Cookie Jeans feel like homemade

If you watch "The Oprah Show," you saw Cookie Johnson, Magic Johnson's wife, debut her CJ jeans collection the other week. The jeans are made for women with curves and booty.

Like most women, I'm always looking for the perfect pair of jeans and because Oprah raved about them - she actually said they felt like pajamas - I had to try them for myself.

When I asked for the CJ jeans at Nordstroms today, the sales associate said they have been flying off the shelves since Cookie was on "Oprah." I wasn't surprised because anything Oprah praises turns to gold.

I tried on the black straight (skinny) leg and they felt and looked sooo good. First, there's plenty of stretch, so they fit like a glove, and the satin-lined waistband added extra comfort. I'm 5'6'' and the pants slightly puddled at the bottom, so for taller women, you will still have room at the foot if you want to pair them with heels. But they would also look great with flats or tucked into boots. They come in black, grey and blue rinses.

These jeans aren't for the budget conscious; they start at $141, but that is on par with other designer jean labels.

Here's the collection:

These are the ones I tried on. They are a little more tapered at the bottom than they appear on the model. They are $161.

These are the bootcut. They are $141.

Cookie had to include a boyfriend look, since this is the hottest trend in jeans. Your boyfriend will love you in these at$196.

If you're looking for a trouser jean that's work appropriate on casual Fridays, these are a winner at $198.

These jeans are actually leggings, or "jeggings." And they are the perfect way to show off your shape. They sell for $145.

Suspended in Confusion

The only time I think about suspenders is if I'm watching Larry King and then, I'm thinking about them for men. I never think about suspenders for women, but twice this morning, within an hour of each other, two women mentioned suspenders. And not just mentioned them as they were admiring them on someone, but mentioned them as in wanting them.

The first was my younger sister, Torri, who tweeted that she wanted suspenders. And the second was celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe's daily blog, The Zoe Report, which was all about suspenders.

So, I decided to do a little research. I know suspenders have never really gone out of style for men, but are they the next upcoming trend for women?

I Googled "suspenders for women" and a bunch of hits came up for the old-school type. I know 1980s fashions are back, but I hope these stay put.

I kept searching, hoping to find something cute. I had to sort through a bunch of overalls. These are $486 at Barneys, if you're interested. I'm not.

And I found a ton of suspended garters. Now, when I think of suspenders, I certainly don't think of this! But I guess since they are holding up stockings, they qualify as suspenders. They are $75 at Figleaves, if this is your cup of tea.

I found this skirt with suspenders at Speigel, which sells for $39, but it is only cute from afar.

The suspenders Rachel Zoe blogged about today are chain suspenders. She calls it a "tough trend" that should be paired with a destroyed Tee, skinny jeans and black nail polish. That outfit sounds cute, sans the suspenders. I love and respect Rachel Zoe, but I'm secretly hoping suspenders for women - chains or not - are not the next hottest trend.

The suspenders on the left are Litter SF Silver Chain Suspenders and sell for $128. The ones on the right are Armor's Toro Body Chain and are $88.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Well, maybe not just yet.

If you have really cute rain boots, you almost want it to rain, which it's doing today in New Jersey.

I bought these rain boots about two years ago from Target for $19.99 each, but I've been thinking it's time to get some more adult-like rain boots.

So, I've been looking at the Hunter rain boot - the maker of the original Wellington.

While my printed boots are fun, I would go for a solid color in the Hunter - probably black or navy. The boots sell for $115 for the tall boot and $105 for the shorter version, which isn't a bad price considering the quality and craftsmanship (do rubber boots have craftsmanship? hmm). But I found my size on Ebay for $79.95.

This very adult, classic rain boot may be my next purchase.

Stackable Treat

I love a stackable ring, even if my fingers are too short to pull off most of them. So, when I saw this new multi stone stack ring from Coach, I had to feature it in my blog. I actually tried on this ring and it looks just as great on than it does in the picture. Plus, it will go great with day and night outfits.

It sells for $98.

Epperson Fever

If you're a fan of Epperson, the designer who became a household name while on "Project Runway," then you were heartbroken when he was eliminated from the show a couple of weeks ago. But the good news is that the Harlem-based clothing designer, who has designed for Erykah Badu, Patti LaBelle, Cassandra Wilson and Ciara, is back at it and in a huge way.

He recently showed his Spring 2010 collection at Harlem's Fashion Row's fashion show, along with designers Dinna Soliman, Lialia and Jose Duran.

