Cheryl Shops

I've casually mentioned this a few times in the last several months, but I co-wrote a book and it's finally available today! It's called Live Natural, and on the surface, it's a coffee table book filled with gorgeously photographed West Coast interiors. But if you actually read it—and I hope you do—it's filled with a ton of actionable tips on how to improve your indoor air quality, design and decorate more sustainably, and create a home that's healthier for you and for the planet. The author, Ali Davin, is my longtime client, and more importantly, she's an incredibly talented interior designer with an incredible eye and a deep well of knowledge on natural, nontoxic materials. I am so proud of this book (working on one was a lifetime dream of mine) and I hope you love it as much as I do.

So in honor of Live Natural's publication day—and considering it's peak beach reading season—I thought I'd share my favorite books that I've read recently. I don't talk about books much here outside of gift guides, but I am a voracious reader, mostly literary fiction. I read every night before bed, on planes, at the hair salon, or pretty much any chance I can get. In no particular order, here are my top 10 books from the last 5 years. 

Confession: I'm one of those girls who loved, loved, loved the magazine Sassy. I have nearly every issue saved (they're at my parents' house), and I devoured the excellent How Sassy Changed my Life. What was so great to me was that the magazine let its editors' and writers' personalities into the magazine, so much that I felt like they were actually my friends, or at least cool girls I could look up to. One of those editors was Kim France, who went on to edit Lucky, taking a similar tactic in bringing its editors onto its pages. Kim is no longer the editor at Lucky, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss her, so I was beyond overjoyed to see she started a blog called Girls of a Certain Age. It is very clearly her voice—cool, a little neurotic, honest—and while many of the posts are about shopping (everything from store reports to cool products), she also interviewed fellow Sassy alum Christina Kelly, and hopefully will continue that practice (where are Mary and Karen?!). The blog is geared toward women in their 30s and 40s, so obviously I'm the target audience, but I can't help but feel like I've reconnected with a long-lost friend.

Elsewhere on the blogosphere, Sea of Shoes and The Cut are engaged in a war of words over this profile of SOS's Jane Aldridge in Texas Monthly. Jane apparently had no problem with the article until this post on The Cut, snarkily analyzing the profile. Jane issued a rebuttal; The Cut responded. My take? The TM story is a pretty damn good profile—it's an award-winning publication, after all—and while Jane comes across as a bit...snobby...you can't help but admire her for knowing what she wants and going after it—successfully—at such a young age (she's 20), so who cares if she's not going to college? (Nor do I care that she drinks a glass of champagne in the story; I did far worse things at that age.) Jane is now claiming a bunch of quotes were taken out of context by The Cut, and that she was misquoted by TM; Texas Monthly stands by their reporting. Jane may be savvy beyond her years when it comes to her blog, but she's certainly showing her age when it comes to her lack of media training.

So, yesterday Women's Wear Daily profiled several top fashion bloggers—Bryanboy, Fashion Toast, Style Bubble, The Glamourai, and The Man Repeller—and while the article was probably meant to show how influential these bloggers are (most state monthly page views between 1.5 and 4 million) and give some background color on each, it's spawned several interesting discussions on the subject. Fashionista did some follow-up reporting with most of the subjects, questioning how the bloggers disclose what they received gratis and/or how they are paid for their coverage. (One blogger sends copy to partners for approval, a journalistic no-no, but then again, I'd hardly call personal style bloggers journalists.) Jezebel's Jenna Sauers does an even deeper dive, questioning the validity of the traffic stats in WWD's article and wondering where on the objectivity scale these bloggers fall.

While my traffic is nowhere near that of the bloggers above (inflated numbers or no), and while I don't have top designers plying me with free clothes, I do receive my share of swag, however I always disclose when I'm writing about something I received for free, and like several of the bloggers in Fashionista's article, I don't write about things I don't want to cover. (That means, yes, I have a bunch of unused swag sitting around. Look for a giveaway soon.) That said, my blog is a business, albeit one that, fiscally speaking, pretty much exists to support my shoe habit. And like all businesses, it's about relationships—in my case, with fashion houses, stores, PR reps. (Having worked in magazines for many years, I can tell you, there is definitely not a strict separation of church and state there either.) Unlike many fashion bloggers, I have a journalism degree, and while I definitely don't hold myself to the strict objective code that, say, newspaper reporters adhere to, I don't think that necessarily makes me untrustworthy. Then again, I don't think you're coming here to read an unbiased take fashion—I think (at least I hope) you're here because you like my taste and what I have to say. Fashion bloggers may not be the New York Times, but thinking of us as the op-ed pages may not be a stretch.

