All Things Fashionating by tracy mausser

Zoe Gown:Weird how all the models look like her! You can imagine my surprise when I clicked the link to Bloomingdales.com to check out the Look Book for Rachel Zoe’s new spring 2012 Natural Wonder collection.   It was ingenious.   The Look Book showcased nymph-esque models standing in a whimsical forest modeling pieces from the collection but, what was wondrous, is that the looks were animated. A muse dips her hand in a stream and caresses the water while a soft breeze blows the ruffles on her blouse and tendrils of her hair.   Mist envelopes a model as she leans against a rock wall in a super chic off-the-should zebra print top and matching slouchy pants. Women in every frame of the story land depiction are in motion.   I know it sounds a bit corny, but it was cool. Check it out for yourself:   http://www1.bloomingdales.com/fashion-index/rachel-zoe-lookbook.jsp?cm_mmc=EML-_-FOB-_-YES_32212_RachelZoe-_-ViewTheLookbook_LB&EMAIL_ID=14005745505...

Summer 2011 First, I want to thank you all for enduring my sporadic posts over the past few weeks.   A jaunt to the mountains – which resulted in a shoulder injury – and then international travel had set me back quite a bit.   Try as I might, I am just not able to keep up with my posts when I am not sequestered in my writing lair at home. But now I am back in action and feeling like I really wanted to lighten up the mood on my blog in more ways than one. With all the traveling we have been doing and all the time that my little guy Shane – who is an only child – has been spending with all his buddies, I realize that he has matured by leaps and bounds.   He is growing up so fast and, when I look at him, I hardly recognize my boy. At seven and a half, he is missing both front teeth and knows more about science (both celestial and earthen) than I do.  He loves space rocks and is inquisitive beyond my wildest comprehension. Shane's exuberance can overwhelm...

One year ago today, I was back in New Jersey – with my immediate family – to be with my maternal grandmother as she went on hospice treatment. While there, the unthinkable happened; my paternal grandfather passed away suddenly. Two days later, my grandmother succumbed to her illness as well. It was a double whammy for me. Back then, I didn’t know how I would bounce back from losing two of the most important and influential people in my life. However, human beings are so resilient and time does heal. Today, I miss them both dearly but I am able to remember them fondly and without too much heartache. I look at that period of my life as one of the single hardest circumstances that I had to endure, but I also see it as a gift. I had the opportunity to say goodbye to my grandmother in person before she slipped away. Also, I was able to be with my aunts and uncles – who were always more like sisters and brothers to me – during that difficult time which helped me to gain closure on my ...

I have my eyes set on these Dolce Vita shoes! All weekend long, I was wearing boots to brave the rain but, this morning, I woke up with hot spring shoe styles on the brain. From bold prints (which I wrote about few weeks ago) to neon colors to chunky platforms to bedazzled flats, they are all out there for the taking. We -- the consumers -- are seeing mah-jor color this spring with lots of mesh details and other hot new shapes. With so many brazen trends out there, I'm keeping the Barneys and Saks Fifth Avenue cards in my wallet and looking toward Piperlime, Nine West and Zappos for my affordable shoe fix. Today is the last day of Nine West's 25% for friends and family. Happy Shopping! http://www.ninewest.com/

For those of you who follow my blog, I took a little time off a few weeks back due to a ski injury.   Then – poof – I disappeared again.   I just want to clear up any misconceptions that it has been the pesky hurt shoulder which caused my posts to slow down but, rather, I have been busy experiencing the “Pure Life.” My family and I were lucky enough to receive an invitation to join two other families on a week-long sojourn to Costa Rica.   The “Rich Coast” is nestled between Nicaragua and Panama in Central America and flanked by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Our host family owns an amazing home in Punta Leona (near Jacó) on the Pacific Coast.   The modern home boasts ocean views from the roof top pool deck (duh) all the way down to the bottom-bedroom level.   The slider doors opened up the living area and beautiful kitchen as if we were preparing meals while floating above the ocean (a true delight for the moms), the two pools and Jacuzz...

Sorry for my silence this week but, unfortunately, I had a little spill on the slopes last weekend.   As I mentioned in an earlier post, my son’s school gives the whole week of President’s Day off for “Ski Week.” Jason and Shane drove up on Monday and enjoyed a week of skiing despite the lack of snow in the mountains.  Mammoth Mountain is having a drought. By the time they picked me up from the airport on Thursday evening, Jason had crashed while sledding at the new extreme sled park, which boasts a 420 foot long run. I held my breath every time Jason got up as he would moan, grimace and grab his back. He was the brave man for most of the weekend. On Saturday, my second day on the slopes, the weather was nice despite the lack of snow. We spent most of the morning taking runs from mid-mountain and down. About 1pm, we decided to break for lunch. On our way down to Canyon Lodge, the boys decided to cut through the “Art Park.” The new terrain park is a way to merge skiing...