DKNY and "Project Runway's" Christian Siriano at NY Fashion Week (Video)

It's Fashion Week in New York and here are a couple of videos sampling

 

I love, LOVE Christian Siriano's orchid-inspired creations.

Enjoy!

Proof The "Project Runway" Judges are on Crack: Gretchen Won

 

Last night's "Project Runway" finale proved that the show has truly come off the rails.  Not only did the wrong person win, but the judges couldn't even give convincing arguments about why she won.

Gretchen Jones, who by all rights should have been eliminated weeks ago, dressed up her drab and Plain Jane clothes with some well placed accessories and somehow had Nina Garcia and Michael Kors convincing guest judge Jessica Simpson and host Heidi Klum that she deserved the top spot over Mondo Guerra.

Mondo, the truly out-there, but very talented designer who should have won came in second.  And the Hawaiian born Andy came in third.

The problem:  these are the same judges who say week after week, "Wow us!!"  Well Mondo "Wowed" them.  Sure he's over the top and yeah, he could have left all those head pieces off the models but his stuff was unique and exciting and beautifully crafted and executed.

Whereas Gretchen's looked cheap and dull. Check out the photos below and tell me what you think.

 

 

One of Mondo's patented print on print outfits

 

 

One of Gretchen's more interesting outfits.  The best thing about her collection was that her models looked stunning.

 

 

 

 

Despite Andy's bikini bottom with what looked like grey hair growing out of it, I thought his collection benefited from his imported fabrics and was actually quite beautiful.

 

 

By the way, if you missed any choice tidbits from this season you must read Elisa Camahort's recaps on BlogHer.

 

Kate Spade's Kitchy New "All Typed Up Clyde" Bag is the Write Style

It's been a loooooong time since I've done a handbag post but that doesn't mean I'm not still a handbag fanatic. 

And one day, when time is no longer at a premium, Megan's famed Handbag of the Month will return.  Until then, here's a bag I had to share. 

It's a new arrival from Kate Spade, All Typed Up Clyde.  It's a kitchy, gorgeous, fire engine red color with short handles and a detachable shoulder strap.

However what makes this bag so special is the typewriter keyboard on the side. 

The bag measures 9.4"h x 13.6"w x 5.7"d and sells for $495 on the Kate Spade website.

If you're a writer, or have one in your family, or just someone who loves designer kitch this may be the bag for you.

If I hadn't just bought a fabulous Bebe Frills and Thrills bag I would probably have to send some dough Kate Spade's way and make this purse my own.

Instead, I'll just have to worship it from afar.

Find Special Deals at HauteLook.com

Check out my new HauteLook.com widget in my sidebar. It's a way to link to deals on HauteLook.com. I'm part of their affiliate program and hopefully you'll find some great bargains with their sales.

Happy shopping!

Sometimes Out Of Death Comes Life: Happy Birthday Megan's Minute!

Sometimes out of death comes life. 

A month before I started Megan's Minute, a good friend of mine, I'll call him CR, had a stroke and died.  He was 59 years old.

He was a brilliant, funny, often infuriating man who lived and breathed, photography, film and literature.  He was proudly anti-social, unapologetically liberal and would have been as astounded as anyone to see that a black man was now President of the United States.

CR was also an incredible writer, but when he died, his novel was unpublished and his screenplays unmade.  Only those of us who knew him well knew what a wonderfully entertaining and imaginative writer he was.

The last time I saw CR was months before he died.  My last contact with him was exchanged emails the Christmas before he died saying how we had to get together soon.

After hearing of his death, I was devastated that the "get together" would never happen.  And mixed in with the grief of his loss was the thought that no one else would ever read his work.

Why am I telling you this?

It's simple.  I've always believed myself to be a writer.  I've written stories, screenplays, and portions of novels, but never had the courage or the commitment to jump in feet first and find out if I had what it took to make a living as a writer.

After CR died, I discovered I desperately needed for someone to read my work.  Even if it was only five people whose names I never knew.

I'd already been considering blogging thanks to my friend Island Girl.  And after CR died, that was the push I needed to get me past the fear of my work not being good enough, or perfect enough, or whatever.

I chose Valentine's Day 2007 for my first post because it was a Valentine to myself.  A commitment to myself, my work and what I hoped would be a new future.

So at 11:55PM--it took me until the end of the day to summon my courage--I clicked "post" and  my first Megan's Minute post went live.

DonorsChoose Handbag Raffle Live Blog - We Have A Winner!

Okay ladies, the day we've all been waiting for has arrived.  It's the day of the DonorsChoose Handbag Raffle!

Today one of four donors to my DonorsChoose Handbag Raffle Giving Page is going to win a brand new Nine West Handbag and have a link to their blog posted above the fold on Megan's Minute for the month of November.

