season five

15 female musicians who became fashion icons

Girl2Watch, a website and email newsletter that profiles Hollywood's hottest up and coming female talent, features musician Alex Young this week. Spotted at the spring shows in New York, Alex is getting noticed for her style as well as her songs. She recently signed on as the spokesperson for White Diamonds International, a company that supports fair and conflict-free diamond mining. In honor of female musician as fashion muse, Girl2Watch lists 15 female musicians who became fashion icons: Madonna, Lady Gaga, Cher, Debbie Harry, Marianne Faithful, Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, Gwen Stefani, Courtney Love, Janie Joplin, Victoria Beckham. Beyonce, Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. This decade I'm going with Gaga. Photo: MTV

mistletoe worthy winter uniform

Snowy days can present a wardrobe challenge if you are not properly prepared. For me a combination of military coat plus waterproof dressage boots and cossack faux fur hat are my standard snowy day uniform. This tailored look works for city streets and a few handpicked snowy mountaintop occasions. It may not work for sub zero temps, but it works for most winter days. A cossack hat covers your ears, keeps your hair in place and you won’t need to wear muffs. I own a cossack faux fur hat and I love how it adds a bit of cold weather whimsy and wintertime luxe to my look.

Dressage boots are the real deal, worn by equestrians during their romps in the ring. French bootmaker Aigle’s Dressage Rubber boots are sturdy and are made to slosh in the rain and mud. I picked up a pair of Aigle boots from Tal-Y-Tara, a local polo/dressage gear and tea shop here in San Francisco. The Aigle boots pictured here are also available from J.Crew for $195.

A military inspired coat adds a tailored appeal to this wintery ‘uniform’ and pairs perfectly with the dressage boots for a sleek look. Go long with this Marc by Marc Jacobs Wool-felt military coat ($399 at Net-a-Porter). Or opt for a shorter belted version like this charming Latte by Coffee Shop Double Breasted Military Coat with Belt ($285.60 at Bloomingdales).

Accessorize your winter Doctor Zhivago inspired look with the cossack fur hat and a pair of long lined leather gloves such as these from Alfani which sell for $53.99 at Macys.com. You’ll be glad you dressed up for the snow days ahead, you never know when you’ll get caught under the mistletoe!

This is a geust post from my friends at thefind.com

oksana grigorieva's angel to benefit CCPI

Oksana Grigorieva, Russian/Ukrainian singer and Mel Gibson baby mama, has filmed a video designed to raise awareness for Chernobyl Children's Project International (CCPI), the organization that helps children in Belarus and Ukraine who still suffer horrific consequences from the 1986 disaster. My sister is director of the non-profit organization. Oksana is donating proceeds from her single "Angel" to help these children and their families. You can download the single on iTunes. Today in Ukraine, 6000 children are born with genetic cardiac disease (as documented in Academy Award Winning Chernobyl Heart), and only half will get the surgery they need to survive. The others will die. CCPI sends volunteer cardiac surgery teams to Ukraine and Belarus to perform free operations and train doctors to help them in the region. You can view the video here. Find out more about CCPI on the organzation's website here.

on my radar for spring: belle by sigerson morrison gladiator sandal boots

These Belle by Sigerson Morrison's bronze gladiator sandals transform from practical flat to edgy boot. What a fantastic idea! I'm still kicking myself for not buying last season's Ann Demeulemeester two-boots-in-one platform boot with the removable shaft. I can't bring myself to buy full-on gladiator boots - seriously, how often will I wear them? But these shape shifters are absolutely on my spring checklist.

 

I love you christopher kane

Scot designer Christopher Kane says some blogs are a bit negative for his taste (The Cut). Style.com