POLL: Whose clothing line do you like better, Aubrey’s or Paris’s? VOTE NOW!

My friends utter the name Aubrey O’Day at least once every time I see them. So, while I only have a vague idea of who she is (I think “Making the Band”? Danity Kane? Is that right? Someone help me here), it still surprises me that I just discovered today that she has a clothing line. And surprise: it’s actually pretty cute. I would definitely consider wearing some of these items. The line’s called “Heart on my Sleeve by Aubrey O’Day,” and it features t-shirts, undies, and accessories for guys, girls, kids, and dogs (interesting) with hearts on the sleeves. (O’Day says that so many people have told her she wears her heart on her sleeve, so she went literal with it. Tads skeptical that she came up with the concept on her own, though).

CariDee English and Jaslene Gonzalez (winners of ANTM Cycles 7 & 8, duh) model some of the clothes, which I’m loving, (except CariDee kinda sucks). I’m liking that the clothes all have the same sayings on them, regardless of whether they’re for men or women (a.k.a. “After him the fairytale was over” and “I love men,” with the”n” crossed out). I also dig the canvas bag, but I’m not so sure there should be a comma in the sentence printed on it. Hmm…??? Either way, I want these tops. They rule. Let’s. Get it.

Today is the first day of Spring and I’m obsessed with the butterflies and pastels of Anuschka handbags and wallets. While shopping around for my fave Anuschkas, I couldn’t help but think that anything from this label would be a perfect gift for the favorite chick in your life (including yourself). No girl could possibly deny the uniqueness and prettiness of these purses and wallets.

Everything is leather and hand-painted, so your wallet and/or purse will only get better with age, after a little wear ‘n tear. The line carries laptop bags, backpacks, and passport covers, in addition to purses and wallets of all shapes, styles, and sizes. I love it!

See Pretty Anuschka Wallets and Hot Anuschka Handbags for more of my favorite picks.

Marc Jacobs and Bloomingdales have teamed up to offer this super cute t-shirt that features MJ’s signature character, Miss Marc, and the saying “Fight like a girl…to beat breast cancer”. 50% of sales go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and they’re going to stop selling them in April (if they don’t run out first!) Check out the list, Girly Tops, for some other cute finds.

I’m totally from the school of thought that believes in having a really clean, minimal living space with just a few interesting pieces scattered throughout that are guaranteed to spark conversation. I love it when someone asks me questions about an object or piece of art that I have. I currently have a vinyl wall shade made by Miranda July (a musician/performance artist/writer/actress) in my apartment that people ALWAYS ask about. It came from one of my art professor’s projects called The Thing Quarterly. If you subscribe, you receive 4 issues (each from a different artist) in a year and they are basically a mystery. The only thing that you know is that you will receive 4 household objects in a year. This is what the Miranda July piece* looks like:

Along with wall art, I’m also am a huge fan of sculpture and interesting household objects; especially ceramics. I’ve found some really unique ceramic pieces that are usually handmade. My favorite is the Carlos Ceramic Nightlight. Not sure where he would live in my house, but I want to own him. The Thornbud Vases by Kathleen Walsh and Ceramic Shopping Bag Vases by Michael Harvey are great alternatives to a plain cylindrical vase. The Bull’s Eye Vase is handmade in Peru and the glaze on it is made by burning mango leaves and firewood.  And who needs a still-life-with-fruit painting when you can have the Still Life Bowl by Barnaby Barford and Andre Klauser that you can change out with a new fruit as you please. Check out some other Interesting Ceramic Pieces in my complete list.

*photo used is not my bathroom!

A friend and I were recently discussing what types of outfits are worn by interviewees for a big time fashion magazine job in New York and how these clothes compare to “appropriate” interview attire on the West Coast (a.k.a. the Best Coast). The Miu Miu outfit Jessica Alba wore to the premiere of Sugar yesterday reminded me of office attire you could rock after you land the job (the HR manager might not appreciate the mini skirt, even with dark tights).  See Dress Like Jessica Alba at the Sugar Premiere to see my Alba Outfit look-alike choices, including where to buy the actual Miu Miu Suede Peep Toe Pumps and an exact CZ replica of J. Albs’ engagement ring for cheap!)

The pieces of this look translate to an overall classic appearance with a twist of modern trends (i.e. printed blouse, skinny belt). The end result is an outfit that looks great at any occasion, by day or by night. Very cute.

I’ve been noticing a lot of girls wearing western-style boots lately. At first I was anti-western, but I’m sorta warming up to the idea and I think that it can be a good look if not overdone. Example: Everything else that you are wearing with your cowboy/western inspired boots cannot have any western flair to them at all; basically, your outfit needs to be the opposite of western (unless you’re going for that “I’m from the South” look)

Whichever Olsen twin this is has the right idea (left), where as, Kate Bosworth has the wrong idea:

The lace and frilly sleeves is a little too cowboy for me. But, on the other hand, she’s pretty awesome, so she can kinda do what she wants (and pull it off).

