The Guide to Everything Fabulous

Sorry Everyone!

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 18:59:00 +0000

You may have had trouble linking to our new location, but everything's fixed now and all the links on this page are updated. Once again, it's theguidetoeverythingfabulous.wordpress.com

And We're Outta Here

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:50:00 +0000

Bye Bye Blogger! We can now be found at theguidetoeverythingfabulous.wordpress.com

Day and Age

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:22:00 +0000

I don't believe there's a single person in the world who doesn't like the Killers. And now that it's finally here, time to review their new album!

Here's the first single released off the album, Human.

for the rest of the tracks, click

My personal favorites were Spaceman, an upbeat, dancefloor track, and This Is Your Life, even though the music itself is really more interesting than the lyrics, since its backed by a great bass line, as well as a sort of tribal-chant.
Other tracks include Losing Touch, a jazzy, smooth listen, Joy Ride, which transports you back to the 70's with its disco-y feel. The album then slows down a bit with A Dustland Fairytale, a sad ballad. But it picks up again quickly with I Can't Stay, which features steel drums and acoustic guitar for a fun medley. Neon Tiger is somewhat reminiscent of Sam's Town, and when followed by The World We Live In, I found it kind of like a slump in the middle of the album (more about that later). In Goodnight, Travel Well, is like seven minutes of reflection, and I'll bet if you really listened to it you'd find a lot of meaning (but I unfortunately didn't have that kind of time.)
As for the bonus track, A Crippling Blow, the beat almost made it 60's reminiscent, and its also an amazing display of vocals from Brandon Flowers!
With every new album, there are some songs that jump right out at you. These are usually the singles; the hits. Its the other songs, the songs that take a few listens to sink in, are the ones that really resonate. So if I just dissed your favorite song, don't be mad, I just haven't had time to appreciate them fully.

Movin' On Up

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Well fabulous readers, after some careful consideration we've decided that, after one last post here, we're relocating elsewhere. Details are still being worked out, but stay tuned for our new link, plus that last post!

Wishing

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:30:00 +0000

Dear Santy Clause...

OR ELSE.
from top:Influence by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Marie Antoinette, 30 Rock Season Two, Gossip Girl Season One (amazon.com) Double Breasted Sweater, Messenger Bag, Kill City Jeans (urbanoutfitters.com)

Silence & Noise/Coco Chanel WILL Cut a Bitch

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:56:00 +0000

Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to be so random as to resurrect the silent film genre. But of course, talking is apparently so last season. In the clip, Lithuanian (holllaaa) model Edita Vilkeviciute plays a young Coco Chanel, perhaps in response to Shirley MacLaine's laughable portrayal on Lifetime earlier this year. This version has plenty of silly moments of its own (including a Poiret diss! Now that's old school) but it works much better when associated with the typical jaunty feel of silent films. Throughout the course of the film:Coco chain smokes, verbally abuses a delivery man, and participates in a little bit of PDA. And I think we can all agree that it is bad ass. Here's to Coco Chanel, O.G. (original gangsta) Those interested in seeing it for themselves can direct themselves here. (Just a tip: it doesn't seem to work in firefox and you'll have to click the little volume level graphic at the bottom right corner to get the music.)
picture from racked.com

Yokoo-ooo

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:11:00 +0000

The Pembroke Cowl in Charcoal, available for $115

In the Winter, you're never fully dressed without a scarf. Ever since Rodarte made knitwear cool again, it is suffice to say that it is precisely that which has been on everybody's mind. I recently stumbled upon Yokoo, a popular Etsy (a modern-day craft bazaar, for those unfamiliar) seller who makes covetable chunky knits in the form of scarves, hats, and even bows. Her prices range from $30-$150, making them perfect gifts for your upcoming holiday of choice. What could possibly be more fabulous than handmade knitwear for your loved ones? To see some of my favorite pieces, click

The XL Cozy in Grey with Bumble Bee Stripe,$110

The Basic Warmer in Grey Marble,$42

The Cranberry Cozy,$70

The Cambridge Chain,$95

The Minnie Bow in Grey,$30

Oatmeal Cowl,$145

The New Yorker, $110

Are You Cold?

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:07:00 +0000

My Favorite Jackets From This Fall's Runways

Although it's been months since the Spring collections debuted, you might have noticed that it's a cold, cold world out there. It's true, Winter has unoficially arrived, along with the frigid air. If you can't beat it, embrace it! Here's a little bit of inspiration to guide you on your way to fabulous. See? We don't call us The Guide to Everything Fabulous for nothing!

