God Bless America

A huge step in the Fight on Terrorism was made yesterday and God Bless America as we move onward. I had an entirely different post in mind for this lovely Monday morning, but when Osama Bin Laden is finally found dead...all else holds no priority.

{Thanks to Twitter last night}

Twitter was absolutely flooded last night with streams of comradery, support, remembrance of lives lost over the last 10 years, and live pictures of NYC as the news broke. Here is a video from Ground Zero last night. Running through New York this morning was like breathing in freedom. I never tire of hearing the amazing stories every New Yorker holds of their attachment to that fateful day when our skyline changed forever. And seeing the people gather together in Times Square and Ground Zero to celebrate this great feat was truly  moving.

{photos pinned on Pinterest}

God Bless America

Pourquoi Pas?

Why not XOXO darlings? Have you been catching up on the latest on the Upper East Siders? This season is very good even if my Louboutins and I are struggling to keep up. So sorry for the absence of post yesterday, I'm afraid the Blogger Bouncer was giving me the cold shoulder of his velvet rope and logging in was something that was just not going to happen. But no tears for me mes cheries maybe just some Wayfarers as I've been blinded by the amazing fabulousness of last nights costume. The show featured the girls at the insta-important Fashion's Night Out event that has swept NYC by surprise the last two NYFWs with its glitz and its glam.

{hollywoodlife.com}

Blair's dress was amazing. The perfect frock to turns those heads

as you step out the cab ready to party. Thank you Pre-Fall Valentino!

{gossiprocks.com}

But Serena's dress stole my heart. Flowy, unique, and backless,

its everything I always look for in a gown. Bisous Jenny Packham!

Whose heels would you walk a mile in darlings?

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The Face Behind the Stories

As bloggers go, you tend to learn a lot of information about everything we like under the sun but very little personal information about who we are, the mysterious people glued to their laptops, scouring the web for great content to keep you inspired. The ever lovely Erika of Cafe Fashionista has posted a blogger challenge to get know each other better. So here I go with a little Q&A a la Erika's direction.

Where do you live?

Lately this has become an ever changing phenomenon, I could be my own Carmen Sandiego at times. I am native to Charlotte, NC and have spent many years living in different parts of the Carolina's and Virginia. I just moved back from a year of living in France! And now in one month (fingers crossed) I will finally be able to make The Big Apple my home!! That is right darlings, my dreaming since childhood is finally coming true and I am going to be able to take on the adventures of the Concrete Jungle in all its glory...and I cannot wait!

What would your perfect day consist of?

Waking up without an alarm and gobbling down a delish pancake breakfast in my pj's with a good cup of jo. Some cardio window shopping with my besties and competing for the best sale find of the day, followed by a late cafe lunch. Going for a nice long run with just me and my iPod. Rounding out the day perfectly strolling through a park wrapped around my sweetheart and having a nice meal complete with wine and lots of kisses. And maybe followed by some late night dancing and stargazing. *weather depending*

Who is your fashion muse?

I pull from mainly 2 lovely ladies: Sarah Jessica Parker and Blake Lively. SJP has always had this fantastic way of shattering fashion rules and paving the way for the perfect blend of girly chic and rockin glam. And Blake Lively, or rather Eric Daman (costume designer for Gossip Girl and therefore Serena Van der Woodson) has this fresh undone quality that perfects the I've just rolled out of bed and arrived here impossibly fabulous look. I tend to be more controlled personally, so I like pulling qualities from that character to incorporate in my wardrobe that may not normally be my first instinct.

What do you always order from Starbucks?

Unfortunately my absolute Go-To Starbucks drink is only around for a few months from September to November. Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte is heaven in a cup and it is about to come back for 2010 and I'm counting down the days!

7 Passions

Travel, Jesus, Photography, Fashion, Creating, Music, Loved Ones

What are your obsessions?

Etsy, blogging, reading, Gossip Girl/Sex and the City/FRIENDS marathons, Twilight, iTunes surfing, stilettos, French, interior decorating, sewing, fashion history, international exploration, camping & the mountains, walking along the beach, fun hairdos, coffee, dancing, tattoo artwork, thrift store hunting, dressing up, costumes...

What is your favorite quote?

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page" Saint Augustine

What is on your bedside table?

