Chiuso per Ferie: On Vacation

As I  prepare for my move to warmer N.California and away from colder N. Ireland, I will be M.I.A. for the next two weeks, packing and making my transatlantic move. However, I hope to see you ladies and gents on the other side and I will be checking in on your blogs from time to time. So until next blog, have a great winter!

1950s Redux: How to modernize and incorporate this timeless style this spring

I must confess, every since I was a little girl, I have always had this thing for vintage fashion and movies. I would watch any show or movie that was set in the 20s, 40s, 50s, or early 60s. I am not sure why I felt an affinity to these bygone eras, but I did. Perhaps, I lived a life during that time, I am not sure, but I must say, that I am terribly excited that these eras are big on the fashion scene at this moment. Belted waists, pencil and full a-line skirts, wide coats and kitten heels are the stuff my little fantasies are made of.

The women, men and fashion were much more elegant and less, casual, then. It lent a feel of everyone trying to put their best foot forward compared to today where flip flops and sagging jeans are the norm. Then again at 30 something, maybe I am just a bit old fashion.

Another one of my fetishes is vintage luggage. There is something about the hand held polyurethane or leather luggage of the 50s and 60s. I absolutely adore the classic feel of it all. In my old apartment I had a stack of vintage hat boxes sitting in the corner of my bedroom as decorations and I swear I nearly swooned during the scene of Sex and the City when Carrie arrived in Paris with a trunk full of vintage like LV luggage.

Sigh, that's living the dream. The only wench in that brilliant dream is the new weight requirements on airlines, that make it a bit difficult to carry these lovelies.

For most, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor were the quintessential 50s icons, but Sophia Loren, Dorothy Dandridge, Earth Kitt and Lena Horne were mine. I especially love Sophia. She was so elegant. On a cold night, I love to watch Italian films from the neo-realist era post WWII. Rossellini (Isabela Rosselini's father) and Fellini are always at the top of the list. Italians at that time were dirt poor, yet they knew how to cut a fine figure or as they call it 'la bella figura.' I always say, that I learned how to dress from my grandmother, but I learned about style from the Sicilians when I lived there for 2 years.

So in honor of this era and its strong sassy women, I have put together a few 50s style pieces that you can incorporate into your closets this spring. And while you are at it, check out Dolce and Gabbana's FW 2013/14 Fashion show, with many of the 50s elements incorporated. Until next post, toodles.

1950s Redux by lattes-n-lipstick on polyvore.com

How to beautify Radiant Orchid and Coral

Pantone color of the year is Radiant Orchid which is a gorgeous lilac-y purple that ranges from vibrant fuchsia purple to the light and airy lilac. Instead of enjoying this lovely color in only your clothes, why not incorporate it in your beauty regiment as well. Here are a few ways to use radiant orchid the winter and spring.

Radiant Orchid Beauty by lattes-n-lipstick on polyvore.com

Coral made a big splash on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. Not just in the gowns, but in the beauty routines of the stars. The beautiful thing about coral is that it range from a bright orange color to a cooler pinky color. To brighten up your winter blues try adding a bit of coral to your beauty items.

My Girl Coral by lattes-n-lipstick on polyvore.com

Lattes and Lipstick's 71st Golden Globes Best Dressed List

I do not believe in being negative and tearing people down unless I really, truly, think they are the fakest of the fake.. Those people make up about .05% of population for me. So, with this ideology in mind, I have compiled my best dressed list from the Golden Globes last night.

To be quite fair, I felt completely underwhelmed with most of the gowns of the night and I truly believe in my heart, it is because the ladies are saving it up for the Oscars. Tomorrow, I will put up my meh list. I do not believe anyone was a total disaster, I just believe that either the designer over or under worked the garment. So in truth, its not a 'worse dressed' list.

First things first, on my best dressed list:

Kerry Washington and baby bump looked stunning in Balenciaga.

I actually adored the Rani Zakhem floral number that the newly married Kaley Cuoco is wearing.

Lena Dunham gives us fuller figured girls courage in this Zac Posen's lemon confection.

If you're going to wear black, do it like Cate Blanchett who looked amazing in Armani Prive.

Lupita Nyongo looks breathtaking in coral. A star has been born both on the Red Carpet in Ralph Lauren and the big screen

Loved this J. Mendel art deco inspired gown on Elisabeth Moss

Sandra Bullock looked brilliant in Prabal Gurung. It's shocking she's over 40. #snarks

Caitlin Fitzgerald mastered more than sex in this vintage Emilia Wickstand 50s inspired baby blue gown. Which was quite fitting for the role she plays as a 50s housewife in The Masters of Sex. (sidebar, the clutch looks like Dolce & Gabbana, but I must confirm.)

