those lovely ladies over at the daily obsession asked me to help out with their “insider’s obsessions” series this month.  calling me an insider and giving me a chance to gab about cashmere and scarves?  there was really no way i was going to turn that down.  plus, i miss my days as a TDO editor, and couldn’t resist reliving the magic!  you simply have to check it out…it’s a pretty fab list, if i do say so myself.

a huge welcome to those of you who’ve strayed over here – i hope you’ll stick around!  (oh, and i swear, the TDO gals and i didn’t coordinate obsessing about liberty of london for target on the same day…just goes to show that sometimes we’re so alike, we share a brain.)

have a great weekend, everyone!

i literally can. not. wait. for the liberty of london/target collaboration to hit stores this sunday (3/14).  as in, i start bouncing up and down in my chair if i think about it too much.  yep, my husband is about to be living in a sea of chic, kitschy floral…and you know, i have not a smidge of guilt!

for those that aren’t familiar, liberty of london is an amazing, iconic department store based in (surprise) london.  they’re best known for their stunning textiles, especially their signature bold florals.  for their collaboration with target, they’ve lent their signature patterns to everything from lingerie to teacups…and i’m thinking i’ll need (at least) one of nearly everything in the collection.

to tide me over until sunday, i thought i’d share a little sneak peek of my favorite pieces from the collection:

(all photos graciously provided by target corp)

yes, the shopping list is long, i realize…fortunately, nearly everything in the collection tops out at about $50, and most is much, much less than that.  so really, my hubs should be thrilled i’m saving him so much money.  right?

see you at target this sunday!

i’ve been sort of ambivalent about these asymmetrical cardigans since they came into style last year, but something about this version has really grabbed me!

i’m not sure if it’s the stripes, the great neutral shades, or the $48 pricetag (okay, it’s probably the stripes…), but i’m thinking i need to add one of these to my spring arsenal.  it would be perfect layered over a floral sundress (especially in black – i love contrasting black with pastel florals!), or just to top off a simple tank and cut-off shorts.  i’m not necessarily sold on the long-term potential of this particular style, but at $48, how much longevity do we really need?

for those that haven’t seen these before, the longer front ends of the cardi can be left loose and drapey or tied together to create a little knot over your waist.  i was pretty hesitant to add bulk in that area, but i toted one of these along on my recent trip to mexico (thank god…it was freezing!!) and got compliments all over the place.  turns out, they actually nip in at just the right spot, and provide a nice little eye-fooling camouflage for the tummy.  who knew?

you can find them at echo design, in a whole rainbow of colors…but personally, my favorites are the grey and black.  adventurous, i know.

as some of you know, i’ve been in that ‘new bag’ state of mind for the last few months.  one of the curses of writing a style blog is information overload – when i decide i want a new bag, i start looking through literally hundreds of designers, department stores, boutiques…it’s exhausting!

but then, suddenly, i’ll come across something that i just know is perfect – it just snaps into place.  and i think, dear readers, the ’snap’ for this latest bag itch has come from a brand new line called romygold, which launched just this month.  personally, i’m partial to the biker slash collection, if only because it’s utterly unlike anything else out there right now.

aren’t they pretty?  while i love them all, that slashed tote on the left is definitely calling my name – i think i’ve found my new bag.  in black, it’s the perfect tough counterpoint to all of spring’s sweet florals and tiered miniskirts, but it’s so much more subtle than all of those studs out there!

though i love the tote best, the messenger and micro mini are fabulous too. i’d love to see the messenger as a work tote for someone with a less conservative job, and the micro mini is a great, slightly tough version of the tiny crossbody bags we’re seeing everywhere, which can get a bit too sweet for my taste.

you can check out the full collection on romygold’s new site – and, best of all, prices are definitely in the attainable range, running from $275 up to $695.  my biker tote is $475…a little more than i was hoping to spend, but you never know when the handbag fairy will show up (fingers crossed)!

that was some serious oscar fashion last night. i remember being so bummed about last year’s red carpet – everyone was being so restrained and overly conscious of not being excessive (stupid recession, ruining our fashion fun!). fortunately, it was all out the window this year. this year’s dresses were unbelievably over-the-top, not to mention oversized – there were impossibly huge ball skirts absolutely everywhere you turned! i fully expected an on-stage wardrobe malfunction, but i was sadly disappointed.