Current book, cell phone, iPod Touch, cute lamp, pen & notepad (I can never go to sleep because I'm thinking about my To Do's for the next day, so this is my solution), and a stacked plate and glass from last night's brownie and milk snack (yeah I'm totally guilty of late night snacking...its a problem, I'm aware)

What's always in your bag?

Wallet, cell phone, iPod Touch, pen, camera, lipstick (I feel like the only lady left who still prefers it to gloss, I just can't take my hair sticking to my lips), my amazing pronged hair dagger thing (I'm sure there is an official term for it), Flip & Tumble's Reusable bag, sunglasses, and keys.

{thanks weheartit for all the photos}

Your turn darlings, considered yourself tagged! I hope you enjoyed learning a little info about me, and I cannot wait to learn more about you as well, so get blogging!

What will we have in common mes cheries?

Taxis, Timing, and Love

I just finished watching a romance film with my friend and it got me thinking, how quickly women fall in love. Of course it is easy to see this when you need to have two characters end up together in under two hours, but it still arose an interesting point. Men and women are wired so differently, although we have more in common then general society stereotypes allow, it is fascinating to sit back and ponder.

"Its easy to fall in love. The hard part

is finding someone who will catch you." ~ anonymous

As I think back on my past relationships I know that I could have easily fallen in love in most of them, the tricky part is timing, sometimes you are preoccupied, sometimes he may be elsewhere. But in those relationships I remember learning his passions and finding ways to infuse that into our activities, or learning about his family and friends and letting them into my life too. Always changing and looking toward the future, never yielding so much that you lose yourself, but continually transforming into that "We" that you desire. I would like to reference a quote that sparked this train of thought in the first place.

"A lady's imagination is very rapid. It jumps from admiration to love,

from love to matrimony in a moment." ~ Jane Austen

For me it has always been like this, it is nothing I feel men should be afraid of, why else are you dating? Even when I was younger I always felt that dating was a test run for finding my husband, and when I no longer saw a future for the relationship, I ended it. It is selfish of me to stay with a man and lead him falsely in a direction I am not, just for the sake of me staying away from the scary word "single." Now, am I saying I've never gone on a date with a guy I wasn't quite sure had a future? No. I am saying that if I have decided after a couple dates that I would like to see where this might go, I'm jumping both feet in. Whereas I feel many men dance around the dating pool for quite some time before finally deciding it may be time to honor society with a prolonged dip. This subject is summed up perfectly in an episode of Sex and the City.

*Merci We Heart It for all the photos*

"Men are like cabs, when they're available their light goes on. They awake one day and decide they are ready to settle down, have babies, whatever, and they turn their light on. Next woman they pick up, boom, that's the one they'll marry. It's not fate, it's dumb luck. It's all about timing, you gotta get em when their light's on." ~Miranda Hobbes

Don't forget the DevaFuser CurlTASTIC Giveaway is coming to a close real soon!

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That Mother Chucker!

I don't know about you, but when Sex and the City stopped filming, suddenly television had lost it's leading stylist. Well, in the last few years a new star show has risen to claim what I believe will be the next lead for fashion forward icons: Gossip Girl. Costume designer Eric Daman has done a fantastic job at creating a look for each character that perfectly places their personality and statement to the world. My favorite of all the cast is by far Chuck Bass, played by Ed Westwick. Every episode he takes me to a whole new level of standards for what men should be dressing like today.

Eric Daman has truly channeled the classic men's prep look from the 1950s with an upper east side modern twist. I am usually at a loss of words for how exquisite his wardrobe is. Guys, listen up!

Pocket square. Classic Chuck staple. Anytime there is a suit, there is a pocket square, perfect for popping color to whatever the occasion calls for. *compliments blog.iamchuckbass.com*
Suspenders. Men just don't seem to wear them anymore, but I'd like to call for a comeback. Personally, I think a man in a suit with suspenders is so sexy, its truly dapper in every sense of the word. *compliments of splendicity.com*
Color. Whether its a statement velour coat, or show stopping pants, one thing is for sure, Chuck Bass does not fear color. He has worn everything from a lavender suit to bright purple pants and a yellow cardigan. He is confidant in himself and his style and totally pulls it off. Its nice to see a man in something other than neutrals, or the generic blue. *compliments of nymag.com*
Accessorize. Hat and ascot...yes please! Often known to be sporting a fedora (my personal favorite) Chuck is always properly accessorized. He knows no outfit is complete without the finishing touches. Cue his trademark red, white, and blue silk scarf. Which brings me to another thought, can men please start wearing ascots again? You don't have to be Mr. Darcy to wear it, look how modern Chuck looks...with an ascot. Also, don't forget nice shoes, nothing ruins a look like drab shoes. Yes, people notice your shoes! *compliments of stylesilove.blogspot.com*
Attitude. Of all the outfits in his expensive closet, the one thing Chuck Bass never leaves the house without is his attitude. It is 50% Smooth Talker, 50% Frankly My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn. He knows what looks good and he will wear it, and anyone that crosses his path beware, nothing says "Run for the hills" like a Chuck Bass upset. This outfit is a personal favorite of mine. Its very Humphrey Bogart meets the 21st century. The black lapel and pant piping are great details to this classic look. Then paired with a neck scarf for a GQ look, and aviators for casualness, its perfect! *compliments of latimes.com*

