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  <channel>
    <title><![CDATA[Glam Media Network Blog Posts for - Designers]]></title>
    <link>http://www.glam.com/</link>
    <description><![CDATA[Current Glam Media Network Blog Entries for - Designers]]></description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:01:22 PST</pubDate>
    <generator>Glam Media Publishing Engine</generator>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Shannons Valentines Day Picks]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/accessories/shannons-valentines-day-picks.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Valentine&#8217;s Day has always been one of those days I&#8217;ve loved. While I&#8217;ve not always had a significant other on Valentine&#8217;s Day, it is nice to sit back and remember how much love I have in my life. I have a great family, amazing friends and am constantly surrounded by love. So whether you have a Valentine this year or not, try and remember how loved you are and how many people you love! 
With all of this being said, I still have a list of things I&#8217;d be more than happy to receive on Valentine&#8217;s Day. Nothing too extravagant but nonetheless lovely. 


1. Two Dozen Long Stem Red Roses: I know red roses on Valentine&#8217;s Day sound rather cliche, but that doesn&#8217;t bother me at all. I love roses. I love how they look, how they smell and how they open up each day a bit more. I tend to believe that flowers can cheer up any room and I would love to come home this Valentine&#8217;s Day to gorgeous red roses. Buy through 1800Flowers.com for $139. 
2. A homemade dinner: I wouldn&#8217;t necessarily turn down a night out on Valentine&#8217;s Day, but I absolutely love spending Valentine&#8217;s Day at home. It is so great to have your man cook you dinner or even cook dinner together. If I could choose the meal, I&#8217;d totally be up for Chicken Marsala or Lasagna this Valentine&#8217;s Day. Of course, a nice side salad and some wine would be the best way to round out the meal. 
3. Marc Jacobs Kate Lock Hobo: I&#8217;ve been thinking about this bag for quite some time now. No, it doesn&#8217;t scream Valentine&#8217;s Day, but I like that this is the kind of bag that I can carry all year long. Megs, covered this bag a little while back (click here for her review) and I&#8217;ve been drooling over it from that point forward. Sure, a little pricey for a Valentine&#8217;s Day gift, but you never know, right! Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $950. 
4. J. Crew Deco Necklace: Since the Marc Jacobs bag might be too much, I&#8217;ve also found a great necklace from J. Crew that would be fabulous. I love this necklace because it is fun and flirty yet elegant and sophisticated. It would be a great option for dressing up or dressing down an outfit. Buy through J. Crew for $128. 

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:03:54</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Buzz Worthy: Botkier Venice Hobo Ad]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/botkier/buzz-worthy-botkier-venice-hobo-ad.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
My current obsession is the hot pink Botkier Venice Hobo. Not only is it designed with supple lambskin, but it also rocks a pop of hot pink color. The Ad campaign photo is one of my favorites, simple yet striking. 
Read the entire review of the Botkier Venice Hobo at PurseBlog Savvy

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:22:55</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Stylish Gadgets for Valentine's Day]]></title>
      <link>http://coquette.blogs.com/coquette/2010/02/stylish-gadgets-for-valentines-day.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
Let's face it. Chocolates are great but who needs the extra calories? For Valentine's Day, I'm all about the techy gadgets and let's be honest, you can only have so many iPods, right? This year, at the top of my list is this HP Mini 210 in red. Starting at just $279.99 this little net book gem will fit in your handbag and keeps you connected when you are on the go!




Here are more picks for stylish gadgets for Valentine's Day:

HP DreamScreen 100 ($199.99 after rebate on HP.com)
A great way to watch all your digital photos, connect to facebook, listen to internet radio and more!


Flip Camcorder with Graffiti Love Hearts Design by David Arquette &#38; Corteney Cox ($199.99 for MinoHD)
This is just plain super cute!


Vestalife Lady Bug II Speakers ($99.95 at Apple Store)
Insert your iPod Touch or iPhone to play music. The flaps fold up into a cute ladybug!


Nikon Coolpix S620 12.2MP Digital Camera ($213 at Amazon)
I love this dusty pink color which looks much more stylish on a night out!
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:49:59</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[Coquette]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://coquette.blogs.com/coquette/</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Fab or Drab: Celestina Espasol Filigree Clutch]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/fab-or-drab/fab-or-drab-celestina-espasol-filigree-clutch.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ With the recent Fab or Drab activity, it is time we make our Fab or Drab category a more active part of PurseBlog. 
Today&#8217;s installment comes from an eclectic (and sold out) evening bag. The Celestina Espasol Filigree Clutch has every aspect of an ornate evening piece that may meet your fancy. The box shaped clutch is silver-plated and shows off cutout filigree design. The design is in the detail of this bag, so don&#8217;t just glance over it. The clutch needs a better look. 


