Little J For the Win

Who's ridiculously stoked that Gossip Girl is officially back?

ME!

It has been long few months, you guys. I was really starting to go into withdrawal mode and that is not pretty. I need my weekly fix of Upper East Siders!

After watching last week's episode, I was left feeling a little confused. I feel like maybe my brain is malfunctioning or something... because the only thing I could think was how much I loved Little Jenny Humphrey's look for whatever galla the gang was attending.

That is practically blasphemy for me... I constantly moan and groan about how awful they style her - the ridiculous faux-punk-wannabe-badass vibe just doesn't work. This time, though, I don't know what happened, but she looked gorgeous.

I'm talkin' out-shining both Blair and Serena and that is not an easy task.

See? I'm not crazy. The girl looks great in this fabulous embellished Moschino coat and an Andrew GN sequin dress.

And the hair and makeup, oh, the hair and makeup... Stunning!

Soft and pretty colors, youthful and glowing skin, great pop of color with the lipstick... I have nothing negative to say. At all. And I always have something negative to say about Jenny.

Here's a few other angles:

Great, no?

And how cool was this hair? Very toned-down Lady Gaga-esque with the hair-bow thing. It doesn't even look fried and ratty here! Such an improvement!

I believe it's official - Little J wins the episode.

Keep it up, Jenny. I'll be watching you!

[photo credits: gossipgirlfashion.net, taylormomsen.net, gossipgirlonline.com]

Guess Lady Gaga Isn't the Only One Going Gaga...

...Over Carrera Sunglasses.

I declared last week that I had somehow missed out on the Carrera train. I had really never noticed this brand until Lady Gaga's video for "Bad Romance." Now? I see these classic aviators on...everyone.

No, seriously. Everyone, and their brothers, in the celebrity world has been spotted sporting these babies and I haven't quite figured out how I missed the memo. FAIL on my part!

Grammy-winner Alicia Keys is the latest star to feature a pair of Carreras in her new music video - "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart." First, this is a gorgeous song, though I can't say that I've heard any Alicia songs that aren't. The girl can sing, no doubts about it. Second? She is rockin' these shades.

This is the Panamerika 1 style and I think the whole "modern-vintage" (that's totally a technical term) fits with the look of the video. Actually, they fit with the whole outfit. I'm definitely a fan. And by the way, how fabulous is that cropped, studded leather jacket??

Alicia isn't the only one jumping on the bandwagon... A little research turned up a whole slew of celebs showing their love for the brand.

Here's Britney in her video for "3" (P.S. Gotta love how she pimps out her own fragrance in the beginning of this!)

Gwen Stefani is rocking her signature platinum locks, ruby red lips, and some great white shades. Does she ever not look put together?

It looks like hot young Hollywood has been getting in on the action, too.

Take a look at Taylor Momsen, who's clearly trying to steal Gwen Stefani's look and really just not getting it...

But, I do love the red glasses! Good call on those, Taylor. Now try easing up on the vampira lipstick - you weren't actually in Twilight, remember?

You weren't... But Taylor Lautner certainly was. And Mr.-I-Need-To-Remind-Myself-That-He's-Underage-Cause-Of-Those-Washboard-Abs-Lautner is apparently loving on these aviators, too.

The lovely Sophia Bush is holding up the legitimately stylish side of the CW (after Taylor Momsen, somebody has to give us hope...) at a Carrera launch party as she grabs a black pair to try.

I wish I had a closeup of that ring, it looks super cute! I also kind of wish I had Sophia's dimples. How adorable is she??

So, there you have it. Hollywood is officially on the Carrera train and there is no sign of slowing down any time soon. Has anyone else started seeing these glasses around, or is this just old news to you? Let me know in the comments!

[photo credits: carreraworld.com, sophiabushfan.org, eye-wear-glasses.com, celebrity-sunglassesfinder.com]

XOXO to the Gossip Girl Stylist

As it turns out... Going back to grad school takes up WAY MORE time than I actually have. As a result my poor DVR is filled to the brim with episodes of all my favorite shows. Unfortunately for work and school, but fortunately for my sanity (though not my head - coughing up a lung can give you quite the headache!), I've been pretty sick during the last week and I've had a little extra time to catch up on my shows.

YAY! Oh, Gossip Girl, how I've missed you!

