Chunky Heels

Another new trend circling the fashion front is the resurgence of what designers are calling chunky heels. Some of you might know them better as platform pumps, but either way they can be identified by the abundance of wood which adds inches to an already high heel.

Why are chunk heels popular now?
Fashion enthusiasts say the retro platform pump is a favorite because of its ability to elongate the woman's leg and balances the length of dresses. Platform pumps also offer women an alternative to stilettos, which can look too dressy in a season with so many minidresses.

Many of us here at Shoeflyer are fans of chunk heels; in fact, here are a few of our top pics:

The Fuller by BCBG

The 5215 by Dolce Vita

The Raissa by Vince Camuto

Cozy Long Cardigan latest model

Doesn't this Knitted Long Cardigan from U.K.'s Top Shop look cozy? It reminds me of the perfect fall day. In the description it says machine washable but it is 70% acrylic, 30% alpaca so I wouldn't risk it. The price is £45.00 now if only the dollar were stronger it would be a steal!

Cheap and Chic Jackets

Finding affordable jackets this season is essential. Why spend the whole winter in one expensive coat when you can buy 2 or 3 at Fred Flare? This Kelly Green coat by Le Tigre is bound to brighten any winter day. 100% cotton with a gold button closure $150. For something more classic try this Black Gracie Coat with a boat neck collar $80.

Cosa Nostra by Project Runways Jeffrey Sebelia

Last years Project Runway winner Jeffrey Sebelia has launched a lower price point line called Cosa Nostra. Cosa Nostra still maintains Sebelia's edgy rocker goth image but the price point is $38-$78. His latest creations are not yet posted on the Cosa Nostra website but here are some looks from a previous collection.

Cécile & Jeanne

In celebration of the end of finals, I treated myself to a gorgeous pair of earrings from Cécile & Jeanne, which I discovered at Bon Marche.

Based in Paris, Cécile & Jeanne has been around for over 15 years. I love this brand so much because it's subtle designs that combines elements of the past and future are elegant yet just a little bit funky! (This it their signature dove).

So I was debating between these square chained earrings or these 1001 Nights Long Drop Earrings. Both looked nice, but while the circular ones were more classically elegant, the square ones were more youthful and funky. Torn between the two, I finally decided to be youthful and funky and got the square ones (left). But now I'm wavering and want to be classically elegant instead. Thoughts?

From the same collection as the circular long drop earrings, they have these cool yet elegant rings and cuffs. I really want that ring. I think it'll be the perfect compliment to any outfit.

I just ADORE these two Downtown earrings and cross bracelet. The design is simple yet chic.

Another very elegant collection they have is the Voie Lactee collection. It looks modern and feminine.

These two earrings from Josephine collection is just the thing to add funk and edge to any outfit.


Personally I’m too lazy to match my accessories with my outfit (and hence my love for classic silver/gold styles), but for those who DO make the effort, these Arabesque earrings (left) and L’Opera chandeliers (right) would be fantastic.


And even though these Riviere necklace and Kyoto ring may look over the top right now, I think they will be the perfect thing to amp up any simple outfit and make it interesting, because they are feminine yet unique. Plus, my favourite color is purple, so I think these are awesome ;)

Christmas 2006: Friends and Parties

Many people have asked us to write about what to wear to Christmas parties with friends and family. So this post is about what clothes would be great for casual partying with your friends. Personally, I think jeans and a pretty top is the best outfit. While this may seem casual for some people, I think overdressing is the worst thing one could do, so stick to the basic combo!

So the key to making the outfit is the incredible top. Barneys Girl and I have been obsessed with silk lately because we think it makes a top look really classy. Another great thing about a cool going out top is that you can wear it for so many occasions afterwards. Anyways, so here are some tops that I like:

Bright, bold colours are definitely good choices -fashionable and eye-catching. Tops by Sunner (left) and Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent (right).

Another bold colour but for the cool skin tones, blue. Tops by Nieves Lavi (left) and Top Shop (right).

Pretty, casual kimono tops by Urban Outfitters.

These two tops are perfect for office parties or say, nice Christmas dinners. Tops by Marc by Marc Jacobs (left) and Rebecca Taylor (right).

With the androgynous look being all the rage this season, you could def try that look for parties. I love the tops above. They just give off this really cool (and slightly unfriendly) vibe. Tops by Rachel Roy (left) and Top Shop (right).

It is winter afterall, so some people may prefer long sleeves. That's absolutely fine as long as the tops don't look too stuffy and have nice details on them, like the flowy sleeves in the top by Foley for Foley + Corinna (left) and the serious prettiness of the top by LaROK.

