What I'm Loving Now

So, I came across these pictures of Rihanna in Israel today. I've always admired her style, especially how she manages to wear clothes at different price points and still look fly (yes I am using a '90's slang term).

Memorial Day Weekend Steals and Deals

For some reason I've always associated Memorial Day with mattress sales, but this weekend there are a lot more than just beds on sale, here are a few of the deals that I will be sure to take a look at:

Old Navy Friday and Saturday take an extra 50 percent off all clearance items, in store only. It's a great opportunity to pick up a few summer staples, like a flirty skirt or cool tank.

Over at Charlotte Russe, most everything is on sale buy one, get one 50 percent off.

And the Limited has tees for $15, skirts for $25 and dresses for $40, plus there's a flat-rate shipping fee of $5.

Have a great Weekend!

FabStylist of the Week!

Yay! Over at FabSugar, they have new weekly challenges called Fab Stylist of the Week and I am proud to say that my Surf Inspired look was chosen this time around. I built the entire outfit around this Marc Jacobs tweed skirt and was inspired by a look in June's Vogue. Thanks again to FabSugar for picking my look here it is, perfect for summer:

Tees by Michael Stars
Sandals by Jimmy Choo

And if the Marc Jacobs is a little too expensive, check out a cute skirt I found at the Limited. It doesn't have the neon coloring like the Marc Jacobs, but it has a cherry pink thread woven throughout and at $24.99 (regularly 59.50) it's easy on the wallet. Enjoy!

Bridesmaidzillas?

So in the June issue of Marie Claire magazine (one of my favorite mags), they feature an article on the trend of "bridesmaidzillas". Basically for these bridesmaids gone bad they make their own rules: what they want to wear, what venue the bride should pick, in one case a girl tried to make the brides mother pay for her dress!

Now I've been fortunate in that for the most part that my good friends have often opted to elope. I have been in a wedding or two (this doesn't include my stint as the go-to flower girl during my childhood), but have never gone so far as to make the bride cry on her wedding day. Although a bride or two has left me shaking my head in disbelief (one even threw a mini tantrum).

My question is this: are these bridesmaidzillas really just overwhelmed with the financial responsibility (which can add up, I've been to bridal weekends in Vegas) or are the cases cited in the article just an extreme view of what some bridesmaids have done?

The women featured in the article seemed a little self-involved and maybe, just maybe they couldn't stand to let someone have the spotlight even for a day. If that's the case, maybe the problem was the bride didn't realize that those chosen to fill in for bridesmaid duty weren't real friends at all.

MashStyle: Out by the Sea

So, I've been thinking about the sea a lot lately, here's a look I put together for FabSugar.

Fab Stylist of the Week: Spring Style

So, I'm all about the sea these days. Best part about the pants, they can roll up into shorts!

Tees by McQ by Alexander McQueen
Sandals by Sam Edelman

MashMovies: Easy A

Here's the trailer for Emma Stone's new film Easy A. The all-star cast includes Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Lisa Kudrow and Amanda Bynes. My only regret with this film? It doesn't hit theaters till September 17th. Here it is:

MashMusic: Alicia Keys

Here's Alicia Keys' latest video Unthinkable (I'm Ready)




First off, let's skip over all of the racial tension and shoot right to the important part: her wardrobe! I kid, I kid, seriously, Chad Michael Murray as the love interest in an area where interracial dating is obviously frowned upon. But that doesn't stop the two loves from going after who they want. The video is shot beautifully, Alicia glows, Chad has a mullet in one scene, which I will forgive. Overall, I believe it's one of my favorite videos by Alicia. What do you guys think?

Designer Spotlight Part Two: Alyssa Zukas Interview Cont.

Here is the rest of my interview with Alyssa Zukas of Two String Jane. Alyssa also custom makes jewelry and adds embellishments to vintage footwear, like these studded lighting bolt boots and this bib necklace. Here we go:

MASH: Why the name Two String Jane?

AZ: Jane is what I named my guitar that I found at a garage sale for $2. It only had two strings on it at the time when I bought it and I used to learn how to play things on my guitar when I had "designers block". Thus "two string jane"!

MASH: What advice would you give to a designer trying to make a name for themselves?

Designer Spotlight: Two String Jane by Alyssa Zukas

Etsy, where have I been? All of this time I thought you were full of tea cozies and Santa sweaters. Which is why I was kind of glad when I stumbled across Two String Jane in a Boho Magazine, featuring this really cool Bonjour red striped shirt, both for around $28. I had to check out her site to see more. While there I found this great lighting bolt deep-v teeshirt, so rock and roll, so perfect for summer. I was so inspired by Alyssa Zukas' designs that I decided to ask her a few questions to post on the blog. You can find more of Alyssa's designs at twostringjane.com Here is the first part of our interview:

MASH: When did you know that you wanted to be a designer?

AZ: I've always been drawing, sewing, painting or had my hands in some kind of creative project since I was little but I really got into designing in high school. I played around a lot with my mom's old vintage stuff, trying to re-interpret things to be more modern.

Wedges

I have a not so secret shoe fetish. I just love them, I own quite a few pairs. Every now and then though you see a designer shoe that you love...but you're not so sure if the cost per wear is worth it. So, being the sometimes frugal person that I am, I always look for something similar at a smaller price point, which is why for the past few months I have been on the hunt for a shoe similar to the Valentino Bow Espadrille, it has been haunting me for a few months now. And I believe that I have found the perfect substitute. This Steve Madden Fauntain wedge in blush, is similar in color, has a more ruching detail, but is still cute enough to go with summer dresses. Plus, the Steve Madden comes in seven other colors. Enjoy!

Steve Madden "Fauntain"

Valentino Bow Espadrille