Penny pinchers take note

I was strolling up Broadway from 8th Street toward Union Square the other afternoon and noticed sale signs in almost every shop window. It's been a crazy summer workwise, and with the big move to Brooklyn, this city girl has been holding onto every dime. I realize that I had almost missed my favorite time of year... the Mid-Summer Sale Season. You don't have to live in a big city to make the most of this moment. Manufacturers from coast to coast are peddling their wares at major discounts from now into the next few weeks, to clear out space for fall pieces. And I'm not just talking about beach-y tunics that you won't get any wear out of. Here's some of what I found online. Happy clicking, my little cheapskates!

The Perfect Pant

A bold pocket in front and expert tailoring makes these 3.1 Phillip patch pocket pants a great choice for busy fashionistas. Take them in black from Indian Summer (eyelet blouse) through fall (light cashmere sweater) into the winter (ankle boots, heavier sweater, scarf). Treat yourself to the white and sky blue, too... both of which will look lovely for the rest of this summer and next year, too!

Original price: $395

Sale price: $118

Where to buy: shopbop.com

Last-Chance Bikini

You've watched your diet and done your crunches and you have six more weeks to flaunt that beach bod. Why not do it in a nearly-naked suit from Nanette Lepore? This color scheme and pattern works on all skintones and the top will flatter the flat-chested and support curvier girls too.

Original price: $77 and $79

Sale price: $54 each

Where to buy: bloomingdales.com

Little Black Dress

This A.L.C. "Twisty" knit dress is a wardrobe staple perfect for every circumstance imaginable--from a job interview to a night on the town. Classic, sexy, and chic.

Original price: $390

Sale price: $249

Where to buy: nordstrom.com

A Timeless Classic

Is there anything that makes you feel instantly pretty, polished, and perky like a white shirtdress? Levi's created this one exclusively for Opening Ceremony. Wear yours with bare legs and ballet flats or black tights and chunky platforms.

Original price: $180

Sale price: $126

Where to buy: openingceremony.us

... Or, on the topic of dresses, what about...

Something Sweet

Pale yellow might not be your hue... but pale mustard will work on almost anyone! Check out delightful little printed frocks like this one from Peter Pilotto at Opening Ceremony. This mostly-jersey number has a longer hem in back which makes you look instantly taller and thinner. It offers a hint of sex appeal at the underarm but plenty of coverage for a bra, and the conflicting geometric scheme allover creates a friendly, girly vibe... sans floral. Are you in love?

Original price: $740

Sale price: $296

Where to buy: openingceremony.us

Glittery Sh*t-Kickers

A chunky pump with attitude and glitter? It's love! ASOS is your online go-to for affordable runway styles, but their clearance shoe section is out of control right now. These London Rebel suede-and-glitter numbers are so fabulous you can wear them to dress up (and punk-up) nearly anything. I'm seeing them with a chiffon mini dress and wild hair. But anything goes!

Original price: $103

Sale price: $68

Where to buy: asos.com

Curly You

The oppressive heat and jaw-dropping humidity are enough to throw any girl into a tailspin (or a high pony, at least), but what about those of us with curls? It can take at least two products, one hour, and two high-heat tools to achieve a straight look in this weather, and once you step outside, frizz is a sure bet. My friend Steph has the most lovely natural curls, and for months I watched as she straightened them or tossed the whole head of hair into a high bun. Recently, my curly girly has embraced what's rightfully hers, and all of Manhattan takes notice as she struts down the street.

Steph's words of advice for filling out fine curls: avoid gel. Especially in summer heat, gel can weigh hair down, giving it an unappealing, stringy look. Steph uses two drug store purchases--first a palmful of "Big Sexy Curls" mousse throughout, followed by a quick blowdry on low with a diffuser, and finally an all-over spritz of "Big Sexy Hair" volumizing hairspray. Done!

Total styling time: 10 minutes. Impact: Unforgettable.

My girl with her curls, out on the town mid-summer

Island View



Talk about Bermuda shorts.
Love this look!



Readers, I have deserted you. I was on a brief, much-needed vacation in Bermuda with my mom and younger brother and the WiFi was spotty at best. We have returned with tans and a smattering of natural highlights. We dined on beef carpaccio, super-fresh salads, roasted tomatoes, and gluten-free spaghetti in a variety of seaside preparations. We snapped photos, sipped swizzles (the signature drink of Bermuda), and made dear friends with the entire staff at our glorious resort. And though we didn't shop, not for a single stitch, we were all affected by the lax, island fashions and summer-sweet casual approach to dressing on the beautiful island of Bermuda. Black knee socks paired with yellow shorts and a blazer, anyone?



Little bro lightens up by pairing his navy blazer with a white v-neck

My sister-in-law bought me this headscarf at a Calypso sample sale
two years ago and I never felt cool enough to wear it until yesterday.

Mama pairs her black Magaschoni slip dress with heavy liner, straight hair,
and a high-low mix of jewelry including diamonds, plastic beads, and a fuscia enamel bangle.



Scored these on sale for a mere 5 bucks at Urban pre-trip



The Light in Your Eyes

In middle school, my then-bestie and I wore metallic liquid liner from Hard Candy in an array of colors from simple silver to cracked-out red, electric blue and more. Despite being barely old enough to technically refer to ourselves as teenagers, we were loud and proud and seriously into makeup. This was the beginning of a love affair that will never end. Today, I like to think I'm starting to get it closer to "right."



Metallic liquid liner memories aside, it's always fun to try something shimmering, and summer is a great time to take the plunge. Flipping through the latest issue of Glamour, I found a photo and little blurb about the funky, shimmering new "lash tinsel" by Hard Candy. I became immediately, sight-un-seen, obsessed. The tinsel is a gel-based mascara that glitters gloriously in three shades (gold, silver, and a lovely blue). I'm picturing it with thick black liner and a pale pink lip for evening, or softly standing alone in silver, pool-side with a great tan and an otherwise bare face. Nab yours here.

