Chic Style Tips, Style Advice, Trends & News for your fashionable look, stylish home, and lifestyle

Surely, I won’t forget…

I want to share this simple and very thoughtful holiday gift that I received from my friend Steve. A box of lovely ribbons! Don't you love it when "found" art meets memories and can all be wrapped up in a pretty decorative bowl? Now, I will have plenty to choose from when I need to tie a ribbon around my finger... What are your simple and thoughtful gift ideas? MORE: Holiday Style

It's time for some Retail Remedy, holiday style! Our roving expat Richard Nahem starts the Parisian fête season with his photo tour of Christmas in Paris 2013: Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Oh yes, since Richard is involved, there will be shoes... Hope you didn't miss my start of the holiday window season with the Bergdorf Goodman Christmas windows in New York. Gorge!- S.H. >>DON'T MISS: Our curated Holiday Style Guide to help you dress your best this session! Today is the start of my annual edition of Christmas in Paris, where I show you the festive Paris holiday store windows and holiday decorations. Printemps has given carte blanche to one brand sponsor for its windows in the last three years, with Dior last year and Chanel the year before. Prada was

My Inbox (well, "Promotions" box thanks to Google sorting) is flooding with press releases about all the Radiant Orchid items coming out soon since the big announcement yesterday. You see, Emerald Green is so last year. I wasn't really dancing to Tangerine Tango from the year before that. But I can cotton up to Pantone's Color of the Year for 2014, drumroll please, Radiant Orchid. Yes, the color is lovely. But why wait until Spring when every designer from clothes to toasters has the color in their trend portfolio? >> MORE: Color I did a little Interwebs sleuthing and found a bounty of orchid items in stock right now for those wanting to get ahead of the color savvy color

We wish you & yours a Happy Thanksgiving! We look forward to helping you make the best out of your holiday looks & shopping so be on the lookout for upcoming tips on dazzling them and yourself over the next month. Cheers!

Holiday style starts early this year and it feels so good... Naveed and I popped over to see the big Spider-Man esque reveal for the Bergdorf Goodman New York holiday windows reveal last night. Usually, I like to wait until after Thanksgiving to get in to the holiday vibe with New York holiday window displays but this is too irresistible to not share. Besides, we haven't done a Retail Remedy post in a while, so why not?! The V.I.P. crowd gathered close to the store while most of Fifth Avenue was jam-packed waiting for the big "Holiday on Ice" theme reveal. Several red-clad acrobats appeared from upper store windows and scaled down the facade of Bergdorf's, Spider-Man style. With the crazy wind

I daresay that even the most glitz phobic could not help but be wowed by this exhibition. I ran up to see the press preview of Jewelry by JAR at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this morning and barely wanted to leave the show. Honestly, I could have spent the day soaking up the radiant jewels on display and although I didn't get a ring to 'put on it,' I did come back with a tome to explore on the way home… A native New Yorker, Harvard educated Joel A. Rosenthal, based in Paris, has worked under the name Jewels by JAR with this being his first stateside retrospective exhibition with over 400 pieces on hand. What started out as

Oh la la, you missed the French chic diet call. Don't fret. If you're on my insider list you'll know what future events are scheduled, all the latest style tips to make the most of what you've got. AND receive your free copy of "Passport to French Chic" as my gift to you. Click to join me. If you're like me, you often wonder how Parisian women stay so slim. As much as I love the easy élan of French chic style, I have to think there also must be a French Chic diet. Really, these women EAT and are still slim enough to fit into the perfect pair of skinny jeans! Not fair or fairly simple? Well, I asked

A surprise party that Richard threw for me, back in the day!

