Pink Mascara sale

I haven't seen Pink Mascara with such a big sale like this after-holiday sale. Pick up some investment pieces, a great pair of jeans, a feminine blouse, a versatile piece of knit, a classic pump, etc, etc.

Citizens of Humanity Marine Flare $189 $132.30

Lily McNeal Short Kimono Sweater $218.00 $152.60

MINT Button Back Top $352.00 $246.40

Sunner Ruffle Neck Tunic $209.00 $146.30

Jean-Michel Cazabat Tess Square Toe Pump $379.00 $265.30

Jean-Michel Cazabat Clarissa Peep Toe Shoes $495.00 $346.50

Purse Hook - ClipChic by Stylagio

I'm sure by now you've heard if bag hooks, those nifty little things that you can take with you and allow you to hang your handbag off any table top and keep it clean and within your sight. Restaurants are especially a good candidate for these. So you don't have to keep your bag on your lap, or behind your back on your chair, or worse, on the floor. The lovely Anne at Stylagio recently sent me her own design of a purse hook, the ClipChic, to try.



I got it in the tres pretty Juicy Plum ($19.95). I gotta say it's so handy and it looks so charming, people have asked me if it's some sort of accessories that I wear before they learn what it really is. The hook itself is foldable. It wraps around the button and lies flat. When I'm done, I tuck it in the little velvet pouch that came with and throw it in my bag. It's so compact it doesn't take any room at all. And it's quite sturdy for such a small gadget. It can handle my heavy bag containing a pair of heels, a paperback, a bottle of water plus other zillion things with no problem! Anne offers a special coupon code CHOU20 for Ma Petite Chou readers for 20% off plus free shipping right now. You should get one for yourself if you want to take better care of your handbags in the new year, which is one of my new year's resolutions ;)

Big charm bracelets

I don't know what's taking Blogger so long to unlock my site. As you can see from my little note on the side bar, I can still speak to you my dear readers. And by writing here totally messes up the look of the site, but I don't care. The lack of the ability to blog in the last 10 days has given me much more time to shop (perhaps out of frustration?). One of the things that I'm eyeing for are big elaborate charm bracelets. They are such great "wow factor" accessories to fight the drabness of winter. LuLu*s Fashion Lounge got all kinds of fun charm bracelets.

Secret Garden Pearl Charm Bracelet $21

Antique Victorian Lock and Key Charm Bracelet $18

Hidden Bird and Snake Charm Bracelet $11

Sparking Star Gold Charm Bracelet $13

Vintage Love Charm Bracelet $6

Sale at Tobi!

I always say January is the time that we really get to shop for ourselves (only if the hole in our credit card debt wasn't that big) since we don't have to buy gifts anymore and all the sales are going on right now. One of my favorite stores, Tobi is expanding so quickly, especially their beauty bar and eco-shopping section. And right now they have a big sale going, a lot of great pieces deeply discounted (25 – 75% off). How can I not have a look, right? Have fun shopping this weekend! TGIF!

Borne Pyrrhic Coat $528 $370. Sales are great for shopping for quality coats, 'cause otherwise they cost so bloody much. At $370, it's at a decent price point, usually the non-designer coats can cost this much anyway. Love the tailored fit of this coat and the classic details like the tapered waistline and the wooden buttons. This wool coat will surely keep you warm and stylish for many winters to come.

Diesel Citlat Hoodie $130 $65. The material is plush, just the cozy thing to wear in the winter. Not to mention the shape is adorable and edgy, one of those things that when you wear it, you definitely feel "damn, I look cool".

Chrissa Flower Dress $209 $125. Designer Chrissa's attention to detail is incredible, look at the pretty floral embroidery down the center, a little bit of vintage feeling, but still modern. It'll become one of those pieces that you always want to reach for first in the closet.

Karen Zambos Vintage Couture Bow Short Sleeve Dress $462 $277. Love the rich plum color, a great alternative to other neutrals in the winter.

Chrissa Bow Top $150 $75. Another great piece from Chrissa, gosh isn't it pretty?! Very feminine, also very clean cut.

Karoo Mark Eisen Bubble Sleeve Dolman Sweater $187 $94. Go big or go home! Check out the puffy sleeves! They are absolutely adorable, and add extra coziness to this sweater dress. And of course add a big bright belt will make the dress look a lot more polished.

Rachel Comey Lady Boots in Cola $407 $285. I literally live in boots in the winter. The virtues of these classy boots are endless in practicality and style.

