Brand of the Week: La Perla…Ramble

While every soap opera on the planet seems to an ad for the most gorgeous, unlimited supply of lingerie, it can be challenging to find what fits and feels good. Often well known brands do not mean high quality, but this week’s brand La Perla, means both. Fortunately a recent trip to a La Perla outlet worked out for me, and there is a sale on their website right now, which includes some amazing swimwear for winter escapes.

In my opinion a woman can and should feel sexy as much as possible. They’ve got nothing on you lady, you’re a powerful woman in all ways, always.  A woman should relax, feel no matter what her body size, she is sexy and that’s where la Perla delivers.

The lingerie is well made and feels incredible. The quality is supreme, design classy and sexy, and even though I’m single and a bit heart broken, there’s nothing like some new lingerie to make a woman celebrate herself. So strut, pop, shake it out, and feel alive for your own benefit. Find your own new pieces because you owe it to yourself.

Brand of the Week: Phillip Lim…Ramble

The recession has not been kind to the wallet, but Target has given access to high end designers for those on a budget. There have been hits (Missoni) and misses (Neiman Marcus collab) like anything else, but consistently Target collaborations have caused a feeding frenzy, leaving shoppers elated or crestfallen, depending on what they were able to score.

The Target closest to me will sometimes get one, just one bag, in a collection. Cue tears. I never did get that Jason Wu bag I wanted and I’m not going to buy it on Ebay. Why would I pay double to the men who elbowed me out of the way to get that bag?

The Phillip Lim line for Target included the most handbags of any of their collaborations. The best part is that they mirror his actual $800 and up handbags. Less than two months after my favorite Philip Lim eyeglass frames were eaten by my friend’s dog, his Target collection went on sale. I put it in my calendar. I intended to get to the store, but then, just as I had the day the Missoni for Target collection went on sale (see steam pouring out of my ears because I was getting picked up at 6 A.M. to get to the airport for a conference on direct marketing), I decided to skip the feeding frenzy and shop online.

By 5:45 A.M. the mini black satchel was gone (if you really still want one, yes those folks who grabbed them just to sell, have them up on Ebay), however I wound up with the medium one and then, it was just right there and looking too adorable to resist- scooped up a mini grey bag. So, instead of the one bag I really wanted, oh Phillip Lim now I have two bags for under $75 instead of paying $900 for one.

After a few weeks of using each bag, I can say this was the right choice. I couldn’t be happier after initially thinking one was too small and one too large. The smaller grey one is perfect for hitting a farmer’s market or heading to the dog park. The large black one holds the various books I always have with me and my journal to write down any story ideas. Thank you Phillip Lim for being such a wonderful designer and willing to make a quality product. Every time I see a Phillip Lim Target bag around town, it makes me smile.

Brand of the Week: Fab.com…Ramble

Who doesn’t need a bit of fun and fabulous in their lives? Ever since Fab.com launched, I’ve had an addiction. In fact, for a while I had to delete their app off my phone because it was too dangerous. What other site offered up deals on prints of Cy Twombly, my favorite modern artist? Affordable, fashionable, quirky and fabulous, Fab.com covers the naughty sex toys to fun dog toys and home furnishings, books, food and fun!

Fab’s curation is simply irresistible. The site champions local Brooklyn designers as well as bigger design names. Go local! It is also refreshing to walk down the street in some new find and know not everyone and their mother is going to be wearing it. That’s a tall order in this day and age, where things are so accessible. New York is one of those cities where you break your neck staring down someone else who is wearing the same outfit, especially if their accessories are more fun than your’s (say that’s not possible! The horror!) and Fab.com has the answer. There is kick-ass jewelry too. Ah Fab, you even take returns no questions asked. Grazie mille!

For me, Art is what distinguishes Fab.com from every other online store. The pops of color, the way to have some affordable unique wall art makes my heart sing. I find the colors so inspirational. I read that fall is the time of year (see refinery29.com), when people start to pay more attention to changing their home just as the seasons do. I love my home. I painted my bedroom a sexy purple last year which elevated the sophistication in there last winter. Did I find myself shopping on Fab.com for ways to decorate the walls? Perhaps.

Those marketing geniuses may have started an online sensation, but after I deleted the app, they sent me physical coupons in the mail. Oh, you devils! How could you know that a random 25% coupon would break my willpower against you? The curation has only gotten better as the brand grows. They now have this baroque furniture I am swooning over to have, oh please, Sugar Daddy, please?

How did Fab.com get so FAB? Founders Bradford Shellhammer (who worked at Design Within Reach) and Jason Goldberg (who worked for President Clinton- talk about charm school!) have guaranteed one thing: you will smile. Okay, their business plan has a lot to do with them filling a masterful design accessibility too. Have you noticed some higher-end brands now selling on Fab.com? Well that’s apparently the work of Jae Hah, also a former Design Within Reach maven.

One thing I know, any time there is some Fab.com in my day, it is elevated to a level that can’t be beat.

xx