From the Splendicity Community, comes this week's best in Beauty, Fashion and Shopping. Check out the very splendid best!

SHOPPING

With the economy in bad shape, NY Spender is looking for new ways to save, from coupons clipping to smaller perfume bottles.

Shopalicious shares the scoop on surfer-cool Toms Shoes latest release: the ultra stylin' wrap boot!

Style...a work in progress finds some haute couture inspiration in the high street when she tells us that Coco joins the Crew.

ShopDiary reviews Bond No. 9 New York's latest fragrance, Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue.

Shoe Blitz adores the purple and black L.A.M.B. Miyagi.

Glamour Gift Guide suggests the gorgeous Marc Jacobs Ostrich Stam Satchel.

BEAUTY

Krizia from Beauty Match boldly states: Why I will NEVER gain weight

Viva Woman shares with you the beauty benefits of drinking milk.

Beauty Secrets Revealed shares a Hot Oil Hair Treatment Recipe For Dry, Damaged & Frizzy Hair

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at a number of powder sunscreens, so now you can reapply sunscreen without ruining your makeup!

Beauty Blogging Junkie has partnered with Three Custom Color to provide 25 readers with TCC's new Watercolours for Cheeks in Wallflower, a dewy beige. Click here for more info on how to enter.

FASHION

Petite Fashionista knows that you have to feel your best, to look your best! Join Christa and the readers of PF as they do a 5 day RESET to have more energy and fit into their "skinny" jeans!

Her Accessories is looking at the horsey side of things with her top picks for equestrian-themed accessories.

Just A Formality loves these silk sandals from Oscar de la Renta - perfect for a formal event.

The Space Between My Peers is blogging her own comeback! Check out the before pictures and offer your suggestions.

Let me start off by saying that I have an unhealthy fetish with trying to keep my feet dry on a rainy day. The classic wellington boot sends me into raptures of delight...a rubber shoe can make my day...and even a pair of galoshes, with their "I'm rocking the little old lady going to get her groceries" vibe can give me a thrill.

I have, however, stumbled across a variation on this theme which leaves me cold...namely Shuella, aka "your shoe umbrella"...a galosh variation designed to be worn over heels.

These confuse me on so many levels...predominantly, I have to say, from an aesthetic standpoint but, also, from a utilitarian one. I admit I have no sense of balance but, to me, walking in heels is hard enough, walking in heels wrapped in a rubber bag seems like sheer (possibly suicidal) folly.

I love a multi-tasker...if only because it makes me feel marginally more fiscally responsible when I buy it...cue interior monologue, "double the options, double the outfits". Truth be told, most m-t's are usually so vastly superior in one of their incarnations that the other rarely sees the light of day...which is why Junya Watanabe's bubble skirt is such an anomaly...equally cute in both its long and short variations...which is a far cry from Y's by Yohji Yamamoto's variation on the theme (or is that eLuxury's styling?)

Probably because I am not a heels girl...except in a day-dreamy way when I try and ignore the fact that I was born without a sense of balance...I've never really drooled over the idea of owning a pair of Jimmy Choo's...the name conjuring up (in my mind at least) visions of vertiginous limo shoes, the occasional trophy wife, and little else. Then I happened upon these ballerinas...punk-y studs..."sensible", i.e. comfortable, rubber soles...thoroughly un-Choo like...and completely adorable. Let the drooling begin!

As someone who can, on occasion, be quite catty I was somewhat amused by The Catorialist...a blog which gently mocks/pays homage to (depending upon your viewpoint)...The Sartorialist. As you probably guessed, the streetstyle in this instance is feline...the wit, completely human...the end result, strangely addictive.

When I read the blurb associated with the following product I couldn't help but wonder "is it me or...?". At first view the limited edition (yes, those two magical words...they seem to be obligatory if you want to sell something expensive during a recession)...travel kit that Derek Lam designed for Kiehl's is a discreetly elegant, though essentially unusable if you fly, bag filled with "travel size grooming essentials" (i.e. samples) of some popular Kiehl's products BUT (and it's a big old but) the second glance shows that it costs $225. As Kiehl's is overly generous with samples on an everyday basis that means you have to rationalize the full cost as the bag only and (unless it really is me) it's just not worth it. What do you think?

