Jeffrey Campbell, You Feed My Shoe Addiction

First the Clinic and then the Tick Wedge, I never had a shoe addiction until I discovered you Jeffrey Campbell. Innovative and edgy, a trendsetter in his own right, JC continues to impress me season after season with his seriously sick designs (and the seriously amazing prices that accompany them). Sure, Alex Wang, Balmain and Chloe, you make me salivate at the mouth but, let's be real, I'm a 22 year old girl living in LA, I don't exactly have that kind of expendable income. 

"Since launching the line in 2000 inside his garage, Campbell has slowly morphed the collection into a brand of genius. He and his team continue to dazzle the market with fashionista faves, including: conceptual vintage recreations, reworked runway looks,  revamped and re-amped current must-have trends, alongside his continual best selling ballet flats and boots."

Check out the collage above of some of the images from his Spring/Summer 2010 Collection. Major props to whoever styled this look book! As far as snagging your own pair, I'm a huge fan of www.solestruck.com

*All photos courtesy of www.jeffreycampbell.com*

“Vajazzling”—The New Spa Day?

So, the other night one of my best girl friends posted a link to this video on my Facebook wall, namely, Bryce Gruber (pictured at left) of The Luxury Spot getting “vajazzled”—Yea, wtf!? In typical her fashion, beneath the link she added a teasing, God forbid, foreboding (for all of womankind!) comment, “innappropriate? maybe... but if *insert girl's name here* and I aren't careful, this could be next for us!!!!!!”

For someone that can get persuaded into purchasing a $40.00, straight up bedazzled, bling-bling, cell phone cover, on the virtue of its sheer “protective” value (which we still make fun of her for), could a matching “vajazzled” vajayjay be the next step!?  If the above picture and below video aren't evidence enough, I have to admit, even for my infomercial-loving friend who got talked into a $60.00 spa package deal before I could get to Baja Fresh in time for lunch last Thursday, yes, this is a bit, okay a lot, much!

Shockingly, “vajazzling” (I’m not sure this is supposed to be quotes, but I think it should be so I’m going to add them) has been around for quite some time.  However, it was a heartbroken Jennifer Love Hewitt who really set off this “trend.”  Sorry, again with the quotes, but the possibility that this could seriously be a trend scares me.

Appearing on “Lopez Tonight” back in January, Hewitt talks openly about her hot pink, vajazzled vajayjay, telling George how, “after a break up, a friend of [her’s] Swarovski crystalled [her] precious lady” and “it shined like a disco ball.”  What???  Did I miss something or did she forget she was on national television?  Evidently, it really helped her get through a hard break up but, c’mon, aren’t there more traditional methods a girl can still resort to, like “two buck chuck” wine nights with the girls and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream?

Against my better judgment, I might just have to head over to Barnes and Nobles today and figure out what this whole “vajazzling” epidemic is really all about.  Apparently Love Hewitt dedicates a whole chapter to it in her new dating book, The Day I Shot Cupid.  Honestly, I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry.

What do you think ladies, would you ever get “vajazzled”?  Guys, what’s your take?  

For all you bedazzle loving New Yorkers, check out Completely Bare Spa.  With locations Uptown, Downtown and on Bowery, not to mention in Scarsdale, NY, should the need ever arise to transform your vagina into a disco ball, there’s no excuse for not getting to the spa in time.  All my fellow LA girls, don't fret, I’m still on the hunt for a spa for you.  If anyone knows of one or has gotten swarovski crystalled out here, help a sister out!

As for me, I think it’s safe to say I will not be blinging out my private parts anytime soon.  But, hey, never say never!

My Rekindled Faith in American Idol—I’m Shocked too

So, I’ll be the first to admit that beyond its glory days (ie. the reign of Kelly Clarkson & the hype of the first season), the only American Idol I have watched has been a direct result of my lack of cable options.   And, even then, unless it was the season finale or the beginning bloopers, sorry Ryan Seacrest and Fox, you weren’t getting my attention.  On a slight tangent though, I do love shamelessly laughing at people who think they are God’s gift to singing, even if these same people typically piss me off at karaoke.  Everyone should really take a hint from Season 9’s General Larry Platt.  At least, even though he sucked, he did have audience appeal.  “Pant’s On The Ground” anyone?

