The Dress Details: Opening Night, Godspell

I'm back from an amazing weekend in New York.  I will spill all of the details about my weekend in the city tomorrow.  Today, it is all about fashion!  Here are all of the details on my look from the opening night of the Broadway revival of Godspell.

Stylist:  Roni B
Hair:  Dry Bar
Dress: Silver Kiss
Shoes:  Steve Madden $76.95
I received comments about these shoes all night.  They are 5.5" heels with 2"platforms. Yes, I was tall.  I love them and yes, you've seen them here before.
Elephant Ring:  Betsey Johnson
Oval Ring:  Forever 21 $6
Earrings:  Roni B.
Bag:  Roni B
Textured Tights:  Gap $7

The most expensive thing on me that night was my shoes which were bought in the Fall of 2010 for under $77.  Otherwise, all of the accessories and the dress were under $60.  I just want to show you that a red carpet look can be done rather inexpensively.  The attire for the evening was suggested as "festive".  I think I am one of the few that adhered to that request.  I loved being the bright color in a sea of black cocktail dresses.  I clearly was not in LA, since NY loves their black.  It's a good safe choice, but it's fun to stand out and be warm at the same time.  Yay for long sleeves!

The accessories were designed to add another unexpected color to the look.  So, gold and royal blue were added to my earrings and ring.  The clutch remained black to tie into the tights, shoes, and the hint of black in the dress.  Finally, the faux hawk added a bit of fun to the entire look.  Dry Bar hooked me up with the braids as an added touch.  I must say I have new respect for the ladies who rock braids every day.  I loved them, but wow, they are tight and made my head itch.  I thought I would keep them all week, but I caved after 2 1/2 days.  I'm a total wimp.

Photos From Miami

While I was in Miami for work, there is always a lot of fun to be had in this international city.  The night doesn't begin until midnight and it ends in the wee hours.  I tried really hard to conquer Miami, but in the end, Miami conquered me.  It was a blast, but I am happy to be home and back to my regular sleeping schedule.

Getting ready for a night out on the town......

The rooftop bar at the Gansevoort Hotel...

Perhaps my favorite photo of the trip, hanging with my pals at the Gansevoort.....

Hanging with my pal, Melody Freeman, of Blonde Moxie.

And the best showcase for my cute purse and new ring.......

My 5.5" Steve Madden heels.  Remember these?

One more stop at the Delano......

And a good reminder that Miami always wins.  Me and my greasy day-after food......

For Miami 2009 photos, go here and here.

Miami 2010, go here.

The Legend of Neil Series Finale Party

I was honored to be invited to Atom.com's series finale party for the web series, The Legend of Neil at the Downtown Independent last night.  Sandeep Parikh and Tony Janning created a spectacular Season 3 filled with special effects and a conclusion that no one will be disappointed with.  It is a really fitting ending to a terrific series.  I cannot wait to see what Sandeep and Tony create next, it will be well worth the wait.  If you missed my Web Files interview with the guys earlier this year, you can find my interview and behind the scenes look here. Be sure to head over to Atom.com to see The Legend of Neil today.  Congratulations, Sandeep and Tony!

Me and creator of The Legend of Neil, Sandeep Parikh.

With Bernie Su, writer extraordinaire of Compulsions.

My partner-in-crime last night, Julie Tyler. 

You might remember this DVF dress from Fashion's Night Out.  I wore these Steve Madden black shoes with it.  

Photos 2-4:  Courtesy of Bernie Su.

Photo 5:  Courtesy of Julie Tyler.

How To Save Money Shopping Online

Yesterday, I was talking about my love for online shopping.  It's no secret that I shop online quite a bit.  From toiletries to shoes to pet items, I love the convenience and in true Donald Trump form, the art of the deal.  So, if I see a price for an item I am coveting, I start my search to knock the price down as much as possible.  Here are a few of my secrets:

1.  Once you find an item, head over to the best place on the internet to find coupon codes:  RetailMeNot. Enter the site you want to purchase your item from in the search area and a list of current and past coupon codes should pop up.  There are often consumer comments about the particular codes and how successful they were in using the codes. With the Steve Madden shoes that I featured yesterday, I was able to find a code that gave me 15% off my purchase PLUS free shipping.  I consider free shipping to be a MUST for a majority of my purchases.

2.  Once you are armed with your coupon code, don't head to the site to purchase your item, click to my favorite site of them all:  Ebates.  This is a site that pays YOU to shop. Instead of filling out those annoying rebate forms and hoping they don't get lost in the mail, Ebates creates a tracking code and keeps all of your information on their site.  With over 1200 retailers on this site, it is ridiculous not to make this a part of your online shopping regime. Here's a great example of a recent purchase:  In my house, we shop for our toiletries online with Drugstore.com.  Since California tax is up to 9.25%, we like this site because we don't have to pay for the tax.  I found a coupon code for $10 off my purchase at Retail Me Not.  The Drugstore.com site also offers free shipping with any purchase over $25 and to top it off, Ebates was offering 6% back from my purchase total.  So, I headed to Ebates, clicked on the Drugstore.com link on their site which allows them to create a tracking code, and proceeded to shop.  By the time I was done, I had $10 off, free shipping, no tax, $6.28 back from Ebates, and $5.28 in Drugstore Dollars to use towards my next purchase at Drugstore.com.  A great deal and I never even left the house, wasted gas, sat in traffic, nor ran around to four different stores to find all of my organic products, Drugstore.com had them all.

