Thursday, December 31, 2015

GOODBYE 2015 - HELLO 2016!




Just a quick note on this New Year's Eve to wish you and yours the most stylish (and happy and healthy!) 2016!  Cheers!

Monday, December 21, 2015

Christmas Gifting - Crunch Time!

If you're like the majority of Christmas shoppers, SOMEHOW the 25th of December pops up on your calendar magically three days before.  Then comes the frustration of figuring out what to get ,finding a parking space and standing in line among other, equally frustrated consumers.  But this year, Style Savvy is here to help you de-frustrate!

For men, I heartily recommend THE GIFT CARD.  Lowe's, Home Depot and hand car washes all sell them and no man still in possession of his man card would turn one down.  I thought of the car wash idea because it's a treat men don't often allow themselves, so what could be better than giving something you'd like to get yourself?????

For women, I also recommend THE GIFT CARD.  Whether it's to Sephora, Saks or Nordstrom, a gift card in an appropriate amount will allow her to buy that cashmere sweater, a new eyeshadow set or the tiny cross body for evenings out that women never seem to buy for themselves.  Added to whatever budget she's put aside, your gift might be the difference between buying shoes at Macy's sale and bringing home those gorgeous Choos she's been coveting.  However she Chooses ( pun intended ) to use it, your gift card is more than money-it's potentially a wish come true!

I guess I can't say enough about THE GIFT CARD.  It's easy but welcome and allows everyone to do what the holidays are here to do-remind everyone that what counts is family, friends........and really great shoes!

Monday, December 14, 2015

Gifting to Keep the Season Bright (and Rosy)!

There are a few gifts that I like to give every year because they truly evoke the holiday spirit and I wish someone would give them to me.  I am referring, of course, to Chanel bags.   (No, not really, you incredulous looking skeptic)-although I do wish I was on that someone's gift list.  I am really referring to the gift of color.

Most women don't realize that the cold, dry weather outside requires a change of makeup inside.  Your skin is drier and so richer serums and moisturizers are needed.  I also always go to a creamier foundation or tinted moisturizer and creme blush instead of powder.  But do I keep this precious nugget of info to myself?  I do not!  I share it with you, my dear readers, because this is an easy gift to give and a thrill to receive.  I like to get Sephora gift cards and Saks and Nordstrom certificates .  I wrap them onto wine bottles or cosmetics cases, slide them into cross bodies and wedge them into the cover of a book.


Make sure you comment about "warming up your Christmas" or "putting the roses back in your cheeks" and you've got a fun and useful gift for several friends-preferably ones who don't know each other!  Oh - and save one for me , because "trend" may be today, but "style" is forever!!!!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Lucky Shopping in Las Vegas

Premium Outlets North
I don't think I've realized lately how lucky we are to live in Las Vegas.  The shopping experience has gone from glitz (only) to glamour (mostly) in the last ten years.  With all of our malls and stores, I'm seeing a definite uptick in the number of tourists who arrive with empty suitcases and leave over the weight limit.
I particularly enjoy going to the Premium Outlet Mall on Grand Central Parkway.  With everything from Adidas to Armani, this mall is a cornucopia (did you like that Thanksgiving reference I slipped in?) of bargains.  I took a client there who was thrilled to find a shoe store that catered to wide widths, a different client found a leather jacket she had admired but been unable to afford last season.  
For all of you who are looking for great gifts for the holidays, allow me to suggest looking at the outlet mall.  You can score as much as 75% off retail and feel like you're a real winner in a town where locals know better.  And the gelato store is off-the-charts yummy, even  when the decorations and temperatures remind us that we're in gift giving, not gelato, season!

Monday, November 23, 2015

A Shoe Tip

Have you ever seen a person wearing a nice outfit, only to have it ruined by shoes?  I'm not talking the WRONG shoes.......I'm talking the ones that are so scuffed and worn down at the heel that they look like they're from the Salvation Army!  They may have been good shoes once-upon-a-time but now they're candidates for trash item of the century!
Other than a good tailor, the shoe pro can be your best friend.  They don't just put on new heels and soles anymore.  The best shoe guys can dye, restain, patch and even rework a pattern to create a whole new look - all to keep those shoes you love from ruining your next outfit.  I once cut a pair of pale pink Jimmy Choos on the sidewalk and my shoe man took pieces of black patent leather and created an entirely new back - and they're once again one of my favorite pairs.
Why am I telling you this?  To encourage you to spend $50 instead of $500 on preserving your shoes instead of just replacing them.  At Green Valley Shoe Repair on Wigwam and Pecos, the shoe man is an artist and he's saved many a shoe for me.  So-you have options!  All is not lost !  And he performs similar miracles on handbags...........

Monday, October 26, 2015

The Blog, the Blog, the Blog is Back!

