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Fab Site: StyleNotes.com

FabSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:00:22 PST

Face it - when it comes to bargains, you're lazy. You'd rather have someone present you with deals rather than scrounging the Internet yourself. Laziness may not take you far in other parts of your life, but in the online shopping world, it'll get you ahead.

StyleNotes.com reports the best deals, coupons, and sales from all the reputable stores out there. You can browse by category or shops. It's simple so stop being lazy and start saving some bucks.

Runway Trend to Try Now: Leather Opera Gloves and Dresses

Marisa Tom — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:50:35 PST

Along with the fabulous Fall '12 outerwear we've been seeing, there's another emerging trend that's high up on our "coveted style" list. Luckily, this one doesn't require us to wait to emulate its ultra-cool proportions. We're talking about the leather opera-length glove-and-dress look, of course. As seen at Diane von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Rachel Zoe, Carolina Herrera, Rag & Bone, and Yigal Azrouël, this ladylike pairing strikes up a nuanced and nostalgic feel with all the right attention to stylish detail. Simply put, designers have injected their Fall '12 collections with a totally refreshed spin on a retro classic look. It's a quick Spring styling coup - just accent flirtier floral print dresses with long Winter gloves, or take notes straight from the runway on how to pull of this easy, elegant dressing matchup in darker color combos. Click through the widget below and shop your favorite gloved pairings now.

From left to right: Carolina Herrera, Rachel Zoe, and Diane von Furstenberg

3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2012

Brittney Stephens — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:39:57 PST

Phillip Lim showed a bookish, workwear-inspired cool for Fall '12 - some of the models even carried briefcase-style clutches down the runway. The designer offered up tapered trousers, fitted blazers, and his signature slouchy yet structured knits, all playing into a pretty, polished glamour that's perfect for the office. The collection was a refreshing mix of youthfulness (bright pops of colors, sleek pointy-toe loafers, tiny slivers of skin showing) and an underlying note of sophistication (turtlenecks, contoured coats, high-waisted pants), bringing a sweet sartorial dichotomy to the art of Fall layering. Get the details below.

Trends: Knit blanket coats, subtle geometric prints and colorblocking, perfectly tailored trousers.
Colors: Black, white, red, bright blue, gray, taupe.
Key Piece: The wool patchwork coat with turtleneck; the mohair cape with white trousers.
Accessories: Leather belts, oversized fold-over clutches, metallic ankle booties and T-strap pumps.
Who Would Wear It: Women who want to look on-trend but professional at the office.

Jenny Packham Fall 2012

Hannah Weil — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:00:13 PST

A smoky backdrop and a slinky red gown set the stage for Jenny Packham's '40s-inspired collection of sequined, curve-conscious evening wear. Once the mellow jazz kicked in, Packham's perfectly coiffed film noir girls hit the catwalk in a bevvy of the designer's era-infused shorter frocks - all with bow-tied red or black belts - hitting that pitch-perfect styling note between pretty and sexy. There are the softer confections in pretty pastel pink and blue - the gowns we suspect Packham fan Kate Middleton will gravitate toward - but the bulk of the collection is devoted to the more vixen-like beauty in body-clinging detail, plunging necklines, and open backs. There's an underlying sense of sex appeal and a definitively glam finish with every piece, thanks to intricate shoulder embellishment, a subtle flash of skin, or a pretty dose of sparkle.

Trends: '40s glamour, cutouts, shoulder embellishment.
Colors: Black, red, nude, silver, pastel pink and blue.
Key Piece: We fell hard for the slinky gold-sequined gown.
Accessories: Crisscross black Louboutin pumps; red and black belts.
Who Would Wear It: Kate Middleton; red-carpet beauties with an eye for sexy silhouettes and pretty detail.

Grammy Awards: Taylor Swift

FabSugar — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:31:13 PST

Taylor Swift stepped outside of her red-carpet style boundaries tonight in a jaw-dropping Zuhair Murad lace confection. The collared, capped-sleeve floor-length gown hugged her lithe frame elegantly; needless to say, the gilded silhouette did not hit a single dull note. Add sexy back cutouts, a sleek top-knot bun, and a chic pair of gold earrings and you've got a totally glammed-up Taylor in her couture element. Do you think her Grammys look is a hit or a miss?

Vote on all of our Grammy Awards polls here!

Look of the Day: Polished Panache

FabSugar — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:00:11 PST

Looking for ways to style up your Jason Wu For Target takeaways? Fab reader Jenny in Jacquard paired her blush-hued Wu blouse with a ladylike white pencil skirt. For a polished finish, she topped her blouse collar with a chunky black gemstone necklace, toted a large black envelope clutch, and donned a pair of classic nude pumps. We think this sharp ensemble is front-row perfect for the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, and Carolina Herrera. Take notes on this sleek, well-executed way of dressing up a casual combo.