And I've missed talking about all the fabulous fashion! If I were to talk about each and every single outfit I loved or hated over the last five episodes this post would be excruciatingly long cause let's face it... Right along with all the dazzling dresses and amazing accessories there were quite a few less-than-stunning failures (cough-Jenny-cough-Vanessa).

So instead of driving myself crazy with everything I didn't like, I'm just going to stick to what I did like! So here we go!

Here's Blake Lively in a gorgeous Nanette Lepore 'Darjeeling' dress.

Definitely looks better on Blake, no? Guess having an actual body as opposed to being a human clothes hanger has it's upside, huh? Either way, I love it. But, I don't love the $378 price tag. Boooooo!

My next favorite look is Blake again, but this time it's the dress she wore to Lily Van Der Woodsen's (fifth) wedding.

Seriously. She absolutely killed it in this J. Mendall Fall 2008 sexy, strapless, and flowing gown. Those Louboutins and MCL by Matthew Campbell Laurenza bangles certainly polish off the look perfectly. The signature messy hair always looks great as well. Love it!

My last favorite look comes from the same episode (Rufus Getting Married) and this time it's on Leighton Meester.

How beautiful is this 'Red' Valentino Dress?

The color and appliqué detailing is exquisite. It's pretty much everything you'd expect from a Valentino. Can you tell I have a small obsession with his dresses? I can't help it, though! They're gorgeous!

Also, how about the accessories she had??

A vintage-style Juicy Couture bracelet ($128) and a Paige Gamble Bronze Alligator and Smoky Quartz Clutch ($2800). Just perfect.

Can this show's stylist please come be my friend? PLEASE??

[photo credits: gossipgirlfashion.net, cwtv.com, valentino.com]

Melrose Place Hits a Makeup Home Run

I'm loving Melrose Place 2.0. It's a little campy and a little overdramatic ("little" might be an understatement), but what good primetime soap opera isn't? Plus, there are some amazing clothes and some fabulous makeup. I was catching up on a few episodes on my DVR this weekend and I found myself completely spellbound by one of the girl's makeup looks.

Stephanie Jacobsen plays Lauren Yung, an ambitious med student who runs into a little trouble paying her tuition and has to resort to some...interesting methods to get her hands on enough cash to finance that expensive education. Storyline aside, Stephanie is a gorgeous girl who the most luscious lips on the planet (take that, Angelina!).

Here's the look that had me hitting the rewind button on my remote:

It's not intense or outrageous or sparkly or anything that normally makes me stop in my tracks, but for some reason I couldn't stop staring. It's just soft and flirty and makes Stephanie's brown eyes look stunning, not to mention the pinky-nude lips are a perfect compliment to the eye makeup.

Here's the closeup of her eyes:

So pretty, right? I have looked everywhere to find out what products/colors were used, but I can't find any information, not even the name of the show's makeup guru. So for now, I'll have to attempt recreating the look by myself and if I manage to get anything close to this I'll be sure to post the pic up here.

Also, major points to the wardrobe department for this dress on Lauren:

What do you think? Are you as big a fan as I am? Got any other favorite Melrose Place looks? I'd love to hear all about them!

[photo credits: cwtv.com]

The Key To My Heart

I am a little bit in love with the current key craze going on. I probably have four or five different necklaces that involve keys somewhere on them and I always get compliments on them so apparently I'm not the only one who's hopping on that particular bandwagon.

Even my favorite Upper East Siders are joining in on the fun.

Okay, first off... LOVE Blair's outfit. The yellow Diane von Furstenberg Marcelo wrap top is gorgeous and looks great with the Vince Fingerprint pencil skirt - not an outfit I ever thought I would go for, but hey, there's a first time for everything, right? I don't even hate Serena's tunic dress thing or crazy shoes.

Now on to my actual point... This is the second episode that Blair has worn this key pendant and it looks like we've found a winner - it's from the Tiffany Keys Collection: Fleur De Lis Key Pendant

Super cute and sparkly, right? Well, no worries everyone. It will only run you about $2975 plus tax.

No biggie, right?

Man, Tiffany's... I love you and all, but cut a girl a break, would you? I suppose it's a little bit justifiable since the entire key is covered in diamonds, but still. The Tiffany Keys Collection does have plenty of alternatives though and they start around $150 (for the pendant plus a chain) and go all the way up to $15,000 (INSANE).

