Category Archives: FASHION

Black, White + Brown, again.

Posted on by Nicole Cohen
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You know when you love something for a billion years and then it suddenly comes into style and everyone is doing it? Well thats how I feel about the current black and white trend. I obviously didnt invent and dont own the idea- its not even like its original or unique. But the black and white trend blowout leaves me with mixed feelings. On one hand I’m thrilled that so much more black and white stuff is available for my consumption… but on the other hand, I’m sad that my favorite look will be ubiquitous, then over-saturated and then “out of style” in a few seasons. And as much as I do venture into new trends, I largely like to stay true to what I really like. And I think its great to do that. If I keep doing that, maybe in 50 years I’ll be Iris Apfel (In my dreams!) Anyway, despite the fact that its known that I love black and white, I don’t always love it. If not handled well it can go all Alice and Olivia meets Z Gallerie, and not in a good way. (Is there a good way?) That’s why , I always like to throw in some good luggage/brown colored leather with everything. So the whole combo of black white, and brown leather is my real thing. Not just black and white. I just recently bought these gorgeous Pierre Hardy sandals.  They are the physical incarnation of my aesthetic. Kind of understated and masculine, but still very elegant. (At least I think so!) The little brass buckle at the ankle is perfection. I took them out of the box at home and I realized they matched my living room and everything I was wearing that day. So look:

Pierre Hardy shoes HERE, Cowhide Rug.

T-shirt I made out of a photo I took HERE, Vintage Brown Leather Jacket

Vintage cabinet, Tobia Scarpa chairs that I found in the garbage. 

Pierre Hardy shoes, Hermes Bag, Pamplona bowl.

If nothing else, at least I’m consistent. Thoughts?

Marysia Swim

Posted on by Nicole Cohen
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Now that I’m in Miami, I’ve got bikinis on the brain. The good thing about bathing suits, is that the styles largely stay current for a decade or so. At least. I’ve got bathing suits from high school still in my drawer, and still consider the trousseau of bathing suits I bought for my honeymoon (6.5 years ago) among my favorites. So even though it kind of hurts to spend more than $200 on what amounts to four triangles of fabric, the flip side is that they last a really long time. I like to buy a few really nice new pieces before each summer, or maybe before a great trip and then they become part of my bathing suit arsenal for life.  I even have vintage suits from the 80′s from my mom. Anyway, If I were just going to buy any ONE new basic suit, it would probably be one of these by Marysia. The line, created by Maria Dobrzanska Reeves, has won awards and is known for its impeccable and flattering fit. Dont you ever stand in the mirror in your bra and underwear and wonder, why dont my bathing suits look this good on me? I do. Well, Maria wondered the same thing. I’m actually making that last part up, but she did try to fill a void she saw in the market by creating flattering, well made bikinis.


I love them all, but I particularly like the nude and white strapless with the little leaf like cut outs, but I also really adore the Honolulu nude cut out piece which I think comes in black, as well as the strapless Antibes. Marysia is available on Shopbop, HERE.  They also have a cute blog, HERE.

Thank you Mr. Wang.

Posted on by Nicole Cohen
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For making one of the sexiest pairs of shoes I’ve ever owned. I feel like a warrior. His clothes walk the line between masculine and feminine, powerful and sexy, glamorous and edgy. How else could a regular girl put on these sandals and suddenly morph into Beyonce? Stomping around in her underwear, trench coat and glorious cage sandals? Believe me when I tell you that the full shots were 1000x better looking.  I dont know why I had to reign it in, but I guess I did. Apparently the ‘I forgot my pants’ look is actually very flattering. Kind of elongates the leg.

He makes the clothes cool girls want to wear. Shoes available HERE.

FRINGE.

Posted on by Nicole Cohen
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A little peak at two DIY’s I made this week. A model friend came over and offered to pose in them for me, and we took some super sexy shots… Obviously when I wear the necklace, it’s over a shirt- as inspired by this Stella McCartney T-shirt, but we thought it could work as lingerie too. Look for instructions for both the necklace and earrings later in the week!

Have a great weekend!

Beauty Regimen: Two things I’m Trying.

Posted on by Nicole Cohen
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Now, I don’t usually chat here about my makeup skillz or homemade avocado face scrubs because I’m just not that kind of girl. I have had a steady face wash/moisturizer/bronzer  morning routine going for about 10 years now. (I’m olive-y toned, so I use it instead of blush, I don’t look orange!) But as recently as this week I decided to try two things.

1. BB Cream

What the heck is BB Cream? It’s Blemish Balm, and it originated in the 60s to treat blemishes, but they gained popularity when Korean actresses discovered them and started raving. For a while people out here were ordering them off Asian websites because they werent available anywhere except the far east. Now pretty much every brand makes one. Think of it as like a makeup/moisturizer/SPF combo.  I do not normally wear any type of foundation or base. I’m sure they are all very good for those who use them. But the feeling of makeup on my face does not make me happy. And as a younger woman with decent skin, I felt that it actually added years to my face whenever I did have to wear it. (Foundation just heads right to the creases in your face, no?) Anyway… I bought the Garnier BB cream from the drug store. I have no idea if it’s the best, or what. When I first put it on, I gobbed it on like moisturizer. Bad move. It felt weighty on my face and I couldnt wait to wipe it off. How did it look? Really smooth. No pores showing, but not like I was wearing a whole face of makeup. You couldnt even really tell, it was just like I applied some skin smoothing photoshop wand to it. Just, peachy, really. So the next day, I put it on in tiny blobs that I applied gingerly. Tres bien. I felt great until late at night, when you get that cant wait to wash my face feeling. VERDICT: I think I’m gonna stick it out. It’s only been a few days, but I can definitely see why people swear by it.

2. Peroxide & Baking Soda Tooth Whitener.

I’ve seen this on Pinterest a billion times and have always wanted to try it, but it wasn’t until I had dinner with Nicole from So Haute last week that I made the resolution to really try it. (I guess I thought it was too wacky to really do in real life- not so!) Nicole said she wet the toothbrush in peroxide then mixing with a small amount of baking soda that she could literally see instant tooth cleaning/whitening results. Stains disappear, she told me. She did this while doing Crest White Strips and she said the results was both instant and long lasting. So far I just tried the mixture without the strips. Do the teeth look WHITER? Yes, they look cleaner and more uniform. (I don’t have coffee stained teeth, but apparently its great for that.)  I think the White Strips will make them look BRIGHTER too, if you can imagine that. VERDICT: I love this. Its basically just a home made toothpaste. I love  mixing the two and getting a little science experiment right there in my bathroom. I like the salty-ish taste. I can feel my teeth being made really clean by this. I’ll keep it up and let you know how it goes!

So, what do you think? Tried these guys yet? Anything new to share in the how to look just a little bit better with minimal effort arena?

And oh yea- Happy Valentine’s Day!