Want:

I've been in a little shoe drought lately, and these cuties are just the thing I need to get out of it. I mean, look at the navy, with the red treads! How adorable! 

Gift Guide: Women

Just so you know, I had this whole week planned for gift guides (because I don't know about you, but I am still not done shopping; and, quite frankly, there's no end in sight). Sunday night I was putting the finishing touches on this, the women's gift guide, and I decided to go to bed before I published it--you know, so I could look at it with fresh eyes in the morning. And then yesterday happened, and it was about 7:00 at night before I sat down--and when I did sit down it was at my friend's house for book club (which was awesome, btw), and so, here we are beginning gift guide week on Tuesday instead.

1. Seriously, how adorable is this Cheers necklace from the always reliable (and my favorite--can't you tell?) kate spade? What girlie girl wouldn't want to find this under her tree? $78 at kate spade
2. OK, OK. It's obvious I like kate spade. But come on, these gloves? How cute are these gloves? $78 at kate spade
3. This Tory Burch clutch is on the WAY expensive side... but worth it. Clutches are a total pain, in my opinion; I'm always leaving them behind, and they're downright horrible if you have children. But that goes to show you I must really love this one. Plus: orange? Patent leather? Yes, please. $325 at Tory Burch
4. This is one of the handful of items on this list that I actually own, and I can completely endorse. Let me tell you that if you know a girl who always has cold feet at home, look no further than these slippers. The warmth and comfort of Uggs, without having to leave your house in them (although, be forewarned that I have left my house in them... and really, I wasn't fooling anyone)! $90 at Zappos
5. Full disclosure: I am not a smelly candle person. They're just not my thing. But sometimes, the garbage makes the kitchen all smelly, and you've just got to fire one up. Last year I bought a couple of holiday scented Mrs. Meyers candles, and they just smell so... clean. The lemon verbena scent is just wonderful. A most excellent stocking stuffer. $9.99 at Mrs. Meyers
6. Who wouldn't love a cashmere sweater? If you're shopping for me, I love a good cashmere turtleneck (hint, hint). $178 at J. Crew
7. I'm not a lipstick/gloss person--I'm perfectly happy with my Kiehl's lip balm, and I'm good to go. So when I do find a lip gloss that I love, I want to tell the world. World, meet Stilla lip gloss (plus, it's a $110 value for only $25! I'm such a sucker for that!). $25 at Sephora
8. Another item that I own, I get more compliments on these necklaces than I ever imagined. They are great as a set (which is how I wear them most often), or on their own. Adorbs. Heart, $49 at Stella and Dot; Arrow, $49 at Stella and Dot
9. Finally, books! I just picked up Diane Keaton's autobiography just yesterday (as a gift! Talk about taking your own advice!). She is so likeable, that I can't wait to dig into it. $13 at Amazon I just finished reading Mindy Kaling's book, which is not only adorable, but completely hysterical. If you're anything like me, you'll want to invite Ms. Kaling to your next girl's night out, because you know that you will totally become BFFs in a matter of minutes. Trust me on this one. $12.50 at Amazon

Tomorrow is the men's gift guide. Have any additions to this one? Anything I didn't cover? Hit me up in the comments!

In celebration of Fashion Week...

Walking along Mulberry Street on Saturday, I came across the Malia Mills store. Two things came to mind: remember how ground-breaking Malia Mills was when she first came out? For those that don't know, in the early 90's, Malia Mills pioneered selling bikini pieces separately (a small top doesn't always mean a small bottom). The second thing I thought, was Oh my gosh, I totally love her logo!



That M is so decorative, so pretty, so fun!

This, of course, led me to think of just how much I love the Tory Burch logo as well:



It is honestly, one of my favorite logos out there. It's so graphic, and so striking; and the designer brilliantly made patterns out of it to use for bags, wallpaper, etc. And, thanks to the success of the Riva ballet flat, with the double T medallion on the toes, it's instantly recognizable.

I tried to find other graphic fashion logos, but I couldn't. I resisted putting up classic fashions symbols such as Louis Vuitton, and the Chanel double C's; only because, while I think those logos are certainly iconic (and widely recognized), I feel that the above logos are very distinct in their design.

So... anyone out there want to share? What's your favorite fashion icon (in logo terms, not Marc Jacobs)?

Weekly wrap up

Hey kids! It's time for the weekly wrap up... It was hot hot hot here this week--hope you all stayed cool!

--Our wonderfully fantastic architect, the super-awesome Mike Armstrong, of Design One, got back to us with preliminary sketches of our new addition on our house. All of the positive adjectives associated with his name should give you an idea of how happy I was with his work

--I worked on Christy Murray's new logo: I've got some great ideas down and a couple more I want to play around with. I found like, 18 different fonts I want to buy for this logo as well. So I guess I also tried to find a way to justify the purchase of 18 different fonts. For 1 logo. Sigh.

--I scanned and retouched some images for a project I'm working on for Marcy

--I got more new work! A friend of Mattio's contacted me about designing some websites for him

--I worked on a postcard design for One Kid

--I sent Jill over at Glow Gluten Free some business card designs

--But most importantly, Marcy and I had lunch today, and we started planning a shopping field trip up to Woodbury Commons--only *the* best outlet center in the world (having earned that title by having a Tory Burch outlet--Tory Burch!!)

Saturday I'm heading over to Marcy's, where I'm sure we'll talk more about our field trip. Also, she better show me the awesome Marc Jacobs shoes she bought this week. Sunday I'll be working most the day.

Enjoy the weekend!

Designing Google

Whenever I come across something interesting that I think might be a good blog topic, I tuck it away in the back of my mind, for those "slow news days." A couple of weeks ago, I discovered Google Artist Themes, which I thought would make a decent future blog post.

Good thing I saved it; this Sunday's Times Magazine had a blurb by Virginia Heffernan about how you too, can unleash your inner graphic designer and use Artist Themes to customize your Google home page (among other things--my mind began to wander once I got to the part where she painstakingly color coordinated an online user group page).

Just as I was hanging it up as an aspiring stereo expert, I perceived a new skill set taking shape, one that eclipsed my old sound geekery. Graphic design! Sure, I can’t write any actual code or even do much with HTML, but the finish work on my technology now consumes days. I customize everything with colors and fonts and photos and choices of backgrounds, wallpaper, screen savers. It’s like decorating my 10th-grade notebook with stickers of Rossignol and Vuarnet logos, as well as cryptic verse from Edie Brickell — all meant to suggest both a rich interior life and an intimacy with high-end brands.

So last month, when Google unveiled in Manhattan its new “artist themes” — colors and patterns created by a range of celebrities, with which to decorate an iGoogle homepage — I earnestly browsed as I have never done at MoMA.

I was just as excited when I clicked on the Artist Themes link, and was taken to a page of "artists and innovators". Of course, my inner Carrie Bradshaw immediately gravitated towards Diane von Furstenberg and Dolce and Gabbana, but then Tory Burch caught my eye and I knew the search for the perfect background was over: I'm a sucker for Tory Burch. I love the bold graphic design of her patterns and colors. I find it incredibly refreshing, that in a fashion world where something is always "the new black," Tory has separated herself from the crowd by designing with so much color (well, that and her T pattern rocks my socks. And the Reva Ballerina Flats, can't forget those).

But back to Google... there's something for everyone; heck, even the Wiggles have their own theme (something that tells me that falls under the category of "innovators"). Truth be told, I barely use iGoogle; but the few times a month I do end up there, I smile to myself every time a different Tory Burch pattern comes up on my screen--as if my computer wasn't designer enough.