StyleSpy with Katrina Szish

ALL I WANT FOR

CHRISTMAS...

IS THIS!!!

Gap has created this limited edition Crazy Stripe 2007 LX50 Vespa, and I simply must have it.

Mr. Husband and I already share a black one, but I've been longing for wheels of my own.  I was thinking bubblegum pink, but I've officially changed my mind.

$5999, custom order

VISIT GAP.COM FOR DETAILS

CHECK OUT MY COMPLETE HOLIDAY WISHLIST AT STYLEHIVE.COM

I was extra-proud of my last minute Halloween cat costume upon discovering that one of my style icons, Gwen Stefani, also chose a fashionable feline ensemble for the holiday. 

MEOW!

I hadn't planned to dress up for Halloween this year, and instead was looking forward to a raucous night of TV-watching.  Woo-hoo!  It's hard to resist ABC's Wednesday night line-up: "Pushing Daisies," "Private Practice" and "Dirty Sexy Money" (my favorite new show of the season, followed closely by "Gossip Girl" -- some insider fashion scoop on that coming soon!). 

But once I got home, I found it even harder to resist the call of mini Snickers, Magner's Cider and a few games of pool at Meade's, my trusty neighborhood bar.  One problem:  Meade's was having a Halloween party, and in my opinion it's just bad manners to show up at a Halloween party sans costume.

I can't say that my creation was the most original disguise, but I was impressed by what I was able to pull off in less than 30 minutes -- even as the StyleSpy.  It was quite the chic ensemble, especially for a black cat (as inspired by my cat Tabitha). 

Adrienne Landau fox stole, Julie Haus sequined camisole, J Brand skinny jeans, Club Monaco fur clutch, vintage rhinestone belt as a collar, glittery false eyelashes (very Madonna), amazing -- and long-lasting! stood up to beers and burgers -- make-up from Smashbox (who knew a little pot of eyeliner could do such big things?!), and couture cat ears.

By "couture" I mean custom-made just for me (that Mr. Husband is quite crafty).  He transformed a black headband, a Marc Jacobs shoe box and electrical tape into kitty ears before I had even figured out which black jeans to wear (and I only own two pairs).

Three lessons learned:

1.  "I didn't have time to get a costume" is not an excuse.
2.  Never choose watching TV over, well, anything.  That's why we have DVRs.
3.  Celebrating Halloween is not optional.

Happy November!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, fellow style mavens!

As promised, a snapshot of my Jack-O-Lantern, hand carved by Mr. Husband.
He wanted it to look scary, I wanted it to look cute (guess who won?!).

Anyway, some of you may recall my affinity for all things skull-and-crossbones (you may review HERE and get another look at that Alexander McQueen minaudiere).

In honor of this spooky day, I rounded up some of my current cranium favorites, both silly and spectacular (even on sale!).

1.  Ok, so this is my Halloween treat to myself.  No lie, I just bought a pair three minutes ago.  Run don't walk, they're almost sold out -- 40% off at Net-A-Porter.com ($297 -- frighteningly inexpensive, all things considered)!

Buy now at Net-A-Porter.com

2.  Not scary, Skurvy!  Paul Frank puts the "joy" in joy ride.

Details at PaulFrank.com

3.  Over the top?  No such thing.  This Corum Artisan Classical Vanitas watch features a 42mm diamond case, a diamond bezel, a hand-painted skull design and a black crocodile strap.

Details at Lussori.com

3.  Hip baby alert!  For infants -- from Vans, of course.

From $20 at Vans.com

4.  What would "I" Candy be without candy?!  I live for gummies,
and these macabre confections just kill me.

Package of 45, $6.95, at DeadMenTellNoTales.com

5.  Finally, my all-time favorite accessory is the tattoo inside my left wrist (Mr. Husband has a matching one).  I made mine look extra-creepy in this picture with Photo Shop -- my skin isn't actually yellow, nor does it glow.

From Hardcore Tattoos, 127 Stanton Street, NYC

There's only one thing left to say...

BOO!

It's not even Halloween yet, but New York City is already in the holiday spirit.  Lampposts in the Seaport are decked with twinkling stars.  The windows at Henri Bendel's on Fifth Avenue have been transformed into a winter wonderland.  Skaters are spinning at the ice rink in Rockefeller Center.

And, although I am really excited about tomorrow (CANDY!  COSTUMES!  MORE CANDY! Plus my husband and I carved the cutest -- I don't do scary -- jack-o-lantern last night; check back tomorrow for pictures), I am already having visions of sugarplums (figuratively, as I really don't know what sugarplums are...anyone??).  Translation:  Holiday shopping! Wrapping!  Entertaining!...right around the corner.  And, call me crazy, but I love every minute of it.

My mom is the best gift-wrapper in the universe (yep, even better than you-know-who), so I have learned the importance of a beautifully wrapped gift.  It shows the receiver that you care.  It is a preview of the treasure that lies within.

Your gift wrapping style is also a reflection of your personal style.  Do your gifts give off a Valentino vibe?  The look of a Louboutin?  A rugged L.L. Bean sensibility?  Or do you just let the store do the wrapping?  Or perhaps do the gift bag-topped-with-tissue paper thing?   My mom's motto: "Hide the uglies"  -- suddenly makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?!  It's truly amazing what you can do with double-stick tape.

My wrap-style hovers somewhere between Ralph-Lauren-Hits-Vegas and Jonathan-Adler-Does-Tokyo, i.e. kitschy-classic chic.  Red and green?  Nope.  Try graphic black and white.  Gold paper with velvet ribbon??  Nah.  Flamingo pink with yellow polka-dot ribbon is way more fun.  The season is steeped in tradition, so why not do the unexpected?  You don't have to wrap holiday presents with holiday paper.

Presentation is key to style, so after wrapping mounds of gifts and tying boatfuls of bows, why pack all that prettiness in a bland cardboard box for shipping?  Hand-decorating boxes can be time-consuming (I've tried), and I've since discovered an easier solution: Custom-printed mailing labels (take a look at iomoi.com) topped off with groovy packing tape, just like this (from Fred Flare.com, $8, buy it now!):

Essentially you'll have a gift within a gift within a gift.  The triple threat.

So, choose your gift-wrapping style mindfully, perfect your bow-making abilities (or get crafty with paper cut-outs and a glue stick), and take yet another step towards living life with style.

That's a wrap.