Style It: Shoes and the City -- Charlotte

Cosabella lingerie has issued the official undergarments for the new Sex and the City movie and our good friends over at Isabella Fine Lingerie are stocking them. Each week, we will show another lingerie collection and have you style it. All comments with links to shoes in our catalog will be entered to win a personal, 20% discount! Last week we accessorized the Miranda. This week we turn our eye to the feminine Charlotte!

The collection is a blend of girly femininity and casual, elegant sexuality. Eternally optimistic, light and comfortable, the Charlotte collection is made from a blend of ultra-soft modal and eco-friendly bamboo fiber.

We chose to match this with shoes that were eternally stylish without sacrificing comfort or falling victim to trends.

We chose shoes by Progetto, Enzo Angiolini, Caparros and Poetic Licence.

And now we want to know how you would style it. Take a look below, read up on the rules and start styling, you maven you!

The rules: Find a shoe in our online store that best compliments the Charlotte collection. Link to it in the comments of this post and describe why you chose what you chose. Style-a-thon ends Saturday, 31 May at midnight; we'll post the winning pairing the following week. Winner gets a private code for 20% off their next online purchase at Lori's. Happy styling!

Style It: Shoes and the City -- Miranda

As you all know, Cosabella lingerie has issued the official undergarments for the new Sex and the City movie and our good friends over at Isabella Fine Lingerie are stocking them. Each week, we will show another lingerie collection and have you style it. All comments with links to shoes in our catalog will be entered to win a personal, 20% discount! We started last week with the Samantha. This week we turn our eye to the willowly Miranda!

The collection is a blend of cosmopolitan confidence with a hidden soft side. Made of tulle with a contrasting scalloped lace trim, it's sexy under careerwear and killer in more intimate settings.

We chose shoes by Jeffrey Campbell, Calvin Klein, Gastone Lucioli and Seychelles that have professional leanings with a bit of glam and after-hours fun thrown in.

And now we want to know how you would style it. Take a look below, read up on the rules and start styling, you maven you!



The rules: Find a shoe in our online store that best compliments the Samantha collection. Link to it in the comments of this post and describe why you chose what you chose. Style-a-thon ends Saturday, 17 May at midnight; we'll post the winning pairing the following week. Winner gets a private code for 20% off their next online purchase at Lori's. Happy styling!

Bored of War? Try the Semaphore.

We wrote recently about the prayer scarf craze that was sweeping the stores. Seems like prayers aren't the only things in demand: anything that puts the brakes on this mad, mad, mad, mad world seems decidedly "in." The latest resurrection is an classic: the peace symbol, which began its life not quite how many Americans remember.

Turn back the clock to a chilly, gray Good Friday 1958 and English protesters were marching on Aldermaston, the countryside farm town where Britain built its nuclear weapons. Gerald Holtom, a designer and artist, convinced the Direct Action Committee (DAC) against Nuclear War's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament to brand their protest with a visual symbol. Bearing in mind Goya's Spanish rebels and merging the semaphore initials for "N"uclear "D"isarmament, the well-known symbol was born. New life was breathed into the symbol when it became the standard for protest in America during the Viet Nam War.

With conflict and disaster seemingly de rigueur, it is only appropriate that this old chestnut becomes again au courant. The Raj peace sign scarves have an all-over peace pattern on sheer fabric. Wear them on mild days over basic colors for a visual pop and billowy silhouette. And some big sunglasses, as big as you can get. The scarf is easily one of your most important and versatile wardrobe accessories. We recommend spending some time on the knotting; Europeans get this.

(You will absolutely drive us to tears if you buy this scarf and wrap it around your neck like you are half-hitching a horse to the post. Display this scarf proudly. Let it rope and flow around your shoulders. A good scarf knot defines your look and edges your chin and jawline, highlights your neck and shoulders, and visually ties together your whole ensemble. Let it carry your wardrobe. Match it to your shoes or purposefully mismatch it to be achingly fashionable.)

The peace sign has also been cropping up in rings, necklaces and bags. We're wondering if the Bush Administration's warmongering isn't helping push fashion into a hippie chic revival as a generation after X starts to care again about how we are conducting ourselves in the world. Look for smiley faces, vibrant colors (if not tie-dye ... please) and other Age of Aquarius motifs to surface throughout summer.

Sex and the City: Samantha Winner

We have a winner! We've picked Diana's red strappy number by Kenneth Cole as a perfect compliment to the sultry Samantha collection. We like the bold sass of these heels and the caged ankle. Mee-ow!

Stay tuned this week for a new collection lingerie and shoe pairing based on a different character from Sex and the City the movie premiering May 30. Style the lingerie with your own pick from our catalog and link to it in the comments for that post and you will be entered to win a personal, private, online shopping discount.

No more pre-purchase for Parma

Hi everybody,

Just a quick note that we are not accepting pre-purchases for the Calvin Klein Parma. We do not want to run the risk of overselling our order, so we have removed this option. Thanks so much for your excitement about this wonderful shoe!

We've received word from Calvin Klein that we should receive the shoes on June 10, at which time we will immediately fulfill the pre-orders.

