$1 Flip Flops Tomorrow @ Old Navy

On Saturday June 28 only, you can pick up flip-flops at Old Navy for only a buck each. The catches are a) I think the sale only applies to the regular flip-flops not any embellished ones b) some Old Navy stores are limiting the number you can buy at one time and c) it's only one day. But it's a great opportunity to pick up some cheapo beach shoes for a price even lower than Wal-Mart in enough colors to match your swimsuits.

Trends I Love

Sorry about the two-day delay!

Fortunately, I think there is more to like than dislike this year. Any of these can be worn by most people in some form, regardless of age, body shape, or what the media says.

1. Gladiator sandals

These are classics and whenever they become a hot trend again, it's an opportunity to pick up a couple of pairs. Fortunately, these are available in a range of prices. I got a set of Madden Girl Sicily sandals for $29.99 (retails for $45) from Shoe Station, a Southern discount chain that sells online.

Then there are these (non-leather) bargain sandals from Old Navy…only $19.99! I got one pair in brown…you can also find these in dark brown, gold, and black:

http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?cid=39211&pid=604581&scid=604581012


2. Metallics

Metallics don't really go out of style per se as long as you don't overdo it. It brings a little kick or sparkle to an outfit. I just got these lovely Patricia Field for Payless sandals for a mere 25 bucks:

http://www.payless.com/PatriciaField/?cm_re=S08_p08a_20080617*Brands*PatriciaField(LP)

3. Yellow

Some people really hate yellow. As a paleface, some shades of yellow worn in certain ways can make you look yucky and washed out. But a vibrant yellow will work out just fine.

4. Wide leg pants for summer

Not the ugly, laughable bell bottoms of the 1970s but pants more reminisicent of the glamourous '40s. I got my first wide legs from Victoria's Secret a year and half ago and for someone like me with big legs and a big booty, these pants were the answer to my prayers. I've bought a pair of Isaac Mizrahi for Target navy wide leg pants and a pair of Juicy Couture lightweight denim wide legs in the past three months.

5. Super lightweight denim

My office goes casual in the summer months and we can wear (non-ripped) jeans five days a week if we want. But who wants to wear heavy dark denim when it's friggin' hot? Fortunately, there is denim out there that is so light it feels like linen. The aforementioned Juicy wide legs for example. They wore great in 92-degree, ultra-humid N.O. weather.

6. White denim

Another jeans option for the summer months is white denim. Now, bad white denim can expose your undies, even if they are "nude" or some other neutral color. This is why you have to take care and probably invest a little more in whatever white jeans you buy.

Curvier and more voluptuous ladies have these Antiks from Avenue now on sale for $149.99:




And this flap pocket from Svoboda:



I just bought the above jeans and they are awesome!

7. Look at the colors:

Aside from yellow, bright eye-popping colors are turning up on clothes, accessories, and even nail polish. A lot of it owes to the 1980s and early 1990s. But think bright and vibrant more so than day-glo or neon.


8. Sheers

I don't like skanky, cheap looking shears but nice feminine blouses, skirts, and dresses with the appropriate undergarments are great for summer.

My most hated summer trends

Every season brings its collection of "must haves" splashed in magazines, worn by starlets in paparazzi photos, and clogging up racks in your local stores. Every season has its winners and...its losers. For some reason, the losers seem to be the ones everybody pushes the most. Go figure.

Here are the trends I absolutely refuse to buy and my reasons why I'm steering clear:

1. Short Shorts

Curse you designers for foisting this horror upon womankind! Even young and in-shape women like Hillary Duff expose to all of the world the cottage cheese on their thighs:



Photo from DenimBlog.com

On other women, the look says, "Trashy":



Photo from DenimBlog.com

The only person who can rock Daisy Dukes is Daisy Duke...and I don't think even Catherine Bach is wearing them anymore.

2. Rompers

Who the hell thought rompers were a great idea? Nobody over the age of 11 should wear one.




Please don't wear this unless it's just to the pool.

3. Latex and neon leggings

I don't mind leggings at all. I'm a proud child of the '80s and I cheerfully loaded up on some more once they reappeared in the stores. But I only got basic colors. Not the celebrity set, though! For some reason, they think oil-slicks look great on their legs. Ditto for day-glo colored leggings.



Tomorrow: Trends I lurve!

The weekly haul

Gotta love the outlets! At Saks Off Fifth I found a nice Nanette Lapore top that's work appropriate for a meager $25.96 and at TJ Maxx I snagged a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses for $29.99.

In beauty care, I snagged a bottle of Opi nail polish in a neat sky blue color. Great for summer toenails!

How to have an acne free summer

Those of us who have a tendency to break out on the back and decolletage areas dread warmer weather. Who wants to wear a strapless dress or a tank top or a halter with big ugly zits in all of the wrong places?

Well, there's a way to get those bastards under control. If you get boils, see your dermatologist about some medication that can help control the testosterone that causes those nasty, painful under-the-skin bumps.

If surface pimples and closed pores are more of a problem, here's what you do:

1. Get a good body scrub and use it at least a couple of times a week. Right now I love, love, love Soap & Glory's The Scrub Of Your Life body scrub. It's not too greasy and boy, does it work! Soap & Glory is available exclusively at Target.

