Monthly Archive for March, 2010

The Other Kalin | March Madness . . .

Published on March 30, 2010 in Life Is Good. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Kalin Lucas propped up by teammates as he cuts down the net after the Spartans beat Tennessee

I’ve been out of the March Madness loop just a tad bit.  I know it’s March and that means the NCAA Basketball Tournament is underway, but since I’m no longer part of an office pool it’s easy for me to escape the madness if you get my drift.  But, last night, my grandfather who is a die-hard supporter of any Michigan team – the Lions (he’s no fairweather fan), the Tigers, the Wolverines (Michgan – What’s up with the animals?) and yes, even the Spartans (We’re a Go Blue! family) but Detroiters support Detroiters, green, blue or otherwise – tells me that the Spartans are going to the Final Four.  Woo hooo!!!  If UofM can’t be there to represent, the next best thing is MSU.

Armed with this knowledge, I pick up the sports page this morning and learn that the star of the Spartans is also named Kalyn.  Kalin Lucas.  I read a little further and learn that he was the driving force behind the team and definitely the player Spartans’ fans had pinned their hopes on, but he’s been sidelined with what appears to be a torn Achillies tendon.  Here’s where it get’s crazy, so I am! Sidelined with a torn tendon I mean.  I tore my planterious tendon while on a little ski-cation back in February; I realize it’s not the same as getting hurt while trying to take my team to the National Championships, but the parallels are uncanny, no?  And of course, we’re both from the same place – Detroit.

See here’s the thing.  With a name like Kalyn, I’ve only met one other person with my name who wasn’t named after me.  When I was little, there were no key chains, license plates or notepads with my name on them.  People ALWAYS mis-spelled and mis-pronounced my name.  I resolved to change my name to Karen when I became an adult so that I would no longer have to suffer these indignities (petitioning Walt Disney to include my name on the Minny Mouse keychain seemed like a wasted effort).  My Aunt Kay (for whom I’m named) convinced me that while Karen is a nice name, my name, Kalyn is a beautiful name and makes me unique. So, when I hear that there’s someone else named Kalyn, even though he spells it Kalin, who’s also from Detroit, it just makes me smile.  What are the odds? I’ll be rootin’ for Kalin and the Spartans this weekend in my Spartans gear, maize and blue be damned!  Maybe there’s more to this March Madness than meets the eye . . .

[image from mlive.com]

Fashion Trends for Spring 2010

Published on March 28, 2010 in Fashion Tips and Style Tips. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Spring Is In The Air

Spring is literally around the corner.  One of the hardest things about the anticipation of Spring is finding the right thing to wear while Mother Nature tries to make up her mind.  But even worse is Spring finally arriving and having nothing to wear.

To insure that you’re not left out in the cold when the warm weather finally arrives (and stays!), here’s a list of what’s HOT for Spring Fashion 2010.  The list is by no means exhaustive, but with the addition of just one or two of these items you can re-vive your Spring wardrobe without breaking the bank.

  • Wedges – A must have for this Spring.  Plain and simple.
  • Nude/Natural Colored Heels – This Spring is all about subtle footwear. Upside? Nude/Natural colored heels will give the illusion of lengthening your legs.
  • Nautical – Simplicity at it’s finest.  Crisp white shorts and jeans will help you pull off this trend.
  • Ikat Prints – These come in a variety of color pallets.  Go for the bolder patterns as accent pieces and the more subdued for the office.
  • Safari – Easy to pull off with simple khaki safari inspired dresses and blouses to anything with beading, studs or wood.
  • Sequins! – The shinnier, the shimmier, the better!
  • Clogs, clogs and more clogs – High, low or stacked-heels, they’re not just for the Swedish this season.
  • Floral Prints – Chanel your inner girly-girl with pretty floral patterns in everything from dresses and blouses to ballet flats.
  • Bright Colors – Bring a little sunshine into your wardrobe this Spring with bright yellows, hot pinks and fiery oranges.
  • Statement Jewelry – Statement jewelry rarely goes out of style.  If you haven’t found your go-to item yet, make it a priority to do so this Spring.
  • The Color Grey – Grey is the new black.  Lighten up this season with the color grey.  It’s just a chic as black, but not nearly as harsh.

Get ready to say goodbye to Winter and hello to Spring!  Spring will be here before you know it  . . . You’re gonna be sad if you’re not ready.