Yigal Azrouel

To see the rest, click

Behnaz Sarafpour

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Cynthia Rowley

Luella

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

Obedient Sons & Daughters

Derercuny

Burberry

D&G

Blumarine

Etro

Moschino

Gucci

Balenciaga

Comme des Garcons

Stella McCartney

Yves Saint Laurent

Sonia Rykiel

Antonio Berardi

(I LOVE this one so much I wanna take it behind a middle school and get it pregnant)

Thank you and stay fabulous!

Something We Can All Be Thankful For

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:48:00 +0000

15-year-old Kate Moss, Reppin' the Indians/Native Americans

With Thanksgiving being today, I think we should all take the opportunity to remember what we are (or should be) thankful for. So it is without further ado that we present the things we are most thankful for.

Joey

This blog, and the person who writes it with me.
The world of fashion, which never ceases to inspire.
Readers, because they make writing much more important.
Christmas, because it's the most genius thing ever:get people to buy you things even though you didn't do anything.
The bad economy, because it gives people something to talk about. "YES, I am provocative."
Oh that last one reminded me, 30 Rock, for being amazing.

Meg

My crazy family
Their cooking
Text messages (Can't live without them!)
My fab partner in blogging
The few returning readers we get

Thank you everyone! Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

December Magazine Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:06:00 +0000

Hello everyone! As you can see, we've been revamped, and it's back to business.

Harper's Bazaar

Lindsay Lohan

To see the rest, click

Vogue

Jennifer Aniston

Interview

Cate Blanchett

Nylon

Lily Allen

i-D

Leona Lewis

Teen Vogue

Kristen Stewart

Marie Claire

Jennifer Connelly

Glamour

Nicole Kidman

Cosmopolitan

Jessica Simpson

Dazed & Confused

Kate Somers

W

Blake Lively

Reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:10:00 +0000

Pushing Daisies is on tonight (Thursday the 18th) at 8:00 on ABC. If you don't watch it I will personally hunt you down and kill you.

The Circus Comes to Town

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:34:00 +0000

I think Britney herself said it best with "It's been awhile." Although it's been only a few years since she last tore up the charts, her erratic behavior was better at selling tabloids than albums. Now that she's really back this time, she's got a solid album to prove it. In fact, you'll be glad to know that lead single Womanizer is one of the lesser tracks in comparison. Womanizer feels flat when compared with the hyper, chantey feel of songs like the salacious If U Seek Amy (try saying it out loud, or rather in your head if there are people around.) Elsewhere, she succeeds with the confident Kill The Lights, cooing "is that money in your pocket, or you're happy to see me?" in reference to her famed experiences with the paparazzi. Surprisingly, one of my favorite moments comes in the down-tempo techno track Unusual You. It's gentle without being contrived, and still remains a standout. Speaking of standouts, there's also the title track Circus, with a chorus sure to be on everyone's lips in a matter of days; the introspective Blur where Britney admits she "can't remember what I did last night;"the chaotic Mannequin, which is actually downright experimental for arguably the most mainstream artist in the world; and the bass-slapping Lace & Leather, which feels like a tongue in cheek take on a Prince/Janet Jackson sound-a-like. The duds? My Baby, although certainly sweet, is one of the more boring songs I've heard in a while and Out From Under tries too hard to be emotional. Otherwise, it's a great album that I would definitely recommend as well as give the The Guide to Everything Fabulous stamp of approval. Circus hits stores December 2nd.

Won't You Run And Tell Your Boyfriend

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:46:00 +0000

Just when you think everything possible has been done to denim, another trend sparks. Over the summer, Katie Holmes embraced the trend of boyfriend jeans, an idealized fit that emulates gender-bending in the jean department. Her insistence upon wearing them daily for what seemed like a month sparked a major discussion. But it wasn't her who pioneered the trend. In fact, its emergence in fashion can probably traced back to Alexander Wang's Spring 2008 show. It was that season that, in his runway debut, he sent Chanel Iman down the runway in a loose fit among a sea of skinny jeans. Those seemingly failed to take off, but it wasn't long until the look was adapted into "peg-leg" with the ankles being cuffed to create that tapered silhouette that is currently all the rage. Now the trend is fully taking off, thanks in part to them being fully embraced by the fashionably inclined. But when we're seeing drop crotch pants, loose fitting jeans, and pajamas on the runway; does this means that the lines between comfort and style are finally blurring?

