July 28 was an incredibly important day at the Haus of Gina. Yesterday we celebrated the first birthday of Here Comes Gina! We were so busy getting drunk and fielding press calls that we we didn’t have time to get this post up before midnight yesterday.
I nervously launched this site one year ago with a post about my summer ‘09 skinny drink of choice, kombucha. I wanted to launch with my open letter to Dairy Queen, but I decided that starting the blog with so much anger would probably be bad karma.
Over the past year I’ve written about things that changed my life, went to New York Fashion Week (with help from my friends Dana and Dara), hated on and loved Target and shared my biggest purchase to date. In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought a look back at the first year of Here Comes Gina would be fitting.
Most Commented Post: It’s Girl Scout Gina Time
It’s always surprising to see which posts receive the most comments, but I wasn’t totally shocked that my long time battle with thin mint Girl Scout cookies resounded with readers. After all, every normal person has one food she can’t resist, right? The post with the second highest number of comments: The Cure for a Gossip Girl Hangover. What better summarizes Here Comes Gina than Gossip Girl + thin mints?
Post that Changed the World: An Open Letter to Dairy Queen
A summer of stalking my local Dairy Queen store and its broken chocolate ice cream machine eventually sent me over the edge, and I fired off a hateful open letter to Dairy Queen lambasting it for allowing a franchise to go three months without chocolate soft serve. After I tweeted to DQ linking to my open letter, the company’s corporate consumer relations group jumped on the situation and alerted the new owner Brian, who ordered 40 gallons of chocolate soft serve and offered me a free Blizzard. If that doesn’t make you believe in the power of online media, I don’t know what will.
Post that Garnered the Most International Attention: H&M: The Garden Collection
The comments section of this post about H&M’s organic collection quickly morphed into CraigsList for people from the U.K. searching for Garden Collection pieces. I even received e-mails from shoppers who wanted to purchase the red rosette dress from me (which I never bought). Note to self: buy up lots of H&M’s next designer collab and sell on eBay. Note to H&M: stop allowing your Times Square store employees to knife unworn clothing before throwing it away.
Favorite Series of Posts: WCYK09
Our 2009 pilgrimage to the Woodbury Common outlets in New York was years in the making, and we worked hard to share the experience with the HCG readers. We created a logo for the trip, shared our plan of attack and followed up with a detailed rundown of our journey and purchases. Don’t worry, we’re already gearing up for WCYK10!
Post that gets the Most Google Hits: DIY: Fabric Headboard
Apparently I’m not the only person who struggled to find a decent online guide to making a basic fabric headboard because lots of people Google “how to make fabric headboard” and end up at Here Comes Gina. Even more surprising, someone Googled “bed bugs in fabric headboard” and was directed to HCG thanks to JMJR’s witty comment on this post. We can always count on Johnny to spice up the comments section.
My most sincere gratitude is owed to certain people without whom Here Comes Gina would crash and burn. Joe, CF and MR are constant sources of support, inspiration and creativity (even if they do battle over what their respective titles should be), and they fool me into thinking HCG is just as important to them as it is to me. There would be no site without the über talented JDF who never ceases to offer design and technical help whenever needed.
Special thanks are owed to anyone who has ever read HCG or suggested it to a friend (Little B, Ski, KB, A & C, the Bywood girls, the entire Maxwell/McGann family, my mom – even though she didn’t have my business card on her when she mentioned HCG to Oprah’s bf Stedman Graham). Nothing makes me happier than sharing a great beauty find / recipe / book / pair of flats or jeans with someone, and this site offers me a larger platform to do so. If you have spoken to me in person about HCG, then you already know that my eyes light up like Christmas trees when I discuss the happiest thing in my life. I am incredibly excited about year two, and I promise as many amazing posts as I can possibly publish!
Giant birthday cupcake courtesy of CF
Tagged as:
birthdays,
photos by joco
Target has jumped the gun with its latest designer collaboration even earlier than usual. The official release date for Target’s pairing with trendy shoe maker Dolce Vita was August 22, but the entire collection has gone live on the Target website today and has already been spotted in Target stores across the country.
