Country crooner, Sheryl Crow’s clothing line, Bootheel Trading Co., named after Missouri’s “boot heel” region where she was born, is all about casual, vintage comfort.

Shown (from left): Printed Tee, Vest, ‘Nashville’ Jeans, and Tunic Blouse.

It’s a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll, just like Sheryl. When I first saw the garments in the line, I must admit, I wasn’t too impressed. When I saw that the clothes are eco-friendly and supes afforable, I took a closer look. I picked out a few pieces that seemed to represent the collection as a whole and added them to my Sheryl Crow Clothing Line buyer’s guide on Kazowie. The (stretch!) denim jeans have piping on the rear and cute back-pocket accents that are sure to make anyone’s gluteus maximus look bootylicious. I think this line defines casual summer chic and would look great with a piece or two of Lucky Brand Jewelry. Don’t you think?

Shown (from left): Bootheel Trading Co. ‘Missouri’ Jeans, Lucky Brand Jewelry: Peace Cuff, Carved Hoop Silver Earrings, Double Gold Chain Necklace, and Carved Gold Bangle.

For some of us, swimsuit season has already begun. For those who haven’t found the time yet to pick out a new suit to strut around in, I’ve done the work for you! I’ve been keeping an eye out for hot swimwear for the past couple of months and have complied a number of different buyer’s guides that I hope will help you choose your perfect suit for this summer!

Free People Swimsuits are natural, colorful, feminine, and boho-chic.
Retro Swimsuits are making a comeback. Highlight your figure in a one or two-piece vintage suit.
Basic Black Bikinis will never fail you! I promise!
One-piece Cutout Swimwear is sexy and sophisticated. Pile on sunscreen to avoid awkward tanlines!
Sexy Swimsuits come in all shapes and cuts, so you won’t want to overlook this shopper’s guide.

Shown (from left): Sailor Jane Nautical Swimsuit, Solar Orbit Bikini, Monokini by Sauvage, Cheetah by Sauvage, and Melissa Odabash Wood-Link Halter Bikini.

SHOP FORNASETTI’S TEMA E VARIAZIONI NOW!

I came across Piero Fornasetti’s “Tema e Variazioni” (Theme and Variations) porcelain plate art series today. All of his plates feature the face of operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri, whose classically feminine mug he saw featured in a 19^th century magazine. The face plates in the collection number 350+, but the artist created a total of more than 500 variations of Lina’s Mona Lisa-like face using different types of media as well. His artwork is available for sale and I’ve featured a few bewitching pieces in my Theme and Variations Wall Plates buyer’s guide that you can adorn your walls with.

I discovered this young up-and-coming designer on Etsy a few weeks ago when I was in the beginning stages of searching for my wedding dress and I fell in love with her drapey designs and amazing photos. Last week she was featured in Daily Candy and I’m sure that we’re going to see more and more of her in the future.  Her prices are totally reasonable, and the turn around time for ordering is only 4-6 weeks after providing her with your measurements. If I didn’t already have my dress in progress I would have definitely ordered from her! Oh yeah, some of the proceeds go to charities. Amazing…

A few of her dresses for bridesmaids or brides who want to go with something a little less traditional (left to right): The Raspberry Perfection Dress, The Flock Dress, The Robin’s Egg Dress, and the How She Sparkles Dress.

Amazing dresses for brides (left to right):The White as Snow Dress, The Athena Gown, The Pink Petals Dress,  and the A Peaceful Afternoon Gown. Check out some more amazing pieces- Sarah Seven Wedding and Bridesmaid Dresses.

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.

I’m really enjoying all the new fashion that’s coming off the runways and onto online shopping sites as of late. I found a newish trend to match each letter of the alphabet for my Fashion Alphabet buyer’s guide on Kazowie. My personal faves from off the catwalk are A for acidic colors, E for embellished boho, H for hooded, N for neutrals, and T for tough jewelry. I’ve read that there were a lot of 80’s inspired looks in many of the Spring ‘09 lines. I’m not too sure how I feel about this. While I like the holey nylons and square shoulder look, I’m not so sure I could pull it off without looking like I was headed to a themed frat party.

As always, my advice for following fashion trends is as follows: rock one trend at a time to avoid poser overload. And keep hair and makeup neutral to avoid the Halloween in Spring look. (Unless that’s what you’re going for, of course!)

Even if I had the dough, I don’t know if I could justify spending hundreds of dollars on an everyday casual dress or swimsuit coverup. And while I believe that you “get what you pay for,” in terms of fit, fabric, comfort, durability, etc., I do think that the innovation and inspiration of designer and couture fashion can be found in less expensive versions, if you’re willing to look hard enough. In fact, that’s what I find most fun about flipping through fashion magazines and surfing designers’ websites: examining the designs of mastermind artists and finding items (that I can actually afford) which mingle their contempo ideas with my own style P.O.V..

It’s all about inspiration. When something catches your eye, take note of what it is that piques your interest about that garment or accessory and shop only for items that have that particular feature. I challenged myself the other day to find the cheaper look-alike versions of some hot new designer dresses in my Designer Dresses and Their Affordable Copycats buyer’s guide.

My friend Angela has recently posted about how amazing Payless shoes can be in Pumped for Payless: Designer Lines!!! Well, I just discovered that Christian Sirano, last season’s winner of Project Runway, is doing a line for that will be available in about 10% of all Payless stores for $25 to $45.

This line and the rest of his ready to wear line is inspired by egyptian landscapes and come complete with fierce names like Slither, SheDevil and Strut.

What do you think?

If you thought the Simmons Hello Kitty jewelry line was pushing the limits on taste, get ready for what the company has in store for this coming Fall! Nikelodeon/Viacom Consumer Products has partnered with Simmons Jewelry Co. to create a SpongeBob SquarePants-inspired designer jewelry line, which will include pieces in gold, silver, and enamel that will sell for anywhere between $150 and $75,000.

Would you sport jewelry from the new SpongeBob line? Vote now on Kazowie.com!

Hello Kitty’s cute. Maybe even too cute. And while SpongeBob SquarePants might be the star of one of the longest running Nicktoons on TV, he’s not the most attractive looking sea creature I’ve seen. I have personally just recently become a fan of the Hello Kitty line after seeing Angela Simmons sporting a rather large diamond Kitty necklace on Run’s House. The jewelry definitely looks better when worn. If only I could scrounge up the mere $25,000 it would cost to purchase a necklace like that of my own.