A New Look at Fredrick's

For so many of you, the first name in lingerie is Victoria's Secret. Their prices are right and they have styles that are for everyone and for everyday. They even have a few naughty bits for the girl next door. Not very many of you would go to Fredrick's of Hollywood for a great bra, thinking everything about them is for trashy strippers on Sunset Boulevard. I'm here to tell you, that this used to be true, but they have changed so much about their brand, that it could really be competition for VS. Not only are their new styles adorable, but their prices are a bit less than Victoria's Secret. I don't know about you, but to me, a good price is ALWAYS worth checking out. Even their models are classier looking! Now, Fredrick's still carries clothing only a Valley girl would wear, but I picked out quite a few things that I'm sure you all will think "I could wear that!"

Retro Lace Long line Bra $36 & Garter Pantie $24

Menswear Corset Top $58

Strappy Stretch Mesh Chemise $48

Sleek & Sexy Gartered Brief $22

Dream Halter Corset $62

Retro Strapless Corset $54

Legendary Lace Cami Bra $14.99

Dotted Satin Halter Bustier $49

Lace Inset Romper $44.99

Satin Eyelash Bra $9.99 (has matching panties)

Daydream Halter $54

Brazilian Lace Cami & Boyshort $24

Two -Tone Cuban Heel Stocking $14 (VS doesn't carry these)

Now check out the website http://www.fredricks.com/

Swimsuits NOT to Wear!

When it comes to shopping ... okay ... the THOUGHT of shopping for swimsuits, most women no matter their size, cringe a little. Everyone at some point has picked up the summer issue of Glamour or Cosmo and read the "What Swimsuit Best Fits Your Figure" article. We've gone to department stores and specialty shops and tried on numerous suits and probably had to have a drink when we were done. We know, we KNOW! Now tell me...who are these fucking women????

Finding a swimsuit is difficult, but finding a cover-up is usually the easiest part because its like buying a summer dress! Going to the beach is NOT going to a strip club just because one wears minimal to both! What is even the purpose of this? What does it cover? She would look ten times better if she were just strolling around in the bikini alone, at least she wouldn't look like a complete whore! Oh wait, I just saw the tattoos, yes she would, but anyway...

Oh Christ! Burning Man on the effing beach! First of all WHAT???!!! Second, imagine the tan lines, really! And then the fanny pack. Is she wearing heels? I can't even say anymore, all I have are questions! This had to have been taken on the East Coast, no one (I hope) would ever even think of doing this in California!

Dude, I hate this! This is NOT cute!!! Just because you saw one episode of Three's Company on TV Land and thought all that Venice in the 70's was cute...IT'S NOT! I could handle the shorts and top, but all this rainbow and roller skates is just ridiculous! Rainbow belts and socks belong in the clearance bin at Hot Topic.

Okay, not bad, but whats the purpose of wearing shorts if you're just going to have them half way on? Do they not fit properly, because that's how it looks! Ladies don't ever do this if you are self conscious about your lower belly, it only makes it look big(ger).

These women have REAL asses, and that's great, but dress them properly please!!! I don't care how rock hard your body is you should NEVER wear a bikini bottom like the one on the left. Even if you're in Rio...it's just not stylish or fashionable. The girl on the right, looks like she was trying to pull her bottoms up to avoid tan lines, but she's walking around, so we know that's not what she was doing!!! Cellulite is normal and nothing to be mortified about, but wear the suit properly!!!! I can't help but want to pull it out of her ass, it looks soooo uncomfortable! Next...

Hard body and NOT a hard body, both are big NO'S! Yes you have great abs and huge fake ones, that doesn't mean that style has to go out the window. I see these swimsuits and wonder why designers never think (or care) about tan lines. Its so annoying to have to untie and tie back up. Lady on the right scares me because she looks like she could be young, but she has the body of a 60 year old, and again with the tan lines! Am I the only one that thinks when I buy a suit?

