What to Wear to a Casual Holiday Party

What to wear to a casual holiday party is harder to decipher than James Brown lyrics. Women's magazines don't help. Most of us don't get invited to full-on galas or swanky cocktail parties in trendy restaurants. For most of us, it's shrimp cocktail, egg nog, and holiday cookies and punch at a friend or neighbor's house.

My formula for such occaisions is as follows: sparkle + something casual + heels = holiday magic. Here are some examples:

It has the sparkle a woman needs for holiday events, jeans to stay comfortable and a pop of color to keep the outfit interesting. You could always substitute the heels for jeweled or jewel-toned flats if the notion of wearing stilettos for an entire evening is unbearable.

This is outfit is trickier and a little harder to pull off. But the pants are slouchy, giving you enough room for an extra piece of pie.  The t-shirt and blazer are casual enough to offset the sparkliness of the pants. The shoe-booties are just plain adorable. If the pants are too much, you could always swap them out for jeans and include a sparkly necklace. May I suggest....

So that's it. That's my advice for what to wear to a casual holiday gathering. Happy Holidays!

Disney Digs in its Archive for a New Clothing Collection

Disney unveiled a new line of luxury apparel based on never-seen-before concept art from the “It’s a Small World” attraction, according to Fast Company.

The magazine’s design blog reported that the new Disney clothing line for parents and toddlers will range from $18 to $56. More expensive items such as the Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag will go for $168. Items will be sold exclusively through Nordstrom starting in spring 2011.



Image: Fast Company



The designs are based on a series of artworks by Mary Blair that taken together formed the artistic blueprint for the Small World ride. Blair, one of Walt Disney’s personal favorites, is best known for the coloring of the Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland movies, Fast Company reports.



Image: Fast Company



Blair created collages using paint and other media that served as tableaus for the ride’s set. Each features elements of a country’s visual identity such as shamrocks, rolling hills, and stone castles for Ireland and “rustic garnet and amber tones” and a bull to distinguish Spain.

The clothing line will highlight only one country’s traditional color palette each season. For example, Japan’s “beautiful cherry blossoms, butterflies and buttery pastel shades will work perfectly for spring styles.” India, Scotland, and Russia will be featured in the summer, fall, and holiday push, respectively.

Banana Republic Offers Free Shipping for Orders of $50 or More

Banana Republic today announced they are offering free shipping on any order over $50. There is also free shipping and returns on purchases from Piperlime, an affiliate company.

This is great news! Shipping prices can range from anywhere from $5 to $15 or more, depending on the order. Costs can also ruin a good deal.

Let's say you ordered a $100 sweater for 25 percent off. After taxes and shipping, your discount hasn't added up to very much.

J Crew is the worst shipping offender. They've charged as much as $12 to $17 for shipping. In the guise of a sale, they have offered free shipping for orders of $125 or more. Who wants to pay $125 just for free shipping. It's ridiculous and I'm glad that someone (Banana Republic) has gotten the message that free shipping is valuable purchasing incentive.

Kudos to Banana Republic for understanding what their customers want. May the shopping begin!

Caroline Glam Movie Review -- For Colored Girls

For Colored Girls, Tyler Perry’s latest movie starring a constellation of African American actresses, was one of the most poignant and depressing films I’ve ever seen.

Tackling issues such as rape, abortion, domestic violence, and infanticide, the movie is based on Ntozake Shange’s 1975 choreoplay For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

In the face of such somber themes, it may seem superficial to talk about the costumes. Spoiler alert – who can think about what the character was wearing as her babies are being thrown out the window? However, the play features chromatically differentiated women (brown, yellow, purple, red, green, blue, and orange) whose stories of “dark phases of womanhood” are seemingly disjointed yet woven together.

Costume underscores the interior geography of the characters and the journey they take throughout the movie.

The best-dressed character was Jo/Red, played by Janet Jackson, who is at her most chilling as a brittle, haughty magazine editor, a la Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada.

Red belies the passion in Jo’s life, whether it’s the red roses her husband sends as yet another apology or the red soles of her towering Christian Louboutin heels. Her elegant, architectural, mostly black dresses, are everything you might imagine a high-powered magazine editor to wear.

Anika Noni Rose’s character, Yasmine, begins the movie in bright, yellow, cheerful clothes that match her personality before transitioning to a deeper, more somber marigold as her life take a tragic turn.

