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AccessAtlanta > Shopping > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February

February 2008

Carol’s Daughter/ Macy’s Cumberland

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It’s not often you get a shout out from Brad Pitt, but that’s what happened to Lisa Price when Pitt said he and Angelina Jolie use Carol’s Daughter products on Zahara Joile -Pitt’s hair.

Price, the founder of Carol’s Daughter products, will be in Atlanta Wednesday, February 27, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. visiting the New Carol’s Daughter store within a store at Macy’s Cumberland Mall (1000 Cumberland Mall SE).

Get one on one beauty advice on favorite Carol’s Daughter products and if you purchase $35 of Carol’s Daughter bath and body products, you’ll receive a free gift.

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zzzzzzzzzzzzz….

Overall, that was a pretty boring showing on the red carpet.

Tilda Swinton wins the worst dressed award for her shapeless, armless velvet dress and complete lack of effort in prepping for the red carpet.

John Travolta should have borrowed Javier Bardem’s bob wig. The men as a whole were all pretty bland and boring looking.

Here’s one theory on why the looks on the red carpet were so dull this year…

SCAD professor, Sarah Collins said with all the award show cancellations, celebrities lost the usual three to four opportunities they have to dress for a red carpet walk. The more chances they have to get it right, the more likely they are to take greater risks on an out-there Oscar outfit. “Since there weren’t that many award shows this year, they didn’t want to take a chance,” Collins said.

Too bad.

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Red takes over the red carpet

It seemed as if everyone wore red this year, which feels just a little unimaginative on a red carpet, but whatev…

Here are the people who didn’t wear red:

Jennifer Hudson’s white dress looked better than last year’s metallic jacket nightmare, but I wasn’t thrilled with empire waist and halter that made her chest look like it was airborne.

Pregnant Jessica Alba dressed her baby bump in a pretty plum gown by Marchesa with a feathered bodice and pleated skirt while Cate Blanchett, another pregnant celeb, showed up in a deep purple gown with a jeweled neckline.

Jennifer Garner’s fishtail black dress was unremarkable, but best actress nominee Marion Cotillard took the fishtail look to a whole different level with metallic like scales flopping on her Jean Paul Gaultier gown. At least it was different. Now if only she had Lisa Rinna’s lips.

Cameron Diaz arrived in a multi-pleated blush colored gown by Dior, one of the few lighter neutral colors in the crowd. Keri Russell also kept it simple in a nude Nina Ricci with a sweetheart neckline.

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Lisa Rinna’s Lips take over the red carpet

And now for the 2008 Oscar red carpet show starring Lisa Rinna’s lumpy lips. Does she really think that looks normal? Is that normal?

As usual, the first hour of the red carpet is pretty boring. I’m thinking the rain is the reason nearly everyone is wearing an updo but since they are I’ll call it a trend. E! guest host Kimora Lee even dressed up her updo with a $1 million hair jewel.

Early arrival, a braless Heidi Klum, wore a red John Galliano gown with her hair styled in an oversized bun, and glittering red jewels (including a clover bracelet that looked like her own design). It almost distracted me from Lisa Rinna’s overplumped lips.

More red arrived on the red carpet on ponytailed presenter Anne Hathaway who wore a red gown by Marchesa with floral blossoms at the shoulder.

The crowd went wild before the always classic George Clooney even set foot on the red carpet in a shawl collar tux by with bow tie.

I have no idea who half of these people on the red carpet are and there’s only an hour left.

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Children’s boutique sale

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My five-month old nephew is already wearing clothing for nine month olds. There were some newborn outfits that he never even had the chance to wear since he was well over 8 pounds at birth…

Anyone with rapidly growing kids should probably check out the Children’s Boutique Warehouse sale this weekend. More than 20 local boutiques are offering discounts of 70 to 90 percent on kids clothing, accessories, shoes, room décor and toys.

Participating boutiques include Small Concept, Monkee Moos, Sugar Plum Kids, Limetree/ Lil Squeeze and Jack and Grace.

Sale is from 10 am to 5 pm Friday (today) and Saturday at World of Rugs, 1510 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd.

MORE: Information on the Children’s Boutique Warehouse sale

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Lauren Conrad’s clothing

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A friend of mine loves “The Hills.” She even has the show’s theme song as one of her ringback tones.

She convinced me to watch it and that’s the only reason I have any idea who Lauren, Audrina, and Heidi are.

She’ll be thrilled to visit Blue Genes where the Lauren Conrad spring collection arrived in store last week.

