Pharrell Williams wants to design for the ladies. He’s reportedly planning to launch Billionaire Girls Club (the sister to his Billionaire Boys Club men’s fashion line) in 2013. (Haute Living) Prada is launching its limited-edition capsule jewelry collection this November. The line includes necklaces, cuffs, earrings, bracelets and brooches, with everything from crystals and floral accents to resin, leather and crocodile materials. Prices start at $488. (Fashionista) Here’s a first look at the “futuristic yet primal” Gareth Pugh For MAC Cosmetics collection of mascara,...  Read More..

When Hudson Jeans reached out and asked if What’s Haute would help spread the word about their breast cancer awareness initiative, I jumped at the chance. I have family members and close friends that have been directly affected by the disease, so supporting breast cancer research and awareness and helping to find a cure has long been a personal cause of mine. During the month of October, Hudson Jeans will donate $5 from every pair of jeans sold on Hudsonjeans.com to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. One in 8 U.S. women (approximately 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer in their...  Read More..

We rave on and on about endless designer collaborations but the most important ones are the ones that enable us to truly give back. Last night I attended a cocktail party at the Nicole Miller boutique in SoHo to celebrate her partnership with Indego Africa (Independence. Development. Governance.), an organization that partnered with Cocoki (Cooperative de Couture de Kicukiro), a sewing cooperative of over 40 women in Kigali, Rwanda. This is Nicole’s second collaboration with Indego and at Tuesday night’s event I got the chance to chat with two of the women involved with the partnership....  Read More..

Gloomy days call for a pop of color, don’tcha think? In college, I used to be that girl that would always wear all black. Not sure what I had against color, since my high school wardrobe was PRETTY COLORFUL. Thank goodness there are few photos. But throughout college, I donned all black, pretty much all the time. Black is still the color I fall back on but I see myself opening up to more and more brightly colored pieces.  Depending on your figure, bright pants can sometimes be a scary thing but I found these flame-colored J. Crew Minnie stretch twill pants to be very figure-flattering. On...  Read More..

As we invest in more classic wardrobe staples, we are constantly looking for jewelry that makes a statement.  Lately, we are obsessed with sparkly beaded and crystal necklaces.  The Bekah Necklace features an antiqued brass snake-chain and intricate pendant adorned in Swarovski crystals and chain fringe.  The mixed metals create a chic, bohemian look that will totally transform an outfit.  Wear the Bekah Necklace with a bow blouse, loose tunic or tweed blazer and jeans. Buy the Bekah Necklace for $520 at Charm & Chain. Get more What’s Haute – Follow us on Twitter and ‘Like’...  Read More..

On one of the perfect, sun-filled days we had at the end of the summer, I pulled out this Kersh printed peplum-style top. Admittedly, I was never really a fan of the style – peplum dresses always conjure up images of awful eighties style to me – particularly the clothes Jackée Harry wore while playing sassy “Sandra Clark” on 227. Not to say that she wasn’t stylish back then – she was; but I think certain styles from the 80′s fashion archives are best left in that era. Fast-forward to 2011; peplum-style dresses have made a major comeback. I’m still...  Read More..

If you are looking for new jewelry to enhance your fall wardrobe, be sure to tune into HSN this Thursday, Sept. 28, from 1-3 p.m. ET to view Ramona Singer‘s latest additions to her eponymous line. With influences from her cross country travels while promoting her wine, Ramona is back with a little something for everyone. Look red carpet-ready with one of her stunning blue topaz pieces, or check out my personal favorites: the unique multi-gem drop ring and matching earrings. Incorporating various color amethyst and topaz gemstones, mixed with citrine and iolite, the gem drop pieces really...  Read More..

We appreciate accessories with a story behind the design. Ashley Pittman jewelry represents the craftsmanship of Kenyan artisans, and the use of indigenous materials such as natural horn carved by a woman’s cooperative, along with bronze and fair-trade semi-precious stones mined in East Africa. The Kidogo Studded-Horn Necklace is edgy yet understated with its rich dark horn bar-beads and hand-inlaid bronze  resembling studs. It’s a versatile statement jewelry piece that can be worn season after season. The Ashley Pittman Collection donates 10% of all sales to the Ashley Pittman...  Read More..

Venessa Arizaga recently joined the roster of fabulous jewelry designers.  A Parsons graduate and former design director at Zac Posen, Venessa launched her jewelry collection in 2007, and began focusing on her passion full-time in 2010.  Inspired by the natural beauty and island culture of Puerto Rico, her handmade designs are an eclectic mix of natural stones and crystals, luxe metals, silk threading, and colorful charms.  Our favorite pieces from the collection are the Baja charm necklace and Baja charm bracelet for their youthful, modern details.  The gunmetal-tone brass with multicolored...  Read More..

