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NYC Happenings: New York Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2015
Only 1 more day until the biggest Fashion extravaganza takes place in New York City….Previewing looks for fall/winter 2015 kick off on Thursday, February 12th for a week. Designers will be previewing their Couture, Men’s Wear, Pre-fall, all 2015 ready-to-wear shows are just around the corner. If you cannot attend the show live Hamptons Mouthpiece will bring the live show to you to everyday.

HERE IS THE FULL FASHION WEEK CALENDAR. Check back throughout the week for new shows uploaded live and let me know which shows you are arrested in seeing.

Send Me to FW

 

My daughter and I are looking forward to seeing the Aacademy of Art, Jason Wu, Venexiana,Christian Siriano, Tracy Reese,Diane von Furstenberg,FTL Moda,Carolina Herrera,Vivienne Tam,Zac Posen….just to name a few. We will be armed with our camera equipment, and taking in as many shows as we can for the next 5 days. It will be freezing so we will have to figure out how to stay warm and be fashionable at the same time.

 

Stop back starting on Friday for our daily Fashion week diary of events and watch some live shows I will be uploading daily.

Hamptons Style: Get the Zoe Look
Zoe Saldana works a classic look by teaming her leather pants with a camel colored coat and dark blue blouse. She accessorizes her outfit with pointed pumps, a neutral clutch, and bright red lipstick. You Can GET THE LOOK without spending thousands…

Leather pants with a camel coloured coat

Hamptons Fashion: The $10,000 coat..

The coat has a swing that you cannot deny

The fabric so soft it could make you cry

Is it the best coat ever?

Paris Fashion Week

This  week I was on a shoot where the main attraction was a Giorgio Armani coat that retailed for $8895.  MmmHmm.  After tax it would be over $10,000.  There were… reactions.  Mostly surprise and disbelief with a little disgust thrown in. Who would/could pay such a price for a coat? A family of 4 could eat for a year for the price of the coat.  I was slightly panicked that just by touching it I would somehow be responsible for purchasing it.  I’m not judging–I would love to be able to afford the coat–but it did get me thinking about how we spend our time and money on our clothes.

One woman who is a particular coat devotee immediately saw the value in this coat.  According to her, a coat is the easiest thing to wear to make you look instantly put together.  I grew up in Florida and still have some trouble wrapping my mind about wearing any coat.  But she has a job where she is constantly running in and out of stores so actually wearing a coat is her life, not just a way to keep the harsh New York winter from freezing her to death.

When I am working with my clients I can spend a lot of time convincing some that a certain price is a good value for something, especially if it is a purchase outside their spending comfort zone.  This is based on a lot of things, not just whether or not they have the money for it or if it looks good on them.  I consider how many times they will be able to wear it, what pieces it will work with in their closets. I have no blanket rule on what you should spend extra money on clotheswise except that like furniture it should be the best that you can afford and you must absolutely love it.

Many times when talking with people who know I am a stylist they automatically get defensive about buying cheap clothes.  “I’m not going to pay X for just a top that I am only going to wear a few times.” Yes, you will only wear that cheap ass top a few times because it will fall apart and look like shit after only a few wears. Then you will have to buy a new one and then another—a constant (constant!) cycle of cheap disappointment.

Or they say they bought it just because it was:

On sale

Cashmere

Italian

 Buying clothes “just because” anything is a very slippery slope.  That is how you end up with a closet full of nothing to wear.   I call it The Loehmann’s Syndrome.   For those of you who don’t know, Loehmann’s was, until very recently, the place to go in NYC for designer discounts.  Some of the things were so cheap that it was as if they were paying you to take home.  As in most of the off price stores there were so many shiny labels and lush looking pieces that you became convinced that your life would be perfect if you had it.  I would shop there for shoots and clients and come out with a huge bag of designer items. Yay! We would keep maybe 1 or 2 pieces after we tried it all on. Boo! The fits or the colors would be off, the piece would be hyper trendy or just plain useless. Buying  “just because” anything is a complete waste of time and money.   If you took the time to really consider your purchases like you would anything else I guarantee you would be much happier with your wardrobe.

But Carmen, you say, I’m ready to stop wasting time and money on my clothes but how do I begin? Don’t worry!  Below are a few questions I have come up with to help.  These are all things I ask myself before I purchase anything.  Be patient—if you have a habit of buying your clothes “just because”, this process will take a little longer but eventually it only takes a few seconds.  Stick with it and you will start to see changes in your wardrobe and your wallet!