Kimberly Elise’s character, Crystal, is dressed in brown. As Jo’s beleaguered assistant, Crystal, she seems more grounded of the two. But then as she deals with domestic violence and its terrible consequences, Crystal seems to lose touch with reality and the responsibility she bears in the circumstances of her life.

Only one female character, Gilda, played by Phylicia Rashad, isn’t associated with a color. But Gilda often acts as the wise woman and connective tissue holding the disparate stories together.

At its best, costumes have the ability to illuminate, inspire and inform the viewer. Oscars for best costume often go to the showiest, grandest period pieces. But For Colored Girls illustrates there is beauty and  simplicity in the everyday rainbow.

Carolina Glam Book Review: The Fashion File – Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men

I bought this book on a whim. My relationship with the television show Mad Men is ambiguous at best. I own the first season on DVD, loaned it to my friend Derwin, and never got it back. I haven’t watched subsequent seasons.

However, the clothes are divine and have influenced everyone from Michael Kors to the designers at Banana Republic. So, I was more than a little curious about a book that promised to reveal the show’s costume secrets.  

The Fashion File by Janie Bryant, the show’s costume designer, did not disappoint. The book illustrated how a woman could cultivate herself as a leading lady – whether she is a Joan, Betty or Peggy – using elements such as color, body shape, and vintage clothing and accessories. Even if you, like I, did not fall comfortably into any of these character types, Fashion File included many helpful tips on developing signature style.

15 Minutes of Fame

Kate Moss is preparing to unveil her last collection for Topshop. Three and a half years ago, the partnership between the supermodel and the British retailer was heralded with much fanfare with crowds snaking around the block and teenage girls and young women with disposable income foaming in full-blown “Moss Mania”.

Tastes have changed, even if Moss’s bohemian rocker aesthetic has not. As fashion houses like Celine and Chloe move toward clean, simple lines, Moss remained true to her rocker chic roots. In this, Moss seems to have ignored the secret to her fame. She was always on the cutting edge of what women wanted to wear. By refusing to innovate, Moss stagnated.



Photo Credit: The Independent Newspaper



However, that’s the reality of celebrity designers who attempt to turn their 15 minutes of fame into a full-blown hour. With the exception of the Olsen sisters, whose The Row and Elizabeth and James lines have done exceptionally well, most celebrity designers have a sell-by date. The moment passes where one wants to smell like Jenny-from-the-block or pick the children up from school in tight-fitting, high-waisted dresses a la Victoria Beckham.



The Row Fall 2010



Nevertheless, there is a reason White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor remains among the top-selling perfumes and Jessica Simpson’s brand is worth more than $400 million. Their key to success is selling, not fantasies of themselves, but what real women want.

Note to future self

Today, I got a glimpse of what I wanted to look like. I went to a local Ann Taylor to find an outfit to wear during the election results. Win or lose, I want to look like a polished, pulled-together, powerful woman.

Millicent, the world's greatest stylist and salesperson, put me through a variety of paces -- winter white, red, black, mauve, and gray. Most of it seemed pretty "meh" until I found this suit. I paired it with a shirt in a similar color and a gorgeous necklace.

Unfortunately, the whole outfit, including the shoes, would have cost about $500. So I bought the shirt and the necklace and decided to save to buy the suit. I also saved 20 percent off each piece as a result of the promotion they are running.

Clothes don't make the woman, but they sure do make me feel better.

Every Woman Needs a Uniform

Leave it to the French to devise a simple, yet chic answer to the eternal question of “what shall I wear?”

As documented by Bill Cunningham’s “On the Street” column for the NY Times, the French are sporting an oversized dress shirt in white, olive, or navy with trousers (cropped and full-length) and black leather skirts.

On the surface it may seem boring, especially after being brainwashed by seasons of embellishment, until you see Cunningham’s photographs. The French demonstrate there are so many delicious ways a shirt and a pair of pants or skirt can be combined.

Every woman needs a uniform and mine varies according to season and taste. This fall I am pairing oversized shirts with cigarette/skinny pants, a statement necklace, a black leather jacket, and jeweled flats or leopard heels.

What’s your uniform?

Sort of Book Review --Ellements of Personal Style

I'm on the fence about "The Ellements of Personal Style: 25 Modern Fashion Icons on How to Dress, Shop, and Live".

