There is only one Kate
May 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
This is an old advertisement for Agent Provocateur’s bridal line (I had no idea they had one) and it’s quite humorous given the recent nuptials in London.
I really did not have an opinion on the royal wedding because I was just happy to see them seem so so so happy. Ew. That felt wrong just writing that, but it’s true. Kate or Catherine or Duchess is naturally beautiful and seems incredibly gracious. William has been a heart throb for me since my days of over-alls and eighth grade angst. More power to them. Oh wait, they don’t really need any more…
More importantly, this ad nails my sentiments about Middleton’s newly nominated status as “style icon.” There isn’t room in London for two Kates! And is she really an icon OR did she get thrust into the limelight suddenly making everything she wears relevant? Kate Moss on the other hand is in a league of her own. She is a style icon whether you like her or not. She has weathered the storm of the industry for years and is still one of the most important and recognizable faces in fashion. And how can you ever dislike a face like this?
Shopping bags they weigh down her arms.. a little bit about fast fashion
May 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I get a daily newsletter in my Gmail called the Business of Fashion. I usually read at least one or more of the articles to make myself feel smart and to give me a greater understanding of this industry. I wish that fashion was more about individuals creating lovely, emotional pieces to put on people’s bodies, but it’s really just about making money. I mean, isn’t it?
I suppose right now, I’m feeling depressed by this article that I’ve read through several times by Lucy Siegle for the Guardian. In it, she delves deep into our consumer habits and breaks down the amount we spend on cheap, disposable clothing every year. In her article, she states:
“You now demand roughly four times the number of clothes you would have in 1980. You will spend at least £625 a year on clothes – but remember that’s just the average. And you are getting a lot of bang for your buck. In one year you’ll accumulate in the region of 28kg of clothing – adding up to an estimated 1.72m tonnes of brand-new fashion being consumed on an annual basis in the UK. But the really arresting thing is that almost the same quantity of fashion that you buy will end up being dumped prematurely in the rubbish bin.”
I understand that there is a need for trends and that fashion and personal style do have a place and meaning in our culture, BUT and it’s a big BUT, the corporate suits making the big decisions are what has driven this industry away from two seasons a year to 34,578 seasons a year. And, all in the name of profit (how much money does somebody need?!) and sending Tina Tween into a tizzy because she must spend her allowance on a sparkly, shredded romper. That will end up in the trashcan.
“The old way of buying clothes, in harmony with one’s income and the seasons, the way people wore, washed carefully and darned, has nothing in common with the way we now consume.”
There really doesn’t seem to be an easy, short-term answer unless profit becomes less important and fashion is made more exclusive and given back to Tom Ford. That isn’t really the answer either, but perhaps he was on to something when he discussed wanting to take away fashion from journalists and the internet and make the customer wait for it. Clothes are no longer precious things but rather something to wear once, a quick emotion fix and then to toss away.
I guess that’s why I don’t feel so guilty about spending my modest income on well-made vintage finds. I know that I’ll have them forever and they weren’t made by the tiny hands of some poor Tunisian woman.
The article is quite long, but you can read it here.
Cathy Horn and Nathalie Rykiel in San Francisco
May 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Last week I had the pleasure and good fortune of listening to Cathryn Horn, infamous New York Times fashion scribe and Nathalie Rykiel, daughter of Sonia and president of the Rykiel empire, speak to a large group of students and other impressionable minds. I live Tweeted the event but really haven’t had the opportunity to wrap my mind around all of the tidbits of wisdom that they delivered to their listeners. I found Nathalie gorgeous, clever, charming and very French. I still have no idea what it is about French women and their poise that grants them license to say and do anything and still be chic and smart, but they should keep doing what they are doing. At one point she had the entire theater in stitches when after a bit of a misunderstanding with the proctor, Gladys Perint Palmer, she blurted out, “Everyone always has time for sex!” I was too far away to really get the whole moment, but regardless, she was smart and funny.
Meanwhile, Cathy Horn spoke like a true sage dishing out commentary on the late Alexander McQueen and the state of fashion, journalism and writings place in a digital age. I think my favorite from her came at the heels of the obligatory Twitter/Facebook/Social Media question. She responded that she likes the challenge of trying to think of how she can write about a show or interview in 140 characters. She said that, of course, it’s impossible, but it’s an interesting way to think about framing your work. She also admitted that even though the digital age moves too fast and is sometimes scary, it’s also exciting.
They also both chimed in about their disdain for Fashion’s Night Out and how they feel that there is a disconnection in human values and our society’s obsession with spending and consuming. Horyn mentioned that it might be novel for our culture to start thinking about things like, “reading books, hanging with (their) kids” and that shifting away from such a consumption obsessed culture should be a part of the larger discussion. It certainly is a strange priority in our society and is a nice segway to my next post….