Most of you know Richard Nahem as our Paris insider. He runs the very successful Parisian style & what to do in Paris blog Eye Prefer Paris when he's not taking a lucky few around the Marais for one of his personalized walking tours over at Eye Prefer Paris Tours. BUT, I've known Richard forever. Way back from a high school spring break trip to Florida kind of forever. We met while sitting it out on a fiberglass bench while bored to death at Jai-Alai and have disco-ed our way as friends ever since. (Secret: Richard can identify almost any disco song from the first three beats). This time, Richard turned the tables on me as he knows what a French

Stacked heel booties, something everyone should have by now - but can you tell the difference here? It's like seperated at boot birth! We are big fans of Maison Martin Margiela and Sharon is most definitely Margiela shoe crazy. As much as Sharon loves her classic stacked heel booties from MMM, we also love a smart deal (who doesn't?). Meet her Margiela doppelgänger, courtesy of Banana Republic! That's right, as Banana Republic continues to generously retweak wardrobe essentials, we were thrilled to share with you their Tamsin Bootie, which make for a great alternative and ring in at a third of the price!!! From fall to late spring, we bet you'll never tired of dressing these options up & down as their

Azzedine Alaia is simply a master at his genius. I don't now about you, but I'll always covet the few Azzedine Alaia pieces that I was lucky enough to own. Stepping into the world of Alaia is a universe driven to make the woman's body look as beautiful as possible, never edging on vulgarity or over exposure. Let's have Richard take us on a virtual tour of this extraordinary homage to Alaia in Paris. --S.H. It's fashion month in Paris with the glorious Azzedine Alaia Exhibition at Palais Gailliera coinciding with Paris Fashion Week. The designer’s designer, Tunisian born Azzedine Alaia is a master couturier and one of the rare designers who is as adept at tailoring as he is at draping. Alaia aspires to flatter and sculpt the female form to

I'll Have What She's Having: French Chic Street Style styling details to amp your dress I'm a little obsessed with the ease and élan of these Paris Fashion Week street style snaps. Let's once-over what makes the styling work & how you can get inspired to update your wardrobe like the lovely ladies (and gent) that Richard snapped at Paris Fashion Week. Scroll to the very end for similar styling to shop right now. Ladylike Classic with quirky youthful edge A bit of Bourgie breaks through stuffy connotations when the styling has a pop of quirky chic. Harken your inner blue blood with finely tailored pieces that have a youthful air. Don't fall prey to leaving out the irony.

I'll Have What She's Having: A classic chic pussy bow blouse that looks fresh and edgy I can sometimes have a real love/hate attitude with pussy bow blouses (sounds odd, I know). Same styling, different vibe with the rocker chic Saint Laurent Tie Neck Blouse When done right, they look modern, chic and feminine. Even rocker-ISH, just look at the tie neck styling from Saint Laurent in red worn with skinny leather leggings as a premier example, pictured right. Yet, taken too literal, or styled too femininely, they can get frumpy and look dated like a castaway from Rosalynn Carter's First Lady days. Caveat: If you remember when the Carter's were in office, keep the look light and easy on this go round. Here's

Hubby and I dragged ourselves out of our head cold blues (the couple that hacks together, stays together) and trotted off to see Dita Von Teese perform "Burlesque Strip Strip Hooray!" at the Gramercy Theater in NYC last night. LOVED it. So much fun, glamour, camp, and theatrical majesty... like being in Vegas without the schmaltz (big smile). At 41, Dita is gorgeous and unstoppable. Dita Von Teese may have one of the most enviable figures but the review isn't about cookie-cutter body perfection. "Strip Strip Hooray" could also be called "I Am Woman" as the cast of performers celebrate female beauty in every shape, size, age, and then some with Perle Noire, Selene Luna, Natasha Estrada, and Lada Nikolska of the Crazy

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Surely, I won’t forget…

Oh la la, it’s time for Paris Holiday Windows- Printemps and Galeries Lafayette

Have you heard the news? Green is a goner. Radiant Orchid is THE color of year for 2014

Happy Thanksgiving from FocusOnStyle.com

It’s here! New York holiday window displays with the BIG Bergdorf Goodman reveal

Warning: You may be blinded by desire! Jewelry by JAR dazzles at the Met

The French Chic Diet: How to be slim, chic and savvy with Tonya Leigh

Richard turned the table for my take on Parisian Style Tips

Seeing Double: Stacked Heel Bootie Look-A-Likes From High to Low

You really want to see this: Azzedine Alaia Paris exhibition at Palais Gailliera

Le Dress: C’est French Chic Street Style That You Can Wear From Paris Fashion Week

Must Have Alert: THE blouse of the moment, is a French Chic Bow Blouse à la Ines de La Fressange

Why Dita Von Teese makes you feel beautiful to be a woman

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