Epperson's collection is wearable, casual and dressy all at the same time. The pieces flowed, yet fit like a glove where they needed and could also be worn on a variety of body types.

Here are some highlights from Epperson's collection:

Organizing your closet

For the last three weekends, I've been meaning to organize my closet.

One: it's an absolute mess.

And two: it's full of summer clothes and I need to pull out my fall/winter wardrobe.

I keep my off-season clothes in the guest-bedroom closet, which I've been pulling from off and on the last couple of weeks. Some days, it's cool enough for a sweater and other days, I could get away with wearing a T-shirt. But it got cold in New Jersey over the weekend and I think it's here to stay. It's mid-October, after all.

So, always wanting to lead by example, I hope this blog makes me get off my butt and switch my closets and start fresh with a new fall/winter organized wardrobe.

If you're stuck in a rut like me, here are some great tips I found for organizing your closet:

Clear it out: Figure out what you're really going to wear this season. My rule is if I didn't wear it last fall/winter, I'm probably not going to wear it this fall/winter, so I set it aside for Goodwill.

If the shoe fits: If you keep your shoe boxes, take a picture of the shoes that are in the box and attach it to the box, so you know what shoes are inside. This is something that I really need to do. I keep my shoe boxes hoping it will help me keep the floor of my closet organized, but the problem arises when I'm looking for a Banana Republic or Nine West shoe. I have too many shoes from Banana Republic and Nine West, so, when I'm searching for a shoe I bought from either of those stores, I have to look in multiple boxes.

No sweat: Sort sweaters by color and don't hang them; you will distort the shape. Right now, my sweaters are in a drawer, but unfortunately, they are tossed in the drawer, not folded and certainly not arranged by color. I normally sort my sweater drawer a couple of times a season to keep them organized.

No hang ups: Buy quality hangers. OK, they don't have to really be quality - I use plastic hangers from Target, not the really nice wooden ones. But plastic is so much better than wire. My husband and I share the chores and one of my chores is doing the laundry. My husband has a closet full of wire hangers. If he has one, he had 100. I refuse to hang his shirts on those hangers. Just because your clothes are returned to you from the cleaners on wire hangers doesn't mean you have to keep them. They are trash!

All in favor, say "eye": Keep the clothes you wear more frequently at eye level. There's nothing worse than looking for your favorite shirt or pair of pants and you can't find it. Those clothes should always be right in front of your face.

When cheap isn't cheap

I have a dilemma.

I bought this beautiful R. J. Graziano necklace as a birthday present to myself in April. At $250, it was pricier than what I wanted to spend, but when I saw the statement piece at Nordstrom, it surpassed anything else that I saw the in mall that day. I actually looked for something just as fabulous, but cheaper, but couldn't find anything that came close.

I wore the necklace twice before one of the center turquoise stones fell out. I took the necklace back to Nordstrom, hoping to exchange it for another, but there weren't any left at any of the Nordstroms in the U.S. Bummer!

I was trying to decide if I should return the necklace, when the sales associate offered to send it back to R.J. Graziano for them to repair it. Perfect!

I picked up my prized birthday gift two weeks ago, after not having it for two months, and carefully placed it on my jewelry box, on top of every other necklace in there, because, after all, it was my favorite piece and I had missed it so much. Two days later, I opened my jewelry box and noticed a smaller bead had fallen out. Shoot! (Note: It's on the top right).

Now, what do I do?

Do I send it back again and risk not having it for the rest of the year?

Do I try to repair it myself?

Or do I just return it to Nordstrom?

I so want to keep this necklace. The first time I wore it, I got at least 50 compliments on it. I was at a Links' Luncheon with women as equally as fashionable, but my necklace was all the rage.

The second time I wore it, it gained nearly as much attention.

So, clearly, this piece is a show stopper and I probably won't be able to find anything similar.

If I repair it myself or send it back to R.J. Graziano, there's still a chance another bead could fall out.

I'm disappointed that the necklace was so expensive, but the quality was not on par with the price. I know it's costume jewelry, but when you pay $250 for a necklace, you expect it to last a while.

What would you do?

Biker Babe

I've been looking for a motorcycle jacket for about three years and I finally bought one today!

I'm taking at class at NYU and a classmate, Sarah, walked in Tuesday night with a fabulous black motorcycle jacket. I instantly knew that I wanted the jacket for myself. It was fitted where it needed to be. It had the Mandarin snap collar that I was looking for. And a bit of an edge that made the jacket cool. So, I complemented Sarah, who immediately told me she bought it from Marshalls and it was $29.99!