I Heart My Hermès Scarf, Part Deux

Published on March 25, 2010 in Style Tips. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

Well folks, I just picked up Brazil from the Hermès store on Madison Avenue.  Here she is from a distance:

She looks ok, right?  Well that’s what I thought.  But then I looked closely and I admit it, tears sprung up in my eyes.  I realize that the folks at Hallak tried to fix her, I just don’t love the fix.  There were two holes in the scarf and apparently they were along the same fold line (honestly, I don’t really recall if there were on the same fold line on not, but based on the way she’s been repaired that’s all I can surmise).  Here’s a close-up:

See the black line down the middle?  That’s the fix.  Now you get the tears.  The saleswoman was lovely, I’ve worked with her before. Before I could speak, I could tell by her expression that she understood my frustration.  I calmly told her, “I’m not happy with the way this turned out.  I know I signed a release form, but I’m not happy with this.”  She felt my pain, said what were meant to be placating words and then went to have a talk with the manager.  While there I learned that I’m not the first person who’s loved her scarf to death and unfortunately, this is the “fix”.  They can’t weave the twill fibers back together.  However, all agreed that the fix does look somewhat like a band-aid upon further inspection.  Only this is a band-aid that can’t be peeled off when the boo-boo is healed.  Hermès agreed not to charge me for the band-aid.  Lesson learned?  Take better care of my scarves.  Carry them in my bag in a protective case (Ziploc bags are perfect for just such a thing) and store them in the flat square boxes they come in.

I’m sad, Brazil is still my favorite.  But, there are people in Haiti trying to figure out how to survive and service men and women in Afghanistan hoping to come home alive.  If my only disappointment is the repair of my Hermès scarf, I should count myself lucky and I do.  It’s easy to become tethered by earthly goods; my goal for 2010 is to loosen those ties, soar beyond them and be thankful for the wonderful family and friends I hold dear.  Because really, when it comes down to the come down, they’re what count most.

The Price of Happiness

Published on March 21, 2010 in Fashion Tips, Shopping Tips and Style Tips. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

How much is too much to spend on a handbag? A pair of shoes? A dress?  A suit?  . . . We all have different thresholds based on our own incomes, lifestyles and paradigms. That said, regardless of your income-bracket, it’s sometimes difficult to justify spending what seems like an ungodly amount of money on a pair of shoes(my ungodly amount might be different from yours and yours might be different from your best friend’s, but you get my point here).  However, all of us engage in a little Retail Therapy from time-to-time.  Feeling a little down, frustrated because you have to work the weekend yet again, wading your way through a horrible break-up? It happens to all of us.  Before you know it, your fingers just start dancing all over the keyboard as you participate on that conference call and peruse Zappos, Amazonor Bluefly to find your “fix”; you know, that item that once you have  it in your possession will make you feel soooooooo much better!  A little retail therapy never hurt anyone and it’s certainly helped keep the economy afloat, but how many of those purchases have really given you more than a momentary high?

There’s a FAB pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on, but they’re really really expensive.  So, you pass on them and buy 3 other items that you like but don’t love. Duh!?!?!?!  You coulda had the FAB pair of shoes and been really happy.  Your high would come back each time you wear them!  Instead, you’ve got 3 new items that in all likelihood are going to be relegated to the back of the closet or to The Salvation Army once the shine of having something new wanes.

Lesson learned here?  We ultimately end up spending more money not buying that expensive handbag, pair of shoes, or beautiful suit because we buy to fill the void we feel by not having the item we really wanted.  Sounds crazy, right? Maybe so. Pay attention as you clean out your closet this Spring, what are you purging?  Rarely is it those coveted items that you treated yourself to (unless one’s gone beyond its shelf-life), it’s the things you bought instead of that coveted item.

I’m not advocating that you go out and spend a paycheck on a handbag.  Far from it.  My point here is, think about your Rate of Return and spend wisely rather than spending to spend.  There’s always a first time, but to date, I’ve never regretted purchasing something I really really wanted.  Spending the money is always hard for me but each time I pull out my YSL Tribute shoes, for example, they take my breath away. On the other hand, when I purge my closet each season and get rid of those filler items the regret is palpable.

[image courtesy of Chanel]

Possess Your STYLE – Giveaway No.1

Published on March 20, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Thank you for all of the great comments – it was soooo good to hear from all of you!