Bah Humbug

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:23:00 +0000

When I was handed a holiday-themed cup at Starbucks this morning, it was difficult to hold back my rage long enough to slurp down my drink. For some reason, the powers that be have decided that as soon as Halloween ends, Christmas begins. Pretty soon, the holiday commercials will be replacing the political ones as the most repetitive and annoying. Before you get the wrong impression, I'm all for Christmas. If anyone's excited to trim the tree and deck the halls, it's me. But every year it seems to come earlier and earlier. The two month long build-up leads more to fatigue than excitement. Another problem I have is that most of it is a way for people to make money, not necessarily in the spirit of Christmas. Not to mention how hurt Thanksgiving must feel about all this. Why can't we focus on Indians and pilgrims, for at least a couple of weeks? After Thanksgiving, I give you the green light to spread your holiday cheer.

SAVE PUSHING DAISIES!

noreply@blogger.com (MT&JO) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:40:00 +0000

For some reason, the TV universe is so unbalanced that there's room for about a million CSI spin-offs and a new version of Knight Rider, but heavily favored/highly superior shows struggle to stay on the air. The latest of this kind to face the chopping block is Pushing Daisies. Known for its twisted plot lines and timeless romanticism, Pushing Daisies premiered last Fall to favorable critical reviews. It quickly built a small but passionate fanbase, averaging 9.42 million views last season. But it became a victim of the writer's strike and didn't return to finish up the season. So when it premiered again this fall, the ratings dropped to 6.10 million. Now, the rumors are rampant that the show might not get a full season pickup. I shudder to think of a world where I can't get my weekly dose of saccharine sweet murder-mystery. But luckily no action has been taken yet. There's still a few things you can do. For a listing of those things, you can go here. And, please, if you aren't already watching this show, start now.

More Sage Wisdom From Fake Karl

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:24:00 +0000

Describe the "impossible smell" of the reporter at your show.
Coke. As in, genuine coke. With sugar. Eww.

Pretend like you're firing me from this blog. What would you say?
You are demode. You filthy demode person. You filthy, rotting demode person. You are DEMODE!

You recently discovered that you have a daughter. Do you have any
plans to discover any more children in the future?
You know, there's this Irish girl who offered...maybe she'll become number 2. We'll see.

Your Cafe Press store is amazing! Who does the drawings?
I do them in my sleep, actually. I don't sleep...which contradicts that, hmm? It's a pity that we have found CafePress demode, and therefore, may shut it down.

If you had a magazine what would it be called? Feel free to give details.
It would not have a name. Cats do not need names; and this magazine would be a pretty chic cat. It would not be made out of "paper" per se, but quilted Chanel tweed (yes, we can do that).

What did you dress up as for halloween?
I dressed up as.....Karl Lagerfeld. People say "you look JUST like Karl Lagerfeld!", and I go "of course, hmmmm?"

What does Martin Margiela look like? I know you know.
A total queen.

I hear you've got a thing for rap music. Who is your favorite rapper and why?
Can I have two? Of course I can; I'm Karl Lagerfeld. Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip. Hilarious; witty; chic.

Give us your trend report. What was the main trend at the spring shows?
Trends? Ugly clothes. Transparency. Transparency to see people's ugliness.

What is your favorite kind of girl scout cookies?
Cookies contain calories. They are PLASTIC.

If you were thinking a color right now what would it be?
Mm....Telephones....to lick.

What do you do to get inspired for your collections?
I don't! Inspiration is a word which only the mediocre designers use. I prefer not to talk about the collections at all; I say: shuttup and work. (More then a few of them need this advice, hmmm?)

Hi

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:21:00 +0000

Regular posting will resume later today.

Treat Yourself This Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:19:00 +0000

There's something about holidays that brings out the cheesiness in all of us. Suddenly we find ourselves wanting to re-watch the classic movies, repeat our usual traditions, and (most importantly) snack on foods that are heavy on the nostalgia. But Halloween ha s few foods to call its own other than candy, if you even consider that a food. But luckily we here at The Guide to Everything Fabulous are on a mission to change that. We've selected two ideas that would definitely go in the treat category this Halloween.
The first one comes from Meg:

Here's a wonderful, after Halloween snack (to help with the disposal of any leftover candy) Just pop some popcorn in the microwave, open the bag, and mix in some bite sized pieces of chocolate candy! My faves are milky ways, three musketeers, and junior mints, but you can just use whatever you like/have on hand. Its really great for a scary movie party.