2. Rub astringent on your back and chest every day. If you sweat a lot, use it twice a day or more. The best astringent in my humble opinion is good old fashioned witch hazel. It's inexpensive, you can find it anywhere, and unlike a lot of astringents, it's not too strong nor does it smell funny. Witch hazel doesn't smell at all.

3. Buy mark's Bacne acne liquid treatment from Avon. If any zits rear their ugly heads, aim and fire and within a day or two, they're on their way to disappearing. Visit avon.com/mark or go bug your local Avon lady.

These tips will leave your skin cleaner and clearer all summer long.

MAC Friends and Family Sale!

Until June 16, you can get 15% off everything at MAC stores (not makeup counters) nationwide and on 6/16 only, you can get that 15% off from MAC's website! Read more here:

http://www.pursepage.com/sales/mac-friends-family-sale-online-0616.html

Trends and Older Babes

I'm in my late 30s but I do look a lot younger than my age. This makes it many ways easier for me to find cool stuff to wear although one thing that happens to you when you hit my age is you start to appreciate nicer things and well, you just want to look more refined and sophisticated.

So I read this article on MSN today about which trends women my age and older should avoid. I'll post what they wrote along with my opinions:

Tie-dye
Judging by the amount of tie-dye evident on the runways, the summer 2008 fashion shows seem to have been channeling the summer of love. But even if—or especially if—you have fond memories of Grateful Dead shows and making your own tie-dyed tee shirts, skip the trend this time around. “As a general rule, if you’ve worn it once, you don’t want to wear the trend again in the same way,” says Krupp. Get the groovy feeling in a much more sophisticated fabric, by opting for ombré. Designers are using this color-washed fabric for all sorts of summer styles—including dresses, pants, tunics and tops.

Agreed, to a point. Bad acid trip style tie-dye is fine for that Phish reunion show but otherwise it will make you look like an aging pothead. However, I have seen some designs that don't look too bad at all. I think the key is subtlety. Go for more subtle designs and colors, or, as the article says, opt for ombré. I bought a pretty plum ombré shirt at weirdly enough CVS for ten dollars. Even the dye job is subtle. I really dig it, man.

Short shorts
Yes, Madonna is 49 years old and she’s wearing hot pants, but let’s face it: You’re not Madonna! Besides, the Material Girl is spotted wearing them in music videos and photo shoots—probably not out for a family dinner with her husband and kids. “Showing off your knees gets tricky as you get older,” says Krupp. “They can sag or get wrinkles, and at some point it’s just not a body part you want to flaunt.” Krupp isn’t a fan of shorts in general—at least outside the gym—and suggests opting for a casual short skirt instead.

Agreed 100%. Why in God's name would you want everyone to see your cellulite, veins, knobby knees, and other hazards of aging? I've seen some young starlets in short shorts who REALLY shouldn't be wearing them either. I haven't worn short shorts since 1995 and I probably shouldn't have worn them then either. Opt for bermudas and cropped pants instead.

Ripped jeans
“These absolutely don’t have any place in an over-35-year-old’s wardrobe,” Krupp declares. And with good reason: Ripped jeans are sloppy, and that’s exactly the opposite of the image you want to present. Jeans can still be a chic part of your wardrobe—and can even look professional enough to pass muster in more casual office settings—but you need to choose a pair with sleek, simple, clean lines. A stylish look for summer: wide-legged trouser-style jeans in a dark wash. They should fit perfectly (not too tight), have strategically placed pockets to enhance your butt, and no embellishments (like glitter, embroidery, or ornate stitching).

Agreed again. I think I might have had some minorly torn jeans back in the late '80s and I think those were jeans I distressed myself after buying them at the thrift store. Really, you'll just look stupid in them if you are over 35, like you're trying to relive your NKOTB fangirl years. I don't like them on curvy/plus gals either. I prefer a wee bit of weathering on the pockets and seams instead.

Off-the-shoulder shirts
Remember “Flashdance” and the ripped sweatshirt that kept slipping seductively off Jennifer Beals’s shoulder? Well, if you’re old enough to have not only seen the movie (possibly a dozen times) but also to have run immediately home to take a scissors to all of your sweatshirts, then you’re old enough to bypass the one-shoulder trend this summer. To get in on the shoulder-revealing trend—without the sloppy, I’m-losing-my-shirt look—Krupp suggests trying an asymmetric dress or top. It’s a sexy way to show off your shoulders without getting too risqué.

Well, I think they are wrong on this one. If it's a nice off-the shoulder shirt and it doesn't dip too low on your chest, I think it's fine to wear.

Light or bright-colored leggings
White leggings, or ones in any candy-colored shade, are best left to the teenaged set. Not only will light colors call attention to your lower half (and make even shapely legs look heavy), but it’s just not a very sophisticated style choice. On the other hand, Krupp gives the thumbs-up to dark leggings. “Black leggings worn under a dress that’s just a little too short or too sheer to wear alone looks youthful without looking too young,” she says. And you don’t have to opt only for black—any dark color (black, brown, dark gray or navy) is an all age-appropriate choice.

