Pool Scene: The Raleigh Hotel

Q: What's the best accessory for your new art-deco, Old Hollywood inspired summer dress? A: Miami. Reminiscing the 1940's we find ourselves at the Raleigh Hotel in Miami. The private, palm lined pool scene is the perfect escape from the outside world. With free innertubes, a wood burning pizza oven, and accessible wi-fi, you don't need to be anywhere else.

Pretty Prints: Celia Birtwell for Express

Textile queen Celia Birtwell is one of the pioneers of 1960's London boho. Known for always doing "pretty", her beautiful prints are now gracing the breezy chiffon dresses of Express. Working in the Express color palette of signature reds and pinks, these attainable pieces are perfect for looking and staying cool on hot summer days.

Shop: Wallet

Thank you Jack Spade, you're quirky and adorable.

Remember Rings

Never again will you (let's face it, I mostly mean he) forget that anniversary/birthday/baby shower when you sport a Remember Ring ($760; Pre-order). 24 hours before the big day, the HotSpot on the ring will heat up to 120 degrees for approximately 10 seconds, and will continue to do so every hour, on the hour, all day long (enough time to not only remember, but to scrounge together a fantastic and thoughtful gift).

Lucky Charms

Jane Gordon, NY based jewelry designer, makes emotive jewelry out of green-friendly gold or silver and white diamonds. One piece has diamonds falling out of a broken heart, symbolizing hidden faith and letting go. Gordon explains “The double meaning lies in that you never know when your next lucky break will come”. Lucky Break is her line of rings, necklaces, and pearl enhancers that sell from $850-4,200 at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Wine and Bread Bag

California based designer Rebecca Minkoff will soon launch her cleverly designed, green-friendly “Bread and Wine Bag”. The cream canvas tote is 1.5x2 feet and is ideal for carrying anything from a change of shoes to your weekend groceries. 5% of the proceeds go to The Earth Organization, a nonprofit committed to planet rehabilitation.

Fashion & Golf

I will never understand the love for golf, except for when its mixed with fashion and cocktails. Calvin Klein is hosting a party next week at the Four Seasons Golf Club (above) in Dubai to showcase products from all of the company's Spring 2008 lines. This includes the new Euphoria Intense scent and the new ck Calvin Klein beauty line of cosmetics, which will be exclusively featured on female models. Now this is a golf trip I wouldn't mind taking.

Spring Martini

A weekend catch-up requires 2 things: your favorite friends and cute beverages. Monday's usually mean a detoxifying cup of tea rather than a Sex and the City induced cosmo, but who says you can't sip the herbal goodness out of Anthropologie's beautifully painted floral martini glass?

Evian Facial Spray

After a 2 hour on-board flight delay and a 5 hour nap before work, getting out of bed and facing the world was possibly the last thing I wanted to do this morning. Evian’s Brumisateur sprays are branded to help alleviate these exact troubles. Apparently, the spritzes entitled Shanghai Beauty, New York Nights and Paris Fashion, leave your face refreshed and tingling in the morning. I'm pretty sure they aren't that different than water from the sink, but they do come in these cute Stephane Manel limited edition bottles.

Coach Caps

American luxury brand Coach has extended into a new product category for Spring: hats designed by Eugina Kim. The bright collection was debuted for editors at an ever-appropriate springtime tea party at the Chelsea spot Norwood last week. The menu consisted of fresh iced tea, sandwiches, strawberry biscuits, and cupcakes designed in Coach's signature colors. Depending on how the line sells, this could be a mini test drive into Coach ready-to-wear in the upcoming seasons.

Heidi Montag: What Were You Thinking

I blogged about Whitney and LC, therefore it would be unfair to not post on Heidiwood, the new clothing line "designed" by Hills co-star Heidi Montag. Only 2 of the 12 pieces have sleeves, merely one item lengthens past the thigh (and it's a pair of pants), and one of the "looks" consists of black shorts with a 1" inseam and a trashy-trash zebra print tank with a massive faux-chiffon bow on the back. Resulting in scores of 0 for class, 0 for style, and -10 for quality, it will be interesting to see how much Heidiwood will be out on the streets.

