Category: Fashion

Sera clutch from Cate Adair

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I’m a faddish shopper. Lately, I’ve had a craze for collecting small bags for stashing cosmetics, from quilted Vera Bradley signature print cosmetics bags to woven polyvinyl bags (which look like something Sandy Chilewich might do) from MacFABhome to nylon pencil cases from American Apparel to the Alisa clutch from Double Happiness. Now my heart’s set on this Sera clutch from Cate Adair:

You may search The Style Page web site for links to Vera Bradley, Sandy Chilewich, and American Apparel. For links to MacFABhome, Double Happiness, and Cate Adair, visit Bags on MyWeb by Yahoo!

Discount on jewelry from Stylism.com

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Here’s a special for the holidays: the online jewelry store Stylism is offering a 10% discount off every item, in addition to discounts such as its automatic 10% on orders over $200.

While The Style Page did not partner with Stylism on this discount, we did partner with Stylism before. I purchased a necklace of crochet-wrapped rings from Elizabeth Gillett through Stylism, at a signficantly lower price than that quoted in the magazine. Stylism fills its orders quickly, and I had the satisfaction of developing a rapport with Stylism. Both The Style Page and Stylism were pleased with the results of our promotion.

Stylism features designers such as Ayala Bar, Ben-Amun, Extasia, Liz Palacios, R.J. Graziano, and Sorrelli. While Chanukah is less than a week away, wouldn’t these embellished menorahs by Michal Golan look great on the table?


Menorahs from Michal Golan

To take advantage of this offer, visit Stylism and enter coupon code SANTA upon checkout. This offer is good through December 10, 2007.

Special 15% off jewelry from Anne Maa Designs

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Anne Maa Designs is offering readers of The Style Page 15% off all jewelry on its web site through October 31, 2007. To take advantage of this discount, enter style upon checkout from its e-store.


Smokey lemon quartz ring

Standouts from Anne Maa Designs include rings with wire-wrapped stones (I’m partial to the smoky lemon quartz ring shown above) and rings with geodes set in them (see our navigation bar at left). Anne Maa Designs’s Metal collection features necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings in sterling silver with a distinct primitive organic look.


Select offerings from Anne Maa Designs Metal Collection:
Crater Cuff, and Rough Amethyst Chunk Ring

This 15% offer is good until October 31. Hurry now to buy – dare I say that the holidays are sooner than you think?

Selling Radical Chic to Teens

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Radical Chic was a term coined by author Tom Wolfe to describe the soiree in which the late Leonard Bernstein hosted members of the Black Panther militant group. More recently, several retailers that market to teenage girls have been selling scarves resembling keffiyehs. The keffiyeh has been traditionally worn by men in the Middle East, and was particularly associated with the late Yassir Arafat, who wore the keffiyeh to cover his bald pate.

There has been an uproar over selling keffiyehs, as many people associate the keffiyeh with terrorism.

Below is an example from Urban Outfitters:

An ironic name for this scarf

This type of “radical chic” is reflected in T-shirts carrying the image of Che Guevara; even the perfumeur Le Labo has used Che’s image to portray its fragrance line as “revolutionary.” (hat tip: Beauty Addict)

Beyonce and the "Roboho" costume

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I stayed up past midnight last night listening to the shout-out between the Rev. Al Sharpton and Harvey Levin of the TMZ.com celebrity gossip site on Fox News concerning TMZ’s describing the costume that Beyonce wore at the BET 2007 Fashion Awards show last month as “Roboho.” The Rev. Al thought that the term was demeaning and racist; Harvey Levin said it was all in good fun.

What was missed in this whole shout-out was the similarity of Beyonce’s costume to that of the female robot in the 1927 film classic Metropolis.



Madonna riffed on Metropolis for her video Respect Yourself.

Is Beyonce’s look really that bad?

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OK, this is certainly not Beyonce’s best picture and might not be her best look, but is it really the fashion disaster that Cynthia Nellis of fashion.about.coom says that it is?

Ms. Nellis writes:

What’s missing in Beyonce’s outfit goes way beyond a pair of pants or a skirt (although either would’ve helped): Beyonce is missing dignity. She owes it to her fabulous self to skip the trends — like these almost-invisible teensy shorts — that don’t flatter her and stick with what does (which is pretty much just about everything else).

A slightly longer boy short might be better, but who needs thigh coverage with legs like these?

My criticism? The bright pink lipstick. Mally Roncal (her longtime makeup artist) or the beauty professionals at L’Oreal (for which Beyonce is a spokesperson) were not paying attention here.

Kate Moss, marketing juggernaut

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In the 90s, she was the target for criticism about the fashion industry promoting unhealthy body images. In this decade, she’s a marketing juggernaut. Although the notorious tabloid picture of her allegedly snorting cocaine (below) cost her several contracts, most notably a campaign for Stella McCartney’s limited edition collection for H+M, ads featuring her were never absent from the fashion magazines. Now Kate Moss is bigger than ever before.


Kate allegedly snorting cocaine

Her collection Kate Moss Topshop for UK high street retailer Topshop (“high street” is Britspeak for “chain store” for example, H+M, Forever 21, Gap, Banana Republic) was sold in US, incongruously, through Barneys. Barneys featured a countdown clock on its web site for Kate Moss Topshop on its website: orders could be placed beginning midnight. By the morning, however, the collection was sold out.

For all those who went away disappointed that they missed out on shopping Kate Moss Topshop, Barneys helpfully (or maybe not so helpfully) covered the launch party after the collection sold out. Check out Kate’s outfit that featured a sheer muumuu, cinched with a belt, which plainly shows the black bikini bottom underneath.

Kate’s latest endeavors include the projected launch of a skin care line and a partnering with hair stylist James Brown on a new line of hair care products.

Get ready for spring – 15% off from Skirt Spot

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Skirt Spot

The Style Page is pleased to announce a 15% discount on orders from Skirt Spot, formerly Boutique Ooh La La, for its readers. Browse Skirt Spot’s large collection of feminine skirts with details such as yokes, ribbon trim, ties, contrast hems, and more. This is a great opportunity to build your spring-to-summer wardrobe and also to get ready for Easter.

To take advantage of Skirt Spot’s 15% discount, enter code sp0307 (case-sensitive) in the box for Coupon or Gift Certificate on Skirt Spot’s web site. This offer is available only for a limited time – the last day to take advantage of it is March 22, 2007.

Clothes Shopping in India

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I have twice (1, 2) made reference to our layover at Heathrow Airport. My husband and I were en route from India, where we visited his family.

While the sari is the dress most commonly associated with India, younger women are opting for the salwar kameez, which allows for greater mobility. A salwar kameez outfit consists of the kameez, a tunic; the salwar, a pair of loose pants (almost like a harem pant); and a dupatta, a long scarf or shawl. Sometimes, a tight-fitting pant called a churidar is substituted for the salwar.


Salwar kameez

More recently, young women in India have taken to wearing a kurta or short kameez over jeans or other western-style pants. As my niece noted, this outfit has become the working woman’s uniform.

Salwar kameez are typically sold as an entire outfit; however, department stores in India such as Pantaloons and Westside sell the individual pieces as separates. As I was frustrated in my search for simple cotton kurtas in the U.S., I picked up a couple of kurtas at Westside.

According to my niece, tailors can sew custom kurtas at a nominal price. At the upper end of the price scale is Fabindia, which does ship outside of India.