I will freely admit that when I first spotted this clutch I found it to be gaudy. The design looked ostentatious and over-the-top. It was not until I enlarged the images that I saw the beauty in the craftsmanship of this piece. So I take back my initial reaction to this clutch, as I was not fully informed. 
Other details include a howlite clasp to fasten at the top and a wood-backed vanity mirror. I am actually rather shocked at the price being so manageable for a silver-plated box clutch. The price tag is the norm for many evening bags, but this item is dressed up even more than others we see. Ultimately, it may come down to if you have use of a clutch like this in your wardrobe. $1,325 via NAP. 
What do you think: Fab or Drab?

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:22:59</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Michael Kors Tonne Leather Hobo]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/michael-kors/michael-kors-tonne-leather-hobo.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Is it possible that we don&#8217;t give Michael Kors his due when it comes to handbags?  I think it might be.  Or perhaps the problem is that his brand doesn&#8217;t emphasize it enough &#8211; I&#8217;m not exactly sure what the issue is, but the brand hasn&#8217;t &#8220;caught&#8221; as a major power in handbags like one would expect when you consider the huge financial and marketing arm that the brand has behind it.  
I talk about Princess Michael Kors himself every week in my Project Runway recap, but it&#8217;s much more rare that we sit down and discuss one of his handbag designs in a serious way, despite the fact that His Royal Highness&#8217;s brand put out a big line of bags every season.  By the looks of the beautiful and reasonably priced Michael Kors Tonne Leather Hobo, we should do it more often.



For some reason, this had me fooled into thinking it was a Jimmy Choo bag for a moment &#8211; you know, a Jimmy Choo bag from back when their bags weren&#8217;t all covered in some combination of fringe, animal print and lightening bolts.  My momentary joy at a reasonable-looking Choo bag was dashed, however, but it was replaced by considerable happiness that the designer was actually Kors.  His handbags are almost always much less expensive, after all.
This particular hobo is even less expensive than I would have guessed.  For less than $800 retail, you get a creamy, soft hobo that&#8217;s incredibly elegant and clean-lined, while still being totally functional.  You also get some of the best bold hardware in the business (really, this is where Kors has shined for the past few seasons), ringed in real python and framing a handle that somehow manages to be both minimalist and detailed at the same time.  The finished product feels like a surprise weekend trip to Palm Beach, but it&#8217;ll serve you well in pretty much any city that I can think of.  Buy through Saks for $795.

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:00:45</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[3 ways to wear the same accessories]]></title>
      <link>http://styleobserver.com/2010/02/3-ways-to-wear-the-same-accessories/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[accessories
When you find accessories that work well together, there&#8217;s no reason not to use them again and again. It&#8217;s low maintenance, and saves us time and money. It works particularly well if you&#8217;re traveling.

Stripes
The Sonia Rykiel striped dress plays perfectly into the stripe trend that is &#8216;hot&#8217; for Spring. By pairing it with the navy &#8216;Boat Tote&#8217;, and wedge heels, the look takes on a fresh nautical feel.  

The shirt-dress is making a comeback this season. The Anya Hinmarch tote makes this look fresh, young, and fun. It&#8217;s a great outfit to wear to work in the Summer, especially if you&#8217;re rushing off for a weekend away.

I love the feminine ruffles on this shirtdress. It&#8217;s an easy look to pull off for a lunch, errands, and off to pick up the kids. The accessories, in this case, ground the outfit. It pulls the navy from the belt, and makes it work throughout. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:33:01</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[Style Observer]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.styleobserver.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Kell on Earth: Ok, thats how you make a phone call. We can practice again later.]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/on-screen/kell-on-earth-ok-thats-how-you-make-a-phone-call-we-can-practice-again-later.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve found a new way to tell the difference between the Stephanies!  It&#8217;s only the second episode of Kell on Earth and I&#8217;ve already figured it out, I&#8217;m so proud of myself.  Really, it&#8217;s very simple: there&#8217;s a smart one and a dumb one.
Looking back, this should have been more obvious to me in the first episode, but you can only learn so much about an office full of people in the first sixty minutes.  Last night&#8217;s show, though, was basically A Tale of Two Stephanies: one of them works hard and wants to get everything right and feels terrible when she screws up.  That&#8217;s the one that we like.  Then there&#8217;s the other one, the one that looks like she&#8217;s probably from California, and increasingly looks like she might be headed back there.  She can&#8217;t even delegate correctly, and when something goes wrong, all she does is complain.  Andrew, the gay/goth/glam assistant in the one-shouldered top, is not amused with her, and neither am I.  