Comments on The Sartorialist generally tend toward the "Love it" and "Beautiful" vein, but Scott Schuman opened up a big ol' can of body issue worms with this post, in which he described the legs of Italian blogger Angelika as "sturdy but beautiful." After some initial outcry, The Sartorialist backtracked a bit, questioning what is "normal" and defending his use of the word "curvy," both of which are good points. However, what irked me about the post from the beginning was the fact that he felt compelled to comment on her body at all. The vast majority of photos on his blog feature super-thin women; does he ever note how they're "dressed for their shape"? No. Why couldn't he just focus on her clothes, as he does for the rest of his subjects? What's even more upsetting to me is the fact that Angelika is thin--yes, she's more shapely than many of The Sartorialist's regulars, but certainly not deserving of such terms as "sturdy," "bigger," and that cringe-inducing euphemism for chubby, "curvy" (a word that used to be a compliment). Schuman is talented and has a great eye, but, man, he seems like a dick.

Tavi, a.k.a. Style Rookie, has also been getting a bit of attention for this post, in which she finally begins to feel a bit jaded by the fashion industry. I'll let her words do the talking:

Fashion Week is weird. It is very high schooly. Someone will take that and decide that it means Fashion Week highschooliness is getting me down hard without realizing how highschooly what they're doing is. I love fashion but it's disappointing when you have to sift through a lot of junk before you get to, like, the clothes, and the whole point of it all. It's more disappointing when the clothes aren't very interesting. Lately I've been looking to other places for a creative outlet and for inspiration. I miss following magazines and obsessively checking style.com the way I used to but something is different about it now. A year ago I got to go to Paris to interview John Galliano at Dior, and a couple weeks ago today he said he loved Hitler and got fired. Fashion photographs look more posed and the Rayanne Graffs I meet at school more inspiring. I only really miss being obsessed with fashion the way you miss any aspect of a former self, in a nostalgic way, not necessarily as part of a desire to go back.

Tavi is right: Fashion Week--and the fashion industry in general--is very high-schooly. I survive it just as I did high school, by hanging back and observing more than trying to be one of the popular girls. The difference is I want to be there; high school was just a necessary evil. So it is kind of meta to think of Tavi, a high school freshman, in this kind of parallel situation. I think part of why her blog struck such a nerve with the fashion industry was because of its innocence and optimism--reading about her discovery of fashion was kind of like reliving my own, and it reminded me why I love it so much. But we all have to grow up eventually, don't we?

Finally, people often ask me who is my favorite designer; I generally respond that I don't have one, but if I were forced to wear just one for the rest of my life (and had an unlimited budget), it would be Rick Owens. His clothes are seasonless and trendless; he has a basic vocabulary that he expands on and pushes to new boundaries with each collection. Not to mention, his clothes are just cool. So I highly recommend this profile of him in the UK's Independent; it's truly inspirational.

I tend to express my love of fashion through words; I consider myself a writer after all, and as those of you who read my Fashion Week posts know, photography is not exactly my strong suit. That said, I find photography-focused fashion blogs incredibly inspiring--in the case of Jak & Jil, Sea of Shoes, and, yes, the Sartorialist, a picture truly can speak a thousand words. And while I love so-called amateur bloggers (although two of the three I've listed above can hardly be called amateurs anymore), sometimes it's refreshing to see a seasoned professional get into the blogging game. Enter TerrysDiary, a new Tumblr blog from famed fashion photographer Terry Richardson. Like most Tumblr blogs, TerrysDiary consists chiefly of photos with very short captions, but the photos are so fantastic, they don't need much in the way of narration. Subjects range from top models (Catherine McNeil, Abbey Lee, Karlie Kloss) to family members to celebrity friends (Josh Hartnett, Kirsten Dunst) to wacky self-portraits to totally random objects. It's all brilliant insight into what inspires Richardson and what it's like to see the world through his eyes.

