All Things Fashionating by tracy mausser

The Fam and I are headed back to Joisy for my cousin's wedding so I will be out of pocket for the next five days.  However, don't despair, All Things Fashionating will return next week with oodles of new and fashionating topics .

Image: Jet Acker Image: Jet Acker Yesterday, I decided to wear my new Missoni for Target duds to work. I even brought my camera so my friend Jet could take my picture; only to discover that my battery was at home charging. Sadly, we had to take the photos on my Blackberry and the quality just wasn’t the same. However, I am happy to be posting ATF’s first self-defined Street Style. In the photo, I am wearing my coveted Missoni for Target knit dress and shoes; Gucci Sukey Medium Tote; Prada sunglasses; Calvin Klein tights; and models own underwear and smile.

Jason & Tracy (Image: Courtesy Rachel Yarnevic) I wrote the following journal entry back in 1996 before I moved out to Southern California and met my amazing husband.  This Saturday is his 41st birthday, but we will be back in New Jersey celebrating my cousin's wedding, so he will have to take the back seat this year. For all of those women out there who are single, In mid-90s, I had been solo for quite some time; I found Shakti Gawain and the "Power of Positive Thinking."  I know this is going to sound far-fetched, but I swear to you...this is what I put out there into the Universe...about the man that I wanted to find, that I needed in my life; whom I eventually found. March 15, 1996 I am in love with a man who is tall, dark and handsome.  He is very masculine, but gentle at the same time.  He's very downtown, but can be very Wall Street.  He loves to hang with my family and friends.  I can take him anywhere and the bes...

 Image Victoria's Secret QK-274-587  $168 Even though fall has yet to come to Southern California, I've already been in search for my new winter coat; But alas, I need to look no further.  Victoria's Secret Fall 2011 Catalogue actually had multiple options that caught my eye but a faux-fur trimmed coat stole my heart. The buckle-front coat with "soft" faux-fur trim on the cuffs (which are removable) and collar is feminine yet the hardware makes it edgy.  It's a wool blend, so perfect for our mild SoCal winters. The best news yet is that it comes in black and camel. So come on winter, bring it on. http://www.victoriassecret.com/clothing/coats?pageAt=all

In just a few days, the fam and I will be headed to New Jersey for my cousin Jacqueline Rae’s most anticipated wedding. I love being on the East Coast during the fall.   It is certainly my favorite season and one that we don’t get too often here in Los Angeles – unless you choose to drive up to the mountains. The anticipation of boots and sweaters just get me all riled up.   It also makes me nostalgic for my younger years while growing up, but especially when I lived in New York City. To me, there is nothing like a crisp fall day in the city – especially on a weekend – and you have all day for brunching and shopping.   To this day, I still have a recurring dream that I am in New York – specifically Tribeca – with a day of shopping ahead of me.   The feeling that envelopes me is so happy and positive, I am always disappointed when I wake and realize that it was only a dream. I first moved to New York City during the summer of 1989 and, in only a matter of weeks, my fi...

Friends, Followers and Country or City Women: I am facing a major dilemma!  I need to replace my everyday boots and  found the perfect pair.  Vince Camuto's Braden Boot; however, I am in a quandary.  My safe place is to just replace in ordinary black, but a part of me is thinking I need the Whiskey -- a.k.a. brown -- color to add a little go-go juice in my life. I'd love to hear what you think. Braden Boot in Whiskey                           http://www.vincecamuto.com/Shoes/Boots/BRADEN-WHISKEY.html   Braden Boot in Black                 http://www.vincecamuto.com/Shoes/Boots/BRADEN-BLACK.html

 Image: Express  At my senior prom, my boyfriend sang the song, “Lady in Red,” in my ear. I was never really crazy about that tune or that boy, but I am so in love with "Ladies in Red" right now. I haven’t been a big fan of Express since before the Millennium, except Editor Pants for work are the bomb.  But, when their fall catalogue arrived in the mail and only because I am a fan of Bath & Body Works as well as Victoria’s Secret– I was blown away. The deep blood reds throughout the collection caught my eye.  The red suit, which highlighted the audacious hue from head to toe, was hellacious.  I especially loved the color blocked dresses -- who knew that a mixture of red, orange and magenta -- which seems so wrong, could looks so right. Image:Frazer Harrison  And on Sunday night, it wasn't just the television personalities getting all the attention:  Red dresses in hues from cranberry to coral to cherry to ruby rocked the red carpet at t...

Time flies when you're having fun: It has been six months since I launched my blog, All Things Fashionating.  On a personal level, I have been very pleased with my level of commitment and, for the most part, the content of the posts.  When I set out to create ATF, I was concerned that it would be one more false start.  Not to pat myself on the back, but I am proud that I have kept up with my personal forum. I’ve tried to balance it out a bit with my individual essays as well as covering themes such as fashion, health and beauty products, current events and trending topics.  Mostly, I like to write about things that are important and intriguing to me and, hopefully to those loyal followers, who have stuck with me during this time. During the last half of the year, I began following my peers – other bloggers who cover similar topics and e-zines – to keep up with current trends.  I don’t presume to be an expert on all topics and truly attempt to educate my...

