Cheryl Shops

Happy 2013, dear readers! I am generally not one to make resolutions—my attitude generally is, if you want to change something, why wait until January?—but there is something tempting about giving one's life a refresh. Or at least one's style. Like most New Yorkers, I rely a bit too heavily on black and gray, so this year, I vow to lighten up—in both my wardrobe and my disposition—with shimmery shades of aqua.


Clockwise from left: 

I'm tagging along on MW's work trip to Miami this weekend, which has me thinking about swimwear in a major way. This very Sienna-Miller-on-a-Mediterranean-yacht Milly pailette-trim tunic will look lovely over the peacock-print Paraty bandeau bikini top and bottom from Vix.

My friend JO lives above the Giuseppe Zanotti store on Madison, and if I were her, I'd be broke by now. I mean, with shoes like these iridescent suede buckled sandals, how could you not?

I've had my eye on a skirt from AllSaints Spitalfields for awhile, but their Ariel skirt may be the style to finally make me take the plunge. Who doesn't want to look like a mermaid?

Speaking of mermaids, I tend to stick with classic reds and beiges in the winter, so when I need a little pick-me-up, I'm going to paint my toes with Mermaid's Dream by Deborah Lippman.

One of the items on my fashion bucket list is an estate aquamarine cocktail ring; until I can afford a real one, I would be happy to rock this beautiful Siyabona woven ring from Alexis Bittar, which happens to be chalcedony with crystals.

The Vena Cava for Aqua collection is now on sale at Bloomingdales.com! The handy landing page gives you an at-a-glance preview of the entire line, and I can say it looks very Vena Cava, which is good news for fans of the label. The day dresses are what really stand out for me; this triangle-print chiffon number is my favorite, I think (although it's hard to pick!). The collection is available now online and in stores starting September 1st.

Nitrolicious reports that the Isabel Toledo for Payless collection is now live; I must say, I'm impressed with how much quirkiness the mass chain let her get away with. Case in point: the totally weird yet awesome High Ghillie booties and the fabulous Belted Poodle boots. My favorite pair, however, is the supersexy Toreador pump--with shoes this hot, who needs leather?

And, finally, in other shoe news, Fashionista reports that the next round of Pierre Hardy for Gap shoes hit stores October 19th and, shockingly, cost only $95. I'll take one of each!

The lucky ladies at Fashionista got to model the new Vena Cava for Aqua collection, which will be available at Bloomingdale's and Bloomingdales.com this fall. (I love the sexy lace inset on this tee, pictured at right. It's very Vena Cava.) I also spotted a wispy faux fur vest in the Bloomingdale's Girls Night Out catalog that came over the weekend. Speaking of Vena Cava, Style.com has photos of their lower-priced Viva Vena line, which according to them, is in stores now.

And while I always cover Target's clothing and accessory masstige collections, I often glaze over its home collaborations. Until now, that is--Nitrolicious has photos of the upcoming John Derian for Target line; the 100-piece collection is priced entirely under $25 and hits stores September 5. (And for the John Derian fans out there, this is actually his second project with Target--the first happened two years ago). Lucky for me, I will be in Michigan, land of suburban sprawl, when these products hit shelves, so look out, Michigan Targets. I'm coming!

Just announced today, Vena Cava is designing for Bloomingdale's Aqua line. Aqua is always one of my go-to sources for trendy and fairly inexpensive but well-made clothes--think of it as a step above the Forever 21s and H&Ms of the world. As far as designer lines go, Vena Cava isn't terribly expensive to begin with (you can find their dresses on sale for less than $200), but based on their upcoming Viva Vena line (in stores this fall) and now this collaboration, it's obvious the VC girls are casting a wider net, and I will gladly take the bait.

At long last, the East Harlem Target is finally opening this Sunday, and to commemorate the occasion, the chain will debut a mini masstige collection inspired by the neighborhood. Target's Harlem collection features dresses by '70s uptown designer Stephen Burrows, and beach towel sand swimwear designed respectively by husband-and-wife duo Ruben and Isabel Toledo. Nylon has a preview, and while the Isabel Toledo bikini has been getting all of the blog attention, I find myself most drawn the the towels, particularly this butterfly one. The collection will be available at the East Harlem Target starting Sunday, and online and in select Target stores starting August 1st.

Speaking of Target, they've been offering one-off designer exclusives in their Red Hot Shop. Currently they have this cute Geren Ford dress for sale. It's $89.99, which is a bit high for Tar-zhay, but it's 100% silk and very Geren Ford (whose signature dresses normally retail in the $300-$400 range).

Forever 21 is apparently hoping to become known more for its designer collaborations than its designer lawsuits: It announced a first collab with Brian Lichtenberg, who apparently dresses Beyoncé and the Kardashian sister but is probably best known for "designing" Lady Gaga's caution-tape ensemble in her "Telephone" video. The collection will feature mostly tanks for women and men, and it hits select stores August 13. You can read about it on Forever 21's blog, The Skinny (yes, really).

Finally, Fashionista is reporting that Erin Wasson x RVCA is dunzo, since Billabong announced it was buying the surf-and-skate-inspired line last week. Which is all well and good; there's always their collaboration with Rumi Neely.