Some more glittery summer beauty inspiration below. After all, it's time to sparkle... and have some fun!

For those who dare, a dramatic dusting of multi-tonal glittering shadow is divine.

Quieter girls, fear not. You can get a shimmer-y effect with the simple addition
of gold metallic pencil smudged into the corners of your eyes.

Silver liner on top and gold on bottom is ethereal and cool.
Photo borrowed from: Bellasugar.com

Summer Belles

My darling colleague and partner in crime has recently started a fabulous celebrity-looks newsletter, Buzzaratti. Everything she writes about is $250 or less and has a major celeb following. You must sign up immediately so as to avoid spending your summer not looking as cute as you could! That said, I am shamelessly stealing a trend alert from her for this post. It's the hair comb, girls. And it's ridiculously fabulous.

I grew up in a house filled with vintage treasures--antique mirrors with charming cracks and discoloration, hundred-year-old chairs whose velvet had been redone countless times, and even a turn-of-the-(twentieth)-century white lace dress so fragile I refused to take deep breaths while wearing it... but wear it I did, and proudly. One of my absolute favorite items as a child was a gorgeous hair comb from the early 1900's that had belonged to somebody's grandmother's mother or something along those lines. It had been produced at the dawn of plastic, made in an amber-hued, hand-etched heavy grade plastic that I don't even think you can find these days. The comb was to be tucked into an up-do, or used to pull back one side of the hair. There are countless uses for a comb like this, but I honestly thought the trend had died with my ancestors.

Enter Kim Kardashian. Her new Belle Noel jewelry collection seemed cute enough when I saw the pieces flashed around in the weeklies and on some fashion/accessories blogs. Nothing really stuck out though until I received my Buzzaratti newsletter this Sunday featuring the Belle Noel hair combs. Utterly princess-like and incredibly luxe, the combs retail at $45. They are the perfect touch for summer when trying to up the ante on your sweet little sun dress. Yet I have a feeling this is one trend that will move swiftly through Indian Summer and into fall. Pencil skirt and pointed stilettoes paired with palladium comb-adorned ponytail, anyone? Check them out here.

PS. More on palladium later. Intrigued?

The one I had as a kid looked like this!

When in Brooklyn...

We've officially moved to Brooklyn. Scratch that. My boyfriend has officially moved in, 90 percent of the furniture has been purchased and assembled, all of his clothes and about half of mine. But I won't truly be able to call the new spot home until my lease ends in June and the kitty and I hop on the A train and make the final journey from the Upper West to lovely Dumbo. I'll post plenty of photos once everything is perfect; for now, a shopping tip.

I'd heard of Brooklyn Industries before and have glanced in their windows a few times in the past but had no idea what cute, funky basics they offer, and was pleasantly surprised to find prices that feel entirely appropriate. Josh needed shorts and off we went, to the location just around our cute little corner. He found some fantastic shorts, a pair of light and breezy summer pants, and a great Brooklyn Pride tee all for well under $200. Not to be outdone, I nabbed a fantastic floral chiffon headband reminiscent of the fascinators rendered trendy Stateside in this post-royal nuptials season. The hot pink center detail is my favorite part. And yes, I headed out with a Brooklyn Pride tee of my own, mine white with black lettering. I sized up to let it be baggy and am picturing this one with everything from denim cut-offs to leggings and of course, thrown over a neon bathing suit or two sometime this season.

After shopping, wandering around in the glorious 92-degree city heat, splitting a made-to-order gelato and macaron sandwich, and watching kids run around in the park, we headed home to hang more paintings. Already filled with Brooklyn pride, we now have the goods to prove it. You can check out (and purchase) Brooklyn Industries duds here.

Brooklyn Industries chiffon floral headband, $34

Brooklyn graphic tee, $34

Swimming to New Heights

I have a friend from college who is impossibly chic. When we first met I remember thinking how lucky she was to be so slight (yet tall!), so feminine (yet edgy!), and to wrap it all up with hair she allowed to air dry, lashes that rarely saw a mascara brush, and a slew of male devotees to boot. I remember one time we were talking about movies and she remarked that one thing she aspired to obtain was the type of "all-eyes-on-me" pizzazz that Kate Hudson's character in "Almost Famous" possessed. I thought--but was too envious to admit aloud--that she already did.

Anyway, my friend wore high-waisted Levi's in 2002, a year long after the 80's and 90's had flaunted high waists and still before the new hipsters picked them up. The Levi's were the only thing about her personal style that I didn't get, and all of us used to tease her mercilessly as we donned our Abercrombie ultra-low-rise denim and thought we were exceedingly cool. But she insisted that the high waist made your legs look longer and your waist smaller. It's only now that the rest of the world has come on board with my stylish college buddy's look that I have come to embrace the high waist, too. In a denim short, a legging, or a skirt, it's my new favorite thing.


Marc by Marc Jacobs green floral bottom, $98, and
top, $94, saks.com



Recently, I've also become more than a little obsessed with the high-waisted bikini bottom. A little bit retro, a little bit hipster, a little bit coy-girl-next-door-meets-sassy-pinup, I adore the look for what it does to the body and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you.  Bonus: This might just be the first swimsuit season that you pull a pile of bikinis from the racks and actually feel fabulous in all of them. A high-waisted bikini works to cover your flaws whether you have chicken legs that you want to pull the eye away from, a tummy that needs covering... or both! 

Navy blue rib nylon spandex high waist bikini brief, $27, and
triange top, $28, americanapparel.com




My absolute favorite--Rodarte for Opening Ceremony, $345,
shopbop.com