Despite all the things that irritate me about J Crew (like their horrifically over-priced Collection items...yes, I'm thinking of you $3,500 leopard-beaded dress) I have to admit that there are a lot of things they do right...like their whimsical jewelry...and their items which, unlike the aforementioned beaded dress, look a lot more expensive than they actually are.

Like...the "oh my gosh, is that Chanel?" jackets which are currently on their website...the Astrid...with either Liberty print ruffles or cotton berries...and the structured cashmere Butterfield jacket. Perfect for when you want to be ladylike...in a saturated color, cartoon girl, kind of way.

As many of you know by now, despite a few disastrous forays into make-up land...where an urge for smokey eyes suddenly become a question of "who hit you?"...I tend towards the minimal when it comes to face paint. Not that there aren't a lot of looks that I love...I just don't love them on me.

Take red lips...sensuous, sexy, very "I am woman, hear me roar"...yet too bright a red against my pale skin and I look deranged. I won't even go into the whole re-application thing...surely it's enough that I remembered to put it on in the morning? I'm expected to keep checking the damned stuff throughout the day...isn't that a little needy?

Which is why...much as I love a good "limited edition" novelty item...I will not be attempting to get my grubby little hands on one of Lancome's black and red luxe lip sets when it hits stores (all two of them...Bloomingdale's in New York and one of Lancome's five boutiques) this November. The red...which matches Louboutin's soles...falls under the "searingly red equates to me looking deranged" category...and can be worn by itself or with a layer of sheer, glossy black on top. Actually, with the addition of the black topcoat, I find myself strangely attracted to the goth meets femme fatale result but the knowledge that if I can't handle the maintenance on one layer of lippie two would push me over the edge saves me from doing anything stupid (like trying to actually find...and buy...one of these kits).

I've been holding off from really immersing myself in thoughts of cold weather clothing...not from any apathy...but because Fall is my favorite time of year and as it's still rather uncomfortably sticky outside I didn't want to raise my hopes of layers, coats, and sweaters when I know it's going to be a while before I can actually wear them.

My good intentions flew out of the window however when I browsed through La Garconne's Fall/Winter virtual lookbook..."The Ensembles: Automne-Hiver"....Les Prairies des Paris' fur-collared coat...Vivienne Westwood's faux-fur Yeti chic number...Acne's knitwear (and season inappropriate cotton skirt)...all have me yearning for a nice Arctic blast (and a massive clothing budget).

Completely random...and perhaps brought about by the fact that I just sat through Rambo (thank you Netflix for saving me the cost of a movie ticket...now if I could just figure out how to get that hour and thirty-three minutes of my life back)...the "Anger Release Machine" from the Swiss and Danish artist duo of Ronnie Yarisal and Katja Kublitz.

Insert a coin. Select the piece of china you want to destroy. Then watch it crash.

Of course...when I think about it...this could have nothing to do with Rambo and everything to do with my great-grandfather (who was, by all accounts, a bit of a plate smasher...especially when he didn't appreciate that day's menu selection).

Love scarves? Yes. Love t-shirts? Once again, yes. So, really, not too much not to love about Bless' "tapestry" scarf vest...least of all that it's another item which falls under the dressy-casual theme which I hold so dear (more casual than usual perhaps but definitely a step up from schlubby). In fact the only thing that isn't making me jump for joy is the pricetag (you guessed it exchange rate, I'm making nasty faces at you while I say this)... Fortunately, for both my sanity and my bank balance this is one of those pieces which screams "DIY me!".

I know that I've mentioned my minor...itsy-bisty...alright, vaguely stalker-ish...adoration of Isabel Marant's "quintessentially cool French girl" clothes. The only limitations to my fixation being the restricted selection available in the US and the vicious prices once the exchange rate has taken its toll.

