Hair-do’s are a bit of an obsession of mine. Whether it’s perfecting my pin-curls, re-creating Chanel’s runway up-do’s or getting that perfect summer braid down, I’m always on the lookout for a good tutorial and new ideas. Daily Candy has been a GREAT resource of late, with a fantastic tutorial on how to do the ‘around the world’ braid so many cute, sunny So-Cal blondes have been sporting recently. See it here. Daily Candy also has a great tutorial on the perfect messy side bun here.

And I will definitely be trying their beachy curls tutorial on my trip to Mexico, Bumble and Bumble’s Surf Spray is perfect for this look.

Refinery 29 also has a great feature on Fall’s hair trends, and I would love to see a video tutorial of that Dior look! See more at Refinery 29.

After spending an hour debating whether I wanted to break down and buy this Joan Rivers piece from QVC the other week, because- do I really want to be a person that shops on QVC? I can now be pretty sure that I’ll cross that threshold when Janie Bryant, Mad Men’s genius costume designer, brings her wares to QVC. According to WWD:

The line will debut on QVC on September 29, with 20 pieces of outerwear, sweaters, pants, and skirts, and about 10-15 pieces of costume jewelry, priced from $26 to $138. The 50s and 60s-esque line features “fake-fur jackets and capelets, reversible satin swing coats, brocade boleros, pencil skirts, skinny pants and colorful crystal pendants and pins.” As Janie tells it, “I was inspired by my grandmother’s closet and jewelry box. I used to dress up as a little girl, and spend hours dressing and accessorizing my dolls, and this line brings back memories of a fond and fun time.”

You can also sneak a peek at season 4’s wardrobe.

In LA it’s always kinda summer but, with Memorial Day a mere 12 days away we can say it’s offish. If you’re wondering what hat to wear while you lounge your $10,000 hammock look no further than Bijou Van Ness’ awesome Derby number. Her hats are hand crafted using only couture methods, a rarity these days.

See the Derby and more at Bijou Van Ness.

For the last 4 or 5 seasons straight, I have been obsessed with the Dior runway collections. This season is no different.

Visit style.com to see the whole collection: Dior SP 2010

More images and info at nitrolicious

Frye, Frye, Frye. Damn you make some good boots. I’m convinced these are the perfect riding boots, and I need to stop staring at them, because the more I look at them the more reasonable the price seems.

The Melissa Button boots are available at Zappos.com

Many months back I wrote about what I consider to be one of the most exciting masstige collabos ever, Sonia Rykiel for H&M. While her lingerie line was super cute, what I wanted were SWEATERS, SWEATERS, SWEATERS! And thanks to the ever vigilant fashion blog Nitrolicious, we can all see what’s to come. Now this is what I’m talking about!! This collection is set to hit stores on 2/20/2010 in 250 stores.

[View with PicLens]

I was greatly inspired by the Sartorialist’s photos on Governor’s Island. The outfits are divine- romantic, vintage, crisp, flattering and the menswear inspired oxfords, wing tips and saddle shoes really jumped out at me. After seeing my styley friend Esther receive a pair of retro saddle shoes as a birthday present, I knew there was something to this obsesh of mine.

And is anyone else completely obsessed with the shoes by Cole, Rood and Haan? They are beyond words, especially the Breezers!

So here’s a list of great looking saddle or saddle inspired shoes (in order from top to bottom):

1. Burda by Taryn Rose $253.00
2. Gin Mill by Cole, Rood & Haan $295.00
3. Saddle Oxford by BDG $48.00
4. Tapeet by Vicini $248.00
5. Tuxxedo by Steve Madden $79.99
6. Retro Saddle Shoe (not pictured) $79.00

One of my favorite pastimes in Tokyo is definitely their Purikura booths. It has all the makings of a great afternoon-photography, cuteness, instant gratification in the form of sticker sheets and lots and lots of pink. I love the premise: get in, take a bunch of goofball photos and then race against the clock to cram as many bows and smiley-faced hamburgers into each frame as humanly possible. The downside? It’s an 11 hour plane ride from Los Angeles.

But a recent discovery on Yelp, pointed me to Photosticker in nearby Garden Grove. SCORE! I will be heading out to investigate in the weeks to come and I will report back.

I love many things about Los Angeles, one of the foremost reasons is that most music acts stop in this city for shows. I can have my pick of the litter, what a litter we’ve had this summer. Which brings me to my two most recent shows, Lykke Li at the Wiltern and La Roux at the Troubador.

Both are young, stylish and buzzed about, but their performances and stage presence couldn’t be more polarized. If my karaoke career has taught my anything, it’s that performance is 7/10 of the law. It’s all about stage presence and performing the hell out of a song.

First up La Roux: Her performance was riddled with missed opportunities for show stopping moments from the second she missed her grand stage entrance down a flight of stairs. She also seemed really uncomfortable being a performer, she phoned in her outfit and they stage set up didn’t get the attention it deserved. Her opening act managed to upstage her in the presence department (IO Echo). All of this is shame because she’s got some kick ass dancey songs and her videos are the best I’ve seen in a while. None of that pizazz translated AT ALL and I found myself bored half way through the set- I didn’t want to be! I think she’s adorable! The only thing that redeemed her is that she pepped up for her big song “Bulletproof,” but not nearly enough to salvage the set. She needed a costume change or transition badly! Take a page from Liza Minnelli’s book.

Second up Lykke Li: Her songs are by and large sleepy and dreamy, so I was hoping it wasn’t going to be a “girl at her piano” kind of a show. In the opening moments of the show, I leaned over to my friend and whispered, “God I hope she has stage presence.” And did she ever, even in the nose bleed seats she completely dominated the stage from beginning to end. Her vibe was simultaneously creepy, sexy, haunting and cute. At times she seemed to be channeling Animal from the Muppets and then a Reggae dance hall queen. Her dancing, the staging, the lighting the band, her singing- flawless. My mind didn’t even begin to wander for a nanosecond, she was mesmerizing.

Winner: Lykke Li!!