New Forever 21 at Beverly Center: My Summer Haul

For the rapture, I was amongst the hoardes of fashion whores ascending the stairway to heaven i.e. the new Forever 21 on the top floor of the Beverly Center.

If you haven't been and aren't prone to naseousness, go...now. Best selection ever. It's even more impressive than the behemoth F21 at the Americana or the three-story one on the Third Street Promenade. It is, as Racked LA called it, 45,000 square feet of "overwhelming humongosity."

After months of not finding a single thing at any Forever 21, I found myself wanting everything in sight. Summer really tends to be the best season at most cheapie stores.
Narrowed it down to 12 summer essentials Best of all: the entire haul cost less than $150 thanks to some opening weekend discounts. Bananas right?   Behold the fun:

Four pairs of shorts to motivate me to go running

Two little jackets in fun prints and piping with the perfect drape

The scalloped rasberry skirt I saw months ago but haven't been able to find since

A chevron dress perfect for easy summer nights

A replacement for my other Forever 21 army green jacket that I've worn out over the last three years

A COMFORTABLE jumper that looks like it's DVF

Bangles that look like the circa 1990 friendship bracelets everyone's hot for again

And the ring I haven't taken off since I laid eyes on it.

So I'm all good if The Rapture's still a'comin.

Inspired by Nicole Richie's Winter Kate in Santa Barbara

The Scene

Double date in Santa Barbara.

Our version of heaven, really.

Especially all the adult beverages.

Followed by PG-13 fun.  Like riding a carousel. Easily the first time for each of us in 20 years. Highly recommend your old ass attempt it, preferably tipsy.

Then we hit the CHARMING SB zoo. Perfect place for monkeying around. You fit in with the kids and the animals ;)

Perfect day of  good clean, alcohol infused fun.

The Outfit
Forever 21 top
Seven jeans
Image sweater

The Accessories
Fashion District sandals
Marc Jacobs bag
Chanel sunglasses
Lee Angel bracelets
Me&Ro necklace

The Grade

Pass

The Commentary

Santa Barbara always makes me feel hippie dippie. Hence this boho top. Adore how it looks much more expensive than 30 bucks. That's how F21 does.

Makes me feel like a gargantuan version of Nicole. It's the bat wings covering my bat wings. 

The Inspiration

p.s. Speaking of Nicole, is anyone as excited for The World According to Paris as I am? It starts next week on Oxygen.  Think Simple Life. Except now one of Paris' bffs is Charlie Sheen's ex. Who allegedly is an actual crack head.

Let the games begin.

/

The Divorcee Sale: What I Bought

The morning before the Trevor Project Garden Party, I had a breakfast of champions with my favorites on the planet.

At the Sunset Tower Hotel, overlooking the pool and LA, my favorite place on the planet.

Afterward, we sent Mr. Diabolina on his merry way while my mom and I trekked a block down Sunset Blvd. To the Mondrian Hotel. For a tres hel-LA event.

There, in a gorgeous suite, we pawed through well-edited resale goodies at the Divorcee Sale, a bi-annual shopping event where divorcées sell their unwanted but mostly pristine clothing, shoes and handbags. It's not only a win for the divorcees and for resale hunters like me but it benefits a great lady-power cause: a quarter of the proceeds go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

I love the event's tag line: "Her Past. Your Future." Genius. The PYT next to me is the event's mastermind. Lovely lovely lovely businesswoman and a former Tory Burch employee.

Hence the incredible Tory pieces that most people have never seen before. Like this exquisite fur that was made for only one season. I didn't need it but boy did I want it.

Same story with this Vuitton yummy.

Fell for these Tory Burch cherries

This DVF maxi that I've wanted forever

This Tracy Reese with me written all over it.

And this Karta dress that I JUST found resale and bought a few months ago---jinx. Remember blogging about it way back in 2008.

Also on my brain forever: these Balenciagas. Blogged them back in January of 2010. They are space age vaginas on your feet. ADORE! My favorite find at the sale. Alas, a size too big.

So instead I got this Marc by MJ  meets Little House on the Prarie top

This amazeballs, perfect for summer Tory Burch bag

And the cherries. I had to.

My mom also scored some Tory.

She wears it oh so well.