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The pieces include drapey dresses, tanks and tops priced from about $74 to $172. The styles look a lot like the dresses they wear on the show…halters and empire waists with LA comfort.

Has anyone checked out LC’s collection? Any feedback?

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Lindsey Lohan as Marilyn Monroe

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Lindsey Lohan made headlines Monday for recreating the last sittings of Marilyn Monroe on the cover of New York magazine.

Bert Stern photographed Monroe at California’s Hotel Bel-Air in 1962 just a few weeks before she died. The sessions were nude, featuring Monroe posed with scarves, jewelry and champagne as accessories.

What’s the tenuous Atlanta connection to all this?

Monroe wore scarves by The Vera Company in some of her last photos with Stern. The Vera Company, a popular brand in the 60s, is being resurrected by Atlanta based owner Susan Seid.

Sadly, Seid said she didn’t know about Stern’s shoot with Lohan or she would have offered up some Vera scarves. Grrr….(The AJC used the Marilyn shoot with the Vera scarf as inspiration for the image below).

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In the essay accompanying the NY mag story, Lohan offered up some comments on Monroe’s death calling it “tragic’ and saying it was an example of what the industry can do to someone.

What’s your opinion of Lohan, who’s had her own share of troubles, posing as Monroe?

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The Cosmetics Cop in Atlanta

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Paula Begoun, the Cosmetics Cop, was in town Monday promoting her new book.

“Don’t go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me,” (Beginning Press, $24.95) is in its 7th edition, and according to Begoun it wasn’t supposed to happen. She was ready to call it quits, but is so passionate about debunking the beauty myths put out there by skin care and cosmetic companies, that she did it again.

“There isn’t a myth we don’t fall for,” said Begoun. From mascara ads that use false eyelashes to the questionable “scientific studies” designed solely to back up products’ outlandish claims, we’ve all been duped.

Begoun and her team review thousands of products and give reviews in the 1200 page book. Updates with new products and new information are available online.

Begoun’s 20 plus years of experience researching skin care and beauty products can’t be reduced to a quick list, but here are some of the findings I thought were interesting:

  1. Eye cream is pretty much unnecessary despite the million versions now produced.

  2. Claim substantiation (labs that set up studies to back whatever advertisements say a product will do) is a joke. The shocking part? Even prestigious colleges and universities will design studies to back product claims knowing that the study integrity is questionable.

  3. No topical wrinkle cream will ever give results comparable to injectables like Botox.

  4. Begoun is surprised by all the dermotologists who have gotten into the skin care biz and started issuing their own false marketing claims. If anyone should do better, it’s the derms.

What are some of the beauty myths you have discovered?

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Chrisette Michele wears Tous

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Singer Chrisette Michele had a busy weekend!

The day after performing at Sugarhill, she hit Shout for a special performance in conjunction with Tous, the Spanish jewelry brand with Atlanta locations at Lenox Square and North Point Mall.

Michele wore Tous at the Grammy’s and will continue partnering with the brand in future.

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Tous, a popular brand of jewelry in Spain and Spanish speaking countries, only recently arrived in Atlanta under the ownership of Esther Carretero (pictured above with Michele). Collections range from higher end gemstones in gold to less expensive sterling silver pieces, many designed with the company’s trademark teddy bear.

Are you a fan of Tous? Let us know about your experience with the brand.

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Ebony Fashion Fair show turns 50

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The Ebony Fashion Fair fashion show hit town Sunday at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The sold out event represented the 50th anniversary of the nation’s largest traveling fashion show.

Established in 1958 by John H. Johnson (former publisher of Ebony magazine) and his wife, Eunice, the event has brought entertainment, and more than $55 million in funds to charitable organizations across the country. It also helped launch the careers of a number of African-Americans in fashion.

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Richard Roundtree aka “Shaft,” was a former model and designers such as Stephen Burrows, have had their work grace the runway. In addition, the event served to expose mostly African-American audiences to designer fashions from around the world.

Today, the show has earned a reputation for outrageous outfits and lively presentation. Have you ever attended the Ebony Fashion Fair fashion show? Is it still relevant after all these years?

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Runway Atlanta

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WHERE: 375 Pharr Road, Pharr Plaza

CONTACT: 404-869-3383, www.runwayatlanta.com

CATEGORY: Clothing, accessories, shoes

WHAT YOU’LL FIND: Lots of dresses such as a purple and brown halter dress for $465 by Ghita, the line from Alexis Phifer (Kanye West’s fiancee). Denim by Janiesse and Kova & T in the range of $198. The work of local designer Abdul Sall, formerly of a custom house in New York that created styles for Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown. Costume jewelry, Kooba bags, shoes and sunglasses by Tom Ford and Roberto Cavalli. Owner Jeannine Robertson says store appeals to the “high fashion, edgy girl.”

