"good things come to those who wait"





...and the WAIT is finally over!! my books which i ordered over TWO WEEKS ago finally arrived today, and here i had almost given up hope, thinking they had been lost in the mail (they were estimated to be arriving within 3-7 days of my order). come to find out, they had been sent to my old address first...silly half.com. in any case, i am so thrilled to finally have them in my hands, and cannot wait to start reading through them!!





the first book is one that i saw an ad for a couple years ago while flipping through an issue of teen vogue. at the time, i was an avid reader of that magazine (though since have "graduated" to the regular vogue) and it's long been a dream of mine to somehow enter the fashion industry. the hangup was not having the money to attend a school of fashion, and no clue how to get my foot in the door any other way. after reading a review on this book, i felt it would be a great tool for me to discover ways i might finally realize my dream without being limited by my lack of formal fashion education. i'll be sure to follow up later with a review!

the second book is one i only just heard of this month. i was watching a makeover program on HGTV called "closet cases" - it's essentially a cross between "what not to wear" and "clean sweep". the host stylist, Lloyd Boston, comes in and revamps the featured guest's wardrobe and overall look, while a resident home designer remodels the closet of said guest. i had never heard of this show before, but i was impressed with the advice and guidance Mr. Boston gave, so when they did a promo spot at the end of the program for his book "Before You Put That On", i decided i'd like to see what other advice he had to give.

the third book is one i've had on my must-read list for several years. it was actually my best friend who discovered it while we were passing time at barnes and noble. while i was never a big spice girls fan, over the years i have developed an appreciation for the former miss posh spice, victoria beckham's sense of style. while i don't always approve of her tastes, i do respect her authority on the subject of fashion. in addition, when i first looked through the book that day at b&n, i absolutely fell in love with the aesthetic and design of the whole thing, and this only made me want it more! why i didn't buy it at the time, i couldn't say. i am just glad to finally have it now <3

the 2011 Golden Globes were held this past sunday and of course everyone is discussing the red carpet fashions. it is a habit of mine after awards shows to examine all the photos once they've been posted on the internet, and see what people are saying; what they liked, didn't like, loved or hated. i decided to create my own mini review of the trends on the red carpet this year, so here you have it:

the biggest trend i noticed throughout was a neutral tone gown, and many of these were embellished with sequins or rhinestones (even daisies, though that was a poor fashion choice for michelle williams). everyone from sandra bullock to the ladies of glee were sporting this look. i liked it for the most part, however some pulled it off better than others. my favorite version of this trend was anne hathaway's Giorgio Armani gown, especially the very sexy backline-down-to-there. lovely.

(anne hathaway in giorgio armani)





another trend i noticed was the deep green gown. it is such a gorgeous, rich color, so it doesn't surprise me that it would work well on the red carpet. catherine zeta-jones and mila kunis both looked absolutely regal in their jewel-toned ballgowns. many of the red carpet reviews i read hailed angelina jolie as the best-dressed look on the red carpet, but in my opinion, she just looked "ok" in the emerald green dress she chose. while i can't disagree that as an actress, she fairly oozes with glamour, i thought this dress fell awkwardly over her uber skinny frame and the shoulder pads only exaggerated that awkwardness. i've seen her look far more fabulous in past looks, though i can't deny the color was to die for.




there was one actress who made a very bold statement at the globes, even though what she wore was fairly simple. emma stone, who plays the sarcastic, cute, incredibly likable lead in "easy A", stepped out in a very basic, very simple Calvin Klein peach gown. the statement, however, was in her revamped locks and freshly bronzed skin-tone. the natural red-head with fair freckled complexion showed up with bleached blond hair and faux tan. while it wasn't distasteful, it was certainly shocking. and though i wanted to appreciate her new look, something about it felt uncomfortable...that's when i realized, it was all to reminiscent of another red-head turned blond bombshell who should have stayed true to the natural beauty God gave her. lindsay lohan made a similar fashion choice a few years back, and while dying her gorgeous red hair wasn't the cause of her downward spiral, it was a manifestation of an unhealthy need to please the masses. while i don't get the impression that emma stone is headed for a similar fate, i do think that some things are better left alone. tell me what you think of her new look!

emma stone BEFORE

emma stone AFTER


lindsay lohan BEFORE & AFTER


last but surely not least is my choice for best dressed on the red carpet(keep in mind, this is simply my own opinion). i LOVED olivia wilde's princess gown, and to top it off, she rocked an edgy pair of gold Christian Louboutins. FABULOUS! i will admit, she probably could've improved the whole look with a slightly more red-carpet appropriate hair-do, however she looked gorgeous either way.



so what were your favorite looks? which looks did you hate?

i don't usually watch "the view" but happened to land on that channel (ABC) this morning, and more than the topics they were discussing, what caught my attention was elisabeth hasselbeck's ADORABLE outfit!! here is my version of her outfit, and while i don't know what her outfit cost or what labels she wore, i can almost guarantee my ensemble is far cheaper for just as much style and class. so here you go:

this lovely coat, with its vintage navy flavor, can be found on ModCloth.com for a humble price of $107.99 (this was the most expensive item in my ensemble, however, this coat was the most affordable i could find that most closely matched elisabeth's)



these skinny jeans are clean and crisp, and coming in at $14.50 on Forever21.com, a STEAL!


i am head over heels for these platform mary-janes!! elisabeth's red pumps were actually a basic pump (no strap) with a rosette or some sort of little embellishment on the toe of the shoe, but i felt for my version of the ensemble, these were more to my liking. they are available for $21.80 on UrbanOg.com




surprisingly, the hardest item to match in elisabeth's whole ensemble were her red-beaded hoops. i personally am not much of an earring wearer, not because i don't like them. more because my hair always covers them. but i found these little beauties on Ebay.com for a "buy it now" price of $17.95




so there you have it, folks. total cost of the outfit: $162.24

~*~