TAGGED

For six years I've been looking for a way to have something personalized in honor of my daughter and then my son. As much as I like to think of myself as more than just a mom, the truth is, being a mom is now a major part of my identity. So since I'm not getting a tatoo the next best thing I could think of was ID or dog tags. Sterling silver, engraved dog tags. Just the basics... Name, birthdate, time of birth and birthplace. I love looking down and seeing my kids' names... a gentle reminder of who I am and what I'm about. And since my daughter has already tried to confiscate her tag, I'm guessing she likes it too.

SHORT SITED

Shorts are everywhere and in every fabric. Silk, tweed, cotton, jean. Worn for day and worn for night...casual or sophisticated, your choice. But now Givenchy would like to have you wearing those shorts, or rather a shorts suit, to a business meeting on Wall Street. In Vogue this month a spokesperson said, "It shows a woman has the confidence to play with her sexuality, showing the leg but at the same time saying, 'I'm still wearing the trousers.' " See, I'm pretty sure I'd get fired from being a stylist to one of my clients who ACTUALLY WORKS ON WALL STREET if I offered up a shorts suit as a logical option for work attire. Fashion houses say they get inspiration from the street...clearly not the financial one.

SUPERSTAR

I've decided not to read any of the trash magazines anymore and here's why. Call me old fashioned but I prefer to keep celebrities on a well polished and air brushed pedestal where they belong. I like to see the beauty and the fantasy of their acting lives as well as their meticulously scripted private ones. It works and I'm willing to go along with it. I don't need to see the ugly underbelly of drugs, cheating, or bad hair days. Do you? Do any of us really feel any better seeing them fall apart or endure a painful breakup? Reality bites.

NEVER SAY NEVER

Remember when UGGS came in and you said you'd never wear them? When you were able to recognize how ridiculous they were, especially paired with anything other than sweatpants? And then slowly they started to look okay, then they were better than okay and the next thing you knew you had bought a pair and swore you'd never be able to wear anything else? Well let me introduce you to your new UGG. This awful, at home, Mama's Family slipper is now part of mainstream fashion. It's on the streets of NYC and on the sidewalks of every college. Slipper UGGS worn with jeans, sweats, silk pants and glamour jewelry are invading and I am determined to stay clear. So please, if you see me contemplating buying these poor excuses for footwear, STOP ME! 

DON'T WALK

If you walk like you have poop in your pants when you wear heels, don't wear them. Nothing ruins a great outfit, and a great pair of heels, like a girl who can't actually walk in them. I unhappily witnessed this yesterday in a high end department store. A salesgirl who looked fabulous while standing, looked like a cow tromping through a field as soon as she started walking. Lower the heel or get some walking lessons. MOOOOOO.

POSH

Yes the queen wears one and so did Princess Di. With its distinctive waxy finish and corduroy collar it's long been a favorite of the country shooting set, pony girls and British aristocracy. They're waterproof and classic and with rainy season fast approaching it's time for you to pony up and get one too. Just because it's a classic doesn't make it any less chic.
www.barbour.com

COATHANGER

This is really sad and I'm reluctant to post it but it's a thought that's been nagging at me since practically 2nd grade. In order to look ridiculously, incredibly, off the charts, uniquely, fashionably eccentrically chic.. do you just have to be anorexic skinny? I mean, I see a stick figure in something that looks crazy awesome....she has that "I'm so not trying to be cool but just can't help it" look while her normal sized counterpart would look downright tacky in it. What is it about being rail thin that makes the clothes look right? Or is it just youth? Either way, they won't last forever so better work on that crazy, eccentric, glamorous, fabulous personality of yours because that actually can be around forever.

DON'T BE LATE

Over the past week I've been reading chapters from the original Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland book to my daughter. At times I wondered how it was ever considered a children's book with all the absurdities both in language and in plot but somehow it managed to hold her attention and mine as well, if not for the story, for the imaginative and ridiculous costuming. The soldiers made of cards, the rose tree made red by paintbrush, the mad hatter (fabulous hat!), the extreme makeup and random proportions. Fashion has most definitely been influenced by its charms. You may be as well... check it out on March 5th when it hits theaters.