Tim's Rules to Dress By

One of my favorite fashion personalities is Tim Gunn. I absolutely love Project Runway. He brings such spark to the show. Recently, I came across a little blurb that he wrote in regard to dressing, so I thought I'd share.

1. SILHOUETTE: "When getting dressed, think of your body as a series of thirds; the worst thing you can do is cut yourself in half. Pair a top that ends at your waist (one third) with long pants (two thirds), or wear a knee-length dress that goes no longer than the bottom of your kneecap.

2. PROPORTION: "If you have something loose and blousy on top, whatever you wear below should be sleek and well fitted to serve as a counterpoint, and vice versa".

3: FIT: "Most women wear clothes that are too big--that's the comfort trap. Women don't want to feel constrained, but I say, if you want to dress to feel as though you never got out of bed, then don't.

Lila

8 Things You Need to Know About...You

I came across this short, witty article in the October issue of Glamour Magazine and thought it was brilliant.  After navigating through a health crisis, author Wendy Shanker (pictured left) discovered the secret to happiness is getting to know yourself.  Here (in her words) are the things she's learned that every woman should know:

The number of a doctor who knows your name and listens to you.  "Your grandma was right: If you don't have your health, you got nothing.  The truth is, I used to think I couldn't live without my weekly manicure; now I know I can't live without my health.  Getting ill taught me how important it is to always have a team of people around me."

A way to think about someone other than yourself.  "You don't need to build an orphanage or throw money at a charity (not that I'm stopping you).  You can help out the new girl at work or babysit your big sister's kids.  Focusing on someone else will help drown out the loop of blahs in your head.  For me, it was better than Xanax."

Whom or what you're addressing when you cry out, "Oh my God!" "Is it a spirit or a feeling you get in nature? A person, like the dude at Geek Squad? Gwyneth? Maybe the phrase is just a Valley girl expression to you, but exploring your spiritual path could be one of the great adventures of your life."

Emily Rossum in linQ!

I love it when stars are seen wearing pieces we carry at J. LaMore!  Emily Rossum is wearing one of our favorite's, the linQ "Dawn Snake Print" dress!  She's so adorable! 

We styled the dress with black tights and pumps, but it also looks amazing worn with the cute suede shoe bootie Emily has on.

I had already planned on getting this dress, now it's a must have in my book!  If it's good enough for Hollywood, it's perfect for me!

Jennifer

Manicured Brows?

Lately, to my surprise, fashion magazines are showcasing models with unruly eyebrows.  The first time I saw a young model with a bushy band above her eye, I immediately thought she must be a relative or friend of the designer.  There's no way anyone would intentionally feature those caterpillar like brows.  Silly me, I'm the one who's clueless. 

It appears this is a "hot trend" in makeup right now.  Not only are the brows bushy, they look like they've not been touched with wax strip or tweezers, ever.  Feathery and untamed are gracing fashion runways and magazines at a blazing speed.  I have to be honest, I just don't get it.

Compare for yourself, which style do you like better?  Overgrown, over penciled and thick?  Or refined, waxed, and shapely?

Is it time to reschedule our waxing appointment for the year 2012? 

Jennifer

More Sizes Available Soon!

This Bec & Em top almost completely sold out the first day we received it.  No surprise, it's gorgeous on and the price is easy on the pocket book.  If you missed out and your size is gone, I was able to order a few more pieces and will have more stock by Thursday.

Email me if you'd like me to put your size aside!

Jennifer

Fall fashions

The perfect fall jackets:




My favorite time of year is fall. And the greatest part of fall is seeing what's new in fashion. The beginning of fall is so beautiful, not yet very cold; well, in Madison ,Wisconsin. The transitional pieces for fall are so much fun.

I welcome back the jackets, coats, and blazers that are still lightweight enough to wear over those summer tank tops or pretty blouses. These jackets are simple, but have such beautifully tailored details: sharp lapels, well-defined shoulders, finished cuffs, and nicely tapered at the waist. They aren't the traditional business-like wool jackets/blazers, but the new fall jackets are professional, yet functional. They translate from day to evening perfectly.

The second trend that I have seen on the runway has been animal print. Actually, this is nothing new. I have seen some sort of animal print every season, in the fall, winter, spring, or summer. It is a fashion staple that will never go out of style. I've seen animal print in cocktail dresses or in blouses. I love anything animal print. I would wear this particular animal print blouse with shorts for now or wide-legged trousers in the fall, which looks perfect since the blouse is tapered at the waist.

OK. I can go on and on forever with the new fall trends, but I'll stick to what I find to be the trends that have struck me as most important.

I love the simplicity of clothes in general. A great black dress, a classic animal print blouse, the classic blazer or wrap in great fall colors to wear over those summer tops or dresses that you're not ready to put away.

However, I think that a woman can be chic without going over the top. Simple. But I also love luxury. Even if your outfit isn't screaming typical luxury with fur, leather, or something else that is typically considered luxurious, I think that you can add luxury to your outfit, especially with a great piece of statement jewelry.

The following are my favorite pieces. Appropriate for any season and any fabric or color.



















Everything in this post is available at J.Lamore.com or at J. LaMore on Monroe Street in Madision, Wisconsin.

