Quit Stealing All My Ideas

I love hats. I can't help it. They are just so cool. I actually wear my hats. I'm pasty white so I like them for how they look and that they cover my face. I have some baseball caps but don't wear them all that often. I'd rather wear a big straw hat or something "fancier."

But unless you are at the Derby or Ascot, you don't see alot of other hats around. There has been the newsboy cap or the beat up straw cowboy hat but that's usually a trendy hipster or someone of that ilk.

I've been making a rash of recent hat purchases though. I got my boater, two cute vintage hats and talked just a month ago about getting a bowler (aka derby) hat. I've been researching the best options and had finally narrowed it down when I came upon this.... at Target!


Ummm... what the hell is a derby hat doing at freaking Target! Who is ripping off my ideas!

Okay, I know I'm probably not the only one buying/wearing a bowler hat but it's not like you are seeing a lot of them around getting all popular. Where did the buyer at Target come up with this one? Is this a growing trend that I am totally unaware of but subliminally influence by?

Well, I thought about buying the Target derby because, hey, it was $15 which is a bit cheaper than the ones I looked at. In the end, though, I passed. The main reason is because of the brim. A real derby/bowler isn't turned up all the way around like that, so it wasn't giving me the right look.

What I did buy is this one:




This one I bought through a vendor on Amazon. I hope it fits okay and looks good when I get it. I'm thinking of taking it with me to NYC. I tried to find a good vintage one but all the ones I tried were too big. Kind of a bummer, that.

Anyway, there were other options too, if you were looking for one.

The V&A Museum has one as a part of their Hat Anthology exhibit. This is where my boater came from. They only have 2 sizes though.

Berkely Hats seems to have a lot of hat options and their derbys come in several colors

I had first looked at the ones that Historical Emporium was selling but wasn't sure of it. I may get my next hat (a grey top hat) from here.

If I had the cash ($300) I would have loved to have splurged on a Christy's derby. It looks gorgeous.

Hopefully more pics to follow actually wearing my new hats.

Botkier for Target

I'm not a huge bag person so I can't say I'm overly familiar with the Botkier brand. Maybe that helps to give me an objective opinion of the new designer pairing with Target.

But the pictures leading up to the launch of this line made me interested in seeing the real thing.

I like distressed leather especially in metallics. So I really wanted to see this hobo bag in particular.



Well, I was in Target yesterday and I did get to see them.

And, well, frankly they sucked. Big time. They looked like cheap vinyl which is, I guess, what they are.

I didn't see every style in the line but what I saw wasn't good.

Not recommended.

Never Forget! Elephants are Awesome.

I'm not sure if I can directly contribute the growing trend of jewelry featuring elephants to the growing interest and awareness of the Indian and Asian markets or if it's because the everyone is as smitten as I am with the new Hermes campaign "Hermes Orange, Indian Pink" (which is gorgeous by the way - check out all the ads), but they are definetly on the rise.



I love the Hermes brand. They are one of the final true luxury brands that care about craftsmanship and are less of a company of sell-outs.

Anyway, I just got this fun little elephant necklace from Target mainly because it had a vintage-y feel to it, but also because it keeps with my accent colors for Summer.



But when I was reading my Lucky magazine this weekend I saw a whole slew of elephant pieces. They featured this ring from Palm Beach Jewelry. They have a bunch of other elephant pieces too.



They had this ring from Moss Mills -





I loved this bracelet from JCrew but I don't think they are carrying it anymore. I'll be you could find a vintage piece like this.



I did a quick search eBay and found this mother-of-pearl necklace. I've seen lots of these in jade too.

What I like about the elephant motif is this it looks vintage but also has a modern Asian feel too. Exotic and safari-chic.

Imitation = Flattery?

On Friday I was at Target doing a serious round of shopping for some Spring basics and I spent a good amount of time in the jewelry department. I checked out the new Subversive line a bit (I need to do a closer look) but mainly just browsed through the fun inexpensive stuff. As I was sifting through the multitude of new items, this necklace caught my eye.




This is not a high-quality piece by any stretch (it's only $12), but it was cute and would look okay from far away. But the reason it caught my eye is because I totally knew what they swiped this design from.

Look familiar? These are the Forever Pendants by Bernardaud and are $215 on Vivre.



These are porcelain and the hearts are accented with painted chain detailing. They have a toggle closure and feature a application of gold or platinum edging. The colors are just lovely, I especially like the lavender and the red versions. But isn't it surprising that such a small piece could be remade for the mass-market and even more surprising to stumble upon it.

Loeffler Randall for Target

While I'm not a fan of the Loeffler Randall shoes for Target this season, I am kind of smitten with this hobo tote in cream.



I think this is the nicest piece in the line. Granted, I haven't seen it or felt the material in person but it looks like a nice large size and I am a sucker for a white/vanilla bag. Since it's leather it should wipe down fairly easy.

It also comes in brown and is only $39.99

If you see one or get one let me know what you think of the material.

Summing up my weekend

So this pretty much sums up my weekend:

Wore this:


Bought this:



Saw this:


Now on sale for $6293 from $8990! Run right out! Get two!

Went in to a covetous delirium for this:



And I'm spent.

See ya later, Alligator!

