage of models, shown taking pictures of themselves. These photos are supposed to be an ode to Twitpic, the Twitter picture application that allows users to upload pictures to attach in their tweets. Even the type on the front page is in twitter font style and format. Models featured include Kasia Struss, Lara Stone, Natalia Vodianova, Christy Turlington, and an about-to-pop Gisele Bundchen (who chose to not shoot her baby bump for the editorial). This is not the first time Vogue Italia has payed tribute to a new digital media trend, Steven Meisel devoted the Jan. 2007 issue to webcams and YouTube. Surprisingly, the cover seems to acutally have turned out looking pretty cool (much better than Vogue USA's horrifically photo-shopped November issue...so bad..). Models around the world have really embraced the use of Twitter, and TwitPic has allowed these beauties to show that they are not only good at being in front of the camera, but they also have some skills behind the cam as well. Way to keep with the times Vogue Italia, embracing social media... j'adore! (or, as they say in Italian, "amore")