Mango dress. Steven by Steve Madden platforms. Charlotte Olympia shoulder bag. Valentino dress. Yves Saint Laurent tote. Chanel shoes and hair bow. Elizabeth and James dress. Vans sneakers. Materia Prima ring. Kate Spade clutch. Rotita dress.
Some people say they would rather spend money on experiences than the accumulation of objects. To those people, I say that the act of shopping is a beautiful experience.
Model: Sasha Pivovarova
Jimmy Choo pumps. Stuart Weitzman heels. Chanel heels, handbags and clutches. Charlotte Olympia heels. Sergio Rossi shoes. Christian Louboutin heels. Dolce & Gabanna shoes and handbags. Salvatore Ferragamo heels. Versace shoes. Rochas pumps. Valentino platforms. Brian Atwood heels. Haider Ackermann shoes. ShopBop handbag. Judith Lebier handbags and coin purse. Kotur purse. Arunashi ring. Monique Pean ring. Bulgari bracelet. Pandora brooches. Buccellati brooch.
“I’m pretty from afar, like a dark star.” — Lana Del Rey
Junya Watanabe Comme des Garcons top. Donna Karan skirt. Boohoo faux fur coat. Charlotte Olympia heels and clutch. Tatty Devine necklace. Chanel watch. Solange Azagury-Partridge ring. Flower ring from 1stdibs. Forever 21 ring. Les Petits Joueurs clutch.
Marni top. Dolce & Gabbana skirt. Jimmy Choo pumps. Repossi druzy earrings. Bulgari bracelet. Tiffany & Co. tennis bracelet and ring. Piers Atkinson headband. Chanel bag.
Besides being a blogger, I am a sales consultant at Sunglass Hut in Times Square — the highest-grossing store out of 3,000 Luxottica-owned retailers! Helping people with their style, talking to tourists from all over the world (Mongolia? Check. Nepal? Check. Cayman Islands? Check.), and seeing all the new luxury sunglasses come in is very exciting. Upon greeting a customer, we always let them know that they can try on any of the sunglasses on display. I thought it would be cute to say “Feel free to try everything on!”, meaning that they can look and think as much as they need to before making a purchase, without feeling judged or pressured. When I shop, I make sure to look at every product that meets my needs. It’s simple if I need a belt and there is literally one belt in the store that fits me. What’s more challenging is scouring a store with a great many qualifying products…like, say, a store that has hundreds of different sunglasses when I need sunglasses for summer. And I wondered, could I do it? Could I honestly consider every pair I liked in the entire store?
I can. I went in on June 27, National Sunglasses Day, and spent three hours inside Sunglass Hut trying on every pair I liked. Here are 100 of the pairs I tried on:
Bulgari 6083 $370; Bulgari Serpenteyes, $470; Bulgari 6088, $510
Bulgari 8189, $440; Bulgari 6093, $440; Bulgari Serpenti, $410
Bulgari 8188, $470; Burberry 4241, $215; Chanel Butterfly Summer, $350
Chanel Round Spring, $515; Chanel Pilot Fall, $610; Dior Homme Composit, $565
Dior So Real, $595; Dior So Real Stud, $670; Dior Sight, $380
Dior Chicago, $395; Dior Diorama, $500; Dior Liner, $375
Dolce & Gabbana 2172, $340; Dolce & Gabbana 2169, $340; Dolce & Gabbana 4288, $330
Dolce & Gabbana 6105, $270; Dolce & Gabbana 2173, $650; Dolce & Gabbana 2170, $650
Fendi 0060, $455; Fendi Iridia, $520; Fendi 0133, $380