Congrats Jenny in Jacquard!

Everyone else, submit your looks, and we might just feature you on FabSugar!

The Muppets' Music Man Bret McKenzie on His Oscar Nod and Taking a Silly Job Seriously

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:50:41 PST

Bret McKenzie is up for an exceedingly rare honor this year, with his ballad "Man or Muppet" earning one of just two nominations in the Oscars' best song category. I caught up with The Muppets' musical supervisor today at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to chat about the awards attention and the unique experience of penning music for Kermit and company. The New Zealand native talked about fighting the temptation to use the word "motherfrogger" in his songwriting and the roundabout way he came on board The Muppets project in the first place. Bret - who previously was best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords - also shared his hopes of bringing FOC to the big screen. Check out our conversation below:

PopSugar: It's got to be an honor to be nominated for an Oscar, but also in a year when the Academy only bothered to nominate two songs.
Bret McKenzie: They barely nominated anyone! When I found out, it sounded like there'd been a mistake, and yeah, it's a huge honor. It's great and it's really exciting, and I'm not complaining that there's only two nominees the year I'm nominated. I mean, this is the best chance I'll have of winning an Oscar, ever. It couldn't have been better, unless there was just one nomination, and then it would be a very dull ceremony . . . There's a lot of legendary musicians - tunesmiths - in that list of possible nominations. So it's all very surreal to think that I got in ahead of Elton John.

PS: And Madonna. Those two had a little rivalry going on.
BM: I know. I got nervous about what Elton John's husband was going to say about me. It's crazy, and it's great for The Muppets film, because we're all really proud of the film and it wasn't ever really going to get a best actor. Hey, Jason's good, that's not what I mean, but Kermit, Miss Piggy - they can't win these awards - and comedies don't generally get recognized at these awards ceremonies, so it's kind of cool. It's almost like the film as a whole is being recognized with this category.

For more from our chat with Bret, including what he says about his plans for a Flight of the Conchords film, coaching Jason Segel, and the pressure he felt on the project, just

read more! PS: What was the biggest unexpected challenge for you writing music for the film? I know you talked about one draft of a song where you referred to a Muppet as a piece of felt and were told you couldn't do that. BM: Yeah. Little piece of felt, and you couldn't say things like motherfrogger, even though it's very tempting. There were lots of hard parts to it. The Muppets can't sing certain notes. They can't sing too high or the voice changes and doesn't sound like the right character. There were so many weird things. I spent hours recording penguins and rats, and what's weird is that it's such a silly job, but you have to take it very seriously. So I would be in the studio for days, maybe a whole day recording penguins, and then I'm like, "I'm not happy with how the penguins are sounding! Where's penguin four?" You know, getting demanding. "We lost penguin track four! I can't hear the penguin!" PS: I was watching the movie again last night and watching Jason Segel's performance of "Man or Muppet." Did you coach him on any of his rockstar moves? Because he pretty much nailed it. BM: He nailed it. That's my favorite moment in the film. When he buckles down in the rain, that was one of my favorite shots. I was so proud of what James [Bobin, the director] and those guys achieved, because I wasn't there on set, I just saw them syncing the video, and I was like, "Wow, guys. You nailed it." What we did do in the studio, as Jason and I had a technique where I would sing a line, and he'd watch me through the window, and then he'd sing it back. So we did this thing where, I was really into the drama of it. So, I was like, "Am I a Muppppettt?" [balling his hands into fists] And he'd be like, OK, record. "Am I a Muppppettt!" So we kind of worked together to get that style. PS: Did it shatter some of your childhood illusions to have the guy that does Miss Piggy's voice come work with you [in the recording studio]? BM: Yeah. Well, it wasn't Frank Oz. The guy Eric, who does it now, yeah. That was strange. And the day that we recorded Kermit the Frog doing "Rainbow Connection" - I was sort of pinching myself, because that was probably one of the real moments for me where I realized that my world had really changed. That I'd come from New Zealand, I'd grown up with Kermit the Frog, and now I was in Hollywood in a studio recording Kermit the Frog. It felt like worlds had collided. PS: Was there pressure knowing there was already this great catalog of Muppet songs? To try to add to that or top it in some way? BM: I knew I wouldn't top "Rainbow Connection," but I was very intimidated, but the way I worked on the job was it actually started with me just writing one song, so I didn't feel the pressure of writing the whole movie. I think it would have been different if I'd been hired from the outset to do all the music. So I wrote one, then another, and gradually wrote more and more, so that helped. PS: What song did you write first? BM: The opening song. That's the one they needed, that's the one James asked me to write first. The script was probably on a second draft, and they were in preproduction, so I came in quite late. And the way they were doing it was, they got 100s of demos submitted from all sorts of songwriters, and surprisingly - even though they got some really great people to do demos - people weren't quite hitting the right tone. The Muppet tone. I'd just come off the Conchords tour and I had some time, and James asked if I was interested in doing that opening song, because he had a kind of specific thing he needed from that song. He needed it to be really Muppet-y, that song, and he had a great idea for the whole town joining in, it starting off small and becoming a big musical number, and that came together really well. PS: Is this experience maybe something you want to bring to a Flight of the Conchords movie? BM: Yeah, exactly. Having done this movie now, we're in a much better place to do a Conchords film, because James is more experienced - well, we're all more experienced. Not specifically, but James Bobin - well, we're all very keen to do another studio musical, because I really enjoyed being able to do comedy musical numbers on such a grand scale, and I think next time, I really think it will just get better and better. Because it's such a fun genre, and we've done like 50 songs for TV now, and now The Muppets movie, and I feel like we've accidentally sort of become musical comedy experts. PS: What do you imagine Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords are up to these days, in their universe? BM: In the Lower East Side? That's a good question. I reckon they probably got a regular gig now. Like, at a Chinese restaurant. Photo courtesy Disney

