StyleWhipped

Halloween, Stylewhipped-style...

I have to be honest. I can't stand Halloween. I don't like not being able to see people's faces. I don't like anything that's purposely gross. I don't think kids should ever be given 15 lbs of candy at once (!). And I have always, always had a serious aversion to the color orange. But today is Halloween, and I felt I should figure out how to make some sort of reference to it, just in my own style.

Henceforth...the "Putney Sweater Dress" from one of my very favorites, Rag & Bone. The designers behind this label always manage to make each piece just a little cooler, a little edgier, and a little more unexpected. So being a fan of the brand, as well as a big fan of a good sweater dress (cozy and sexy!), this one was a no-brainer to feature here. In a great shade of universally-flaterring charcoal with rich (not at all Halloween-y) orange stripes, this is figure-hugging without being at all tight, feminine without the expected puffed sleeves, and edgy without being too out-there.

Wear this now with bare legs and patent-leather chocolate brown booties. Wear it when it's a little colder out with black tights and black knee-high suede boots. Or come up with your own spin on styling. Either way, make sure everyone notices the details like the vertical insert along the back seam, the perfectly just-revealing-enough scoop neck, and how orange can be used in a way that doesn't make anyone want to yell "Trick or treat!"

~ Alison

Be a Sport

I am a fitness addict who runs six days a week. But you will never (ever) catch me wearing a pair a sneakers outside the gym. My day-to-day aesthetic is glam, bejeweled and permanently in 5" heels (or lately, even higher!). But yesterday, something funny happened. I went to buy new running sneakers, and actually found ones that I thought were...well, cute! From my I've-run-in-their-sneakers-for-5-years Saucony, they are black (natch) with a Tiffany-blue stripe detail (love the reference to something so totally NOT sporty!), and actually adorable enough to wear in public if I had to (please note the "if I had to"...). Called the Grid Shadow Genesis, these are so incredibly lightweight, it's as if you aren't wearing anything. They also have an exceptionally stylized profile and even a bit of shiny patent-leather-like vinyl detailing. Super comfy AND super cute? I'll take two! (Actually I did...my husband got them in the white...here's a link to the men's version: Men's Grid Shadow Genesis)

While I'm on the "sporty" subject, I'm thinking that if you're going to wear cute black sneakers out in the world, you need to make sure your accessories are both minimal and equally sporty (really, this is all just an excuse to buy some cute new things...). My oversized rose gold watch would honestly look a little silly alongside sneakers, but this one, the Marc by Marc Jacobs "Jorie" black aluminum watch would be absolutely perfect. It's neon green and purple dial fixtures are a nod to the '80's and all it's sportswear glory. And the black casing and band look tough-sporty, so it's still edgy enough to wear later in the evening with leather leggings and platforms (c'mon, you knew I had to work "leather leggings" and "platforms" somewhere into this post!).

Now make me proud and go workout. Just look fab while doing it!

~ Alison

Settle down, boys - you get Lanvin, too...

It wouldn't be fair, right? It wouldn't be fair to post something so delicious from Lanvin for the girls and leave out the boys. In addition, this post is actually in honor of my new brother-in-law, who has a thing for sneakers. (And I mean a serious thing...I think he would wear them to meet the President...or be sworn in as President...!). So he's in luck that nowadays, there are so many versions of old-school "tennis shoes," and we are seeing them at weddings, on red carpets, in casual offices, you name it. And when high-fashion houses like Lanvin make a sneaker, you know it's going to be pret-ty gorgeous.

These come in black, grey and brown, but I'm a bit partial to the brown. With sides of suede and a cap toe in chocolate patent, these really are sort of, well...fancy sneakers! For the guy who always wants some part of his outfit to scream "laid-back LA," these are exactly what you need. Try them with your best dark jeans, a sold pastel dress shirt (lavendar and ice blue are both perfect compliments to the rich brown), and a fitted sportcoat in charcoal grey. Top the whole look off with a dark brown belt and a printed purple pocketsquare. What can I say? Sporty-fab? Casual-chic? Whatever you call it, you will look amazing...and have comfy feet!

