Channeling Chanel

Coco Chanel gave the fashion world many gifts, which included her iconic tweed suits. Her designs are timeless and classic, and have served as inspiration for too many people to count.

I spotted this new twist on the classic, a fun green tweed pencil skirt with some gold thread woven in. It's the perfect skirt for the fall, and could go all the way into winter with the right top. I might even take the Chanel reference over the top and wear some extra chunky pearls with it, but I'd probably skip the belt since they are inconvenient to wear when going through airport security.

However, to adapt this skirt for the corporate world (since I can't very well wear a graphic tee to a customer site or to give a seminar) what would you put with it? Vote below, and if you have particular suggestions, leave them in the comments below!

What would you pair with this skirt?
	A cardigan sweater
	A classic button down shirt
	A turtleneck
	A silk blouse
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Let go of those leggings

Submitted by Style Spy JS, on her way to Napa.......an indescribably awful outfit. Who knew that one could buy ankle leggings and a matching headband in putrid green? It's like the color one looks like after an all night bender on the town with the girls, that always ends in shots of Jager that you regret the next day. You know, those days when you can literally smell the alcohol coming out of your pores, and you just want wrap yourself in your fluffy robe, pour tylenol down your throat, and sit in a dark room feeling sorry for yourself? That's what this outfit reminds me of.

Speaking of purses

Waaaaaaaannnnnntttttttttt

Michael Kors designs for the modern jet set woman, as evidenced in his ad campaign featuring fabulously dressed women stepping off private jets and rushing to their town cars, or lounging on their yacht their day off from their high power job. And obviously, I covet most of his wares. The newest of which is this fantastic purple purse, with just enough tough girl studs. It is perfect, and like my beloved green croco bag, I would take it everywhere and love it dearly. So who would like to donate to my collection? TIA for your support!

Friends don't let friends by faux bags

I have a long standing lust for Louis Vuitton bags, but for now they are prohibitively expensive. As un-fun and economically responsible as this sounds, for now it is more important to save for a house down payment than buy iconic bags. But just because I don't personally own a little Louis of my own doesn't mean that I am not knowledgeable about them. And this suitcase is an insultingly bad knock off. Not.even.close. I firmly subscribe to the no-faux bags policy, I think knockoffs are the penultimate in poor taste.

And not a moment later, I spied this Coach knockoff. Seriously? Why even bother? Coach bags are everywhere now - if you want one so badly, go to the outlet or any discount store and score a past-season bag at a deep discount. I'm not hating on people looking for a bargain designer bag, I myself carry a Dooney and Bourke green crocodile embossed bag that I found on a clearance section for $100, all because it was missing the long shoulder strap. I snatched that bag up (I don't use shoulder straps anyway!) and I have literally dragged that bag across the country now for 2 years, and it still looks fabulous. So dear readers, if you want a designer bag, become a savvy shopper and snag one at a discount store. Don't buy obviously fake wannabe bags. You're not fooling anyone except yourself.

National belt shortage reaches state of emergency!

The economic downturn is clearly affecting today's youth, who are being forced to sell their belts just to survive in these hard times.

I would like to officially state for the record that I am tired of low rise jeans with back fat and thongs hanging out. I don't need to see your hot pink g-string when I am walking down the street and you bend over to tie your fug fringe boots.

It's called A L T E R A T I O N S people! If you buy low rise jeans that are too big in the waist, take them to your tailor (you do have a tailor, don't you?) and get the waist band taken in. It's not time consuming or expensive, and it would save the innocent public from obtaining intimate knowledge of your undergarment selections.

Past her prime Playboy bunny

Oh dear readers, I nearly choked on my french onion soup when I spied this outfit........denim shorts that only teenagers should wear, age-inappropriate hair bleached within an inch of it's life, the shoes. Oh the shoes. Regrettably, I was unable to capture a front shot, so you could enjoy the hot pink belt that complimented the radioactive pink shoes.

I wonder where she found those shoes. Not long ago, when I was a student and still lived in Dallas, there was a particular section of town quite popular for the gentlemen's clubs. There were also a few stores carrying what I fondly referred to as "hooker wear". I suppose it was a convenience factor for the women working in the area as dancers, as they could pop in and buy a naughty nurse or hot-for-teacher outfit if they felt so inspired. Or a leather whip, personal preference, really. These stores also carried the ubiquitous lucite platform heels, thigh-high white pleather boots, and I bet they had some hot pink shoes just like this has-been Playboy bunny here.

Dear reader, you may be asking yourself why I am knowledgeable about the stripper wear stores........I was there searching for a halloween costume, obviously.

Shoe lover

August is a slow month for me travel wise, so I am entertaining myself by selecting some new additions for the fall. Of course, I'm justifying this by saying that this is my first year as a business woman, and I really need to build my wardrobe.

