Holiday Dresses!

I love a good party, mostly because I love to wear a fancy dress. My fav Holiday dress picks, found on Etsy:

chiffonier

 cloudninevintage

 lovepebblesvintage

 vintageshaun

 Vintagephilosophy

Must. Have.

Kate Spade Spring 2011

What was that you said Clinton? Because it sounded like you said elastic pants?!

Clinton Kelly I love you and I love What Not to Wear, BUT as a spokesperson for New Way RA, why are you saying the EXACT opposite of what you preach to us every day on TLC? You are recommending elastic pants which I have never seen fabulous pair of. How are we supposta look stylish in elastic? It did look like it hurt a little bit when you said it in this video. Next you'll be suggesting velcro shoes.



Clinton, I think you can do better that those grey, probably polyester monstrosities. I challenge you to find a fabulous outfit, with no elastic or velcro that someone like me with RA would look fantastic in.

Once Again Etsy Makes The Front Page of MSN and the Today Show!

Etsy bigger then ever!! Click link below to see the MSN and Redbook's article on an all Etsy Holiday Gift Guide:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/inspired-gifts/staticslideshowrb.aspx?cp-documentid=26328299&gt1=32086

Etsy on the Today show!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Fall Fab in Torino

Spotted

No to Ugly Arthritis Shoes

When you googling for stylish shoes knowing that you have to keep your arthritis in mind, this is what you find.

No.

No!

 No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on guys, we can do better than this.


Take one of my favorite comfort shoe companies BORN. Each pair of their shoes are made with Opanka
construction which is a durable shoe with a padded foot. They make super comfortable supportive shoes but keep style and fashion in mind. Inside is like walking on fluffy clouds and outside is fashion forward.

Born Carlotta 

I'm dying for these Carlotta's in purple. Even though they are open toes, I would pair them with leggings so I could wear them in the fall as well. Also wearing them this way means I can hide my ankle brace under the leggings.

 Born Karisa

Born Oriel
  Born, I love you.

Shoe makers take note, it's not just arthritis girls that need comfort shoes. Even Victoria Beckham had recent surgury to repair damage done to her feet after years of wearing 6" heels. Large bunions left her feet in agony from wearing georgous shoes but with no support. Common issues like Victoria's include bunions, hammer toes (where the toe becomes bent due to a deformity of the joint), tendon and nerve damage, and shin splints (pain in the tibia). As well as the podiatry problems, heels also have a dangerous effect on the back, distorting its natural alignment and compressing the spinal nerves resulting in back pain. Can you imagine a Jimmy Choo that was not only georgous but also a dream to wear all day? It can be done!


Sources: here and here

Fashion is Not Arthritis Friendly

 I LOVE fashion. alot. I blog about it, I read other blogs about it, I have the World Fashion Channel AND Fashion TV channel on my cable. I watch What Not To Wear, Top Model (US, UK, and Italian version), Rachel Zoe, 10 Years Younger UK, Gok Wan's How to Look Good Naked, The Fashion Show, Fashion Police, and Project Runway. Every time I get back home to the US, I go to used book stores and stock up on all of my favorite American magazines that I can't get in Italy. I have a Chictopia sccount, Weardrobe account, and Lucky Mag Style Spotter account. I have my own YouTube channel where I talk about my thrifty finds and of course, I have my own vintage shop on Etsy called Italian Postcards. I am by far not the most fashion obsessed person in the world but you get the picture.

Most of the time I have no fear about wearing something daring out and about town. Unique items are my specialty. For example:

Here's the thing. I'm 35 and I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've had it since I was 30. This is a problem for someone who adores fashion. For one (among many many things), I can not wear heels. Why? Because my arthritis is in my heels and ankles (and wrists and fingers and knees). For example here is my left foot on a normal day:

Apologies if you are eating your breakfast and were not ready to see feet but, you can see that my ankle and heel are very swollen. It makes me limp a little when I walk. It also means that I can not wear, walk or stand in heels. Tragedy. On occasion a wedge can be tolerated but my best bet is a flat boot with a cushion insole and an ankle brace. Like this:

It could be worst, I know this. But there are those days when I feel like this:

 But that's not going to happen.
(a photo I took in Piazza Castello of a 2010 Lavazza Calendar model)

I still can't get over the fact that rheumatoid arthritis is suposta be for women, or men, over 60, 70 years of age. When my doctor said to me, "Well, What do you think you have?"  I responded, "It just can't be arthritis, I'm too young". But I was wrong. OK so I have it but I don't want to look like I have arthritis!

