Forget blondes- it's the red heads who have the most fun

Or at least look the most stunning on the cover of a magazine (or two):

While just about everyone the world over is raving about Joanie's cover of British GQ, I'm more of a fan of her look on the cover of Health Magazine:

I like that it's a more natural look. The GQ one is so stylized, not to mention completely designed with men's preferences in mind. The Health cover is not only stunning, but Christina's look is one most women would be thrilled to achieve. I also appreciate that a woman with real curves is all over the media these days. Sometimes the fashion magazines talk about Beyonce or J.Lo as being "real women" because of their curves. As if.

The Health magazine cover is also a good lesson for all you women out there who may have doubted the amazing qualities of the wrap dress. Many many moons ago, I wrote a post about DVF's invention and its virtues. They hold true, still. And if you're interested in the Health magazine interview, you can find it here. And if you're interested in some of my other favorite Christina Hendricks/Joan Holloway (Harris) looks, enjoy:

(My fave!!! Love love love the asymmetrical hemline)

And since there's just too much to focus on for fashion for all of YOU, I've decided to finish this post with fabulous wrap dresses a la the Health Magazine cover for you AND fabulous fitted sheath dresses a la Joan Holloway. Enjoy!

Aqua Zebra-Print Wrap Dress, JCPenney, $34

Short-sleeve Wrap Dress, Target, $39.99

BCBGeneration Wrap Dress, Zappos, $78

Maggy London Ruched Sheath Dress, Nordstrom, $78.90

Black Halo Shannon Sheath Dress, Saks Fifth Avenue, $390

Knit Tweed Sheath Dress, Ann Taylor, $148

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Roller Coaster Day

Today felt like an absolute roller coaster of a day. You know the kind- you're elated one minute and completely depressed the next. For example, this morning I got up and put together what I thought was a pretty fabulous outft incorporating the mixed prints trend rather successfully (in my humble opinion, anyway):

I love these two together- it's my black & white plaid strapless dress that you've seen in several other RML posts combined with a sheer sleeveless black and white polka dot top with a long tie at the neck. Most people who complimented my on this look today (and there were quite a few) thought it was one piece and were surprised when I told them it's actually a top layered under a dress. I finished the look with some fabulous teal wedges that at 9:00 AM seemed like a great idea:

This was the first time I pulled these out since last summer and all those months between now and the last time I wore them had helped to make the memory fade. What memory? The memory that these shoes are nothing short of a torture device. I don't really understand why they hurt my feet so badly, but they do. My pinky toe ends up sticking out the side and rubbing against the front strap. How it gets out, I really don't know, but it does get out. It even hangs over the edge of the platform. Meanwhile, my big toe gets irritated by the strap on that side of the shoe and then my whole foot starts to ache because there is absolutely NO padding what-so-ever in the sole. So needless to say the great feeling I had towards this outfit when I started the day was long gone by the end. See what I mean? Up, then down.

But it doesn't end there. I was out shopping for work today and happened across this:

I was in a consignment shop when I saw it in a corner next to some other bags and I thought to myself, "Hmm... that bag looks a lot nicer than the ones around it." I picked it up and that's when I saw the label that read "DvF" which we all know stands for... (prepare yourself)... DIANE von FURSTENBERG. Now, this was definitely a more high-end consignment shop that tends to carry the occassional designer item. Of course, those designer items tend to come with designer prices. I flipped over the tag to check the price and did a double-take. It read: $18.99. How could this be possible? I asked the saleslady if it was real or faux, but all signs (including the inside tags) were pointing towards real, not faux. "It's real," she said. I found this confusing as I had seen an obviously faux Louis Vuitton handbag marked $59.99. I fully expected to ask to ring it up and have the sales lady reply with, "Oh, I'm sorry- we've mislabeled this. Its actually $118.99" or "Oops! We missed a zero in there!" Nope. $18.99. I was thrilled! I bragged about my purchase all afternoon! A DvF handbag for less than twenty bucks? As soon as I got home, I Googled the bag to find out what it was supposed to cost and discovered it came from a DvF diffusion line.  SO not as cool as a true DvF. However, I did see another one for sale (used) for $125, so even though it's not quite the coup I thought it was, I'm still really proud of my find. See what I mean? Up, then down, then up again!

Ultimately, I'd say my day had far more ups than it did downs- after all, what matters in a bag is that you love it, not that it's got a fancy label. And I hate to tell you, but sometimes beauty hurts, including your feet in bad shoes. But that doesn't mean they don't look fabulous! It's all about your outlook. (And that's where I'll end this post before it starts to sound like an after-school special.)