How about this? NOBODY should wear bright-colored leggings. Not young chicks, not mature ladies, not thin women, not fat women. They are tack-y and I can't understand why the young fashion victims are going ape you-know-what for them.

Chunky platform shoes
The description of what you want to look for in a shoe sounds a lot like what you’d want your body to look like too—sleek, slim and sexy. So while you can still wear moderate platforms, reasonable wedges and slightly chunky shoes, you want to avoid any exaggerated versions. “After a certain age, a too-chunky shoe just starts to look orthopedic,” says Krupp. Not to mention that some of those sky-high platforms and wedges can be downright dangerous. Twist an ankle in a chunky shoe and you might find yourself in a decidedly unstylish cast or brace!

There was a time when I loved BIG chunky platform shoes. Now my neck, back, knees, and ankles start hurting even when I just see a picture of them. You're tempting fate wearing those damn things.

Ruffles
This ultra-feminine trend is a good example of the “less is more” fashion adage. A skirt or dress with a wedding cake-like tier of multiple ruffles has the ability to make you look ridiculous. But a single, well-placed frill—at the hem of a skirt or embellishing a simple blouse, for example—can be a very pretty, very feminine detail.

There are good ruffles and there are bad ruffles. Good ruffles look good on everyone in spite of age. Bad ruffles look bad on everyone in spite of age.

Bare midriffs
If you’ve got the body for it, there’s nothing wrong with wearing a tummy-baring bikini or tankini to the beach or pool this summer. But as far as midriff-revealing fashions anywhere else, Krupp says just forget it. “I don’t care if you have six-pack abs or if you’ve just had a tummy tuck, don’t show it off,” she says. What might look cute and sexy on someone much younger just looks trashy on an older woman.

Absolutely. I don't want to see your flab or wrinkly tum-tum hanging out.

Sheer over sheer
Clothes always have a tendency to get lighter, airier and less substantial when summer weather hits. And this season, with a trend toward transparent tops, tunics and dresses, is no exception. Instead of wearing sexy underpinnings with a gauzy top, Krupp suggests trying the trend in a more minor way. “You don’t want to expose too much, so consider a top that reveals just your upper chest beneath a sheer chiffon, but wear an opaque camisole underneath it that completely covers your breasts,” she says. “You can still look sexy, but you can do it without revealing too much.”

I have sheer tops and tank tops or camis or something always go underneath. It's just common sense.

Gladiator sandals
Every few years, the sandals made famous by ancient Roman gladiators—with their multitude of straps, including ones that wrap around and up the ankle—make a fashion comeback. But according to Krupp, they should remain ancient history. “Why would you want to draw all that attention to your calves and ankles?” she wonders. “Shoes like that hit your leg at the worst possible spot, making them very unflattering to older legs.” Skip the ankle-wrapping straps (same rule applies to those ballerina-style espadrilles that wrap the leg and tie around the calf), and opt for a sexy, strappy sandal instead. It can be a flat or have a mild platform or wedge, but what’s going to flatter your leg and foot is one that fits well, is comfortable enough to walk in (at least a short distance) and doesn’t draw all eyes to your ankles.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Come on, most 30-something and 40-something women will look perfectly fine wearing gladiator sandals. I have two pairs, goshdurn it, and I think I rock 'em pretty well! Not all of us have cankles and even if we did, the sandals would look just fine with slim-fitting pants that cover/camouflage the ankles. However, I would avoid the gladiators that strap around the legs.

Too much tan
Nothing ages you faster than too much sun (or too much time in a tanning bed). All that ultraviolet radiation literally adds years to your skin—zapping its youthful glow and leaving it dry, wrinkled and sagging. But even going overboard with self-tanner or bronzer can make you appear old beyond your years. Go for a subtle, natural-looking hint of color instead.

Who wants to look like a carrot? Again, too much bronzer/tan cream doesn't look good on women of any age.

Sparkly makeup
There’s a fine line between shimmer and glitter, and it’s a line you definitely don’t want to cross! A subtle shimmer can act like a diffuser—think of it as a soft-focus lens for your skin—that makes fine lines and imperfections less noticeable. But outright glitter and sparkle has no place on your face. Rather than providing camouflage, glittery makeup is likely to settle into any lines you may have, calling attention to the very issues you don’t want people to notice.

Shimmer looks chic, glitter makes you look like a kid. 'Nuf said.

Dark red lipstick
Fire-engine red lips made their mark on the runways this season, but that doesn’t mean the trend is right for everyone (or every age). “Red lips are dramatic and attention grabbing,” says Krupp, “but who wants to draw all that attention to her lips?” Lips tend to get a bit thinner with age, and by wearing a dark lip color you make your mouth visually recede that much more. In contrast, a glossy pink shade will help make lips look more lush, plump and youthful.

Oh, bee-ess! The women MSN pictured in this article sporting red lipstick (and looking good) were 39-year-old Gwen Stefani and 40-something Salma Hayek. Look, my 91-year-old grandmother still wears red lipstick. I like two new shades of Painted Love lipstick from Kat Von D's limited edition line for Sephora: Underage Red and Misfit. Check 'em out here!