Haute Girl: Lia Where we spotted her: Chelsea Where she’s from: California Occupation: Business Development at Glam Media Style summary: Eclectic When we spotted Lia, she was busy chatting away on her phone, but we just HAD to interrupt her to learn where she got her fab, airy print caftan dress. We were instantly drawn to her boho-glam, California cool style and knew we had to stop her and snap her right away! She let us know that the sheer, belted dress was from Anthropologie, which she paired with a lacy black slip from Forever 21. Lia accessorized with a convertible black Kooba shoulder...  Read More..

The colorblocking trend is still going strong, and Garcelle Beauvais shows us the right way to transition it into our Fall wardrobes. At the premiere of “The Help“, Garcelle wowed the red carpet with a sunny yellow blouse and bright blue wide-leg trousers. Her look consisted of an Equipment shirt and Elizabeth and James pants, accessorized by a tiered statement necklace, metallic clutch, cheetah print belt and blue YSL pumps. We love this look and if you love it too, shop the items below to re-create Garcelle’s haute colorblock style: 1. Chloé yellow Silk blouse with breast pockets,...  Read More..

Lee Angel, Roxanne Assoulin’s diffusion line, is filled with colorful, modern costume jewelry that ranges from simple to over-the-top, everyday pieces. Roxanne Assoulin is best known for translating new ideas into future trends, and mixing vintage styles with unexpected details. She has designed jewelry for over 18 years, and continues to create accessories that cross all age and cultural boundaries. Our must-have item of the season is the Manuela Multi-Ring With Chain Tassel Necklace. We love how the unique combination of materials give the necklace layers of texture and color. It...  Read More..

Animal print never gets old with me. The past few seasons have been all about leopard print but I still held tight to my zebra print Jeffrey Campbell shoes. The truth is, they never go out of style. Punctuated by an electric blue snake print heel and trim, these shoes are super haute and super sexy. And the best part is they’re comfy. There’s nothing better than a sexy, comfy heel. If I can make it around the cobblestone streets (yep, they exist) and rough sidewalks of New York in style, they’re keepers for the long-term. See me wearing these shoes, featured on Jeffrey Campbell’s...  Read More..

We’ve previously featured sustainable jewelry line, The Andean Collection, and they’ve recently introduced their new Antisana line. Designer Amanda Judge was inspired by the urban and rural landscapes of Brooklyn, NY and Quito, Ecuador to create the new line, featuring geometric shapes and designs in jewelry, scarves, belts and hats. The most popular material used in The Andean Collection is the Tagua nut seeds which are sustainably harvested from the Ecuadorian Ivory Palm, and then seeds are before being carved polished and dyed. The twist in the Antisana line is featured in the Honeycomb...  Read More..

London-based designer Fiona Paxton launched her jewelry label in 2008, creating beautiful, intricately designed hand-beaded necklaces and bracelets in geometric patterns. She combines her love for Indian artisanship with inspiration from the British punk era, Japanese fashion of the ’80s, and the German Bauhaus movement to make striking statement pieces.  The Fiona Paxton Crista Necklace is a dramatic, collar-style necklace created from 36 royal blue spheres of natural sodalite.  The metal finials were inspired by the roof shapes of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow.  We love the...  Read More..

The Sex and the City ‘era’ may have ended years ago but we’re still getting style inspiration from our favorite faux fashionista, Carrie Bradshaw. While watching a rerun of the “Frenemies” episode last night, we were enamored once again with Carrie’s gold jewelry, particularly her oversized butterfly necklace. One quick Google search later and we discovered just where to get one of our own. It’s the Kenneth Jay Lane Butterfly Necklace and it’s available at shopbop.com. This stunning piece of statement jewelry is timeless – as you can see, Carrie...  Read More..

Lucky Magazine challenged a group of its Alpha Shoppers, including me, to create a piece of statement jewelry using materials found at Michaels. As a former jewelry and handbag designer, and all-around crafty person, I was up for the task. The real challenge was limiting myself to creating only one statement piece! With my $50 gift card in hand, I headed out on a shopping trip to Michaels. It took about an hour to browse the entire section of beads. I finally settled on creating a necklace out of a turquoise and gold metal plate, turquoise-colored howlite teardrop-shaped ‘beads’,...  Read More..

The perfect day = perfect weather, the perfectly distressed denim jacket, perfect fit pants and the perfect bag. Wouldn’t you agree? We took a road trip to Philly for the day and the weather was sunny and gorgeous, but still cool enough to wear a light jacket. I love distressed denim, especially when you can purchase it that way. I bought this Kensie jacket a while back on Beyond the Rack and have recently been wearing it since it’s been a cool summer so far. Denim jackets are so versatile – I love pairing them with colored denim (like these tan Vince jeans), floral dresses,...  Read More..