StyleWhipped

Perfect bag alert...courtesy of Antik Batik...

Antik Batik is constantly putting out downtown-cool, rock-and-roll-influenced, bohemian-yet-polished pieces that I instantly swoon over. And they present them at often-affordable prices, which is still so key these days.

Their newest one that I'm becoming increasingly obsessed with is the "Lola" beaded bag. With a coy take on studding, this tiny black bag has brass-tone beads adorning a random, asymmetrical section of one side and a tough chain strap. It's both cleverly edgy and dress-up fabulous...and its super-friendly pricetag of $190 makes me not hesitate to click "add to shopping cart"!

Need a little styling help with this one? How about pairing the Lola with black skinny jeans, a slouchy tank top, sequined jacket and bright suede heels...perfect for a night on the town. Not heading to the latest nightlife hot-spot? Dark blue denim flares, a sleek turtleneck sweater (also key in this awful, 17-degree weather!) and a cropped fur jacket work for a creative meeting or a lunch date on the weekend...with the Lola as the perfect accessory, of course!

~ Alison

Daily Devotion: Nars Makeup Primer

For the longest time, I simply accepted the fact that I would leave the house in the morning with perfect makeup, and then come home without any on. I don't know if I just assumed there was some mystical cosmic force out there that made it happen *poof*, or if I was blacking out in the middle of the day, unconsciously washing my face. I mean...makeup just doesn't disappear, does it? Yeah. It does. And finally I decided to do something about it.

I spent a lot of time trying a lot of primers, and my favorite is Nars' Makeup Primer. The gel-cream formula glides on, providing a beautifully smooth surface for flawless makeup application (on my low-maintenance days, I'll sometimes just smooth some of this primer on to give my face a "finished" look, with just a coat of mascara and a little gloss). Unlike other primers, it doesn't feel heavy or tacky, make my skin blotchy, or cause breakouts. It absorbs quickly, and accepts makeup immediately. And best of all, my makeup stays put throughout the day. So that mystical cosmic force can go focus its efforts elsewhere...like helping women understand that leggings are not pants.

- Cindy     

Daily Devotion: Kate Spade Soda Fountain Stripe Ivy Car Coat

I've come to the realization that I have a very poor coat wardrobe. I tend to get lazy and will wear the same black wool coat all Winter and the same black trench coat throughout Fall. This didn't really bother me until recently when I was watching an old Doris Day movie (I know, I know) and just couldn't get over her perfectly coordinated outfits. Each dress, each gown, each skirt suit had a coat designed to go with it. It was simply magnificent. Everything was so beautifully styled and tailored and perfect. Now, I'll never be that coordinated, nor do I have the budget to get a coat custom designed for every outfit. But I fully acknowledge that I have room for improvement.

A good place to start would be with Kate Spade's Soda Fountain Stripe Ivy Car Coat. In a word, it's adorable. I'm not normally one to sway towards the adorable or precious when it comes to my own style, but something about this coat keeps me coming back for another look. I love the stripes, I love the 3/4 sleeves with the belt detail, I even find myself loving the tiny little grosgrain bows nestled into each of the over-sized buttons. It just works. And so long as I wear it with something more slim fitting on the bottom (please, nothing boxy and cropped!), I can keep my overall look sleek and chic!

- Cindy 

Daily Devotion: Tibi Scalloped Silk-Georgette Dress

On a recent rainy Sunday I happened to be engaging in my favorite indoor sport (get your mind out of the  gutter)-- online shopping. While perusing through net-a-porter.com, I developed an immediate crush on Tibi's Scalloped Silk-Georgette Dress.        

Tibi has this finely-tuned ability to strike that perfect balance of trend, casual sophistication, and glamour. Even though the brand has expanded into other categories, I continue to worship at the altar of their original brand category-- the dress. And this is just a little example of why that is. In a lovely tomato-red (I fully intended to move on from my obsession with red, but it's proving difficult), with beautiful scallop details in a front bib and down the ballooned half-length sleeves, this dress is perfection. I could wear it with black tights and booties in the winter, and switch it up to bare legs and nude or gold platforms in the summer. And to add to its versatility, this effortlessly goes from day to night. It's the perfect investment piece for anyone's wardrobe, and at $300 it's a no-brainer. Like I said--perfection!

- Cindy

Trina Takes On Jewelry

As everyone knows, I am a perpetual Trina Turk fan. Her beautiful fabrics, vibrant prints and sunshine-in-Palm-Springs color palettes (even in the dead of winter) always make me so happy (the way fashion should!). And now Trina has developed a magnificent jewelry collection that is a perfect reflection of her as a designer. It compliments her clothing collections, interprets her overall design aesthetic, and besides being appropriately glamorous and statement-making, it is also wearable and affordable. (Really, the most expensive piece comes in at $258 and the collection starts at just $58!)

The first piece I noticed, fell in love with, and instantly had to own was the massively oversized Faceted Gem Ring. I have the olive stone pictured, but it also comes in a saturated dark purple shade. Set in rich gold-tone (as is the entire collection), it features Trina's signature latice pattern as the stone's setting. Worn on my index finger as often as possible, it has quickly become one of my signature pieces.

Along with gorgeous rings, Trina brings us necklaces, earrings, bracelets and cuffs that are each seriously special. For such a wallet-friendly group, these look like they cost 10 times their price - they are almost all oversized, and come with stones in brand-expected shades like white, coral, tiger's eye and turquoise. Demanding to be paired with a printed, floor-length hostess dress and gold 5-inch platforms (or faded, destroyed jeans and a white wife-beater), this is jewelry that works in Manhattan, in LA, in St. Tropez, and at the Jersey shore. In other words, Trina took on jewelry...and did so beautifully...