Lila.

Trader Joe's Baked Salt & Vinegar Chips!

I'm not sure why I chose to buy a bag of the Baked Salt & Vinegar chips on my last visit to Trader Joe's.  Generally, I'm not a fan of baked chips.  I love the idea, but they never taste great.  I think I must have been incredibly hungry and thought, eh why not give them a try? 

After checking out, I got in my car with the bag of chips and promptly opened them up.  To my amazement, they were absolutely delicious!  Crunchy, salty, and  tangy with no hint of being a baked chip.  They taste like their oil fried buddies but have a fraction of the fat and calorie content.  I believe there are other varieties of the Trader Joe's brand baked chips, which I will definitely be trying the next time I shop.

Yum!

Jennifer

Love this top

Hi Jennifer & Friends! I know it's been a few months but I'm back and need some fall fashions. I was just going through the "what's new" page and saw this gorgeous sweater and had to write about it.

It's getting cool at night in London and that is the first sign of fall and I have an itch to buy some clothes. The color and the look is so me!

Anyway, I thought I would get back to writing on the friends blog and this was a great place to start.

Clare
London, England

Skin Care Goodies- From Acne to Wrinkles!

As I've talked about many times before, I'm a Sephora addict. I went in the other day to get an express make-over on my eyes, and I came out with a gorgeous new eye pallet by Urban Decay (called Naked... the best colors ever, and it comes with eye liner and lid primer), and some other goodies!

I got talking with the girl, and I mentioned how I wanted to find a product that gave the same results as a chemical peel, but that I could do at home. I normally get chem peels about 4 times/year and I've always loved them, but they get expensive and it's so hard to get an appointment (my doctor is booked until the end of September)! She recommended this "Peeling Groovy Facial Serum" by Bliss. It's $65 for this little bottle ( I know, that's a lot)... but, the product supposedly evens out your overall skin tone, minimizes pores, and clears up skin, all while you wear it overnight and underneath your normal moisturizer. I've only used it one night, but I can't wait to keep using it and let everyone know of the results! The product reviews on sephora.com are all AMAZING. There are a few negative reviews stating that the product hurt when applied. It sure didn't hurt my skin, and helllloo, pain is beauty ;)

"I NEVER EVER thought my skin could look this good. Just finished my first bottle, moving onto my next :)"

This other product that she recommended, but that I did not buy yet, is this microdermabrasion exfoliate from Dr. Brandt. I felt it in the store, and the crystals are so fine and it feels like a great quality product. I used to get microdermabrasion in the doctors office, and for $75 you can get this small jar of it to use 1-2 times a week that is supposed to last 6 months! Although it's expensive, the benefits and the ease seem worth the money. Again, the reviews on sephora are amazing.

'Hands down.. the absolute best product on the market. Fine grained granules gently clean & don't irritate. Excellent!'

'After used Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion exfoliating cream skin becomes lively, it has natural color breathing again. Nice massaging removes all dirt, stains and pimples from skin ... the best product I've ever used'

So hopefully I've found some truly wonderful products. I'm really excited about the peeling groovy, and I'm hoping to get the Dr. Brandt product soon! I will let everyone know when I do and how it all works.

P.S. I'm a week and a half into using my Nivea "goodbye cellulite" lotion. So far I haven't noticed anything dramatic, but the results are supposed to take at least 2 weeks with full results in 4, so I will keep everyone in the know!

Julie
Madison,WI

My Laquette Set on Polyvore (www.polyvore.com)

Laquette by Lover_of_Fashion on Polyvore.com

Some fashion tips for fall!!!

I love ruffles. Sometimes ruffles can be too much, such as looking like a "pirate" shirt or a little girl's shirt. I love tops that keep the ruffles to your collar. I would definitely pair a cute top with jeans or a fitted jacket. I wear the beautiful top above with denim cutoff shorts and camel heels.

For the transition to fall, I would start with a cute, favorite summer dress. I would wear a t-shirt under it or a cardigan or wrap over it, pair it with a huge, colorful scarf. Drape it, whatever, and wear the outfit with high wedge boots. The first three looks would be perfect for just draping over a summer dress that you're not yet ready to put away.

Also, t-shirts and jeans are always in style. I would pair any of the three top looks with your great tees and jeans, especially skinnies, with different distressing, with ankle boots, high heels, wedges, or platforms. 90% of the designers this season for fall sent leggings down the runway. I am so happy that leggings are still the "bomb" and hopefully will never go out of style.



I love the jeans on the left. The wash is perfect. It matches bright colors as well as grey or black. Just remember that if you have fitted jeans, you can wear a more slouchy, deconstructed top, and vice versa. Speaking of deconstructed, most of the blazers for the fall are, such as the one on the left. Reminiscent of the eighties!!!!

All of the fashions here are available at www.jlamore.com. Check it out. Lila.

Your Fashion Calendar: What to buy when

Being fashionable sometimes involves some work. Today, MSN Beauty & Fashion posted this monthly schedule to aid in building and maintaining a fashionable and functional wardrobe year-round. It shows you when to stock up, look for end-of-season sales and spot new trends.