Mandolin Flats, $78.00

Seychelles Floral Pump, $78.00

Silver and Pink Lace up Pumas, $75.00

Rule #1 when visiting France…wear good shoes. I’m not just talking about walking shoes, I’m talking about high fashion here.

The French are notorious for style, and Parisian girls are no exception. While, like New York, they mainly deck themselves out in black tops and well-cut jeans, their shoes are always fabulous. Whether they take a sporty or spicy approach, Parisian girls always keep their feet looking fabulous.

Most people in France stick with Puma’s or Adidas in bold colors like yellow, silver and pink for their walking shoes, and you will rarely see a pair of Nike’s.

Flats and knee high boots also seemed to rule over heels in the city of lights…and surprise surprise, right now, white is a very hot shoe hue. Most go for feminine looks with floral accents, but stripes and sequins are also big looks in flats.

Wanna steal their look, but can’t make it to the Champs-Elysees? Check out www.anthroplogie.com for some of the best looks in French-style flats.

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There’s nothing worse than going to a club and lugging around a hefty handbag or worse, a small wallet that you’re sure to lose. All you really need is a small place to stick your ID, some cash and maybe a lip-gloss or two.

le-fashionista.com’s Angela Johnson is a genius and should be on ABC’s American Inventor! She’s created a convenient and sexy sheer nylon tricot “Guarder Garter” that will make going out a stress-free event.

You can wear this haute accessory under a sexy dress or over a pair of cute jeans. The Guarder Garter is only $10.00 and I recommend it to any funky fashionista on the go!

P.S. If you let someone close enough to get your cash stolen, you might want to stick to that 2-drink minimum.

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I don’t know about you, but I love LUNA Bars! They are nutritious, delicious and fabulously portable!

As I researched more into LUNA Bar by looking at their attractive, informative and fun website, I found that LUNA really does care about the health, nutrition and needs of women! They use high quality, 100% natural ingredients and are passionate about women getting the adequate vitamins and minerals they need on a daily basis. Not only does LUNA Bar rock because of their superior products, they also give back to the community and our precious Earth.

The Eco-friendly geniuses at LUNA Bar have paired up with Ecoist.com to provide “LUNA Couture,” purses made from misprinted LUNA Bar wrappers! The LUNA Couture bag is the perfect size to hold the all of the essentials… Now you can carry your LUNA Bars in style & save the Earth too!

LUNA Bar & Ecoist are giving away 200 of these haute handbags via an “Eco-Tip” drawing. If you are impatient like me and do not want to wait for the drawing, Ecoist has made a very limited number of purses available for purchase online. As part of their joint commitment to environmental preservation, Ecoist and LUNA Bar will plant a tree for every handbag sold.

As “Tree Hugger” is so passé, you can call me a “Wrapper Hugger” instead!

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So Mother’s Day is almost here and I have been searching for something cute to go with the Charles L. Thomas “Jessica” bag I previously posted about.

Do you have a Mom that has pushed you to be the best you can be? She’s the kind of Mom that has supported you through the ups and downs, the boys, the boobs and the drama!

As I was on le-fashionista.com looking through the “What’s New” section, I found a perfectly fabulous Mother’s Day Gift, “Swings Earrings” by Amenda Tate! They are mucho adorable and look just like the swings you used to swing on at your favorite park!

So pick these earrings up and add a card that says, “Thanks for Pushing Me, Mom!”

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As my sassy Grandmother in her adorable Brooklyn accent always says, “Put on a little lipstick and you’ll be fine, honey!” If you are feeling down in the dumps, a little make-up goes a long way. You don’t want to go around looking like Tammy Faye and you certainly don’t want to look like Mimi either!

As of late, my face has been extremely dry and I have literally tried everything. I have used so-called “moisturizers” before putting my face on & have ended up looking like some sort of circus freak. The truth of the matter is; I’m not as young as I used to be and my face just isn’t the same.

As I LOVE Sephora, I ordered a bunch of stuff (way too much) and the coolest thing is that you receive 3 free samples with every order. As my skin situation is on my mind constantly, I ordered a sample of Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer and to my astonishment, it worked like a charm!

I opened the little mocha colored packet, spilled the contents onto my sponge and smoothed it all over my face. Let me tell you (or type you in this case) that it is the answer to all of my prayers! It hydrated my skin and as the description says, “Foundation Primer creates a smooth, invisible layer that acts as a “buffer” to outside elements and holds foundation. Also, helps makeup stay fresh and color-true for hours.”

For once in my life, my face looked great ALL NIGHT LONG and I never once had to “powder my nose.” I even received a compliment from a complete stranger and that completely sealed the deal… This stuff is only $30.00 and I would certainly pay more than that to boost my self-esteem!

Check out Laura Mercier’s website at: http://www.lauramercier.com/

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Hi Ladies! I’m Jillian and you’ve probably noticed a slew of articles and rants appearing on Couture in the City in the last week or so. All of us have gone to websites that have a “Testimonials” or “Reviews” section and it’s almost always puppies and kittens, rainbows and sunshine. Don’t you ever wonder if it’s someone’s cousin or pal writing the review?

