LuxBuzz

Steve Madden, king of designer inspired shoes has done it again. His website now features a boot much like Marc Jacobs’ scrunch boot. It’s up for pre-order now in 8 color combos for the low price of $150. The Marc Jacobs Scrunch boot is going for $790.

This is MJ’s Scrunch Boot:

This is Madden’s “Tie” boot:

I’m not too fond of either boot, but the information may help someone!

-Sheryl

I must admit — I’m addicted to Dancing With the Stars. Although most reality TV has me cringing (The Bachelor, anyone?), the show’s charming mix of glitz, glamour and competition has everyone watching.

This year’s lineup of ballroom hopefuls includes the Spice Girls’ Scary Space (or Melanie Brown, as she’s currently known), model Josie Maran, ‘Mr. Las Vegas’ Wayne Newton and Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan.

Tune in Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7 central to catch all the action.

Marc Jacobs’ latest runway show was completely backwards. He presented a series of shoes with the heel on the wrong side. I don’t know how I feel about them. Ignoring the backward heel, though, some of the shoes are pretty cute.

The concept, although it seems original has actually been done before. Junko Shimada and United Nude have both created similar shoes in the past.

These shoes look pretty uncomfortable. According to zappos.com reviews of United Nude’s shoes, they are actually comfortable. I don’t think I’ll ever be buying any backward heeled shoes, but if I ever come across them, I would love to try them on.

-Sheryl

If you’ve ever had a bad day, you’ll know how much a bright scent can cheer you up. Sure, Bath & Body Works is good for the occasional pick-me-up, but for those chronic stress-sufferers, you’ll want the good stuff.

The ‘good stuff’ being Stella McCartney’s self-titled perfume. With notes of rose, peony, mandarin and amber, and an all-around flowery, feminine scent, Stella is sure to brighten your day.

If that doesn’t do the trick, the cute packaging and affordable price — the collection starts at a mere $13 — will. Shown below is the Roll-On Kit for $35, and available at Nordstrom.

Hey guys!

I just wanted to bring up the controversial yet popular Minnetonka shoes. Honestly, I would call the boots the new Uggs. I really think that this trend will die before the end of 2010 and people will actually be throwing their Minnetonka boots in the trash can. Although I do love the moccasin trend, they’re definitely not classic items.

Minnetonkas are a very old shoe, but have just recently been getting more face time with the public along with the moccasin trend (i.e. sperries, traditional moccasins, slips ons, etc). Worn by Eskimos and the Indigenous peoples of North America and Asia, Moccasins have a brilliant history.

I say, we keep those boots IN history. They are pretty ugly, and I’m being nice. I would easily choose Uggs (and I hate Uggs) over those hideous boots. Like my friend William Sledd says about furry boots…”You’d like step in a puddle and the fur is like wet on the bottom”, I pose the same question to you:

Would that not look bad? I think it definitely would. So before you invest in a pair of boots that are a trend that will hopefully not last by the end of this year, think about my logic. Why buy ugly shoes? Just don’t.

-Russ

The new video for Nicole Scherzinger’s second single Baby Love was far from a fabulous hit. It was a smart endeavor for the Lead Pussycat to go solo, because I really think she has that star quality, but she isn’t really working up to her full potential. The video is okay, but she could do better!

(Above) Nicole, looking fabulous, but still with that ‘Pussycat’ look, at the Grammy’s.

The single lacks that something that makes you want to listen over and over again. It’s difficult to put a finger on, but I think you will know when you see the video and hear the song.

Check the Baby Love video out on YouTube and be sure to let us know what you think!

Peace

You might think an old John Steinbeck novel has absolutely nothing to do with you. Plus, East of Eden is like, a million pages long! But if you take the time to really read “East of Eden”, I think that any reader can grasp concepts that can be utilized for the rest of one’s life.

The beginning is a bit…dry. It’s hard to get into, because in the first few chapters the author is simply setting up his stage: the characters, the setting, etc. But it truly picks up and there are some unbelievable surprises and some can’t-miss events. At a certain point in the book, I became completely engrossed and couldn’t put it down!

I would truly recommend this book to any mature reader. The plot and characters are completely developed and enthralling, and it was really an enjoyable, albeit lengthy read.

Novel available at nearly all book retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and B. Dalton book stores.

Enjoy!

Peace

Dane Cook and Jessica Alba starred in what I thought would be a hilarious romantic comedy. The movie premiered on Friday, and I was excited to make plans with friends to see it this weekend. When I logged into Yahoo to check local showtimes, however, I was greeted with horrible, and I mean, HORRIBLE reviews of the movie. Critics were even more forgiving that some movie-goers, rating the movie an ‘F’ in all aspects and saying, “Let’s boycott this movie! It was absolutely awful!”

Of course I was totally turned off by the failing reviews, and therefore didn’t attend the movie this weekend, but it has been floating through my head since. Perhaps this week I will check it out. They say curiosity killed the cat, but I’m willing to take the risk. After all, Dane Cook and Jessica Alba would make one adorable couple….

Peace

Not interested in reading novels so much? I can’t say I adore it either, but this time was different. Recently in my literature class, we were assigned to pick out a book that peaked our interest and write a review on it. Well, of course I would try to pick something that involved fashion, specifically a “Devil Wears Prada” type of book. After about an hour of internet research, I found Fashion Victim by Sam Baker.

Fashion Victim is an amazing book that involves suspense, style, and an overview of what it’s like to be an editor working in Manhattan. The author makes sure of this, giving amazing details about those working in the fashion clique and truly molding the landscape of the city in your mind. Sam Baker, the author, knows exactly what it’s like being an editor. Baker herself was the former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan in the United Kingdom. She only resigned to work on her first book, the one I’m reviewing now. You can bet that this author really makes you feel as if you’re walking down Park Avenue working for the chicest of chic magazine.

To summarize the book without giving away anything, being only six chapters in, I can tell you the story centers around Annie Anderson. She’s not the most fashionable of journalists, but is dedicated to her job. She was a former journalist in London for one of the major papers there, working to uncover current events not in fashion, but what she refers to as “the important stuff.” This included breaking a major story about child prostitution in Europe. So far, I am not really sure about why she left her former job, but it seems that the horrors of her previous investigation (journalistically) scarred her to the point of quitting. This is when she moves to New York and the story truly picks up. After working as a fashion journalist for a little more than a month (I’m guessing) one of her fashion friends is murdered before her eyes. Latest and hippest designer Mark Mailer, and now Annie has to find out why.

I’m not giving anything else about the book away, hoping that perhaps I’ve hooked your interest and maybe when your literature class lets you pick out a book, maybe you will choose this one because I can guarantee (from just the six chapters I’ve read) it’s a really great read. Thats it for my review, so pick up a copy of Fashion Victim at your local Barnes & Noble.

-Russ

This is what the the Ray-Ban Folding Wayfarer would say — if sunglasses could talk, that is.

In a world where smaller is better — iPods, phones — these are sure to be highly covetable. With special hinges, these classic shades fold up into a case the size of your palm.

Of course, it helps that the Wayfarer is the shade of the moment in the fashion world — but don’t worry about them going out of style. Audrey wore them in the 50’s, JFK in the 60’s, and a slew of others — including Ferris Bueller and the Blues Brothers — in the 80s. This iconic style is sure to stick around.