And really...does any guy want anything more?!

~ Alison.

Worth the Cold

Today is the first honest-to-goodness fairly cold day in NYC. I am trying to ignore it, but my feet were really pretty freezing in my peep-toe slingbacks. (Dammit!) So I'm beginning to accept the fact that colder temperatures are actually on their way. Which means I will have to actually wear boots (I hate boots), will actually have to wear a scarf (I hate scarves), and will actually have to wear gloves (I really, really, really hate gloves).

So I started looking around online for some new glove options (if I have to wear them, they better be seriously cute), and stumbled on what might just be the Single. Best. Gloves. Ever. (I can hear my husband's heart pretty much stopping from the other room because they are also over $1,500, but let me tell you...they are totally worth the price tag and even the horrible cold weather...)

From the always-amazing house of Lanvin, these are to-the-elbow length black leather. But the true "special factor" comes from the Swarovski crystal embellishments all along the forearm. Fully lined in silk, they really are outfit-makers...they add drama to any winter ensemble and are the perfect reason to extend the season of your short-sleeved or 3/4-sleeved coats - these babies need to be SEEN! I would personally wear them with skinny black satin pants, a glittery top, and my short-sleeved chinchilla jacket.

In the end, these are kind of the jewelry of outerwear. And I love them. (Glowing endorsement, huh?!)

~ Alison.

Shopping for a good cause? Yes, PLEASE!

It's pretty obvious that here at Stylewhipped, we really like to shop. So when we have an "excuse" to do so (like supporting an amazing non-profit organization), it makes it that much more satisfying. Starting tomorrow, October 28th, through November 6th, you can support Futures & Options while spending a little cash at your favorite boutiques and restaurants!

For more than a decade, Futures & Options has made it possible for more than 2,000 New York City underserved youth to explore careers through career development and paid, mentored internships. The organization reaches out to teens at a formative time of their lives, guiding them to further their education and become contributing citizens. At the same time, private and nonprofit businesses are connected to a pipeline of promising, motivated and diverse young men and women. In a city with a teen unemployment rate of 30.8% and a high school graduation rate of 65%, 95% of Futures and Options' youth successfully completed their programs last year, 100% of their seniors graduated from high school on time, and 93% entered college.

So here's the good stuff...Futures & Options has started a new sales event & fundraiser called "The Opportunity Card," which offers caring New Yorkers ten fabulous days of shopping, food and fun, all while raising awareness and funds for NYC teens. From October 28^th to November 6^th, buy a $50 "Opportunity Card" and save 20% at over 200 of your favorite New York shops and restaurants, including BCBG, Coach, Cole Haan, Gap, Barnes & Noble, Gracious Home, Papyrus, The Children’s Place, The Container Store, Tory Burch, Zales, Boutique Eat Shop, Brasserie Cognac and lots of fun boutiques and restaurants in Soho, Nolita, the Upper East Side, the West Village and Tribeca. You can use the card as many times as you want (quick translation? The sooner you buy one, the longer you get to use it for!). So Click here for a complete list of participating retailers & restaurants, as well as some amazing facts about the organization!

Ready to buy this super fab discount card? (um, I am!)

Well, here's how:

• Online for a tax-deductible donation of $50 via Futures & Options' website
• By phone at 212-601-0002 ext. 27
• At select participating stores that have agreed to sell The Card – please refer to the Store and Restaurant Directory for details

Bottom line? Spend $50, save a whole lot, and help some NYC youth. Who knows...you might just be shopping at one of their boutiques in the future...

~ Alison.

Go Ahead, Make Maverick Proud...

