How excited are we?

Is everybody going to see the Sex and the City movie this weekend?? The perfect excuse to have a girls’ night out with your girlfriends huh? Wheeee so exciting! I can just see how the movie is going to spark up a lot of new fashion trends. Here’s a great piece in Toronto Star today called The ultimate celluloid closet talking about some big fashion hits that we’ll be seeing this summer after this movie’s aired.

“As a television show Sex and the City was a retailer’s wet dream.
Over six seasons the show embraced and rejected fashion trends the same way Samantha embraced lovers – fast and furious.
Count among them the famous nameplate necklace, the giant floral pin and white pumps. Costume designer Patricia Field was responsible for it all, most notably turning shoe designers Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo into household names.
The show put expressions like “he’s just not that into you” on the tips of everyone’s tongues. The Cosmopolitan was the coolest drink in town. And for a sweet fix we went to Magnolia Bakery.
Now four years later, after a steady diet of endless reruns and boxed DVD sets, fans of the show are getting fresh sex. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda are back working the trend factory.
But after so long, does SATC still have the golden touch when it comes to igniting juggernaut fashion and cultural trends?
We took five Toronto style seers to a preview of the movie to sort through the endless parade of designer labels and product placements (81 costume changes for Sarah Jessica Parker alone) for their take on the big fashion hits this movie will unleash this summer.

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TOMMY TON, INTERNATIONAL STREET STYLE PHOTOGRAPHER, jakandjil.com

The one coveted piece that will spark a frenzy is the Dior extreme gladiator sandals. It’s readily available online at eluxury.com or you can buy the knockoff version at Browns.
What comes out of the film is being able to treasure an item or a key item in your wardrobe and wear it from day to night. Carrie wore a studded belt – which will be heavily knocked off by chain stores – multiple times through out the film. This idea of loving one particular piece relates to the theme of the film, which is love.
The single-strand pearl necklace is the new nameplate necklace. She always wore her nameplate necklace in the show and in the movie she is seen in the pearl necklace from the moment she wakes up to back in bed at night with Mr. Big.
If there’s one thing I want in the film it would be the long-lasting, loving friendships that the four girls share. As Carrie says in the film, “trends come and go but friendships never go out of style.”

(More after the jump!)
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Do some good with these earrings

These are some of the most elaborate (and the hugest) earrings I’ve ever seen. They are handmade feather earrings Limited Edition By Rise Up ($68). From the website: “By purchasing from Rise Up you are helping to make a difference in the world. We use the profits from our gear to help children out of exploitation & poverty. Thanks for supporting an Uprising of Compassion.”

Ruffles galore

Wearing my new Pleated Romper Dress today. What can I say, I can’t get enough of the ruffles. It was the pleated ruffles that drew me in. Timesonline.co.uk wants to remind us ruffle-lovers — Frill seekers: proceed with caution – Wear ruffles judiciously, or you risk looking like an extra in Carmen. It says to use tough accessories such as gladiator sandals to harden the look. It’s good advice but doesn’t mean I’m going to be less ruffle-obsessed, which extends to bikinis too! Wearing structured tailored pieces like wide-leg trousers, cuffed shorts, vests with ruffles works great too.

Milly Strapless Ruffle Top $242

AKA New York Ruffle Dress $318

Geren Ford Ruffle Neck Top $246

Zoa Ruffle Tunic $179

MaxStudio JERSEY TEXTURED HALTER DRESS $248 $98

SILK CHARMEUSE FRONT TIE TOP $148 $108

Obey The Saint & Sinner Dress, Dresses for Women $60

Ruffle Halter Top $19.99

Kushcush Sweet Valley Bikini in Kelly Green $205

Brette Sandler Victoria Bikini $163

Deal Alert – Cherry Bird Dress

The Cherry Bird Dress by Hicalorie $44 on sale for $30.95!! How cute is the graphics on this dress? Makes me wanna eat cherries too!

Pretty chic things

My friend T. alerted me to some pretty chic things at Armani Exchange this week, including these fabulous accessories perfect for the beach or the park. I really want the braided flip flops.