To see my recipe, click

The other one I'm afraid I can't take credit for, but I discovered it here

"Soft Pumpkin Pretzels
1 1/4 cup warm water plus up to 1/4 more as needed
1 teaspoon unbleached granulated sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup atta flour (whole wheat chapati flour)
1 teaspoon olive oil
kosher salt, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds for garnish

For Boiling:
8 cups water
2 tablespoons baking soda

1. In a big bowl dissolve the sugar in 1 1/4 cups warm-to-the-touch water.
2. Add the yeast and let sit a few minutes until the yeast "blooms."
3. Stir in the canned pumpkin.
4. Stir in the flours and salt and mix to form a dough. If the dough seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it comes together--you should be OK without it.
5. Hand knead for ten minutes, or five minutes in a mixer with a dough hook.
6. Put the olive oil in a big bowl and turn the dough around in the oil until the sides of the bowl are oiled and the dough is covered in a light film.
7. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled about 50 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 475F.
9. In a pot with high sides (the water will foam up once the pretzels are added), bring 8 cups of water to a boil with the baking soda.
10. Divide the dough into six even pieces. One by one, carefully roll them into a coil that is 19" long and about 3/4-1" thick. Carefully twist each rope into a pretzel shape and pinch the ends of the rope to the body of the pretzel so they stay in place.
11. Boil three pretzels at a time for one minute, flip over with tongs and boil the second side for another minute.
12. Place on a Silpat or greased cookie sheet and lightly blot off any foam with a towel.
13. Quickly sprinkle with seeds and salt so they stick to the moist dough.
14. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until deeply browned on top."

Sounds Delicious, No?
Anyway, once again, enjoy your Halloween!

Tricks to play on the treaters

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Staying home on halloween waiting for trick or treaters to show up just sooo unfab... BORING! This post is for those of you, like me, who are too old to trick or treat, too young to die. (I'm not being morbid, its a That 70's Show refrence if you didnt catch that!) Why does the question, "trick or treat?" have to be one sided? I'm not telling you to scare the candy out of small children, I'm just saying mess with their heads a little.

If you're friendly with the kids in your neighborhood, and they can take a little abuse from you, you can do what i do. Buy one bag of smarties, and one bag of dum dums to hand out. When the rascals show up, make a big deal out of who deserves which candy. ("Susie gets smarties, but oh no, Billy gets a dum dum!") Feel free to substitute smarties with nerds if you're feeling extra insulting.

The next pranks are my personal favorites from this site- http://www.madnessmansion.com/tricks.htm

-Fill a briefcase with marbles and crackers. Write on it, "Top Secret" in big letters. When trick-or-treaters come, look around suspiciously, say, "It's about time you got here," give them the briefcase, and quickly shut the door.

-When you answer the door, look at the trick-or-treaters, act shocked and scared, and start screaming your head off. Slam the door and run around the house, screaming until they go away.

-Answer the door with a mouthful of M & M's and several half-eaten candy bars in your hands. Act surprised, and close the door. Open it again in a few seconds, and insist that you don't have any candy.

Now if you go to that link, you'll also notice #12 (Get a catapult. Sit on your porch and catapult pumpkins at anyone who comes within 50 yards of your house.) Im not advising you to actually fling large vegtables at pedestrians, but there is a market for pumpkin catapults if you ever feel the need to build one. A few years ago i actually was dragged to a pumpkin flinging festival in Deleware, which turned out to be somewhat fun. Who knew? http://www.punkinchunkin.com/main.htm follow that link for details.

The Guide to Dressing Fabulously For Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:30:00 +0000

Think you're ready? Then

Now that Halloweek is in full force, Meg has enlisted me to set the readers on the right path to total fabulosity on the big day itself. If you don't have a costume planned yet, you're going to want to read this (we can fashionably late in our planning as well, can we not?)So I've set out with our dear readers in mind to demonstrate examples of the perfect costume. You're welcome.