Before we get to the Stephanies, however, we have to pick up where last week&#8217;s premiere left off: the check-in list for the Chado Ralph Rucci show.  It wouldn&#8217;t print, remember?  Well, it never did, and even if it had, it looked like the entire thing would have been a giant disaster anyway.  Part of the problem appeared to be Kelly&#8217;s fault and party of it didn&#8217;t &#8211; there was a mob of various crashers and wannabes outside trying to pretend that they had credentials and seat assignments, and then on the inside, people that actually had them chose to ignore them.
A certain amount of that probably goes on at all fashion shows, just like it does at all events with assigned seating and closed entry.  It looked like crowd control was lacking, although I don&#8217;t know if that&#8217;s a responsibility of the designer, Kelly, or someone else.  At the end of the day, though, angry people were being shuffled from seat to seat, the designer was pissed, and the people at Ralph Rucci fired our girl Kelly.  
She didn&#8217;t have any time to sulk over it, though, because she had a show to produce for Genetic Denim and her employees were busy screwing things up en masse back at the office.  Well, to be fair, it wasn&#8217;t all of her employees &#8211; it was Dumb Stephanie and the interns that she was trying to get to do her work for her.  I&#8217;m not sure where Smart Stephanie was during all of this, although we did see her go get her hair done, probably because Kelly told her to get out of the office for a couple of hours, lest her head explode.
Which was fine, since Dumb Stephanie provided all of the entertainment that this episode required.  She made the interns gather round and gave them lessons in making a phone call (the button marked XFER means &#8216;transfer,&#8217; shock of shocks), which was the last thing she taught them to do correctly for the entirety of her camera time and probably the entirety of her career.  Actually, I&#8217;m just assuming that they were taught correctly, since we didn&#8217;t directly see any of them screw up that part.  I&#8217;m giving Dumb Stephanie the benefit of the doubt.
It&#8217;s possible that that&#8217;s charitable of me, because after the phone lesson, we found out the following things: 
1. She told the interns to use the big-package stamps on the tiny show invitations because she didn&#8217;t think to look for any regular ones, or maybe because she was just too lazy.  Or maybe those two are actually the same thing.
2. She forgot to tell the interns that were supposed to be working the Genetic Denim show that they were working it, and then she lied about it when someone asked, which was easily debunked by asking the next intern that walked through the door.
3. She left a room of interns to make and distribute gift bags to very important people with no supplies other than a Sharpie and a stack of white paper sacks and apparently zero instructions.
4. Despite that she got the entire staff yelled at over the crappy VIP gifts, she sent the interns back into the room, didn&#8217;t supervise them (let alone do it herself &#8211; Smart Stephanie would have done it herself), and the exact same thing that happened in #3 happened again.
It was a task that should have been completed by two interns in the space of an hour.  Kelly ended up doing it herself because no one else understood how tissue paper worked.
Every time Dumb Stephanie screwed up, she said that yes, it was her fault, but then complained about not lack of training or sleep or whatever.  I&#8217;m not sure exactly how much training or rest she needs in order to remember to tell a few interns to show up for Fashion Week and use the appropriate stamps, but she didn&#8217;t seem to be able to handle even the simplest tasks.  Nay, she couldn&#8217;t even effectively delegate the simplest tasks.  How she managed to get a job at a serious firm is beyond me.  I felt bad for the interns in her charge.
Apparently so did Kelly, because she personally spoke to one of the intern&#8217;s mothers in what sounded like Ireland to assure her that her son had not managed to get lost somewhere in the bowels of New York City, but that it was Fashion Week, he was working hard, and that&#8217;s why she hadn&#8217;t heard from him in two days.  It was adorable, and my boss at my old internship certainly wouldn&#8217;t have lifted a finger.  In fact, I&#8217;m not sure that he was aware that I even had a mother.  He seemed to think that I had sprung fully formed from some kind of vortex under his desk.  Alas, that&#8217;s another story for another day.
Anyway, despite Dumb Stephanie&#8217;s best attempts to ruin everything and burn down the building, the Genetic Denim show seemed to go off nicely.  Well, except for the model that collapsed.  I should mention that.  Since this wasn&#8217;t a traditional show but rather a &#8220;presentation,&#8221; the models had to stand perfectly still for hours on end while people milled around and drank free champagne.  One of the male models locked his knees for too long or something and keeled over, taking part of the Swarovski-studded set with him.  It all got fixed in a matter of minutes, however, and they sent him back out to wear his jeans.  Not even Dumb Stephanie could keep him away.
In the end, the majority of the potential disasters were averted, and that&#8217;s probably the best that you can hope for in any high-pressure office.  All of the teaser footage that we&#8217;re seeing about someone eventually getting fired is probably about Dumb Stephanie, but I hope we get to see her flounder around and pout over her own lack of ability for a few more weeks before she&#8217;s removed.  Although if she stays around for too long, Smart Stephanie may pass out as hard as that poor male model.