Angela Basset was an ageless, sexy beauty on the red carpet in Ines Di Santo

Kate Beckinsale looked like a silvery slinky mermaid goddess in Zuhair Murad.

I actually love Jennifer Lawrence's Dior black/white dress. However, the last black strap on the dress should not have been placed on the gown and I would have given her a brighter red lip. Other than that, she too, was gorgeous.

And last but not least, Helen Mirren looked like a minted bodacious babe in Jenny Packham.

The Sweetest Damn Video I've Seen All Year: Ellen Von Unwerth Presents Swarovski and Sister by Sibling

This cute satire of a 50s housewife or bachelorette is totally adorable! Makes me want to watch back episodes of the short lived Pan-Am series.

Featured Fashionista Friday: Dale Janee, Savvy Spice

Dale and I met three years ago when we were fledgeling fashion bloggers and we have been following each other's blogs since. Since meeting, Dale has started her own company [Savvy Sleepers], gotten married, and moved to Switzerland.

Her claim to fame is being a fashion columnist and fashion consultant for Bravo at one point and reading through her style posts you can tell why she earned this right. Each week, I look forward to seeing her styled outfits.

With a mix of northern California cool--she's from The Bay Area-- mixed with Classic European Elegance, Dale has an approachable yet glamorous style all her own. She will definitely be a trendsetter for years to come.

Her favorite trend at the moment is black and white, for which she has been taking advantage of it for some time now. Her added twist to the trend is to add a pop of color somewhere to break up the uniformity. Whether it is a bright handbag or shoes or a bright pink nail color on her toes, Dale definitely does not toe the fashionable line.

 A self-professed lover of sour candy, travelling, Stella and Dot, and Lilith + McRae jewellery, Dale's outfits seem to often be inspired by the beauty that surrounds her. Most of her pieces are from reasonably price brands like H&M, Zara, and Forever21 with an added touch of a designer handbag.

Make sure to check out Dale's site, Savvy Spice and make sure to check out her original, unisex satin pillow case at Savvy Sleepers (new colors are coming out this year, woohoo!). For reviews on the product click here, here, and here.

Brown Beauty Tuesday: Viola Davis

Brown Beauty Tuesday is back and this week's beauty of the week is none other than the amazing actress Viola Davis.

Viola was born August 11 on her grandmother's farm in St. Matthews, South Carolina. Her father was a horse trainer and her mother,a factory worker, homemaker, maid and civil rights activist.

In the case of Viola, art truly imitated life as she received an Oscar nomination and won two Screen Actor's Guild Awards for her role as a maid in The Help, for which she, in a deep way, understood the lives of these women since she was born in the south to a mother who was indeed a maid.

Viola has been acting for over 20 years, mostly on broadway, and her big Hollywood breakout roles came later in her life. She proves every time she step out on the red carpet that beauty is age defying--shes 48.

She is always stunning on the red carpet, opting for bright colors that pop on her beautiful coffee colored skin, and shows off her toned, Michelle Obama-esque arms, and curvy body.

In 2011, tired of apologizing for her natural beauty as a brown woman, Viola made us all scream (especially me, being a naturalista myself) when she stepped out onto the red carpet with her natural hair, giving permission to women, especially black women--who feel the need to blend in by using dangerous chemicals to straighten their hair or wearing weaves that causes alopecia, around the world to embrace their natural beauty and to not make apologies for how the goddess created them.

Here's to my brown beauty of the week, actress Viola Davis.

Happy Tuesday beauties, no matter your ethnicity. You are all beautiful, just the way you were created!

Help Fund Lilith + McRae's SS2014 Collection. Check out my Kickstarter Project

Kicking the New Year in the A**: 2014 Obsessions

Happy New Year Darlings!

I've been on a mini hiatus from blogging because well, frankly, I needed a break from communicating.. Now I am back with a vengeance and to kick this new years off right I have put together a Glossi of my obsessions for the new year so far.

Remember live life one day at a time and screw those resolutions, just get whatever needs to get done and you will feel better for them.

I have so much going on and I look forward to sharing those endeavors with you all next week. But until then, Happy New Year and read on!

What are some of your New Year's Obsessions?

Click to view 2014 New Year Obsessions on GLOSSI.COM

and remember, this is the year to....