Drumroll please . . . . And the winner is  . . . . Naima who deftly explained why she should win the Possess Your STYLE Minx manicure giveaway:

“Sadly, I had not heard of a Minx mani before today and assumed (prior to reading about it 2 minutes ago) that it would somehow involve fur, and despite my fur fetish felt it would look insane, but now I NEED one for my office sanity! Sounds like a great way to be quietly wild in the office (sort of moving beyond sexy lingerie under a suit!) . . . .”

Be sure to stay tuned, this is just the first of a number of giveaways for Possess Your STYLE.

I loved reading all of your comments!

Stay FAB and continue to Possess Your STYLE.

Stylishly yours,

Kalyn

You Little Minx! | Win a Free Minx Manicure

Published on March 14, 2010 in Style Tips. 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

My friend Cass spends a good chunk of time in LA and somehow is always one step ahead of the curve on the latest trends before they reach me here in New York. Two years ago it when she came back to New York from an extended sojourn to the West Coast, she’d stumbled upon the most magnificant air-brushed manicure I’d ever seen. Not that airbrushing at nail salons is a new concept, it’s just that the way it was done that was sooooo cool.  She promised we’d make a lunch date to get our nails air-brushed (she’d found a similar spot she wanted to try out in Harlem), but life got in the way and we never made it.

Long story short, before I can get this air-brushed thing done, she tells me that we need to get a Minx manicure instead. Now, if your guilty pleasure is reading material focused on our nation’s pop culture, you know, magazines like Ok!, InTouch, or People you’ve probably heard of Minx.  Me?  My guilty pleasures take the form of tv shows like Big Love, The Tudors, Project Runway and The Real Housewives (I know, I hate to admit it), so the only minxes I was aware of were sly, flirtatious girls a la Holly Golightly. Clearly, I didn’t have a clue.  And then, I got my chance. I was at the IFB conference during Fashion Week in February and I got a free Minx manicure (high demand and limited time meant that attendees could only get 1 nail Minx-ed, but it’s also where I discovered my latest nail polish obsession, Black Diamond, plus did I mention it was free?!?!?!).

Kalyn & celebrity manicurist Maisie Dunbar at The 2010 IFB Conference

I’ve since learned that a Minx manicure is what all the cool fashion insiders are vying for . . . Remember when OPI came out with “Lincoln Park After Dark”?  It’s such a dark purple that it almost looks black and you weren’t sure if it was really the right color for you?  But, you stepped up to the plate about 6 months after the trend started and now it’s just about the only color you use on your nails.  Well, Minx is kind of like that.  It seems a little over the top at first, maybe a little dramatic, might be too much for the office kind of thing and then your stylish friend shows up at work with a Minx manicure and you start to get a little envious. She didn’t choose one of the wilder patterns, she went with the subtle snakeskin (hard to believe snakeskin can be subtle, right? but somehow on her it looks fantastic).  So, you start peppering her with questions over lunch:

You: How long will it last?

Her: They said 4 -8 days . . . I had them done on Saturday, it’s Monday and they’re still stuck on. No chipping to worry about.

You: Stuck on? No chiping? How exactly does it work? Do they glue the stuff to your nails? Is it safe?

Her: I dont know really, it seemed pretty simple. It’s almost like a sticker or a decal, they stick it on your finger and then you put your hand under a heat lamp.

You: Hmm … it almost sounds too good to be true. How long did you have to sit under the nail dryer?

Her: I dunno, maybe about 30 minutes while she was applying them to my nails. My dryer time was during the actual manicure.

You: Aren’t you afraid it will mess up your nails when you take them off?

Her: No, there was no glue and there weren’t any fumes or anything. The manicurist said I should warm my nails under running water and then use one of those stick things they use to peel it off from one side to the other. I remember she said not to peel it from front to back cuz it messes up your nail fibers or something. It sounded simple enough.

You: That’s all? Wow . . .

And then the wheels start churning … No extra time under the dryer, no chipped nails, less worry about protecting your manicure . . . And before you know it, you start to covet one of those manicures for yourself. It happens. There’s no shame in your game. And hey, imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. So, you decide that maybe being a little bit of a minx isnt such a bad idea after all . . .

Fifi Nail Salon has been kind enough to offer my readers a free Minx manicure.  Let your inner minx out, tell me why you should win a free Minx manicure.  Eligibility is simple – you must be an email subscriber to Possess Your STYLE and live in New York or plan to be in New York between now and June 2010.  If you haven’t  subscribed to PYS yet, simply click on the “subscribe to Possess Your STYLE by email” button towards the top of the column on the right and follow the directions (you’ll receive an email in your inbox with a link to click on to complete your subscription) – et volia!   All comments should be submitted by Friday, March 19, 2010 and the winner will be announced on Saturday, March 20th.