Celeb Style: Rachel McAdams Wears the Perfect Spring Cocktail Dress For The Vow Premiere

Hannah Weil — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:35:16 PST

If you have a wedding or cocktail party coming up this Spring, look to Rachel McAdams's chic look at the premiere of The Vow for inspiration. The actress zeroed in on the pretty-cum-sexy vibe, opting for a curve-conscious Vivienne Westwood dress, but in a soft pastel hue. There's also a cool contrast to her evening style - Rachel toughened up her cocktail frock with Pomellato diamond and gold chain statement jewels, then finished on a softer note with a pair of nude Louboutin pumps and a delicate lace-trimmed clutch in hand. Love the look? Shop our key pieces to channel the same sweet-meets-sultry style - complete with the perfect red lip.

Trending on Très - Disney Princesses With an Artistic Twist

TresSugar — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:05:00 PST

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Street Style: 15 Ways to Rock Your Winter Layers

Hannah Weil — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:22:21 PST

We're big into layering this time of year - it's the easiest way to maximize our favorite Winter pieces and double (or triple!) up on our style. Rather than commit to a one-note look, a pop of a pretty collar, a leather skirt over tights, or a furry vest layered up or peeking out of our pullovers and jackets lets us be a little more playful - even if it is cold outside. As proof, we're borrowing a little inspiration from 15 ultra-chic style setters. These street-stylers prove it's not just the pieces you have, but how you put it all together that matters. Click through to see how it's done, then shop the key pieces to lend some variety to your look.

Oasis Placement Lace Dress - $116.38	TOUCH - Long leather gloves - $99.90
Easton Pearson Striped cotton and lace dress - $855.00	Peachoo + Krejberg Long leather glove - $599.00
Bluebell paisley maxidress - $225.00	Rosie - $146.00
Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Pannier printed cotton dress - $710.00	Barneys New York Long Mixed Gloves - $129.00
Valentino Lace detail crepe de chine dress - $3,490.00	CAROLINA AMATO Opera-Length Leather Gloves - $288.00
Love 21 Billowy Layered Dress - $29.80	Barneys New York Long Cable Knit Gloves - $275.00
Single Victoria Belted Dress - $210.00	Forzieri Women's Silk Lined Black Italian Leather Long Gloves - $126.00
Dkny Agnes Floral Slip Dress - $295.00	Club Monaco Catherine Long Gloves - $99.00

Donna Morgan Belted Chiffon Dress - $158.00	Pigalle Patent Leather Pumps - $595.00
Cord Link Bracelet - $695.00	Lanvin Rhinestone Link Necklace - $775.00
Ariel Gordon Love Knot Ring with Diamonds - $506.00	NARS Lipstick, Joyous Red - $24.00
Alexander McQueen Lace Knuckle-Clasp Clutch - Sold Out	Donna Morgan Womens Strapless Chiffon Dress - Sold Out
D&G navy stretch cotton strapless bustier dress - Sold Out	Womens Strapless Wrap-Front Chiffon Dress - Assorted Colors - $69.99