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:35</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Judith Leiber Damask Curved Clutch]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/evening-bags/judith-leiber-damask-curved-clutch.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[When you were young, do you remember dreaming about all sorts of grandiose events you would attend when you were a &#8220;grown up&#8221;? I know I did. It wasn&#8217;t about money, it wasn&#8217;t about what it stood for, it was, well, about being a grown up. Now that I am a grown up, I&#8217;m still not attending the kind of events I used to dream about. I&#8217;m not complaining but I just am not there yet. 
I remember being young and watching my mom get ready before she went out to a huge event with my dad. I remember her slipping on a gorgeous evening gown, fastening her necklace and any other jewelery. But more than anything else, I remember her grabbing a gorgeous evening bag and packing just the essentials into that bag. I thought about that night for myself for a while. Now I am a grown up and I think of carrying a Judith Leiber bag to one of those events. 


Yes, with age, comes wisdom. And for me, that includes wisdom in the handbag realm. No matter what, I still spend time looking at and drooling over amazing evening bags. While I&#8217;ve seen it before, something jumped out at me about the Judith Leiber Damask Curved Clutch. 
Anything Judith Leiber means sparkles, jewels, bling and glamor. This clutch has all of that and exquisite class. This clutch is fully beaded with dark indio and clear Austrian crystals. The pattern of the crystals is elegant yet not too dated. In fact, if you had the money to drop, it wouldn&#8217;t matter your age, because you could completely pull it off. Everything comes together with silvertone hardware and a push-button closure. This is the kind of evening bag that I&#8217;ve longed to carry and with the proper bit of saving, I might be able to make it mine. Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $3795. 

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:00:30</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[TheFind Guest Post: Gilty Pleasures - Black and Gold for Spring]]></title>
      <link>http://cherylshops.blogspot.com/2010/02/thefind-guest-post-gilty-pleasures.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Take a modern approach to basic black dressing this spring. Since black is such a dominant color this Spring, pair it with accents of gold for a dramatic effect.Why not pair your favorite black jeggings, like these JBrand jeggings in black ($39 at Singer22) with an a standout leather jacket? To wear over your basic black tee, this standout Temperley London Ava studded leather jacket ($2,150 at]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:08:25</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[Cheryl Shops]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://cherylshops.blogspot.com/</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Yours Truly as Galmours Blogging Babe]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/press/yours-truly-as-galmours-blogging-babe.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ In December Glamour chose me as one of their Blogging Babes. I was thrilled to be chosen and kept in such great company on Glamour&#8217;s website. Other Blogging Babes featured include Natalie from Fashionista, Julia from All about the Pretty, Leslie from Racked, and Wendy from Nitro:licious. 
Glamour has been a longtime favorite fashion magazine of mine so this was a great honor. You can read my interview with Glamour on their website, in which they ask me some questions to find out more about me and what PurseBlog is about. This was such a fun piece to be part of, thank you to Glamour for including me! 
Read the full interview here.

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:34:49</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Michael Kors Skorpios Pleated Crescent Hobo]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/michael-kors/michael-kors-skorpios-pleated-crescent-hobo.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As I mentioned last week, finally, oh finally, the retail stores are stocking their shelves with all sorts of amazing new handbags. My must-have bag of the day has to be the Michael Kors Skorpios Pleated Crescent Hobo. I&#8217;d like to even say that it could be my bag pick of the week, but seeing as though it is Monday, I don&#8217;t want to jump the gun yet. 
All I do know is that this bag is a staple, a must-have, a classic. 


For being a girl who loves simple, understated elegance it might seem a little odd that I only own one black handbag. To me, black handbags are like little black dresses, you might have one you use more than another, but you can never have enough. 
I&#8217;ve been in the market for a new black bag for quite some time now and I&#8217;ve already put this bag on my list. It was the pleated body that initially caught my attention. But, it was the single braided shoulder strap and goldtone hardware that locked me in. The dimensions are pretty nice too: 16&#8243;W X 11&#8243;H X 3&#8221;D and 11&#8243; drop. Of course, there is plenty of room, but at the same time, the bag isn&#8217;t overwhelming. In fact, even if you are a petite woman, this bag won&#8217;t overwhelm you. Buy through Saks for $795. 

