CURIOUSER NEW YORK

Speaking of vacation. When I leave NYC I pack my Victoria Secret weekend bag (was a gift, haven't seen it sold anywhere) with following: sandals / MIA Livi , sneakers / Donald J Pliner  (you never know, last time in Montauk , NY it rained one day and they saved the day!), Sunscreen (I use at least 30-45 SPF for body on the beach and 70SPF for face) / Neutrogena Face & Body , Fedora / Uniqlo, and some fun play cards and accessories (the more fun they are the better)

Just accept it - the denim look will never ever go away . Your parents wore it, you wear it, your kids will wear it and your grandchildren will wear it too - [hence, never throw the denims out, because, guess what? the denim fashion is like a life circle, it goes around and it always comes around.] Jeans/denim is so much a part of our lives that there's no way we'd ever give it up. So, taken that denim is the classic, timeless trend - [just as Chanel will always be] - here's a few of my favorites among the new denims for the Spring, Summer and Fall/2013.

As you know by now, I'm obsessed with my jean shirt . I wear it all the time and with everything.  I find it very versatile and workable for many occasions  - under a blazer with black pants, it looks formal enough but with a casual chick twist. Over jeans with sneakers and a motorcycle leather jacket - it looks both very casual and very America Levi's 80s. Over a short summer dress, it looks also chick and stylish and ... comfortable and warm. A jean shirt is also great for covering any flaws and making an outfit look doable on all occasions.  OKEY, let's just say - I'm obsessed with a jean shirt. The one I got a year ago at Uniqlo , the light wash, has already traveled internationally with me. It has its own passport now, hah! But recently, it's got itself a competition - in the form of a dark wash jean shirt from the same store, Uniqlo.  

There's definitely a trend going on across many non-American stores these days - the simplicity in approaching the fashion, adapting the runaway looks and make them down-to-earth.  I've been also noticing a lot of 'safari' looks, which, as I assume are coming from the likes of Michael Kors , whose latest collection and running in print ads are all about safari. MICHAEL KORS - Modern Safari Collection from Watch Station on Vimeo . All in all, the simple lines in the stylish clothes look pretty universal as they apply to many life situations and occasions - from office attire to traveling apparel and leisure times out on a town. I do like the simple clothes, when they have a bit of 'oomph' in them, like the latest Spring/Summer line at one of my favorites - Uniqlo .

When I was leaving New York City at the end of 2005, I knew I'd be back. There's just no where in the world I'd rather live, and, believe me, I've tried. I lived in some of the best US and European metro cities: from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Washington DC to Paris and Moscow - there's absolutely no place on earth that can live up to the New York scenery.

No, no, no - the winter is not yet over, unlinke some people would have hoped.  Even despite the changes in the temperature, when every New Yorker gets confused for a day or two - changing from parkas and wool coats to leather jackets and booties - the freezing cold is back - and it almost always happens on the same day. No wonder, the local pharmacies have been looking much 'fuller' than they did in the Fall - there are just a lot of unpredictable weather changes that send even the most prepared stylish people into the hurricane of frustration over the fact that as a good a Samaritan fashion-conscious person you are, most likely you've dry-cleaned and packed way far away your stylish Fall clothes till the Spring and rolled out the whole Winter wardrobe to your disposal... And going back and forth in between the clothes and shoes from different seasons is NEVER fun. I feel you. I do. And I found the solution on how to manage these changes that I'd like to sha...

Lately, there have been quite a few collaborations between retail stores and top fashion designers. I wonder if that's the result of the economy, when - [finally] - the designers recognize that they've been missing a huge chunk of the potentional customers, who could shop their designer collections at moderate prices. Personally, I do like when designers collaborate with low-end stores, although we all understand that it's not the same to wear Versace from Versace high end collections and Versace from H&M collaboration , but the price of $199 vs. $2,999 does make a difference for the fashionistas, who can't spend all their salaries on a designer's items. So, we succumb to the 'collaborations' because we do want to be fab and stylish. On the other hand, I'm always at owe with the notorious fashionistas - [think the It-Girls of the likes of Chloe Sevigne and Mary-Kate/Ashley Olsen] - who wear proudly both Forever21 and H&M items in the com...

Uniqlo for Tokyo... Very often we see fashion brends' contribution to support a great cause: Breast Cancer Awareness, AIDS, natural disasters, etc. You start to appreciate the fashion industry players even more, when you see them do something that is more meaningful to the people and the world than their 'runaways'. And I think they do understand how important is to give out and that luxury and fabulously is not what the life is all about...

I fell in love with Uniqlo at the very first sight. It's not a secret that I love clean lines, fabulous simplicity in clothes, uniqueness in details and tailoring, and minimalism looks in general. Embroidered ornaments never did it for me. I always choose simplicity over 'crowded' details - and, in everything - from furniture to clothes. That's the reason that I still dig Gap, which, by the way, has a great fall collection of sweaters, work out / yoga clothes, coats and boots that I couldn't stop myself from not getting last week - [indulging in the idea of where to wear it soon]... See here . Seriously, what's there not to like? So, that's why when I walked in the minimal modern-artsy store of Uniqlo in NYC (Broadway & Spring, SOHO) for the very first time, I instantly felt at home - [and terrified from the idea that my credit card would be seeing a lot of charges from Uniqlo]...