Beach Bag Season

It may not be beach season on the East Coast quite yet, but for people like my friend Jenna who "weekend" in Palm Beach during the off season, it is fine to start preparing. My latest craving for this season is for a beach bag that is appropriate yet does not match my tropical beach towel. One of my favorites so far is this woven metallic tote . Strapped with metallic "feet" to keep it standing and 3 inside pockets for organized storage, the sand will not be able to ruin my ipod, sunglasses, or get all over my sunscreen (SPF 25 at the least people!). The subtle gold weave keeps it a little glam while its basket like quality fits in perfectly under the summer sun.

High Heeled Crocs

As if they weren't already the hideous "Ugg of warm weather", Crocs are trying to squeeze their way into everyday life. These 4 inch heels made of croslite (croc material that is anti-microbal and odor resistant) and are said to be comfortable and stylish. I must argue with the latter and have a hard time believing that anything with the consistency of a bouncy ball can also be considered a style necessity.

Tommy Hilfiger in Your House

Tommy Hilfiger has partnered with Sony BMG to create internet tv channel tommytv.com . The site broadcasts The Hilfiger Sessions, concerts set up to spotlight established artists such as Wyclef Jean and Kelly Rowland, as well as undiscovered talent. The site it totally interactive and veiwers can watch international jam sessions and customize their personal Tommy TV page, offer feedback to the brand and music, and of course find a link to the Tommy Hilfiger online store. As for quality, all footage is shot in HD video using Paper Vision for the 3D effect. I never really associated Tommy Hilfiger with music, but who knows where this first step on the road will take the brand.

Walk A Mile In These Shoes

$1,050 will get you these hot pink Walter Steiger shoes, but can they possibly be comfy or wearable? I have yet to hunt them down and try it out on my own, but thought I'd share nonetheless! Keep an eye out for the update.

Lauren Conrad Won Something, Kind Of

Us Weekly has named Lauren Conrad celebrity designer of the year (insert mediocre reaction here). I can't say I agree with the magazine's decision, as the pool of celeb-turned-fashionista is getting deeper by the minute: Mary Kate and Ashley for The Row, Mila Jovovich for Jovovich-Hawk, Justin Timberlake for William Rast, Pharrel Williams for Louis Vuitton Jewelry, among many others. Lately it has been hard to tell which celebrities are designers, which designers are celebrities, which celebrities pretend to be designers but really just slap their name on some clothes (eh hem Heidi Montag), and which designers also forsake their trade by becoming rehab attending celebrities themselves via Marc Jacobs 2006. I will give LC credit though, she is back in design school and she did stitch up a dress on the first episode of The Hills...before burning a huge stain in it.

Marchesa Wedding Collection

My all time favorite, red carpet ready, uber feminine brand Marchesa, is getting into wedding dresses. Wanting to create beautiful wedding dresses that do not take months of fittings and bridal appointments, designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig were inspired by customers asking whether current Marchesa creations came in white. I highly recommend a Marchesa wedding dress (or at least inspiration from them) to my beautiful friend Megan Little who is about to walk down the aisle in the Bahamas herself (we always knew she'd be the first)!

Don't Be Trashy: Recycle

The MJM Metal collection designed by Melissa Joy Manning is an earth friendly, people pleasing line which consists of wares including beautiful stone necklaces and rings made of recycled metal and diamonds. The company is majorly involved in charities and earth-friendly practices, making each purchase pro earth and guilt free.

DKNY in the UK

New Bond Street, a mega shopping destination in London, got a bit of American party life by celebrating the opening of the new DKNY flagship store on Thursday. Guests wined and dined on oh-so-American Cosmopolitans, "Big Apple" cookies, hot dogs, and hamburgers while Brit band The Paddingtons entertained the London shopping crowd.

Dark Eye Syndrome

A friend asked me why she had bigger than usual bags under her eyes and what she could do about them. To help, I asked her what she did the night before and it went something like "Cup of coffee after work to reenergize, spicy food at Diablo washed down with a few glasses of wine, and went bar hopping until 3 to get up at 8 for work." The answer was clear.