Best,

Lori's

Oprah's Top Picks for Summer: Fit-Flops

They say that great minds think alike, so we're flattered Lori and Oprah are sisters of a thought: both love fit-flops, the casual kicker that gives you a workout and a comfortable conveyance in the same, sporty package. Oprah has picked them as one of her favorite things for summer and Lori has ordered several styles. The WalkStar in red (shown) looks like an ordinary platform thong flipflop; the secret lies in a tripartite, multple-density foam footbed that works your leg and butt muscles while providing support and sturdy toe for a brisker push-off.

The official line is that they are "engineered with a multi-density midsole that stimulates your muscles more while you're wearing them. In independent University testing, FitFlops have been shown to trigger increased gluteal muscle response, increased hamstring response, increased rectus femoris (thigh) response and increased calf muscle response." The Philidelphia ABC afiliate reviewed them and reported that while the fitness component was no substitute for real exercise, they were some damned comfortable sandals.

Regardless anything that lets us pretend to exercise without having to, well, exercise is close enough for us ... especially if it comes in such a cute retro-sporty package. (It makes us think .... "Lacoste.") We see them as perfect for the beach, the tennis courts, or really any activity that involves sun and fun.

WalkStars should be available in late May with other styles following soon thereafter.

Style It: Shoes and the City -- Samantha

Cosabella lingerie has issued the official undergarments for the new Sex and the City movie and our good friends over at Isabella Fine Lingerie are stocking them. Of course, we immediately set out to pair shoes to each. We're starting with the Samantha, described in the official literature as "designed in French Chantilly style lace with fine, micro-dot mesh."

So we chose some shoes that represented Samantha's confident sexuality -- womanly and worldy, aggressive, yet coy, with the faintest touch of feminine frills.

And now we want to know how you would style it. Take a look below, read up on the rules and start styling, you maven you!

The rules: Find a shoe in our online store that best compliments the Samantha collection. Link to it in the comments of this post and describe why you chose what you chose. Style-a-thon ends Saturday, 17 May at midnight; we'll post the winning pairing the following week. Winner gets a private code for 20% off their next online purchase at Lori's. Happy styling!

Also, check out Fab Sugar's Who Wore It Better contest on the Balenciaga Blue and Green Gladiator Sandal, referencing Sex and the City and Sarah Jessica Parker.

UPDATE (05-19-08): We have a winner! We've picked Diana's red strappy number by Kenneth Cole as a perfect compliment to the sultry Samantha collection. We like the bold sass of these heels and the caged ankle. Mee-ow!

Roman Holiday

They're calling it a new trend for 2008, but we all know that ever since Gladiator dream-boy Russell Crowe donned his togs, gladiator sandals have had the green light. Hell, any shoe style that's been around since Caesar crossed the Rubicon has to have something going for it.




We like gladiators because they are a perfect foundation (or, should we say ... tabula rasa?) upon which to build a great summer look. The simple open strap construction and heel cup can take myriad embellishments and turn out a great look.




What you get out of a gladiator is something ancient -- a certain, simple caged sexiness of feet bound in thongs -- that contains yet reveals your feet and ankles. Typically a piece of strapping running up the midfoot from toes to mid-leg draws attention to delicate ankles, leg length, insteps and toes. This buckles to the heel strapping, which points out your calf muscles and provides a secure fit. Because so much of your foot remains revealed, they are perfect under a mid-length skirt with some volume to it; the naked foot look will help make your whole outfit lighter while lending a touch of complexity.

The thin profile of these sandals are ripe for embellishment. Jeffrey Campbell's summer assortment uses fringe, beading and distressed dyes to highlight the foot. Dolce Vita's more straightforward take is sexed up with a late-century kitten heel while Enzo Angiolini uses a broad top piece to highlight the gorgeous red of its sandal.

So save up your denarii and grab a pair for summer.

We’ve been seeing a lot of the larger trends like yellows, turquoises and patent do well but one that took off (and took us by surprise) was the prayer scarf. Remember the pashmina craze a couple years ago? It’s like that, only with more love and peace and optimism (and style) involved. Unlike pashminas, these scarves are a more manageable size, come in engaging patterns with sewn details and are a much more versatile accessory.

Sir Alistair Rai, by Kiran Rai, kickstarted the trend by co-opting the Tibetan khata (a ceremonial scarf offered at the start of a relationship to indicate goodwill and positivity) and hand-embroidering it with feel-good prescriptions of “Love,” “Peace” and “Faith.” Throwing in the color scheme of Tibetan prayer scarves (representing the five elements of earth, air, water, fire and sky) and Sanskrit patterning, these scarves become a microcosm of Tibetan heritage, spreading a codified message of understanding and compassion through fashion. They’ve since been spotted on a range of young celebs such as Jessica Alba, Nicole Ritchie, Ashlee Simpson and the like.

Scarves are an essential wardrobe item because they are so versatile. These prayer scarves, with their festive colors and embroidered detail, are fantastic for gussying up an outfit when you don’t feel like putting in the effort. They are perfect for seasonal transitions or micro-climate locales like San Francisco where weather changes are unpredictable and sudden. Wear them instead of a jacket for quick jaunts, or with a light coat for extended walks out of doors. Lastly, the sheer fabric lends itself to delicate layering and folds, giving additional texture and character to anything from a plain tee to business attire. And in a time of seemingly unending conflict (are we fighting Eurasia ... or Eastasia?), what better look to promulgate than peace, love and understanding?