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:14:29</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Project Runway: This is more of a cooter gown than a couture gown.]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/on-screen/project-runway-this-is-more-of-a-cooter-gown-than-a-couture-gown.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Through the miracles of modern medicine and heavy-duty antibiotics, I have thrown off the chains of the worst bout of strep throat known to mankind (or at least to Amandakind) to come and recap the latest episode of Project Runway (sorry, Real Housewives fans &#8211; I was face-down in a bottle of Nyquil while I was supposed to be recapping that, but it, will be back next week, swears).
This week was another mash-up of classic ProjRun challenge archetypes, this time with &#8220;real women as models&#8221; on a collision course toward &#8220;unacceptable and inappropriate product placement.&#8221;  We&#8217;ve seen challenges in the past where a designer made a &#8220;real woman model&#8221; cry and where the designers had to incorporate a paid sponsor via car-part dresses, so the bar has been set high for a challenge of either type, let alone one that combined elements of both.  Did it live up to the car-crash possibilities?  Eh, not quite, but there were a few fantastically ugly dresses.

I feel as though now is the appropriate time to revisit the First Universal Rule of Project Runway: Never listen to your model.  I introduced this rule back when the models referenced were professional clothes-wearers, but it&#8217;s also true when the designers are tasked with creating a look for a &#8220;regular&#8221; woman, as they were in this episode.  It never helps anyone, and it certainly didn&#8217;t in this episode.
To say that that was the only thing that didn&#8217;t help these designers would be&#8230;an understatement.  The challenge was sponsored by Campbell&#8217;s, who brought in a bunch of women who had been touched by heart disease so that the designers could make red dresses for them to wear to a Fashion Week gala in their honor.  Except, catch #1, only one of these women apparently got to go.  And also, catch #2, Campbell&#8217;s branding had to be included in the dress.
Not only is it super grinchy to keep hopeful women that have been afflicted by health problems out of their party because they were randomly assigned to a crappy designer, but why in the world is Campbell&#8217;s, purveyor of soups filled with enough salt to choke a horse and gross globules of chicken fat, associated with a charity that promotes heart health?  Most of their products are like heart-disease kryptonite.  On top of all of that, why force the designers, who mostly seemed to like their clients and want to make them feel good, to include Campbell&#8217;s branding in a dress that one of these nice ladies was actually going to have to wear to a fancy Fashion Week party, at which she was already likely to feel like a bit of an outsider without a soup can on her dress?
The stupidity of it all made me seriously rage-y, and the Campbell&#8217;s cross-promotion made the warm and fuzzy potentially of a charity challenge basically null and void.  If anyone out there knows the greedy people that run this show, can one of you tell them to take their hands out of the cookie jar for, you know, at least one or two episodes?  It&#8217;s become a tad mind-numbing.  I don&#8217;t want a soup dress.  Ladies that have had heart problems don&#8217;t want soup dresses.  No one wants an effing soup dress.
I wouldn&#8217;t have wanted some of these dresses even if they hadn&#8217;t been soup-based, however.  Even some of those made by the designers in the top three, which were Maya, Mila and Amy.  It was a good week for people with Serious Fashion Hair &#8211; we also got a clip of Mila and Maya flat ironing their black bobs together, and I wanted to plop down next to them with my GHD and do mine, too.  They probably would have made me get up, however, because I hated Maya&#8217;s dress.  HATED.  IT.
It looked like someone had taken a giant glob of poop and just smeared it right across the dress.   The ruching and draping were wonky, the heart-shaped sash was the color of excrement and looked completely tacked-on, and it wasn&#8217;t flattering on her model, who should have been relatively easy since she wasn&#8217;t particularly large.  If I could confiscate her hair until she made something better, I would do it.  For some reason, though, Princess Michael Kors just let the poop comparison float right by him without saying a word, which makes me think he might have been distracted by a lonely bottle of spray-tan, glinting in the stage lights somewhere off camera.
I also didn&#8217;t adore Mila&#8217;s, but it had some construction elements that actually worked in its favor.  She chose to sew two giant stars into her dress for reasons that aren&#8217;t entirely clear (since they aren&#8217;t a part of the Campbell&#8217;s logo, as she suggested), and the overall affect was as if her model had Scarlett O&#8217;Hara&#8217;d the flag of&#8230;a country whose flag is red and white with large stars.  The stars placed at the hip, however, was actually quite slimming, which is why I&#8217;ll let the giant one that tried to eat the rest of the dress slide.
The conclusion here is obvious: Amy won, and she won by being the only person out of our dozen designers who made a dress that I would even consider leaving the house in.  It wasn&#8217;t super special, but it was pretty and flowy and comfortable-looking enough that, in my estimation, I could wear it to a gala and hit both the buffet and the open bar heavily.  Not that I&#8217;m recommending that sort of behavior for a woman with heart problems, of course.  I merely have problematic tonsils, and my pre-op instructions say nothing about any of that.
Now we have to talk about the bottom three, but really, the line between the bottom three and everyone else was so slim that it seemed hardly fair to only single out these poor souls.  But singling out is what reality TV (and life, honestly) is all about, so it was Anna, Jesse, and Jesus.  Jesse made a mostly unflattering little dress with an entirely unflattering little white coat on top, but his dress did manage to flatter his model&#8217;s ample bosom.  As we all know, an ample and flattered bosom turns Heidi into a drooling but well-intentioned boob zombie, so he got to stay.
And then there was Anna.  Poor, sweet, well-intentioned Anna.  She had an awkwardly shaped model, I wouldn&#8217;t deny that fact, but she made a dress that made her look just about as awkwardly shaped as humanly possible.  It was not pretty, and I mean that in the most literal, non-figure-of-speech-y way possible.  Beyond that, I&#8217;m mostly at a loss for words as to what to say about this dress.  We all know how odd that is for me.
The only thing that saved Anna and her poor model was Jesus&#8217;s even poorer taste level.  He made a date-night dress that would have been most appropriate on an aging, slightly meth-y stripper, and not in an ironic way.  I thought Nina was going to rip one of the rhinestone straps (oh yes, he went there) straight off of it and use it to choke the last drops of life out of him right there, in front of all of the other designers, just to make an example of him.  Compared to that, his actual fate seems pretty easy.  And well-deserved, at that.  
Remember the First Universal Law of Project Runway, which I mentioned at the beginning of this recap?  Well, his dress is where it really came in to play in this episode.  His model did, indeed, ask for something tacky and ridiculous, and Jesus didn&#8217;t have the taste level to realize that not only was that a bad idea, but that putting the rhinestone chain straps on it actually made it worse.  If he couldn&#8217;t figure that out, then it was better that he left sooner rather than later.  