Published by the editors of Elle magazine (hence the extra “l” in the title), the book is a collection of interviews of 25 subjects ranging from R & B singer Estelle to Mad Men Costume Designer Janie Bryant. It features beautiful photos and layouts that suggest a peek into the life and the closets of its famous subjects. The book also distills the subject’s style into a few key elements and tips the reader can use to inspire her own style.

As I’ve said before, I am a sucker for any book that promises to help me unearth my personal style. But there was something about this book that kept me from shelling out $30 minus the 25 percent coupon from Borders to buy it.

Celebrities are modern archetypes. It’s appropriate to use them to illustrate a point. But it seems unfair on some level to show women photos of famous people with a wealth and resources and suggest that they too could look like Olivia Wilde, Alicia Keys, or Dita von Teese. These women have carefully crafted images whose style decisions are made by other people – record label executives, stylists, hairdressers, make-up artists, etc.

Style is personal. It’s something at which a woman arrives after years of “what was she thinking” outfits and bad hair days.

I wish personal style guides and magazine articles would help regular women distinguish what qualities in themselves they would like to enhance and express through fashion. For example, how would a curvy woman who loves menswear or rocker chic express her personal style? How does a mother of three who is equal parts bombshell and tough girl express herself? Annnnddd….the suggestions should offer women a range of suggestions for under $200.

That’s a lot to ask, which is why my dream book hasn’t been published. Will I buy Ellements of Style? Maybe. I could always use another fashion coffee table book.

In search of signature style

I have tried to answer the essential question of “who am I” through clothes.

I am a sucker for any book, magazine, or website that promises to unearth my signature style. I believe that if I could finally wrestle my aspirations and deeply personal clothing choices into an abstract category like “classic”, “bohemian” or “rocker chick”, that I could drill down to the essence of who I am. I could make small and large decisions based on what clothes I chose to wear and how I choose to present myself to the world.

Anna Sui

Balmain

Michael Kors

Honing in on a signature style is also a practical concern. Once I figure out who I am, I don’t have to waste time or money on clothes that are only going to end up in the charity pile.

Some would counsel me to look within for signature style. However, there is a chasm between what I like and what looks good on my body.

Let’s take minimalism for example. I love its strictness and austerity. There is also a purism, sincerity and clarity that don’t tolerate silly embellishment. It begs the observer to take the wearer as she is.



Jill Sander



Nevertheless, I haven’t found a way to make minimalism to work with the architecture of my body which demands adornment. I’ve even tried minimalism through color…say rocking a monochromatic look with a mix of textures. But I somehow want to add something to it, a cuff bracelet, a statement necklace or peacock feathers on the shoes.

Magazines often encourage a woman to look in her closet for style inspiration.

When I look at my closet, I find that I am many women. The leather leggings sit on the shelf just beside the pink floral skirt from Talbots. The multi-strand gray pearl necklace perches beside the mixed metal choker in my jewelry box. My closet is the proverbial onion with each layer promising to get closer to the core.

After hundreds, perhaps, thousands of dollars later, I’m no closer to the answer to my question than when I was a teenager endlessly searching for myself in the pages of fashion magazines.

But maybe there is no answer to the question. Maybe it’s the journey (and the sequins) that counts.

Giddy Up

Unlike most little girls, I didn’t want a pony. I wanted to be a horse, a Palomino to be exact.

Jean Paul Gaultier provided the next best thing in his last collection from Hermes. Gaultier will forever be remembered in the pop culture imagination for the conical bras he designed for Madonna during her “Blonde Ambition” tour. That’s a shame because, as this collection proves, Gaultier is an expert tailor with a sense of Hermes’ history as a French saddle-maker.

Sure, some of the clothes bordered on costumey or fetishistic. In addition to provide wearable clothes, fashion should also take us on a journey. In Gaultier’s swan song for Hermes, I definitely felt the call and rush of a sophisticated, Argentine woman who owned a sprawling cattle ranch.

Dissecting the clothes there were plenty of wearable pieces, gorgeous suits, and sumptuous dresses. As Tim Blanks writing for style.com  put it:

“Gaultier is a master tailor, and here he maximized his talent to create an austere but sensuous glamour. His singular twist was to build interest into the back of a garment, baring skin with jackets and tops that crisscrossed like wings. If they might be classified as a fashion bridge too far—along with the body harnesses, the jodhpur shorts, and those basques—there was temptation aplenty elsewhere. See the ultra-high-waisted pants, chic leather-fronted cardigans, gorgeous suede jackets, and leather skirts, not to mention some splendidly sleek accessories that were worthy additions to the classic Hermès carryalls.”

