Battle of the Red Soles

My beloved Louboutin lost his battle to fashion powerhouse Yves Saint Laurent yesterday for the exclusive right to all things scarlet (at least when it comes to the outer soles of shoes).

In federal court, US District Judge Victor Marrero ruled that Louboutin -- even if widely recognized for its trailblazing use of red under the shoe -- could not stop competitors like YSL from doing the same thing.

"...in the fashion industry color serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition, the court finds that Louboutin is unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection...Awarding one participant in the designer shoe market a monopoly on the color red would impermissibly hinder competition among other participants. YSL has various reasons for seeking to use red on its outsoles," said Marrero. (who revealed himself as an ardent admirer of the sexy slip-ons!!)

YSL is scornful of Louboutin's claim to a break through in fashion design, saying it has featured red soles all the way back to the 1970s... with Louboutin only emerging on the fashion scene in 1991 and obtainng a US patent for the red soles in 2007.

The idea for red soles was "copied from King Louis XIV's red-heeled dancing shoes or Dorothy's famous ruby slippers in 'The Wizard of Oz,'" Judge Marrero quoted YSL as saying. OUCH!

Regardless of anything "legal," I believe everyone is aware what Louboutin stands for, and will continue to remain known for.

...that being said if you have seen Palais, you know who it belongs to as well!!

xo L

Crave vs Save

Ahh the ever so lovely and magical Louboutin glitter pump. So fun... So easy on the eyes... So easily swept away by red soled daydreams ... and I find myself thinking "$895 really is not that much..."

WRONG. With a new mortgage payment taking a chunk out of my hard earned paycheck I have to snap back to reality. But on the bright side... having "grown up" bills doesn't have to be such a drag, thanks to this recent find -






Meet Pour La Victoire's "Ionia" recently put on SALE at Bloomie's for a mere $182 from $260. They may not be the stuff red bottoms are made of, but they do have a gold stylized fleur de lis at the sole, giving them the unexpected touch Pour La Victoire is known for. A designer shoe AND a bargain? Crave or Save? Its definitely a "Save" (for now!)

It's in the bag.

Happy Friday!
xoL

to shop 2011 PLV collections visit their website http://www.pourlavictoire.com/

Beauty Can Cure

Skirt: Alexander McQueen
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Knuckle Ring (on right hand): F21
Bangles: Bebe
Necklace: Christie Martin


Tonight was Artistic Academy's Beauty Can Cure benefit. It was wonderful. All the girls and guys did a fabulous job putting it together and pulling it off. The amount of time and dedication put forth by these students to create a show for a great cause while also being in the midst of studying and taking the test that will define their career is inspiring to say the least.

This year, the show was set up in different themes: music, movies, pop culture, around the world, under the sea (to name a few). It was sort of like a glam Halloween party! All fashions were done up with flawless make up, and creative hair styles that are just not as good in pictures as they were in person, but I tried to still capture the moment. Hope you enjoy!















My Sister!!




Lil Wayne was nice enough to stop for a picture.





Yes, that is "Tracy" from Jerseylicious. Never watched it? Well you are not alone. It is another Jersey-based "REALITY" TV show. They decided to tape the benefit... I won't hate, because to each his own. But I will say that the term "Reality" should be used very, very, VERY loosely when referring to the genre of this show ;) YOU'RE SUSPECT!


Onto other news... I will leave you with something much cuter. An adorable Jordan burrito. Have a great weekend!






xo L

A Weekend in the Life of...

This weekend was probably one of the best I have had in a LONG time. I found myself with a lot of spare time that was quickly filled up with friends, family and FUNFUNFUN.

I decided to do a post that reflects me in my "real" life, versus my normal outfit or editorial posts.


Saturday night, me and my girls took Hoboken by storm and had the perfect ladies night out. Here's how it went down...





(above) my friend's FAB shoes!! So cute!!



I polished my toe nails with Essie's "Vinyl Bikini" white polish. I was kind of unsure about buying it because I was afraid I'd look like I grabbed the white-out bottle instead of the nail polish... but I really like how it looks. What do you guys think? Would you rock white nail polish or does it need to go?

Dress: Rory Beca - Jewelry: Bebe and F21 - Baguette: Prada (gift from my fiance!) - Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Today my fiance took me to NYC for some shopping and a date in Little Italy. The quality of the pictures are pretty poor... because I forgot my camera. Rookie move I know. So I made do with my Blackberry. Here's where we visited...


You can imagine all the goodies that were waiting for me in Acne!


Mecca


Its not a day without Jamba!


One of the best vintage stores for finding re-sale designer clothing.


GORGEOUS apartment building on Broome ... even the security grates are beautiful! Can I move in please?


Stumbled upon the Dolce and Gabbana shoot!!


I peeked around the security screen and snapped this shot. Sadly, no sexy male models present.



Date at Casa Bella!


I ended the perfect weekend with my little boo, Jordan. It never ceases to amaze me how much a dog can love you.

How was your weekend?! Fill me in!

xo L

PS - In case you are wondering why Friday night is not included, it is because I went to happy hour with my friends and a few coworkers. Happy hour turned into happy night... and there is NO DIGITAL EVIDENCE of this rediculous tryst. Thank god.

A Few of My Favorite Things (Part Deux)

As most of you know, I am newly engaged. The planning and preparation has been non-stop and so exciting!

So lately I have been looking for the perfect LWD (little white dress) to wear to my engagement party. Naturally, being the out of control shopper than I am, I have found not only one, but THREE beautiful prospects for the party...and I want your input!

1. Bebe's Belted "Sailor" Dress. I loved it because you can wear the straps so many different ways, or strapless! (see a better picture here)



2. Asos Ruffle Sleeve Lace Cocktail Dress. I wasn't going to mix black with my ensemble, but the back of the dress is what totally sold me, the cute bow was to die for.




3. You know how I mentioned that H&M's Garden Collection sold out THE DAY it came out? And every fashionista's must have dress was virtually unattainable? Wellll SOMEHOW I got that dress in the cream color!

From H&M's Garden Collection


Here it is in red too... equally as gorgeous.



So that leaves the question... what shoes to wear to top off the look?! I'm wearing white, so obviously its all about the pop of color. Here are the ones in my collection that I am considering:

1. Aldo's suede "Starace"




VERSUS

2. Christian Louboutin's "So Private"





Buttttt... if I do wear the ASOS cocktail dress its going to be either:

these new peep toe shoe-boots in black...



(I bought the tan ones too because I was suffering from Chloe depression since these were completely sold out...can't win them all!)



Or ...

Dolce Vita's "April" Pump




Since the dress is slightly detailed already with the lace, ruffles, and bow, a loud color shoe wouldn't work, and would also take away the detail of the dress.

So, What do YOU think?? I can't wait to hear your input.


xo L

PS - Happy Friday!