DVF

Way bay in the beginning stages of this blog... who am I kidding- I'm STILL in the beginning stages! But seriously, way back when I first started this blog, I wrote about Diane von Furstenberg's amazing creation: the wrap dress. She's still making stunning wrap dresses, even to this day, but DVF is not limited to that one (amazing) style. She has an incredible knack for designing dresses that are oh-so flattering on a woman's body, not to mention super feminine and fun. Some of my faves:

Tie waist shirt dress, Neiman Marcus, $195 (on sale!)

Estovan print silk dress, Saks Fift Avenue, $325

Two-tone printed poplin shirt dress, Neiman Marcus, $325

I'm not necessarily an advocate of purchasing designer brands just for the sake of it, in fact, you all know that I frequently try to find the "look for less." My personal budget doesn't allow for oodles of DVF dresses (*sigh* someday, maybe), but if you can afford to shop high end, I recommend you do it for one reason: high end means high quality. The cut, the fabric, the construction- all of these will be of exceptional quality. If you're shopping for something trendy that will likely be out of fashion in a month or two, then obviously it seems silly to make an investment of $300-$400, but if you are purchasing a classic piece that you will wear for years, then it's not so silly anymore. Consider how many times you will wear an individual piece. Let's say over the next 3 years (not a very long time) you wear the tie-waist shirt dress pictured at the top ten different times (which is not very many times for a 3 year span). The cost-per-wear is now only $19.50! When shopping for investment pieces, I recommend you consider the cost-per-wear, as opposed to just the number on the price tag.

So if you had the means, which designer would you choose to indulge in? For me, it's DVF all the way- her clothing works for my body type. Leave a comment and let me know! I'm always curious as to who your favorite designers are.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway this week. Click here to be taken to that post.

It's my 100th post? For real?

It's funny how I didn't even notice that this was going to be my 100th post until I finished my 99th post and thought, "Huh. Well that's interesting." I googled "100th post" and found that just about every blogger on the face of the earth seems to devote the 100th post to the fact that it's the 100th post. I'm going to use my 100th post to see how many times I can type "100th post" in a single post. Just kidding. I do think it's interesting how many bloggers make note of it like I am. After all, 100 blog posts isn't really all that impressive. Television shows celebrate the 100th episdoe, but it often takes several years to reach that point. Blogging is a lot simpler- I could post 10 times a day and have my 100th post in less than 2 weeks. But even though it's a simpler process, I still understand making note of the milestone. I hope that when I reach my 1,000th post, I am still enjoying it as much as I am now at number 100.

However, instead of counting the times I write "100th post," I'll use this 100th post (sorry! I couldn't resist) to show all of you some of my favorite past posts. And so without further ado, I present (in no particular order), my top 10 favorite posts thus far:

1.) Inspiration, July 16, 2009

2.) Tim Gunn said I'm FABULOUS, October 8, 2009

3.) A Second Story, August 6, 2009

4.) It's a wrap, July 22, 2009

5.) Breaking the Rules, September 6, 2009

6.) Top Ten for Men, July 21, 2009

7.) Etsy Besties, September 28, 2009

8.) NYC Garment District, A Beginners Guide, September 5, 2009

9.) Style Support, August, 29, 2009

10.) One Shoe, Three Ways, August, 27, 2009

Maybe by the time I've reached 1,000 posts, I'll have a top 100 list to share. That's a crazy thought, isn't it? Time will tell!   

It's a wrap

Today we celebrate an iconic style: the wrap dress. I wore a faux-wrap to work today, so perhaps that's why it's on my mind. I'm sure few women today are aware that Diane von Furstenburg is the woman responsible for making it a truly iconic item. In the early 70's she introduced a knit wrap dress in bright colors and prints popular at the time.

An example of her invention is still on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

The wrap dress is wonderful because it never goes out of style and it looks good on nearly any body type. All you have to do is find the one that works best for you. My "faux-wrap" today was a basic black nylon jersey, but I'd be comfortable in a print as well. The sleeves hit my elbow and the skirt falls just below my knee. I love the simplicity and versatility of the dress, plus it's incredibly comfortable. It's been more than 30 years since the dress pictured above was in fashion, but DVF's wrap dresses today are not at all dated.

This eyelet version has a vintage feel, but the light fabric, short sleeves and the full skirt feels more like a throwback to the 50's.

This bright print has wonderful 70's details- the shorter skirt, the bell detail in the sleeves- and yet it's still very modern.

I love the way the fabric of this one evokes the feeling of a shirt-dress while the ruffle detail on the neckline and sleeves adds a more feminine touch.

Honestly, DVF's wrap dresses come in too many fabric choices to list them all here, but it would be well worth your time to find the one that works best for you and then add it to your wardrobe.