You little Minx you!
As far as I know, Minx is only available through certified nail technicians. The average price for a manicure ranges from $45 to $65 and between $65 to $85 for a pedicure.
[images courtesy of Minx & Polyvore]

The Little Black Book of Success

Published on March 12, 2010 in Good Reads. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Have you ever wished that you had a mentor available 24/7?  Kind of like a lifeline . . .  You know, someone with advice and words of wisdom perfectly appropriate for whatever workplace situation you happen to find yourself in at any given moment? Well, The Little Black Book of Success just might be the next best thing.   Together the authors have almost 100 years of experience navigating the corporate world successfully.  While the book is aimed at African-American women, it’s actually a book that will resonate with all women working in the corporate world seeking leadership and success. So, whether you’re in an entry level or more senior job, whether you’re in the public or private sector, the authors hope their book will help you achieve ultimate success. Possessing Your STYLE is about more than dressing stylishly; it’s also about being confident and competent in your chosen profession.  The Little Black Book of Success is a great tool to help you Possess Your STYLE. The authors wrote the book to share their collective years of experience and knowledge so that those of us still in the trenches might benefit and then pass the torch to  future generations of leaders. Ultimately, their goal is to help women maximize their leadership potential — and possibly even exceed the expectations you have of yourself.

I’m soooo glad my friend Jennifer invited me to go to this book signing last night.  I met the authors and got to hear about their experiences and their motivation for The Little Black Book of Success. This book is a gem; it’s chockfull of wisdom that I wish I’d had when I graduated from law school.  Go ahead, check it out and fully Possess Your STYLE!

A PurpleBerry!!!!!

Published on March 9, 2010 in Life Is Good and Style Tips. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little obsessed with the color purple.  My website, my blog and my Twitter page are all purple.  I don’t really know why I’m obsessed with all things purple.  I just am.  Other people like pink, blue, green, grey, brown, red, orange, yellow and black.  I like purple.   I’ve loved the color purple, and anything purple (with the exception of many grape flavored things), since I was a little girl.  If I had to pinpoint my first purple memory, it’s of my father and his fraternity brothers – Omega Psi Phi.  Their colors are purple and gold (and yes, my wedding colors were purple and gold, sounds tacky but it really was quite tasteful if I do say so myself .. come on, I’m a stylist, I have an eye for combining the not-so-obvious!).  I’m a daddy’s girl, so I guess it’s not surprising that I adopted purple as my favorite color.  Oh, and my niece Jada recently informed me that her favorite color is purple – go Jada!   I’m in good company;the artist formerly known as Prince loves purple and based on the eggplant craze, apparently lots of other folks are also obsessed with this vibrant hue.  And the folks at RIM finally got it!  They’ve created a purple, yes a purple Blackberry!  A PurpleBerry!  I’m gaga.  I absolutely LOVE my gold leopard print rhinestone Blackberry cover – it’s soooo sparkly – but I may have to trade that bad boy in and trade up to a purple BlackBerry Curve 8530.  Decisions, decisions …

Advice?!?!?!

Stylishly Bookish

Published on March 7, 2010 in Home STYLE, Life Is Good and Style Tips. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I love to read.  I usually read 3 or 4 books at a time.  My voracious reading habit is part of what makes owning a Kindle so perfect for someone like me.  But, if I do pick up an actual book, I’m one of those weird people who prefers to read a hardcover book without the paper wrapping; and, what better way to do so than with a pretty cloth-bound book like the ones above?  They’ll look great perched just-so on my bookshelf in their rainbow of shimmer and I know one would look great peaking out of my bag too -although it will certainly weigh my bag down more than my Kindle.

As much as I love my Kindle, these new clothbound Penguin Classic Books made my heart flutter when I saw them.  They’re soooo pretty.  The covers and spines are printed with matte colored foil on cloth with designs that are timeless yet modern. I truly want to own each and every one of them.  The covers were designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, a self-proclaimed detail enthusiast.  Her penchant for detail does not disappoint.  What makes the collection so unique is that the cover of each book depicts an a central theme of the novel – waves for Homer’s The Odyssey, peacock feathers for The Picture of Dorian Gray, Scissors for Little Women and so on.  So very cool and oh so stylish!

And to think, you thought style was just about clothes.  Maybe I can convince my book club to agree that we should re-read the classics  . . .

[images courtesy of Penguin Books]
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