~ Alison

Daily Devotion: Essie Nail Polish in Clam Bake

Today I continue our string of Winter defiance/denial with my latest beauty find. One of my favorite pastimes is to stroll through drugstore aisles (Duane Reade, CVS, Rite Aid, it doesn't matter) looking for "treasure". Lotion, lip balm, self-tanner, hair accessories...I try them all. One of my most frequent purchases is nail polish, and my new favorite is Essie's Clam Bake. I'm always going through phases of dark, then neutral then bright polish, and Clam Bake is undeniably bright! A lovely and fiery red-orange, the color complements most skintones and is an instant mood booster. And since I DO NOT have a trip to Aruba coming around the corner (see Alison's post below), every little bit of brightness counts!

- Cindy

Summer, where ARE you?!

Perhaps it is this ridiculously cold winter we're having here in NYC. Or maybe it was a glimpse of Cindy's mint green heels posted below (and by the way, the how-to-walk-in-5-inch-heels class does not in fact exist...although it's really not such a bad idea...hmmm...). Whatever it is, the second I laid eyes on this dress from Milly (one of my forever fave designers), I felt like I just couldn't stand winter for one more second! (thankfully, a visit to Aruba is around the corner...otherwise I was beginning to think I might have to redecorate my apartment with mountains of sand...).

With its absolutely delicious "papaya" hue (I might have called it "salmon," but you know, tomato-tomahto...), festive cascade of ruffles (on the front AND the back!), gold-tone tassle hardware and show-off-your-tan hemline, I am aching to wear this after a day at the beach. Easily dressed up (gold stiletto platforms and a tiny gem-encrusted clutch) or down (flat snakeskin sandals and a linen envelope bag), this is the type of crepe jersey dress you will reach for everytime you want to shine just as bright as the summer sun...

~ Alison

Daily Devotion: Elizabeth and James Mason Suede Platform Pumps

By now you're all familiar with our undying devotion to super high heels and platforms. They make you feel powerful, they elongate your body, and they make your legs look damn good! Now, I'm not always the most practical person when it comes to fashion. I'll wear bracelet-sleeve coats in frigid weather, I'll wear open-toe shoes in the freezing rain, and sometimes I'll just feel the need to put on some jewelry to walk the dog. So I guess it's no surprise that I'm coveting Elizabeth and James' Mason Suede Platform Pumps.

I know, I know. They're suede, they're a light/bright color, they have a 5" heel with a 1" platform, and yes, it's January. Oh, and they also happen to have that particular type of inset platform that I don't always have a lot of luck with, i.e., I put them on and then proceed to fall on my face. But they're just so fantastic! The contours are beautiful and the color is beyond stunning. Now all I need is to take Alison's Walking in Heels master class* to do more than just stand there and look pretty.

- Cindy

*this class does not actually exist at this time, but I'm certain Alison can be persuaded!   

Daily Devotion: Bonne Bell Lip Smacker

After the Holiday shopping frenzy in December, I tend to dial back down in January finding delight in the simple things. Maybe it's that spending quality time with my family grounds me, maybe my full-on enthusiasm in gift gluttony hit a wall and I'm simply "full" for the moment, or, hell, maybe I just need to give my overworked credit cards a rest. Whatever the reason, I always need a little break from the fancy accessories, the expensive makeup, the rich and sugary foods...you get the picture. This January my favorite simple pleasure was found as a result of an unfortunate accident that my husband insists will one day be funny-- I discovered when we got to my in-laws in Boston that "we" had left my bags back home in NYC.

Somehow among all the shopping bags full of presents, toys and supplies for the dog, and my husband's own new travel bag, my two lovingly packed bags filled with all of my toiletries and carefully planned outfits for the week were overlooked. All I had was my big handbag that held my laptop, phone, wallet, and misc. random items I easily could have done without. Needless to say, we spent a large portion of the next day taking advantage of all of the last-minute sales to get me through the week. On my "must replace" list was lip balm. A trip to the local drugstore lead to the re-discovery of my current can't-live-without item- Bonne Bell Lip Smacker in Dr. Pepper. How did I forget how great this stuff is??? Not only does it keep my lips soft and hydrated, but it gives the perfect sheer cherry tint and of course there's the unmistakable scent of Dr. Pepper (if you're not into Dr. Pepper, check out their other flavors). Ok, so it's not the most sophisticated product out there, it's not fancy or high-tech. But it's exactly what I needed, it's fun, and it's under $2. You just can't beat that!

- Cindy   

Navy, baby...

For at least six months, I have been on a major navy blue kick. More unexpected than black, more sophisticated than chocolate brown, and more flattering than hunter green, navy has been my go-to color for everything from tops to shoes to handbags to nailpolish. And this tank from Blue Life (an exclusive from Intermix) is a fantastic example of why I love it so...

With its sheer jersey front and lace back (click on the link above to see the gorgeous lace!), the navy shade makes the lace Parisian-chic and not Maxim-slutty. It's a beautiful way to incorporate color and embellishment trends, which I have also been obsessed with - give me any sequined-, beaded-, or beribboned-jersey and I'm a happy girl. A big point to make about wearing something with an entire back done in lace is that you never (ever, ever) want it to be too fitted (even if you have a "perfect" body). So buy this top in a size that that allows the lace to drape and not pull. Wear either a navy or black bra underneath (or no bra at all...I'm also a huge fan of donning "petal" pasties!), and pair this tank with any shade of denim (including black or grey) and a pair of fierce stiletto platforms, serious gold jewelry and a fur jacket for a guaranteed-fun night on the town...

~ Alison