On September 1, 2010, Tiffany & Co. launched a line of extraordinary leather goods.  Following on the heels of their success with eyewear in 2008, Tiffany & Co. now offers a wide range of luxury leather items ranging in price from $395 to $17,500.

The designers at the helm of the new venture are none other than Richardson Lambertson and John Truex, former owners of the Lambertson Truex label.  After their bankruptcy in 2009, Tiffany bought the trademark and hired the designers.  The two men are well-known among handbag enthusiasts, having sold their designs at luxury department stores for over a decade.  

The designs are undeniably Tiffany & Co., but in such a soft, classic way.  You won’t find a single handbag with the logo emblazoned across the entire bag, instead, you will see very subtle hints of the signature Tiffany & Co. look.  You’ll find both bold and subtle use of the signature Tiffany blue.  For instance, the strap on the black leather Blake tote (which costs $995) includes a Tiffany blue stripe. The clasp and rivets of many bags also include a bit of Tiffany blue enamel, along with the words, "Tiffany & Co."

For those who want more, some of the bags are saturated in the shade. The Holly Clutch ($595) comes in a Tiffany Blue satin.  Don’t overlook the simple elegance of the Channing Shoulder Bag ($1,095).

Girls, if you are starting to think about your wish list for Santa this year and you’ve been a VERY good girl, check out the new line.  You definitely will NOT be disappointed!

Tiffany & Co. Bracelet bag – $795

Tiffany & Co. Lyn Clutch – $1,800

My mother passed away due to brain cancer when I was 11 years old.  She was a breast cancer survivor, but not without physical and emotional scars.  I vaguely remember spending time in the hospital while she had one breast removed, but I remember vividly her tears and struggle in the months that followed.  She felt less of a woman and it exasperated my Daddy who loved her dearly, but didn’t know the words to comfort her.  The mix of emotions in our home during that time will forever be with me.  As a grown woman, I can mentally put myself in my mothers shoes and think about what having a mastectomy must have done to her spirit. I think my vanity would drive me out of my mind.

Due to my family medical history, I’ve had mammograms since I turned 30.  It’s very routine to me now, and although unpleasant, I am diligent in keeping track of my exam time each year.  It is my hope that each of the female readers of The Stylish Planner are diligent as well.  You may be too young at this time for routine mammograms, but you are not too young for breast self exams.  At a minimum, your OB/GYN should do a breast exam during your annual check up each year, and you should be doing one on your own monthly.

Haven’t started this monthly habit yet?  It’s never too late – read this if you need a little help: Instructions for a Breast Self Exam

Take care of the girls, girls.

Have you lost a loved one to breast cancer or do you have a survival story to share?  I would love to read it – feel free to share in the comments.

The wedding world has and still continues to introduce me to some of the most wonderful things…I first discovered Anne Fontaine when arriving early for an appointment at Phipps Plaza here in Atlanta.  As I walked by Anne Fontaine, I was drawn inside by the window display of the most beautiful white dress shirt I think I have ever seen.  It was perfect – slightly embellished, but still versatile – beyond your basic white shirt in every way. I talked myself out of making that purchase in the name of frugality and I regret it to this day.

And so two years ago began a love affair between me, a french designer and her shirts.  Anne Fontaine cranks out 500 different designs of white shirts every year, in her Spring and Fall lines.  Her use of fabric is what I believe sets her apart and makes her shirts so wonderful.  She loves texture and uses fabrics other than your basic cotton, such as poplin, organdy, linen, lace and pique cotton.  In her designs you will see double collars, embroidery, lacing and ruching.  While the body of a seemingly basic white shirt may consist of crisp cotton, the arms may be knit in order to afford a more tailored fit.

I simply can’t say enough about the beauty of these shirts.  Check it out for yourself online at: www.annefontaine.com and then go visit a store in your area.  She also offers a stunning line of accessories each season and occasionally, she will introduce a punch of color for interest.

Here are a few pictures of some of my favorite designs, though sadly, not the one that got me in the store and ultimately got away.  That one sold out quickly and now only exists in my mind.

Have you heard of Anne Fontaine before today?  What do you think about her out-of-the-box designs?