And speaking of The Sartorialist, as much as I love it, the blog is certainly ripe for a good parody. Not only does The Catorialist get the lighting and the titles correct, it deftly combines the style-gushing of the Sartorialist with the "OMG so cute" vibe of cat blogs (in a way more mellow manner, of course). My only criticism is that there's not enough text--the Sartorialist generally lets his photos speak for him, but he will often describe what drew him to his subjects. I should note that I'm not really a cat person (I'm allergic to them), but this blog is very well done, and quite amusing. And it allows me to ogle pretty kitties without sneezing.

I'm going to share a little secret with you: When living in New York starts to wear me down, I fantasize about leaving the rat race, moving to a mellow town like Northampton, Massachusetts (hey, it's good enough for Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore!), and opening a vintage clothing store. But I'm not quite ready to give up on New York, so for now, vintage will have to remain a hobby for me. While I consider myself a fairly savvy vintage shopper--I know my fashion history, and one of my particular talents is being able to tell a synthetic vs. a natural fabric solely by touch--I can always learn more, and I certainly picked up a lot from The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping*, a new book by Melody Fortier. The book is little, yes, but it's packed with useful tips for even the experienced vintage shopper, especially when it comes to removing stains and repairing slightly flawed items. She also includes detailed information on using fabrication, care, and union tags to identify the age of the garment, as well as more broad advice like looking for private-label items from such bygone department stores as Bonwit Teller and I Magnin (designer-quality merchandise without the super-high prices normally associated with designer vintage). The most uncanny thing, however, is that the author owns Tangerine Boutique, a vintage store in Gardner, Massachusetts, which is not far from Northampton. Coincidence...or not?

*Since the FTC has recently announced that bloggers must disclose when they receive promotional items, I, well, received a free review copy of this book. (And from now on, I will clearly state when this is the case, however my policy remains that regardless if I pay for something or receive it gratis, I only write about items I feel are worthy of inclusion here--and worthy of your money as well.) That said, I think it's well worth its $18.95 price tag.

Recommended reading
When I received a press release last week about Maybelline becoming the new cosmetics sponsor of Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, I didn't give it a second thought, probably because I was on vacation. But on hearing the news that MAC is sponsoring an alternate venue at Milk Studios, everything began to make sense. MAC has long been the cosmetics sponsor of Fashion Week, but considering how much of a three-ring circus the Bryant Park tents are, what with the barrage of corporate sponsors, it's no wonder they'd want to move away from that--and into a venue where they'd have a much higher profile. Proenza Schouler and Alexander Wang have already signed on, and I think it can be safely said that Milk Studios will be Fashion Week's cool-kids alternative to the more mainstream Bryant Park tents. (And by extension, I'm guessing I'll be invited to very few shows at Milk. But I'm okay with not being a cool kid.) Of course, IMG, which produces the Bryant Park shows, has, in response, written a gushing story about their lineup, touting Derek Lam and Isaac Mizrahi at their venue. It's the Jets versus the Sharks all over again.

For those of you who've been following Tatiana the Anonymous Model on Jezebel, she finally revealed herself as Jenna Sauers in this beautifully written reflection on her career (you can also see some shots from her portfolio here). She will continue to write for the site as a contributor, under her real name, now that she's left the modeling industry. In a site filled with great, engaging writers, Jenna is one of the best, and I'm glad she'll continue to be a part of it.

In shopping news, Racked broke the news that Nordstrom Rack is coming to Union Square! It's taking over the old Virgin Megastore and is set to open in early 2010; Best Buy will open in the former Circuit City space later this year. I have no opinion on Best Buy, but I am pretty psyched about the Nordstrom Rack and its mega-awesome shoe selection. And until we get a real Nordstrom in Manhattan, it's the next best thing.

The Wall Street Journal used to have some of the best fashion reporting around; after Rupert Murdoch took over the paper, he fired most of the department, including the exceptional Teri Agins and Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan. And now? They run stories on cankles. Seriously. One would think that if one wanted to read a sensationalistic, ridiculous story such as this, that one could read it in the New York Post. Apparently not.