Lancôme Doll Lashes Now ladies, my eyelashes are these light, wispy things that tend to stick straight out.  You can't believe how hopeful I became when I saw an ad for HYPNOSE Doll Lashes by Lancôme Paris. According to Lancôme's website, "The secret behind doll lashes is finally revealed!  Lancôme's most flirtatious lash look. A volumized, extended and full lash fringe for a wide-eye look." Lancôme.com also reports the secret behind this amazing results. "A new, unique, cone-shaped brush provides an extremely smooth and clean application, precisely defining even your hard-to-reach corners and lower lashes. Combined with the exclusively developed FiberShine TM formula, it sculpts, curls and loads each lash for the ultimate shiny lash fringe. Lift and thicken every single lash without weighing it down. Push up your lashes for your most flirty, wide open eye look." At this point, I've got nothing to lose so I'm gonna run out and get me ...

A little "Eat, Pray, Love" inspiration this morning... “Your job then, should you choose to accept it, is to keep searching for the metaphors, rituals and teachers that will help you move ever closer to divinity. The Yogic scriptures say that God responds to the sacred prayers and efforts of human beings in any way whatsoever that mortals choose to worship—just so long as those prayers are sincere. I think you have every right to cherry-pick when it comes to moving your spirit and finding peace in God. I think you are free to search for any metaphor whatsoever which will take you across the worldly divide whenever you need to be transported or comforted. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's the history of mankind's search for holiness. If humanity never evolved in its exploration of the divine, a lot of us would still be worshipping golden Egyptian statues of cats. And this evolution of religious thinking does involve a fair bit of cherry-picking. You tak...

One of the things that I would like to do before I die is attend fashion week in New York City.  OK, I would take Paris too; but, since New York is like an old friend to me, I know that I would love the vibe in the Big Apple best. So every February and September when I hear the buzz about the upcoming Mercedes Benz fashion week, I get this unfounded excitement as if I will actually be there. I experience a titillating exhilaration for the unknown fashion which will be trending the following season.  Yet, living in LA and ensconced  my normal existence, I am not assaulted by the news of fashion week in New York. I have to fight for my exposure through social media (thank you Twitter), my new best friends (all the fashion bloggers extraordinaire that I now follow religiously – and those who actually got seats at the shows – Bitches! Yet, I mean that in the most endearing way), and just searching any online publication.  Courtesy: Rebecca Minkoff  Yesterday, Lincol...

I was either crazy or had amnesia when I agreed to return to Seattle to be the transportation coordinator for Richard Karn’s Star Days for the second year in a row.  This time, Cindy actually came along so we could work as a team.  She even brought one more person, Christina, a former co-worker, who was also in the biz and had a lot of coordinating experience. Cindy, Richard Karn & Christina Even with the three of us, it was a lot of work; but it was great to have back-up to share the responsibility and actually enjoy the different perks of the event.  At a volunteer event, Cindy made the mistake of letting one guy know that she worked in the entertainment industry.  He was a legally blind young man who was extremely ambitious.  His idea of networking was pseudo-stalking in my opinion and poor Cindy couldn’t shake this guy. The best was when he told her that he was a “blind photographer,” and was winning contents for his photography.  Mind you, he wa...

So, I set my alarm for about 5 a.m. yesterday morning, only to realize that I was already too late to purchase Missoni for Target online.  Target.com had crashed and my dream of purchasing my Missoni flats while in the comfort of my own jammies had become a nightmare. I had to switch into plan B. On the way to the freeway, I made an impulsive decision to stop by a local Target in Redondo Beach. As I pulled up, there were a few women waiting for the doors to open, but it certainly wasn’t the mob scene that my friend Rachel reported from the Manhattan Beach Target Greatland. At 8 a.m. on the dot, I rushed into the store – with about a dozen other women.  As I was headed up the escalator, I realized that I didn’t have a game-plan; but my fellow shoppers certainly seemed to have strategies. And their off... I watched in awe as most of them grabbed shopping carts and, as if they were on that game show “Supermarket Sweep,” they were off and shopping.  Once everyone...

Hi friends and followers: Please note that I had some major technical/formatting issues this morning. I apologize if my post "Sleepless in Seattle" is difficult to read; However, I will try and fix it at a later time. Thank you for your anticipated patience!

In the 1990s, when I was in my twenties, I was still trying to find the right fit for my writing career.  A very amusing way of saying, I was in-between jobs and basically doing my catering gig to stay afloat [May 26, 2011]. My good friend Cindy heard my SOS and threw me a life line. Cindy, who worked in the television industry, was between shows and had been hired to be the transportation coordinator for a celebrity charity event. She asked if I would be interested in working this event with her.  The fund-raiser – which consisted of a golf tournament, comedy night and silent auction – had been started by Richard Karn who played Al on the television show “Home Improvement.”  The event raised money for cancer in memory of Karn’s mother who succumbed to the epidemic. It wasn’t really a hard sell since the charity golf tournament was in Seattle (a place I had always wanted to visit), we got to work with celebrities (I was still fresh off the Jersey turnip truck and...

Only one day left until the Missoni for Target line is available to the public.  The Italian fashion house has been selling its colorful knit patterns since 1953, but my closet is sadly missing any real representation.  With Target's newest designer collaboration -- which includes clothing, home decor and kitchenware -- I am hoping to make that Missoni change. I am really crushing hard on the Ikat print bike that hit the bulls-eye for me; but I will settle for these super cute flats that I just adore. I'll be setting my alarm clock super early on Tuesday morning to hopefully score them online because they are going to go fast! http://www.target.com/Missoni