I’m so happy but sad right now because I had this same idea… use the Internet to capture the feedback/input of the fashion community to rate designs which then get turned into actual detail products. Ok.. so I got the idea first from www.threadless.com.. but still… I wanted to do something like this for us!

If you haven’t heard about the contest yet… for those of you who have always wanted to design a handbag — here’s your chance. Submit your designs in sketch format to Glam.com and the public will either love you or hate you and you may very well end up getting your design selected to be created and then sold to the masses. Welcome to Fashion 2.0.

Find out more

Hey iRobot… the SHOE design content has got to be next. You just may reach shoe cobbler status sooner than you think!

For those of you who prefer intimate Boutiques over the mass chains and malls, you’ll love this online shop I discovered over the break. Disclaimer: I met one of the owners (Gemma) over the weekend. She’s a friend of a friend of my hubbys’. There’s something about Gemma that just says style, sensual, and fun — all in one. I can see why she’d make a great buyer. She says they named the store TeenyPig since they love to eat. I can most certainly relate Gemma!

What I loved about TeenyPig right off the bat was the unique items, stuff you really just can’t find at the chain stores, and what’s even more bonus is the surprisingly realistic prices. Most things range from $50-$200.

www.teenypig.com

Here’s just a few of the pieces that screamed out at me: BUY NOW!

Lure Chain Drape Back Top — $175.00

Sweetees Belle Top – $88.00

WESC Alicia Knitted Stripe Tank — $90.00

And now… give me a few days to order these before you get them. I hear their stock runs out quick

Leaving for Boston tomorrow morn! I’m going for a wedding and to see my hubby’s undergrad campus — Tufts. It’s going to be real tough being away from my computer… i’ll manage… somehow.

Be back Monday~

I’m curious about where the in-bound traffic to my blog is coming from so I like to check what Google Search terms are sending people to my blog. Recently, I saw someone had searched "Is Forever21 helping or hurting the fashion industry".

Forever21 Rocks!

In my humble view Forever21 and similar discount (luxe for less, also referred to as "chic n’ cheap") fashion retailers are most definitely HELPING the fashion industry. In the short term higher end fashion designers and retailers are taking a big hit. I remember being in Forever21 one weekend and having to fight the crowds to no end and then walking over to Saks Fifth to find a completely deserted floor — on a Saturday! The reality is that people don’t want to have to pay premium prices to look good. As you know, I don’t believe they should either. Forever21 and discount retailers are turning the fashion industry upside down. What used to be a very elite and segmented market, is now opening up to the masses. Everyone and their Moms’ shop at Forever21. Ok so maybe the Moms need to stay away but they are there! That’s a sign that more stores ought to target mature women’s discount fashion.

Necessary Evil

I must admit that the shady things Forever21 does in terms of knocking off designs and such has to come to a stop… but I think that’s going to take a long time to figure out. In the meantime, it’s going to happen but I think it’s a necessary evil in order for the fashion industry to take a step forward.

What do I mean by a step forward?

Well, I’ve always thought that the fashion industry was one sided — to the point where it’s unhealthy. It bothers me that fashion designers live in their creative worlds and never think twice about who their loyal fans or just a normal consumer is. They design things on their own whim… and do they ever stop to think about what it is that WE want? Do they ever care that the beautiful things they make are friggin unwearable?? Perhaps there are some that do but the most talented designers I’m sure never needed to waste their time and effort on such trivial matters. With the rise of discount fashion, which in turn made fashion accessible to the masses, this placed some of the power back into the consumer’s hands - US! There’s more of us and we have choices. The more consumers of fashion, the larger the industry can grow. The larger the industry, the more competitive the market. I feel all of this will bring about a much healthier and improved fashion industry.

I welcome all thoughts on the topic!

YSL / Yves Sain Laurent Downtown Bag at Neiman Marcus.com

It’s so luxe… yet also so edgy — almost Matrix-like (the movie, Keanu, black leather…) And it’s mine! I know I was considering more white and light colored hand bags for my Summer 2007 "IT" bag, but how could I resist when walking through the mall this weekend I fell smack dab into this hotness of a bag? I had been on my feet for hours at the mall on Sunday evening and I decided to just "check things out" at Nordstrom. A year ago I would have been safe but now Nordstrom carries all the luxury designer bags and now no one is safe — even in South Bay!

Buy Cheap, then Upgrade!

I first learned about the YSL Downtown bag at SassyBella’s Blog. Thanks girl. You had a part in this When Sassy Bella mentioned this purse on her blog I posted a comment asking whether it came in Silver. She quickly found it for me. I’d been on the hunt for a big silver bag ever since I’d bought this $27 oversize hobo from Forever21. I wore that thing to the bone. I used to get compliments on it daily.. until the faux leather started to peel down to the inner synthetic lining. The bag is still tucked away in my closet… I just can’t let go. Someday i will re-manufacture that bag. It’s the greatest thing I ever bought for $27. That’s a good approach to buying handbags BTW. Spend less than $50 on a discount fashion handbag and wear it for a bit until you know you love it — then go out and buy a good quality version.

Other blog mentions:

The Purse Blog — Jessica Biel

The Purse Blog — Selma Hayek

Hnadbag Designer 101 — Madonna

Handbag Designer 101 — Gisele Bundchen

And let me tell you… pictures do not justice to this bag. In real life, the silver coloring of this bag looks much nicer than in the photos.
 