Racked checked out the goods yesterday at the opening of the new Target store in East Harlem, and noted that although the shoes are made of faux leather, initial feedback to the styles and quality sounded promising. As with any Target designer diffusion line, the prices are the main draw. The shoes range from $29.99 – $34.99, or about 1/3 of what a pair of Dolce Vita shoes would ordinarily set you back.
While we love a good Target collab, we’re not sold on the Dolce Vita offerings. But that doesn’t mean we won’t go to our local Target as soon as possible to check them out. After all, those black oxfords could look incredible in person.
If you spot the Dolce Vita shoes in your Target, let us know what you think!
Image via Racked
Tagged as:
cheap chic,
dolce vita,
shoes,
target
HCG cherishes our summer manicure/pedicure sessions, and these recently released Chanel nail polish colors will surely be added to our stable of favorites. Nouvelle Vague, a shimmery soft turquoise, reminds us of Chanel Jade – the fall 2009 limited edition green we obsessed over last year. We can easily envision ourselves wearing this sea blue shade nonstop for the rest of summer. The punchy pink Riviera could not be a more perfect color for toes, and Mistrial would make for a neutral, fresh but not boring at all manicure.
Is there really anything better than a stack of magazines, a perfect mani/pedi and an icy cold drink on a hot, lazy Saturday? Perhaps that line up followed by ice cream and a nap.
Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colours, $23.00 each at Chanel.com, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks or any store where Chanel beauty products are sold.
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chanel,
nail polish
Book recommendations from certain friends hold varying degrees of weight. A book recommendation from my friend Katie Maxwell rarely disappoints so when K. Max suggested I check out Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman, I didn’t waste (too much) time doing just that.
HCG highly recommends OITNB. After her graduation from Smith College, Piper Kerman, bored and unsure of what to do next, engaged in a brief foray in the world of international drug trafficking (c’mon, Piper – couldn’t you have just gone to law school like everyone else?). 10 years after she smuggled a suitcase full of dirty money from Chicago to Brussels, Kerman, a very normal and well-educated thirtysomething woman living in the West Village, received a knock on her door from two federal agents with an indictment in hand. GAME OVER, PIPER.
Kerman pleaded guilty to money laundering (legal side note: the more serious charge of conspiracy was dropped) and received her sentence: 15 months in federal prison to be served at the women’s correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut.
Kerman recounts her year as an inmate – from her last few days of freedom before surrendering at Danbury to the supportive fellow inmates who helped her survive her time inside – with vivid detail and in a relatable voice. Sure, the words “strip search” sound embarrassing, but it’s not until Kerman describes having to, after each prison visit from a friend or family member, strip naked for a corrections officer, turn around, squat, spread her buttcheeks apart and cough that you recognize just how humiliating the process actually is. Perhaps OITNB is so identifiable because Piper Kerman herself is; the memoir reads with the familiarity of an account by your friend or acquaintance who ended up in prison.
Do you think you could handle a year in federal prison? Most people think I could take it (apparently I’m scrappy enough), but we all know MR would fail terribly. She simply doesn’t possess sufficient inner toughness to survive prison life, and she has always remarked that going to prison is her biggest fear. If you ever find yourself about to serve a sentence in federal prison, READ THIS BOOK. Kerman points out that there is lots of reading material available regarding men’s prisons but very little information regarding women’s facilities. We’re hoping Kerman thoughtfully sent an autographed copy to Lindsay Lohan to help her prepare for her quick sentence in county jail.
Beware: this book may launch you into a fascination with prison-related literature, just as Anne Frank’s diary ignited an adolescent K. Max’s obsession with Holocaust reads.
Tagged as:
books,
prison
You thought we gave up on building your summer wardrobe, didn’t you? Apparently summer is almost over, so this will be our last installment in this series. In typical HCG fashion, we’ve decided to go out with a bang – with WEDGES! Plus, I really wanted to post about the sick Prada wedges (shown above) I practically stole from Neiman Marcus Last Call at Franklin Mills on Memorial Day (note the use of “practically;” I was concerned that saying “I stole from NM Last Call” would be interpreted literally). The dark brown straw weaving caught my eye and sucked me into the shoe section, and I never looked back. These Prada wedges are a great addition to my summer wardrobe – I’ve already sported them with shorts, dresses and, as shown above, an H&M Garden Collection shirt and Paige ankle-length skinnies.