Note from Jeannine:  My very favorite thing about being editor of the The Stylish Planner is the weekly Style Profiles.  I so enjoy looking at all the lovely faces, hearing other professionals thoughts on style and image, and in general, getting to know everyone a little better.  Sometimes I know the professional I am featuring, sometimes I don’t know them at all.  Sometimes I have only met them briefly and this is the case with Janice Carnevale of Bellwether Events.  I met Janice very briefly at Eventology this past April, but unfortunately didn’t have the chance to speak at length.  Janice has been a long time supporter of the blog and it has been a pleasure getting to know her better through her Style Profile.  Janice is a very savvy planner and a wonderful resource in general.  If you’re not following her on Twitter, you are really missing out on a great connection.  Her Twitter handle is @Bellwetherevent. Enjoy!

Photography credits: Kurstin Roe, A Britton Photography, Andrew Reilly, The Observatory, Ralph Alswang, Jen Lynne, Cleverly Candid

I am a lover of all things cosmetics, so it’s hard to say which cosmetic item is my favorite.  However, if placed under duress, I would probably say lipstick/ lip gloss is my favorite.

Here’s a fun story:  I spent most of my high school career in braces.  In the latter part of my junior year, I finally got the all clear from the orthodontist and they were removed.  The first thing I did when up out of the chair was apply the frosted pink lipstick I had purchased just for the occasion.  The stock boy at the retail store where I worked suddenly noticed me.  He said that without my braces, I looked “just like a Barbie doll.”  Those words were pure poetry to this lanky teenage girl!  Ever since, I have adored lipstick and feel completely naked without it.

I spent years doing the lip liner and lipstick combo application, attempting to achieve the perfect cupid’s bow outline on my upper lip.  As I have aged, I’ve developed a few vertical lip lines, probably from the years I spent smoking.  (I quit over 10 years ago.)  I have girlfriends who have never smoked, but attribute their vertical lip lines to the “puckering” motion made when drinking through a straw or from a can.  Of course, there are professional cosmetic procedures to remedy this issue, but until such time when I a) get the nerve and b) win the lottery, I need a simpler solution.

I’ve found that the first thing that worked for me was to ditch dark lipstick colors.  Not only do dark lipsticks “pull” your eyes down, making them appear droopy as you age, the darker colors are more likely to bleed into any lines you may have around your mouth.

The next thing I have found that works for me is to use a lip gloss with plumping action.  These products do create a slight, swollen look on the lips and that in turn seems to diminish the lip lines.  In addition, the tingling sensation feels great, and it’s easy to know when it is time to reapply. 

My current favorite product is very affordable and is by Maybelline.  From the Maybelline website: Volume XL Lip Plumper – claims to increase the volume of your lips by up to 30%.  I find that glosses are often too sheer, so I like that several of the shades have highly pigmented colors.  My favorite is Fully Blushed – #115.  This product retails for about $7 at most of my local stores.

I have two lip gloss “plumpers” on my radar to try:

From the website:  Fusion Beauty – LipFusion’s breakthrough Amplifat™ concentrate promotes and stores your lips’ own natural fatty acids for never-before-achievable lip volume. Double-encapsulated plumping spheres deliver instant and ‘over-time’ plumping – giving your lip the volume they desire all day long.  This product retails for $29.

Next is L’Oreal Infallible 6 Hour Plumping Lip Gloss.  From the website:  Now get plumper lips, long wearing color and incredible shine for 6 hours in one easy step.  This retails for $9.99.  I’m gonna go on the record and say I don’t buy the 6-hour wear time, but I’ve found that to be true with all the long wearing lip products that I’ve tried.

What’s your favorite lip product?  Have your lip products changed as you get older?  Tell us about it.

*This article was previously posted on December 1, 2009.

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Sometimes I envy the sense of “community” that photographers seem to create amongst themselves.  Rather than openly competing against one another, I often see photographers that are well established in their own businesses, second shooting for another photographer.  They put their ego (and brand) aside for the day in order to help a friend shine for their clients.  Likewise, I also see photographers referring business to one another when they find themselves all booked up.  Photographers also seem to share technical information and experience more openly than most vendors.  This kind of generosity is amazing to me, when shown to us from what is probably the most saturated of all the vendor categories out there.

I also see a lot of photographers (especially husband and wife photography teams) becoming very close friends, traveling together, watching each others children, etc.  Suddenly, the community becomes family, and why not?