Which means that my purchases thus far have been limited to what I could find...and what I could afford. Which is where things stood, until...I was wandering through the Gap (yes, I fell prey to their latest advertising campaign and had to take a look)...and came across...a black plaid dress which had a very Marant vibe, for a very un-Marant price tag. Just at the time of year when I didn't really need a thin, cotton dress...but at just the time where I could rationalize the purchase with the thought of all the layering possibilities that it offered.

Also in store, although the picture does not do it justice, a skirt which was very similar (in cut and fabric) to one of Marant's from a collection or two ago. Sadly, on me, the skirt had some "issues" but (as they say) "one out of two ain't bad".

Proof, if it were needed, that it isn't called a depression because it makes you happy...the news that Jane Mayle's last collection for her label, Mayle, will be holiday-resort this year (with her NY store closing in February of '09)...after that, it's farewell to a label that (although it's been around for 10 years) I had only recently begun to fall in love with. Ironically, given the timing, according to WWD the end of the label is not due to financial concerns but is instead due to the fact that she feels that...

"The customer gets tired before the collections even hit stores... That mystery and remoteness and insouciance have disappeared from fashion in order to accelerate the product. I feel I have just become another cog in that machinery."

Disturbing...on multiple levels...initially because, though I was already drooling over several items from her Fall/Winter collection...inspired by "a piece written on Jeanne Moreau in which she offers a few choice quotes on the subject of pleasure versus happiness and throws her weight behind the former"...I had probably been going to waffle and prevaricate and now I feel driven to gather together as many scheckels as possible and BUY. But, also, because I can't help experiencing feelings of guilt...and wondering...are we, as bloggers, assisting in this acceleration...this loss of mystery? In some small way, are we...and the instantaneous quality inherent in the internet...to blame for this demise?

According to the mission statement on the website for Diana Lang's clothing label, openclothed...

For me the last line really resonated because, in the instances of her holey, snap, and evening tops, home is what they feel like. They are at once both comfortingly familiar...the grey sweatshirt...the over-sized tee...and enticingly unusual...the numerous combinations of snaps...and the voyeuristic placement of the holes. There is, as they say, no place like home...

Or, for those who like a bit of Latin on a Sunday morning, the first line of the Roman poet Catullus' poem on the relationship between his lover and her pet sparrow reads, "Passer, deliciae meae puellae..." None of which has any relation to Erica Weiner's bird call necklace...except to show that the humble little sparrow has held a special place in people's affections for quite a while now...and is currently flapping his way into mine. Yes, I've found yet one more piece of jewelry whose description could feature the words "dull gold" and "all creatures great and small"...does anyone else see a theme here?

From the Splendicity Community, comes this week's best in Beauty, Fashion and Shopping. Check out the very splendid best!

FASHION

Style Manila throws a question on locally-made shoes: where have all the Marikina shoes gone?

Tops 2 Bottoms presents a styling option The Man's Suit for her Work Wear Monday Series.

The Space Between My Peers presents a fashion lab proving boxy tops are not the most flattering option.

Just A Formality loves this pink Justin Alexander ball gown for a fairy tale wedding.

Petite Fashionista knows the secret of olympic athletes and highlights a few petite powerhouses, that proves you don't have to be big to be strong!

CelebLOOK is loving Katie Holmes and her svelte look. Do you agree?

Style...a work in progress enthuses over the short-sleeved...no-sleeved...jacket.

SHOPPING

Shopalicious invites you to score a "sexy little nothing" for yourself by entering to win a $25 gift certificate from Oh Cheri!

ShopDiary has images of the Comme des Garçons for H&M collection.

Her Accessories has been searching out stylish laptop bags and has found some great options, from stripes to flowers.

Shoe Blitz adores these purple peep-toe pumps from Dior for fall.

Glamour Gift Guide recommends this modern Botkier hobo in a fresh grape color.

BEAUTY

NY Spender has finally found her favorite lip gloss, and she thinks it works even better than therapy! ;)

Viva Woman finds out why toners may reduce the penetration of active ingredients to the skin.