What’s not to love about a wedge? This style of heel combines comfort with extreme height and results in a look every woman loves: ultra-skinny long legs. If you were lucky like my friend DQG and were able to score a pair of these Cynthia Vincent x Target wedges, we’re forever jealous. If not, we’ve found other options, albeit none as cheap as the Cynthia Vincent Target x wedges. Sigh.
A neutral-colored wedge is summer wardrobe staple and, in my experience, the wedge in my closet that gets the most action. These Jimmy Choo Phoenix espadrille wedges ($395 at Net-a-Porter) in blush pink patent would definitely make weekly appearances on yours truly:
If you don’t already own a pair, gold wedges are probably the safest summer wedge to purchase. These Michael Kors wedges, first spotted on my friend Beana, are incredibly cute and sufficiently high in person (Michael Michael Kors Amber Wedges, $135 at Zappos. FYI – I saw these recently at Macy’s for only $94.50, so shop around if your little heart is set on them):
Michael Kors has gotten a little sneaky on HCG and went and sold practically the same shoes under the same name to Nordstrom. While we really love the t-strap on the Amber sandal above, but these other “Amber” wedges are practically a dead ringer and cost five cents less (Michael Michael Kors Amber Wedges – weird, right? – $134.95 at Nordstrom):
Clearly, gold + cork is a popular pairing, and we love this style from Topshop (Waverly Strippy Wedges, $100 at Topshop):
Neutrality can get boring, so we’ll end with a bit of color (BP Cork Wedges, $59.95 at Nordstrom):
When we think color, we think Pucci, so we’ll throw a pair of those in for good measure (Emilio Pucci Strappy cork wedges, $297.50 at The Outnet):
You’ve got about only six weeks of summer left, so wear your wedges while you can! Soon you’ll be sending them packing up to your attic for a winter spent among moth balls and bathing suits.
Tagged as:
h&m,
jimmy choo,
michael kors,
photos by joco,
prada,
pucci,
shoes,
summer style,
topshop
If you are a city dweller/worker who sports flats to and from the office, or if you are simply someone who loves comfortable footwear, Gap’s new City Flats are definitely worth checking out.
The shape of these flats and the elasticized opening are what initially lured me in; at first glance, I thought “Whoa, Lanvin!” Obviously, I knew Gap wasn’t stocking discounted Lanvin (life is not that sweet), but the style of these banana flats is thisclose to the Holy Grail of ballerina flats: the classic $500 Lanvin flat (shown here in black patent):
The ridiculous amount of cushion in the City Flat is unbelievable. When you first slip on these shoes, you feel as though you are walking on a pile of marshmallows. The City Flat definitely offers more cushion than my Bloch flats (which ran me $150), and I won’t have to stress about all the money I threw away if the City Flat falls apart in a few months. An update on the Bloch flats: they’re doing okay, but they’ve seen better days. I’ve worn them practically every work day since March, and they’re in decent shape given the daily beating they take. But I had hoped they would look a little better after only four months. Final verdict: disappointed.
Incredibly, the City Flat is made of REAL LEATHER. We’re not talking high-quality leather here, but the leather is (1) baby soft, (2) flexible and (3) does not smell like gasoline, which is more than I can say for any H&M flats. Plus, the shoes come with a matching drawstring pouch so you can tuck them away, throw the little guy in your bag and not look completely ghetto.
Take note: Gap stores stock a wider array of colors than what is offered online. I picked up the City Flat in silver along with a dark gray version not pictured on Gap.com. I decided against a camel-beige version and would’ve bought navy and black but my size was not available. Yes, I do tend to overbuy when I first discover something I think may be a monumental find. So far, there are only two negatives to these shoes. First, the weird front sole portion is slightly visible while the shoe is worn, as shown in the photo above. I wish it wasn’t, but that fact didn’t qualify as a dealbreaker for me. Second, the fit is a little more snug around the toes than I would like. I assume the shoes will stretch, but I suggest trying on a half size larger than usual to avoid discomfort.
Sale alert! Shop today (in stores and online) and get 20% off your purchase with this coupon. Ignore the fact that you could’ve saved 30% or 25% had I posted this coupon sooner.
Gap City Flat, $39.50 at Gap
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bloch,
gap,
lanvin,
shoes