Make Your Shoppable Wish List with Tagspire

You can’t get away from the décor and shopping goodies for the holidays. You want to collect and share them all, but how about a tool to make it easy? I discovered Tagspire, a great site for tagging your photos and make them shoppable.

For my collage above, I put together a few of my favorite finds from the holiday collections on the runway.  I loved the party vibe from Betsey Johnson’s fall winter 2014 collection. A tight red dress, faux fur jacket and dancing tights? I’m in. I am totally in love with elaborate Dannijo statement necklaces. I am a longtime fan Rebecca Minkoff bags for myself or as gifts for my girls. However, in the spirit of show, not tell, I just tagged them so you could just click on the photos and go straight to the shop and I could have saved myself the time of writing out this paragraph. If you want to see more photos of that great Betsey Johnson runway, you can also click the photo and see my video of it.

This is a great tool for all of my fellow bloggers for augmenting their posts with links or monetizing their gift guides. These are also great for sending your wish list to your admirers. Do you use social media as a visual diary of your wardrobe? Great. You could make money with every selfie.

 For social sharing, you can tag personal photos of your family and friends with additional videos or links to celebrate a special occasion. I am also planning on using Tagspire to enhance photos of my own design work or use it as a selling tool in presentations.

Are you ready to start Tagspire-ing? You can start upgrading your photos with this Tagspire video.  Then start choosing your best looking pictures. If you are in my circle of friends, get ready for my tricked out wish lists!

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Tagspire. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Tagspire.

Read more >>

Shopping and Spa at Atlantis Bahamas

What is the difference in planning a vacation shopping experience and one in your regular city? Do people shop differently when they are near the beach?  I explored the glamorous Escape Boutique at The Cove at Atlantis to find out.

In chatting with Atlantis Bahamas public relations manager Megan Marchesini, she expressed the luxury resort's major demographic guests were mostly from the Northeast of the United States.  Sounds like a bunch of New Yorkers to me.  When you factor in their restaurants mirror the top celeb chefs of NYC (they have an outpost of Mesa Grill and Nobu in the resort) you might be inclined to think that The Cove is Gotham South.

With that in mind, does the New York fashion sense travel to the islands as well?  Lots of blacks and tailored looks?  Not.  The more color, the better.  While fashion designers known to New Yorkers like Kara Ross and Matthew Williamson are carried at the shop, what sells is anything bright, embellished and probably shiny.

Buyers for a luxury resort boutique know that guests are in a fantasy mind frame, so the merchandise must reflect that.  A fun cowboy hat or dancing shoes need to represent the indulgent experience that is a contrast to the everyday routine of home (and the everyday look of home).  Like the name chefs of the restaurants on property, there is the assurance of designer names on the products, but also co-branded with the Atlantis resort's name as well, as it is in itself a prestige name.  When you get the bright pink or coral necklace home, it is your souvenir of the fun you had and a calling card for you to return to the party that was.



After all of that hard work shopping, you need to wind down at the Mandara spa. The high design factor of The Cove was carried through to the spa of course. I was in several waiting areas in between treatments which added to the experience. I had a little sampler of facial, massage and scrub. The staff here gets that New Yorkers are high-strung when they get there and know how to handle them. Every person I encountered was delightful.

BTW, here is the view that I had from my room. So how are YOU spending your next vacation?

Read more >>

Malibu Style - Cars and Fashion

Industrial design and  fashion design are incestuous in their muses.   Sleek, fast cars like the new Chevy Malibu are inspired by the lifestyles of the drivers.  Fashion designers inspired by the electric colors, hot metal and luxurious interiors of their favorite cars.

One of my favorite vehicle-inspired fashion pieces growing up was the Thierry Mugler motorcycle corset made famous in George Michael’s Too Funky music video in the 1990’s. 

Rich red chrome makes any fashion statement look hot.  A car’s details has inspired more than one designer on and off the runway.  Prada’s spring accessories sported tail fins and classic car details on their shoes and handbags.  A sequin embroidered dress from Miss Selfridge mirrors the honeycomb pattern of the Malibu’s front grille.

A sweet ride through the city also inspires an urge for appropriate goodies for driving.  Prada has a great pair of driving gloves in patent leather oxblood.  Kara Ross designed a fantastic necklace in tribute to the City with salvaged concrete and photos of NYC landmarks.  Designer Jennifer Chun’s collection mixes prints and layered urban pieces for a slick, look like the plush interiors of a car.

Need more industrial style and fast driving fashion? Check out our #MalibuStyle Pinterest board!

 Smart technology, impressive styling, a luxurious interior and confident handling all come together in the all-new 2013 @Chevrolet #Malibu to take your drive to the next level.  Discover #MalibuStyle

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Chevy Malibu via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Chevy Malibu

Read more >>

Kara Ross Spring 2013

Luxury jewelry and handbag designer Kara Ross showed her love of the city at NY Fashion week. She created a gorgeous necklace to be shown in a jewelry design exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design.

The necklace encased pieces of concrete from the Hudson Yards as well as photographs of New York City. While most pieces like this end up looking gimmicky, this one looked architecturally chic.

The rest of spring 2013 showcased the designer's skill with interesting leather treatments, like the two-toned snakeskin clutch, or the bracelets, necklaces and rings that had expert jewelry settings using leather and collages in addition to stones.

What do you say, are you ready to wear a bit of your city around your neck?

Read more >>

Kara Ross Resort 2012

Is there a lovelier way to spend an early summer evening than admiring luxe baubles over the Manhattan skyline?  I don't think so.