ATMOSPHERE: Relaxed browsing in this small space, but navigating the narrow racks can be a challenge. Only one dressing room so try to avoid crowds.

  • Join the discussion. Tell us about your experiences at Runway Atlanta or suggest ShopTalk profiles by commenting below.

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    Fast Fashion at Old Navy & Nine West

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    Apparently, a lot of brands are taking lessons from retailer H&M.

    Recently, both Old Navy and Nine West announced plans to move to the “fast fashion” model of merchandising.

    Reps from H&M were recently in town and gave me some insight into what that means, so here’s the part that could actually impact the way you shop:

    1. Four-weeks from design to having a garment in store. That doesn’t always make money for the store (unproven styles can flop), but it does mean the trends get to shoppers a lot faster. A recent example from H&M is high waist jeans and fitted vests.

    2. Daily deliveries of new merchandise to stores. (Some H&M locations in NY receive up to three deliveries a day). Which of course means, that if you see something you want, you have to buy it since it may not be there tomorrow.

    What do you think of Old Navy and Nine West turning out the trends faster?

    Will it just be more of the same, or do you expect something different?

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Fashion

    Valentine’s Day Treats

    I’m not advocating retail therapy for a lonely heart, but there are some great shopping events that just happen to be taking place on or near Valentine’s Day…

    1. Tootsies Perfect Pant event runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 14 to Feb 16. Find the perfect fitting pair of Theory pants and preview the Spring 2008 collection of sportswear and shoes.

    2. Entebello Modern Apothecary and Spa in Buckhead is offering a special Balm Pump Gloss giveaway with a purchase of $30 or more from The Balm cosmetics. They’re also offering complimentary mini-manis, makeovers and goodie bags. Offer extends today to Feb. 15.

    3. Valentine’s Day specials at Nani Salon and Spa in Atlantic Station include Chocolate Treats, $85 for a bikini, underarm and brow wax using special chocolate cream wax. Signature packages include a $50 gift card, which can be used at Nani Sensorium. Lunch, which may include champagne and chocolate strawberries, is served. All packages must be redeemed by Feb. 29.

    Permalink | | Categories: General Shopping

    Iman, the Global Chic Model Citizen

    The gorgeous Iman is in Atlanta today to accept the first Model Citizen award at the Annual Fine Arts and Fashion luncheon of the National Black Arts Festival.

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    I had a chance to chat with the her yesterday at the Four Seasons.

    The multitalented mogul recently launched a new line of accessories for HSN called “Global Chic” with the idea of bringing to women the things she can’t live without.

    “It’s about accessories,” she said. “I have the same suit, it fits me perfectly, but accessories can change it from year to year. I thought that’s what I would like to do. But to talk about accessories, nowadays you have $1000 bags that have waiting lists for them, then you have Nine West and everything in between. So what would make a bag that I would bring any different?”

    Iman opted to create a $124 chic city tote (below), a $70 vintage inspired handbag and several styles of bangles and jewels including $60 replica of her own vintage engagement ring.

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    She is currently working on a line of skin-care, clothing and more accessories which will all debut under the “Global Chic” brand starting in spring. She said it was time to extend her product line from the makeup and skin-care brand she launched years ago for women of color.

    Iman hasn’t modeled in more than a decade, but she is still such an amazingly beautiful and stylish woman, so I asked her for 3 secrets of great style:

    1. Be Comfortable
    2. Be Classic. Don’t follow the trends.
    3. Update your look without breaking the bank.

    Iman has spoken.

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    Jovovich-Hawk at Target

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    Target kicks off the next round of designer collaborations with Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk, co-designers of Jovovich-Hawk.

    It looks like it will be one of the more exciting collections.

    Jovovich-Hawk was launched in 2003 by the actress and her designer friend with the objective of making comfortable, wearable clothing that is fashionable yet understated. The brand definitely has an LA bohemian vibe, but manages to stay elegant.

    The line for Target, priced from $13 to $40, includes wrap dresses, cropped jackets and even a floral print bikini.

    In stores March 2.

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    Fashionless Grammys

    Is it over?

