Posts with tag kenneth cole

The other night at Grand Central, Kenneth Cole released a new book called AWEARNESS: Inspiring Stories about How to Make a Difference. This book, conceived and edited by Cole himself, celebrates Kenneth Cole's 25th year anniversary of bringing us fashion and supporting social change. Click here to see images of the celeb-studded book launch at Grand Central station, co-hosted by Rosario Dawson!

The sandal is in the process of a style evolution. It began with the gladiator sandal -- when we first saw it a season or two (or three?) ago, it really seemed hard to wear. It was clunky and not terribly feminine, but now, of course, we love it. And so it's time to move on to the next stage.

More and more celebrities are sporting sexy sandals with a lot more material across the front than we were previously used to. Case in point: The Christian Dior Extreme Cutout Sandal, which was Carrie Bradshaw's shoe of choice in the SATC movie (and costs, depending on the material, $750 to $1000 or more).

As you might imagine, fashion bloggers spend a big portion of our lives on the interweb -- constantly getting distracted by marginally funny nerd humor. So, the last thing we want to see is a fashion designer descend into the world of geekdom. That's why we're a little turned-off by these Kenneth Cole Reaction "Don't Worry, Be Happy" cuff links that feature emoticons. Not only are we slightly annoyed at the happy/sad face icons, but why reference a song that's so great and influential that your cuff links will pale in comparison?

We're pretty sure that very few of the people who would want these actually own a French cuff shirt. What's more, if someone does go through the effort to wear cuff links, we seriously doubt that they're the type who finds emoticons to be cute. Maybe we're wrong, maybe execs at Google are buying the hell out of these things. We liked the periodic table cuff links more -- but still not very much.

Buy
[via GearCrave]

Elle magazine has teamed up with eco-crusader Laurie David to auction off some Sigg aluminum water bottles decorated by some of fashion's elite designers. Diane von Furstenberg, Kenneth Cole, Stella McCartney and others have decked out each bottle with their own unique doodles and slogans. They even allowed Donna Karan to participate, even though she hates bunnies.

I don't know what they used to apply their designs, hopefully something that doesn't smear -- since I imagine these things will garner some pretty high prices. The auction is being launched in conjunction with Elle's 3rd annual Green Issue, and the proceeds will go to David's stopglobalwarming.org -- bidding starts on April 17.

[via Ecorazzi]

Commentary after the jump.

Last week, a friend of Styledash asked for help in finding a gift for his wife for their 3rd wedding anniversary. After getting over the amazement that marriage has lasted that long (we live in LA and all we hear about our "marriages" that last no longer than the morning line at Starbucks), we started to panic. Third anniversary? What does one get one's spouse for a third anniversary?

Leather.

Putting visions of chaps and riding whips aside, we decided that a handbag would be the perfect leather gift. With a budget of $100-$200, and a willingness to go slightly over if it promised benefits, we found nine bags that would be perfect:

• Kenneth Cole Large Buckle Satchel - for a woman who has an entire shelf of black or brown leather bags, red is a great addition to spice things up. $204 at Bluefly.com
  
• Cole Haan "Paige" Medium Tote - A classic Cole Haan bag will always be the quintessential piece and will last forever, just like your marriage. $186 at Bluefly.
  
• BCBG Aloe Leather "Montana" Handbag - Shaped like a Boston bag, this handbag is functional and fashionable, especially in the brownish green aloe color. $161 at Bluefly.
• Hype "Canela" Satchel - Though camel color is usually associated with the warmer months, the Canela satchel is sturdy enough to work for fall and winter. $135 at Bluefly.com.
• Hype Chocolate Leather "Assago" Shoulder Bag - Chocolate colored leather is the perfect all-around bag since it dark color works well with both black and brown. $113 at Bluefly.com
• Via Spiga Pewter "Madeline" Leather Hobo - The hobo, though a relatively new-again trend, is now here to stay. In pewter leather, it's definitely "in" for the metallic trend of fall and winter. At Bluefly.com
• Via Spiga "Neela" Tassel Hobo - Another hobo style, and perhaps the best bargain of the bunch, the Neela is slightly more interesting with the addition of a tassel. $99 at Bluefly.com
• Furla Ivory Leather Logo Tote - Who says you can't wear (or carry) white in the winter? Furla certainly doesn't, with its simple, sophisticated ivory leather logo tote. $94 at Bluefly.com.
• Michael Kors "Wetherby" Large Shoulder Bag - This is the splurge for our friend, but the stylish lines of a functional shoulder bag are wrth it. It's Michael Kors. $348 at ShopBop.

