To be honest, I haven’t yet watched an episode of The City, so my knowledge of Olivia Polermo is based totally on what I read on fashion and gossip blogs (including the now sadly defunct Socialite Rank). Even if I did watch The City, I’m not sure  would have any greater knowledge, however, seeing as how those shows are basically scripted, right? But from what I hear, she is sort of the villian to Whitney Port’s heroine… or at best a totally frenemy. Regardless of her character- real or scripted- I am totally loving this outfit:

The floral blouse paired with black separates (love the dressed-up track shorts) is so very urban chic. Very spring time in the city, pardon my pun. I can also picture this blouse paired with a jean skirt and sandals for a more laid back vibe or jeans and heels for date night. Pretty much, I’m lusting after it… and feeling quite jealous of those Marc Jacobs bags as well.

I can’t justify a Marc shopping spree, but perhaps a little Diane von Furstenberg ‘Marla’ Blouse splurge?

Image Source: FabSugar

It’s no secret to the people who know me that I’ve been a huge fan of The Golden Girls for a long time. I’m not the only one- a lot of my friends also love the show. It’s very well written, funny, tackled serious issues such as gun control and gay rights, and centered around the lives of four females and their relationships with men and with each other. I’m not the first person to make the analogy that The Golden Girls was the original Sex and the City… with orthopedics rather than Manolos. It’s been a sad 10 months for us Golden Girls fans- first Estelle Getty passed away in July and this past weekend Bea Arthur also passed. In a strange twist of fate, Arthur passed just as Bonhams & Butterfields starting alerting potential buyers to the sale of property from the estate of Estelle Getty. Along with Getty’s Emmy and Golden Globe awards, her trademark straw handbag and over-sized eyeglasses used on every episode of The Golden Girls will be for sale.

While I am not about to drop the money on either of these iconic pieces, they would be pretty awesome to own. Perfect accessories for the Golden Girls Halloween costumes my girlfriends and I have been talking about… Luckily there are plenty of sequins, shoulder pads, caftans, straw bags and vintage eyeglasses out there (no small thanks to the Olsen twins) for us to choose from come October.

Although, now that I think about it, a straw handbag is perfect for summer… loving this patent leather trimmed version from Spiegel.

Image Source: W Magazine Editors Blog

Cropped tops are an emerging trend I’ve been noticing, first on the spring 09 runway, and now on pretty young things out and about. I can’t quite decide how I feel about the re-emergence of cropped tops. I think it looks cute on the girls I have seen wearing it, but at the same time still conjures up images of the not-so-cute outfits of Donna Martin. And let’s be honest, unless by some miracle I wake up with Donna Martin abs tomorrow, this trend is not exactly completely user friendly. Yet, still I am intrigued…

Should I decide that this is a bandwagon I need to jump on, a little layering goes a long way. I’ll be wearing my cropped tops a la Kate Bosworth, with a longer layer to cover the tummy. Or perhaps if I am feeling brave, and attending an event where at no time will I sit down, I’ll layer with a vest.

Keep it simple in a cropped basic tee, like this one from KAIN Label.

Image Source: ELLE UK

I’ve seen more than a handful of fashion blog posts obsessing over Ann Demeulemeester’s totally cool lace-up hybrid boot/sandal.

I love them- totally rock & roll, fashion-forward and stunning. They would look great paired with just about anything- skinny jeans and a concert tee, a sun-dress and jean jacket, even cut-off shorts and a tank. Kind of like how a pair of red-soled Louboutin’s will make any outfit that much sexier, these Demeulemeester’s will make it that much cooler. Unfortunately for me, I cannot justify any expensive shoe purchases on my recessionista budget, as awesome as Louboutin and Ann Demeulemeester may be. Before I resign myself, and my outfits, to being just that much un-cooler, Dolce Vita has once again came to my rescue. I’ve professed my love of the affordable shoe line here before, and my opinion hasn’t changed. These Dolce Vita Delilah Ankle Booties have the same boot/sandal look, but are in no way an obvious copy of the Demeulemeester’s (I am into taking inspiration from awesome designers, not ripping them off). The leather straps make them a little more commercial, but also, a little more wearable. Not to mention, I am loving the grey leather- and the fraction-of-the-cost price tag.

Image Source: Gnarlitude

I’m not sure why, but perfume advertisements, real and faux, have been catching my eye as of late. I discovered a new favorite this weekend. The trippy, ethereal commercial for Flora by Gucci is seriously awesome.