Ebates will pay you back four times a year by cutting you a check and snail mailing it or sending it to you via PayPal.  It's really easy to sign up and I don't online shop without my Ebates anymore.  I have purchased from Macys, Steve Madden, Crate and Barrel, 1-800-PetMeds, and more via Ebates. I just recently found out that even the airlines are on this site, hotels, Ebay,and my personal tech geek store, Apple.  If you want to save money the next time you shop, join at this link here:  Ebates Referral.
It is a referral code that deposits $5 into your account and my account with your first purchase.  Let me know what you think of the Ebates site and spread the word because it will encourage more retailers to join the site.

I know a lot of you are savvy shoppers as well.  Let me know if there are other sites out there offering great deals and I will pass them on to Red Carpet Closet readers.  So, comment away and Happy Shopping!

Did I Just Buy More Shoes?

When I am on the road for a long time, I find the most dangerous thing for me is the internet, specifically internet shopping.  In fact, while resting in my room last Saturday night, I bought these (see photo below) after running into a girl in the elevator with them on.  They were hot, I asked her who the designer was, I ran upstairs and then I bought them all in a matter of 15 minutes.  That's why the internet at the hotel is dangerous when you are away for 27 days.

Viciious in Black Suede by Steve Madden.  Currently on sale for $76.95

After buying the shoes, I decided that it was time to also buy the Jessica Simpson clogs I have been coveting for over a month, so off I went to Macys.com to purchase them.  This is what they look like:

Winsy Clog in Tobacco by Jessica Simpson.  $89 at Macy's

I am always completely embarrassed to admit that I wear Jessica Simpson shoes.  I have several pairs in  my closet now, but I can't get over her tabloid life.  So, here's my advice to Jessica:  stick to designing because you do it well, get over dating athletes because it's a dead end, and don't talk about your relationships otherwise US Weekly will turn you into the next Jennifer Aniston. (The oh-so-desperate to marry 40-ish woman but can never find the right man, according to the tabloids....which I find SO annoying.)

My other problem lately? I have bought 4 pairs of shoes in the last four weeks and I have not bought a single article of clothing to go with them.  So, my feet will look fashionable. The rest of me?  Not so much.

Come back tomorrow when I share with you the secret to internet shopping:  a site that has most of the major retailers attached to it and they send you a check for shopping with them each month.  You don't have to pay a membership fee, they are just happy to have you shop with them.  I use it for all of my purchases. Trust me, this is a post you won't want to miss.  See you tomorrow at Red Carpet Closet!  

PS  While I posted the retail price of the shoes, I did NOT pay those prices.  I am a deal hunter with online shopping.  I will share my tips tomorrow. 

Musings......

                                      

1.  Vacation:  Okay, this isn't a very practical vacation because this place is expensive, but I just wanted to share the amazing place I was fortunate to experience:  five days of heaven at the Montage in Laguna Beach.  It is one of the most perfect places on the West Coast and I want to thank my brother for working so hard all year at his job and taking me as his date to the award ceremony and trip.  Yes, I actually took a few days off and the company was extremely generous with their corporate gifts including a heavenly massage at the spa and my new Ray-Bans.  Thank you!

                                      

2.  Fashion Website:  For the fashionistas out there, I hope you bookmark this site, Cupcakes and Cashmere.  I don't know what I envy more: the photography, the fashions, or Emily's perfect wardrobe styling.  Either way, you might pick up a few fashion, decorating, or cooking tips.  I am adding Emily to my "People I Hope to Meet" list.

                              
3.  Famous Houses:  I have watched too many E! True Hollywood Stories episodes.  I was recently on a shoot and realized the house next door to the set was used to film Kendra Wilkinson's reality show.  This was only after I noticed the house I jog by with my puppy several times a week is the site of a pretty gruesome murder of an actor.  Yep, I recognized the house from E!  So, I guess I have an eye for celebrity real estate.....or I'm just watching too much E! (I'll also keep you guessing on the actor, I want to keep my jogging route private.)

4.  Jewelry:  Last weekend, I attended UniqueLA, an independent design and gift show, and I came across this cuff in my favorite color combination:  chocolate brown and gold.  The designer put it on my wrist and I said, "Sold!"  I love it and I have a feeling it will turn up in a few episodes of The Web Files since I have barely taken the cuff off.  Check out Henri Lou Jewelry for more information.

5.  Purse:  I wanted a huge slouchy bag to carry my notebook for The Web Files, my laptop, and all of the other junk I cart with me each day.  After looking around at bags that were more than my mortgage payment, I settled on a nice, affordable Steve Madden Manhattan Satchel.  Not only does it look cute, but it saved me a bundle.  It's up on Amazon for $98, but I found it at Off-Broadway Shoes in Hollywood for about $25 less. Score!