StyleList reader Sara recently emailed the StyleList team and asked about a bag for her daughter:

"Can you recommend an affordable messenger-style (she swears if she can't throw it over her shoulder, she's not interested) bag that says 'I'm a creative professional and I have style and a purse that works for me?' "

We looked around a bit, and unfrotunately, those things that are actually called "messenger bags" look, well, either way too "corporate" like laptop bags, or they simply look like messenger bags -- boxy, boring, and usually very utilitarian.

Luckily, we came across some photos of actress Jessica Biel sporting the Kenneth Cole New York Jet Stream Leather Tote with a lengthened strap to carry across her body. The bag itself (we are guessing it's the "camera bag" size as the "travel tote" seems a little too big to carry as a purse) is a little expensive ($425), but the idea of a camera bag certainly works. Tignanello's "Venezia" leather camera bag is a sweet $125 and comes in the standard brown, black and navy, as well as a fierce red.

Post-holiday sales are often a good chance to stock up on the essentials as well as the wants. Kenneth Cole makes it easy for guys with deep discounts. There are some truly impressive deals for gents with a shopping jones: jackets that normally retail for over $300 skate in at under $150, some pants are over 50% off and this white woven Kenneth Cole reaction shirt is just $39.99, down from $98. So if you were cursed with the dreaded holiday sweater or just need something a little more basic than the vivid purple dress shirt my boyfriend received from his family this season (my eyes! my eyes!) Kenneth Cole may be the place to go.

I love old train cases, the hard case cosmetic cases like the one my grandmother had just speak to a glamorous bygone age. Kenneth Cole has a slick update with their Gift & Take Jewel case. The boxy case is available in either black or ruby patent or a champagne croc-embossed style and has a turn lock closure. Inside it has compartments for necklaces, earrings and rings. I tend to use a satin jewelry roll when I travel to save space rather than a case like this and it doesn't quite seem sturdy enough for major journeys. It sells for $68 and is so cute it might even make a neat purse.

Circular, voluminous skirts always seemed to look better on the hangers than they did on me - that is, until I learned the rules for wearing a skirt with volume. Unless you're looking to accentuate your hips, you're going to want to take note of these three simple guidelines.

Rule #1: Highlight only one part of your body at a time. Because you are centering your outfit around a skirt with some volume, you're going to want to keep your top simple and streamlined. Try this top (pictured at left) from Eddie Bauer.com. A thin cotton and angora blend, this v-neck, solid colored sweater won't compete for attention with your skirt and will help create the sleek silhouette you're going for.

Rule #2: Don't go bare-legs when you're wearing winter clothing! I'm from Texas, so believe me when I say that I understand wearing flip-flops all the way through February. However, if you're going to dress up in cold-weather clothing, make sure your ENTIRE outfit agrees, including hosiery/stockings. As a natural evolution from the summer-leggings trend, opaque stockings have taken over as the footwear of choice for this fall and winter. Darker colored stockings also help disguise winter-white legs and are generally a more slimming option than nude or sheer hosiery.

Rule #3: Footwear is important. Boots feel like the natural choice for dressing up a winter circular skirt, but this isn't always the case. Depending on the length and shape of your skirt, adding boots to the outfit may make you look too bottom-heavy. A safe bet for skirt-friendly footwear is to pair a round-toed pump with your skirt, sweater, and stockings combo. This way you'll not have to worry about the dreaded pear shape and you'll also visually lengthen your legs by not breaking up your natural lines with a bulky boot.

It's inevitable -- guys need some kind of bag to carry around their things, whether it's for work, travel or just the "necessities" for a walk around town.

But, unfortunately, the male gender faces the ever-present sterotype that it's not allowed! I've always stuck with the backpack style myself, but after looking at this list on AskMen.com, I've decided that I'm going to face this Bags are for girls! foolishness and get a man-bag.

They're functional, and with careful selection -- they're stylish. Oh, I'm going for a casual day on the streets? I'll go with the American Eagle Newsboy Bag. Feeling dressy this morning are we? Then go with the briefcase style from Kenneth Cole.

Beware, there's always a chance that the guy won't have the nerve to go out and buy a "murse" (man purse), so you ladies might have to give this as a gift.