What I LOVE about this Bag

1. It’s big
2. It’s comfy to carry
3. It’s convenient in that the zipper zip up half way and leave a nice opening to grab things out quickly.
4. The exterior pocket for my cell phone and keys.
5. The straps are just long and thin enough to carry over the shoulder, w/o the bag slipping down again and again.
6. The leather is top quality, supple to the touch
7. The bag is ultra lightweight, can hold it with my finger tip when empty!
8. Silver goes with anything - almost. Some days I don’t care and I’ll try to get away with anything.

Thank you to my hubby for hookin’ it up PHAT!

And lastly, I’m trying to sell my White YSL Muse Bag if anyone is interested. It’s a bit small for me since I’m into oversize these days. Email me your best offer.

For those of you who don’t know me, I got married last
November, 2006.  Those of you who were there I’m sure
recall how chilly it was that night But I hope you also retained some
fond memories of the ceremony at Villa Montalvo, the reception on the
veranda, YS and my first dance to "Everytime I Close My Eyes" by
Babyface, the pink roses and peonies, the navy satin table dressings
with ivory satin accents, the matching navy satin bows adorning the
4-tiered wedding cake, and the wedding stationary perfectly coordinated
with the wedding invitations… of course you do right??

Now that you understand my theory behind Luxe Mixin‘, you can see that I’d most definately mix some luxeness into my own wedding! The goal was to incorporate the most luxurious of things with the most practical and affordable in such a way that the wedding guests would never know what was high-end, low-end, and homemade since it would all come together to create an elegant and tasteful experience.

Here is a peek into my wedding as well as all the resources I collected over the span of those 5 months of madness (hopefully some of you going through the process can leverage). Feel free to ask me any questions!

luxemix@gmail.com

The Venue

Villa Montalvo
Saratoga, California

The Invitations

Letterpress by Hello! Lucky

Wedding Programs, Place Cards, Menus, CD Favors

Luxe Mix Designs (Me!!) — see below for files

Wedding envelopes from Envelope Mall

I printed a "Wedding Playlist" on the other side of the dinner menu which had the playlist of our wedding CD with descriptions of why we loved each song on the CD.

Ribbon was from JKM Ribbon — SOOO much cheaper here than in fabric stores!

Wedding Flowers

by Jacklyn Le of Le Bouquetier

Bride’s Bouquet — peonies, roses

Bridesmaids Bouquets — roses, callalillies

Groom and Groomsmens’ Boutoniers — callalillies

Other Boutoniers — cymbimdium orchids

Table centerpieces — roses, cymbidium orchids

Party Rentals

(Tables, Chivari Chairs, Satin Linens, Heaters, Pin Spot Lighting, Up-lighting)

by Classic Party Rentals (SF)

Bridal Party

Bridesmaid Dresses by Alvina Valenta

Groomsmen Tuxedo’s by After Hours

Flower Girls

Dresses by Little Angels (I got these at their store location in the Great Mall, Milpitas)

Wedding Dress

by Vackyuunzung

Wedding Garter

by Wedding Keepers

Wedding Hair and Makeup

by Jonathon Nguyen

vantoc@aol.com

Wedding Cake

by Bijan Bakery

Flavors: Tiramisu (2 layers) and Chocolate Mousse (2 layers)

Wedding Cake Mongram Crystal Topper

by Toppers with Glitz

Catering

Hors d’ Oeuvres and Main Course by Le Papillon

Photography

by Jade Photo Studio / Jade Studio Productions

Wedding Favors

Apple iPods

Maid of Honor and Bridesmaid Mugs

Bridemaid Dress Sachets (can’t find the link!)

Resources

Bookmarks

Below are all the Kaboodle lists I put together while researching/planning my wedding. They contain all the sites I found and liked, or the items I was considering using within my wedding. Yes, I’m obsessive.

Wedding

Flowers

Cakes

Bridesmaid Gifts

Wedding Favors

Other Helpful Resources

Wedding Itinerary Template - I must give proper credit where credit’s due. The Choister (aka Mayor of San Francisco since she knows just about everyone here) and her friends supplied this template to me. It was a lifesaver. It provides the basic structure for the entire "day-of" timeline. Hope you don’t mind I’m passing this along Choister!

Wedding Program Illustrator Template
page 1 | page 2

This is an Illustrator file I created which if you print it front and back on one sheet of paper can be folded and cut to create a pretty cool wedding program.

Wedding Menu

Wedding CD Playlist

Wedding Invitation Etiquette (how to word stuff).

Tyra does not look fazed one bit. Might as well use the papz for what they are they for, right? The guy walking next to her is having a good ole time.

Lindsay Lohan

Pulling off the Rainbow Brite — and getting away with it!

Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox

This dress could flaunt her curves a little more.. but the color is juicy! I’d wear this out for a night of dinner and dancing.

Haylie and Hilary Duff

Noureen Dewulf

Rebecca Romjin

Samantha Cole

Hot in a trashy sort of way

Dave Annable

Smokin’…

Chase Crawford

Smokier!

Lindsay Lohan

Pulling off the Rainbow Brite — and getting away with it!

Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox

This dress could flaunt her curves a little more.. but the color is juicy! I’d wear this out for a night of dinner and dancing.

Haylie and Hilary Duff

Noureen Dewulf

Rebecca Romjin

Samantha Cole

Hot in a trashy sort of way

Dave Annable

Smokin’…

Chase Crawford

Smokier!

My first "look" on ShopStyle.com…