Pictures from topshop.com and shopbop.com.

So, keep an eye out for that oh-so-incredible top!

Christmas 2006: Cocktails and Formal Parties

So many people have also been asking about what they should wear to parties -not casual house parties, but the more formal cocktails and parties.

Checks and metalics are huge trends this year. Both dresses from Top Shop -I've tried the purple version of these dresses on, and it's such a fun dress.

Very 'american'-feel dresses, left one by BCBG and right one by ABS. The dress on the left feels a bit too prom-ish, but is undeniabely pretty.

Diane von Furstenburg of course makes loads of fabulous dresses. Wrap-dresses are very flattering, versatile, and not to mention very useful in the future too. For those who want to look more sexy, DvF also makes non-wrap-dresses like the strapless one on the right.

Cocktail dresses from Urban Outfitters. It's so hard to find dresses like these -cute, trendy, affordable and don't look cheap!

LOVE these dresses. Soooo pretty! Dresses by Miu Miu (left) and Derek Lam (right). With dresses as short as the Miu Miu one, wear tights underneath to keep warm and look lady-like.

Dresses by Top Shop. Don't be afraid to wear mini (although not too mini) dresses to parties (but not the most formal parties). Again, wearing tights is a good idea, and please, do wear underwear!

These two dresses are acceptable for quite formal parties and look fun! Who wants to look stuffy at a Christmas /New Year party? I love the satin and silk material because it makes the dress look so much classier and gorgeous. Dresses by Marc by Marc Jacobs (left) and Ya-Ya (right).

I hope this gives everyone some ideas of what to wear. I can't tell you exactly what to wear, but this should hopefuly inspire you! Put a shawl (may be or may not be fur) on, then you're set for a fun and gorgeous night!

What IS Cashmere?

Ever since my mom brought me to this crazy cashmere sale last year, I've had an obsession for cashmere everything. They're just soooo soft to the touch and so warm. As a result I've acquired cashmere sweaters (esp the RL ones-they are just divine), scarves, hats, cardigans-all for the freezing cold winter of Chicago of course. Then the other day, my friend asked me, "What IS cashmere?" and that put me on the spot. How can I be truly cashmere crazy without knowing what makes cashmere different from say. . wool?

So I googled it up and this is what you need to know:

The name cashmere was derived from Kashmir, the state of India, where the cashmere (kashmir) goat was initially found. Cashmere is the fine, downy wool that grows beneath the coarse outer layer of hair, called the guard hair, of the cashmere goat. These wool are naturally white, grey or brown.

The luxuriously soft wool provides light weight insulation- enough to originally keep the goat warm in the cold mountain temperatures-without bulk, which is another reason why we love it so much-it keeps us stylish and warm. It is also appropriate for all climates, because the high moisture content of it allows the insulation properties to change with the humidity in the air.

But what makes it so precious is limited supply. Out of the annual clipping of 15000-20000 tons of cashmere, only 6500 tons turn into pure cashmere after the natural animal grease (ew), dirt and coarse hair are removed from it. Due to the conflict at Kashmir, very little actually comes from there. Nowadays, cashmere comes from the other high plateaus of Asia, such as northwestern China, Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan.

There. Don't you feel much better equipped to truly appreciate the beauty of cashmere, now that you know all there is to know about it?

Colour-Protecting Shampoo & Conditioner

Last Friday, I decided to make the most out of my holiday from work and get my hair dyed. While the technician was applying the dye into my hair, he warned my that the hair dye might come off (after many washes) and the hair colour before would show up again. He said that colour-protecting hair products do actually prolong the hair colour, and I believe him because he didn't introduce the hair product line the hair salon sells. This totally freaked me out of course, since I did just pay to get the hair colour changed. So I did a LOT of online research after I got home.

OK, so my problem is that I need a brilliant colour-protecting shampoo and conditioner. Sounds fairly simple, but with all the products available out there, I really need more information and opinion.

My first thought was to buy the Reflection line from Kerastase, (my favourite haircare brand). But I have heard that Kerastase shampoo is a bit 'thick' for summer and I'm concerned that it might not wash my hair thorough enough. On Friday, I only ended up buying a tiny travel pack for my trip to the US next week. But I got a bit curious so I already tried the shampoo this morning and my hair felt clean enough. Maybe I'll go buy this tomorrow.

