Bringing in the New Year with Vintage Sequins

With New Year's Eve right around the corner, I've got sequins on the brain.  For the holiday season I love sequins dresses from the 80s.  I'm not a girly girl, so I love balancing what otherwise might be super feminine with power shoulders.  And to avoid looking like a member of The Golden Girls or ironic hipster, I like to wear 80s dresses with modern pumps and booties.

If you're looking for the typical sexy New Year's Eve dress, you can stop reading this post now.  If you're open to trying something fun and funky, I hope you'll enjoy some of the vintage dresses I found on Etsy and the new shoes I've paired them with.

Vintage Adrianna Papell silk sequins dress, $88

Dolce Vita Kemp, $179.99 on sale (retail $189)

Vintage Laurence Kazar silk sequins dress with collar, $65

Eric Rothberg Rolv, $260

Rebecca Taylor Skylar, $149 on sale (retail $295)

Kamali Kulture by Norma Kamali

Recently I had the chance to meet with Norma Kamali to discuss her Kamali Kulture collection, blogging and self confidence. I was a little nervous meeting someone who is a bit of a design legend.  Add to that the fact that I admire her style and own a few pieces that from her past collaborations with Everlast and Walmart and my nerves are floating around my stomach. While sitting in her Wellness Cafe and sipping on some delicious fresh pressed green juice,  Ms Kamali enters the room and grabs a Chia Seed snack. She introduces herself and quickly explains that travelling between 3 time zones has her starving as she gently takes a few bites.

Almost like an old friend she talks about her filming experience on VH1 and how amazing the women were who personalized and styled pieces wearing them in totally new and chic ways. She shares how she was most impressed by a young lady who took a top and turned it into pants by putting her legs through the sleeves and letting it create a unique drop crotch effect.  As she chats with me I quietly notice that somehow age hasn't affected her virtually lineless face and super shiny head of hair.

Shopping Round Up: Cute Rain Boots

I've done a couple shopping round ups on cute rain boots (exhibit A & exhibit B), but with what feels like never ending spring showers in the city, I felt inspired search the web for more weatherproof footwear.


Steve Madden "Tsunamii" (now $59.78, retail $80)
The ankle straps give these boots a bit of biker style, and the zipper in back make them easy to put on and take off. These boots came out in the fall, so sizes are limited. But if you can find them in your size, you can get them on sale at Zappos, Bloomingdales, Macy's, and quite a few other retailers.



Hunter "Interlaken" ($117.00-195.00)
I'm also a fan of the ankle strap detail on these Hunter boots. I appreciate that these are slimmer than the classic Hunters, and wedge heels can be helpful in balancing the frumpiness that sometimes happens with raincoats. Since my coat is a bright coral, I would probably get the black for myself, but if I had a black or more subdued coat, I might consider the purple. They seem like they'd be quite fun!


Hunter "Arolla", ($195.00)
Another option from Hunter, that's not bad. They're nice, simple black rain boots, and the shiny black from afar could look a bit like patent leather.


Rockport "Lorraine" (now $95.96, retail $119.95)
These Rockport boots are a bit chunky for my taste, but I've been considering them since they they look more like patent leather or PVC than a rubber. And I could use them for rain or snow. They have great reviews online; a lot of people have commented on how comfortable they are.



Rockport "Lorraine Chelsea" ($74.48-$110.00)
Rockport also has a bootie version of their Lorraine boots. I find something about the ultraviolet pair intriguing. I think they would look fun with a bright, bold Technicolor-inspired outfit, but I do worry that they'd be a bit too costumey for everyday wear. So for myself, I would probably get the black pair because I know I'd get a lot of use out of them.


Kate Spade "Randi" ($125.00)
These boots from Kate Spade are a bit more like your traditional rain boot, but with pops of color! The red soles and bows are a nice girly touch that would brighten up any rainy day. These darling boots would look great with a classic trench.