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:00:18</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Burberry Heart Print Bags]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/burberry/burberry-heart-print-bags.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ This week we will be bringing you a variety of bags that make perfect Valentine&#8217;s Day presents. And just in time for this Hallmark Holiday, Burberry has been releasing a line of heart print bags. 
The line of bags ranges from totes to small shoulder bags. There is still the quintessential nova check pattern that can be seen on each item. The hearts then take over the foreground of each item, which gives us a splash of love.


The only item from the line that I would consider is the Burberry Confetti Hearts Tote, which is the most mature looking bag of the bunch. The rest of the lot is better suited for a younger crowd. And while a younger crowd may like the line, there is always Valentine&#8217;s Day this week, at which time this bag would seem fitting. Shop Burberry at Bloomingdales. 
What do you think of the hearts line from Burberry?

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:37:07</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[loungewear  thinking outside the box]]></title>
      <link>http://styleobserver.com/2010/02/loungewear-thinking-outside-the-box/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
at home
At the end of the day, there&#8217;s nothing I want to do more than change into something comfortable. Clothes for work, and daily life can be so binding, so restricive. Designers like Stella McCartney, have given us comfortable &#8216;cool&#8217; clothing that you can actually leave the house in. 
thank you
Stella McCartney, Lounge Lover, Bassike, Adidas.
These designers and brands have taken our favorite fabrics, and created chic clothing. They saw beyond the velour sweatsuit, and saw the need for comfort in an elegant way.

 the nature of the pieces
They are meant to look relaxed, not sloppy. The key is, you actually won&#8217;t have to try too hard. The pieces all work together. So, you can layer, mix, and match. You don&#8217;t have to sacrifice style, to feel at ease in your clothing anymore. Now, when the doorbell rings, in the evening, you don&#8217;t have to be embarrassed to be in your ratty old sweats. Even better than that, you can run around doing errands without hoping nobody sees you.  
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:04:06</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[Style Observer]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.styleobserver.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Valentino Premier Bow Hobo]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/hobos/valentino-premier-bow-hobo.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[So this week (and in particular, this weekend) are all about red, right?  Well, according to the people that have a vested interest in selling you (or, perhaps more accurately, your significant other) lots and lots of Valentine&#8217;s Day swag, anyway.  We&#8217;ll have more on V-Day throughout the week, but for a moment, I&#8217;d like to celebrate something that&#8217;s red that has blissfully little to do with anything other than good taste: the Valentino Premier Bow Hobo.
Everyone that reads this blog has probably picked up on the fact that I have a strong personal bias both the color red and almost anything made by the fine folks at Valentino, so of course I can&#8217;t help but fall for this bag.  