Gaultier will continue to design a signature line while Christophe Lemaire, formerly of Lacoste, will take the reins.

Dangerous Curves Ahead

After chowing down on my friend Eve's scandalously delicious fried chicken, we retired to the living room for one of our great rap sessions.

The subject of fashion came up, as it always does, with the attendant question: How do you dress a sexualized body?

If the fried chicken didn’t give it away, I’ll say it plain: Eve and I have curves, the dangerous kind. Neither of us is plus-sized. But we both have larger busts, narrow hips, and slim legs and over the years, I’ve grown some junk in the trunk. This is a body type where the usual fruit, alphabet, and artist muse categories usually used to describe a woman’s body need not apply.

Dressing a sexualized body has its challenges. I look like I’m in drag, for example, when attempting the menswear trend. Minimalism, with its tailored silhouette and palette-cleansing color, just looks boring on me.

I have to plan the placement of a ruffle on my body with the ruthlessness and precision of an army general or mother-of-the-bride. There is no room for mistake here. One false move and I go from romantic to bozo-the-clown.

Eve suggested looking to Marilyn Monroe as a solution. Structured jackets, pencil skirts, body-hugging knits, cardigans, full-skirts and heels were hallmarks of her look. While being covered up, Monroe was still enormously sexy.

Modern updates include Grecian draping a la Donna Karan, tailored pants by Stella McCartney, and long and lean looks offered by Marc Jacobs of Louis Vuitton.



Donna Karan Draping



Tailored at Stella McCartney




Long and Lean Louis Vuitton



Of course I can’t afford these clothes and will search for lower-priced versions at the mall. But these options do allow me to dress for my shape and have my fried chicken too.

Loving Minnie

I heart Minnie.



No, not that Minnie






THIS Minnie

 I found these last weekend during my search for the perfect pair of black pants for the fall. The silhouette on the black pants I already own felt dated. I wanted something new and fresh and found these at my friendly, neighborhood J Crew.

J. Crew has issued the Minnie for the past couple of seasons. I tried on a pair and they felt like harem pants. But there's something different about the city fit version. The side zip and no pockets allow me to show off my small hips and balance my larger bust. You can wear them with flats or dress them up with heels. In other words, I want a pair in every color and permutation.

I know, I know. In the last post I extolled the virtues of long and lean as a directional look. But a girl has to go with what works for her. Besides, most mall retailers where I shop aren't offering long and lean yet. Until then, my new best friend is Minnie.

No Mini-Skirts After 35

Most fashion edits are frivolous.

Sometimes less is less and removing one thing before leaving the house can leave you naked. And whoever dreamed up “no white after Labor Day” has never my friend’s mother, Lucille, in winter white.

But after trying on several mini-dresses last weekend, I have to submit to the “no mini-skirts after 35” rule. Far from looking glamorous a la Gwyneth Patrow showing off her gams at Iron Man 2 premier, I just felt ridiculous and slightly vulgar.

Fortunately, the fashion zeitgeist is moving away from short and tight and toward long and lean. Designers have combined 30s Hollywood glamour and the resurgence of 70s silhouettes, best epitomized by the Charlie perfume ads, to create a new elegance that is fresh without looking mumsy. Donna Karan, Celine, and Chloe had the best takes on the trend.

Donna Karan



Chloe



Celine

While fashion designers are moving in this direction, it will take awhile for America to catch up. Starlets are still clinging to short and tight and while most retailers are offering a range of pant options, cropped pants are still in.

What the Hiatus?

I was in the middle of writing a post reviewing Tim Gunn's new book "Gunn's Golden Rules" when the phone rang. I tripped and spilled wine on my laptop keyboard, causing it to go on the fritz.

This event capped a day in which I had an adverse reaction to medication in the morning and my car stalled in traffic in the afternoon. I was about to receive a first-hand lesson in Gunn's Project Runway catchphrase
"make it work".

At first, I thought about all the wonderful ways I could "make it work" without having a functional car and computer. But in the end, I just went batty.

Oh sure, I managed to catch "Dial M for Murder", one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films and enjoyed walks around the lake outside my apartment.

However, the cost of that was missing the inaugural weekend of J Crew's online factory outlet, which featured the hits from the past few seasons at bargain prices.

But really, I was staring down the barrel of a $400 car repair bill. Putting the purchase on my J Crew card would be ignoring the lessons of karma.

