JC Swift, Your Style Cultivator

Looking good for both men and women starts with excellent grooming. A great site for male grooming is Men’s Health, offering an extensive list of grooming products and suggestions for pulling it all together. Beauty products for women are not as hard to come by- often it’s more about narrowing down one’s wish list. Beauty Brains is an excellent resource to help sort through all the hype. If you want products that work just as well for men and women, check out Malin + Getz as featured above.

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Image Credit: travelblissful.com

If you ask most New Yorkers their favorite season, they will say fall. For starters, fall fashion means means everything from tights to cashmere sweaters- and Central Park’s golden leaves are always breathtaking. As a testament to the astronomical number of activities that are available, check out Time Out New York’s 101 things to do in New York City in the fall. Visiting the Shake Shack and the Central Park Zoo are two fall activities that I look forward to all year.

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Image Credit: justopia.com

It’s definitely easier to leave your warm blankets on a cold winter morning when there’s a hearty, home-style breakfast to look forward to. The newest breakfast trend is frozen or pre-made gourmet food, like the Bouchon Bakery Yeasted Waffle Mix from Williams-Sonoma. WS offers other hassle-free delicacies for every meal including Ad Hoc Fried Chicken Kit, tiramisu, and croissants. If you’re feeling particularly inspired, you can mix and store your own dry ingredients to bring expediency (and a dash of thrift) to a boil in your epicurean adventures.

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With winter rapidly approaching, it helps to have a few good books ready for fireside enjoyment. The website What Should I Read Next is an excellent resource for your next great book. You simply type in the title of the last book you enjoyed, and the site will provide a list of suggestions you can sink your teeth into… or bypass. From this list I found such gems as Armies of the Night by Norman Mailer and Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. Its fun to compare search results with friends.

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Image Credit: Band of Outsiders

This autumn it’s time to get back to work. I noticed a resurgence of jackets during Paris Fashion Week– notably menswear appropriated as women’s fashion.

You can reinvent an old staple by dressing up any black blazer, or try an oversized version like the one from Band of Outsiders for cool and confident style. Worn with a scarf, blazers exude Parisian chic.

Find your fall trends cheat sheet on Style.com and the Huffington Post.

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Image Credit: Ralph Lauren.com

Ralph Lauren has a great way to indulge one’s inner child while supporting a worthy cause. The “Paint Your Own Polo” kit lets children decorate their own polo shirts– kind of like tie dye with a modern twist. Made for ages six and up, the kit comes with paintbrushes, paint, stamps– and, of course, a classic Ralph Lauren polo. All proceeds from the $50 kit support the Pediatric Art Program at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. A great birthday party idea, or simply a creative medium that beats the living room wall! Find it on the Ralph Lauren website.

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Image Credit: Photobucket User Ickeicke

When you wake up to grey skies and the sound of rain…you can’t help but to feel a bit blue…Trekking into the city for your 9-5? I can’t think of anything worse than starting off the day with cold, wet feet. That’s why investing in a solid umbrella and rain boots is MUST. Lucky for us,  we’ve got lots of options to look good while splashing in puddles (or doing our best to avoid them)!

Our favorites are stylish, versatile, and will definitely last you for longer than one rainy season.

Boots:

Marc By Marc Jacobs Faux Lace-Up Rain Boots

Sperry Topsider Women’s Pelican Tall Boot Lug

Umbrellas:

Moschino auto black umbrella

Marc Jacobs Standard Miss Marc Umbrella

Lulu Guinness Icon Scatter print superslim umbrella

Moma store’s Sky Umbrella by Tibor Kalman

boot: Marc by Marc Jacobs

umbrella: Lulu Guinness

Thrifty fashion enthusiasts know that wardrobe mileage depends on keeping a few key classics on hand. This season, I’ have introduced a few new crucial pieces that have slowly become the cornerstone of most outfits I put together. An above-the-knee trench coat always looks smart (and you’’ll feel even smarter come winter if yours has a removable liner!) Banana Republic has both lightweight and wool versions. And when I’m feeling low-key, flats are a great way to keep things feminine and elegant. Buttons and buckles like the ones featured by Matiko spice up the delicate look of ballet flats.

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