I don't know if the girl on the left is at the beach, but I do know this photo was taken during the day and since when is it okay to wear glittery sequins out during the day? IT ISN'T! Especially like this! Or sequins as a wrap...please don't do this! It may seem like a great idea, it makes you seem super cute at the beach or the pool. Save it for a night out at a club! I'm telling you, not fashionable as day wear.

Everyone has seen women like Pam Anderson running on the beach with their huge fake cans and a tiny bikini. Fake boobs sit up, they don't need a bra or bikini top to keep them up, REAL boobs on the other hand do! So all of you girls out there (like myself) that have large real boobs, buy bikini tops that actually fit YOUR boobs! I'm going to tell you, for years I wanted a triangle top bikini. Every year I would try them on hoping something miraculous had happened during winter and my boobs would look good in them this time. Nope, never happened! We need under wire! Think of it as a bra you can wear out. Buy a bikini top that resembles your bra! Alllllll this crap is NOT cute! I've seen it in the stores this year, it's not cute!!! We talked about tan lines, but having chains and jewels and shells and shit hanging off your suit is just ugly! If you can wear a suit like this and look fine, you can wear a two piece and look even better. There is no in between.

MEN...this is NEVER okay unless you are David Beckham. Period!

You have seen these women before. They used to be all over South Beach and now their tanned asses are making their way across and invading the West Coast. Let me tell you one thing...unless you are doing a Maxim photo shoot, you should NEVER wear heels with a swimsuit. And even then it looks tacky as shit! A trucker hat and Lucite stripper heels...some people have NO shame! NONE!

Now that I've given you the don'ts, go out and grab 20 suits and try them all on. Pick the best of the worst, go have a couple drinks and return the damned thing tomorrow. BYE!

Summer Suits!

The weather is getting warmer and living by the beach, I'm thinking about new swimsuits! I went to a few sites that have the cutest you will find this season. Now, we both know that suits don't come cheap. Every year I find myself asking, "why so much for such little fabric?". From someone that has a design degree, there is a lot more that goes into creating the perfect/cute bathing suit. One has to think about how this suit is going to look on and hold up in water. Many, many elements go it not it, so cost is appropriate. That doesn't mean I still don't complain, but I especially complain when I cheap out and get a suit that sits like crap! Coming from someone that has a larger bust, fit and how fabric is going to hold up, in addition to comfort is VERY important!

All that said...check out what I found!

NORDSTROMS

Miraclesuit "Fantastic Faux" $154

Juicy Couture Beach "Tea Rose" Maillot $160

True Religion Jeans Bandeau Top and Bikini Bottoms $88 & $100

Marc by Marc Jacobs "Triple Ruffle" Tankini & "Double Ruffle" Hipster Bottoms $186 & $102

Betsy Johnson "Chez Rose" Tankini and Bikini Bottom $79.90 & $44.90

Miraclesuit "Sanibel" $148

80's Purple

Insight Bandeau & Bikini $44 & $47

Insight Vogue One Piece $65


MODCLOTH

Beach Blanket Bingo $89.99

Bathing Beauty $89.99

Rainbow Graphs $89.99

YESSTYLENamu D Dalgi $50

Click $65

Wonderland $25

Wonderland $25

Click $58

FREE PEOPLE Printed High Waist Bikini $198

Patch Print One Piece $218

Modern Haze Print $178

Good luck finding the perfect suit that fits well AND looks cute! Don't settle this year for the typical! Go online and search for something special! xoxo

Summer Faces

Hello my loves! This is a spot on makeup for the summer. If you are out in the sun quite a bit, you know how difficult it is to keep your makeup from melting. Some of you goddesses out there who are able to summer without a stitch of makeup, cheers to you, but if you are a real woman like myself (dark circles and freckles and all), you wear at least a bit even to the beach!

