Looking Good on Halloween!

Halloween is right around the corner, so let's talk about how to look good and remain fashionable when choosing your Halloween costume.

Location

Think about where you're going to be and what you're going to be doing on Halloween, before you pick a costume. Are you going to Las Vegas for a bit of club hopping and running around The Strip? Then for god sakes, wear comfortable shoes!! Giving up and carrying your incredibly sexy shoes by 8pm, is not incredibly sexy. So, choose your footwear wisely. Stiletto heels over 4" will be your worst enemy if your night involves lots of walking or dancing. A better choice (that is still very sexy) would be platform heels with a padded footbed or even better, platform boots with a thicker heel. If you're going to a tame Halloween house party, then by all means, wear the wildest, highest, most uncomfortable shoes you can find (sort of like these monstrosities).

Also think about where your going to be spending Halloween before picking out your costume. If your going to be somewhere crowded, you are not going to want to be wearing a long, floor sweeping costume (people stepping on it will get old very quickly) and whacking people in the face with a winged costume will also wear on your (and other peoples) nerves.

Body Type

This may seem like a no-brainer, but I have seen way too many people wearing costumes that obviously did not pick the most flattering style for their body type. Love your legs? Show them off in something short and sexy:

Don't like your thighs? Cover them up and highlight one of your better features:

Feeling modest? There are plenty of ways to cover up and still look great:


Now that we've got you thinking about Halloween costumes, you should start browsing now, since Halloween will be here in a blink of an eye. Here are our Halloween costume shopping recommendations:

For sexy costumes: LaLaLingerie.com

For mens costumes: BuyCostumes.com

For funny costumes: HalloweenOnly.com

For kids costumes: CostumeMan.com

Etsy

So, I've discovered where that cute indi girl gets all of her uniquely fabulous clothing and accessories! Check out Etsy.com. Etsy seems to be an indi take on Ebay, with similar listing styles, Etsy Stores, etc, but, Etsy only allows listing of items that are handmade or hand-altered. Their fees to sell are also much less expensive then Ebay, so if you're an independant designer looking for a new outlet to sell your goodies, be sure to hit up Etsy!

I havn't had much time to look through many of the stores, but I instantly fell in love with Danielle Maveal's jewelry. I bought the sterling silver Fake Diamond Necklace and can't wait for it to arrive! Yay for uniqueness!

Fashion Show Bans Too Skinny Models

"The world's first ban on overly thin models at a top-level fashion show in Madrid has caused outrage among modeling agencies and raised the prospect of restrictions at other catwalk pageants.

Madrid's fashion week has turned away underweight models after protests that young girls and women were trying to copy their rail-thin looks and developing eating disorders.

Organizers say they want to project an image of beauty and health, rather than a waif-like, or heroin chic look.

But Cathy Gould, of New York's Elite modeling agency, said the fashion industry was being used as a scapegoat for illnesses like anorexia and bulimia.

"I think its outrageous, I understand they want to set this tone of healthy beautiful women, but what about discrimination against the model and what about the freedom of the designer," said Gould, Elite's North America director, adding that the move could harm careers of naturally "gazelle-like" models.

Madrid's regional government, which sponsors the show and imposed restrictions, said it did not blame designers and models for anorexia. It said the fashion industry had a responsibility to portray healthy body images.

"Fashion is a mirror and many teenagers imitate what they see on the catwalk," said regional official Concha Guerra.

The mayor of Milan, Italy, Letizia Moratti told an Italian newspaper this week she would seek a similar ban for her city's show unless it could find a solution to "sick" looking models.

QUALITY, NOT SIZE

The Madrid show is using the body mass index or BMI -- based on weight and height -- to measure models. It has turned away 30 percent of women who took part in the previous event. Medics will be on hand at the September 18-22 show to check models.

Under the Madrid ruling, models must have a BMI rating of around 18. That would disqualify top Spanish model Esther Canadas, and supermodels like Kate Moss, based on unofficial records of their height and weight.

"The restrictions could be quite a shock to the fashion world at the beginning, but I'm sure it's important as far as health is concerned," said Leonor Perez Pita, director of Madrid's show, also known as the Pasarela Cibeles.

When asked if they supported controls, seven Spanish designers showing at Madrid either declined to comment or said they did not want to become involved in the controversy. Designers in Milan gave a similar response.

A spokeswoman for the Association of Fashion Designers of Spain, which represents those at Madrid fashion week, said the group supported restrictions and its concern was the quality of collections, not the size of models.

Eating disorder activists said many Spanish model agencies and designers oppose the ban and they had doubts whether the new rules would be followed.

"If they don't go along with it the next step is to seek legislation, just like with tobacco," said Carmen Gonzalez of Spain's Association in Defense of Attention for Anorexia and Bulimia, which has campaigned for restrictions since the 1990s.

Elite's Gould said fashion was not to blame for eating disorders that usually started at home due to poor eating habits and constant dieting by mothers.

So far, Madrid's move has yet to spark a worldwide trend toward catwalk shows with curvier figures.

London Fashion Week said in a statement it would not put restrictions on what type of models its designers use."

Source

Betsey Johnson

I absolutely adore Betsey Johnson. She is an extremely fun designer who doesn't take herself or designer fashion too seriously. Betsey's designs are always feminine in a cute girly sort of way, but with a dash of funky flare. This women has been designing since the 60's and she still manages to remain at the top of haute fashion!

Here is a clip of the Betsey Johnson show at Olympus Fashion Week (Spring 2006):



If Betsey floats your fashion boat, be sure to pop by BetseyJohnson.com where you can shop the latest collection and view her past collections and fashion shows. And for all of your designer bargain hunters, don't forget to check out the sale items, as well!

Jewelry Sale - 20% Off!

Limoges just kicked off their friends and family sale! Shop now through September 11th to receive 20% off your entire order, by using coupon code: FAF967. Shipping is also free for all orders over $60.

Some of our favorite Limoges items are the customized jewelry, like the sterling silver name necklace. Custom jewelry makes an absolutely perfect gift for all occassions, so when I'm in a pinch, a custom piece always does the trick. Limoges also has some fabulously trendy cocktail rings and many celebrity inspired pieces that are right on with todays fashion.

For the Love of Leather

There really is no denying the versatility of leather. Leather can be a business mans shoe, a bikers jacket, a debutantes glove or the average joes belt. Leather is durable, fashionable and only looks better with age. Genuine leather is also the #1 ingredient that I look for in a quality handbag and that obsession of mine drove me to the discovery of Wilson's Leather. Wilson's Leather has effectively combined fashion, function and affordability and is my go-to store when my wardrobe needs a kick. Skeptical? Well, I've put together the following outfits from WilsonsLeather.com to show you what different styles and budgets can score for the bargain price ranges of $100 - $300.

For the Hipster:
Here we have a suede jacket with military detailing ($25), a brown leather handbag ($58) and the tooled leather belt ($15). This look says, "I'd love to chat, but I'm late to meet my BFF, Sienna Miller, for cocktails".

Score this look for $100!




For the Boss Lady:
Here we have a black leather pencil skirt ($98), plum suede tote ($40) and black fur-trimmed gloves ($38). Yes, you can wear leather to the office! Just stick to basic colors and modest styles.

Score this look for $200!





For the Glamour Girl:
Here we have a long white leather, belted coat ($198), deep red satchel purse ($58) and matching red leather gloves ($48). It doesn't get more luxurious then this, and you'll be turning every head in the room!

Score this look for $300!