I couldn't believe the price, even for faux leather. I've never bought a faux anything and never planned to buy a pleather jacket, but this one is a good knockoff. It still feels like leather and the great style overshadows the fact that it's not. The brand is Freedom 2be.

To Each is Own

Usually I blog about what I love, but this blog is about what I don't like. I was in Marshalls today buying a motorcycle jacket (see above blog) and wandered over to the shoe department. I was amazed at the amount of U-G-L-Y shoes that the buyers are trying to peddle off on some poor soul.

All of the shoes were on clearance, where they should have been, since a garbage can wasn't available. As I slowly walked down the aisle with my mouth hanging open, I thought it would be different to showcase some shoes that are um, well, different.

These are Kate Spade's. What was she thinking? Shoes with pom poms are a don't.

Cave women don't exist anymore and neither should these shoes.

They still make these? I had a similar pair in 9th grade and they were gross back then, too.

I have no words.

Coach needed some coaching when the designers put pen to paper with these.

Sequins are hot, but these are not.

Cold-Weather Accessories

The other day, I blogged about great coats. But the coat is just the beginning of your outerwear look. You need gloves and scarves to successfully combat the cold weather.

If I have eight coats, I have 10 pairs of gloves and 16 scarves. Scarves are a cheap way to add a bit of flair or color to your outfit. Even on days that aren't bone chilling, you can wrap a scarf around your neck to add a bit of vroom vroom to your look.

This Anthropologie scarf is my favorite of the season. It's so fabulous that I would wear it even when it is hot outside. OK, I'm slightly exaggerating, but I love this look. This is a happy scarf. It's $98.

These gloves from Target look super soft and cute. The ruffle that hits at the wrist keeps the gloves ultra feminine and they are a steal for $9.99

The new trend in scarves is that they completely wrap around your neck. They are called eternity scarves because they never end. It's loose fitting and is truly a cold-weather accessory, rather than something to keep you warm. This scarf is exclusive to Urban Outfitters for $19.99

Long gloves were all the rage last winter. And they're back! For instant chicness, slide on a pair. These Nordstrom-brand gloves sell for $98.

Looking for luxurious? This Banana Republic gathered knit scarf is the answer. The price? $50.

You've heard of leg warmers, right? Well, the same concept is available for your arms. Lovin' these arm warmers. They're so urban and fun! The first pair are Donna Karan and sell for $395 at Nordstrom. If you don't want to break the bank, get the second pair for $18 bucks at Urban Outfitters.

Fashion Rules that should be broken

The other day, two friends and I were having a discussion about fashion rules that no longer exist. One of my friends said she was glad it was October because she could finally wear her boots. The other friend asked her why she couldn't wear boots sooner and the first friend replied, "East Coast rule: No boots before October."

I didn't grow up on the East Coast, but have lived here almost 10 years and have never heard that rule before. And I guess half the women in Manhattan haven't heard the rule either, because they've been wearing boots all summer. And I wore boots with a short summer dress in mid-September.

One of things I love about fashion is that the rules that most of us grew up with no longer apply. Here are the top five:

No White After Labor Day: White is a big trend this fall, so clearly, you can wear it after Labor Day. When you wear white in the fall and winter, pair it with a dark top and dark boots. Make sure the material is heavy - white jeans, cords or wool pants - so put away your white linen. And a white coat always makes a great fashion statement.

Your shoes and purse have to match: This is a trend I'm trying to get away from. My shoes and purses don't always match, but they are at least in the same color family. I have a great navy Beirn bag that I carry almost everyday because it works with many of my shoes, but if I'm wearing light-colored shoes, I will change my bag. I need to get more comfortable with stepping outside my shoe/purse box.

Black and brown don't match: But they do! I grew up being told that black matches every color. Brown is a color, so it must match black. There's nothing wrong with pairing a brown top with a black bottom. However, one rule that still stands is you shouldn't wear brown shoes with black pants.

Don't mix prints: This one may take some getting used to, but as long as the colors in your striped blouse match the colors in your argyle skirt, you're good to go.

Plus-sized women shouldn't wear form fitting clothes: They should definitely wear form-fitting clothes, as long as they fit well - and that goes for all women. Your clothes should fit well. I'm one of the most size-conscious people I know. If I gain a little weight and can't fit into my goal size, sometimes I still buy the smaller size hoping I will eventually get into it. I should just suck it up and get the bigger size, but my ego won't let me. Women have curves for a reason - to show them off! We should embrace them and show them off through our clothes.