Finally, a bunch of fashion bloggers banded together to create this tongue-in-chic video, called Don't Shop. It's a bit on the long side, but it's cute, the intent is great (to support the fashion industry), and it's a fun way to see some of your favorite bloggers in the flesh.

Recommended Reading: Sea of Shoes
Staying on top of all the fashion blogs out there is practically a full-time job. I like to think I'm pretty well-informed, but all of a sudden I'll start hearing about one everywhere, and then I'm shocked (and maybe a little perturbed) that I haven't heard about it before. Kind of like when you're wearing wide-leg jeans and everyone else in the room is wearing skinny jeans--how did I miss the memo? Anyway, after reading about the blog Sea of Shoes twice in two days--it's one of the blogs featured in Holt Renfrew's blogger windows [subscription required], and now its creator, Jane Aldridge, is designing a line of shoes for Urban Outfitters--I decided to check it out. Sea of Shoes is beautifully photographed, à la Garance Doré or the Sartorialist and primarily features its writer-creator, the aforementioned Ms. Aldridge, in creative, thoughtful outfits, à la Fashion Toast, paying particular attention to her shoes. But what's really remarkable about Sea of Shoes is that Jane, its writer, is 17 years old. That's right, she's in high school. While you wrap your head around that one, I can tell you that, from reading this article, Jane comes from good pedigree--her mother, Judy, is a model-turned-designer and the only "fashion person" she knows in real life, as she lives in suburban Dallas. Jane's incredibly precocious tastes tend toward the more avant garde Belgian and Japanese designers, but I find it interesting how she integrates these edgy shoes into her wardrobe, which leans more ladylike. The writing is more mature than you'd expect, but the focus is definitely the photos, and the spectacular styling featured therein. Did I mention she's 17?

As for her shoe collection, it's mini--just three styles--and hits Urban Outfitters July 15th. The most promising pair, in my opinion, is the brown lace-up boot. I can't wait to see how Jane wears them.

Recommended Reading
You know the vacant Brooks Brothers store at 53rd St. and Fifth Avenue? The Post reports that Topshop, Uniqlo, Century 21, Forever 21, and Zara are all duking it out over the space. Zara already has a smaller store across the street (Mango would reportedly take over that space if Zara wins the lease), and Forever 21 is opening a new location not too far away in Times Square; I'm puzzled by Century 21's interest in the space (it seems far too small); and while I love Uniqlo, I feel like it would do better on Lower Fifth Avenue, in the Flatiron area. My money is on Topshop; their Soho store is already incredibly successful, and Sir Philip Green has said before that he wants to have a Topshop wherever there's an H&M. Regardless, whoever ends up with the lease, let's hope they can afford the annual rent-—which is reportedly a cool $30 million. That's a lot of T-shirts and skinny jeans.

There's an interesting story in Crain's New York about how retailers are cutting plus size lines left and right. Industry stigmas aside, this decision appears to be purely economic: Plus-size sales are down 12% (as opposed to 2% for standard sizes), and plus-size clothes cost an estimated 10% more to produce. What doesn't make sense, however, is that, as Jezebel explains, 56% of American women are plus-sized; you'd think this would be a growing segment of the business. The Crain's article infers that plus-size customers in general appear to be more closely affected by the recession and are thus being more conservative about their clothing spending. Which, while not great for the fashion and retail industries, is actually pretty wise.

Finally, I am a bit behind on my fashion-blog reading, but the fashion blogosphere is all in a tizzy over Susie Bubble's post on Style Bubble. Apparently the super-awesome Bubble posted pictures of herself trying on a jumpsuit by UK designer Pam Hogg (Racked has the photos, which are adorable); Hogg's people didn't approve of the photography and asked her to take it down; Bubble did, but felt stung and hurt. In a way, the situation is not surprising, as designers like to control their brand image with an iron fist, and thus are liable to freak out about any "unauthorized" photography. Then again, Bubble genuinely loves fashion and enthusiastically champions young and independent designers--not to mention the fact that her blog, which has a large, loyal audience, is great exposure for any designer. The takeaway: Fitting-room photography is a no-no.