Beauty Secrets Revealed says Rice Bran Oil Can Give You Smooth, Glowing And Wrinkle Free Skin.

Want to know NYC "it girl" Julia Allison's fave beauty tips? Beauty Blogging Junkie scored an exclusive interview! Click here to read Julia's beauty recommendations from body lotion to faux lashes.

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at long term hair removal with the Braun Silk Epil Expressive Epilator. It hurt, but it was worth it!

Beauty Bento Box shares her First Impressions on the L’Oreal Elsève Nutri-Gloss Haircare System, Pearl Protein.

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog gives you 18 makeup tips from the talented makeup artists at MAC Cosmetics.

Krizia from Beauty Match claims: I found the BEST flat iron (period)!.

You know how it is with love, sometimes it's a fling and sometimes it's the long-haul...as far as athleticism is concerned we had a few brief meetings many years ago, parted company, and have never really spent much time together since. It was an amicable break-up you understand, we just realized we had very little in common and drifted apart. And, as my interest is more design than sweat oriented, the only time I drift back is when I find something like these leather pieces from Bill Amberg...though I think I'd place the football or rugby ball in the apartment for decoration as opposed to running after them down a muddy field.

As I mentioned last week, I'm currently on the lookout for something big-ish and bold-ish and brassy-dull-gold-ish in the bracelet line...which appears to be easier said that done as trolling around the interweb has identified surprisingly few contenders. One possible though is this Victorian lion's head bracelet, it's 14k gold...with real diamonds (and faux sapphires)...and would be a completely unique accessory. The downsides...it's a little more than I was hoping to spend...which can be argued away by the fact that it's an "investment piece"...also, in real life, I feel it may veer more towards the delicate than the bold and I'm definitely looking for something with some strength and toughness to it (which, I suppose, means that I don't get a "this is it" sensation but we're definitely moving in a good direction).

True story, long ago I was "asked to leave" the Girl Guides...without so much as a woggle to my name. I won't go into too much detail...suffice to say, when you try to get a strong-willed child to sword dance against her will for an extended period of time tempers will fray and harsh words will ensue. Still, I don't hold a grudge...much...and, to that end, I'm considering buying a Blogging Merit Badge. Will it make up for the woggle? Probably not...but it could be amusing on a tote bag.

Having stared at an ugly combination ceiling fan/light fixture in my dining room for an embarrassing number of...um...years, I am thrilled that a vintage Italian Murano glass pendant light is winging its way to the Hebden household. Why did it take this long? Multiple reasons...including the fact that, for once, Mr. Heb and I were unable to agree on what we were looking for...but, also, because although I can talk myself into virtually any fashion-related purchase I am alarmingly reluctant to lay down cash when it comes to household purchases (there's always a small voice in my head telling me how many dresses, shoes, and bags said h.p. equates to).

One of the latest Gap ads, featuring Julia Restoin Roitfeld in a short-sleeved peacoat, prompted me to say a few words in honor of the short-sleeved...or no-sleeved...jacket. Not just a summer whim this little trooper works the entire year through (thanks to judicious application of the long sleeve under short sleeve theory which, I admit, I am addicted to...see evidence below) and doesn't get the credit it deserves. And so, ladies (and potentially gentlemen), I ask you to raise your glasses in a toast to the s-s/n-s jacket...hip, hip, hooray!

I have a feeling that the title of this post may result in hits from some random Googlers who aren't looking for jewelry...but I can't resist a Max Beerbohm quote...and I may have a similar lack of resistance when it comes to this scattered boule necklace. I get a very old lady vibe from this piece...but not the creepy cat loving type...more the "I've lived an incredibly lush life, I still wear fabulous clothes, and yes, I will have another martini" kind. Or, to be more precise, it makes me think of my grandmother...is there any better reason to get one?