Basically, she hit EVERY target there was to hit on the road to looking terrible. Caffeine, spicy food, and alcohol are all things that cause swelling, puffiness, and flushed skin. The lack of beauty sleep to help fight the puffiness off causes skin to be dehydrated, which then causes it to become thin and bluish, and everyone knows that thin skin makes wrinkles ten times more prominent.

My advice is to use skin brighteners via white birch and mulberry in the ingredients. No time to go to the drug store? Ice cold tea bags for 10 minutes can do wonders. Also, try to wear dark sunglasses to prevent your eyes from squinting, which causes eye fatigue and wrinkles (they also prevent other people from knowing what you did last night). Do all of the above and good-bye puffy eyes!

Recycle Your Fur

Animal-friendly, non-controversial statements have become the next hot trend, and a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon. If you are a newly inducted member to the anti-fur club and don't know what to do with your mother's hand me down mink, Reminkie Bears has the solution. They take any fur piece and recycle it to create these adorable heirloom bears, which can be a great way to preserve the fur you already own, but no longer want to wear. It also creates a more creative way to cherish that fox fur your grandmother lived in, rather than storing her massive coat in an attic or winter closet. The bears can be made of any fabric you choose: ties, tshirts, you name it, and they always turn out super adorable

Starbucks New Clothes

This week's coffee run may seem a bit off when you don't spot flecks of green up and down the sidewalk. Starbucks has given way to a new house blend coffee "Pike Place Roast" and a new, quasi-retro, espresso brown logo. The cups read "Starbucks: Fresh Roasted Coffee" and bear the original 1971 Starbucks graphic, a creepy looking serpant. Apparently they are channeling their the original Pike Place Seattle Starbucks, but it just seems a little too old fashioned for the modern corporate coffeehouse. No worries to our branding fanatics who are freaking out over the switch, the green logos will be back mid-May, when the Pike Place Roast promotion comes to an end.

Sleeping Soundly

Sunny days are around the corner and that means sunshine in the wee early hours. This is great for early risers during the work week, but after a late Friday night it is vital to get a full 8 hours rest, no matter what time it is. That's when it would be helpful to invest in a cute, cozy sleep mask that helps you get the proper shut eye. And I firmly believe that the cuter the mask, the sweeter the dreams. This one is by Cris Notti.

Shopping: TopShop NYC Opening Date!!!

!!!SAVE THE DATE!!!
OCTOBER 8, 2008
TOP SHOP OPENING IN NEW YORK CITY

At last, every girl's dream to follow in Kate Moss' footprints (well maybe just the dream to dress like her), will come true this October when trendy and affordable British store TopShop comes to America. Of course the debut is happening in fashion capital New York City, and I will be dreaming sweet dreams waiting until next fall!

Shopping: b*fly

Bluefly, the discount designer online retailer, has a new online boutique b*fly. The boutique is focused on contemporary, trendy, styles sold within parent company Bluefly. This means a trendier, younger collection of tshirts, tunics, jeans, dresses, and accessories gathered from 350 designers starting at 40% off. Sounds good to me!

The Secret to Wearing Heels

I've tried everything to stretch these bones but lo and behold, they will never get longer nor more dancer like than a whopping sixty three and one half inches. In order to keep up (literally, vertically) with the rest of the world, I turn to my good friend: the high heel. The secret to wearing a sky-high shoe without wanting to saw your feet off at the end of the day? The platform heel. The deceptive toe platform decreases the pressure on the arch and thick heel supports a larger part of the foot, making these 5-inch stompers one word: comfortable.

Madonna's Dolla

Though they may be a hot political topic these days, diamond's will always be a Madonna's best friend. She has recently partnered with Chopard to create the little gem above, a knuckle ring that spells its name "M-dolla" in 258 brilliant cut white diamonds. It also boasts a Chopard signature mobile diamond on the letter M. She sports the bling on the cover of her upcoming album Hard Candy set to release on April 28.

Ralph Lauren: Olympic Gold

Polo Ralph Lauren has been named the official dresser of the US Olympians for Beijing 2008 (an outfit sketch is shown above). 1,500 American athletes will don the designer for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as in their off-time at Olympic Village events. The updated, preppy wardrobes will include: V-neck tennis sweaters and ties, Polo mesh shirts with "Beijing" written in oversized Chinese characters, and cargo pants, all in a patriotic palette of red, white, and blue. A unique addition to the line may be a replica stars and stripes crest that was used by the 1932 U.S. Olympic team at the Los Angeles Games. And we can't forget the Polo ponies.