In my humble opinion, the more bold and colorful an item is, the better you can pull off a either a high end look with an affordable option. I doubt anyone would think that this purple alligator clutch is work thousands of dollars, but it does have a punchy color and, because it has a very streamlined shape (the wrist loop can be tucked in) it can be dressed up or down.


Target Xhilaration Clutch - $13

Or you can go very very high end. Again, it's "out there" but the classic lines and material will ensure this is never out of style.


Gucci Couture

Just as long as you are bold enough to wear it!

Gothic Lolita - 3 ways

I love the whole "Gothic Lolita" trend created by the ever-trendy Japanese schoolgirls and fueled by Avril Lavigne. With its sweet-edgy vibe, there are tons of cute looks and accessories. As a big Hello Kitty fan, I totally could get into the layers of pretty/crazy/morbid/pink-skulls-with-tiaras look.

Tarina Tarantino is one of the innovators of this look and her jewelry and accessories are popular with tons of celebrities, plus fun Miss Gala. She has a great back-story and personal style that I admire even while I know I cannot emulate. However, I do find her pieces a bit pricey. And when you want to layer, as in this picture, that could get darn expensive!



Betsey Johnson is now doing a line of jewelry for Nordstroms, which I think, has a similar feel. But while a single one of Tarina's pieces is $100 or more, this layered necklace just around $100. I might get this to wear with some of the black and grey dresses I got for Fall/Winter.


On the least expensive end of the spectrum is the Dominque Cohen line for Target. This is not a cheap line of jewelry by Target standards. This necklace is about $50. I like how they show the pieces layered and I love the little bow earrings and cameo necklaces and bracelets, but this is a bit high for what I expect to pay at Target. I think that is going to be the case and we'll see these go on sale.



I'll probably snatch some up then to create my layered look The problem is it looks like their "fun" fashion jewelry but the prices are a bit high for the Target shopper. Plus they have these pieces in the locked jewelry cases. I know I hate to try and get someone to actually wait on me there, so I'm not sure how well these are selling.

I like my bedspread, but not this much...

Does this look like a hot designer flapper-style coat? Or.....



a Target Bedspread???


Discuss!

Big Friggin' Bling

I just saw this awesome clutch on Nine West. I think it has a really high end look for not too much money - about $80. I love the big "stones" and the glam/tough design. It's one of those classic pieces that can look totally current but you could wear for years.


You want an equally strong shoe to go with it. Something that has the same tough/glam vibe. On the high end you could pair this with:


Christian Louboutin Bling Bling Peep-toe in grey ($1325 at Neiman Marcus). The black velvet, clear crystal version is hot too.

Or this:


Jimmy Choo Watson Ballet Flats (not too bad at $340 - Neiman Marcus)

On a more accessible end, zip right back to Nine West and find these:
Nine West Dagner - $79

Want to go more casual and pair with jeans or even for during the day, go with these:

Nine West Dottie - $60

I even think the big stones on this really affordable option would be a good pairing:

I own these and they are very comfortable. Mossimo Dasha at Target - $25.

The big stones have a subtle glam-ness - great for nights out all year round but especially fun for adding some shine to the darker tones of Fall and Winter.

On Trend/Truly Unique

Coming out of Spring/Summer and into Fall, Bubblegum and Graduated bead necklaces are still fun and fresh and give a great contrast to button down shirts and trousers. These necklaces are available very inexpensively. These two are from Target. The first is made of wooden beads and the second is made of plastic beads. They are each around $8 at Target. If you don't want to see the same necklace on everyone but you want to be on trend, there are equally inexpensive vintage options too.



But if you are looking for some totally unique options, visit Etsy.com. The artists there have created some amazing pieces, including this garnet and brass necklace that looks like bubbles or a Deco graphic. You will definitely be the only girl at the party wearing this one. And it's only $30.


So whether you want a trendy look or eclectic and unique (or both) there are some great options out there in totally accessible prices.

Bangle Bracelets

I don't wear a lot of jewelry. I used to wear more when I was younger, but I tend to find it more annoying than anything. I rarely wear earrings anymore because I am on the phone so much and they poke into my head. And I only have two watches that I alternate wearing - a nice one and an acrylic Toy watch. And I only wear a ring on one finger on each hand at the most.

I am liking bangle bracelets more and more. Either alone as a statement piece or clanking together on my arm. I've seen a lot of clear acrylic bracelets lately and I liked the style. I bought a few different sizes on eBay which is probably the best place for a deal.

To glam up a simple top and jeans, I got 3 of these crystal bracelets and wear them stacked together on one arm. I bet I could mix these with the clear bangles. These came from Target.
This is a very chunky bracelet from Dolly Dagger in the UK. I don't think they have the pink version, but they do have an aqua version with pink crystals.

This is a vintage bracelet that I also found on eBay when I was hunting around for the clear bangles. I love pink and green together and this has a retro feel that could also be very contemporary, depending on what you wear it with. It's very graphic.

Target.com has a ton of fashion jewelry online, much more than in the store. What is great is that you can search by color but I like to randomly click around to see what I can find. I just got this chunky wood version which I think will give a nice textural contrast to the Fall clothes coming in.

I also like this feather option. From what I have seen, feathers are going to be big, big, BIG this Fall. The color is great for all the Fall clothes, the texture is there, plus they are very feminine. Target had headbands with feathers too, that I may need to go back and get.



And because these are only around $8, you don't have to make a huge investment.