Being from no where near the South, I know that people have been wearing them for years, regardless of fashion. In my research to see what people are saying about boots, I came across The Boot Blog from Allen’s Boots and found this:

“If you’re in town for SXSW, you may have noticed more than a few people wearing cowboy boots. Besides being hugely popular in Texas, cowboy boots are very much in style right now, being worn by everyone from hipsters to celebs to top music industry execs. Seems like people have caught on to how awesome cowboy boots are — both in style and function.”

The original boot maker businesses like Stetson, Justin and Lucchese are pretty psyched right now. Check out a huge selection of updated and original cowboy boots at Fabulous Western-Inspired Boots.

SHOP NOW: Check out the RVCA Art, Accessories, and Apparel for Women Buyer’s Guide first.

After taking no more than three steps into a hip-looking new store on Haight in SF, I promptly walked out. Today, upon seeing the store featured in a spread in the March ’09 issue of 7×7 Magazine, my initial impression that RVCA carried only menswear was proven inaccurate. This self-proclaimed “lifestyle brand,” sits pretty on a platform “which combines art, music, fashion and a modern lifestyle in an original way,” according to its website.

At first glance, some of the clothes at RVCA may seem a bit basic-looking, but upon closer inspection, you’re sure to find, as I did, that art and fashion are of equal importance to this company. The featured artists from the Artist Network Program have designed some pretty detailed and unique pieces for RVCA.Take this “Opposites SS T,” for example:

At first glance, it’s just a yin yang symbol. But zoom in,

and you’re in for a gruesome awakening!

See some of my favorite comfy-looking clothes and cool artwork from RVCA on the RVCA Art, Accessories, and Apparel for Women buyer’s guide.

Inspired by St. Patrick’s Day and the arrival of Spring and the fact that it’s hip to Go Green, I thought I’d focus on things green and grassy. Grass can be used in a household just like a plant to liven up a room. Take, for example, the Daisy Grass Mats - what a great way to freshen up a tabletop, bookshelf or coffee table- the flowers are removable! Embellish your wall with the über modern Piece of Grass Sod Photographic Print or Deer Standing in Grass Print- it comes on recycled card stock with water-based ink. For the bathroom, the Grassy Green Toothbrush Holder cleverly designed to hold almost anything, but really cute for the toothbrush/toothpaste combo.

For outside the home, wear the unique  Grassy Meadow Glam Dress or carry the travel size Grass Umbrella, recently featured in High School Musical.  Just be sure not to mix them on the same day!! Check out some other green products The Grass is Always Greener

Guys have bad hair days too. I wear the same hat to work every day so I no one can see my messy crop of hair. Because I wear a hat so often, I’m very aware of other peoples’ hats, and have, as of late, become obsessed with all the crazy ones that are out there.

Some are crazy in a cool way (to see what I mean, check out the Bay Fitted Hats guide, which features fitted hats that represent the Bay Area, and the Pop Culture Fitted Hats guide, which are for those with very unique tastes), some are crazy in a not-cool-anymore way (see I’m So Cool, I Can Still Wear Trucker Hats guide) and some are just crazy in a crazy way (see Crazy Party Hats guide).

P.s. I love hats.

Everyone always likes to pretend that a bridesmaid dress can be worn again. I, and most of the women that I know, can attest to the fact that, This Is Not True. I got to wear one dress more than once and this was only due to the fact that a friend of mine allowed all of her bridesmaids to pick their own dress, as long as they were within a certain color palette. She just happened to pick the color of a dress that I had already had in my wardrobe. It worked out perfectly because they were different sets of friends, so nobody had seen it before. Perf!

My wedding is in November of this year and I’m beginning the search for dresses for my ladies. Luckily, they are all incredibly easy-going people and I’m sure that there’s going to be no problemo whatsoever finding the perfect dresses to for them when they accompany me on my wedding day. But, to o be honest, I’m really bored with most of what I see in bridal magazines. Check it out- The “It” bridesmaid dress of the moment:

Picture that dress offered in about 7,000 colors with names like: Cornflower, Wasabi, Pumpkin, and Blush. I’m not saying that the dress wouldn’t make a wonderful accessory to the bride, I just find it a little predictable. Especially if the bride is going for a strapless look also.

Because my vision for my wedding has a bit of a 1920’s style to it, I’m on the hunt for something a little more Clara Bow or Louise Brooks, but updated. That means the hemline will have to be a little bit on the tea-length side (not until the late 20’s was the super short Charleston style dress in style) and I’ll have to work with soft fluid fabrics and a simple silhouette. I’m still trying to pick out wedding colors, so we’ll have to deal with that later.

You’ll have to use your imagination and picture these dresses with amazing accessories* and hair to give them the final touches (left to right): Donna Ricco Split Neck Sheath Dress, Silk Tricotine Robin Short Dress by J. Crew,  Jones New York Sweetheart Shutter Pleat Dress. Check out the rest of my dress finds at Amazing Bridesmaid Dresses.

*Wedding Accessories list in progress!