Anytime I'm in one of those melancholy moods...or as Holly Golightly put it, having a touch of the "mean reds"...I'll listen to The Best of Chet Baker Sings...not because I know it will pep me up but because if you're going to be depressed you may as well wallow in it...and few things will tug at the heartstrings as much as Mr. Baker singing 'The Thrill Is Gone' or 'There Will Never Be Another You'.

Which is why I was interested to see the t-shirt that Paul Smith had designed for the re-release of the Bruce Weber movie "Let's Get Lost" (which documents Baker's life). It's not really my style (and therefore not a potential purchase) but I was mystified by the accompanying text..."Not available to US customers due to customs shipping restrictions". Is anyone else confused...this is a t-shirt...what possible customs rules can it violate? Are they scared that anyone touching the package will develop 'jazz hands'?

Apologies to anyone who, as we creep into August, is officially fed up with gladiator sandals. What can I say, I have issues...and one of them is that I'm besotted by the glads. The latest variation of which are these suede numbers from Free People...they're a hybrid of two of my favorites (the ballet flat and the aforementioned glad)...and are therefore nigh on irresistible.

Title quote by Mark Twain

You know those random catalogs that land in your mailbox...the ones that you never signed up for and are therefore unsure of why you’re actually receiving them (apart from the advertiser’s urge to kill more trees)? Well, for me, Boden is one such catalog. Perfectly ‘nice’ clothing but a little too “suburban mom doing the school run” for my tastes. Yet for the last six months it has appeared in my mailbox with disturbing regularity.

The other day I was a little bored (okay, I admit it...it was the only piece of mail in the mailbox) so I took a flick through the pages to see if anything interesting was lurking amidst the polka dot blazers and color-blocked skirts...

As it turns out I discovered not one, but two, pieces that caused a flutter of interest. First up, their waxed cotton biker jacket which bears a strong resemblance to the Belstaff jacket that I bought a while ago (only considerably cheaper). Item number two, a black denim shirtdress...one of those basics which I've had trouble tracking down in the right cut/cloth/length...from the photograph my search could be at an end.

Of course, this means that I'll now feel the need to go through every unrequested catalog that hits my mailbox in case I miss something...

The title quote is by Hedda Hopper for anyone who's interested...

Sadly I don't speak Japanese so I have no idea what the rationale is behind these animal cut-outs...they appear to be placeholders for a bookcase but, unless you were working your way alphabetically through the works of John Creasey (the man did, after all, publish over 600 books), I'm not sure why you'd need a placeholder for an entire book...pages, yes...books, not so much. They are, however, incredibly cute so perhaps they don't need to be the most functional item in the world...

I have to admit to being intrigued by the lace that Miuccia Prada presented for this Fall...my only concerns being modesty and the potential for hypothermia. So, in the name of research...okay, to be honest, in the name of "I love window shopping"...I went in search of some non-Prada options.

Probably the best deals that I found are the white lace skirt and dress by Peter Jensen. They were Spring/Summer stock and are currently heavily reduced...the dress from $875 to $137.50 and the skirt from $692 to $340. I have to admit that the dress would be mine if it weren't for the fact that the only size left is a small...darn it!

If white lace is too sixties...or bridal...or sixties bridal...you may like the Dolce & Gabbana black lace skirt from one of my favorite vintage stores, Vagabond NYC...or Kova and T's lace leggings. And for anyone worried about the intrinsically see-through quality of lace being used in anything that they'd actually wear I'm including Martin Margiela's PVC wallet in the line-up.

All of which, naturally, leads me to the question...will you be leaping into lace this Fall? And, if so, to what extent...via the medium of accessories or in clothing form?

Even though the heat index is hovering around the hundred degree mark now I know that, eventually, some cooler weather will arrive and I'll be able to get a little more...diversity...in my day-to-day wardrobe. Maybe I'm alone in this but by this point in the summer I generally feel that I have worn most of my summer clothes to an alarming degree and am now ready for a change...and some layers. Thoughts about winter have led me to leopard...and now gold...which, somewhat disturbingly, suggests Bet Lynch from Coronation Street circa 1994...something which should make me stop and question my sanity but...I can't seem to help myself. So now I'm on the lookout for something big-ish and bold-ish in the bracelet line. Initial explorations tracked down Mawi's link cuff with metallic ribbon...but it's a little too shiny...I was hoping for a more subtle gold or brass finish. And so, the search continues...