Designer Kara Ross previewed her gorgeous collection of handbags and jewelry on the rooftop lounge of her Columbus Circle building.  There were plenty of her signature glittering pieces with lots of stones and exotic envelope clutches.  

What always sets her handbags apart for me, is her innovative treatments of the leather.  She takes surface design on her leathers a step further.  A glazed python clutch is additionally airbrushed with metallic.  Deeply dyed ostrich is two-toned on the spots.  The trend of Ikat patterns is re-interpreted in snakeskin with handpainted designs right on the leather.  

A neon group of jewelry was a departure for Kara Ross and my favorite of the evening.  The designer took the craft of decoupage upscale with using pieced collages of fashion magazines on top of wood and finished with acrylic for a stone-like mosaic look.  The bright patterns were paired with striking neon for amazing statement pieces for resort. 

Ladies Who Lunch Travel host Mdivani Monroe had a chance to speak with Ms. Ross about her Fall 2012 collection.  Learn about her design inspirations and what a sweetheart she truly is:

Read more >>

Sales Alert! Kara Ross, Zang Toi, Helmut Lang,

Kara Ross:
Her collections are a beautiful synergy of jeweler expertise and luxury skin handbags.  Mounted gems are found on the purses, snakeskin and python are set into the jewelry like precious stones.  They make for gorgeous pieces that are a signature look for this brand.

When: TODAY! May 24, 2012, 9 AM - 6:30 PM
Where: 225 West 37th Street Lobby

Zang Toi:

This designer is a favorite among photographers, fans, celebrities and royalty.  His elegant luxury and beautiful runway shows make no mystery of this.  Dress like a queen at his sample sale today at his 57th street studio.  His line of bamboo tees will also be available:

When: TODAY! May 24, 2012 until 8 PM.

Where: 30 West 57th street, 7th floor

Helmut Lang:
Helmut always has innovative cuts and draping.  I love their look of uber-cool artsy chic.  I'll be at this sale bright and early... I hope none of you get in my way... (At least those of you in my size).

When: 5/31/12 - 6/3/12, Thu-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm
Where: 75 9th Ave - Chelsea Market (btwn. 15th and 16th Sts)

Read more >>

Kara Ross Spring 2012

Need more bling in your life?  Jeweler Kara Ross has gems on her mind this spring, along with exotic leathers, metals and style.  All shades of turquoise, lapis and amethyst dominated this seasons' collection.  You could see it in the shades of painted skins on the envelope flap bags or embedded in the jewelry.  

Some of Kara's signature touches are the faceted finishes resembling the closeup view of precious stones on rings and cuff bracelets.  The other is the jeweled clasps on her purses for that extra luxury touch.   Some of the rarer skins used in the handbags are then set in metal like a jewel for a truly symbiotic design process across categories.  Is that an artists' perogative? Thrifty or an eco-minded creative process?  Either way, Spring's blue skies will be beautiful.

Mdivani Monroe interviews Ms. Ross to discuss her baubles in depth:

Read more >>

Luxury Sample Sales: Giorgio Armani, Kara Ross, Jay Godfrey,

Need the perfect holiday clutch of python and gemstones?  Kara Ross makes them better than anyone else...

Now thru Thursday, 10 AM - 6 PM

225 West 37th Street  15th floor

Jay Godfrey does elegant and trendsetting with impeccable taste...He dresses all the Gossip Girls, Kim Kardashian, Zoe Saldana, Megan Fox...

WHEN:  Monday, November 22- Tuesday, November 23  10AM- 6PM

                       WHERE:  333 West 39^th Street Suite 402

                        Between 8^th and 9^th Avenue

It's Armani...Do I really need to say more?  Classic and elegant pieces for men and women...Did anyone catch Giorgio Armani's cameo on Saturday Night Live once?  Completely bizarre appearance.  He played an Italian ambassador.  

When: Thursday, November 18 - Saturday, November 20   

Where: 123 WEst 18th Street 4th floor

Read more >>

Kara Ross Holiday and Spring 2011

When you think you can't improve upon something like a simple clutch, where do you go from there?  Designer Kara Ross always manages to surprise me with new treatments of leathers.  For this season, her team showed me some highly dimensional python purses.  The scales had been dyed in an innovative two-tone technique, making it look like it glowed.  A similar technique had been employed with a foil metallic, looking like a platinum serpent had sacrificed itself for a fabulous bag.

This chic bag had a soft leather texture, but the animal was unrecognizable...Turns out it was made of a sueded cork (eco-friendly!) with jet metallic accents.  The price point was accessible and offered a great option for those who did not with to buy skin.

Of course, Kara Ross' roots are in jewelry design.  The stone accents are a signature touch on the bags and belts.  She brings her unique touch with leather back to her jewelry in several interesting collections.

Kara took inspiration from a vintage Navajo piece she found and translated the feather motif into an abstract modern pattern.  She embedded snake skin into the metal as a luxe twist on enamel.

Another new technique for jewelry, was this collection of leather, resin and glitter.  The collection had an icy, organic look.  The sparkles gave the pieces the look of 'jewels', the resin had a vintage quality.

Read more >>

FAB Sales: Kara Ross, Lutz & Patmos

In NYC:
Kara Ross's upscale jewelry and handbags from precious stones is a favorite among celebs.
When: Monday and Tuesday, July 12th and 13th
Where: 225 West 37th Street, 15th floor
Online:
Lutz & Patmos' luxury basics count Sofia Coppola and Liv Tyler as fans...
When: Tuesday, July 13th at Noon via this Link

Read more >>