To start my business wardrobe, I just bought the basic essentials, so currently I have a mere 6 pairs of shoes that rotate in and out of my suitcase: croc embossed pointy toe stilettos in both black and brown, snakeskin pumps with a rounder toe in gray, some giraffe print slingbacks, a pair of black round toe pumps with a bow, and a fabulous pair of purple snake skin stilettos with an ankle strap.



Both pairs of croc embossed shoes have taken quite a beating and already visited the shoe repair man several times, and I'm ashamed to say that the repairs cost almost as much as the shoes. The old saying "buy cheap buy twice" really does seem accurate. Before you judge me, remember I was shopping on a graduate student budget, and it was more important to buy ramen noodles and beer than fabulous shoes. I did have an exceptional collection of flip flops though. Am I vindicated from shopper's guilt yet? It's been a struggle to escape the old feelings from my student days, when I felt guilty for spending any amount of money on something that wasn't absolutely essential. But shoes are essential, right? I can't very well traipse through the airport barefoot after all......so these are the current shoes I'm obsessing over.





Anyone who knows me in real life knows I am a big fan of croc and animal print, which I am sure is obvious from my shoe selections. The ballet flats in leopard are fabulous, since they are both work appropriate and would be cute putzing around town on the weekends. They also come in zebra stripe with green trim, which I will also be ordering. JCrew had some animal print ballet flats years ago with hot pink trim, and I've never forgotten about them. I love the ostrich print pump in camel, it's a beautiful timeless and nearly season less shoe. I confess I am getting a bit sick of the pointy toe shoe, not that they are uncomfortable, but they are just dominating my shoe wardrobe right now. The same shoe comes in black crocoo print that is a great basic. When I find a shoe I really like, I tend to buy it in several colors, since most of the time I am traveling and no one will notice I am wearing the same shoe over and over. I think the key is to choose a fun shoe but pair it with understated clothes (with impeccable tailoring and high quality fabrics).




The python shoe is divine, the heel might be a bit high, but sometimes beautiful shoes are worth suffering for just a tiny bit. I am also a big fan of the spectator shoe in purple - both spectator shoes and purple are reportedly upcoming trends for fall, and it's a nice classic shape that I won't get sick of.



The last is a picture of the shoes that got away. Alas, I hesitated one too many times before ordering these shoes, and now they are no longer available. Let us take a moment of silence. RIP lovely polka dot shoes, perhaps we will meet again in the future.

What shoes are you eyeing for the fall?
	Booties
	Animal print
	Color
	Basic Black
	Metallic
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Football Floozie

Spotted at the Baltimore Ravens preseason game this weekend. My only wish dear readers is that you could have witnessed this outfit first hand, because this picture doesn't even do it justice. She had the double process platinum blonde and raven hair color that Christina Aguilera had back in her Xtina days (at least our football floozie didn't copy the assless chaps too, TYVM). Her bag was a horrible designer bag imitation - an old Kate Spade or Coach design, I believe. The shoes are a bit dated too - weren't cork wedge sandals last year? And the boobs....oh the boobs. This poor purple tank top was under serious duress. And I really hate visible bra straps, it screams trashy whore to me. I also believe women over 40 should not do the whole baby top/bare belly/low rise jeans combo. I will give her props for having a nice figure at her age, but there is no need to tart it up. Maybe she's a puma and on the prowl for new prey.

Here's a parting shot for you lambs. I don't think we even need to vote here, this outfit is clearly heinous.

Colonel Sanders DOES exist!

Spotted at a Metro area mall.....a man who is clearly trying to wear all of his white clothing before Labor Day rolls around and bids it goodbye until the next season. On second thought, perhaps a man that wears white shoes AND a white cowboy hat doesn't bend to the traditional rules of when to wear white. To add to our amusement, he even had white hair! Talk about dedication to the upcoming minimalist and monochromatic trend for fall. Maybe he was going to hop on a chopper to Sean John's white party in the Hamptons? I had to suppress the urge to run up to him and squirt a ketchup packet all over him, since you really shouldn't mess with people that consider Hannibal Lecter a fashion icon.

Gladiators gone bad

Spied in the streets of Baltimore, and submitted by Mr. Style Spy himself, we have an attempt at this summer's hot trend of gladiator sandals.  These sandals have been everywhere this summer, but personally I have avoided this trend due to the cankle factor. Some of you lambs like these types of sandals, and I agree they are not totally off the mark, but I have to post it because the Mister walked next to his unsuspecting victim for blocks and blocks before surreptitiously snapping a picture for yours truly.  

Maybe it's because it's early and I haven't finished my latte, but I can't decide if these are heinous or hot.  I can accept regular sandal height, but taking it to knee height is a bit much for me. I don't think I'm really feeling it - can you imagine the complicated tan lines you would get after wearing these for a long time?  You could be scarred for life. 

So what say you, dear readers?

Gladiator boots. Heinous or Hot?
	Heinous - I would rather go barefoot in the city streets than subject my feet to those monstrosities
	Hot - Clearly Style Spy has no style
	HoHum - I appreciate the trend, but they are not my style
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