Last week, I watched Top Gun on cable. It is still just as good today as it was when I was in middle school. Tom Cruise is just as adorable and it's just as sad when Goose dies. And the aviator glasses? They are just as of-the-moment now as they were then! Case in point...this summer, as I waited for our guests to arrive at our beach house in my new gold aviators, they arrived...both wearing their gold aviators too. But they don't have to be gold to be modern - they just have to have some new styling, some new technology, and a bit of an updated shape. (In other words, buy new ones...don't try to revive the ones from 9th grade that you just found at your mom's house...).

So for all the guys out there who still secretly wish they had a reason to be nick-named "Maverick," I give you these. The N8Tech sunglass from Ray Ban...in a very cool, pale silver wire frame with textured arms in the same shade with dark grey lenses, these are definitely my new favorite aviators for right now. They also come in a matte bronze-y hue, a black frame with dark green lenses, and even more colors (not everyone can rock the pale silver - you need to keep your skintone in mind, espceically for sunglasses that sit right on your face!). These are just modernized enough to look current, but maintain that recognizable shape that would make Maverick proud.

Bet you can feel yourself flying high in the fashion world already...

~ Alison

Bejeweled

I would spend my last dollar on jewelry. (After I spent my second-to-last dollar on shoes, of course.) Since I was a very little girl, I have been fascinated by the warmth created after jewelry has been on skin. Or how one sparkling something on your hand makes your inner sunshine instantly come out. Jewelry tells a story...when it is vintage, when it is passed down from one generation to another, or when you decide to buy yourself a present (jewelry does not need to be a gift - sometimes the best stories come from pieces you've been able to purchase on your own).

Personally, I am a yellow-or-rose-gold-only girl. I will add in accents in platinum or silver, but even my wedding rings are set in yellow gold (hmmm, maybe somehow when I got married I knew I'd eventually be as blond as possible...!). So when I find extraordinarily special pieces in either tone, they somehow really do speak to me. Especially when they are "good costume"...you know, the kind that can pass for real or super expensive. And while these "good costume" pieces aren't exactly INexpensive, they are not going to set you back thousands of dollars (but they will look like they did!).

Kenneth Jay Lane is a constant source of pieces like this for me. I have some that are true vintage from the 1960's that are just incredible, and I have some I bought at Bloomingdale's over the last few years! Either way, each of his designs conjure up scenes straight out of the Palm Springs of the '60's, and each have some factor of whimsy or light-heartedness that we could always all use. This KJL giant cuff (most of his pieces are solid, substantial, and get some serious attention) in 22-kt plated yellow gold with its jumble of multi-colored stones, pearls and crystals in a cross design is one of my new favorites. I mean, I'm actually kind of drooling as I write this. At $325, it is obvioulsy that "good" costume, but if well-kept, it will last for decades and create its own fabulous story. Wear it with a draped white cocktail dress in the summer and your darkest bell-bottom jeans with a flowing chiffon top and cropped fur jacket in the winter.

And since I mentioned rose gold earlier...it is my newest obsession. For my 35th birthday, my husband bought me Marc Jacobs' rose gold watch. Just yesterday I bought myself some serious rose gold and yellow crystral chandelier earrings. It is, especially now when we are feeling summer slip away, a perfect source of feminine warmth. But it can also be made to look pretty darn tough, like in this ring from Eddie Borgo. A new twist on the pyramid stud ring, this one is inverted and reeeeeally oversized. In rose-gold plated brass, this is another perfect example of that "good" costume jewelry and deserves to be worn (it does have a $315 pricetag, after all). Try adding one additional piece of rose gold jewelry in with it, like a sliver of a necklace or slip of a bracelet next to a chunky yellow gold or silver watch, and wear it on your index finger for maximum impact. It will add a little rocker-girl cool to any outfit, and I personally would try it with black leather leggings, a grey beaded fitted tunic, and sky-high platforms for a night out.