Tiffany's aside, there are TONS of key pendants floating around pretty much anywhere you look. Most of mine have been found at Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, and American Eagle. I mean really... It's a key. It doesn't actually NEED to be fancy.

But if anyone would like to buy me this? I would SO not object.

Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat

So, going back to school has left me with a huge problem. I can't possibly watch all of my shows when they're actually on. It's SO upsetting... Even the prospect of wasting away hours of my weekend losing myself in teen drama and fabulous clothes doesn't make it any better.

Wait, that's a lie. The fabulous clothes make it a teensy bit better.

Speaking of fabulous clothes... Any idea what to wear to a millionaire actor's yacht party?

Here's what the kids of West Beverly High recommend:

Duh. I mean... What else would you wear on a yacht?

Naomi doesn't actually need to breathe or anything. Nor does she need to sit down... The seams on that fuchsia BCBGeneration might just bust if she tries to do anything except stand there and look pretty.

I feel like Silver's outfit is a little more appropriate...and super cute. Love the color of her tank top and that crochet vest from Bebe is adorable. Also - good call on the gladiator sandals. Moving boats + heels = oy vay

Love this photo, by the way. Beautiful people goofing off. Must be nice when this is your job.

Also, color coordination goes a long way. I applaud you, Mr. (or Ms.) 90210 Wardrobe Guru.

Can we talk about how obsessed I am with Adrianna's dress? How freaking yacht-appropriate is it?? It's like... Sailor Chic and I WANT IT, even though I have absolutely nowhere to wear it. Plus, it's getting kinda cold here in CT. Le sigh. Still want it.

OH! And her shoes. Definitely want her shoes! How adorable?? They're Betsey Johnson and $120.00 at Zappos (marked down from $200... I guess you can consider that a sale). I'm just going to keep reminding myself that I have bills to pay and they're not really fall/winter shoes so they would just sit in my closet. So sad.

Let me just say that the lovely ladies are all about sun protection to go along with their fashion statements. Aside from the fact that they're all pretty pale for California girls, take a look at the major trend I saw in this episode:

Hats and sunglasses for everyone! Except, Adrianna, but apparently she got some fantastic red lipstick instead of sunglasses as her accessory. I like Annie's white glasses and hat combo the best and I have to admit that I've always wanted a giant floppy hat like that, but I can't get beyond feeling ridiculous every time I try one on. Anyone else feel like that, or is it just me being weird?

One last thing...

This dress? Ugh. It's like... A bad 80's prom imitation. It also reminds of those weird cartoons that used to be all over Nickelodeon? With the stick-figures and hearts and I think it's probably some famous artist that does them and that's all fine and dandy, but it doesn't belong on a dress. Neither does that super random polka-dot ruffle thing. Not cool.

So, what did you think of their little yacht outing? Yay or nay?

[photo credit: cwtv.com]

This is How We Roll at a Polo Match - Upper East Side Edition

I have to confess that the closest I've ever been to a polo match is living vicariously through Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. So, my frame of reference for what one should wear to an end-of-the-summer charity polo match is roughly limited to this:

Preppy dress. Large hat. Pearls. Gloves.

Got it.

Only... My favorite Upper-East-Siders have pretty much shattered that image for me.

Not that I'm surprised or anything. I mean, Julia didn't exactly have a stylist to prepare her, did she? And even though she's lookin' pretty WASP-appropriate here, the Gossip Girl gang has shown me the light in this week's season premiere.

For example... You might think that an evening gown is not suitable attire for a daytime event such a this, but you would be very wrong.

The lovely Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively) clearly shows us that she can totally show up in this stunning peach-colored, pleated, and flowing Grecian Marchesa dress and not feel the least bit out of place.

I can't lie... I adore this dress. I don't think the pictures do it justice at all. I believe it's from Marchesa's Spring '09 line, at least according to what I've read, but I can't find any photos of it on the website. Definitely check out the Marchesa site though - the Spring '09 line is beautiful and one of my favorites from this designer.

Ahhhh... Here we go! Ever the proper WASP, Ms. Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) brings back the hat! Not to mention a gorgeous Walter double-layered silk chiffon dress. Love it!

