sibling rivalry

it's a story as old as time--little sisters forced to live in the shadows of their older, more accomplished, big sisters. while the big sister may be taller, stronger and more worldly than her younger counterpart, we'd like to celebrate the little sisters out there who have triumphed over the fame and notoriety of their elder siblings. sometimes, the little one comes out on top!

serena versus venus williams: big sister venus may have been the first to burst onto the tennis scene and claim wimbledon as her own, but younger sister serena soon overcame the mental block of giving venus a good old-fashioned butt-kicking and currently leads the sisters' head-to-head match ups at 8-7.

nikki versus paris hilton: paris may be the one who became famous simply by becoming famous, but she did it by dragging herself and her family name through the mud. the tabloids are even tired of reporting on paris' escapades. little sister nikki, however, has stayed relatively low-key and will ultimately be the shining star of the pair.

kim versus kourtney kardashian: big props to little sister kim who rules the kardashian klan [sic].

stormy weather

on sunday it was 65 degrees...three days later we find ourselves back in the low 40s with yet another day of soaking rain on the horizon. as we're entranced by the sound of rain beating the tin roof above us, we find ourselves wishing time forward. not to summer, but to fall where we'll find this adorable anorak from one of our favorites lines--rag & bone:




we love the camo; we love the juxtaposition of plaid as the handwarmer; we love the neutral palette and classic campy shape of a jacket that feels right at home whether worn by a boy scout on a camping trip or eastern european model on the runway.

sail away

in the fashion world where we're constantly waiting for "the next big thing," one thing has become predictable over the years. just as sure as fleet week invades manhattan every spring, nautical looks take over the pages of fashion magazines as navy striped tee shirts arrive in stores. this classic spring look was first inspired by queen victoria in 1846 when she dressed her son albert in a sailor suit to wear aboard the royal yacht. since then, the sailor look has been interpreted and re-interpreted by classic designers such as chanel and ralph lauren as well as mavericks vivienne westwood and john galliano. from the golden age of hollywood when jean harlow and bette davis owned the look to the runways of today, nautical fashion is nothing if not a spring statement.a high-waisted, wide-leg pant may be a little too fleety for you, but the look is easy to acheive without appearing over-styled or costumed. stick with a simple palette of navy and white stripes in the form of a dress or tee shirt/tank paired with white (or simply blue) jeans. for the more adventurous out there, we've seen everything from phillip lim's anchors to derek lam's stars adorning spring fashions. and if you want to take it up a level, throw in a red accessory, straw bag or something roped--like the lizzie fortunato "spirits for sale" necklace at poole shop.

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seeing double

call it the guido tuxedo; call it the canadian tuxedo; whatever you say, double denim is back in a big way. jessica biel graces the cover of vogue's february issue showing off the look in a fashionably 80s ralph lauren sort of way, and the style has migrated from the runways to the streets in new york city. while the ultra-cool can pull off the style seamlessly, poole shop has some tips for the regular folk out there who don't want to look as if they just stepped off the dude ranch.

double denim do's:

- mix and match your colors and textures. a soft grey denim legging pairs effortlessly with a chambray or heavier denim shirt in a true blue.

-the term double denim doesn't have to be taken too literally. the look can easily be achieved by adding a denim accent, such as a slouchy hobo like heidi klum, to accompany your daytime boyfriend jean.

- the more daring and fashion-forward should go for an actual denim shirt tucked into an actual pair of jeans. in case you think this screams "guido tuxedo," we've checked our sources at urbandictionary.com where the guido tuxedo is defined as denim on denim; namely a denim jacket coupled with denim pants. with a bit of confidence and swagger, you can own it.

double denim don't's:

- who could ever forget the fashion faux pas of the 90s when pop power couple britney spears and justin timberlake strolled hand-in-hand in coordinating denim ensembles? everything about this interpretation of double denim is wrong: don't ever repeat it in any way.

- wait. this looks to be a case of triple denim! sorry, jennifer love, but there can be too much of a good thing.

not your mother's shoulder pads

shoulder pads are back on the runways this spring, but don't bring your dynasty frocks out of the closet just yet. when styles come back around, designers give their own personal spin by re-interpreting an outdated look. so your blazers from the 80s will still look like blazers from the 80s and not something worthy of fashion-forward balmain. on the other hand, don't disregard a fashion statement simply because you've "done" that look before. check out these celebrities and their new spin on an old favorite:

if you do embrace this look, just be sure to know your boundaries and recognize there can be too much of a good thing (see lady gaga).

high contrast

a classic color combo, black and white is back in a big way this spring. from casual street styles to dressier affairs, it's amazingly easy to start with two simple colors and make the look all your own. for daytime take a cue from cameron diaz by starting with a basic white tee and top it off with a black blazer, or funk it up a notch by adding a moto jacket in leather or jersey--like the one from kimberly ovitz that just arrived at poole shop ($365). for night we love the look of a sculptural white dress paired with black booties a la michelle williams (below). whatever you do, don't take the look too seriously and have fun by playing around with endless combinations.