Recommended Reading
I highly recommend checking out this inspiring story about Norma Kamali, written by the excellent Ruth LaFerla in today's Thursday Styles section. I've always wanted one of her sleeping-bag coats, and as much as I am loathe to shop at Wal-Mart, how awesome is this $18 (yes, $18) batwing cardigan from her NK line? While you're on the Times website, I also recommend Cintra Wilson's spot-on assessment of Zadig & Voltaire.

The Cut reports that one of my favorite websites, Ravinstyle.com, is shutting down as of May 31st. Founded way back in 2000, it survived the dot-com crash but, sadly, not the current economic crisis. Shop there now for the next few weeks, while you can.

Finally, I am doing a Blueprint Cleanse; today is my first day (and, yes, I am freaking hungry). I'll write about it here next week, but in the meantime, you can read all about in real time on my Twitter.

Recommended Reading: Mrs. O
Governor Palin might be getting all the attention with her Japanese eyeglasses and trashy red high-heels, and Cindy McCain can certainly afford her standard-issue six-figure Oscar de la Renta outfits, but if you ask me, Michelle Obama wins hands down when it comes to campaign-trail fashion. (Okay, I might be a little biased.) I commend her for wearing local Chicago designers like Maria Pinto, as well as up-and-coming Vogue darlings like Thakoon Panichgul, but Obama also deserves true style points for wearing off-the-rack looks. The White House|Black Market dress she wore on The View instantly sold out, and she was recently photographed wearing a dress from H&M, of all places. Chronicling her fabulous wardrobe is the new blog Mrs. O, which broke the story about the H&M dress. In the democratic spirit, you can vote on each of her looks. Well written and thoroughly reported, I can only hope that Mrs. O--the blog and the woman--will stick around after the election.

Recommended reading: new on the internets
I have a confession to make: I love Gwyneth Paltrow. She is so incredibly stylish, but that's not all. I love her entire snooty, privileged, Upper East Side, macrobiotic-eating, Madonna-BFFing, weird-naming-of-children demeanor. I feel like the harder she tries to seem normal, the snobbier she sounds. But she is a Movie Star, and she just can't help herself. Case in point: She accompanied Mario Batali on his tour of Spain for PBS (the show, Spain...On the Road Again, begins airing this week on PBS); in nearly every story I read, Paltrow makes it seem like no big deal, like she just decided to tag along with, you know, one of the most famous chefs in the country. And, to top it off, today she launched her new lifestyle website, the questionably-named GOOP. Yes, GOOP. So far, all that's posted is a manifesto (an excerpt to follow below), but if you sign up for the mailing list--and you can bet your bippy I did--you can get a little bit of Gwyneth delivered straight to your inbox. What can we expect from this endeavor?

Make your life good. Invest in what's real. Cook a meal for someone you love. Pause before reacting. Clean out your space. Read something beautiful. Treat yourself to something. Go to a city you've never been to. Learn something new. Don't be lazy. Workout and stick with it. GOOP. Make it great.

Got that? GOOP.

For a less, um, holistic experience, check out the new Shopbop blog, shoptalk. It's written by four gals--Amie, Suzanne, Tonya, and Maureen--whom I'm assuming are Shopbop's copywriters. The posts are much more personal than you'd expect from a corporate blog, but, as you can imagine, the focus is pretty much all Shopbop, all the time. Then again, if you like shopping at Shopbop as much as I do, this is probably not going to be a problem.

Recommended Reading
There's an age-old theory that when the economy gets rough, hemlines get longer. Considering all of the mortgage and housing-market troubles of the past few months, it's amazing that no one has brought up the adage until know; but, lo and behold, Suzy Menkes addresses the lowering skirts in today's Times. While I am always happy to show my legs, I could go for longer skirts, especially since it feels like we've been wearing minis for, oh, 10 years or so. All good things must come to an end, I suppose.

On a happier note, mark your calendars: Racked reports that Barneys Warehouse Sale is happening in Chelsea Thursday, August 14th through Monday, September 1st. (After my successful foray in February, I've decided to wait a week before going.) Of course, if you prefer being waited on by real salespeople and having a fitting room in which to change, the final sale is still happening in Barneys stores through the end of the month.