From the flutter sleeves to the ruffled scoop neckline, this dress had me at it's Tiffany-Box-Blue (which is really more of an aqua/sea-foam type shade, no?) color.

I'm happy to say that we have a new addition to the crew this season. Joanna Garcia (RIP Privileged!) plays Bree Buckley and I'm already a fan.

This floral maxi dress (couldn't find the designer anywhere!) was surprisingly pretty on screen; and though I apologize for the odd closeup on her chest, I wanted to show the detail on the top part of her dress.

It was very pretty and very flattering (at least for girls lucky enough not to need any support up there) and I give it a thumbs up.

Oh, the boys... How I love the boys on this show. They really don't ever need to speak. Just stand there and look pretty. If it's absolutely necessary to speak though, I really wish they would let Ed Westwick use his natural British accent even though his character, Chuck Bass, is a native New Yorker. I have a serious thing for accents.

I'm loving the casual suits. Ed's fellow cast members, Sebastian Stan (who is actually Leighton Meester's real-life boyfriend) and Chace Crawford are just as dashing, if less fashionably flamboyant, than Ed and I think it's a hit.

Now for the bad news... Taylor Momsen is still pissing off somebody in the wardrobe department, only now she's bringing fellow cast member Jessica Szohr (Ed Westwick's real-life girlfriend) down with her.

Little Jenny Humphrey needs to wear some more appropriate clothes and much less makeup. She also needs to get rid of those ratty bleached-blonde extensions. Any more episodes like this and she's likely to get kicked out of the upper East side and end up on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Tacky, Jenny. Just stop being so freakin' tacky.

As for Vanessa Abrahms (Szohr)... Ugh. More ratty extensions. And the girl clearly has very curly hair. Can't they do a little bit better job of smoothing it out? It just looks frizzy and stiff and ugh. Bad. Really, really bad.

This dress did nothing for her figure (when you're that tiny, shouldn't everything look good?) and the pattern was just... Bleh. I'm just not a fan.

So there you have it. Season 3 of Gossip Girl is underway and I'm pretty excited to see what's in store for the gang.

Want to hear more about the (mostly) fabulous style on the show? Gossip Girl Insider has a few videos from costume designer Eric Damon. He talks all about the style for the upcoming season for Serena, Blair, and Jenny. Enjoy!

[photo credits: cwtv.com, gossipgirlinsider.com, gossipgirlonline.net, seenon.com, pret-a-party.blogspot.com]

To New Beginnings (and a New Beverly Hills Beach Club)

Anybody remember the awesome beach club that Brandon worked at and everyone else partied at? Sadly, the new 90210 has upgraded since the early 90's and the old club is nowhere in sight. I mean, okay, everything does look pretty swanky and everything... But it's just not the same. Sigh.

Just for nostalgia's sake, here's the old gang:

Awww. Love them!

But back to the topic at hand... The new gang was back and looking more fabulous than ever. There was crying and laughing and sex, oh my! The Mean Girls have been reunited, there's a new Mysterious Hottie in town, and a John Doe has officially been pronounced dead. But who really cares about the storyline? All drama aside, let's talk about the clothes, shall we?

We first see our favorite juvenile delinquents in their last moments of summer school (an unfortunate consequence of a massive party that was busted up at the end of last season) and the fun quickly gets underway. Naomi, Silver, and Adrianna (played by AnnaLynne McCord, Jessica Stroup, and Jessica Lowndes respectively) hop into their convertible and cruise down to the Beverly Hills Beach Club.

Side note - I was recently in LA for the first time and was saddened to find out that the original BH Beach Club isn't a real place, since apparently Beverly Hills isn't actually on the beach. In fact, the location used (which was also used as the "Malibu Sands Beach Club" on Saved By The Bell) was unfortunately damaged in the 1994 Northride earthquake and no longer available.

So here are the girls, in their awesome color coordinated Ray-Bans and ice cream cones.

And in case you were wondering what absurdly wealthy teenagers in Beverly Hills wear to relax by the pool?

Super high heels, of course! Duh! Let the relaxation commence! Though, I gotta tell you, I am loving the 40's pin-up girl look Adrianna has going on here.

After some splish-splashy good times, everyone apparently heads home to re-style themselves and then head back to the club for the beach party. Now... Why wouldn't they just throw on a cover up over their swimsuits, you ask? After all... There is sand and water and everyone knows a beach party means super casual, right?