naturally, the awards are totally secondary to the commentary going on in my house about the fashion. i’m usually commenting so loudly about the presenters that i barely even hear the names of the nominees. and so, without further adieu, my list of the good, the bad, and the positively heinous.

first, the good (all photos, by the way, are from yahoo!’s completely excellent oscar photo coverage – definitely the place you want to stop to see the full looks!):

i thought penelope cruz was stunning in her pleated ruby ballgown from donna karan- a dress simply couldn’t be more flattering or elegant. and i adored the dreamy abstract print on rachel mcadams‘ almost-ethereal elie saab gown.

cameron diaz looked better than i think i’ve ever seen her (oscar de la renta can have that effect) – that silver gown is simply perfect. and even if maggie gyllenhaal could have picked something a bit more flattering to her beautiful figure, her dries van noten dress was gorgeous. i might have sacrificed some tummy camouflage for the chance to wear that beauty too.

kate winslet just owns a permanent spot on this list – i love every single thing that woman puts on, and last night’s sleek silver sheath by yves saint laurent was no exception. but the one who’s most likely to be overlooked is queen latifah, who i thought looked unbelievably gorgeous, and showed off her figure so perfectly. and last, but not least, honorary props to tom ford, because he’s just always beyond impeccable. we should all dress our men so well.

next up, a little ranting about some of the unfortunate “bad” that showed up on the red carpet:

for all that sarah jessica parker loves fashion, it makes me crazy that she continues to show up on the red carpet with these bizarre choices. this year’s choice from chanel isn’t the worst, but it just doesn’t do it for me. if i’m being honest, she might have escaped my “bad” list (i’d have just chalked it up to her generally unwise fashion sense), but for that awful tan and the fact that she was chewing gum when the cameras panned to her in the audience. really? gum? at the oscars? i have no words.

people seem sort of split about vera farmiga’s gown, and i understand the dilemma. it is interesting to look at. sadly, however interesting, it’s hideously unflattering – the woman has a rockin’ body, and this just made her look twice her normal size.

charlize theron, i generally adore you, so i hate to say anything too harsh, but…boob rosettes? it’s hard to look any less than fabulous when you look like her, and yet she managed it. better luck next year, ladies.

and now, last – but most certainly, not least – my award for the truly, heinously ugly (drum roll, please…):

there’s one every year: that dress that just makes you wonder what someone was thinking when they spotted it and said “oh yes! that’s the dress! i definitely want to have my photo taken, viewed by millions and judged by critics for years while i’m wearing that.” zoe saldana (from avatar) really knocked it out of the ugly park with this tiered, ruffled, multitoned, glittery….whatever it is (by givenchy). when she showed up on the red carpet, i believe my comment was something along the lines of her needing to have someone remove the muppet clinging to her knees. part can-can, part showgirl, and one hundred percent deserving of the worst dressed award.

so, how’d i do? did we agree on the red carpet recap? what were your favorite hits and misses last night?

when i first saw coral cosmetics hit the runways for the spring 2010 fashion shows, i cringed.  coral has always conjured images of old lady lipstick…something you’d only wear if you were over 80 and color-blind.  frightening, i know.  and when you add the fact that my complexion is impossibly pink, thereby automatically clashing with any and all members of the coral family, you’ll understand my skepticism.

but then a pot of the newest velvet eyeshadow shade from benefit magically appeared in my mailbox – in a shade called “nice melons”. (sometimes, i swear, i buy benefit products just for the names…)  i was still scared, but since it was already here, i swapped it out one morning for my usual bland pale pink.  turns out, this extremely light shade is actually pretty gorgeous on – it gives a touch of color, but is still light, sweet and perfect for spring.  and it happens to do lovely things for green eyes (i’m guessing brown would look pretty amazing too).

now that i’d seen the light, i ventured a bit further – bobbi brown released a whole new collection of “cabana corals” for spring, and i couldn’t resist checking them out.  most of the lip shades were still a little too, well, coral, for my pale skin.  but if you happen to have anything resembling a tan, or are just blessed with lovely dark skin, these corals were definitely not of the old-lady variety.  my favorite is the nectar shimmer brick (i’m an utterly devoted fan of bobbi’s shimmer bricks) – it’s going to look seriously amazing topping a little bronzer action this summer.  i can hardly wait!

what do you think?  will you be venturing into the coral trend when the weather warms up?

