La Belle Blog

Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener, everyone would want to carry me like a purse.

Wait…that’s not right. But then again, neither are so many bags from Dooney and Bourke. I thought I’d knocked the wurst of this brand, but the latest in the foot long line really seems to be a dog, a hot dog. It’s the Medium Emma Bag, and I’m almost speechless (no small feat)…who could relish a bag that most closely resembles a frankfurter…a $235 frankfurter at that. Perhaps someone, somewhere will mustard up the courage to carry this. Read the rest of this entry »

Animal prints are a huge trend for this season. Be careful and no not wear too much of an animal print because you could be mistaken for one. Read the rest of this entry »

Pink is the “it” color for Spring, and the easiest way to get Pretty in Pink is by using it on your lips and cheeks.

If you don’t use Pink on a regular basis, now is the time to bring this delicate shade in. For lips, try Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss in Pink of Ginger or Jouer Lip Gloss in Pink Sand. On cheeks, I like Benefit’s Dandelion, but I realize this is only nice on fair skin. Medium and darker skin tones should try LORAC Blush in Rose. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, Okay – I hate to rant. I realize I did this a few days ago when finding out my favorite hairspray was changed, and I am here with another one.

I am always playing with self-tanners, and as I am preparing a huge feature with over 20 different brands, (yes, I am trying them all!) I needed to get a product for my face that would correct a few self-tan boo-boos. Read the rest of this entry »

Take a minute – well, maybe more than a minute at macys.com, spend $50 on Clinique (which you know is just so easy to do) and you will score 4 more of Cliniques products with your purchase – for free. Read the rest of this entry »

No, this isn’t going to be Alpha Guy vs. Beta Guy redux, I promise. Although, FWIW, I’m a Beta-lover from way back and I have strong opinions on both what makes a good Beta hero and why I love them so, but again, column for another time.

*ahem*

Anyhow, this is about our writing heroes. Now, I’m not typically the type to go all fangirlish over anything—for one thing, my nature tends more towards reserved (okay, I’m insanely shy in new situations) and for another, I’ve been around the entertainment industry for way too long, I think. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, I’d been feeling that the local retail scene is getting really tired. I don’t want to trawl through yet another one of our zillion malls, all of which offer largely the same things.

Starving for a little change, it is little wonder that Hansel’s upcoming pop-up store at Stamford House made us sit up and take notice It also doesn’t hurt that we’re already big fans of the quirky local label.

If you’d enjoyed the Fashion Nation’s Guerrilla Store, which we ran a short while back, we think that the Hansel’s pop-up space will be great fun for you too. Read the rest of this entry »

For fear of sounding like I’m betraying the sisterhood, I have to say that I’m been getting a lot of inspiration from menswear recently So much so that I’m beginning to get an idea of what kind of clothes I will wear as a boy (I use ‘boy’ because I can never envision myself as a man). Read the rest of this entry »

Please note that La Belle Blog is not the organizer for this class, so we will not be taking names and submitting them to the CC on your behalf This survey is just to ascertain the preferences of those of you who are interested so that the CC may consider opening a class at a popular day/location. Also, we are as clueless as you are with regards to the standard of the class, so we will not be responsible if it does not meet your expectations. Read the rest of this entry »

In the image-obsessed world of online fashion, its a wonder how much I love the insightful musing of Cathy Horyn on her New York Times blog/column – pictures are spare and some posts are made up entirely of words.

What she writes is not so much fashion journalism to me, but prose, less technical and more beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »

Last weekend, Dottie and I celebrated our eleven year friendship anniversary with our friends, The Girls, with a weekend trip to Batam. We booked a suite and did basically nothing! It was filled with sweaty dinners at hole-in-wall diners by the sea, hours-long massages, manicures, coffees, A&W(!) and bedroom fights involving peanuts.

This week, Dottie and I will be separately taking trips of our own this weekend as well. We have been busy with work, our lives in general and Fashion Nation appointments regarding Manifesto and Shop Nation. Read the rest of this entry »