Fendi 0041, $470; Fendi Hypnoshine, $695; Fendi Rainbow, $545
Fendi 0025, $355; Gigi Hadid for Vogue 5211 in black/pink and white, $140
Gucci 0061, $400; Maui Jim Nalani, $280; Maui Jim Summer Time, $319
Maui Jim Manu 64, $270; Michael Kors Hvar, $139; Michael Kors Evy, $179
Michael Kors Lia, $159; Miu Miu 52RS, $410
Miu Miu 13NS, $380; Miu Miu 52QS, $320; Miu Miu 12RSA, $410
Miu Miu 52SS, $470; Miu Miu 11RS, $410; Miu Miu 05SS, $470
Oakley Tie Breaker, $200; Oakley Elmont, $210; Oakley Frogskins, $120
Oakley Crossrange, $210; Oakley Mainlink, $200; Oakley Catalyst, $160
Oakley Holbrook Ink Fade Collection, $170; Persol 100th Anniversary Collection, $410; Prada 65TS, $420
Prada 16TS, $460; Prada 68TS, $410
Prada 27NS; Prada 51SS, $330; Prada Cinema, $430
Prada 54SS, $330; Prada 61TS, $370; Polo Ralph Lauren 4125, $169
Ralph 5203, $150; Ray-Ban Cats 5000, $165; Ray-Ban Hexagonal Flat Lens, $150
Ray-Ban Gatsby, $185; Ray-Ban Flat Lens, $185; Ray-Ban 4274, $165
Ray-Ban Clubmaster, $175; Ray-Ban New Wayfarer, $155; Sunglass Hut Collection 1003, $80
Sunglass Hut Collection 2001 in red, black, and clear, $80-$100
Sunglass Hut Collection 2005, $80; Tiffany & Co. 4136 in brown and black, $380
Tiffany & Co. 4121, $380; Tiffany & Co. 4134, $390; Tiffany & Co. 3058, $330
Tiffany & Co. 3051, $310; Tom Ford Kasia, $390; Tom Ford Savannah, $445
Tom Ford Arabella, $475; Tory Burch 9046, $195; Valentino 4002, $350
Valentino 4005, $390; Valentino 4013, $290; Valentino 4008, $410
Valentino 2002, $350; Valentino 2004, $380; Versace #Frenergy, $315
Versace 4338, $240; Versace 2160, $265; Versace 4294, $240
Versace Medusa, $280; Versace 2177, $375; Versace 2140, $215
And the winner is…the Oakley Elmont!
Me and my new shades in my favorite corner of the store. Bebe blouse. H&M skirt. Bandolino pumps. Claire’s earrings. Topshop headband. Handbag from my mother’s friend, with no tag inside. Photo by my coworker Baruch.
Before I started working here, I thought Oakleys were for guys. There is a scene in the TV show Workaholics where the protagonists join a fraternity, and upon their initiation a frat member says “Here are your Oakleys,” as if every frat boy wears them. I know that show is basically one long joke, but the impression stayed with me. Until I found a pair of Oakleys that was polarized, had Prizm lens technology, and was feminine enough for even me.
Happy Summer!
I have seen the music video for “Hanging On”, and it is amazing. But I still like to imagine my own storyline when I hear a song, even if it divulges from the artist’s concept and vision. The exercise of imagining a music video as I hear a song makes the song feel personal to me, which makes me form more of an attachment to it. This song in particular fascinates me. The drawn-out vocals, combined with an elusive meaning, are so eerie.
Song: “Hanging On”. Artist: Ellie Goulding. Album: Halcyon. Written by: Patrick James Grossi, Ariel Rechtshaid. Produced by: Billboard. Label: Polydor. Original by: Active Child.
The lyric I can relate to most is “Tell me if you feel this pain, ’cause I don’t wanna be a ball and chain”. I was overjoyed to find a ball and chain novelty bag by Judith Leiber to include in the video. Below are more “ball and chain” style handbags.