So I said to myself, "Self, why haven't you been blogging on all things STYLE in so long?"  And I realized, it's because I've been waiting for people ( that would be YOU ) to respond and write in and ask questions and participate in what I ( that would be ME ) thought was an audience participation thing.  Then I realized it's not-that this is actually my forum to comment on all things style and stylish.  So I'm returning to blogging, dear readers, and will be faithfully blogging every week on vital information ( like how to spot a fake Chanel bag ) and fun tidbits ( like how to spot a fake Birkin bag ).  So watch out, Style Savvy readers............I'm baaaaaaccccckkkk!!!!!!

Monday, December 29, 2014

Milan! - an article Lindsay wrote for Condé Nast Traveler

I have been very fortunate in my life.  I have feasted on Greek prawns in Santorini and looked soulfully at my dining partner, even though I speak not one word of his beautiful language.  I have lunched in cafes on the Left Bank and listened to the lovely cadence of the elegant French spoken there.  I can pack for my clients in an hour and have them appropriately chic and ready for any situation in any country.  But,.........Milan.  It's more than a city.  It's more than ITALIAN.  It's cosmopolitan in a truly cosmopolitan way.  In Milan, Chanel blends well with Peter Pilotto for Target.  A black pencil skirt, black T and black Louboutins look as mod and "today" as Versace's AW 2015 collection.  So when somebody needs me to pack them for Milan, I know EXACTLY where to start.  I just don't know how to pronounce it!

In my dream trip to Milan, the first thing I want with me is an empty suitcase.  Ferragamo, Dolce and Gabbana and Bulgari (did you HEAR that Italian accent?  Nope, neither did I!) are just as expensive there as in the States, but in every piazza, all alleyways and each side street there are boutiques with magnificent cashmere and leather goods, awesome gold and stone work and shoes, Shoes, SHOES! (not that I have a shoe "thing", you understand, I just believe that women only need two things in life........shoes and cashmere. )  

The second thing necessary for my perfect romantic trip to Milan is George Clooney.  No, not the married, madly-in-love-with-his-wife George Clooney, ladies!  I want the one from Ocean's  Eleven who is longing for Julia Roberts...........only I'm Julia Roberts in this scenario!   This George Clooney speaks perfect Italian, adores me and can order tiramisu while making it sound as if he wants to nibble it off my body.  (Oh, wait a minute, he does that anyway!).  And the third, fourth and fifth items on my dream list are Cara Delavingne's body, a ten-year-old's metabolism and the ability to speak beautiful Italian!

Unfortunately I can't have three out of five of my list of dream goals.  George, Cara's body and a ten-year-old's metabolism are all taken.  Their substitutes, however, are available and ready to create my dream Milanese experience.  My husband, who is the most romantic of all men ( except George Clooney) is ready and willing to carry both the empty suitcase and the one I packed at home.  The one I packed contains the necessary attire to make me feel as sexy as supermodel Cara - and the look in my husband's eyes does the rest.  He LOVES the narrow-leg men's cut trousers with the the silver patent leather brogues .......... and the fall season in Milan means white button down shirts and bright boatneck cashmere sweaters or pastel cardigans with a blanket poncho coat.  Evenings call for those white Oxford shirts with black pencil skirts and those sky high black Louboutins, or the bright colored cashmere boat necks paired with midi-length skirts and chunky heeled boots.  Accessories? Wear a pair of diamond studs,a pair of inky false lashes, a thick biker-link gold choker and a classic Ferragamo cross-body.  Everything else is why you left home with an empty suitcase!  Hopefully, shopping in Italian won't require more than pointing and indicating one, two or three items.  Oh wait! How do you say "medium" in Italian?

The ten-year-old's metabolism is a wish that I can't fulfill, but I'll take the ten pounds I gain during that one romantic evening - and I'll enjoy every calorie.  The mozzarella burratta with tomato, basil and aged balsamic vinegar is called "caprese" elsewhere, but in Milan it's called "heaven".  Follow that with wild mushroom risotto topped with shaved Parmesan?  Oh, yeah!  The perfect entree is, of course, osso bucco Milanese with a fine bottle of Barolo and I'd have to complete this low fat, low calorie meal with that tiramisu that George........I mean..........my husband, had sexy plans for.   A glass of Limoncello?  Why not?  


And that leaves dream list number five.  I have the clothes and the empty suitcase just waiting to be filled with buttery leather and cashmere the weight of a cloud.  I have a beautiful man who adores me and therefore adores my purchases.  We have a romantic dinner in the most cosmopolitan of cosmopolitan cities.  I can make some of this happen by pointing, nodding and looking hopeful.  But "Prego" and "Grazie" only go so far!  Now, if only there was a program that could help me say "Yes, I'd LOVE one in EVERY color!"