shut up, i love that shirt on you.

Oh, Halloween. If you had told me when I was seven years old (dressed as a pink genie) that October 31st got better than running willy-nilly around my neighborhood ringing doorbells with my girlfriends, OD-ing on candy while our dads trailed behind us smoking cigars, I would NOT have believed you.

Looking back though, at the pure joy and innocent fun of those early years, some may argue that it indeed does not get better than that. I would argue though, that starting in college, when Halloween became a three or four night extravaganza fueled by booze numerous fraternity parties - it became way more fun. The costumes became more ironic, acceptably scandalous, and sometimes incredibly elaborate.

Despite the lack of 3-day costume extravaganzas these days, I still love the fun of Halloween night. Anyway, I believe I already addressed this in my post about the glorious-ness of October, but I am struggling to come up with a good costume for this year. All I know is I want it to be at least sort of creative, not out of a bag or made of polyester, and involving intense eye make-up. Here are my best ideas so far:

BANANAS. I DIE.

Walk like an egyptian?

Flap this.

The Kaiser.

What do you think? I need help! Any other ideas would also be appriciated....

xoxo

I just think it's fun to imagine once and a while:

If you could only have shoes by ONE famous designer or label for the rest of your life, which would you choose? The iconic red-soled Louboutins? The always sexy Jimmy Choo? Or the "I thought these were an urban shoe myth" Manolos adored by Carrie Bradshaw?

Ok, so here we have a Gossip Girl and a girl who gossips. Leighton Meester is wearing a pretty adorable combination of a slouchy grey cardigan over a slinky mini dress with a great belt. But, is it just me, or does her minimal make up & outfit combined look like she just rolled out of bed and decided to stroll on over to Fashion Week, because she's Leighton Meester and she can do that?

Lauren Conrad on the other hand, (who I think has nearly flawless (but not particularly exciting or different) hair and make up all the time) looks like a well-dressed orange with a spray tan. But cute, right?

It's a New York vs. California, brunette vs. blonde, Fiction vs. "reality" fashion battle royale. Sort of.

Anyway, here's what I want to know: which look would you rather rock at fashion week?

You guys, lets talk about these for a second:

($242.00 by Siwy at shopbop.com)

Now, I consider myself to be a pretty fashion-forward gal. I like to be up on the latest trends and keep my look fresh. But, I have to draw the line somewhere. And, when I saw these "pants," I think I established where that line is. I believe I will place myself firmly on "no thank you" sheer-paneled-skinny-jean-tight-legging-shorts side of that line.

What about you? These hybrid bottoms are...

They're everywhere. They're intense. They seem difficult to put on. Yet, I'm very intrigued about the idea of pulling on those tall, flat, brown suede boots over my black leggings and topping off the look with a slouchy white t-shirt and a boyfriend blazer this fall. I think they could be a great alternative to the black leather riding boots I wore into the ground last winter. There are a lot of versions of this look with a heel, but I think a flat makes this dramatic footwear much more accessible.

And what say you, readers? Over-the-knee boots:

I know - its not even August yet. And I (mostly) hate to think about fall in the midst of such a glorious summer (am i right, Seattle?) But in my browsings of the August glossies and the various fashion blogs I frequent, there is one trend I cannot ignore. I also can't decide if I'm on board with it. Allow me to introduce you to what very well may become the new ballet flat: the oxford.

(photos from The Cut (by Hannah Whitaker) and the Pipeline)

So OK, most of us don't have legs like that. But I'm trying to picture myself, circa mid-October, jaunting around Seattle (/New York City...) in those little black & white or gold things with dark skinny jeans and a slouchy grey sweater, Paris bag & americano in hand. Or what about with black tights and a dress? I kind of like it. I can see these as a nice transition between ballet flat season and boots/socks season. So what about you, my darling readers? Girls, are you into it? Guys, would you like to see a gal rocking these kicks? (Go ahead, vote & leave a comment, too. I dare you.)

Now give it to me straight - Oxfords for girls:

So here we have two very funny, very beautiful actresses. On the left is Leslie Mann at the premiere of Funny People, and on the right, Katherine Heigl, at the premiere of The Ugly Truth. I want to see both of these new movies, and I loved L. Mann and Kath together in Knocked Up. Remember how funny they were with the bouncer at the club? I need to watch that again.

So, here's what I don't understand. How did two such savvy, gorgeous, successful women end up in these matchy-matchy shoes-and-dress combo outfits? I think they are both kind of terrible. (and also that they both look better blonde, but that's perhaps besides the point) Am I right?

Still, one of them has to be declared the winner, because I said so. And I can't decide who looks better. Initially I want to go with Leslie because of the color, but part of me also is leaning towards Katherine because of those shoes.

Lets put it to a vote: Pink-on-pink Leslie or neutral-on-neutral Katherine?

My darling readers, I need your help. I'm about to invest in a new pair of heels that need to serve a few of purposes. First, they need to look fabulous with various fancy and/or glittery ensembles in Las Vegas in a couple weeks. Second, they need to be black. Third, they need to be the kind of funky, versitile heels that I can wear into the fall and winter with black tights. So far, my two favorites are these Chinese Laundry - Love Me (Black) with a cool exposed zipper on the heel; and these BCBGirls - Cross (Black) with a dangerously high heel but sort of demure t-strap.

I can't have both (yet), so what do you think?

How do you feel about mixing in some colorful foot flair with your everyday summer look?

...a cool way to tweak a summer classic?

(Pants are from L to R: Polo Ralph Lauren GI Pants, $98.00; Polo Ralph Lauren Prospect Tissue Chinos, $49.99; and Martin + Osa Straight Fit Chino, $47.60)

Finally, the June Issue of Harper's Bazaar arrived at my house yesterday! I was not even a little bit excited with Sandra Bullock's cover, but pretty intrigued by a few of the articles within.

In their aptly titled article, "Juicy's New Line," Bazaar gets the inside scoop on Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy's new, edgier line, called Bird by Juicy Couture.

'"It's streetwear; it's what we do best. But this is just for a different, sophisticated girl--a bit more chic, a bit more urban," Nash-Taylor explains. "This is casual luxury with an edge."' (Harper's Bazaar, June 2009, pg. 64)

The line includes jeans that will retail for $248, a cardigan for $298, a (from the looks of it, amazing) military jacket for $498, and knits will run about $150.

Bird by Juicy Couture will be available at Bergdorf Goodman and select Juicy Couture stores.

To me, Juicy feels like a brand that is past it's prime.  Everyone loved the velour track suits and terricloth towel dresses, but they have yet to ignite such a craze since then.  Will this be P&G's magnificent comeback?

So I was having a discussion with my friend the other night about the difference between fashion and style. He, as a finance man at Microsoft, wasn't too sure and put it to me to define both words. I thought it was a pretty interesting challenge. Here's what I came up with:

Fashion: I think of fashion (and being "fashionable") as being on top of the latest trends and being most concerned with keeping your look very 'of the moment.' I also think fashion is a word that defines the industry that drives trends, fills magazines and sustains designers.

Style: To me style (and being "stylish") is a more about the way an individual expresses their personality through their look. I think a person can have great style without necessarily being fashionable, especially when it's very unique. Someone who is stylish may mix a trendy dress, pumps they've had for years, their favorite "it goes with everything" bag and a quirky hat.

To illustrate what I mean, I have selected two sartorially gifted gals with the same first name but totally different looks.

Let's take a look.