FabSugar

Online Sale Alert! Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale

FabSugar — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:00:07 PDT

For me, lacey little things are a compulsive purchase - I see them and crumble on the spot. So, when I spied this Oversized Lace Tee ($52, originally $88) I was a goner. Luckily, this pretty find is just one of the many (seriously, so many) items available at Nordstrom's half-yearly sale. Get there quick, this sale is bound to supply some Fab Summer finds.

For more great deals, check out the Frugalosity! and Cheap Chic FabSugar Community groups!

Exclusive! Patricia Field Dishes on Sex and the City 2 & $10 Million Wardrobe!

Luke Frydenger — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:57:15 PDT

Sex and the City’s resident costume designer Patricia Field tells us her inspiration behind the ensembles in Sex and the City 2 and whether or not the cast’s wardrobe really cost $10 million. Patricia also reveals if there’s a possibility of a Sex and the City 3. Check it out!

Sex and the City’s Standout Style Quotes!

FabTV — Thu, 20 May 2010 09:31:29 PDT

Over 6 seasons of Sex and the City, New York’s most stylish ladies have given us fabulous words of advice and catchy one-liners. With a permanent love for Chanel and an uncanny eye for Manolo Blahnik, Carrie has given us amazing words to live by on fashion, shopping, and obviously… shoes! Check out our collection of SATC’s best fashion quotes!

The Look For Less: Tibi Ruffle Tank

FabSugar — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:00:22 PDT

When I spied this Tibi Ruffle Tank ($198), my first thought was, how perfect with white jeans. Second thought - I can do better on that price. I love the flirty ruffled look but passed for a sweeter deal. Check it out.

To see the look for less,

Flattering Fitness Tops That Hide a Pooch

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:17:25 PST

Whether you overdid it with late-night snacking, or you're in the awkward early weeks of pregnancy where it just looks like you did, slipping on a skintight exercise top doesn't inspire. If a softer middle makes you feel self-conscious, here are eight fashionable options to keep your belly hidden.

Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti Fall 2012

FabSugar — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:52:30 PST

There was a cinematic kind of drama to the Fall 2012 collection of Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti. First, the elegant setting - Avery Fisher Hall, which is home to New York's Philharmonic Orchestra, was built in the '60s and reflects midcentury form in a warm palette of cream, brass, and wood. Cue the orchestral soundtrack, and finally the models, who came up a weirdly chic escalator and walked the eternally long hall only to disappear down the other escalator. It felt a little bit like the end of a movie, playing over and over again. If that's the case, the heroine we would imagine to be a very elegant woman from the 1960s with a taste for sparkle on her pert shirt collars, lucite belts to cinch her tailored skirt suit, and a fur jacket encased in plastic (in case it rains). It was as if last season's cute '60s girl, who wore shades of pink and purple and yellow with aplomb, grew up, got a job, married rich, maybe had an affair (we're thinking of Tilda Swinton in the beautifully shot Milan-based film I Am Love), and saw her tastes evolve a bit - still feminine, but a lot more elegant.

Trends: Ladylike, sparkly embellishments, skirt suits, monochromatic dressing, lucite, plastic, '60s elegant.
Colors: Gray, cream, nude, camel.
Key Piece: Any of the tops with sparkly collars, a beautiful ombré camel coat.
Accessories: Lucite belts, chic little briefcases, silver-tipped stilettos.
Who Would Wear It: Sophisticated, feminine dressers with a taste for unusual details.

Global Pantry: A Short Course on Cardamom

Padma Lakshmi — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:18:02 PST

We've got a new partnership with Padma Lakshmi! The host of the Emmy-winning Top Chef, writer, and designer started Padma Lakshmi, a social networking site that celebrates our favorite topics, including food adventures, recipes, and party planning. She'll be dishing up goodies for us here on YumSugar monthly. Today, Padma shows us what the spice cardamom is useful for, and why it's so much better to grind cardamom yourself.

Cardamom comes in two main forms: pale, sage-green pods that contain eight to 10 tiny, highly perfumed seeds (which are crushed to make the spice powder), and the larger black cardamom that is used to give savory roasts and curries their heat. For baking, make sure you ask for the green kind, as it is significantly more delicate in aroma and taste; the black variety tastes of menthol and eucalyptus. Most supermarkets sell cardamom in its powder form, but it’s very easy to make your own freshly ground cardamom powder for baking and mixing into spiced teas, like masala chai. Turkish and Arabic coffee also get their aroma from cardamom; it’s a lovely spice to have on hand to dress up many a simple sweet concoction.

Just take a dozen or so green cardamom pods (they are only a 1/4-inch long) and slowly peel away the pale, dry, green shell of each to reveal the tiny black pellet seeds inside. One side of the pod will be more pointed; with your thumb and index finger, peel back a side by breaking the little pointed nub. You can even smash or crush a few at a time with the back of a large metal spoon or ladle. Make sure you have a small mortar and pestle on hand; peel the pods directly over the mortar’s basin so as to catch all the seeds. Once you’ve collected enough seeds, discard the green outer shells and pound the seeds into a fine powder with the pestle. Save in a small glass jar in your pantry; the powder will keep its fragrance for months if you seal it well.

What’s your favorite spice for baking and cooking?

Photo Source: 2bp

More stories from PadmaLakshmi.com:

Global Pantry: A Dash of Asafetida Is All You Need

Warm Up With Drinking Chocolate

From My Kitchen: Basil and Blood Orange Salad

Pumpkin: A Savory Flavor That Spans Seasons

Buzz In: What's Your Favorite Whitney Houston Song?

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:14:21 PST

The recent passing of Whitney Houston is still setting in, but fans have responded to her tragic death by celebrating her music. Whitney: The Greatest Hits album has climbed the Billboard charts to No. 6, and there are several of her singles in the iTunes top 100. Whether it's for comfort, or people just being reminded of her amazing vocals, it has us wondering which Houston songs people love the most.

I was a huge Houston fan as a kid, and my favorites were always "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," and they remain my favorites to this day. Now I want to hear from you: what's your favorite Whitney Houston song?

Whitney Eve Fall 2012

Hannah Weil — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:05:58 PST

Honing in on a cool-girl craftiness (and her own signature style), Whitney Port sent fuzzy sweaters, mixed prints, and pretty florals down the runway this morning for her Fall Whitney Eve collection. Front-row celebs Nigel Barker, Tyson Beckford, and Coco Rocha nodded along as models hit the catwalk and Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)" blared in Lincoln's Studio. The soundtrack may have been just a bit over-the-top - flirty floral dresses and peplum don't exactly scream tough-girl - but chain-adorned velvet trousers and burnout velvet pants may speak more to that edginess. As a whole, though, the collection feels decidedly breezy and feminine, albeit with that same quirkiness - read: mixed prints, playful cropped proportions, bold hues, and a splash of sequins - that defines Whitney's own LA style.

Trends: Velvet, mixed prints, textured knits, florals, crop tops, peplum.
Colors: Orange, black, navy, nude.
Key Piece: The cropped printed knit mixed with the printed miniskirt.
Accessories: Angular, geometric necklaces; metallic ankle-strap platforms and socks.
Who Would Wear It: Quirky-cool 20-somethings like Whitney herself.

No Girl Scout Cookies? Make Your Own Thin Mint Body Scrub

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:04:01 PST

It's Girl Scout cookie season, and across the USA echoes the resounding crunch of Thin Mints. If you can't get enough of their chocolate-y, minty goodness, here's a super easy DIY scrub that has all the things you love about the cookies and will leave your skin looking, feeling, and smelling sublime, too. To whip up your own Thin Mint scrub, just follow our recipe below.