Until then. <3
“I’m Eloise. I’m Six.”
May 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
The Biggest Baddest Six Year Old In The Big Apple came rattling down the hallway of my memory tonight, sticks in hand, when I dramatically read aloud this classic story to two unsuspecting youths. I nearly jumped for joy over the zany illustrations, make-you-lose-your-breath stream of consciousness and overall hilarity of the sassy rebel imp that terrorizes the Plaza Hotel. I finally lost my composure half way through and had to pause while I wiped tears of laughter from my face.
Eloise (or her maker Kay Thompson at least!) was a lady far ahead of her time and there is much to be learned from her character. An homage to the child in all of us and a LOUD shout out to feminine independence, self-confidence, sass, and style. Style indeed, as Thompson was a renegade fashionista herself and it is said that “her favorite costume was a prison uniform with four yards of red scarf wrapped around her neck. Sometimes she stopped traffic on Fifth Avenue wearing bones and turkey feathers. She rarely went out, but worked out at home with two one-pound dumbbells colored ‘hot titty pink.’”
HOT TITTY PINK!
Reading Eloise again after so much time was like finding my best friend from second grade on Facebook, but much much better. So, you may ask, what does this urban urchin have to do with fashion or anything else for that matter? For shame! Just look at her! The straight yet unkempt hair, the devil-may-care fringe, the HAIR BOW?! (which Lady Gaga may have been inspired by) her sunglasses, her knee highs and her Designer Dog, Weenie. I think that sums it up right there. All hail Eloise! And may we all live by her words: “Getting bored is not allowed.”
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Beauty Bloggin: Spring Lip Shades
May 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
In my short life on Earth, I have developed many bad habits. None of those will be named in a public forum save for one: I am a product junkie with no sign of rehabilitation in sight. It started when I was a very young girl and has since spiraled out of control. I love lotions, serums, perfumes, makeup, masks, scrubs, soaps and anything that doesn’t smell like patchouli which is the world’s number 1 nostril offender. My problem is so dire that even the employees at Sephora give me a sideways glance when they see the amount of VIB (that’s VeryImportantBeautyInsider) points I’ve accumulated. It’s kind of a, “Wow. This girl has … issues.” kind of look that only women wearing the perfect liquid liner cat eye or the flawlessly coifed gay male can get away with.
Recently, however, I have shifted all of my energy into lipstick. With all of the fun spring colors bouncing down the runway, I can’t help myself. After the Jil Sander show debuted waif-y ladies with pillowy pouts awashwith a matte neon watermelon hue, I have been rabid in my purchase of bright, cheery lipsticks.
If you are looking for versatile, fun, fruity shades, I would suggest Benefit for light-hearted, wearable lipsticks. Benefit is not too serious and it’s completely affordable. I love Pillow Talk ($18) and Candy Apple ($18)for both a hot pink shade and a nice, apple red. Laura Mercier has just launched a set of gel lip colors and I love the consistency and texture. The shades look very bright but actually go on a bit more sheer than you might think. I picked up the Gel Lip Color in Rosette ($22) after attempting to convince myself that Clementine was acceptable for lips as small as mine. It is not.
However, by far the most exciting lipstick that I’ve encountered thus far is Givency’s Ideal Fuchsia ($29). Yes, it’s expensive but it’s this perfect iridescent pink with hints of purple and blue. It’s versatile and the more you apply, the deeper it gets- a novel concept, I know.
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Beauty Bloggin: Redhead Edition
May 10th, 2011 § 1 Comment
Now that it’s May, I am dying (oh god, no pun intended) to hit the Loreal bottle again for the spring and summer months. Why you might ask? NO, it’s not because I have an overwhelming girl crush on Blake Lively and she just dyed her hair a strange, orange/coral/strawberry something.
It’s because… well, I am obsessed with being a redhead. Truth be told, I was a full blown wannabe for nearly 10 years before I finally bleached myself to death (note to self: never again) and then chopped it as often as possible until it was my natural dark brown. When all was said and done, I don’t know why I dyed my hair for so long- it’s the redhead mystic that kept me going back time and again and eventually I became addicted to the bottle. I do love love love dying my hair because it always gave me this sense of liberation with a teeny side of rebellion. Both my Aunt Martha and my Grandma Margaret are and were fiery reds. I suppose I have always felt that dying my hair was a champagne toast in recognition of these ladies and this excerpt from a story I wrote about my Aunt Martha gives a small glimpse into my rationale:
“My grandmother, a woman I never met, was responsible for the misfortune of my aunt’s tresses. She was marked her whole life by a scarlet letter, a carrying card for crazy, the mark of a genuine free spirit. In college, I became obsessed with the idea of having red hair. After all, my grandmother and namesake was a brilliant Henna goddess, my rebel aunt was flaming rust and at 20, I determined that it was more suited to my essence to continue on the royal line of redheads.”
