A book to read before the movie comes out!

This entertaining and fun series written by British author, Sophie Kinsella, is a MUST read. There are a total of five books in the series at the moment. The one pictured above is the first in the series, "Confessions of Shopaholic." Next is "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan", "Shopaholic Ties the Knot", "Shopaholic and Baby." and "Shopaholic and Sister." While the titles aren't that fantastic---don't let it stop you because you will fall in love with the main character Becky Bloomwood and the story by the first few pages.

Luckily for us they decided to make a movie as well- staring Isla Fisher as Becky. Great casting in my opinion. And from trailer and movie stills it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun.So if you want to curl up by the fireplace this winter with a great new book---go read "Confessions of a Shopaholic" before the movie comes out in February!

NYE for men

For our awesome male readers/culturistos: this New Years Eve inspiration is for you! You can wear this outfit with a scarf or a tie, dress it up with loafers or down with converse--and throw on a sports coat or leather jacket if you'll be cold.
Most of the outfit is from Heritage--a great store by the awesome people of forever 21!

NYE MUST vs. LUST

Have New Years eve plans but no outfit?? Check out this collage I made on Polvore.com for some inspiration! The ensemble on the left is ALL forever 21! It comes to about 60 dollars total! The one on the right is a combo of high end designers (aka McQueen, Louboutin, Chanel...) to a tune of 2,000+ dollars. But see how you can achieve the look WITHOUT breaking the bank! Enjoy and have a great NYE!

'The Hills' are alive with the sound of 'eh'

As some of you may know, the popular MTV show "The Hills" finale aired on Monday. And although it was an albeit entertaining episode-- I am not sure what to make of these get-ups. The only one who looks great is Audrina. Great maxi length dress and it is a perfect jewel tone maroon that looks great with her dark hair.

But what is up with Lauren and Whitney's ensembles?? While I like the sparkles and the length of Lauren's dress-- the color just washes her out completely. I also don't really like the black shoes with the dress, nor do I like her lip color---just a bit off. Next--I do not get Whitney's girlie/hippie head piece?? And her dress is "eh" not to mention those hot pink or red shoes she is wearing. Icky color combo. And she usually looks so stylish!!! Aka ----> Who What Wear's Girl of the Month

[Picture via splashnews.com]

Also amusing is that Lo Bosworth's outfit looks like it came right off the Forever 21 website, and while she looks really pretty I don't care for this outfit. If you are going buy something pre-styled by Forever 21 why not go with this instead:

It's charity time

Do something good this holiday season :)

Check out this article from Daily Candy about donating to various charities in LA---->

Charities Still Need Your Donations | Lifestyle Los Angeles - DailyCandy

Happy Holidays!!

Never a white christmas

Though it wont be cold or snowing this winter in Los Angeles you can still go to an outdoor ice rink!! This is something I've wanted to do forever and will finally do this year!

The rink is in Pershing Square in the heart of downtown L.A. It is open now until Jan 19th! It costs $6 plus $2 for skate rentals -- a very romantic and cheap date option! Go here for more information: http://www.laparks.com/pershingsquare/doi.html

Countdown 5 more days!

Designer Thakoon Panichgul of "Thakoon" has created a line for Target that is hitting stores Dec 28th! Thakoon describes his line as having a "bold confidence and being adventurous." He says there are NO RULES when mixing prints together as long as you are confident!! LOVE THAT

Check out a video at Target's website here and see a sneak peek of the collection. The line looks super cute in my opinion! His use of prints is whimsical and to quote him "adventurous." And I love the mix and match ability here. The pieces are not even close to being as detailed as his high end line. But they have the same layering ability and are equipped with similarly fun prints.

All from Thakoon's Spring 2009 line

Luckily I live in LA so I should be able to start wearing these clothes by the time they hit stores :) woooo. Otherwise- BUY ASAP (because you know they will all be gone soon) and store till it's actually spring!

More Emma inspiration!

Emma Watson is wearing one of, fellow Brit designer, William Tempests' Spring 2009 dresses to the premiere of her new film "The Tale of Despereaux." I don't have much interest in seeing this Universal cartoon film---but Emma did show up to the red carpet looking fab! AND NOT IN BLACK!!! wooooo!

The always fashionable actress is your Culturista fashion inspiration of the day! Enjoy :) Check out more from William Tempest here!

Lily's questionable fashion

Not really sure what to think of this outfit on Lily Allen. If she was going to a runway show or some kind of party I would say: way to take a risk and look fashion forward. But now that I know she was on her way to a business meeting....not so much.

BUT since she has been seen in QUITE some interesting get-ups these days (SEE BELOW)- I guess we are seeing an upward trend! And hopefully a new album soon! For those of you that aren't familiar with the musical talents of Miss Allen- check out her MySpace page here













Lily's fashion blunders:

Movie of the week

**A Culturista Recommendation**

"Rachel Getting Married" is an intimate portrayal of a dysfunctional family at their oldest daughter's wedding. The film centers around, Kym- the younger sister, played by Anne Hathaway, who just got out of rehab. The older sister Rachel is played by "Mad Men" alum, Rosemarie DeWitt. The dialogue and interaction between the characters is enough to keep you engrossed in this film.

The movie is slow paced but the acting gives it an intensely realistic feel. I felt like I was watching someone's real life unfolding. The director, Jonathan Demme, used hand held cameras which really lent itself to the naturalistic tone of this movie. Also, Anne Hathaway is up for a golden globe for best actress for this film. A Culturista recommendation!
Watch the trailer here: Rachel Getting Married Trailer

Jennifer Aniston's red carpet look for LESS!