Recommended reading
I have never set foot in a Steve & Barry's--I avoid Herald Square like the plague, and I've heard that lines at their one NYC location, in the Manhattan Mall, are ridiculously long. Still, I was planning on checking out the as-yet-unopened store at Broadway & 4th Street (the former Tower Records), just to sate my curiosity. However, it looks like that won't be happening, since Steve & Barry's has filed for bankruptcy protection. The chain has actually been around for a while, but in the past few years, it raised its profile with celebrity lines from Stephon Marbury and later Sarah Jessica Parker, Amanda Bynes, and Venus Williams. S&B has a very appealing concept, which is that nothing in the store costs more than $10, but especially in this economic climate, you have to consider the true costs. The company apparently runs on a bare-bones operation, with no advertising, a minimal back office and executives that enjoy very few perks. As details of the bankruptcy leak out, it appears that while S&B's merchandise sold well, they didn't really make any money off of it; the company's profits came from kickbacks paid to them by retail landlords--in other words, Steve & Barry's got paid to open stores in underperforming and/or undesirable locations. Not really the best long-term business strategy. So, yes, it's great to buy a pair of jeans for $8.98, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

On the other end of the spectrum, retailers now say that sunglasses are the new It bags. Whatever happened to It shoes? Guess that was short-lived! Anyway, it makes sense--while designer sunglasses have made a jump in price over the past few years, $350 or so is still a lot less than, say, $2,000, which is what a lot of It bags now run. Then again, sunglasses are made out of plastic, whereas handbags tend to be made of fine Italian leather, but that's a minor point, I guess. If you feel the need to flaunt a status symbol in these uncertain economic times, the sunglasses do seem like a (somewhat) wise buy.

Finally, this is one of the most entertaining stories I've read in awhile--it's about former Gap employees with an obsessive compulsion to fold clothes. Having done my time at Contempo Casuals, I'm not a big folder, but I can't stand messy clothes racks, and if I'm shopping and see clothes falling off the hangers, I will discreetly tidy up. I am so glad to see that I'm not alone.

Recommended Reading: Madison Avenue Spy
When I write The Week in Shopping every week, I tend to focus on sample sales. You come here to read about them because, well, it's hard to keep track of all of them, and because there's something oddly comforting--and exciting--in the ritual of sample sales. Hell, I've lived here more than eight years and I'm not yet tired of them. But sample sales aren't for everyone, and while I'll shop almost anywhere, I admit that after trekking up multiple flights of stairs into a hot, dusty showroom in order to dig through boxes of clothing and battle it out with other women over this season's overstock, sometimes even I need a break. Shopping the rarefied environment of the city's department stores and designer boutiques is often just the thing you need. To help you navigate through all of those polished terrazzo floors and glass cabinets, I highly suggest checking out Madison Avenue Spy. This new blog is written by one "Lila Delilah," an avid shopper who appreciates a good bargain but just doesn't do sample sales. Lila covers everything from markdowns (the department stores are entering their second round as we speak) to friends & family coupons, but the thing I find most interesting is that she drops names and phone numbers of her favorite salespeople--which leads me to believe that she definitely knows what she's talking about. Well, that and the fact that she appears to know about markdowns before they happen (generally, only the best customers are let in on pre-sales). A warm welcome to Lila and her wealth of shopping info; before heading uptown, Madison Avenue Spy is a must-read.

Recommended reading
While I Master Cleanse in preparation for Fashion Week (kidding!), here are some noteworthy stories to read.

There's no question that Scott Schuman, a.k.a. The Sartorialist, is a phenomenon; even Newsweek is onto him, with this story about the rise of "real people" as models. While I don't think "real people" are in danger of replacing models, I do think that it's an interesting phenomenon, in that it seems to be a reaction to the bland models and stylist-dictated fashion permeating our culture. Of course, most of the people The Sartorialist has been shooting lately have been fashion editors, but that may not be neither here nor there.

The Wall Street Journal is jumping on the it-bags-are-out bandwagon with this story, which notes that since women still need to carry purses, they're now opting for ones that are just as expensive but don't have all the designer logos and hardware and such.

Finally, if you are going to Fashion Week, Huffington Post's Claudia Cividino has 8 style tips for you. I concur with the one about shoes--so watch out for those madcap It Shoes clogging the front rows.

Look for my Fashion Week coverage, starting Saturday. (That's right, Saturday!)