Out Sick

Dear Readers,
I regret to inform you that my trusty laptop is ill. Please keep her in your thoughts. She hopes to make a full recovery...

Blogging will resume as soon as possible.

DVF ...your thoughts?

This it the Diane Von Furstenberg commercial for the American Express "Are You a Cardmember?" campaign, first aired during the 2008 Academy Awards on February 24th.

According to a press release issued by AmEx, "Diane Von Furstenberg is iconic and truly a timeless legend within the fashion industry. ...Diane enabled us to capture the things in her life that drive her creativity and passion. We know that her sense of individuality and empowerment will inspire and resonate with women everywhere -- and that confidence is the essence of what it means to be a Cardmember." AND, the spot was directed by Academy Award-nominated director, Bennett Miller.

So my question is this: What do you think of the spot, does it live up to the hype?

V.I.P. - Very Important Panties

The much anticipated Sassy City Chicks sample sale came and went on Sunday, March 16 at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica with VIP ticket holders receiving a goody bag filled with essentials – Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip, Boscia Blotting Linens, Yelp lip balm and, of course, Frederick’s of Hollywood black and white polka dot lace panties.

Women (and some boyfriends who were making up for a forgotten birthday or anniversary) lined up before doors opened at 10am for early access to the sales 75+ designer booths, which, for those willing to dig, included finds like Ella Moss, Splendid, Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Tam. Distractible shoppers were enticed by free M&M’s at the Itty Bitty Bra booth and free facemasks at the Become Beauty booth, both popular rest stops in the crowded ballroom.

Photos: ABNI

tatTOO much for me

It is entirely possible that I don't belong in Los Angeles, because I don't get Ed Hardy. Last year I decided that to truly be an Angelino, I should invest in the trend sweeping across Southern California and purchase at least one Ed Hardy item. But I failed in my quest.

Two weeks ago, I popped into the Ed Hardy store at the Beverly Center, and what I had been feeling for a year came to a head. The tattoo art fashions looked costumey, un-wearable and un-me.

This week I was at The Grove while fashion show fairies were setting up for a big Christian Audigier (the designer behind Ed Hardy) LA Fashion Week show in the center of the mall.

I couldn't stay for the actual show, but my attendance didn't seem necessary. As I was leaving The Grove, throngs of people were arriving for the show, all wearing Ed Hardy fashions. And I do mean all - teens and seniors alike sporting tattooed trucker hats and Emo-esque hoodies. They looked like mannequins from the Ed Hardy store I had seen at the Bev Center - over-styled and trying just a little too hard.

Not that all fashion should be easy and effortless, but the Ed Hardy style is a lot of look.

I guess I will have to find another way to be a true Angelino.

Photos: ABNI, fashiondays.blogspot.com

Tom Binns' Safety Pinns

I just saw these earring featured in a collage on intermixonline,  but the boutique isn't actually selling them.  So after a little research, I learned that they are by jewelry designer Tom Binns.

These safety pin earrings from his Real Deal Collection make me nostalgic for junior high.  A rebellious girl in my 8th grade homeroom class was constantly piercing her ears with safety pins.  I always thought the look was cute, but I simply had no desire to wear jewelry I had to stab myself with to get on.  That, and my ears can be sensitive to fake metal...especially rusty safety pin metal.

Most of the Real Deal Collection appears to be done in 18 carat gold, and according to a blurb on Kaboodle, this Tom Binns pair is around 3" long.  I think they are punky yet elegant and would indulge my inner rebellious 8th grader, without the risk of an ear infection.

Photo: blog.kaboodle.com

Red Shoes and a Press Pass

Pink signs and giant white balloons decorate the huge entryway. It is an 8-year-old's birthday party dream-come-true.

And although I’m feeling festive, I am not an 8-year-old, and this isn’t a birthday party… I am a twenty-something and this is one of the largest and most important fashion events of the year. As I walk into the convention center for the Project Las Vegas 08 show, I feel like a kid on the first day at a new school. I am making my introduction to the world of fashion journalism and I am diving in headfirst.

The enormous Project sign looms overhead, but somehow it still feels welcoming. I am so excited to cover my first big fashion event, but all I can think about is what I am wearing. Project is where designers debut their new collections for buyers to peruse for next season. The people who work here are at the fabulous forefront of the industry that I am just beginning to introduce myself to. They wear all the latest trends and have the upcoming ones at their fingertips. Some of them might even have the right to say, “I don't do fashion, I am fashion,” like the infamous Coco Chanel. And I am about to walk around this venue with a camera crew and a microphone. I know from experience, cameras and mics make people stop and stare.