It's such a gorgeous day, I'm holding this ceremony outside in my backyard.  I've written the four names of my donors down on four different pieces of paper.  After folding them into squares, I've place them in the handbag itself.  Here we go.

Drum roll, please.......and the winner is......DEB!

Deb writes the blog Deb On The Rocks.

Oh my goodness!  That was so exciting.

I'll be contacting Deb this afternoon and arranging to mail out her handbag.  But in the meantime I want to thank my other donors, Fourth Breakfast of the blog Fourth Breakfast, Mata H, BlogHer CE and writer of the blog Time's Fool and Maria Niles, BlogHer CE and writer of the blog Consumer Pop.

With their help and the help of many others who donated from other giving pages, seven of the twelve public school projects on my giving page that needed funding got it.  That's very cool.

I'm going to leave the rest of the projects that require funding up on my giving page and if you can spare a little, think about giving to one of these very worthy public school projects.  I had a lot of fun with this handbag raffle, but the projects that were helped are very serious.

Thanks again to everyone and Deb, your bag is on its way!

Megan's Minute DonorsChoose Handbag Raffle: Here's The Prize

Remember last Friday when I'd told you I'd let you know what the prize for the Megan's Minute Handbag Raffle was?

Well here it is!  The bag to the left is a 16" X 9 1/2" Nine West tote.  Included are a matching cellphone case and change purse.

I bought this tote at Macy's a year ago in black and taupe.  This black bag is brand new and never been used.  I used the taupe bag often and it was great as an everyday "go to work" bag.

That's why when I decided to do this handbag raffle for the DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge, I thought this bag would be an excellent prize.  It originally retailed for $62, but I bought it on sale for $35.

So just think, for a $10 donation to one of the very worthy projects on my Megan's Minute Handbag Raffle Giving Page you'll buy yourself an opportunity to win this stylish tote.  And you'll be doing something important to help public school students learn.

For example, one project, "Sing Along With Speech" has a teacher requesting funding for a karaoke machine to help her students with speech therapy.  Another project is "Cultivating A Garden of Successful Learners," where a teacher would like to encourage her pre-K students' natural curiosity by acquiring a classroom greenhouse.

Not only that, if the handbag raffle winner has a blog, I will add a link to their blog on Megan's Minute, above the fold, for the month of November.  (Of course advertisers and spammers are exempt!)

Ready, set, donate!

DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge 2008: Donate $10 & Enter The Handbag Raffle

Want to win a brand new handbag?  Well, keep on reading.

BlogHer has joined the DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge for 2008 and as a BlogHer Contributing Editor, I've joined as well.  DonorsChoose is a website where you as a donor can choose which of many deserving public school programs you can help fund. 

What I've done is create a Giving Page, it's called Megan's Minute Handbag Raffle Giving Page and what you'll find there are several worthy public school programs I've chosen, that need funding.

For example, one project, "Sing Along With Speech" has a teacher requesting funding for a karaoke machine to help her students with speech therapy.  Another project is "Cultivating A Garden of Successful Learners," where a teacher would like to encourage her pre-K students' natural curiosity by acquiring a classroom greenhouse.

Now here's the really fun part.  The DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge goes through the end of October.  I have 12 projects on my Megan's Minute Handbag Raffle Giving Page.  Everyone who donates at least $10 to any of those projects will be entered into a raffle that will take place on November 1st.  I will put every name into a handbag and the name I withdraw will win that brand new handbag.

Which handbag, you say?  Well you'll find that out this coming Monday.  That's when I'll post a picture of the bag and all of it's vitals stats.  Not only that, if the handbag raffle winner has a blog, I will add a link to their blog on Megan's Minute, above the fold, for the month of November.  (Of course advertisers and spammers are exempt!)

So go to the Megan's Minute Handbag Raffle Giving Page, give at least $10, and you'll have a chance to win a very nice, brand new handbag to add to your wardrobe.  Very important, when you donate, be sure to put your email address in your "donor message" so that I'll be able to contact you.

Ready, set, donate!

Academy Awards Snap Recap

 The 80th Annual Academy Awards are over and it's time to rip everyone to shreds. Well, maybe not everyone. Jon Stewart surprised me and did a half way decent monologue. His best line of the night? "Normally when you see a black man or woman president, an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty." Heh.

He then pretty much disappeared for the rest of the evening and that was just fine with me. Though kudos to him for inviting Best Song winner Marketa Irglova back on stage to give her acceptance speech after the orchestra played her off before the break.

As far as the fashions, all the women got the "red memo." I don't remember the last time I saw so many red dresses on the red carpet. But red's my favorite color and most of them weren't bad.

Are These Patty Hewes' Sunglasses?

Do you think these are Patty Hewes' sunglasses from "Damages?"  You know, the ones she wore in all those flashbacks.