For those that don&#8217;t follow fashion closely, red is a Valentino tradition (which is putting it very, very lightly).  Under the creative genius of the company&#8217;s namesake, the color became a metaphor for the brand&#8217;s vision and an omnipresent staple in the brand&#8217;s clothes, accessories and especially their evening wear.
So it shouldn&#8217;t surprise us that, despite the retirement of the brand&#8217;s founder, Valentino is still one of the few designers that manages to do a red handbag and do it right.  That&#8217;s because the company will accept nothing less than the perfect shade of red for any of its products, and that&#8217;s exactly what they managed to get out of this leather.
I&#8217;ve already explained my love for this bag&#8217;s design back when the shape first came out, so I won&#8217;t rehash those feelings, which are very much still intact.  I will say, however, that the bag&#8217;s deliberative pleating is much more handsomely displayed in Valentino&#8217;s traditional red.  It doesn&#8217;t even need to be Valentine&#8217;s day to appreciate that &#8211; or should I say Valentino&#8217;s Day?  Buy through Saks for $1895.

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:13</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[gift ideas for valentine's day]]></title>
      <link>http://nyspender.blogspot.com/2010/02/gift-ideas-for-valentines-day.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Valentine's Day is around the corner once again, but for the first time in my life, this "holiday" is not getting to me! Yay!  ;)What I mean by that is that in the past there was so much pressure built up around this day becausea) I was single and it sucked, orb) I had just started dating someone new and I wasn't even sure if we were supposed to exchange presents, orc) I always had "high expectations" while the better half always thought that V-Day was a big scam invented by florists.This year is different, for some reason.I think it has to do with becoming a mom and my attention and focus shifting from "me" to "my baby".So this year I even told him that I didn't want anything, maybe to just go out to a restaurant, to make it more of an experience memory instead of a materialistic memory, I mean how many "heart" necklaces you need to have before you say enough?But even if I am skipping on V-Day (this year, at least) I still have a few ideas for those of you that aren't:American Express introduces two new gift card designs which serve as ideal tokens of affection.The new American Express Valentines Day Gift Cards are available in denominations of $25, $50, $100, and $200 and are available for purchase at www.americanexpress.com/gift.  (Use promo code BAL534 to take advantage of free standard shipping now through February 14th.)You know I love Tory...This year, Tory Burch collaborated with renowned artist Leanne Shapton to create an exclusive collection of items for Valentines Day. They include cosmetic cases, totes and pajama sets.I like the pajamas on the right, available at ToryBurch.comAlphabet Photography was the first company to create personalized artwork from a multitude of iconographic images that make up a diverse assortment of every letter in the English alphabet.(Can you read what it says on the picture?)Any name, meaningful word or phrase can be spelled out and elegantly framed. Save $10 off with Valentines Day promo code "LOVE2010". Visit alphabetphotography.com to find out more.Texting with Benefits!Go to Giiv.com and choose from a variety gifts that will be delivered instantaneously via text message.Using this just launched service, the sender simply selects a gift  a bottle of wine, bouquet of flowers or a 60-minute massage, for example - and enters in the recipient's cell phone number with a personal message. The recipient then instantly receives a text message with a gift code to redeem in store or online. No paper, no plastic, no shipping, no waiting.Mrs. Field's Chocolate Drenched Berries and Cookies!Mrs. Field's Traditional Bundle!Anything from Mrs. Field's looks and tastes delicious!!!From under $25 up to $80 you will find something for every palate. Yum!]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:21:00</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[NY Spender]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.nyspender.blogspot.com/</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Super Bowl XLIV]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/debates/super-bowl-xliv.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
In just one short hour Super Bowl XLIV will officially commence. While NFL football is not my favorite past time, it is hard to disregard the enormity of the game. For Vlad and I, the weeks and months leading up to the Super Bowl has been following us around. This year&#8217;s game is being held at the Miami Dolphins Stadium, a mere 25 minute drive from our house. With Fort Lauderdale as the official host, we have been able to see the excitement over the Super Bowl just minutes from our house. 
One of our favorite displays is the large XLIV sign in the heart of Fort Lauderdale beach right off of the famous A1A strip (photograph by Vlad pictured above). 
Tonight the New Orleans Saints are taking on the Indianapolis Colts in a game that is sure to have a great match up along with hilarious commercials. We have already asked you all if you coordinate your bag to your team colors when it comes to college football, what about NFL football? 
What colors are your outfit consisting of and who are you rooting for tonight?