Since most of us cant afford Valentino frocks for our holiday parties---try Charlotte Russe and Forever 21 for a similar look.

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Rock of Love

This phenomenal mountain of stones is no ordinary ring. It is both aesthetically pleasing and utilitarian. I was first introduced to it by my dear friend who is Marc Jacob's #1 fan (after me of course.) The ring is oversized and heavy and has warranted several compliments from strangers. Due to its size it can also duel as a weapon. Move over pepper spray and sound alarms, step in Marc by Marc Jacobs. When taking the subway home late at night I now feel protected. The best part about this ring is that it is "relatively" inexpensive. $36 for a rock and weapon seems like a good deal to me, however, you will need to get used to typing with it because it weighs the hand down. You can find it the Marc by Marc Jacobs specialty store in the West Village or on Melrose and Orlando.

More black ensembles??

Looks like everyone is wearing black these days! Both Jen, Owen, Brad AND Angelina have worn black to their December premieres, "Marley and Me" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", respectively.

















Though I think Jennifer Aniston's dress is a much more festive choice. I like that she went with this Valentino mini dress. The satin/lace combo looks so chic and much more in the holiday spirit. Her shoes also work so well with this outfit. I am still loving satin fabrics for shoes right now (like these or these that Carrie wore in SATC)- and the little flower on top is so perfect!

Premiere Fashion

Why did JLo show up to the premiere of Benjamin Button looking better than the stars of the movie?? I really don't know what Cate was thinking here. She usually has such impeccable style! I'm guessing she was going for the Christmas tree ornament look?? Well kudos to her for evoking some holiday spirit...i guess.



Now they both look nice and coordinated...and you cant really go wrong with a traditional black tux...but why the black dress?? A little too boring and safe for me. It's the holidays people!!! Why not some red or silver or even ivory? Atleast Cate went with a little sparkle.

Cavalli is King

I'm not sure why Jennifer Lopez was AT the Benjamin Button Premiere but I'm sure glad she was! This is the best I've seen her look in quite awhile and I LOVE this Roberto Cavalli gown. So enjoy the fashion inspiration of the day :)

Pesticides or Black Widows??

Apparently a woman in Seattle found a black widow in her grapes from Costco! As a fellow Costco shopper and SPECIFICALLY a lover of Costco grapes I am disgusted!

Since farmers are moving away from the use of pesticides- it has become increasingly more common to use spiders to keep other insects away. So if you are going to buy your grapes from Costco--or anywhere for that matter (ESP if you buy organic) CHECK FOR SPIDERS before ingesting!! And don't forget to always wash your fruit.

Oh but the good news is Seattle lady trapped the black widow and is donating it to her local zoo! I know you were all worried.

Check out these links for more on the subject:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/19/ap/strange/mainD8KRVQPO0.shtml
http://www.scandalist.com/2008-11-19/citizen-scandal-black-widow-spider-found-in-grapes/

Attack of the AstroTurf

What in the WORLD is Madonna wearing?? I guess she's always been known to take fashion risks and change her image constantly...BUT what is she going for here? The grass monster look? Maybe she wants the world to know she is environmentally conscious?

Only Madonna knows....

My Flight to Yogurtland

I've been hearing the buzz about Yogurtland, now that they are popping up all around the city. So I knew it was time to try it myself! My preconceived notion of this place was that it was a self serve fantasy land of yogurt and toppings. And while it kind of is- it was different than I imagined. It is very similar to pink berry in decor and choices of toppings---but there are also MANY more flavors ranging from the fruits to the desserty flavors (Chocolate, peanut butter, cookies and cream). Plus they do have a wider range of toppings. The place is very much a mix of a typical frozen yogurt place (i.e. Penguins) and the new "pinkberry-esq" rage. So when you go in, you pick up your cup and fill it up to your hearts desire of flavors and toppings (keeping in mind you are charged by weight). It turned out to be much cheaper than Pinkberry so that was definitely a plus! It was a little tricky to get tastes--they keep the mini cups in the front. So make sure you do that first- since there are so many flavors it is hard to choose.
I went to the Yogurtland on Labrea and 3rd st. and it was a little small compared to the other places. So when a line starts to form it can be very awkward to do your thing and serve yourself.

Check out their website for all the menu items and nutrition facts ( you will be pleasantly suprised most yogurts are fat free and pretty low cal!)
http://www.yogurt-land.com/

Seventies sentiments

The 1970's inspired this post and this set of collages. I find it very interesting that there could be 2 very different types of styles that really juxtaposed each other during this decade. So there are the glamorous studio 54 club hoppers and the bohemian free loving hippies. Granted these are modern takes on the 70's ---and I enjoy the creative control to put the "bohemians" in a Louis Vuitton handbag and 18,000 ring which I know they would NEVER buy.




More inspiring/entertaining photographs:

Airport Style

Celebrity airport style has always fascinated me. I can understand that, as a celebrity, if you show up somewhere looking like crap you wont live it down in the tabloids. But whyyyyyy would someone who is going to spend 5+ hours on a plane wear THIS:
OR OR

Now Jessica Biel has cute airport style. While she is in a Philip Lim dress---ATLEAST she pairs it with some sensible flat boots and a cozy sweater.



Check out this article at people.com for more pics of celeb airport style!

Hand made treasures

I discovered Etsy.com from the lovely blogger Sophia of Chic and Charming. It is an amazing site where people sell hand made goods. I think I could shop and be inspired for hours there.

A couple fun things I've found so far:
A necklace made from a vintage brooch. by Jcjools


A gorgeous bolero jacket by Bonzie--who also does custom made orders.

Adorable Macbook laptop covers. by FernFiddleHead.