The Lucky Magazine Summer Jam

Top Left photo Courtesy of Shot by Jake

A couple weeks ago I had the chance to hang out with some of the fabulous editors of Lucky Magazine for some tropical cocktails and have my style rated by The Bumbys at Elsa in the East Village. The scene was cheerful and fun with cocktails complete with mini umbrellas, neon wayfarer style sunnies and jumbo party balloons with streamers from Geronimo setting the scene.

Since I was more than a little nervous to have my style rated I took my time sipping my delicious cucumber ginger Pimm’s & Gin cocktail and snacking on tasty light bites from Radish – including some radishes!  I got to spend some time with some of my fave bloggers including Dina of Eye4Style, Sarah of StyleIT, Nubia of Nubia’s Nonsense and Sara of Farpitz.

So The Bumbys are an anonymous duo who promise to give you a fair and honest appraisal of your appearance.  They wear wigs and cover their identities with scarves and sunglasses. They call themselves Gill and Jill and they type furiously on an old school typewriter so all that you can hear is the clickety clackety noises of typing as you stand and they take their time staring at you and anxiously await your verdict.

Since I don’t normally like to be judged I was a little afraid of the outcome but it turned out that my fears were needless as Gill and Jill are actually the type of people that build you up rather than tear you down.  They focus on the positive and uplift you with whimsy and humor.  After having my appearance appraised by Jill, I decided to see what Gill thought too.  Seems that they are consistent because they both commented on my hair accessories and gave me the same marks!  Thanks to The Bumbys for an adorable and memorable experience.

Turns out I wasn’t the only curious one and soon the line to see The Bumbys was quite a bit longer than when I first nervously made my way forward.  We all had a blast sharing our cards with each other and giggling at the cuteness of the words they wrote.  Thanks to Lucky Magazine for a wonderful night and a fun mid-week escape!

Trends: Summer Leather

Celine Spring 2010, Yves Saint Laurent Spring 2010

For Spring 2010, leather was allover the runway. While leather never really goes out of style, it seems to have evolved into new forms of casual dress.

Hermes Spring 2010, Balenciaga Spring 2010

Thanks to Phoebe Philo's Spring 2010 Celine collection, I have never wanted a leather t-shirt so bad. Clean lines in a slick unexpected material look so perfectly modern and minimalist. At Balenciaga, leather thrown into school girl kilts looked perfectly good girl gone bad. And while leather shorts are nothing new, the way it's been paired with neutral tone basics makes leather look day wear acceptable, light and summery.

While leather is now tissue thin and somewhat breathable, I still have a difficult time taking the plunge as something to wear now. I've seen adorable leather t-shirts at Theory, Lani's loving pleather shorts at Rachel Rachel Roy, Timo Weiland had amazing perforated leather tanks, and Veda has a variety of leather tank & short options.

No doubt the look is adorable but in New York City this summer has seen weeks on end where the asphalt hit 100+ degrees Farenheit (or 37+ degrees Celsius) and humidity makes a girl find ways to sweat while standing still, I've had difficulty wearing anything but the sheerest jerseys or cottons.

As more and more summer leather hits the shelves, the question remains, would you wear summer leather?

Chloé Spring 2010, Michael Kors Spring 2010