“A newspaper reported that I spent $30,000 a year buying Paris clothes and that women hate me for it. I couldn't spend that much unless I wore sable underwear.” - Jackie Kennedy

Do you ever feel that the rug was (metaphorically) pulled out from under you? That something that you considered to be pretty much set in stone has now changed and (potentially) you're the last to know?

Well, it just happened to me. As I looked at my Macy's statement...a bill for basically the only thing that I buy there, Calvin Klein bras...I noticed that the line item said "Innerwear". Innerwear? Surely, I thought, that's some kind of corporate typo and they really meant to say underwear...but no, apparently innerwear is a legitimate word. And, according to an online dictionary that I rushed over to, it means "clothing, such as lingerie, designed to be worn next to the skin". Confusingly, when I look up underwear on the same site I get "clothes worn next to the skin, beneath one's outer clothing".

So, if I read this correctly, innerwear is something that has been created to be worn in direct contact with your flesh while underwear is something that you randomly thought "I wonder what this would feel like if I wore it under everything else?"

So now I'm wondering, did I miss something that the whole world knew eons ago? Have I been using the word underwear for years without realizing that I was committing a verbal faux pas? Were people sniggering as I walked away and saying, "poor girl, doesn't know her inner from her under"?

From the Splendicity Community, comes this week's best in Beauty, Fashion and Shopping. Check out the very splendid best!

BEAUTY

NY Spender remembers all of her past anti-frizz products and raves about her newest one.

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at everything you need for a perfect brow from Anastasia Beverly Hills

Viva Woman finds out the types of Vitamin C in skincare products and what works for our skin.

Beauty Bento Box offers her first impressions on the OLAY White Radiance Foaming Cleanser.

My Women Stuff discusses what are chemical sunscreens and physical sunscreens.

Beauty Blogging Junkie shows you how you can channel a Mad Men character at various price points.

Cinnamon Kitten forsakes her M.A.C. brushes for a few weeks to try out a couple of eco-friendly ecoTools.

Beauty Match has a video review: Should you buy Cover Girl Lash Blast or Maybelline Collosal Mascara?

Beauty Secrets Revealed is Giving Away AminoGenesis Anti-aging Skin Care Products Worth $119

SHOPPING

Shopalicious wants to share the wonderful jewelry concoctions of Amy of the B-Line, chemistry teacher by day, jewelry designer for fun!

ShopDiary loves the scent of Hermèssence Vétiver Tonka.

Laya's EYE has fallen in love with the prettiest cupcake wrappers she has ever seen.

Shoe Blitz talks about the hottest shoe trends for fall.

Glamour Gift Guide loves the look of Lori Bonn jewelry, including coordinating necklaces, bracelets and more.

FASHION

Style...a work in progress is looking forward to a Gothic-Victorian-cowgirl style Fall and tells us about it when she says "Real cowboys never run, they just ride away"

Style Manila invites all to support the Style Manila Page on Facebook!

Tops 2 Bottoms shares some shirred and bubble style ideas for your work wear.


Just A Formality talks about trends in bridal shoes.

First off, I really need to learn not to make definitive statements...at least ones that are fashion related...mainly because that tricky little swine called fate has a funny way of creeping up on you with racks of clothing that you swore you'd never wear but that suddenly seem appealing.

Case in point, for years now I have been telling myself that "I am not an animal print kind of girl" but now...now I'm feeling definite urges to run wild. Whether it's a by-product of watching My Name Is Barbra on a continuous loop...or a shot of the re-jigged interior of Dover Street Market...or the combined effort of these jackets from Heimstone and See by Chloe...I'm not sure. All I know is it's going to take some effort to keep from taking a walk on the wild side...