time for a little wednesday rant.  normally, i look forward to spring and summer not at all – i’m just a girl that likes to layer, and loves her scarves, and summer just does not allow for either of those.  and then, there’s the fact that i strongly dislike being above 70 degrees.

but even in the depths of my despair, i always know that even when spring fashion disappoints, i’ll have all of those lovely spring sandals to fall back on.  sadly, not this year.  this year, they’re just…yuck.  woven peep toe boots, *more* gladiators, prep school oxfords and clogs?!  (okay, the oxfords may not be all bad.)  normally, the unveiling of all of those warm weather shoes put a definite spring in my step, but this season’s “hot” shoes have left me pretty cold.

the source of this rant?  an email this morning from saks, telling me to check out all of their hot new contemporary shoes for spring.  to-wit:

those were the first four shoes that came up.  are you depressed yet?  seriously, am i expected to wear these messes?

(okay, so maybe those elizabeth and james sandals on the right are actually kind of cute. but what exactly are those shoes on the left? they’re like keds…gone very, very wrong.)

personally, i’m rebelling…if this keeps up, i’ll spend the summer in my sperry topsiders (oh, and those luscious loeffler randalls i nabbed a few weeks back…), and not a single new shoe box will enter my closet until next fall.

what do you think of this season’s choices?   i’ll admit, there were a couple of styles mixed in that didn’t make me want to hurl (and don’t worry – i’ll be weeding them out for you)…but for now, i’m a little blue.

i spotted these pretty little studs last week, and haven’t been able to get them out of my head.  don’t they just remind you of being 8 years old and blowing the puffs off of dandelions?

lately, i’ve been reaching more often for my smaller, more ladylike accessories…i think i’ve finally tired of all of those big, bold chains from last year.  i love that these little dandelions, by rebecka froberg, are simple and classic, but still just modern enough to be hip.  perfect!

pick them up at refinery 29 for $70 (silver) or $190 (gold).

dear readers, i’m so sorry to have been gone all week…let’s just say the universe took a giant sledgehammer swing at my head on monday, and i’ve been curled up in the fetal position for about 4 days now.  i haven’t quite recovered, but i’m hoping (dear lord, i’m hoping!) to be back to my usual chatty self next week.  for now, i’ll wish you a wonderful weekend and leave you with some photos from my absolute favorite new design book, hue by kelly wearstler.

i didn’t think i could love kelly wearstler much more than i already do – when i’m rich and famous, i’ve always planned to have her design my dream house.  but apparently, there was more love to be had.  the only thing missing from her older work was a nice big blast of color (previously, i’d planned for jonathan adler to come along and put the finishing touches of fun on that dream house), but her latest book, hue, shows that she’s seen the light – and it’s bouncing off a bowl of skittles.  this is one serious book of eye candy – i’ve been through it a million times since it arrived.  definitely a perfect addition to your coffee table, or your amateur interior design arsenal.

(oh, and all of these lovely photos are ©2009 courtesy www.ammobooks.com)

divine, isn’t it?  with that, have a wonderful weekend, everyone – i’m  hoping to see you all back here next week!

i fell hard for these beautiful necklaces when they first appeared in my inbox a few months back.  sadly, i wasn’t quick enough the first time around, and they sold out at anthropologie in mere moments.  a collaboration between joya (one of my absolute favorite perfumers) and a hip design shop called vane, they can be worn several ways (thanks to the long, multi-chain detail), but – even better – each is actually a locket that contains a decadent solid perfume fragrance.

fortunately, my tardiness is being excused: my dear friends over at joya have let me know that they’re now available at joya’s website, which excites me to no end.  at $80 each, these are definitely an affordable splurge…the only problem now is choosing which version i love best.  i’m not a spider girl, but it’s a very, very tough call between the cameo and that big gold orb.  with victorian jewelry so in this year, i’m sorely tempted by both.

i’ve only been able to check out the scent for the cameo (okay, so i tackled a salesgirl at anthro last week when i spied her wearing one. “can i smell your necklace”…definitely not a phrase i use often), but it’s divine.  it’s called ambrosia and, true to its name, it’s packed with orange, coconut, vanilla and cinnamon – perfect for a light spring day!  if you’re more of a complex floral girl, i suspect you’ll fall for the orb’s “potion” scent, with notes of lotus, lavender, and amber.

sigh…could i possibly just have one of each?