Monday, January 26, 2009

My First Post on High.Heels.com

My very first post on the Heels blog is up. Stop by and leave a comment if you'd like. (My topic: animal print shoes.)

Also note: I'd just added a "Follow This Blog" option to Material Girl (look to the right). If you're a regular reader, become a follower! (Because it's sad that there are only two at the moment. Not that there's anything wrong with pairs. It works for shoes.)

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Beyonce: Diva or Deserving?

Last Tuesday, like most of the world, I spent the better part of the day wading through news story after news story related to President Obama's inauguration. One story above all others has stuck with me. It wasn't about the history making ceremony, the celebrations around the world, the inaugural balls, the record crowds, or even Michelle's outfits. It was about Beyonce refusing to walk four blocks in high heels in sub-freezing D.C. Here's a snippet:

[Beyonce] was with husband Jay-Z as they finished rehearsals for his inauguration eve concert at the Warner Theater. According to the New York Daily News, Beyonce wouldn’t walk in high heels, forcing an intervention by the Secret Service, who gave the okay for the pair's driver to gain access to the closed-off street so they could return to their hotel.

OK all you ladies with stilettos in your closet--what say you? If you were in her, um, shoes, would you have hoofed it in your heels or had hubby pull some strings with the Secret Service?

Walking in heels is no picnic, people. I say, you go girl. Beyonce needs to save her heel maneuvers for the stage. I would have totally done the same thing. I will never be as rich or awesome as Ms. Knowles. I'll never get close enough to her to bask in her glow of fabulousness. Hell--I'll never have a driver. I will settle for the vicarious satisfaction I got from this news story.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Vintage Jackets from eBay I Couldn't Pass Up

It's been a long time since I've gotten any new vintage items (oxymoron, anyone?), but in a spare half hour over the weekend, I remedied that situation. As I sat in front of the computer in my ridiculously cold basement, I was compelled to do an eBay search for vintage fur coats.

I found a Buy It Now '60s spy girl coat in leather and faux fur that I had to buy. I love the nipped in waist, the belt and the lapels.


The same seller, ladywolf vintage, offered a cropped belted tweedy wool jacket with a rhinestone buckle also with a BIN option. I jumped on that one too.


Later that same day I won another auction for a black faux fur coat, this one from Annabelle Vintage Clothing. It looks so toasty warm. And it was a steal at $9.99. I was the only bidder.


A side note on faux vs. real fur. Last winter I decided I wanted something mink. I found a beautiful vintage mink wrap on eBay, and every time I tried to wear it I just couldn't. I ended up selling it at our annual neighborhood garage sale (that Cheapy always insists we participate in) for one-third of what I paid for it. I got a similar faux fur stole that's a better color, softer, and doesn't skeeve me out. Leather shoes--yes; actual pelts--cannot do.

I Can't Seem to Shake My Love of Sequins

Sequins. They're so shiny and fancy and...shiny. I just can't stop loving them. And I couldn't help myself when I saw that the sequined Banana Republic dress I coveted was pretty much the bargain of the season. MSRP $225--on sale for $49. I'd tried it on in the store when was 20% off but couldn't part with that much cash even for that many sequins (because I have no idea where I'm going to wear it). But good, cheaper things come to those who wait, fellow shoppers.


I got this taffeta animal print dress as well, because--at $44 and change--it would be silly to pass up (and I liked it better than the black version Cheapy bought me over the holidays).


Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so if you need something fancy, click over to Banana Republic--they're practically giving dresses away. (And I'd say you have a better chance finding your size online than in the store, and the $7 shipping ain't bad.)

But that's not the end of the sequins story, fellow shoppers. It's chilly here in the Midwest, and I needed something to pair with that animal print dress--something to keep my shoulders warm. And what could be better than a leopard sequined cardigan?

This one from J Crew, which I took a chance and purchased as a final sale, is perfect. The white animal print and barely-silver sequins are great against the browns and beiges in the dress. And on it's own over jeans the sweater is fantastic. (The buttons are gorgeous, too--shiny and deliciously geometric.) Plus I bought it during an extra 20% final sale items weekend promotion. Original Price: $350; I paid $103.


Don't worry--I won't wear this sweater with dress number one. A girl does not want to over sequin. Head-to-toe sequins are only OK if you're Liza Minelli, a transvestite who impersonates Liza Minelli, or Liberace's piano.

High.Heels.com Bloggers (Including Yours Truly)

I just got a gig as one of a dozen bloggers for high.heels.com, the heels.com retail site's blog. Below is a list of the other eleven bloggers--click the links to their blogs and websites and to follow them on Twitter, and be sure to bookmark high.heels.com (and the shoe and fashion blogs you love!). I've added a high.heels blogroll to Material Girl for your future perusal.

My first post won't hit for a bit (there will only be a few per month from me), but I'll certainly tell you when I have a post up. In the meantime, checkout the blog for all the shoe news you can use.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Jumpsuits Part Two

I was onto something. Six pages of the February Vogue are devoted to the "one-piece wonder." Two pages later: Blake Lively pictured in a Ralph Lauren jumpsuit. (She looks amazing.)


Saturday, January 10, 2009

Free People Jumpsuit--Really?

Last spring rompers were hitting the scene (search my blog for "rompers" for a refresher). Now it seems, thanks to Free People, the romper has grown legs and turned into a jumpsuit and it will set you back $128. Do you think mechanic chic will be all the rage this season? Maybe they'll come out with an orange prison-chic version. Dear god of shopping, help us.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

2009--My Year of No Static. Thank you Nexxus

If you're ever anywhere near me in the winter you've heard me bitch and moan. Not about the cold (necessarily). Not about the fact that it gets dark at 5:30. Not about the fact that no one can see my pedicure. I bitch about my hair. More specifically the static in my hair. It's chronic. It's annoying. It's unattractive. It drives me batty.

I've experimented with different products (some suggested at my salon), different hairbrushes, different settings on my blowdryer--and for years just ended up spritzing my hair with water all day long. It was not pretty.

A few weeks ago I was again bitching about the static as my co-workers and I headed out for lunch. My friend suggested I simply hadn't found the right products and I should keep trying. Maybe my hair just needed some more moisture. No, I said, I've tried everything. You have no idea.

A few days later I was at the grocery store cutting through the haircare aisle, hair clinging to my right cheek. Maybe my friend was right, I thought. Maybe I should try something else.

I stopped my cart in front of the Nexxus section. I used these produces in the late '80s and early '90s. They smelled nice from what I remember. A few of them were on sale. I grabbed a couple of things, tossed them in my cart, and started using them the next day.

It is simply a miracle, fellow shoppers. I HAVE NO STATIC. I blow dry. I brush. I put up the hood on my down parka. Nothing. I even tried on sweaters for about an hour last week--I pulled them over my head again and again. No static at all.

The first miracle product is Nexxus Humectress. This is the conditioner my former hair stylist Connie recommended to me starting in 1987 when I got my first spiral perm. (Again, it wasn't pretty.) Now, I've been using a small amount on the ends of my hair in the shower. It's good stuff.


But the super miracle product is Nexxus Headress. I was not familiar with this when I picked it up, but the package says it's a "weightless leave-in conditioner." I've never had luck with leave-in conditioners in the past because my hair is pretty fine and leave-ins tend to weigh it down and make it look even more limp than usual. Not so with Headress. This is the only styling product I've been using. I smooth it in my hair starting in the back, then distribute it all over, with special attention to the ends that frame my face. My hair looks so much better, has not gotten the least bit staticy even one time in the past three weeks (and it's mostly been cold cold cold), and it feels like silk. I am so in love.