Wednesday, February 29, 2012

2 completely unrelated topics.....

First, I want to send out some prayers to people in southwest Missouri, Kansas, and southern Illinois.  Crazy tornados ripped through those areas last night and some small towns are in tatters.  Ugh.....my readers here in the midwest know what I'm talking about - tornados are the SCARIEST and most destructive things.  Let's send our love and hope down there, ok!!??

Here in Chicago we had wacky we have wacky weather too - last night we had thunderstorms, and woke up this morning to sunny skies and 52 degrees!!   I'll take it as all of last week's snow is basically gone.

Second (and I warned you, totally unrelated), I am sadly excited to see the Lindsey Lohan interview with Matt Lauer on Today, tomorrow morning.  Girlfriend's looks are still a hot mess even though she says she's getting back on track.  She looks like she's plumped up her cheeks and her lips, not to mention the hair and brows....  yikes!  Are you with me?  Will you watch tomorrow morning on the Today show?  




Monday, February 27, 2012

My Top 7 (5 just wasn't enough)

Oscar 2012 Looks I loved?

In no particular order.....

Gwyneth in Tom Ford

Milla in Elie Saab

Octavia in Tadashi Shoji

Michelle in Louis Vuitton

Glenn in Zac Posen

Cameron in Gucci

Angelina in Atelier Versace

Did you have favorites NOT on my list?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Juicy Season

One of my favorite things to do at the beginning of a new season of fashion is to check out each designer's collections.  I just posted my 'favs' from Haute Hippie Spring 2012 on our Style Spies facebook page, which included lace minis, sequins, and flowy dresses.  Makes me want to get my spray tan on!  ;-)

A line that I have been a fan of off and on over the years (admittedly I was  a HUGE fan of the track suits in 2004 - my wedding pictures can attest) is Juicy Couture.  Sometimes they get it right, sometimes it's not quite me.  But this season I found a slew of fabulousness that I know would easily meld into my closet.  

Here are pics from the ad campaign shot in Beverly Hills of course, then I grabbed individual items from their site that I heart.  








Basic V Neck Tee, $58

Lush Signet Tee, $128

Fresh Prep Blazer, $198

Supreme Tricotine Trench, $398

Pretty Schoolboy Blazer, $248

Textured Stripe Dress, $228

Vintage Scarf Maxi Dress, $598

Miss Divine Halter One Piece, $164

Friday, February 17, 2012

DVF Hearts Gap Kids



Short and sweet today but I'm REALLY excited about the DVF (Diane Von Furstenburg) collaboration with Gap Kids!  Debuting March 15th, it promises to be true to both brands.  The clothing will be for babies and girls ages 2 to 14 and will be sold in babygap and Gap Kids in 30 countries and online.  

Maybe Gemma and I will wear our DVF wrap dresses together this summer!  haha......

Click HERE to get to a quick 1 minute video of the photo shoot - gives you an idea of what we might be seeing in stores next month!


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Joyfolie! Joyfolie!



Joyfolie (a sweet and unique line of shoes and accessories for baby girls and girls of all ages - even adults) just tonight released some new shoe styles (literally at 9pm CST) for girls.  Boy are they cuuuute!  

I feel I must spread the love on Joyfolie - tonight they're offering a special code HAPPYSPRING30 that will give you 30% off all shoes with the tag 'in stock.'

What would I like for Miss Gemma Grace?  







Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Vault Jewels

As I was blog-hopping yesterday on Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers, I discovered its writer Natalie was guest posting on The Vault Files.  The Vault Files is a fabulous blog dedicated to the writers' love of fashion, design, and decor.  Gaby (the blogger) also has a cute Etsy shop called the Vault Jewels (took me a while, but i got there).  

Gaby's jewels are simply fabulous and also VERY well-priced; I want almost all of them. 

Here are some favorites........they are making me think spring!

Frida in Blue & Ivory, $40

Charlotte in Yellow, $30

Charlotte in Orange, $30

Susan in Tangerine, $30

Beatrice in Royal Blue, $30

Beatrice in Purple & Pink, $32

Friday, February 10, 2012

Big Announcement!



Today, I'm unveiling the launch of my new business venture, Style Spies.  I couldn't be more excited or more proud to tell you all about it!    

Style Spies is the brainchild of myself and my co-founder, Erin Lopez.  Erin and I have known each other since college, and were actually roomies here in Chicago upon graduating from the University of Missouri. She and I have always been in fashion - Erin on the modeling side of the business as an agent for Ford Models, Elite, and Arlene Wilson Talent Agency, and me on the retail side of things as a manager at Mark Shale to start and then as a buyer for Shopbop.com for many years.  

After both of us getting married and having children, we realized how tough it is to be stylish and put together like our old selves, but also be productive and mindful mommies (stay at home or working alike) like our new selves.  We saw that we were always helping our girlfriends find the right outfit for a date, answering questions as to what's in style and what's moved on, helping them weed the bad and the ugly out of their closets, even helping them find an alterations specialist!

Knowing there are many other women like ourselves and our friends out there, we launched Style Spies. Style Spies can help you out on many levels; here are some of the many services we provide.


  • closet consultations - no longer say 'I have nothing to wear!'  Instead we'll help you pare down your closet, find what works, and have you feeling cute and confident as you walk out the door each day.
  • event styling - need a dress for a big date or event?  we'll help you find it AND accessorize it.
  • speaking events - we'd love to speak at any event about helping you 'up the ante' with your personal style, cleaning out your closets, what's 'in' and what's 'out,' etc.
  • model scouting and development 
  • event production - having a fashion show?  we're your go-to gals from a-z.

Although I'm just announcing Style Spies today on my blog, we've been up and running a few months now.  What's super exciting is that TODAY, we've just brought on our first independent consultant.  

Melanie Knopke, former fashion buyer and blogger extraordinaire is the newest Style Spies consultant to join the team.  Melanie lives in Kansas City, and will be our KC branch (I'm the Chicago gal, Erin is the Houston gal).  Melanie comes to us extremely knowledgeable of the fashion industry - she was a buyer for Mark Shale, and has made quite a name for herself in the Kansas City area as a blogger, on air personality, and writer for the Kansas City Star.  Though she loves a good Louis Vuitton, Melanie prides herself on finding the 'look for less,' a talent that's hard to come by!   Melanie's blog is something I can't go without mentioning as well – Scout – A Mom's Guide to Stylish Living is a great read and was also my inspiration in starting down the blogging road.


Please help me welcome Melanie to Style Spies by stopping by our Facebook page, 'liking' it, and commenting/saying hello!  You can also visit our website, www.stylespies.com, to learn more about our business and for contact information.


Happy Friday, and remember to always be stylish!