The reason I'm asking is because I got an email from a "Damages" fan who asked if I knew where to buy a pair like the ones Glenn Close wore in the show.  She wanted to buy them for her husband as a Christmas gift.  I told her I didn't know, but I would try to find out.

In my surfing of the webosphere, I discovered there were quite a few "Damages" fans out there also asking where they could buy the glasses.  I found lots of questions but no answers.

Well after a bit more cyber detective work, I came up with this pair.  I have no idea if Glenn Close wore these or not, but after examining the scenes very closely in the show and examining the glasses very closely on the web, if they're not the glasses she wore, they're a damn good facsimile.

So for any others of you out there who want your spouses to look like Patty Hewes running from the law, I wanted to post the info about these glasses.  They're from Ralph Lauren and they can be found here.  But looking like a movie star will cost you because they're $400.

If you can't afford that, my other suggestion is to find a pair of inexpensive prescription frames like these and have tinted non-prescription lenses put in.  That might come out a bit cheaper.

For any good friends of Glenn Close who might happen to browse by this blog, tell her I think she's fabulous, ask her where she got the glasses and then drop me a line. 

Going For The Goal: A Bebe Flared Trench

I'm throwing down the gauntlet and if a year from now, I haven't taken it up and run with it, I'm going to look awfully foolish.

Let me start at the beginning.

I have a special fondness for trench coats.  Especially if they are stylish and break away from the plain old beige number that's been the rainy day uniform in the business world for years.  A couple of weeks ago "The View" did a fashion show and it included the trench coat pictured to the left from Bebe.  It was in this spectatular red color, had a flared bottom and was positively beautiful.

I fantasized about wearing that coat with its pretty flared skirt, in that beautiful red color that would show off my skin tone to perfection.  But alas I put it out of my mind because it was from Bebe, the specialty store for the XXS woman.

I've never shopped at Bebe.  Bebe is a whole other universe as far as a woman of my plus size dimensions is concerned.  As far as I knew Bebe clothes consisted primarily of spandex mini dresses and tops ranging in sizes from S to XXS with the odd M and L thrown in.  One of those stores that a woman of my size 22 would never walk into without expecting a snooty saleswoman asking skeptically if "she could find my size."

No sooner had a I forgotten about the coat than two days later Barbara Walters comes out wearing it on "The View!"

She wore it as a dress over some black pants and I took it as a personal insult.  Not because she looked so bad, but because even at her advanced age she could wear that XXS size.  I was now obssessed with that coat.  I wanted it and I wanted it now.  But how to fit that XXS coat on my XXL body?

Then I had a flash of brilliance.  If I couldn't wear it, I could live vicariously through someone who could.  My friend Kay has lost quite a bit of weight over the last year and she looks fabulous and feels great.  She just told me last week how she was now fitting into a standard L and how much that pleased her.  She could wear the coat for me!

So into the breach I went, stepping confidently into my nearest Bebe store.  Instead of the snooty saleswoman I was expecting I was helped by a very nice pencil thin, young man who directed me to the trench coats.  "The View" must be a good trench coat seller because there were no red ones left but there was a beautiful deep purple in a size L.  I grabbed it before anyone else could and for good measure I grabbed three of the other trench coat styles in a variety of colors and bought them all.

After work I burst into Kay's house with those golden bronze Bebe bags and she was like, you bought something at Bebe?  What could you have possibly bought at the specialty store for XXS women?

As an answer I whipped out all four trench coats and made her try them all on.  They all fit and looked wonderful on her newly svelte body, expecially my favorite, the purple flared version.  I had planned to give her whichever one she liked the best as a congratulations for doing so well with her weight loss, but she wasn't having it.  She agreed they were quite beautiful but protested she had nowhere to wear them.

Then she came up with the idea I'd had in the back of my mind all along.  She saw how much I loved the purple coat and she said if I wanted to keep it, she would wear it this fall and I could wear it next fall.

I had to admit, that had been in my mind all along.  One reason was Kay and I have similar builds.  If the coat looked good on her now, by next fall, minus several pounds it would look good on me as well.  The coat could be my incentive to, as Dr. Phil would say, get real.

So we made an agreement.  She'd wear the coat at least three times this fall and then she'd give it back to me over the winter so I had a visual weight loss goal hanging in my closet.

I've needed and wanted to lose weight for quite some time now but when the going gets tough I tend to cave.  I won't go into my historical challenges trying to lose weight or my seesawing pounds over the years, but I will say as I've gotten older the realization that I have to do something has become perfectly clear.

However I refuse to make this blog about weight loss because I get sick of reading about diets and weight loss and everyone has to eventually do it in his or her own way.  I will say I'm going to see a nutrionist to help out and I will give periodic updates of my progress. At the end of a year, say September 30, 2008, I hearby pledge to post a picture of myself wearing that purple trench coat.

Game on.