Another colour-protecting line I am considering is the L'Oreal Professional Vitamino shampoo & conditioner. I have used another product line by this brand a long time ago, and even though I can't even remember which shampoo it was that I used, I remember liking this brand. Also, a lot of hair salons use this brand, so it must be somewhat good quality. But this brand is fairly expensive, and the MUA reviews didn't seem overly impressed (or disappointed), so I don't feel absolutely sure about this line.

And of course, how could I not mention a deep hair treatment. This is oddly the only product I don't have to waste any more time researching on. Since I'll be going to the US soon, I'll definately be buying Terax Crema. I've heard only positive things about it -it's supposed to make your hair super soft. Hopefully it will save my seriously dehydrated hair!

So if you have used any colour-protecting hair products, let me know which brand and product it is, and your opinion of it please!

CFDA Awards 2006 Fashion

CFDA Awards is the fashion world’s Oscar Awards. So thankfully, most people were well-dressed.

Francisco Costa (Calvin Klein) -Womenswear Designer of the Year with Natalia Vodianova in Calvin Klein (in both pictures)

Diddy -Menswear Designer of the Year. I just don't get this. I mean I'm sure he doesn't even actually design his fashion line.

Olivier Theyskens (Rochas) –International Award winner with Anna Wintour. I have been loving Rochas the past few seasons. For those of you who haven’t checked out the Rochas FW06 show, go look it up now! For someone who’s in her 50s, Anna Wintour looks seriously amazing.

Bee Schaffer also looking stylish Narcisco Rodriguez. Random observation: her hair is so shiny!

Proenza Schouler duo: Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough with Chloe Sevigny in a Proenza Schouler FW06 dress.

Paparazzi favourites Karl Lagerfeld and Lindsay Lohan in Lagerfeld Gallery. The dress is really well-cut. Li-Lo looks fab as usual.

The pretties:

Scarlett Johansson in Calvin Klein. The dress is so modern lady-like, unfortunately not very photogenic.

Heidi Klum in Giles Mendel. Heidi looks fantastic as usual but for some odd reason, the dress reminds me of a furry animal.

Erin Wasson and Gemma Ward. I just can’t resist posting Gemma –she looks so pretty and I love the dark blue cardigan and mellow yellow dress combination. I would say I like Erin’s outfit too, except the dress underneath the leather jacket is absolutely horrendous, especially for such an event.

Carmen Marc Valvo and Lydia Hearst in the designer’s dress. Pretty black dress!

Alicia Keys (in Vera Wang), Amanda Bynes and Jamie-Lynn Sigler (in Monique Lhuilier) are my celebrity picks. This just shows white dresses don’t have to be boring and can vary a lot.

Rhiana and Jameie King both wearing Max Azria Atelier dresses. I can’t decide whether I like the sleek dress more or the pretty one.

Jessica Simpson in Michael Kors. The pretty white dress looks somewhat trashy on Jessica. Maybe if the dress was longer…

Cute Umbrellas

Along with Spring, comes the rain. After many days of nice clear blue skies and warm breezy wind, the rain has inevitably reached my corner of the globe. Fortunately for me, this means that I can finally use the new super cute umbrella I bought from London during spring break! Always look on the bright side right?

Anyway, about my super cute umbrella, its from Accesorize (as are the two shown above) with cute floral pattern against a black background and its TINY. Thats my favourite thing about it. Its so tiny, it barely weighs anything and actually fits into my small shoulder bag along with my ipod, wallet, camera, mini hairbrush and lipgloss. Its amazingly portable. I LOVE my new umbrella. The only downfall is that its so tiny, it feels very fragile against the Chicago wind. But I'll be careful ;)

Ever the business-minded, Juicy Couture ofcourse makes umbrellas as well. They're cute. The black one is . . . usable I guess, even cool if worn properly. But the pink one, if you see it opened, is covered with pink hearts. Waaaaaay too much, unless you're age 10 or below, it can in no way be considered cute.

Other cute tiny umbrellas I found was this spotty Kate Spade one and this personalised initial one from Neiman Marcus. The Kate Spade one, is playfully elegant, just the right touch to be fun but not childishly so. And who doesn't like their own initials right?

Ever thoughtful to their customer's needs, Neiman Marcus also makes these plain tiny umbrellas and waterproof poncho. Although I really don't see how a waterproof poncho will protect one from the rain. Is that thing at the neck a decoration or a hood? Either case, its not very attractive. Good thing the ladies of Neiman Marcus have drivers and cars, and would never be caught out in the rain to begin with.

And of course, there is always the super uber cute tiny umbrellas from Burberry. The tiny pouch that comes with the red one is just darling!