 So here's the thing; Fashion is Not arthritis friendly. So I am starting a new direction of this blog. Not to be a poster women for rheumatoid arthritis but I am going to be showing more arthritis friendly ways to be fashionable. I truly believe that you (we) can be fashionable while living with arthritis.

So ladies!!!! If you are like me or have advice, stories, ideas, PLEASE comment or contact me. I want to hear your fashion advice.

Hooray for Yokoo and Etsy!

Right on the front page of MSN.com I found and fellow Etsyian! Can you believe it?! This was the best I could do for a "screen shot".

Gifts That Will Keep You Married

From one of our favorite wives to yours, 17 fantastic ideas — no matter what kind of husband you are. Because a lady deserves to be happy for the holidays.

For the Heartless: A Really Warm Scarf Not much of a snuggler? I bet your girl could use a hug. But if you can't put out, you might want to try turning to one of Yokoo's absurdly cozy neck warmers and scarves. The one-woman Etsy superstar pumps out dramatic, glamorous neckwear at an alarming speed, and as a glance at any women's fashion magazine will tell you, they're also very much on trend. They also seem to magically fit and flatter just about any face and shape. Did I mention they're extremely cozy? Scarves by Yokoo, etsy.comBing Shopping: Scarves > Video: How to find the right gift for someone> More from Esquire What Beautiful Women Really Want for the Holidays 10 Ways to Spice Up Your Relationship Important Things Men Don't Know About Women 25 Sexy Dating Rules for the Modern Gentleman What America's Top Chefs Want to Give Their Kitchen

 

How to Get on The Sartorialist for Dummies

 

Chart found here.

Found in Vogue/Found on Etsy

Dolce & Gabbana

Found on Etsy:

NikitaJade

Found on Vogue/Found on Etsy

Vogue:

Etsy:

somelikeitvintage

The American Mustache Institute is Awesome!

The AMI is a organization and website that celebrates the mustache. Every kind of mustache from the Tom Selleck to the Salvador Dali and it's awesome. It's good for some inspiration from the Gallery of Mustaches to the list of Robert Goulet Memorial Mustache of the Year winners. Fashion wise, moustaches are coming back y'all. Embrace it.

 

The AMI's guide to Mustaches:

Chevron

A thick and wide mustache, usually worn long to cover the top border of the upper lip.

Dali

A narrow mustache with long points bent or curved steeply upward. Named for artist Salvador Dali.

English

A narrow divided mustache that begins at the middle of the upper lip, with long whiskers pulled to either side of the center. The areas beyond the corners of the mouth are typically shaved.

Fu manchu

A mustache that begins on the upper lip and whose whiskers are grown very long to extend down each side of the mouth down to the to jaw. The areas just past the corners of the mouth are shaven, thus differentiating this style from the "horseshoe" (see below).

Handlebar

A handlebar mustache can be worn large or small ("petit handlebar"); it is characterized by the fact that it is bushy and must be worn long enough to curl the ends upward, which is usually achieved with styling wax.

Horseshoe

A full moustache with vertical extensions grown on the corners of the lips and down the sides of the mouth to the jawline, resembling an upside-down horseshoe. The whiskers grown along the sides of the mouth in the horseshoe are sometimes referred to as "pipes." Not to be confused with the "fu manchu" which is grown long from the upper lip only-- the sides remain shaven in the fu manchu.

Imperial

A large mustache growing from both the upper lip and cheeks, whiskers from the cheeks are styled pointing upward.

Lampshade

A mustache similar to the "painter's brush," but with corners angled slightly, resembling the shape of a lampshade.

Painter's brush

A thick mustache covering the width of the mouth, usually worn short, with slightly rounded corners.

Pencil

A thin, narrow, closely clipped mustache that outlines the upper lip. Pencil style mustaches can be trimmed in different manners (see below). Also sometimes called a "mouthbrow."

Pyramidal

A general name for mustaches shaped narrow on top and wide on the bottom, like a pyramid. Pyramidal mustaches can be shaped in a variety of ways, as shown below.

Toothbrush

A thick mustache, shaved to be about an inch wide in the center.

Walrus

A large, bushy, droopy mustache that hangs down over the lips, often entirely covering the mouth.