My Closet Euphoria

Vivetta dresses, tops, and cardigan. Brunello Cucinelli sweater. Junya Watanabe top. Valentino sweater. Oscar de la Renta blouse. Miu Miu top. Preen turtleneck. Erdem top. We Are Handsome top. Top from Moda Operandi. Eudon Choi top and sweatshirt. Ganni sweater. Elie Tahari top. Tommy Hilfiger blouse. Chicwish top. Dorothy Perkins top. Ringnor cardigan. Chicnova top. Ralph Lauren Collection jacket. Ralph Lauren Black Label cape. Emanuel Ungaro jacket. Yoins blazer. Stella McCartney top. Chesca cami.

Blue Dresses

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.

Shopping Is an Experience

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.

One Hundred Sunglasses

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?

Miu Miu

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

output_VdyRif

And the winner is…the Oakley Elmont!

Oakley Elmont 2

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!

Sun Shady

New York Fashion Week — September 8, 2015

Fashion Week

There are two issues with referring to Fashion Week:

  1. There are so many different fashion weeks, from New York to Paris to Prague to Hong Kong, that it sounds a little egotistical for a New Yorker to say “Fashion Week” for New York when they know that “Milan Fashion Week” is going to come out of their mouth when the time comes.
  2. New York Fashion Week lasts longer than a week.

New York Fashion Week

There have been billboards in Manhattan for awhile advertising the first day of NYFW as September 10. This is false advertising. Ten designers presented collections on the 8th, and twenty-five presented on the 9th! And I am going to do my due diligence and include these collections on Blissful Style.  I would say the early bird gets the worm, but I’m more of a worms-for-all kind of person. Either way, it works.

Sonia Sonia Rykiel Logo Escada Logo    Tomas Maier Logo   Zac Posen Logo

CF. Goldman Logo  Red Valentino Logo

Trina Turk Logo 10 Crosby Derek Lam Logo    Nili Lotan Logo

With the exception of Zac Zac Posen’s electrically lit little black dress, there weren’t any looks on Tuesday that I would consider avant-garde.

Zac by Zac Posen Show

Yet I think runway shows can still inspire the fashion-conscious to be more adventurous, precisely because they are so wearable. There is a huge difference between what is wearable and the outfits we put on every day, and the former group is larger. We all have shapes, cuts, and colors we think we “don’t like” or “can’t wear”. We are like characters in a book or personal brands, and we all have a deep, intangible sense of who we are, what our look is, and how our look fits into our identity. Tangibly, this can show up as looking the same every day.

Coca Cola Logo

“My look is dramatic: monochrome red with just a touch of white to make it pop.” 

I’m guilty of this. For me, I have three roadblocks in my path to a more adventurous sense of style: femininity, formality, and color. By femininity, I mean that I always have to look super-feminine in a dress or skirt and heels. By formality, I mean that it doesn’t take much to make me feel underdressed. By color, I mean that most of my wardrobe is black, white, or red.

Black Rose  White Rose   Red Rose

If I thought I had no style, I wouldn’t be writing a fashion blog. I’m not saying that nobody is ever truly stylish. I just think that there is always room to grow and evolve in fashion. There are always new looks to try, new fears to conquer, new dilemmas or identities to create. Below are excerpts from Tuesday’s shows. On the left are the looks I would automatically reach for, and on the right are the outfits that are out of my comfort zone, that I should try.

Sonia Rykiel 2   Sonia Rykiel

Sonia Sonia Rykiel

I live for statement accessories, hearts, and dresses. I need to conquer my fear of being too casual in denim-on-denim. 

Escada 2   Escada

Escada

I am petite at 5′ 4″, so most of my dresses and skirts hit above the knee. I need to overcome my fear of longer lengths. 

Tomas Maier  Tomas Maier 2

Tomas Maier

I feel most alluring in a fitted look, and can be guilty of “dressing to attract”. One can still be beautiful and impressive in a looser silhouette!

Zac Zac Posen 2  Zac Zac Posen

Zac Zac Posen

I go wild for dresses and pleats! I fear the informality of shorts, but shorts can look dressy in the right fabric and pattern.

Protagonist 2  Protagonist RTW Spring 2016

Protagonist

I feel feminine in a little black dress. But a pantsuit as exquisite as this one looks feminine too. 

CF Goldman RTW Spring 2016.  CF Goldman RTW Spring 2016.

CF. Goldman

A short skirt has an obvious appeal, but a maxi dress with a slit is sexy and mysterious. 

Trina Turk RTW Spring 2016.  Trina Turk RTW Spring 2016.

Trina Turk

I think it’s fun to match, and I feel sophisticated in black, white, and red. I should try more unusual color combinations. 

Derek Lam 10 Crosby RTW Spring 2016  Derek Lam 10 Crosby RTW Spring 2016

10 Crosby Derek Lam 

I appreciate feminine details like tiers and ruffles. With a keyhole neckline and button details, shorts and a sweater can look feminine too. 

Nili Lotan RTW Spring 2016  Nili Lotan RTW Spring 2016

Nili Lotan

As a thin person, I tend to stay streamlined. But with the right neckline and leg slits, a loose dress hardly hides the body. 

Happy (New York) Fashion Week! More days to come!

Trend of the Day — Black Puffer Jackets

I was overjoyed to find out that puffer jackets, specifically black ones, are trendy this winter. I have spent the past month in the San Francisco Bay Area with its temperate climate, and predominantly indoors besides. But next week I will be back in Manhattan in all its chilly glory, and I have a feeling that my hip-length bouclé jackets aren’t going to cut it anymore! Whether I am walking to class or taking the subway to a sushi restaurant in the Upper East Side, I usually put on an ankle-length black hooded puffer coat (and whatever I want underneath). Here are some puffer jackets of various lengths to help you get through a cold day!

TBR  T Tahari

1. TBR high-neck puffer jacket, $15

2. T Tahari, $100

 

Phase Eight  French Connection

3. Phase Eight, $150

4. French Connection, $290

 

Burberry 2     

5. Burberry London, $796

6. Red Valentino, $985

 

Donna Karan  Moncler

7. Donna Karan, $1,223

8. Moncler, $2,065