~ Alison

iLove

There are close to 15 million iPad users, and every single one of them knows that they need to cover those babies so they don't get scratched, cracked or generally end up looking like a mess. And pretty much every single small accessories designer out there has some sort of iPad cover on the market. Some are outrageously priced (in my opinion, $400 is simply ridiculous), some are overly recognizable (I adore anything with that fab LV on it, but some people don't want to shout about what brands they are sporting), and many of the rest are boring or sterile or too feminine for most guys to want to use in public!

So here is a gorgeous solution/compromise. Sold on the Bonobos website, the "Baxter" iPad cover from Ernest Alexander is simple, masculine (but could definitely work for any woman as well), well-made, and has some distinct little details that make it special. It also clocks in at an extraordinarily reasonable $90. In waxed canvas, it is sturdy but not sterile. It comes in a very subtle navy (for those of you who want to look well-heeled but not garner too much attention) and a wow-factor red/orange (for those of you want everyone around you to know you have a new iPad!), and has an adorable (sorry, guys, that's the best word for it...) old-fashioned mailer closure in leather. It also features an extra zipper pocket on the back for storing your charger. Oh, and the logo? It's discreetly inside. Love (or iLove, rather...).

~ Alison

Great Grey

I am fascinated by women who go to the nail salon and actually choose a new color everytime they get their nails done. I, instead, find a color I love and can really live with (on my nails and my toes - they ALWAYS match), and use it for...well, sometimes for years! First it was Essie's Wicked, after that it was OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark. Then it was Essie's Velvet Voyeur. In-between I experimented with a hunter green shade from MAC and a navy blue from Essie. But I always go back to some shade of the darkest purple/almost black. I like the edginess of it, the goes-with-anything-I-wear factor, and just don't feel right if I wear some pale, wimpy shade.

So when I spontaneously bought a bottle of NARS' new "Galion" polish at Sephora, I didn't expect to stick with it. A dark, rich shade of charcoal grey, I thought I'd for sure miss my dark purple. But after using it only once, I was seriously hooked. It's been on my nails (and my toes, of course) for about two months straight now, and I get one compliment after another on it. It is really a very true grey...not too much blue, not too much green, and I feel like while it looks good on my pretty-much-always-tan skin, it would work on the palest porcelain skin equally well (I am always telling clients that grey is one of those universally-flattering colors...you just need to find the right shade).

So while I usually like to keep some style secrets just for me, this one I felt like I needed to share. At $17 a bottle, it feels special and also keeps its shine for an entire week without extra layers of topcoat. So while most of us (especially me!) hate the overall grey-ness of the impending winter, this is one seriously great type of grey...

~ Alison

Bowled Over

As my sister was going through all of her wedding prep, I stopped in at Crate & Barrel with her to make some exchanges when she got doubles of things off her registry (oops, Crate & Barrel - need to work on that!). As she was dealing with the sales associate, my shopping ADD got the best of me and I started to wonder through the store. And I was immediately caught by a stunning centerpiece bowl that I needed RIGHT THEN. (On a side note, we had a lot of shopping to do that day and the bowl is significantly heavy. So I did not fullfill my need for instant gratification. SOB.)

In (the aformentioned) super heavy glass, this "Izmir" bowl is the perfect accent to any room in your house. I wanted to put in out in my living room where its bands of red, orange, blue, green, black and white deftly pick up every other color in my existing design scheme. The "print" in the glass looks slightly Missoni-esque, which of course makes me instantly happy. And the bright colors are the perfect antidote to those winter-is-coming-sooner-than-we-think blues. Whether you are a less-is-more decorator (in which case this would be a superstar focal piece) or a more-is-more type (in which case this would work with so many other colors & prints you already have), this piece is a special one. It doesn't at all scream "mass produced!" nor does it look like it only costs $44. Quite the opposite...it looks exotic, luxe and expensive.

I'm rethinking not having to carry it around that day. Hmmm...well, isn't that what online shopping is for?!

~ Alison