I personally wear a moisturizer and an SPF every single day under my makeup. If you do not, get into the habit. Remember that the lowest number you should wear (anyone) is 25. Nothing below that is really going to protect, that is why I don't buy the 2 in one, but individuals instead. There are so many makeup products out there that include an SPF 15 or something and its just not enough, but it does sound great to those who want to save time and money. Believe me, if you care about not looking like a wet rag when you are 40, spend the little extra and buy an individual SPF 25 for your face. Please remember, that if you have an SPF 15 and add a 25 on top it does not become an SPF 40, it takes on the higher number alone, which would be 25. If you need a 40, buy a 40.

With that said, you are moisturized and sun blocked, now what? This is when you can either opt for a sheer/light weight foundation or what I prefer, just use a tinted moisturizer. I really don't want anything heavy on my face when I'm at the beach or the pool. I'm a sweaty face and when I'm wearing a heavy foundation, its like pouring water on wax. Ick! So, tinted moisturizer and separate SPF! Now, I have horrid dark circles, so I always and will forever wear concealer around my eyes. From this point I will take a raspberry-ish blusher and swipe it along my cheek bones and in the crease of my eyes, then put a lip tint on and after it dries, a moisturizer you can take with you. Lastly a tiny bit of water proof mascara and you are off!

You can wear this same face at night to go out, just add more mascara and a cherry-ish lipstick and you are finished! Remember, if you are of the darker/olivey skin tone you can also try peachy/orangey shades as well. when I used to tan, I loved using those tones, but now that I'm paler, I use the reds/pinks.

Now, here are a some tutorials by our favorite gals of Pixiwoo. One video is on Summer makeup, one on Summer pastels , one that's more for glowy summer nights), and one on self tanners. Enjoy!

Update Your Old Wardrobe 2

So if you are like me and you don't like wearing the same thing out too many times, but right now you really don't have the cash to be shopping, try reworking some of your old stuff! Most of these don't require a whole lot of sewing (despite having a degree in fashion design, I HATE sewing), so don't worry. I'll go down the list and give you some tips.

If you have a cute last seasons summer dress and you're kinda over it, or maybe you got a stain on the bottom, but you're still hanging on to it...shorten it and make a sweet top to wear with shorts and sandals or jeans and heels. Depending on the fabric, you might be able to get away with cutting it and not hemming it. If it needs to be hemmed and you are just not about that, rush out to your local fabric shop and ask for hem tape. I'm pretty sure it comes in different widths, if not just trim it up. So what you do is put it along the hemline (about 1/8 inch away from the end), turn it over, and iron it. Voila'!

If you have an old pair of trousers that are just hanging around (LOL!), why not make them into shorts! Trouser shorts are in this season too. You can hem the bottom, or roll the bottom to make a cute little thin cuff. I personally prefer the cuff so they don't end up looking like your Mom's every summer Bermudas. To keep the cuffs from rolling out, you can tack them with needle and thread along the side/inside seams, or use hem tape (between the cuff and the pant leg) to keep them up.

Remember all those long narrow shirts you have in the back of your closet that you are so over? Take one out and proceed to cut it asymmetrical, so it's only one sleeve. You might even want to cut off a bit of the length to change it up even more. Now before you cut the shirt, take note what you would like it to look like when you are done. If you are cutting L-R, you need to mark where you want it to start along the shoulder line. If you get too close to the edge, it's going to continuously slip off of your shoulder when you wear it, and that's not good since the other side is already shoulderless. So you can take a ruler and mark it as close to the neckline as possible and direct the ruler right under the sleeve. You cut it straight or can even put a slight curve in it. Now...if you would like finished edges, you will need to sew, and because you are sewing bias on a knit, you'll need a setting that sews knits OR a Serger machine. I'd prefer to go rock n' roll and leave the raw edge and even trim the bit off the bottom and sleeves.

