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'Tis the season, kids and goats, for your favorite (and least favorite) celebs to trot around on the red carpet and show us that their either bombshells or bombs. Either way, we'll be here to review every gory detail for you, but with so many award shows out there, it's hard to know when to TiVo, and when not to TiVo. Bearing that in mind, I've compiled a crib sheet of upcoming award shows so you know when not to watch. If you haven't been vigilant, you already missed the People's Choice Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards, but still, there are a lot left, especially when you consider the two MTV Award shows haven't been announced yet. And when you consider that there are luncheons and nomination parties for each one, and countless other smaller award shows to attend, you can start to see how stars stay so busy and egocentric.

1/16/06: The Golden Globes

1/19-1/29/06: The Sundance Film Festival

1/29/06: The Screen Actors Guild Awards

2/8/06: The Grammy Awards

2/19/06: The BAFTA Awards

3/5/06: The Academy Awards

3/13/06: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Inductions

4/28/06: The Daytime Emmy Awards

5/7/06: The BAFTA TV Awards

6/11/06: The Tony Awards

I'd never heard of National Delurking Week before, but I thought it was cute. (Thanks to Paper Napkin for the idea and the cute button.

This is for the silent lurkers. If you visit our site, and you've not commented, or you rarely comment, this is your week, babydolls!

Feel free to leave a comment or a suggestion. Do it for the Fashionistas!

Dear Readers,

We come again to that warm and wonderful time of year when people start throwing around awards to deserving (or, in the case of some) undeserving parties. The Oscars come to mind, but a blogger's ultimate dream would be to end up as a nominee (in any category, really) for The 2006 Bloggies!

As we've said before, we started this blog for fun, but we keep it up for you, our faithful readers. If you like what you read here, and you want to support us and our mission, we'd love a nomination!

Love,

The Shining Intellects

NOTE! The deadline isJanuary 10 at 10pm EST, so vote soon!

It certainly has been a while, eh? As I mentioned before I spent the New Year in London. What a fantastic city! My beau and I had a great time with the sightseeing, the night scene and the amazing people we met. We'll definitely be going back. As promised, I checked out what was going on stylewise on the other side of the pond, and there are a couple of notable things I wanted to share with all of you as food for thought, and a way to add a little continental flair to your wardrobe.

The first thing I notice on almost anyone is shoes, and so I definitely noticed the trend among London's women to wear two types of footwear. One was the boot, a popular choice during winter. There were boots of all different shapes and sizes, and there seemed to be no particular rule of color, fabric or length except to tuck your pants in to your boots always! I was surprised by this, but I think more surprised that I wasn't nauseated by it. Here in America, whenever I saw a women with her jeans tucked into her boots I was put off by the idea. In London, however, it looked great. I think the main difference is that there is no wrong way to do it over there. If it's a boot, go ahead and tuck your pants in - you don't need a particular boot. Calf length, knee length, ankle length, colors, appliques, it didn't matter, and it really adds that dimension of individuality when you don't have to follow particular rules. That was my first British style lesson - be stylish by taking on a trend, but make it yours by taking it that extra step further. By the way, if you like those boots, they are Sketchers.

Another bit of popular footwear in London was the simple, understated 'minimalist' sneaker. They're perfect for tackling the long walks to the pub, the Tube or the bus, and simply scream "modern, self-sufficient woman." I had to get a pair of my own, so I picked a gray and burgundy pair, but there are so many choices of how to wear them that nearly no two women need ever wear the same shoe. The shoe at right is an example of the style I found, but that's pretty much all we'd get over here. In London you could choose from any number of myriad designs, colors and patterns, or even choose velcro over laces. Here again is the principle of embracing a trend but not following the crowd, and so I'm making these the Official Shoe of Las F. I really love mine - a mere ten pounds at Shoe Express. I think they made me walk faster than usual.

Thirdly, layering is big in London, but not only the kind of layering we're used to. When I layer, it's usually a tank top peeking out from under another shirt or sweater. Over there, there are no rules, and the more layers, the better. Mixed fabrics! Mixed patterns! Mixed colors! Anything goes when you create your own outfit. This made somewhat of a Bohemian look on the women I saw, but without the whimsy. They really know how to pile them on, and there are tons of semi-tops out there so you can put them together with your other winter favorites to create a highly individualized style. The bottom line seems to be be your stylish self, and we at Las F certainly can raise a glass to that.

"What do you think of vintage/thrift clothing? I don't like following trends, so I like to find classic, older clothing at thrift shops. (Don't worry, I stay away from the thrown together/hobo look!) Any tips?"
-Amy Barrett

Amy,

The thrift store look is hard to do well. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that you can never guarantee what you will find at a thrift store. You have absolutely no control over what will be there, you just have to go and look. It's not like you can say: "Oh, Salvo, they usually have nice sweater sets, I'll bumble over there and find something for this party on Friday." Instead, you just have to show up and be prepared to browse for awhile to find something you really like. (Shoulder pad sweaters, anyone??)

Another reason that thrift store shopping is tricky is because all the items are used. This means they're old, and unless they're fairly classic pieces (and who gets rid of those??), you're going to come across a ton of junk before finding something you'd like to wear.

With the above disadvantages, it's easy to see why lots of women steer clear of the thrift stores. Most days, it's a lot of trouble, little selection, no guarantee of the correct size, and most of all a small guarantee of success.

Bearing these disadvantages in mind, then, why do we all love the thrift store? Why do we subject ourselves to this kind of futility in shopping?



Because, dear readers, we all love a good deal, of course! There is always a chance of finding something truly amazing and unique! Here are a few things I try to keep in mind when shopping at thrift stores:




Keep an open mind. Don't go into a thrift store expecting to find something in particular. Instead, think creatively. Go into the store expecting to have an adventure. Be willing to try on clothes that you might never give a second glance. You never know what will end up looking good! Most items are ridiculously cheap (less than $15), so even if you wind up hating something you bought, the loss is minimal.




Try on everything. I cannot emphasize this enough. Your odds of finding something you love are greatly decreased. If it looks like it might fit, if it's something you might be interested in wearing, grab it. Ignore the size tags!

Keep your standards high. If you're not happy with it, don't buy it! If it doesn't make you look and feel good, steer clear. Cheap does not equal stylish. Cheap equals cheap. Who cares if it's cheap if it looks terrible?



Wash it before you wear it. I risk sounding like a mom here, but you have no idea where your clothes have been before you found them. Most of the thrift stores I've visited smell weird. You don't want to smell like a thrift store!





Take a friend. I had a dear friend in college who was the queen of thrift stores. She always found the most interesting things. Even if you don't have a bargain queen friend in your phonebook, find someone who will enjoy the experience and who can be honest with you about your choices. A good girlfriend always tells her friend the truth about projected outfits!

Designer steals My sister lives in the city and tells me that consignment/thrift stores around her house have a lot of dseigner items. I saw a gorgeous pair of Prada shoes once. If you're interested in finding designer pieces, try to find a thrift store in a more affluent part of town. If you live in a rural area, find the biggest city near you and shop there. A general rule: the larger the store, the greater chance you have of finding clothes that will make you friends green with envy!