Accessory Crack - Alexis Bittar

One of my favorite past times is wandering different neighbs in NYC on Sunday afternoons. Yesterday was no exception and not even my aching feet (from Saturday night’s bondage heels) could keep me indoors! While strolling the beautiful West Village, I came upon an Alexis Bittar boutique. This was a complete surprise as I thought her only store in the city was in Soho (and I try to avoid it at all costs....debt card danger!) Well, slipping inside couldn’t be helped and what a grown-up-candy-store it is! A crack den for accessory crack-heads...and my fingers, neck, ears and wrist were just SO bare...

The place is dripping in amazing jeweled lucite creations. Alexis’ designs were HUGE in the 80’s and have made the perfect transition to now-chic. Perfect for when you want that balance of a trendy accessory that isn’t a neon plastic bangle from Top Shop. If you aren’t able to make it to one of her Manhattan locations, she has a very extensive website and Nordstrom carries much of her line. Below are a few of my faves, and that big pink neon thing? THAT is a cuff and I'm in love:

Alexis Bittar Faves by Manhattan Mix featuring Alexis Bittar jewelry

Items in this set:
Large Gold Wave Link Necklace, $375
Wave Dollar Cuff, $275
Large Gold & Pink Neon Liquid Angled Cuff, $250
Large Montauk Turq. Hoop Earring, $225
Small Gold Crystal Encrusted Cup Post Earring, $150

Always happy to be your enabler :)

xx

L

iPod Addition: Black Kids "Partie Traumatic"

I know, I know, I know - this isn't a post about The National or LCD Soundsytems new albums but quite frankly, I hate both! So since nothing decent has released this week (save the N.E.R.D. single "Hot N' Fun") I've reached into the vault a little bit to introduce you to the Black Kids. They're a 5-some made up of only two actual black kids, and they totally rock in a Groove Armada meets Franz Ferdinand kinda way. This whole album is a complete must-have, I promise you you're going to feel like you've known these songs your whole life! If you only trust me with one $0.99 iTunes download, go with "Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)." You're going to hear that guitar riff in the beginning and want more more more. So then go with "Hurricane Jane" and then just get crazy and buy the whole thing (you won't be sorry!)

xx

L

JCrew Sale...you're confused now aren't you?

Everyone that knows me knows I’m sooo anti JCrew. Their clothes are SO beige, the same every season, and almost never on trend. So you can imagine my bf’s confusion when I told him I wanted to go this past weekend. Convo went a little something like this:

J: Laur, don’t you hate this place?
L: They’re having a sale!
J: But it would just be clothes you hate for less money....
L: Wrong! The preppies buy up all the ugly cardigans and gingham button-downs. JCrew is then forced to mark down the experimental on-trend stuff that the preppies can’t wear to teach their kindergartners (sparkles, studded belts, colors other than beige). This is were I come in, it’s economics + math, duh!
J: (silence).....

Here are a few of my favorites that are currently on sale - those preppies be crazy!

Wool tuxedo vest, seriously guys?

Vintage short roadster boots: biased b/c I own these but they're SO perfect in Fall and Spring!

Square studded headband: not usually a headband girl but put studs on it and I will wear it!

Majesty stone cocktail ring: I'd totally grade papers wearing this puppy....which is likely why I'd make a terrible kindergarten teacher.

Long boyfriend blazer: only one of the biggest trends, what is wroooong with you people?

Knit denim leggings: call them what they are JC, JEGGINGS!

Featherweight cotton long cardigan: clearly the preppies bought up all the boring colors, and +1 for the tunic length!

Ares metallic platform heels: no words for this one, just plain silly!

Regardless of where you stand on the whole JCrew thing, they always have great sales no matter what you're buying. But please keep buying the ugly crap so I can enjoy more jackpots like this :)

xx

L

Head-Shaving Prevention: The Goody Spin Pin

Why is it that my hair always looks it’s best when I throw it up to wash my face at night and even BETTER when I wake up in the morning? We all work SO hard to achieve that messy-chic look and it’s almost never quite right. Now that my hair is getting longer (praise the lord), the bottom of my purse is scattered with hair ties and bobby pins for the mid-afternoon up-do (when I can’t freaking stand my hair and want to pull a Britney and buzz it!) While wandering Duane Reade I found this amazing little contraption by Goody called The Spin Pin. It’s said to do the work of 20 bobby pins and creates the perfect messy bun. I ran home to try it and it’s amazing! All you do is twist your hair into a spiral bun and twist one pin into the top and the second into the bottom. It achieves that 80% hold where the perfect amount of little tendrils fall out leaving you with a chic chignon.

Best part? It’s only $6 for the set of two! Here's some hair porn to get you motivated to try these puppies:

Happy spinning and pinning!

xx

L

iPod Addition: Passion Pit "The Reeling Remixes"

It's no secret that Passion Pit is my absolute favorite band on the PLANET right now! This obsession was worsened after seeing them live at Terminal 5 in January: BEST.CONCERT.EVER. Ever since, I've been trolling Stubhub for tickets to see them anyplace, anytime, just to get that high one-more-time. My prayers have been answered because they're doing a live DJ set at the Museum of Natural History this Friday in NYC (don't you just love this town?) I'm obviously going to be front and center screaming the lyrics and hopping around like a lunatic. In honor of this epic evening, I've been jamming to Passion Pit's newest release of "The Reeling Remixes" all week. While nothing matches the amazingness that IS the original song, the remixes satiate my need for more more more. If you're only going to trust me with one $0.99 iTunes download go with the "Calvin Harris Remix."

xx

L

Perfectly Manicured

I look forward to my “Sunday manicure” like it’s Christmas day! By Wednesday, I’m tired of my current polish color and spend the remainder of my week deciding what hue to go with for the following week. It’s crazy but it makes me oh so happy! I’ve already made my way though every shade of pink my salon carries, and I’m SO ready for something new (and beige ISNT an option!) Cue American Apparel’s Summer Polish Collection! They’re $6 a pop and are the perfect compliment to any wardrobe color scheme.

Clear Base/Top Coat, Malibu Green, L'Esprit, Summer Peach, California Trooper, Butter

Is it Sunday yet?

xx

L

Math = Uncool, Money = Cool

I’ve always been adverse to numbers and counting. My strongest math skill is doing percentages in my head to figure out how much I’m actually saving at the Barneys Warehouse Sale. Obviously, this blog is about fashion, music and cool stuff. Finance is not cool. But you know what IS cool? Money! While most of my posts are suggestions on how to spend your money, this post is dedicated to getting more!

In an attempt to be a grown-up and create a “budget” (woof!), I stumbled upon Mint – an amazing personal finance website that helps track your spending, set limits (of which I previously had none!), and set savings goals (retirement vs Louboutins). The best part is the pie chart showing your spending on things like “alcohol,” “shopping” and “personal care”....those are some big slices of pie! Even more fun, the iPhone app!

Happy spending, happy saving and no more math talk!

xx

L