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:59:04</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[YOOX Valentines Day Shoes]]></title>
      <link>http://www.shoeblog.com/blog/yoox-valentines-day-shoes/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[I know, I know. Most of the men-folk who would actually benefit from a not-so-subtle guide to Valentine&#8217;s Day gifts for their shoe-loving sweeties are likely preoccupied by today&#8217;s big game. And yes, I know many women will be watching, too (the Superbowl, for those truly unaware few out there today).
But, I am making the effort nonetheless. Call it a public service. If the half-time ads are particularly unimpressive, at least you&#8217;ll have today&#8217;s online shoe-break covered. And, if you can get your sweetie to take a peek and perhaps start thinking shoes rather than roses and chocolate, I call that situation a shoe-diva win.
Luckily, the staff over at YOOX have gone out of their way to find every red, pink, purple, or heart-themed shoe currently offered at the site.











The majority of these, whether the subtle, heart-shaped peep-toe, or the not-so-subtle heart appliques, come to us from the creative mind of Marc Jacobs. However, please notice that both Gucci &amp; Prada have at least one entry into this whole &#8216;Heart and Sole&#8217; fantasy.
Is a statement shoe announcing &#8220;Happy Valentine&#8217;s Day&#8221; to the world with every flashy step the shoe for you?



    
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:50:54</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[Shoe Blog]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.shoeblog.com/index.php</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Weekend Obsession: Adriana Castro Nina Clutch]]></title>
      <link>http://www.purseblog.com/celebrities/weekend-obsession-adriana-castro-nina-clutch.html</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ 
Every celebrity, athlete, and sports fan has taken over South Florida for the New Orleans Saints taking on the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. While some are here to go to the game, many are just soaking up the Florida sun and partaking in one of thousands of events be held around South Florida. This truly is the place to be right now! 
Kim Kardashian has already shown us her love of Adriana Castro bags, when she carried her Modish Clutch. Last night Kim got dolled up and headed to Prime 112 to dine while debuting an Adriana Castro bag that had not been seen before, the Nina Clutch. The clutch is an oversized envelope style that worked perfectly with Kim&#8217;s bright bold printed dress. Not only are we loving this clutch, we are loving Kim&#8217;s entire look. Because this is the first we see of the Adriana Castro Nina Clutch and we love Kim Kardashian&#8217;s look so much, this is our weekend obsession!


The Nina Clutch will be available in crocodile for $1,495, lizard for $1,160, and python for $945. This is just one more bag and celeb to add to the list of Celebs who love carrying Adriana Castro bags. Email info@adrianacastroonline.com to secure your Nina clutch from the Fall 2010 collection.
Even better is that Adriana Castro has set up a special code for all PurseBlog readers for Spring 2010 bags! Right now you can order Spring bags and receive 30% off. Email: info@adrianacastroonline.com and check Adriana Castro online.
CODE: ACPURSEBLOGSPRING for 30% off (Note: this clutch is not included as it is fall)

 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:23:13</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[My Couture]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.mycouture.com</gf:blogUrl>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Sundance Style: The Catalog]]></title>
      <link>http://www.shoeblog.com/blog/sundance-style-the-catalog/</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ Now that the 2010 Sundance Film Festival has ended and Im back home, everyone asks me if I saw Robert Redford. I did indeed! Each year he surprises me with his style. Last year, he wore a beret to the opening day press conference and this year he wore a western-inspired ensemble. And that hair! Oh my!
At some point during the festival, I picked up a Sundance catalog. The outfit on the front cover (peasant blouse, cardigan, and skinny jeans tucked into low boots) intrigued me, and the catalog is actually rather awesome! In addition to clothes, jewelry, and furniture, Sundance sells some great shoes!
Here are some of my favorites courtesy of Mr. Redford:


These are the boots that I loved on the cover of the catalog. Shay boot for $148.


Im always looking for new ballet flats and I love how fun the big bow is on this pair. Bella Ballerina flats for $128.

I am dreaming of a summer spent on the beach and am loving gold sandals right now! I think Im going to buy these shoes! Cassandra sandals for $128.

These suede sandals are so cute and high! Angelique sandals for $98.
Authentic Shops: 
Designer Shoes at Zappos.com

Vivre.com

    
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:28:37</pubDate>
      <gf:blogName><![CDATA[Shoe Blog]]></gf:blogName>
      <gf:blogUrl>http://www.shoeblog.com/index.php</gf:blogUrl>
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