The song- a borderline-creepy Donna Summer I Feel Love remix- was produced and arranged by the commercial’s director, Chris Cunningham and provides a perfect soundtrack. The sun-drenched field of flowers, gorgeous dress, and visually stunning metamorphosis at the end, paired with the great remix, prompted me to re-watch this on YouTube several times. Heck, I’ll admit it- I seriously want to buy a bottle of Gucci Flora thanks to this commercial. Somehow, I think that’s what they were going for.

Like the rest of the known Universe, ChicShopper has succumbed to the Twitter phenomenon. Come follow me for random fashion musings, style tips, industry gossip and, of course, chic shopping hints and bargain alerts.

The makeup at the 3.1 Phillip Lim spring show was inspired by the famous Steve McCurry “Afghan Girl” National Geographic portrait. Using the then unreleased matte garnet NARS eyeshadow Grenadines, makeup artist Ayako encircled the the to give it depth and then blended black and blue eyeliner on the top and bottom lashes. While red certainly doesn’t sound like a very flattering shade to put on your lids- and adding black and blue to the mix sounds even worse- it surprisingly looks pretty cool. It manages to be dramatic and modern and at the same time almost looks natural and just a little dirty.

I think this is a look I definitely want to try. I’m thinking I need a bit more of a tan to pull it off and I’ll keep it simple with smokey ring around the eye and some black eyeshadow.

Grenadines, the NARS shadow used on the 3.1 Phillip Lim runway is now available to us common-folk, so there is no need to search high and low for the perfect similar color. Woohoo.

Image Source: Style.com

As if being the man behind Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton wasn’t enough, Marc Jacobs is branching out again with another line- Jacobs by Marc Jacobs. While creating yet another diffusion collection may seem a little extraneou, Jacobs by Marc Jacobs actually has a great mission behind the product. The range of t-shirts, totes and wallets will feature the work of artists with disabilities, and all proceeds will go to the Creative Growth Art Center.

I love that the line provides not just philanthropy in the form of monetary donations (don’t get me wrong, donating money is amazing, and all proceeds is even more so), but also provides a platform for these artists to get their work to a larger audience and spread the word about the amazing work being done at the  Creative Growth Art Center. Artistic expression is truly theraputic. Marc Jacobs may be scheming to take over the world one diffusion line at a time, but with humanitarian projects like this- that give me a great excuse to buy a cute new wallet- I can’t help but be a loyal follower of King Jacobs.

Source: Teen Vogue

Wildfox Couturemakes vintage-inspired, cheeky t-shirts for girls that are favorite of Hollywood ladies such as Miley Cyrus and Fergie. After seeing images from Wildfox’s fall 2009 collection, I think it may be time for me to join the fan club. The lookbook shoot is a decadent, daytime hotel party for the cool-girl vampires, hiding-out from the Los Angeles heat. The concept is great (and perfectly timed with the Twilight hysteria that is befalling young ladies these days), the photos are awesome, and I kinda wish I was invited to the party…

I may not be cool- or undead- enough to hang with these girls, but these images certainly have me yearning for a Wildfox Couture tee of my own. While I am smitten over the not-yet-available fanged smiley face longsleeve tee, I’m thinking this oversized St. Tropez tank will do until I can get my hands on the fall collection, it will look perfect paired with cut-off shorts this summer:

Image Source: Wildfox Couture

I tend to lose small beauty products such as nail clippers, tweezers, cuticle cutters and the like. Because I can’t live without my tweezers, I actually have two pairs- if one is missing the other is bound to be around somewhere. Lately I’ve been keeping one in the car for last minute, on the way to work, plucks. Don’t worry, I only pluck at red lights… Both of my tweezers are Tweezerman, because the brand has the absolute best pluckers out there. No pulling frantically on hairs that just won’t come out because you can’t get a good grip- there is no time for such shenanigans when stopped at a red light in Los Angeles during the morning commute. Tweezerman is tempting me with my third tweezer purchase, with their Go Green Mini Slant tweezer. With every purchase of the limited-edition tweezers- which come in packaging made from 100% recycled paper and printed with natural soy ink- $1 is donated to the National Arbor Day Foundation and a new tree is planted. Shopping for a good cause- whether it’s groomed eyebrows or taking care of Mother Earth- is the best:

Arbor Day is April 24th, learn more here.