On The Runway

Rodarte

Betsey Johnson

Luella

D&G

Prada
pictures from nymag.com and style.com

What The Fashion People Are Wearing

Behati Prinsloo

Rachel Ballinger

Derek Blasberg, Daria Werbowy, and Yesim Ak

Cory Kennedy

Lauren Davis

Heidi Mount & Hilary Rhoda

Jay Massacret

Kate Sennert
pictures by Kathy Lo from coacd.blogspot.com

What The Designers Are Wearing

Giorgio Armani as Fred Astaire with Jessica Stam as Ginger Rogers

Donatella Versace as The Princess from The Princess and the Pea

Karl Lagerfeld as a rapper

Alessandra Facchinetti (I'm weeping) as Pierrot

Michael Kors and Vlada Roslaykova as L.B. Jefferies and Lisa Carol Fremont from Rear Window

Donna Karan as a force of nature

Alber Elbaz as James Bond

Laura and Kate Mulleavy as cats with Caroline Trentini

Roberto Cavalli and Coco Rocha as Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind
pictures from Harper's Bazaar, scans from thefashionspot.com

Pull a Nylon With a Literary Reference

my scans from Nylon October 2008

Icons Among Us
costume choices you can believe in

Edie Sedgwick

Rachel Zoe

Grace Jones

Blair Waldorf

Grunge

Have a Great Halloween! Go out and RE-PRE-SENT!!!!

Fabulous Halloween Programs (For Your Viewing Pleasure)

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:38:00 +0000

Here are my favorite movies for Halloween

Scream

For more Movies (and TV) click

Carrie

The Haunting (1963)

And for those of you who don't have such strong stomachs

The Haunted Mansion

TV

There's the classic staple of Halloweek

Charlie Brown

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror is different every year. Always fun.

That 70's Show

Last but not least, Alvin and the Chipmunks!

Joey's Favorites

Ugly Betty-Season 1, Ep 5: The Lyin', The Watch, and The Wardrobe

Sabrina the Teenage Witch-Season 2, Ep. 7:A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It

The Office-Season 2, Ep. 5:Halloween

You're Invited

noreply@blogger.com (MT&JO) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:53:00 +0000

DIY decor day

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:03:00 +0000

See this? wanna make this? (yes you do)
click

For those of you asking, "what the heck is that?", it's a rock ok? ( I can't take full credit for this idea though, these books got me started- http://www.linwellford.com/ordering.html) There are some upsides to rock pumpkins, like they don't grow mold like real pumpkins (and if your basement/attic is like mine you might have experienced fake pumpkins growing mold as well... yeah, ew) They also don't cost you a dime!
So basically you just find a smooth river stone, which is as easy as taking a walk in the woods, and then just go to town. Then you'll need orange, brown, and green acrylic paint. First you paint the whole rock orange. Sketch the face out in pencil, before filing it in with brown (or black) paint. Next add the green stem, and maybe a leaf or a vine. Then I highlighted the features by outlining the with a lighter brown. Lastly, you might want to spray them with some clear polyurethane to ensure the paint doesn't peel.

Another thing you can make, if you can find some smaller, rounded stones, is this creepy eyeball. Or you could make a whole pumpkin patch! Go crazy... Its Halloweek after all!

Happy Halloweek!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:00:00 +0000

The countdown has started, and I am oh-so-excited! In just seven more days, its my favortie holiday!!! So I'm taking over and turning this into a weeklong celebration!!! (Joey had his fashion week, now its my turn.) You aren't going to want to miss a minute of this.

ok, and for those of you who aren't so in the spirit yet, I've made you a playlist-
Halloweek

Happy Haunting!!!
~Meg

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Joey) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:01:00 +0000

I'll be the first to admit it;I'm a sucker for fast fashion. Quality concerns be damned--H&M is almost godsent in a vast mob of tasteless mall stores. So I'm always happy to see a chain store expand its horizons. After Gap became the new old place to shop this season, it looks like there's another one hot on its heels. American Eagle, best known for providing khaki shorts and polo shirts to clean cut teens, gave a presentation of its forthcoming "spring break" collection recently. And I have to say, I'm reasonably impressed! They're not quite replacing H&M and Gap, but as they say Rome wasn't built in a day. Naturally I'm more impressed by the womenswear. It comes across as sort of a more attainable version of Topshop's Bananarama-inspired show. But the menswear still looks pretty reminiscent of the old American Eagle. If they really want to woo me, they'll step it up on that level. Here's to the next season! To see some pictures, click

pictures from fromthedeskofphyllis.blogspot.com