I bought a new laptop to replace my beloved yellow one, now covered in white wine. In addition to the color, my new laptop lacks the bells and whistles. Since it's a making it work week, I'm thinking of tricking out my new laptop with either a Da Vinci or Botticelli print.

"Making it work" was a hard lesson to learn. If I master it, maybe it will get easier.

Am I Bleu?

I am a perfume whore. The shelves of my two bathrooms are lined with scents ranging from Annick Goutal’s Passion to Jo Malone’s White Jasmine and Grapefruit.


I like my scents warm and smoky (Jo Malone’s Black Vetiver); they should come from a storied fashion house (Chanel No. 5); evoke a mood (Jean Patou’s Joy); or have been worn by a legendary Hollywood actress (Audrey Hepburn & L’Interdit).

Bleu de Chanel by Chanel only meets one of these requirements. It is a woody aromatic which features labdanum, nutmeg, ginger, sandalwood, patchouli, mint, jasmine, grapefruit, citruses, vetiver, incense, cedar, and pink pepper.

Most intriguingly, it’s a male fragrance.

I gladly missed the 1990s trend of unisex fragrances. Men should smell like fresh cut grass and public library books and women should smell mysterious and powerful. There is nothing sexy or interesting to me about a woman who wears a man’s scent…until Bleu de Chanel.

Released last month, the name is taken from a Chanel fragrance in the 1930s. The advertising features a yummy French actor (Gaspard Ulliel) and is directed by Martin Scorsese.

It’s not a unisex fragrance, but it smells like a man I might like to know – sophisticated, intelligent, active with a slight rebellious streak. And then I thought…those are qualities I might want to develop in myself.

But if I can’t have the man and I don’t have time for rigorous self-improvement, I can always have Bleu de Chanel.

Glam Book Review: Nina Garcia's Look Book

This weekend presented some interesting style dilemmas.

For example, what perfume to wear to a local sports bar to see pay-per-view street fighting matches? What to wear while hanging out with Eve at Saks Fifth Avenue to smell perfume?

Nina Garcia, fashion director for Marie Claire magazine and Project Runway judge, had tips and suggestions for the style dilemmas most women face in her new book Nina Garcia’s Look Book: What to Wear for Every Occasion.

With illustrations by the fabulous Rueben Toledo, who illustrated her other three books, Look Book examines most situations modern women face such as “What to Wear on the Average Workday”, “What to Wear While Running Errands”, and “What to Wear When Meeting Your Significant Other’s Children”.

Underlying the book is the premise that life is a red carpet and we’d better be prepared for it in this age of cell phone photos and Facebook. For who hasn’t had the embarrassing moment of running out to errands in something we clean the house in, only to run into an important client, your child’s teacher, or your ex and his girlfriend?

For Garcia, the essence of style isn’t what you wear; but the respect one has for others and for the setting in which you will wear your clothes. The section, for example, “What to Wear for Brunch with the Girls” is not about wearing the latest fashions to upstage your friends. It’s about wearing clothes that are easy and effortless so that you can concentrate on hearing about your friend’s promotion not the designer skinny jeans cutting off your leg circulation because in the end it’s the friendship, not the clothes that ultimately matters.

With this in mind, I solved this weekend’s style dilemmas. Jo Malone’s Dark Amber and Ginger Lily, with its woodsy, musky smell, was the perfect scent to wear as a UFC fighter landed an elbow in his opponents face. I wore a navy blue dress with a leopard cardigan and tan sandals while smelling perfume with Eve. There was plenty of room to test perfumes and the ease of the dress allowed me to concentrate on the best part of the afternoon – my friendship with Eve.

Six Easy Pieces

My friend Sharon and I are considering going on "the clothing diet". Named after a New York Times article about a movement among consumers to buy less, the "clothing diet" is a regimen in which one rotates the same six pieces for a month. I can change accessories and shoes as often as I would like.

I don't know if I can handle such a challenge. We thought about expanding the idea to eight pieces. In addition, the only thing I love more than shopping is clothes. Could I subsist on just six or eight pieces of clothing for a month? Will it just give me the urge to buy home goods instead? Will I choose something sparkly and then hate all things sparkly for the rest of my life?

Should I choose to accept the challenge, my six easy pieces would be:

• jeans
• black harem pants
• black blazer
• black dress
• leopard cardigan
• beige blouse
• black t-shirt (bonus)
• white t-shirt (bonus)

It's worth at least giving a try. What do you think?