Deux Lux, $30 Vans, $33 Joyrich, $78
Gryson, $162 Love Moschino, $175 She + Lo, $178
Gucci, $190 Kenzo, $280 3.1 Phillip Lim, $615
3.1 Phillip Lim, $655 Dolce & Gabbana, $696 Rag & Bone, $720
Olympia Le-Tan, $870 Dolce & Gabbana, $935 Fleet Ilya, $1,035
Paco Rabanne, $1,390 Clara Kasavina, $1,585 Chanel, $4,875
I have always loved platform heels, and have worn many over the years. The four above are my current favorites. My style is feminine, but in a way that stands out; as a young adolescent I was very shy, and I decided that if I couldn’t be the life of the party, then at the very least I wanted to show up in a fabulous outfit. Some “avant-garde” apparel can come off wacky, but using a bold accessory, like a shoe or a handbag, as a focal piece is just wild enough.
Wearing the Shiekh shoes in the Meatpacking District.
I am also attracted to platform heels because the platforms make it easier to walk. Pick your favorite shoes on this page. Now imagine the same heel height, with the platform removed and the toes dropped to the ground. My feet are crying just thinking about it. The two solutions to shoe pain are: 1) a lower heel or 2) a higher platform, and it’s obvious which side I’m on. There’s also something about the size of a platform that makes me feel powerful, in a way that a kitten heel or a flat never could.
Here are my favorite platform heels at every price point!
CiCi Hot $25 Lulu’s State Your Fame, $27 CiCi Hot $28
BCBGeneration Sochi, $50 Unique Vintage Lolita, $54 Luichiny Great Lee, $56
Jeffrey Campbell Stride for Perfection, $100 Betsey Johnson Leanah P, $110 Iggy Azalea by Steve Madden Paatra, $110
Martinez Lierah Dissolving, $410 Kat Maconie $473 Chanel $499
Charlotte Olympia Kiss Me Dolores, $945 Charlotte Olympia Century, $985 Christian Louboutin Highness, $1,595
Zaha Hadid for United Nude Nova, $2,138 Charlotte Olympia Avalon, $2,395 Christian Louboutin Daffodile Strass, $5,995
Everyone who knows me knows that I live for the music of Lana Del Rey and Marina and the Diamonds, and if I find out that someone does not like either of these artists, I regard him or her with a healthy amount of suspicion. As if it isn’t enough that I have fifty-two of Marina’s songs on my iPod, I also adore her sense of style. She has described her fashion sense as “vintage, cheerleader, and cartoon,” and her style icons are Gwen Stefani, Leigh Lezark of the Misshapes, and Shirley Manson of Garbage. Here are my favorite Marina looks:
Marina and the Diamonds (aka Marina Diamandis) was born in Brynmawr, Wales and began her musical career in London. She has released two albums, The Family Jewels and Electra Heart, and will be releasing Froot in its entirety this coming April. She has also collaborated with Charli XCX and BetaTraxx, and has covered songs by Gwen Stefani, Justin Bieber, 3OH!3, Late of the Pier, and Paolo Nutini. She has had two headlining tours, The Family Jewels Tour and The Lonely Hearts Club Tour, and has toured with both Katy Perry and Coldplay as a supporting act. She has won the following awards: Best UK & Irish Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards (2010), Best Newcomer at the Virgin Media Music Awards (2010), and Best Music Award at the Attitude Magazine Awards (2012). She even has a fashion line, 11 Diamonds.
As the saying goes, these boots were made for walking. However, in my opinion the best shoes were made primarily to stop people in their tracks. Here are some standout, high-quality investment pairs guaranteed to attract attention:
Tod’s, $5,610, harrods.com ~~~ Jimmy Choo, $4,225, mytheresa.com
Emilio Pucci, $4,160, luisaviaroma.com ~~~ Alexander McQueen, $3,895, luisaviaroma.com
Dolce & Gabbana, $3,995, luisaviaroma.com
Julia Haart, $3,784, farfetch.com ~~~ DSquared2, $3,640, luisaviaroma.com
Givenchy, $3,625, luisaviaroma.com ~~~ Chanel, $3,451, shop-hers.com
Blissful Style 