As I begin to overanalyze this truth, I suddenly realize I haven’t thought my outfit through. I knew I’d be walking a lot, but the only comfy shoes I brought to Las Vegas were my Michael Kors red patent leather peep-toe flats. And I am wearing them.

Shit.

On any other day, I would be happy to sport my red shoes. They’re bright and fun, comfy and cute and have that “take an outfit to the next level” quality.

But today I am wearing my extremely pink Amanda Uprichard tuxedo dress. And red patent leather flats make me look like I am reviving “clash day” from elementary school.

I am having an anxiety attack.

I am wearing my new favorite dress (for the first time) and carrying the one-and-only designer tote I own (a Gucci with pink detailing), yet somehow I managed to march into this place of fashion worship in red patent leather shoes.

Quickly, I reach into my tote and pull out the shoes that were supposed to be for full-body, on-camera shots only. My subtle brown leopard print (yes, there is such a thing as subtle animal print), four-and-a-half inch, slingback heels that go with almost anything. I change as quickly and gracefully as one can change their shoes in the middle of a giant crowd of fashionistas.

Here, under the massive graffiti-esque Project sign, by an army of enormous white balloons, I sentence my feet to one full day of suffering for my rookie mistake. I race to catch up to my cameraman and wait in line to have my entry card swiped (Ahem! Press pass, thank you very much!).

“Excuse me,” a brunette Project staffer says.

Just before I can flash my press pass to ensure her that I do in fact belong here, she gushes “I LOVE your dress. Who’s it by?”

Who’s it by? My dress?

“Sorry, don’t think I’m weird. But we were watching you. We’re like, obsessed with it,” she says gesturing to another Project staffer a few feet away.

I feel my anxiety wash away. They don’t care that I stormed into this place like I was taking Normandy in red patent leather shoes!

I giggle and ramble some version of “Oh! Thanks! It’s Amanda Uprichard!” (all exclamations). I still feel like a new kid on the first day of school – there is the excitement of the unknown – but my insecurities begin to melt away as I realize that at a hugely important fashion event, full of hugely important fashion, my shoe mishap had been overlooked and I had, for a moment, been singled out and acknowledged by those I hope to someday call peers.

Photo: Zappos.com

What's in a name?

Welcome Readers!

I’m thrilled to be starting a blog about fashion. The time has come for me to discover my fashion writing voice and I'm glad you are along for the ride.

 

But first things first - why "A Bag Named Isabella?"  

My to-fabulous-for-the-Midwest sister suggested naming my blog after her beloved Fendi, "Edwardo."  And that brought to mind my first ever designer item, gifted to me by none other than that very same lovely sister.  

Four years ago, on a Christmas shopping excursion to Neiman Marcus, I fell in love with a turquoise brocade purse with a leather, metal-studded closure.  It was amazing.  There it sat, piled in with the sale bags (blasphemy!).  But it didn't look sale-worthy to me.  It was the only thing I could focus on, the purse drew my complete attention.

At first, I wasn't sure why I felt so strongly toward it.  It wasn't like the Canal St. bags I was usually drawn to during pilgrimages to New York, but I loved it nonetheless.  Deterred by the cost, I put it down and walked away, defeated.  

A few days later, that purse appeared wrapped up under the Christmas tree, just for me.  My sister had sensed the connection I felt to that purse, and had gone back to buy it.  

I kept the purse in it's red Neiman Marcus box, with the removable elastic bow, for a few months, afraid to hurt my one-and-only designer item.  I would open the box and hold the purse, study it's details, feel a rush of happiness seeing the Isabella Fiore label inside... Until one day, I couldn't stand it any longer.  I put together an outfit of dressy white cargo pants by Guess (no joke) and a some layered tank tops for a night out on the town.  The finishing touch to the outfit was my purse.  Come to think of it, the whole outfit was my purse.  

That night, I introduced her to my friends like a proud mother.  "This,"  I declared, "is Isabella."   They oooed and aaahed and agreed she was fabulous, like good friends do.

But it wasn't just about owning a fabulous bag.  To me, Isabella was much more than a designer brand name item.  It was the process - love at first sight, unwrapping it on Christmas, carrying it for the first time - that had changed me.  I realized the art and beauty and joy in fashion and accessories.  I learned how and when to incorporate this unique bag into my wardrobe and make it my own.  I felt the Carrie Bradshaw power of developing my own style.  Isabella opened up fashion to me in a whole new way.  

So now, as I attempt to parlay my love of fashion into something more, it seems only right that I bring the power of Isabella with me.