It's the most wonderful time of the year

It’s the most wonderful tiiiime of the yeaaar!


That’s right kids. It’s fall fashion magazine time. As previously blogged, the September issue of the major fashion magazines has hit the newsstands. Oozing with fall trends, advice on how to wear them, edgy photo spreads, and iconic ads, the September issue is not one to be missed.

I read the magazine at least three times. I skim it the first time, earmarking things I’d like to read. I read it the second time. The third time I cut out photographs that catch my eye for my fall fashion look book. (Yes, I really do need to get a hobby.) Then, I decide whether I will keep the magazine for my collection or send it to my hair salon for recycling.

I sort the photographs and choose the ones to which I have an emotional draw and try to make a story out of them. It tells me what kinds of textures, silhouettes, colors, and looks I’m drawn to for the season. I then try to recreate my look book in my closet.

This season, I seem to be drawn to several trends – 60s ladylike classic, 70s Charlie girl, and the military-inspired look.

The best fall fashion spread came from a surprise source – Real Simple. The magazine has a pretty decent fashion and beauty section to offset features on alternative uses for paper clips and pork chop recipes. In addition, Real Simple and O Magazine are the only ones to feature fashion for grown-ups. No fashion features with the Olson Twins, the Gossip Girls, or the Twilight Chicks.

Bottom line: Designers have finally realized that women want to look like women, not like extras in a Robert Palmer video. If you don't want to follow the trends, it's a good season for buying quality pants, coats, cashmere sweaters and classic basics.

Halle Berry Makes the Cover of September Vogue

Halle Berry's stunning career of "first" did not end when she was the first African American in 2002 to win the Best Actress Oscar.

Berry is the first African American woman to be featured on the September issue of Vogue.

This is huge. In the fashion magazine world, the September issue, especially Vogue, is the only one that matters because it sets the tone of what we'll be wearing for the next six months and beyond. The March issue previews the spring trends.

Considering Vogue editor Anna Wintour's less than kind comment that African Americans don't sell magazines, this is a huge step forward for a magazine that can sometimes be pretentious and out-of-reach for most American women. "Style for Less" items that cost $500 or more don't exactly appeal to the average working woman's pocketbook, but that's another post.

Berry is conventionally beautiful and she could easily grace the cover of any magazine at any time of the year. Her coup of the Vogue September cover is important because the so-called "fashion Bible" has sanctified that beauty doesn't always come in a blond-haired, blue-eyed, under-the-age-of-30 package.

So yes, I plucked down my next to last five dollars for the magazine. To see a strong African American woman on the cover of Vogue looking every bit as beautiful and voluptuous as Jennifer Anniston and Julia Roberts (who graced the September covers of Harper's Bazaar and Elle, respectively) was worth every penny.

Saving Liz Claiborne

I want to save Liz Claiborne Inc.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the clothing company ceded control of its brand to J.C. Penny, which is launching this fall a new Liz clothing, home, and accessories line in all 1,100 of its stores.

The move keeps Liz Claiborne alive, but at what cost?

The article goes on to discuss the strange, if disturbing, antics of the company’s CEO William L. McComb, and the disastrous hiring of fashion personality and designer Isaac Mizrahi as head designer.

Worse yet, it’s a shame to see such an iconic brand that celebrated American working women go down the tubes because the men who shape the company’s engine have lost touch with women.

The crux of the problem seemed to be the men at Liz didn’t know who they were designing for – Baby Boomers playing with their grandchildren or their Gen X daughters who were balancing work and family life.

This confusion resulted in pink gingham dresses and clovers plastered on everything from sweaters to wallets. Women weren’t responding, hence the fall of its credit ratings from investment grade to junk, because all they found in the clothes was McComb and Mizrahi’s megalomania.

But all is not lost.

Instead of worrying for whom they should design and sell, Liz Claiborne Inc. should think about the woman who started the brand. Liz Claiborne believed that women deserved to go to work looking stylish and comfortable. Women could still look like women and succeed in a man’s world.

It’s that DNA the company should tap into to save itself. Even with Ann Taylor, Talbots and Jones New York, there’s still room to design well-made clothes and sportswear for the American woman. Ann Taylor and Talbots haven’t perfected the formula, though Talbots fall collection is pretty darned close.

When or if Liz Claiborne taps into its internal compass, it will never be lost or at the mercy of Penny’s again.