He may be the guy you hate to love, and love to hate, but at least he looks good doing it. Here's to Chuck Bass our modern day Cary Grant.

School Days, Forget The Golden Rule Days

Today I start my job and my French classes! Big day for me. So I thought I would post on my favorite school look...plus some. I absolutely LOVE Gossip Girl, and my favorite style of all the girl characters is definately Serena van der Woodsen. Her style is everything I love about fashion:unique, edgy, and known to break all the rules. *photo pulled from periodicstyle.blogspot.com*

Although no real school would allow that mini-skirt, even in tights, I love the essence it has. Over the knee boots, slouchy boyfriend vest, very loose tie. But also how she pairs boots with short items and long sleeves. Its a very "I'm out the door" kind of look, together yet dishelved...fun!

Rosie hunting down a new job

Rosie O'Donnell really wants Bob Barker's job. In a full page ad in yesterday's Variety, O'Donnell congratulated Barker on his 50-year hosting career and made a point of reminding him and everyone else that she loves The Price is Right and even has a life-size Plinko board at home. "See, I want The Price is Right, but no one has offered me The Price is Right," the View host said last December. "They apparently don't want me, which is sort of sad because I have visions for The Price is Right. According to reports, Barker is against producers hiring O'Donnell as his replacement.

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Jennifer Garner developing new talk show for moms

Jennifer Garner is making her way back into the world of television with a new View-style show for moms. "We're pitching it next week to a network," says former So You Think You Can Dance host Lauren Sanchez-Whitesell, Garner's partner on the project. "It's really [Jennifer's] show and I'm the host. We're putting together a show for moms, by moms... I call Jen the Barbara Walters of the show. She will come on periodically. We haven't quite settled exactly [how often], but she's the executive producer... We don't have a name yet. It's still Jen Garner Untitled Project, but I think next week we'll have more of an idea of where the show's going... We'll talk about how to get your kids to sleep, or how do you choose the right school, or how to keep your marriage together after having kids. Jen might talk about how you keep a marriage together when you're in the spotlight with a child. She's photographed picking up trash in her front yard, she's photographed doing everything."

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Jane mag gets its own reality show

Likely inspired by the success of The Hills and what the reality show did for circulation over at Teen Vogue, Jane mag is getting it's own reality show. The Fashionista Diaries will follow six fashion assistants - two in public relations, two in beauty, and two in magazines. The show will be produced by the team behind Laguna Beach and is set to begin airing in July on SoapNet.

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Ellen to do show from bed

Ellen Degeneres hurt her back so badly over the weekend that she will be doing her show from a hospital bed this week. The popular host has had to reschedule a planned show from a Delta Airlines flight later this week, and was also forced to cancel a charity event in Chicago on Saturday. Guests for the week include Lindsay Lohan and Ryan Seacrest.

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Elisabeth is pregnant; Roseanne suggested as co-host

More news from The View... Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck announced this morning that she is pregnant with her second child. "Like, I'm totally three months pregnant," Hasselbeck said on today's show. "I figured that we're going to be lonely without you," she said to fellow host Rosie O'Donnell. "So, Tim and I thought we should get busy and maybe make a little co-host." Hasselbeck and her husband, football quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, will welcome the baby in November. The couple have a two-year-old daughter, Grace, and don't plan to find out the new baby's gender until the birth. ABC released the news in a statement just prior to the airing of this morning's show. In other View news, sources say Roseanne Barr is reportedly the top contender to take Rosie O'Donnell's spot on the show next year, though Barr's rep denies the story. "She's a piece of work, she's a character, she says what's on her mind and she's funny," says an insider. Barr avoided directly answering the question when asked by Larry King last week. "I'm not looking for the job," she told the CNN host. "Well, I want $10 million, like Rosie." Since O'Donnell announced her plans to leave the show last week, several big names have been circulating as possible replacements, including Joan Rivers, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathie Lee Gifford, Connie Chung, Bette Midler and Kathy Griffin.

