J. Crew wants your bridesmaids to hate you

Aptly named the O'Hara gown, this embossed organza dress ($2200) is the best tool to make your bridesmaids weep, just as the J. Crew model is about to do in the photo.

Photo: jcrew.com

Sephora by OPI Under My Trench Coat & Essie Jazz

I've been having a nail polish crisis. All of a sudden I got tired of super bright colors and ultra shimmer. Everything looked off, too much, overdone and just plain wrong. I also got tired of the three coat ritual to get that perfect utterly unnatural finish. So I dug out my namesake, Gaia by Zoya, which is a white with gold flakes. I used it as a wash of color more than a full coverage manicure, but even that was not quite what I wanted because Gaia looks better mid-summer. I have several beige options but somehow none made me happy, until a quick shopping excursion for other items led me to these two colors.

Sephora by OPI Under My Trench Coat is a taupish nude beige with very light shimmer. It's not quite as mushroomy as Chanel Particulier and other colors in that range, but it has a cool undertone balanced by the almost gold shimmer. Essie Jazz is a bit warmer, more opaque and creamy- there's no shimmer there.

Texture-wise, The OPI is much thinner and dries quickly. It's perfect as a quick one coat, not-quite full manicure look, though with a second coat and a clear top it's as elegant and sophisticated as any color can be. Jazz is very creamy and a lot thicker, which means streaky, so I must take more time to let it dry properly and apply a second  coat . It's worth it, though, because the result is quite refined and looks effortless and very chic.

I bought Under My Trench Coat ($9) at Sephora Union Square (also available online) and Essie Jazz ($8) at a J. Crew store.

All photos are mine.

The Return of the Cranky Shopper

I know I promised a series of pretty things, but before I go back to that there's some grumpiness that needs to be addressed. Let's get this out of the way:

Last week as I was packing my bags for vacation, I realized that I'm almost out of Secret de Vie. I usually order it online when there's a good offer or beauty event, but I had no time for that. So I headed to the nearest Lancôme counter, which happens to be in Bloomingdale's. I took all of a 30 seconds of the sales assistant time and dropped a hefty sum. You'd think it would make the SA eager to give me samples, but then you'd be wrong. the only thing she put in my shopping bag was the receipt, and I was in no mood to ask for swag (ha!).

Semi-cranky but satisfied with my accomplished mission I went into the mall to see what's new. First stop was J. Crew. Now, I'm a loyal customer and shop there for basics like cashmere sweaters, white t-shirts and I usually love their skirts (the a-line minis are particular favorites), but what gets to me every time is the creative use of pins on their mannequins. Seriously, if even their employees realize that the cut of their jackets, shirts and dresses is so bad it needs to be pinned and altered to look attractive, can't they send word to the designers? Clothes that fit right would make everyone happy.

Something to Wear

Among all the booties and shboots filling the stores and providing us all with fond memories of Desperately Seeking Susan, here's a pair from Cole Haan that has been calling my name and fits perfectly with my sense of style. I live in skirts, dresses and jeans. Rarely (if ever) wear pants, so my perfect boots are tall, slim, high-heeled and full of character.


Last fall I embarked on a search for the perfect denim skirt. I found it at J. Crew. That skirt was a great purchase. I wear it year-round, dress it up and down, with boots or sandals, colors or neutrals, and it always looks good. This season they have a new skirt, in a beautiful grey-ish wash, which promptly joined my wardrobe.

A word of advice if you're a size zero: Call the store in advance, because most locations are already out of it. They'd gladly order it for you, but you can do that yourself. While I was at it, I stocked up on opaque tights (20% off when buying three pairs or more).

Beauty and the Heat

The temperatures here are touching the triple digit zone, and it isn't pretty. Even the best intentions and beauty routines melt when confronted with a scorching and muggy reality and we need all the help we can get. Here are a few of things that help me survive days like these:

• A little color that goes a long way: I use a dab of concealer only where (and if) needed, line my eyes with a thick pencil in a rich color that does double duty as a shadow (my favorite has always been Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier in Gold Reef, but all the other colors are just as lovely. Look at the khaki one, Bangalore), black waterproof mascara (I only use them for a few days this time of the year, and the drugstores are full of good ones. I usually buy Max Factor), and finish up the look with a dark colored lip gloss (I love Chanel Glossimer in Force). Only three or four products, but it looks well put-together.

• It's the only time of the year I'm going places with my hair pulled back into a tight bun. Jonathan's Silky Dirt is keeping it shiny and in place. I'll need to write a full review soon (and probably try other products from this line).

• My flat feet can be the bane of my existence, if I let them. They get swollen in the heat which makes wearing shoes a painful ordeal. I keep my regular shoes or sandals in my beg and put them on before getting anywhere, but until that moment, I live in J. Crew's wedge flip-flops. They're much more comfortable for me than regular flat flip-flops, because they provide support and insulation from the ground, two things that the flat-footed among us know to appreciate.

• Perfume. I like to wear something that takes me away to kinder places. Reverie au Jardin from Tauer Perfume is my choice of escape. It takes me to cool, green gardens. This fragrance comes from Switzerland, which helps with the Alpine fantasy.

In what universe is this considered a flattering look?

I love J. Crew, but this is just awful:

Between this kind of offering and the entire collection from Anthropolgie that looks like a cross between maternity-wear and an art teacher on crack, my credit card is happy, but my closets are weeping in despair.

At Last

After a month-long search for the perfect denim pencil skirt that took me where no woman wants to go, I finally found it at J. Crew.

The picture from their website doesn't do it justice, probably because of the awful, preppy-on-crack styling. I'm wearing it with a soft, sexy top (silk for now, a deep v-neck cashmere later), very high heels (red or brown Manolo mary-janes) and interesting jewelry. Wool ballet flats are not for this short non-blonde.