There are two ways you can make a skirt like this. ONE: you can take an old dress cut off the bottom and put elastic in it and you're done. How you would do the no sew version is cut the bottom off the dress, then take a piece of elastic (use at least 1" width) and measure it around your waist to your desired fit. Once again you will use hem tape and how you will do this is, turn the skirt inside out, fold over the top the width of the elastic you are using and add the width of the tape you are using as well. So if your elastic is 1" and the tape is 1/4" and you need to iron the tape 1/8" away from the edge, then you will fold over 1 3/8". Being that we are lazy and not sewing, I don't think you really care about the unfinished look on the inside of the garment (if you are, email me and I will explain how to make it look finished and tidy). Stick the tape 1/8" away from the edge, fold the fabric over the full 1 3/8" and iron all the way around SAVE for 2"! This is very important, this is how you'll get the elastic in. Thread the elastic through the folded edge and you will need to stitch the edges together. Make sure you stitch over it a couple times so it's strong and won't pop apart when you stretch it. Once its sewn, then iron the rest of the hem tape closed. There you go! TWO: Take a piece of fabric measure your hips and add about 5" to both sides (its up to you, however wide you make it will make the skirt either fitted or really loose) and cut the fabric that length. You can sew up the edges or use hem tape. Now I'm not really sure how well hem tape will work on a permanent seam, but you can try it. After that follow the steps above. The above version already has a finished hem, so on this version you will have to hem it yourself. Okay!

Just like the trouser shorts, try it with denim. I prefer these a little baggy, a little loose, so they almost sit on your hips. This is the "dressier" version of daisy dukes (tacky). So when you cut and roll, be sure that you find your desired length and then add double the amount you want your cuff to be. So if you want a 1 1/2" wide cuff, add 3" to the bottom then cut. Roll 1 1/2" and then again. Now, they will usually stay if you iron them well enough, but if you plan on washing and drying them, that will come out and you'll have to measure and iron each time. So I would tack along the side/inside seams to keep them in place. If you aren't sure how long they should be, the pair in the photo are a great length for a lot of body types.

This one is easy! Take the flower out of your hair (the trend is over) and safety pin it to a summery dress (as you see above), or on a cardigan. A red rose with green leaves...not so much, but I have seen so many chiffon flowers out there, or anything soft and make sure the color works with the clothing. No leaves please!

Did I do this in my last post? Oh well...take any old sweatshirt or hoodie, and cut the top off. I usually measure mid shoulder to mid shoulder. make sure you don't cut down to far or just straight across. Depending on the size of the sweatshirt, put a little curve into it. You might even want to cut the sleeves. They look cute short or even 3/4.

You still may be able to find all the headbands with huge lace bows and giant feathers and all that "I'm going to a funeral or a Lady Gaga show" shit, but it's time to move on! If you want to look super cute and separate from all the regulars, take a finished headband (or wrap one with ribbon and hot glue it at the ends, then take a bit of felt to seal off the bottom so it doesn't bother your ears or hair) and grab a little nest and bird at Michael's or your local craft shop and hot glue it to the headband. Instant stand out! You can even do just a colorful butterfly, or a little swallow or owl without a nest.

This one is also an easy one. Take a collar-less button down shirt and wear it backwards! You can wear it with a belt, roll the sleeves or even cut them, tuck it in or leave it out. Just make sure you choose a top that doesn't LOOK like you're wearing it backwards. Meaning, try for a boat neck or something similar.

Take a top and cut out a shape, as you can see here in the black, lay down some lace and cut it to fit the missing piece. An easy way to do this is...turn the blouse inside out, get your lace and fold it in half (or at least so it covers the front and back cut out). Place one "half" of the lace over the back ( with the fold at the top)and cut out the shape, leaving about an 1" seam allowance all around the bottom. Do the same with the front. You can sew it on (or lazies can try fabric glue - got me through some last minute projects in fashion design school), then cut out the hole for your neck on the top. You can finish the neck my sewing (or gluing) some ribbon along the top, or you can leave the raw edge. You can even take a little strip of lace and sew it along the bottom or even ribbon if you wanna get fancy!

* Note...I want to say that I don't know how well hem tape or fabric glue holds up after washing in hot water or dryng repeatedly on high heat. Remember all of these are easily done by sewing them as well. That is up to you.

Good luck girls, I hope you try some of these!!! Let me know if you do and send photos!!!!