Well, if you’ve read my posts, you know that I am one of those “Tell it like it is” gals who doesn’t skip on the truth. If you have a product or creation you would like a REAL REVIEW of, email me at jillian (at) deepeggplant.com and we’ll set something up.

All I ask for is three things:

1. Send me the item you want reviewed.
2. A 25 word description of said product or creation.
3. Any websites or venues your item is featured on or in.

As I pride myself on my integrity, I will send the review to you via email before it is posted live on Couture In The City.

I look forward to your submissions and have a FABULOUS day!

Most Sincerely,

Jillian

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I love Paula Abdul! I remember dancing at slumber parties and blasting her music while singing along with my hairbrush. I also remember getting my name on the board in school for listening to her tapes with my walkman during class. I’m not ashamed, you only live once!

As I was searching for jewelry online, I stumbled across the best news ever; Paula Abdul is launching a small collection of jewelry that will be featured on QVC. After launching a small collection of jewelry on Idol as gifts for the contestants, the word got out that not only can this hot icon can sing, dance, choreograph, teach and inspire the next generation of pop sensations, she can really design! The jewelry was hot in demand so Paula Abdul hooked up with QVC – for a nationwide launch – and the collection is set to air April 21, 2006.

The collection includes replicas of stainless steel and rubber bracelets with 18 karat gold accents as well as diamond charm pendants accompanied by inspirational messages engraved on small tags that reflect the spirit of the collection.

As I was on Paula’s website, I noticed that she looks the same as she did when I was first rocking to her cool beats. I asked myself, “How does she do it?” Then, I clicked away some more and found her 5-disc DVD set, “Paula Abdul Cardio Cheer.” I am so buying this & calling my friends so we can have fun and get in shape!

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Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Margarita, there lived a charismatic and well-dressed King who was dearly loved by all of his subjects. King Giovanni was no ordinary King, for you see, instead of over-taxing his people and fighting smelly dragons, he loved to entertain and surround himself with the famous Lords and Ladies of Hollywood. From Lord Usher to Lady Hilton, to the Desperate Castle Wives, everyone would fill their stretch carriages and flock to his extravagant parties and royal balls.

The King was most known for the curious and coveted concoction he served his gracious guests, “The Margarita King.” The Margarita King is a perfect blend of blue agave double distilled tequila by the makers of Espolon Tequila, orange liqueur, and natural lemon & lime juices and real sugarcane. Soon the King’s popularity spread throughout distant kingdoms and he began to fill his goblets with new royal recipes to cater to everyone’s tastes.

King Giovanni kept his goblets overflowing and throughout the land everyone was happy.

The End.

The Margarita King is offering his loyal subjects a Cocktail Recipe Contest:
You can win an iPod by submitting the hottest, the most original, and the most delicious cocktail recipe adding The Margarita King drink. If you have a royal cocktail recipe you would like to present to the mighty King, email it to The King himself: giovanni(at)themargaritaking.com!

The King invites you to partake of his royal libations, drink (responsibly) & be merry!

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Where have all the Gisele’s Gone?


Naomi…oh no!


Teri Hatcher on Glamour and Ashley Judd on Marie Claire

Kate Hudson on Cosmo and Kiera Knightly on Vogue

Steadily, but surely, supermodels have lost the luster that they once had in the 1990’s and early new milennia. Today fashion magazines would rather have a musician, television or movie actress or big name celebrity on their cover rather than a supermodel.

Remember how big Gisele was just five years ago? Now after a few bad movies (Taxi…hello) and a much publicized breakup with the di Caprio, she’s almost faded out of the spotlight.

Then again, you have Naomi always reminding us that she is still around with her constant arrests and anger management problems…don’t worry Naomi, we still love ya!

The idea of the supermodel is slowly dying, and you only have to watch TV shows by Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum to see that they have to work just a little harder these days to make it.

Why do you think the idea of the supermodel has died?

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So I check my mail the other day and I receive an invite from my quirky friend who’s throwing a 50’s Swingin’ Cocktail Shindig (not that kind of swingin’) and I have to find the perfect dress! The first thing that enters my mind is “Poodle Skirt,” but I wore one of those in like 2nd grade and this is an adult party. I was totally stuck and then I jumped on the computer and typed “Retro Cocktail Dress” into Google and low and behold, I found the hottest site, “Daddy-O’s .com!”

When I first opened the site and read, “Where the coolest get their coolness!” and then saw the color scheme & design, I knew I was in the right place! From bowling shirts to swing dresses to dice earrings, this site literally has it all… Whether your occasion calls for rockabilly, swing, or lounge, Daddy-O’s has the threads for you! They are your one stop shop for 50’s styled retro clothes and nostalgia items inspired by the 1950’s.

Daddy-O’s has the sexiest cocktail dresses and I’m having a hard time choosing.

I’m stuck between these three:

1. Stop Staring Polka Dot Swing Dress
2. Stop Staring Leopard Martini Dress
3. Stop Staring Green Cocktail Swing Dress

And since Hubby has been playing the “I have nothing to wear” card, I can now call his bluff with the Steady Black and Sage Royale shirt. He just has to pair it with a pair of jeans and we’re all set. Sorry Honey!

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