Metallic Braided Flip Flops $58

Whisp Earrings $32

Patent Beach Bag $78

Safari Hat $34

Enamel Chain Belt $48

Floral Silk Clutch $78

Dip Dyed Maxi Dress $98

Crochet Hoody Popover $68 $50

Deal Alert – Elie Tahari ‘Joscelyn’ Knit Top

Elie Tahari ‘Joscelyn’ Knit Top $128 on sale for $75.90!! Gotta love a classic top with a twist, anything that helps define and enhance a woman’s curves is a plus, like the crisscross panel on this emerald green top.

Bright nails for bright summer days

All of a sudden I’ve got a hankering for new nail polish, the brighter the better. Must be the weather. I can’t believe my nails have been nude for a long time (since the winter!). I want my nails to look like candy!

Lippmann Collection Nail Color $15, the Lady Marmalade, Daytripper, and Don’t Call Me Baby shades are fabulous pinks and reds.

Sephora Brand Nail Polish in blue $2. Blue like the deep ocean, so pretty!

Tini Beauty Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer Parfait $12, Smooth cool lavender, Vibrant sunrise coral, and Pale blue frost are the prettiest shades.

MAC Nail Lacquer in Shirelle, very hot pink, $10.

Essie Nail Polish in Capri, high-intensity tangerine color, $7. It’s a happy shade!

Nail Polish – Berry Pink $1, super glossy!

Deal of the Week at Sephora.com : FREE Shisiedo SPF 55 Ultimate Sun Protection Cream. Just enter SUNCREAM at checkout.

Mandals…

Speaking of men’s feet, who do you think of mandals? NY Mag asked some guys on the street for their opinion. Looks like not too many guys like them. What do you think? It’s not a new thing, guys have been wearing sandals forever. I personally just don’t like these embellished, strappy, or metal-studded kind. You’ll see actually the women covet these for themselves. So leave it to us girls! I haven’t shown my guy this video yet, but I can just imagine him saying “ghey!”

(a side note: darlings, my blog’s spam-catching robot’s been working overtime, sometimes it makes the mistake of throwing the non-spam comment in the garage bin too. Sorry if your comment didn’t appear after you posted it. I have to go into the garage bin to retrieve the comments from time to time, and your comment should appear afterwards. Luvs!)

Sheer Delight

I have to share this beeeeautiful spread from May issue of Canada’s FASHION magazine featuring some of this season’s hottest silk chiffon pieces from Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana, BCBG Max Azria, Jil Sander, Louis Vuitton, and Zac Posen.

I like nothing more than summer dresses!

So summer’s officially here! No time to waste! I’m hording summer dresses like crazy. So many dresses and so little time to wear them all. Summer will go so fast, so wear them and look pretty girls.

Foley + Corinna Long Lotus Corded Dress $495. So gorgeous it makes my heart flutter. I don’t have the fear for sweeping long dresses anymore. Non-tall girls can absolutely pull it off too as long as the dress fits nicely on the body.

Whitley Tiffany Dress in White Print $253, you probably can’t tell from the picture, but there’s a very intricate set of beading around the neckline, giving this flirty dress a hint of sophistication, perfect to take on a vacation for a day at the museum or art gallery.

Rory Beca Pleated Dress in Grass $252, that shade of fresh well-watered grass is quite happiness-inducing. I haven’t tried such color on myself yet, any of you look good in bright green?

Free People Mariposa Quill Tunic $118, the embroidered front and the keyhole tie give this vibrant sweet tunic quite a bit of sex appeal.

Kimchi & Blue Ikat Washed Sundress $68, looks like a pretty swirly Popsicle, just what you need on a hot summer day!

Floral Tube Dress $28.99. So cute and polished, perfect for a garden wedding or a summer party.

Floral Watercolor Tube Dress $24.99, love the artsy watercolor print, very soft and flattering.

Tilly’s Printed Womens Tube Dress – Light Grey $19.99. Ah tube dresses are a constant reminder that I need to get my arms and shoulders in shape. Not a bad thing, I just have to skip that third slice of pizza tonight. The geometric print and the flared hem are so cute!

Painful shoes

Do you intentionally buy shoes that you know will hurt your feet, be it the sky-high heel or the restricting narrow peep-to, but you still buy them anyway just ’cause they are so gosh darn cute? I do *sigh*. These are two of my most painful pairs of shoes.