Nope. That's just not how those Beverly Hills kids roll.

Instead, they roll a little something like this:

I actually...kind of...maybe just a little bit...like it? Actually... I might even love it. I'm not crazy about that pink/red strappy dress on Naomi, but I don't hate it. It fits her well and it's not nearly as skanky as it could be, so yay! I love Adrianna's drapey Grecian goddess dress. The color is lovely and looks amazing with her pale skin and dark flowing hair.

As for Silver... Oh Silver, how I want your outfit (I wouldn't say no to having that body to go with it, not gonna lie)... It's stylish and chic, a little edgy and rocker-girl with that belt, and oh.em.gee those heels are ah-MAZE-ing.

Seriously FIERCE. What is not so fierce is the weird synchronized dance thing going on in the picture on the right there... I have no idea what was going on. I've never seen or heard of that particular party dance and come on... I am not that old and out of touch just yet. It also amuses me that Silver's newly cropped (and super adorable) hair was straight at the beginning of the party and then was suddenly wavy once the dancing started. There are people on television sets who's job it is to make sure there are no continuity mistakes like that. Clearly someone dropped the ball on that one. Hire me instead! I'll totally pay attention!

The kind of attention that would make me question how Adrianna's hair grew about seventeen feet over the summer! That has always been one of my biggest pet peeves with TV shows... Nobody ever comments on hair changes! Why wouldn't they just have Adrianna say a quick line about how she just got back from getting hair extensions, or at least have someone else comment on how great her hair looks... Something. ANYTHING!

But, irritation aside, the girl looks stunning with the new hair. It's probably hard to make a beautiful girl like that look bad, but I definitely think the long hair suits her much more. I'm not thrilled with the bright red lipstick with a lilac dress (it was way brighter on screen than in this photo) but I can handle it. And let me just say, for a former-child-star-turned-pregnant-reformed-junkie who gave her baby up for adoption a few months before this party, Adrianna is lookin' hawt. You go girl. You just keep on rockin' those extensions, darlin'.

If the premiere episode is any indication - I can't wait for the rest of the season in all its fashionable glory!

[photo credits: tvguide.com, cwtv.com]

Melrose Place: Tuesday's the New Humpday

No, seriously... That's one of the taglines for the CW's Melrose Place remake that premieres tonight, right after 90210.

See?

Ha. Hahaha I kind of love it and I kind of want to smack myself upside the head for even laughing.

According to the CW, this is the basic rundown: "In an elegant Spanish-style apartment complex in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles, the lives and relationships of a diverse group of 20-somethings intertwine to form a close-knit surrogate family."

And here is the "diverse group of 20-somethings":

So... Let me get this straight. Basically, it's what happens when the 90210 kids graduate and move from their Beverly Hills mansions into supersweet apartments in LA, where mommy and daddy still pay their rent so they can all have awesome "jobs" that don't really pay anything, since they're probably not really working all that much?

Okay, cool. I get it. A scripted version of The Hills. Well, a more scripted version of The Hills.

I have to admit that I never watched the original Melrose Place. It was hard enough to convince my mom to let me stay up and watch all the original 90210 partying, hooking up, overdosing, etc. No way was she ever going to let me get an extra hour of debauchery in on top of that. I'm kind of curioius to see how this new show goes. The 90210 remake doesn't hold a candle to my beloved original series, but I still watch it out of some sick sense of nostalgia...or something (the cute guys and fantastic clothes might have something to do with it). I don't really have a reason to watch Melrose, except that Ashlee Simpson attempting to act might be good for a laugh or twenty.

I do have high hopes for the fashion, though. I'm thinking it could be a suitably entertaining thing to have in the backround while I'm reading endless textbooks and wishing I could have been born one of those trust-fund brats running around LA in my fabulous Christian Louboutins.

And frankly, when it all comes down to it... Having these people on my television screen for an hour a week...

Might not be so bad. At the very least, chances are good that I'll feel like a genius in comparison, right?

I say bring on the New Humpday!

So what do you think? Excited for the new show? Would you rather stick a fork in your eye than be subjected to Ashlee Simpson's "acting"?

[photo credits: tvverdict.com, melroseplaceblog.com]