Topless California Mod Peacock T-shirt $53 $37. Lots of great Topless California tees on sale! Love this cool peacock feather design, and I love long tees, they are so flattering. Also check out many other Topless California tees that they have on sale!

Keira Knightley and Atonement - a perfect marriage

A UK poll by high street chain Superdrug has found Keira Knightley is Britons’ beauty icon for 2007. I'm sure the movie Atonement has something to do with it. Have all of you seen the movie? Isn't it just a beautiful picture? Keira Knightley looks divine in it. Don't you just love the emerald green dress she wore?

From the Press Association: this dress has been voted the best film costume of all time! It even beat out Marilyn Monroe’s white dress in The Seven Year Itch and Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress in Breakfast At Tiffany’s! That's something.

Rachel Zoe put to the test

I'm currently reading Rachel Zoe's Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty, & Everything Glamour, which was on my wish list of books for Christmas. If you ask anybody who has an opinion on the stylist, you'll probably get "oh I hate her." But I bet secretly they love her! The book's actually quite good. She mostly talks about having confidence and feeling fabulous about yourself, and dressing according to your own body type and size rather than following trends, and she's a big advocate of wearing "wow" accessories, which I love. But since she styles only the super skinny Hollywood stars, I guess people are still skeptical about her and giving her flack for promoting an unhealthy aesthetic. Marie Claire puts her to the test on styling a robust size 12 woman. How do you think she did?


SO NOT ME!
We both agreed that this fun, kitschy find, very London '79, had a Cabbage Patch-doll fussiness on me.


THIS COULD WORK ...
Surprise! This floaty, batlike silhouette is more slimming than the cinched, tight look I usually wear to accentuate my waist.


TOO MUCH?
Zoe breaks the 30-and-over rule that keeps me in pencil skirts: "Let's show those legs."


WHO KNEW?
This structured, stylish cocoon made instant impact. Zoe raves: "I love this poncho more than life itself."


"Success! Zoe goes for bold color statements and surprising accessories. In this outfit, I could see why." —Cleo Glyde


RACHEL'S RULES

1. Go for big-impact accessories rather than fiddly jewelry.

2. Don't blindly follow trends.

3. Buy vintage pieces to make your wardrobe more unique.

(Source: marieclaire.com)

Let's talk about trends

We are into the new year, so inevitably, we'll have to talk about trends for year 2008. I was reading StyleDash, they report that The Examiner says we should toss out these items in 2008: Trapeze dresses, daytime metallics, giant handbags, and puffy sleeves. Do you agree? Do you want to see them go? I personally don't agree with all of it. I love trapeze dresses. They stemmed from that retro vibe, which isn't exactly dying down anytime soon. I think some people want to see them disappear (ahem...men?) because they think they are shapeless. But for me, they are so versatile and not at all shapeless. You can belt it, dress it up or down and really have fun with it depending on how you accessorize it. As for metallics, we know they are better reserved for the evening. I don't binge on them the way some others do -- no sequin dress/top for me during the day. So for daytime metallics I wouldn't mind seeing some toning down. Giant handbags are staying as far as I'm concerned. I need my over-sized bags. They are just so darn useful. Okay, I draw the line at ridiculously giant bags. We should always carry bags that are proportionate to our body size. Puffy sleeves are a really trendy thing, admittedly. I adore them, they make my arms look slim and delicate. They emerged when the fashion world was feeling feminine, romantic and pretty-pretty when all the dresses popped up. Wasn't exactly a coicidence, right? On this one, I think we'll have see what the fashion mood will swing this year to see if this trend will sustain.

Are there other trends that you just cannot stand and hope they die? I remember last January many of you said the skinny jeans absolutely would and should go away. Funny how they've stayed for another year eh? They aren't such a craze now, thank goodness. I'm glad to see they have been better digested by a lot of people as a wardrobe staple. And apparently I've eaten my words on how I felt about ankle boots since last year when I said I would not wear them, lol. I have embraced them because when you find the perfect pair, well...there's no turning back. And I'm glad I kept an open mind :)

Anyway, regardless if the trends are going or staying, I'd like to own these forever!

3.1 Phillip Lim Diamond sleeve dress $455

Paul & Joe Awa trapeze dress $355

Roberto Cavalli Metallic leather bag $1,950

Pauric Sweeney Embossed leather shoulder bag $1,425

Miu Miu Pleated jaquard skirt $1,945 $1,361.50. Now this pink metallic jacquard pouf skirt is a perfect daytime metallic piece.

Christian Louboutin Mody leather pumps $586.00 $410.20. These subtle metallic pumps would stay in my closet forever, trends be damned.