Shut up!

My fav Anne Hathaway not only had a great movie released last week, but she’s also now up for an industry top job: hosting the Oscars (with hunk James Franco). This is less fashion-related than it is rocking my world, but since she has become somewhat of a style icon and gets featured on The Rachel Zoe Project as a client I think this post is justified.

She’s hosted SNL twice in the last three seasons (the Mary Poppins skit is still one of my favorites!) and remains, in my book, one of the most stunning faces in Hollywood with great style and pipes to boot. She elegantly moved from Disney Princess to topless screen siren (in two films mind you, and come to think of it, both with Mr. Gyllenhaal) without getting much – if any – flack. She’s comedic, dramatic and chick flick gold, and it’s my personal belief that if she had a few more Parkinson’s disease scenes in Love and Other Drugs, she would be up for an Oscar nom. I think she’s totally deserving of this host-ship. It’s about time there was some youth in the prime hosting gigs. I really hope the rumors are true!

When I move to NY…

My fingers will more than likely freeze unless I have some gloves. My mom thinks I should invest in a pair of glittens so I can text in the cold weather (she’s so considerate, and knows me too well…). So we picked up a pair today at Target, but these are cuter and require less work to wear. And they’re cuter. Like, way cuter. And from Anthropologie (seriously, where’s the bad?!) for $38. Is someone in your life moving to a colder climate or already living in one? Consider this as a thoughtful and fashionable option. Or if you need a fab Secret Santa gift idea, this will more than suffice.

Me as Holly Golightly

I promise, this will be my last gift idea post inspired by fredflare.com. If you know me well, you know I went as Holly Golightly for Halloween this year (photo at the bottom of this post, I apologize that this photo does not adequately capture my costume, I really went all out). If you know me well, you also know that I must wear a sleep mask to bed. It’s sort of a long story how that began, but the point is, this particular sleep mask is freakin’ adorable and $14 – by now you know I’m going to say it’s a perfect stocking stuffer idea, so chime in if you like.

Here’s the sleep mask circa 1961.

Here’s me this Halloween, as promised (I so wish I had a better picture to show off my costume, I did Audrey proud!).

Gadgets for xmas

I can’t get enough of fredflare.com. Honestly this is practical and cute. I can’t count to you the number of times a day I wish my laptop had more USB outlets (I swear, two is not enough!). Wish granted. For $22 this also makes a fantastic stocking stuffer idea *wink, wink* for anyone in your life who, like me, suffers this same conundrum frequently.

I really wonder if my loved ones read this blog. If not, this time of year is an excellent time to start since I can be a hard person to shop for…

For the stocking

To any of my friends or cousins who still don’t know what to get me: look no further! At only $12 this fashion origami set is way too presh! Thanks, Glamour.com for hooking me up with this website. Expect several other gift ideas to come from fredflare.com because I can’t get enough of the little trinkets on the site. But really, I’m not kidding about this one. With 120 sheets of origami paper and a 20-page instruction book (I have no clue how many origamis that makes), oh my gosh, I can’t stand how cute it is! Seriously, if this isn’t a cute and cheap stocking stuffer, I don’t know what is. Move over, Starbucks card.

‘Tis the season

Here’s another brilliant gift idea! For $48 at Nordstrom a special someone in your life could unwrap this gorge Marc Jacobs* laptop sleeve. If I were an iPad user, I would have posted about the iPad sleeve, but since I don’t have one, I’m putting this gem on my list. I’d like it in the ‘true turqoise’ color, even though it also comes in black, hot pink, marigold yellow and purple dream – all great options. They are a treat for the eyes and, well I could use a laptop sleeve like that. I don’t have one.

*It wasn’t until the end of this post that I realized my sole other gift idea post (thus far) is also a Marc Jacobs product.

It’s that time of year again…

Just like last year with the Michael Kors Very Hollywood solid perfume ring, this year’s of-the-moment solid perfume ring is by Marc Jacobs! The Marc Jacobs Daisy solid perfume ring is a few bucks more than Michael Kors (inflation, huh?) at $43. Snatch them up at a Sephora near you.

I’m not crazy! / Royal Wedding

With the announcement of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s engagement, I feel like I can do a wedding-related post without feeling guilty for not even having a boyfriend (at the moment… if any fellas out there want to change that, be my guest).