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Alec Baldwin on The View this Friday

Also in View-related news, it has been announced that Alec Baldwin will appear on the show this Friday. After Rosie O'Donnell expressed sympathy for the actor earlier this week in relation to the public release of his anger-fueled voicemail to his daughter, Baldwin called O'Donnell and expressed an interest in doing a possible phone-in segment on parental alienation. The 30 Rock actor was convinced to come into the studio to do the segment in person. Baldwin also announced this week that he has parted ways with his agents at the Creative Artists Agency for "personal reasons." The actor's rep did not elaborate.

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Rosie exits revolving door of The View

Rosie O'Donnell will be leaving her post as co-anchor on The View this June. On this morning's show, O'Donnell downplayed the announcement, insisting she had always only wanted to do a one-year stint. "I wanted one year, they wanted three years," she said of ABC. "It just didn't work. And that's showbiz, but it's not sad because I've loved it here and I love you guys and I'm not going away. I'm just not going to be here every day." O'Donnell says she plans to fill in as a guest host and do specials on autism and depression. "They're not kicking me out. Don't worry. It's okay," she added. Show head Barbara Walters said in a statement, "I induced Rosie to come back to television on The View even for just one year. She has given the program new vigor, new excitement and wonderful hours of television. I can only be grateful to her for this year. I am very sad that ABC Daytime could not reach an agreement with her for a second year... We will all miss Rosie on The View, and hope she will be back with us often next season. She remains for me a cherished friend and colleague." O'Donnell also issued a statement to the press, saying, "This has been an amazing experience, and one I wouldn't have traded for the world. Working with Barbara, Joy and Elisabeth has been one of the highlights of my career, but my needs for the future just didn't dovetail with what ABC was able to offer me." No plans have been announced in terms of finding a new co-host for the show.

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JLo to produce musical miniseries

Jennifer Lopez is continuing her foray into the world of television with a five-hour musical miniseries. The project, "La Flor Palida," will feature music from Lopez's new Spanish-language album and is set to begin production in Mexico City in May. "She had an idea to create a miniseries in the old grand style of things like The Thorn Birds, but using the words in the music to drive the narrative," said the singer's manager. "There are some autobiographical elements," he added of the story, which revolves around a movie star who is constantly in the public eye. "[The lead character] gets caught in a scandal and ends up running from her boyfriend and meeting up with an old friend from her past." Lopez, whose Dance Life reality show aired on MTV earlier this year, will not act in the project, but will sing a song from her album at the end of each episode.
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Heidi got a new nose to go with her boobs

Hills star Heidi Montag reportedly not only got a boob job earlier this week, but a new nose, as well. "What I do to my body is for myself and is no one's business but mine," Montag told Us mag when contacted for comment. A source close to Montag, however, confirmed her breast augmentation and revealed she also had rhinoplasty. "Heidi is out of the hospital and resting," said the source. "She is doing great and feels really good about what she did."

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Britney inspires CSI character

CSI: Miami writers were inspired by Britney Spears's recent troubles and a character based on the popstar will appear in an upcoming episode. A rep for CBS confirmed that Spears's stay in rehab influenced "a small part in the episode," which centers around an actor who is killed during a stint in rehab. While investigating the death, the CSI team comes across a starlet who has shaved her head.

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Project Runway inspires new show

Based on the success of Project Runway, Bravo is developing a similarly themed photography-based reality show. Called Money Shot, the show will follow the Runway formula to whittle down contestants, and the winner will score cash and a photo spread in People mag.

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Heidi gets implants

Hills star Heidi Montag was noticeable by her absence at an cast appearance on MTV on Monday for the show's season finale that aired that night. A rift in the friendship between Montag and the show's lead Lauren Conrad was blamed for the skip, but the real reason may have actually been that Montag was getting a boob job. The 20-year-old underwent breast augmentation surgery on Monday in Beverly Hills after considering the procedure for many years, sources say. "Heidi just doesn't want to make a big deal out of it," says an insider. "She did this for herself, and she's hoping to keep it as private as possible."

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