J. Estina Launch at The Plaza Hotel


You can always expect the royal treatment at The Plaza Hotel. After all, it was the home of everyone’s favorite spoiled storybook character, Eloise.  Today, I felt a lot like the grown-up Eloise sipping champagne at the Grand Opening of J. Estina at The Shops at The Plaza.  J. Estina is a Korean brand of jewelry and accessories.  It’s mostly costume jewelry, but there is some fine jewelry as well.  There are so many tiaras in the collection because in Korean culture, tiaras are considered good luck. In socialite culture, it’s always lucky to look and feel like a princess. I don’t know about you, but I’d choose being surrounding by tiaras any day over being surrounded by crowds of crazy people at the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

More crowns!

The Closet of I-ELLA

Living the socialite simple life means doing your share of consignment shopping. Since I’ve been so addicted to vintage lately, I’m so glad I discovered I-ELLA, a fun consignment start-up where you can shop the closets socialites, celebrities, fashion editors, and other stylish New Yorkers.  Buying something vintage means owning a piece that tells a story.  I-ELLA does a great job revealing the story behind each item by profiling the previous owner.  I often find myself shopping by pervious own rather than by designer.  Once you find someone with similar taste, it’s a easy to buy up everything in their closet.

I love that I can now shop the closets of equally stylish people who may have a slightly larger shopping budget than I do.

Who knew going green by buying vintage could be so stylish?

Shelves and shelves of pretty things!

MANGO’s Spring/Summer 2012 Preview

In order to preview MANGO’s 2012 spring line, I braved the potential of bumping into some scary Occupy Wall Street protesters on their “Day of Action” and headed downtown. Luckily, the protesters had moved on and I was free to take in some lovely spring clothes by MANGO made from some of the most luxurious materials. I really appreciated their use of soft of quality fabrics because I keep finding with a lot of the lines I’ve previewed that I love the design, but hate the fabric. Not so with this line.

This is known as the nautical oversized ex-boyfriend sweater. It gives you a look that says, “This is my ex-boyfriend’s sweater that I stole off his boat. Yes, my last boyfriend had a boat.”

Bling Bling with bugs!

3 Things to Treat Yourself to This Season

Having excellent taste is both a blessing and a curse.   It’s a blessing because you always look great and pick out the perfect gifts for everyone.  When it comes to getting and gifting the latest fashions in Holiday 2011, it’s important to treat others the way you want to be treated which means getting yourself a few end of the year essentials.  Not only will they make you look fabulous, you will know exactly what to get your friends and family this holiday season based on which pieces they compliment.  

The first must-have is an infinity scarf which you can go a lot of different ways with.  It can be paired with a peacoat for the outdoors or a sweater for the indoors.  Wool for a casual day or sequins for a dressier look.  You’re going to be seeing a lot of sequins this holiday season.

Right now it’s all about glamour. Therefore, it’s all about sequins.  I’m always thankful to have a good sequin shirt when I’m going to an event that’s dressy, but not too dressy.  They can really help you stand out at a party.

During the winter months, I live in sweater dresses, leggings, and boots. As does every other girl in New York, but it’s fabulous so I don’t care. Why not switch it up a little bit with one of these adorable sweater skirts?

French Connection Inspiration & Mystery

French Connection U.S. has teamed up with Warner Bros. Pictures to promote the studio’s upcoming release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Beginning on November 7th, all French Connection U.S. retail locations will display Sherlock Holmes-inspired looks in store windows as homage to the film and the brand’s British roots. Who knew that French Connection is actually a British company? But, El Corte Inglés (The English Cut) is Spanish so I guess it makes sense.

You can also enter a sweepstakes starting on November 7th within retail stores for a chance to win a free trip to NYC to partake in a private screening of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows before it is released in theatres on December 16th. If you can’t make it to a store, entry into the sweepstakes is also available to consumers through French Connection’s ecommerce site. I saw the first Sherlock Holmes film in theaters and left having no idea what went on in the entire film. But, what’s fashion without a little mystery?