    Please tell me it’s over. I can’t stand watching the horrible outfits on the Grammy’s anymore. Even the better outfits were mostly marginal. It was almost too easy to make fun of everyone on the red carpet. You know it’s bad when you make excuses for Chris Brown in a red and white “suit” that looks like a bad prom outfit. Or when you actually appreciate getting a laugh from Bai Ling’s floating hem dress with band-aid accessories on her legs. Sadly things didn’t get much better on the show…Rihanna performed in a crazy corseted get-up while Beyonce basically wore sequined undies on stage. At least Alicia Keys lost the mohawk before performing the second time. But the shiny spandex leggings?????

    Has it always been this bad? Have I just forgotten?

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    Oh Nelly! Not again..

    The good thing about the Grammy red carpet is that anything goes if you have the nerve to wear it like Soulja Boy in a T-shirt and sweats or Chris Daughtry in a dark 3-piece suit (despite 80 degree temps).

    Fergie went classic in a yellow Calvin Klein dress with Cartier jewels, but it was Rihanna, with yet another variation on her asymmetrical haircut (surely the most copied hair since Jennifer Aniston’s “Rachel”), who is most likely to set a trend. Her blue fringed Zac Posen dress was slightly less spectacular than her hair, but the Chopard bracelet was gorgeous.

    I’m a little concerned about Nelly Furtado, who always seems to do the opposite of whatever the trend is and not in a good way. When everyone goes for dark hair, she goes blond. When everyone loses the major jewels, she wears a big gold necklace that reminded me of Tina Turner’s earrings in Mad Max.

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    Red Carpet Snooze

    I wish I knew someone throwing a Grammy viewing party, then maybe I would be viewing red carpet arrivals on a big screen in high definition, instead I’m stuck watching my 24-inch box, which makes it tough to see anything.

    Of course, the first 45 minutes or so of the Red Carpet has been a total yawn so I haven’t missed much.

    Alicia Keys and Natasha Bedingfield are the sole standouts among the early arrivers wearing jewel toned dresses (big for spring). Keys is wearing a beautiful navy gown by Armani that sadly was paired with a not-so-flattering mohawk influenced updo.

    Natasha Bedingfield chose a deep purple Reem Acra gown with a belted waist and pleated skirt.

    Metallic lovers will like Miley Cyrus’ sequined Celine dress which she paired with a silver clutch.

    Ne-Yo represented for the guys in head to toe Farragamo including his black tie on black shirt and super shiny black patent leather shoes. Seal did the opposite in a white Yves Saint Laurent suit, with white shirt and a black tie.

    Is it me or is anyone else bored with this red carpet?

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    Boutique Warehouse Sales

    Boutique Warehouse sales offering up more discounted apparel (women and men) and accessories (up to 90% off) this weekend:

    Boutiques at the Barn

    Where: The corner of Castleberry Road and 6820 Majors Road in Cumming

    When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday

    Who: My Michelle, Small Concept, Lavender and EK Taylor and more

    Boutique Warehouse Sale

    Where: 800 Lambert Drive NE

    When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday

    Who: Bilthouse, Dakota J’s, Fab’rik, Kaleidoscope, Market, Pella, Two Pale Josephines, Veruca and more.

    Permalink | | Categories: General Shopping

    Soiree at Sage

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    Start prepping for Valentine’s Day at Sage Midtown’s (1745 Peachtree Street), Sultry Soiree tomorrow from 5 to 8 p.m.

    Mini massages and reflexology accompany wine, treats, and a jewelry trunk show from Lauren Elizabeth Designs .

    Proceeds from the evening’s sales benefit the Sister to Sister Foundation , dedicated to women’s heart disease screening and prevention.

    The first 20 ladies to make a purchase receive a Sultry Soiree gift bag.

    Permalink | | Categories: General Shopping

    Bebe launches designer collaborations

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    Bebe is the latest store to offer clothing collections in collaboration with designers.

    Tara Subkoff ( of Imitation of Christ fame) created a 12-piece capsule collection spotted at local Bebe stores this weekend.

    The collection includes ruffle dresses in black and red with black hearts, tops, a mini and more. It’s priced from $59 to about $150.

    Subkoff’s previous collaboration includes a line of footwear with Easy Spirit. No word yet from Bebe on other designers to follow.

    Has anyone seen the Tara Subkoff for Bebe collection? What’s the verdict?

    Permalink | | Categories: Fashion

    Fashion your Future

    Here’s a scholarship opportunity for aspiring fashion students out there.

    High school students and recent graduates are invited to apply for the 2008 Fashion Your Future Scholarship competition at The Art Institute of Atlanta, and the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur.

    Students submit 500 to 1000 word essays on why they are interested in a career in fashion and retail management.

    Eight finalists must create in-store or window style displays in competition for four awards ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

    MORE: Information on the Art Institutes

    Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Fashion

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