When you go shopping and there is something you want to buy “just because”

  1. Walk away from the item and find a quiet spot. The bathroom will do.
  2. Take a deep breath and imagine yourself wearing this item.
  3. When you try it on does it make me feel crazy wonderful full of joy like everything is right with the world and always will be?
  4. Which and how many of your features does it enhance?
  5. Do you have anything else like it in your closet? (Be Honest)
  6. Do you have an idea of what else it will go with in your closet?
  7. Do you love it?
  8. Is the price something you can truly afford?
  9. Will you have guilt or shame because you have purchased this item instead of proudly wearing it because you worked hard for the money to buy such an amazing thing
  10. How often will you be able to wear this in your life? Once? Seasonally? Every day? Breaking down the cost per wear can be really informative.

Remember—these are just guidelines. The point of this exercise is get you to be more mindful with how you spend your money on clothes. This also does not mean that I am above retail therapy!  I understand that sometimes our gathering instinct kicks in an we must fill our berry baskets with something amazing.  When that happens I say buy makeup! The most expensive product tops out at around $50 and you can wear it right out of the store.

Do you want to stop wasting your time and money on clothes that don’t work for you? Could you use some style guidance? Find out if we are meant to work together! Click here to contact me and schedule a free 20 minute phoner!

Hamptons Style: 3 Things Used on Every Oscars Look this Year. You can do it, too!

Our style reflects what we think about ourselves. It’s more attitude than the event of the clothes.” Sharon Stone on wearing her husbands Gap button down shirt with Vera Wang lavender skirt to the 1998 Oscars.

A big giant smoochie thank you to my boyfriend who graciously let me hog the tv during red carpet coverage when the Rangers were playing.

When I began my career as a wardrobe stylist my very first job was working with celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch. He needed and extra pair of hands to help zip Halle Berry into dresses during Oscars fittings. Yep. My first styling job-zipping up Halle Berry. For her Oscar. Awwwsooome! I still do a little jiggly dance when I think about that.

For this week’s post I have, in the name of research, viewed (gorged on) every Oscars fashion list I could find. Best Dressed of all time, most memorable, worst dressed, most influential. During my research I noticed that every look used at least 4 of the Fab7. So I thought I would share the results with you. The next time you have a special event, put these to use for your very own red carpet life!oscars 2014 red carpet

Dress with Intent: The Oscars is ultimate expression of Dressing With Intent. You can bet that every one of those nominees has been dreaming since she was little of what she is wearing when her name gets called. Her wardrobe ID is probably something like regal, old Hollywood glamour, princess.

  • For your own occasion sit quietly for a few minutes and consider how you want to feel. Without thinking too hard imagine yourself at the event and just notice what you are wearing. Write it down, sketch it or cut out a photo from a magazine. Then bring it with you when you are shopping. You’d be surprised how this really helps to find the perfect thing. For more information on this tune in to the encore of the Dress With Intent Workshop this Thursday here.

Tailor it Swiftly: Many of the Oscars gowns have been specially made for its wearer. There have been multiple fittings. Hemlines have all be perfectly tailored so that no one trips. Straps don’t fall down. Everything is nipped and tucked to perfection.

  • On a long gown do a hem just touches the floor. Make sure you wear the same shoes to your fitting that you will wear on the night.
  • Learn a few simple tailoring techniques so you can avoid wardrobe malfunctions. Here’s one below.

If you have a dress that must stay in place use double stick tape. Topstick is the only double stick tape I use. It’s toupee tape and is made to stay on the skin. Dragqueens use it so you know its good. I like to place it on the dress first and the let it fall where it is supposed to. Press firmly to keep it in place and make sure you bring extra just in case!

topstick saves the day
Keep It SimpleAlmost every Oscars look demonstrates the Fab4 Rule: 4 or less garments and 4 or less accessories. This is a good place to start with any outfit.
Academy Awards 2014: Arrivals

Good Under Where?

  • Although you can’t see it, there is copious use of good old fashioned foundation garments. Lineless panties, waist cinchers, nipple covers, sticky bras, built-in corsets, body shapers and smoothers. It all starts here.

SPANX® Thong - Oh My Posh! High-WaistedSpanx Trust Your Thinstincts Mid-Thigh, BlackSPANX® 'Boostie-Yay' Comfy Corset

This season, who did you think was best dressed? Worst dressed? We love to sit there and judge everyone on how they looked and how they should have looked. I’m guilty of it too. But the reality is that even those on the worst dressed list have probably spent a lifetime preparing for this moment. And they certainly walked out of the house feeling like this was their expression of their best self. With the Fab7 you can feel like that every day! It’s no secret these different items of shapewear can greatly change the way your body looks, as well as the way you feel in your body. For example, some different shapewear can hide baby bumps, so you best believe that you’ll be able to find something that can enhance your particular body shape.

Thank you to everyone who came out to Hampton Coffee Company in Southampton this Sunday for the pre-Oscars Dress With Intent Workshop. We had a lot of fun! Our live broadcast was not so live because I forgot to push the big red button. So, I will be doing an encore broadcast this Thursday at 5:30. Here is the link!

Click here to shop for Fab7 recommended stuff!