I usually wear size 7, but when I tried on these in 7, they were a little too loose so I figured I’d get them in 6.5 and hopefully I could stretch them out over time. But I never did. I could never last more than two hours in these. One time I wore them to work, by lunch time I had to rush home to change shoes ’cause they were so tight that my heels were scraped raw.

I totally forgot I had these. I’ve never worn them because the 4.5″ heels are too high. I got them for a party hoping my legs would look mile long. But silly me, I couldn’t even leave the house, I was scared to death walking down the steps. At least I had the good sense to ditch these so I didn’t end up looking like a fashion victim at the party.

Do you have painful shoes?  Have you conquered them or given up on them?

Guys should not wear flip flops at work!

There’s a guy in our building who invariably starts wearing flip flops every year as the weather warms up enough for sandals, and has his DIRTY feet on display for all to see. I had the misfortune of walking behind him today and couldn’t help but staring at his sullied heels. When I read this reader’s mail in The Guardian, it totally cracked me up and I felt like sending it to the guy .

My boyfriend complains that it’s unfair that women can get their toes out at work while men cannot. What’s your view on mens’ sandals in the workplace?
CT, by email

You’re both right – it is unfair, but so it goes. Look, boyfriend-of-CT: your feet are ugly. Don’t feel too bad about it, though, because all men’s feet are ugly. But compared to the hoiking and the cramming and the squashing that women’s feet endure on a daily basis, being ordered to keep covered seems pretty small potatoes to me.

To quote that inexhaustible fount of wisdom, the 1987 film The Princess Bride, life is pain, and anyone who says differently is selling something. And here at the Guardian, even in the fashion section, we are far too right-on and leftwing to try to sell anyone anything other than the truth, goddammit.

Amen! At least the reader’s boyfriend’s feet aren’t dirty. Or I hope!

HUGE SALE at PinkMascara!

If you are just lounging at home for a relaxing day on Memorial Day, get to Pink Mascara‘s huge sale right now! Lots of everybody’s favorite designer pieces are on sale up to 70% off!

Corey Lynn Calter Jacklyn Cross Stitch Dress $277.00 $193.90. I am smitten with this sundress. It is my humble opinion that every girl needs at least one sweet-looking sundress this summer!

Deal Alert – Laura Dahl Tank Dresses

These tank dresses from Laura Dahl are so easy to wear, alone or with jeans, and you can go crazy with the accessories. At this deep discount, you should get all four colors!

Tank Dress in Rose $60 $19.09

Tank Dress in Cayenne $60 $21.50

Tank Dress in Peridot $60 $24.21

Tank Dress in Sagebrush $60 $21.93

Weekend Shopping Pleasure

Boy, the retailers are vying for your attention for this Memorial Day long weekend. Have fun shopping darlings!

20% off everything at dELiA*s. Use code GRAB20. Offer valid through 5.28.08.

ONE WEEK ONLY: Get 15% off your entire Alloy order! Use code ALLOY15. Offer valid through 5.28.08.

Free Shipping + Up to Extra 25% Off Spring Summer Collections on YOOX.COM! Ends May 28.

Memorial Day Weekend Swimsuit Sale!! Save 10% at SwimsuitsForAll.com with Coupon Code MEM10 starting Saturday, May 24 through Monday, May 26.

Get an additional 15% off sale and clearance items with the coupon code MEMDAY08 at Shoes.com for Memorial Day weekend. Good through Monday May 26. And Get a $50 discount on any order of $200 or more with coupon code JUNE50OFF200. Good through June 13.

EXTRA 20% off ALL sale shoes at ShoeMall.com – Plus FREE Shipping – Valid May 26 – June 1 – No Promo Necessary

Save 40% or more on apparel, shoes and accessories for women and kids. Shop the NORDSTROM Half-Yearly Sale. The sale runs from Wednesday, May 21 through Sunday, June 1.

Get 10% off on your next purchase at SteveMadden.com when you join the email list.

Summer of love $10 event starts now at Wet Seal! Kick off your summer with plaid shorts, summer tops, sandals, flip flops, sunglasses, tees & tanks, & swim separates! Hurry, this offer ends June 1st!

Check my Sales & Coupons page for more up-to-date discounts!