Res Ipsa Loquitur--Calling for Donations

Apparently, Maggie Gyllenhaal has taken on the practice of buddhism... and has banished herself to a monastery.  We should all start a fund in honor of her valiant effort to become one with silk-screened draperies.

WTF--Holy Chrysanthemums

WTF indeed.  I got home from work today to find Anthropologie's July 2010 catalog waiting for me in the mail.  I generally enjoy this flipping experience, but today... I was faced with an evil too terrible for words.  On page 7, these three pairs of shoes were artfully arranged in a photograph on a lovely distressed hardwood floor.

Pray tell, what are these horrific items?  Anthropologie claims they are pumps worthy of payment in the $150 range, but I disrespectfully disagree.  To me, they resemble costume footwear from a Hansel and Gretel motion picture, perhaps even a cartoon.  I mean... sometimes, shoes can be a little garish if they are constructed for the sake of art.  In those instances, wearability is clearly not the focal point.  But--dear god Anthropologie.  Why do you wish to cause me such pain?  To boot (literally), they added the item below on the following page of the catalog:

Am I missing something here??  Did we suddenly transport into a time in fashion where the above pair of booties is considered attractive??  These "Blue Horizons" booties will run you a mere $188.  Let's see... for $188, I could buy:  a) the Cole Haan Carma Air sandals I've been eyeing; b) a round-trip flight to several nearby cities; c) an Amazon Kindle; d) a pair of good seats to the Lion King musical in Chicago... the list could go on and on.  Perhaps, I should invest in a pair of designer sunglasses to shield my corneas from the freak show going on above.  Not to mention, I just discovered these as I was gathering the photos for my arrangement above...

 I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.  Badly done Anthropologie, badly done.

Cute Color Combo--America!

It is hard to believe that we are already waving goodbye to the month of June!!  As we take a step forward into the month that holds our country's independence day, we busy ourselves with preparations for another beach weekend on the eastern shore, a bbq fest with our family and friends, and making decisions as to whether battling intolerable crowds in the District to view a giant, sparkly spectacle in the sky is wise--or not.  Last year, I had a few friends in town for the holiday weekend... and we took it upon ourselves to park illegally on GW Parkway just to watch the fireworks from the side of the Potomac.  While that was fun and all, I'm not sure if the feat will be repeated in 2010.
It was hard for me to pass up a "red, white, and blue" cute color combo, because like all other holidays, I do see me some ghastly apparel concoctions around the good ol' District as we creep closer to the 4th of July weekend.  I guess some individuals may find it appropriate to dress as though the American flag vomited its insides, but I tend to disagree.  There is no room here for cheap souvenir t-shirts that scream "FREEDOM" or "It is GOOD to be an American," or tacky Uncle Sam top hats with red, white, and blue sequined embellishments.  There is also no need to look like you splashed vivid doses of true red, true blue, or gleaming white all over yourself.  You want to pick one of those colors to make a statement?  Fine.  You want to don red, white, and blue stripes complete with a bouncing star antenna headband??  I will wish the worst upon you.
Here is an outfit that subtly displays the shades of our great nation... without causing a sudden desire to burn our flag.  I am quite aware that the belt is well outside the affordability range we normally feature, but it is quite the piece de resistance... don't you think?
KUDOS FOR THIS OUTFIT GO TO:
*Forever21 - Sweet Couple Dress in Blue/White
*Bluefly - Yves Saint Laurent Textured Ring Belt in Deep Red
*Shoewoo - Nine West GlitzGlam Peeptoe Wedges in Light Brown Leather
*Forever21 - Leatherette Shoulder Bag in Cream
*Anthropologie - Little Larsen Posts in Cream

Welcome to My Closet--Let's go Sailing!!

So, I took a lunch break yesterday at... where else??  My favorite-est place ever... Forever21.  Yup, that's right.  I braved the afternoon crowd of rowdy teenagers to go find the perfect pieces for my upcoming Miami/South Beach trip next week.  It's always hit or miss when you browse at a Forever21 location... unfortunately for my bank account, it's usually a hit for me.  :)  I found some very lovely additions to my summer wardrobe...

I LOVE this dress.  It's a great combination of flirty and girly.  You can dress it up or down!!  I'm very excited to put this dress to use.  I do recall it being an older item, so I doubt anyone will be able to find it in a Forever21 store.  I wish I could put up a link, but it's not online anymore!

I am very excited to try out these skirts, either with a top tucked in... or belted.  These are still online, so here are the links... F21 Satin Rose Skirt, F21 Dotted Knit Skirt, and F21 Ruffled Floral Skirt.

Trend to Try--Off Shoulder Tops

So let's take a style that's a little retro--the off shoulder top.  I have my eye on a version at F21 made out of a very breezy chiffon material that I want to try.  What does everything think?  I think it could be really cute with some slouchy light-colored linen shorts with white gladiator sandals... or a light khaki mini with white wedge sandals or peeptoes...

Res Ipsa Loquitur--Clearly, They Don't Own Mirrors

I honestly don't know what SJP is beaming about... the dress, the hair, the overbearing statement necklace... the entire ensemble topped off with the shiny gold belt and shoes makes me gag.  It's an overstimulating combination that might cause those with a weaker constitution to succumb to an epileptic seizure.

Katherine Heigl managed to age herself by 20 years with this outfit.  Wow.

Liv Tyler possesses very natural and classic looks.  However, this dress is a poor mix of goth, vampire, and lack of shape.  Is she pregnant again??  If so, this would explain the shape, but NOTHING else.

I am all about casual comfort.  I am all about weekend wear.  But--Jessica Alba, you look homeless.  End of story.

It's one thing to don an extreme "rocker-chick" outfit for a stage performance... but this... I just hate it.  I feel like if she wants to go for an edgy look for her album release, she could have found a better-looking way to do it.

Apologies for the Lapses

So, I know that FleurStyle has had a big patch without any posts lately... and I just wanted to apologize to any readers out there who were wondering... where did they go??  Sometimes life just throws a barrage of curve balls at ya--and you get sucked into a sort of black hole time warp that spits you back out a week or two later.  Anyways~ my apologies... and while the new job title may prevent me from posting everyday, I PRAY that I don't go another week without givin' ya something.  :)