Seriously.  Lands’ End has a new line called Canvas and it’s seriously cute.  Of course this company has been around forever and their look is classic, if not a little, um, old-fashioned.  This new line combines the best of two worlds, maintaining that signature preppy look but updating fit and style for a more current look.  Here’s a sampling of my favorite pieces including stripey tees, boyfriend blazers, and non-ugly one pieces. Hello country club, here we come.

Basics, Crazy Things, On the Cheap

Here’s the thing – lately I’ve been on a non-consumption kick.  I’ve been trying to refrain from buying new things  I don’t need, getting rid of things I don’t use and generally reducing the physical clutter (which I truly believe reduces the mental clutter).  I recently did a huge purge and streamlined my closets and it feels great!  True to what I tell my clients when I do this in their homes, I feel like I have more clothes and am wearing different things a lot more often.  Here’s some before, during and after pictures.

Before – Yikes! This is embarrassing.

Just a small sampling of what I gave away:

After:

Closets, Crazy Things

I have a new love – Taza Chocolate.  I am ashamed to say that despite the fact the factory is right here in Somerville, I’d never tried it until yesterday.  It’s crazy because this small batch organic chocolate maker has even offered tours of their factory a la Charlie and the Chocolate factory and still I never got around to eating it.  Well no longer is that the case. One tiny bite and I went out and bought about 5 pounds so I would have some on hand at all times.   What’s so special?  It’s stone ground, organic, and minimally processed.  As a result the chocolate retains pure flavor and tiny granules of sugar so it pops in your mouth.  But really, there is no describing it.  It’s pure tasty treat heaven.  Just go get some as quickly as you can.

Yum

Yes, yes I know I get obsessed with something new on a near daily basis (it’s professional curiosity!), but it doesn’t make these things any less awesome.  This week my current favorite is the Clarsonic Sonic Brush.  This thing gets your skin clean without harsh abrasives or damaging scrubbing.  The benefits can also include everything from making the products you use more effective (they absorb better without all that dead skin) to reducing fine lines.  Check it out at Sephora.

Beauty, Products

Uh oh!  I’ve been told I’ve been slacking on my blogging duties too much.  Sorry dear readers!  I promise to get back to regular postings.  Starting with this nugget:

By now, you’ve no doubt heard of invitation only shopping sites like Gilt Groupe and Rue La La.  And of course you’ve heard of Bag Borrow or Steal where you can essentially rent fancy handbags.  Now comes Rent the Runway, an invitation only site on which you can rent party dresses for about 10% of the cost of buying the dress.  Below is a version of the peek-a-boo shoulder Proenza Schouler dress I’ve blogged about before (albeit less exciting without the sparkles) that you can rent from the site.  Personally, I am a collector of dresses, but if you are a wear once kind of a girl or you don’t have the cake for that designer dress you’ve been coveting,  this just may be the thing for you.  Oh yeah and to get an invitation, just email them.  If only it were always that easy to get invited!

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I’ve got a new love.  Nah, not my husband – he’s a long time love with a new status. It’s acupuncture.  I started going a couple months ago, because for years I’ve had upper back pain that so called “traditional therapies” didn’t help one bit.  What I found are the following things:

1. It works.  I should tell you this upfront, because you probably won’t keep reading if I don’t.  My long standing crappy back pain subsided after only a few sessions.
2. Not all needles are mean and scary. I hate needles. I have fainted countless times while having blood drawn, IVs inserted, flu shots given and this is nothing like that.  You can’t even feel those suckers.
3. You can treat all kinds of things, not just specific aches and pains.  For example, while I was there for my back, I talked with my acupuncturist about wedding stress and he treated that, too.  My qi is wicked aligned.
4. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, your session ends with a massage.  I can’t promise anything because treatment is based on the individual and differs, but come on, that is awesome!
5. Joshua Summers kicks ass.  All joking aside, he is profoundly talented at what he does and I highly suggest you check him out.

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Yes, that is the appropropriate response when someone tells you who’s designing for the Home Shopping Network these days.  Rebecca Minkoff, Rebecca Taylor, Tracy Reese, Sam Edelman, Kooba, and Shoshanna, to name a few.  All of these designers are offering select styles at great prices on the website.  Seriously?  Yes, seriously.  Seriously awesome, that is!  Here are some pics of the goodies.

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Apparently, no one and no thing is immune to an economic bubble.  First it was the dot coms, then the housing market, and then the whole damn economy.  Now cupcakes?!  Slate’s Daniel Gross tells us the cupcake boom is here.  Better stock up on all your sugary, single serving size confections, because it seems they won’t be around for long.  Just don’t tell Isabelle and Todd English.  As for me, I plan to keep on supporting the cupcake industry.

Maybe people will keep eating them if they always look like this.  Hello, AWESOME!

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I have a new love.  Yes, I know mere hours ago I posted a wish list of my top five for fall, but when you go to stores all day long and you are afflicted with being wildly fickle, that’s what happens. Here are my new favorite shoes.  Gorgeous, well priced and stunningly comfortable.  I am taking them with me to Vegas next month where I plan to dance all night long.  And guess who makes them?

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Image from Forbes.com

Great article on personal styling on Forbes.com today:

Everyone knows that celebrities who slink down a red carpet have had their clothes, makeup, jewelry, handbag and hair vetted by a professional stylist. Stylists like Rachel Zoe and Robert Verdihave become famous enough to land their own cable TV shows. But there’s an entire branch of the business of styling that never appears at a movie premiere or Oscar ceremony. Female executives and entrepreneurs–and the just-plain-busy or those in need of fashion guidance–often turn to stylists to improve or update their look and wardrobe.

“I think anyone who is part of corporate America in a leadership role has a responsibility to look professional, interesting, well-tailored and act as a role model for other women,” says Bernadette Kenny, head of human resources for staffing giant Adecco. Kenny, who updates her wardrobe semi-annually, has employed a stylist for the past 15 years and buys directly out of designers’ showrooms. “[Fashion] is not my strength,” she says. “This way, it requires very little thinking on my part.”  read more…

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