Anyhow, where I’m going with this whole story is that, thanks to my friend Crystal and my less than packed schedule, I ended up at the “American Idol: Top Ten Girls” dress rehearsal yesterday.  Subsequently, my love (ok, maybe too strong of a word) for American Idol has been rekindled.  At least for this season anyways.

Let’s start from the beginning.  First off, anyone who knows me knows that I am the most impatient person alive.  Needless to say, I was not pleased to discover the long wait on a longer sidewalk that was to be our ultimate fate.  All of this in hopes of catching a glimpse at Ellen Degeneres and Ryan Seacrest or, perhaps, Simon Cowell?  Why the hell am I waiting?  I don’t even like this show.   So close, yet, so far.  Thank God for the Bagel Broker (the best everything bagel with veggie cream cheese I’ve had in a while) and good friends. 

Skipping past all the bullshit, we finally make it inside where a very nice, though verging on Ed Hardy/Affliction wearing young man, picks out our seats for us.  We are convinced he wanted to sit us in the front-row, but our egos are still given a little boost when we are told our section is always on camera so feel free to stand up and dance if the song should so move us.  Was this a free invitation to embarrass ourselves?       

Thank god our lip singing, offbeat clapping and not so discreet checking out of the “male vocals” (as Jenna so dubbed them) wasn’t caught on film!  In fact, unless you had binoculars and a really good eye, our debut wasn’t so much a debut at all.  Probably a good thing I didn’t set my Facebook status to “hey everyone, watch me on American Idol tonight!”  Eek. 

Anywho, surprisingly or perhaps not, despite the late start, the dress rehearsal went a lot like the actual show.  Same wardrobe, same songs, same order, same Ryan Seacrest.  Minus the stand in judges (damnit) and a couple mishaps and restarts, all went accordingly.  Back to the dress rehearsal though.  Based on the fact that I have not seen a single glimpse of this season (on purpose) or its varied pool of contestants, each of these girls had a fair shot in my mind.  Crystal Bowersox, not my friend Crystal, though I did try to send her up on stage, started things off.  Maybe it was because we were still a little bit disheveled from the wait or perhaps too busy gawking at the size of “Bubba’s” biceps (Bubba being the name we so affectionately gave to our new favorite male Idol, Michael Lynche), but Bowersox did not quite leave the lasting impression in our minds the way she did the judges.  On the other hand, while we were shoveling down burgers at IHOP, she might have really kicked her live performance up a notch.  Luckily (did I really just say that?), she was the only one we missed. 

Now, I’m no Simon Cowell, but there were definitely some obvious standouts, good and bad.  Haeley, you were cute and all, but your rendition of Miley Cyrus’s, “The Climb,” was far from it.  Guess the judges thought so too.  Hey, back to school sucks but there’s always high school choir?  Michelle, on the other hand, I was really rooting for, if only for shallow reasons like the fact that I couldn’t stop obsessing over her killer biker-rocker-bride ensemble.  I now officially need a boyfriend with a Harley and an engaged friend (ie. black cutaway gloves and an excuse to go “wedding dress” shopping!)  I love you Vera Wang!  So do Randy and Simon.

As for me, I think I’ll be rooting for Katie and Siobhan—she really won me over with that high note.  And, of course, I’ll be watching my number one teddy bear, Bubba.  After some research, I found out his wife just had a baby girl while he was on Idol.  Congrats Michael!  

Perhaps if my whole American Idol audience member career doesn’t pan out, there’s always MTV.  Yes, I think I forgot to mention, in the midst of all the obnoxious line waiting and mid-discussion of how our group of girlfriends really ought to have our own MTV reality show, a girl from MTV casting actually approached us.  What the coincidence!?  My heart however sunk a little when she said we had the “perfect look” for this new show they were filming, “Disaster Date.”  Shit.  Do we look that desperate?  Should I feel insulted? Uhhhhh, that sounds fun? Naturally, being the naïve idiot I am, I give her my number, just like I do to the guys at the bar I don’t really want to talk to and will never be interested in.  C’mon Liz, what are you doing?  Kimberly called today.  I let it go to voicemail.  I mean, I’ve got some American Idol to watch!