weather advisory

for all of you out there getting walloped by this winter weather, we've come across the ultimate splurge for those who are dying for some (fake) rays: tom ford's $450 tortoise shell tanning goggles. the price may seem extravagant, but after three feet of snow you're vision is surely clouded as cabin fever takes its toll. although tanning is a major faux pas these days, sometimes a girl just needs a little sunshine in her life.

super fashion?!

perhaps carrie underwood looks like she's in pain because her superbowl "costume" is sure to end up on someone's worst dressed list somewhere. we don't even know where to start with this abomination: is it the shoes? is it the chains? is it the dazzling tank top? surely she had time to prepare for this event. if she was going for a "sporty" look to keep in line with the whole football thing, she should have consulted alexander wang (see: "get ready for the big game" posted on our blog last tuesday). there are ways to do football chic, and carrie clearly missed the mark. considering the number of people worldwide who witnessed this fiasco, we call it the wardrobe malfunction of the decade.

gold medal fashion

first we saw rodarte for target, now we see rodarte for team u.s.a.? the design pair of kate and laura mulleavy created outfits for thirteen american hopefuls appearing in the 2010 winter olympics for a special photo shoot by photographer ryan mcginley, which will appear in this sunday's new york times magazine. the outrageous looks encompass everything from a nubby sweater for snowboarding sensation shaun white to (our personal favorite) a daring crocheted unitard for figure skater johnny weir (below).
in other figure skating--and fashion--news, vera wang has once again teamed-up with america's best contender for the gold medal in figure skating. a former figure skater herself, wang has had great success creating outfits for nancy kerrigan and michelle kwan. this year, however, she is working with male skater evan lysacek to create a more fashion-forward look on the men's side. she created the mock tuxedo outfit (below) that lysacek sported at the world championships, and we can't wait to see what she brings to vancouver.once again, ralph lauren has used his classic american sportswear look to bring style and verve to the u.s. olympic team. watch the opening ceremonies on february 12th to see his navy puffers, winter-white tapered pants and fair isle knit caps parade through olympic stadium. if you're a true olympics geek, you can even go online to purchase the uniform yourself and wear it in the comfort of your own home while cheering on team u.s. of a.

white jean season

although punxsutawney phil predicted six more weeks of winter, we at poole shop are ready for spring and say bring on the white jeans. the look is so classic jackie o or audrey hepburn--wear them now with a simple black top and ballet flats. when the weather is a more friendly, poole shop has the perfect little cropped version from j brand that would be perfect paired with gold sandals for an afternoon shopping in san tropez or brunching in the hamptons.

get ready for the big game

alexander wang must have had football on the brain when creating his resort 2010 collection, and we've just found the perfect excuse to go shopping before the superbowl this sunday. while your man is busy dusting off his team jersey and making sure the tv is as high definition as possible, you can gear up for the game by coming to poole shop for alexander wang's baggy corset pant and mesh sweatshirt. top it off with his ankle-strap, high-heeled sandals and you've created the most stylish football outfit ever. with a look this adorable, you'll be the one begging for superbowl tickets next year.

snow day!

call it global warming; call it el nino; whatever the reason for this strange weather we're experiencing, you can call it a snow day in the southeast. being unaccustomed to such practices, we find ourselves with little to do when an inch of the white stuff dusts over our lawns. there's enough coverage to keep the kids out of school, but not enough to take them sledding. it's only noon and you're sanity is questionable at best with this disruption to your daily routine. so we've thought of ten things you can do on a snow day:

10. get ready for tomorrow's oscar nominations by falling for a washed-up country and western singer in crazy heart--now playing at the manor theater!

9. spice up your hot chocolate:

3 tablespoons instant hot chocolate mix

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch chili powder

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup boiling water

method: in large mug, mix hot chocolate mix, chocolate syrup, cinnamon and chili powder. pour in milk; add boiling water and stir.

8. call your mother

7. watch something on your dvr that you've been avoiding (like shirley mcclain's portrayal of coco chanel...the lifetime version).

6. prepare your taxes (april 15th is coming!)

5. go shopping! the stores are open...the roads are slushy...

4. google yourself

3. google someone you're dating

2. download songs from grammy performers on itunes: lady gaga and elton john, taylor swift and stevie nicks, beyonce, pink, t-pain, jamie foxx, dave matthews band, doug e. fresh, bon jovi, eminem, black eyed peas, green day, lady antebellum, the zac brown band...and more!

1. you tube "the channing show," where a closet door falls on a little girl (no harm done).