Project Runway Has A New Home

A major dispute between Project Runway producers The Weinstein Company and Bravo TV has led to the turning over of the show to longtime Bravo rival, the Lifetime channel. Although the loss of PR, the most successful of their shows, is a definite blow to Bravo, it turns out pretty sweet for the show's fans: Bravo will air Season 5 in July, but Lifetime will air its first season in November leaving 2008 with THREE seasons of fierce-hot-mess fashion

Be A Fendi Designer

Fendi introduces the Canvas Baguette. A stark white version of their famous bag with a set of ten Pantone markers for you to decorate however you choose. For $1300 a pop, and no returns after a drop of paint hits the bag, you had better stroke carefully.

Out With The Old, In With The Airbrush

I know that photoshop and airbrushing is almost second nature to photography today, but this is such a stretch. The Sex and the City girls are about as natural-looking as Heidi Montag, or maybe a lawn chair. Seriously SJP, we know you're old. But you still influence young women who were born 2 decades after you, so there's no need to hide your seniority.

Harajuku Love

Gwen Stefani has made her absolutely adorable Harajuku lovers come to life. The dolls cap off different scents and represent Gwen (The blonde doll "G") and her backup singers Love, Angel, Music, and Baby. Each doll is crafted with a personal mold and hand applied detail, even down to the bow on Angel's dreadlocks.

The scents reflect each girl's personality, which is printed on the box: Love is described as "sweet, caring, free-spirited and always off in her own little world." Lil' Angel is "constantly looking out for others," but is no saint. Music is "always looking to make someone laugh" and is "charismatic." Baby is "enticing in her frilly innocence." (And, naturally, G is the leader of the pack.)Predicted to do $30 million at retail in the first year, get your hands on your Harajuku lover fast.

Louis Vuitton Monogramoflauge

Louis Vuitton touches its hip side with the much anticipated Monogramoflauge print designed by Marc Jacobs and Takashi Murakami. The products will debut tomorrow at the Louis Vuitton pop-up store at the Brooklyn Museum in 3 shades of green before selling at other LV stores. Will this twist of the luxury brand be a hot, youthful hit or will it tarnish the integrity of the French classic?

Digital Dressing

Continuing the trend of digital-age clothing, Studio 5050 has several advanced fashion products. The Temperature Sweater shows you the temperature outside in Celsius on one sleeve and in Farenheit on the other. The Masai Musical Dress plays music when its beads move on the material. And a row of stars on the Embrace Sweater lights up when someone hugs the wearer. Priced between $400 - 5,000, we are one step closer to the Jetson age.

Gucci Japan: Cell Phone Shopping

Cell phone users in Japan can access the site www.guccijoy.jp by scanning their phones over a digital code in magazine ads and posters in the Omotesando subway station starting April 7. The codes lead to a site where users can download special images i.e. a Gucci teddy bear or the Gucci Joy purse, to use as wallpaper or icons for their phones. Viewers will also be allowed access to view the spring Gucci collection, find store locations, and browse prices.

Chilly Fall

Invest in warm, stylish jackets because come September, sweater and knit prices are going to soar up to 20%. Retailers have done all they can to absorb costs, but due to a combination of higher commodity and labor costs, the weakening dollar, greater shipping expenses due to pricier oil, and heightened labor wages in China they are left with no other choice but to raise knit prices.

With the upcoming top trends however, I’m sure there will still be that urge to splurge. Here’s a sneak peek:

“Completers” including sweater jackets, blazers, motorcycle jackets, cardigans

Saturated colors including plums and greens

Grays continue

Less embellishment, more quality

Prints

Large gauge textures i.e. waffles and cable knits

Cocoon, oval, and boxy shaped coats

Novelty pieces over basics

Knitted accessories

Shop: The Girls Next Door

Someone asked me where to get Holly’s scandalous swimsuit on The Girls Next Door. I love when people think I am a google equivalent, so here you go: the link to the Playboy store Shop the Bunny