First a rant: Is it just me or does everyone seem to be getting engaged and/or married this year? Seriously, my friends need to cut it out because I’m soon to be the only single lady left. But because everyone in my life seems to be, well, otherwise engaged, I’ve taken to looking at wedding dresses and other things in my free time. It all started when Dona showed me the iPhone app for The Knot, and it’s just been a downward spiral since then.

So now with the William/Kate post.

First off, let me say that William picking a commoner should give the rest of us hope for a shot with Harry (kidding, but kind of not, he’s the cuter one anyway!).

Secondly, let’s admire Kate’s ring for a moment. William proposed with Diana’s sapphire ring.

How about a little closer look?

So now that we’ve decided that she has the prettiest ring in the world, I’d like to point out that I’ve been talking about a sapphire engagement ring for years now. Diamonds are boring and sapphires match my personality and style much better. While Diana/Kate’s ring is stunning, it reminds me a little too much of the traditional Baylor women’s class ring, so I would like to inform my future husband (wherever you may be): I would like an art deco style sapphire engagement ring with filigree scrolling. Unfortunately I can’t find a picture that adequately depicts what I’m dreaming up.

In all seriousness though, I honestly think that with a whole new generation experiencing royal wedding mayhem (my mom was only a few years older than me when Princess Di and Charles got hitched), and with all of the celebrities getting engaged with non-diamond engagement rings, I think that market will soar. If it does, you heard that projection here first – remember that!

Thirdly, with the multitude of articles spewing out of every entertainment and news source regarding the engagement and impending royal nuptials, many magazines (especially the fashionable ones) are speculating about the designer of Kate’s bridal gown. Elle magazine suggested that she might go with a British designer – if so I’d love to see something done by Vivienne Westwood (remember Carrie’s VW bridal gown in SATC??? gorg!) or Matthew Williamson. If she goes American, of course my choice for her would be Oscar de la Renta, but he’s also who I would have design my bridal gown if I was high profile enough. In all honesty it will probably be something commissioned for the event, complete with a chapel train that goes on for a mile… But it’s fun to look at pictures 🙂

Boots, boots and more boots!

With my impending move to NYC in January (I probably haven’t mentioned it much on here, but if you’re a constant presence in my life I’ve probably talked your ear off about it…), I’ve begin to realize where my wardrobe has glaring holes: sweaters, leggings and boots. And not just any boots will work. My dad thought that my time-trusted wellies would be sufficient, but I doubt that in the cold New York winter those will keep my toes toasty. No, I need something rain and snow resistant, that will keep my feet warm, and more importantly, CUTE! I’ve been scouring the web on a weekly basis and these are the pairs I’m most interested in. Some pairs are completely wish-list items, others are far more practical. All are cute.

Nordstrom, $119.95
(These are new since the last time I prowled, approximately 48 hours ago)

Nordstrom, $154.95
(Both this and the last pair allow for the top to be rolled up or down, I like having that option)

The North Face, $164.95
(The North Face makes some of the cutest moccasin style boots, but I don’t know if they’re quite me…)

Bloomingdale’s, $159
(The downside to any shoe from Bloomingdale’s is the lack of a Texas location, I really want to try the pair on before I officially tell my parents which pair I want for xmas)
Anthropologie, $298
(One of my profs put this pair on my radar. If only my budget could be this high!)

While when I began my trek to find the perfect winter boot I didn’t have a clear idea in mind of what I wanted, it seems very clear that I want something with fur or shearling on top, perhaps with the option to roll it up and hide it. In a perfect world those Anthropologie boots would be mine. If only I could find an investor. Le sigh.

H&M + Lanvin

This article from Thursday’s Styles section in the NYT brought even more buzz about the very hush-hush Lanvin for H&M line, which launches later this month. The article’s gallery only had three images with it, but that was more than enough to get my mind railing about when else the collection will have to offer. It also makes me yearn for opening day at Northpark for Dallas’ (and Texas’) first H&M. Long overdue, but if you read my blog alot, or stumbled upon that WSJ article, you already know that. Maybe I should ask for an H&M gift card for Christmas? Hm…