I realize I may have romanticized the field of photography a bit here, I’m sure that even in this field that I have tremendous respect for, there are artists that soil the community with their competitive nature.  Fortunately, I have yet to witness that firsthand.  In the Atlanta area, I see good and bad behavior among vendors.  Supportive and critical.  We’ve all been in meetings where a vendor puts down another vendor’s work or pricing.  Let me just say, that doesn’t win with me, I prefer when vendors keep negative thoughts to themselves, but are generous with praise for others.

I’m not saying that you must gush over every vendor, sometimes, you just don’t get the warm fuzzies about someone, and that’s ok.  I suggest finding folks that you mesh with, respect and work well with, and cheer them on – whenever you can.  Do you have a counterpart that you can refer inquiries to when you are booked – someone you could call to assist you on a wedding/event day when you find yourself short staffed?  Ask a counterpart if they would be open to assisting you sometimes, let them know you’d like to send potential clients their way when you are booked.  You should find that if they are genuine, they will do the same for you.

Will you act as a competitor or a cheerleader to your fellow vendors?  Think about it.

I can’t stop thinking about this shoe – it is a very feminine twist to a spectator pump.  And the heel looks almost architectural – it makes me think of columns on a building. 

Bi-Color Scalloped Patent Pump available at Neiman Marcus – $650

Do you think it is too formal for day?  (That question is posed with the intent of me trying to justify the purchase of this shoe. I’m telling myself I could “wear it with everything!”) Sigh!

Seen any great shoes lately?  Well why haven’t you told me about them?!?  Email me with your favorites at info@thestylishplanner.com!

Did you know that the soles of your feel have over 7,200 nerve endings?  Why not spend your next in office day (when you have no meetings scheduled of course!) completely barefoot?

It feels great and bare feet go with every outfit. *smile*

Amy Lynn Larwig is a professional Make Up Artist out of Nashville, Tennessee.  She is a very savvy and approachable professional and I am so pleased she will be contributing bi-monthly posts on all things beauty.  Enjoy her contributions to the blog, check out her crazy good website at www.amylynnlarwig.com  and follow her on Twitter:  @amylynnlarwig.

Photo by: Kristyn Hogan

If eyes are the windows to our soul, then eyebrows are the shutters. Your windows could be sparkling and clean, but if the shutters are missing paint, falling off, or mismatched, then no one will notice the glory of the windows. What I’m getting at is, keep your eyebrows nicely trimmed and shaped.

If you’d like to obtain a brow that really wows, there is a relatively easy 3 step process that is sure to turn even the creepiest of face caterpillars into beautiful framing arches. All you need is a good pair of tweezers and a pencil.

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1- Line the pencil along the outside of your nostril up to the inner corner of your eye. Any hairs on the outside of this line, tweeze out.

2- This part is tricky. Line the pencil along the outside of your nostril to the center of your iris. This should be the highest point of your eyebrow. So anything below it, should be removed. You can leave this part as thick or thin as you feel comfortable, just make sure that this is the peak of the arch.

3- Line the pencil along the outside of your nostril across to the outer corner of your eye.  This is where the brow should end.  Anything that continues past this line, can come out.

Final touches- Sometimes our individual brow hairs are too long and can look unruly. Brush the hair straight up with a brow comb and use tiny trimming scissors, snip any hair that stands above the brow line.

When applying makeup, if your eyebrows have any holes in them, or they are not long enough, use an angled brush (ex: MAC #208) and an eyeshadow color that matches the roots of the hair on your head to fill them in. Using short strokes, only apply color to areas that need filling. Comb them out to get rid of any extra dust.

Step back and Viola! Admire your work!

Happy Friday, ya’ll!  While it isn’t quite cool enough here to bring out my sweaters just yet, I am finding myself dreaming of sweater dresses this season.  I am a big fan of the sheath dress – I love the simplicity of one piece that you can accessorize as needed, and the sweater dress brings that same ease as a sheath.  Maybe even more so because you really wouldn’t need a jacket.  Here are three of my favorites:

Victoria’s Secret Marled Cowlneck Sweaterdress – Sale $79

Ann Taylor Merino Square Neck Sweaterdress – $128

Target’s Merona® Collection Women’s Etienne Sweater Dress – Heather Grey/Black – $49.99

What do you think – will you add a sweater dress to your Fall/Winter wardrobe? Do you already own a sweater dress? How do you wear it?