So there you have it!
One of my favorite gingers- besides Conan and Prince Harry- is Christina Hendricks. While she is not au natural, she also claims that she identifies with being a ginge and has always felt like a redhead. She wears it so well with her translucent skin and bad ass curves. If you want to recreate her look I would suggest going to a professional to get it just right. However, I was always a Loreal Feria loyalist and ran the gamut from this to this to one of my favorites, this. Now I want to dye my hair again. Must. Refrain.
Style Amor
March 18th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I’m always trolling the interwebs looking at random pictures, and this one caught my eye. I love Tales of Endearment because I want to be the author of the blog, but she also posts some really amazing style pictures. This is from a post while she was in Palm Beach, Florida, and this lovely lady is dressed exactly how I would like to dress every. single. day. The pleated 70′s plants with a bit of shimmer paired with a navy grandpa cardi and a knock-off Hermes bag SCREAMS I don’treallycarebutIdoand this also is reallycomfortableand I look great.
Chloe WORKS it for Opening Ceremony
March 18th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Opening Ceremony? Chloe Sevigny? Yes, please. This post is a little late on the uptake, but I wanted to just take a moment to talk about these.
Sleek, modern, on-trend, semi-functional, and super bomb.
Retrouvez la collection Chloe Sevigny x Opening Ceremony www.openingceremony.us
Images from anothermag.com
Andreia Chaves is shoely experimental
March 17th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
These are experimental shoes. As my brother would say, verrrrryexperimental in an Austin Powers meets Rodney Dangerfield kind of voice. Brazilian, Andreia Chaves, collaborated with Dutch product design wizards Freedom of Creation for the final look. They were first shown during NYFW and are now going east to launch in Asia in association with I.T Hong Kong as well as the opening of the new store I.T Beijing Market Comme Des Garcons. I don’t know if I could wear these rockin’ bad boys, but they are certainly worth looking and pondering this:
Described as a study of optical effect applied to shoe design, the ‘Invisible Shoe’ series explores the concept of invisibility though the ‘chameleon effect’ while the shoe’s reflective finished surface creates an obscured optical effect with each step taken. This innovative design greatly exceeds the primary function of the shoe, where “protecting” the foot also means “deleting” or “immersing” it into the environment.
I love it. Nerdy shoe theory.
All images commandeered from dezeen.com. Thanks y’all!
Burberry Goes Back to Swinging London
March 16th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Burberry Prorsum’s Fall 2011 collection debuted on February 21, 2011 to a world-wide audience from its tent near the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. Parades of editors, celebrities and fashion “it” girls such as American actresses Rachel Bilson and Kate Bosworth, model Alexa Chung and famed fashion photographer, Mario Testino, all clamored for their seat in the front row. But this year, Burberry extended the front row to the Everyman. Burberry wunderkind, Christopher Bailey, and his team live-streamed this current collection onto a 32-meter digital screen in London’s famed Piccadilly Circus, and to more than 150 countries around the world and at 40 live events including their flagship store in Beijing. Burberry is the first fashion house to take the exploration between fashion and the Internet to this level even offering the ability to click and buy immediately from their website during the live show.
Although much of the excitement surrounding this fall collection stemmed from the brand’s embracement of technology and their forward thinking in this digital age, on the runway it was less about the future and more a nod to the past. From the soulful sound of Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Own Me,” to the mod color palette and shift dresses, this collection was all retro 60’s pop pizzazz.
“This thing about looking backward to look forward and forward to look backwards. I love the romance of looking at our archives. In our archives there were these incredible images of Jean Shrimpton wearing old Burberry ad campaigns,” said Bailey.
The fall collection was certainly a homage to the British supermodel and icon of swinging London. After last season’s tough, bad-girl leather and snakeskin, this season breezed down the runway in a playful color palette of burnt orange, red, browns, olive, dusty blue, playful cow prints, creams and black. Various renditions of the classic Burberry coat were explored and the structural outerwear came both cropped and traditional in length. The procession of coats boasted dropped waistlines, swingy, flared raglan sleeves, lowered shoulders, exaggerated toggles, and draped back pleats. The coats came in everything from wool to mink and were often tied off with thick leather belts or a delicate patent bow. The emphasis on the historic Burberry coat and the experimentation with proportion and fabrication paired nicely with the simple pants and shift dresses.
After this collection walked the runway, it was knocked by some of fashion’s elite insiders for being too much about the technology and less about range and the fashion.
“Burberry has to be careful that its brilliant and forward-looking embrace of the Internet does not leave too much behind — especially that ironic take on tradition, the British countryside and the brand heritage that Mr. Bailey can tweak so well,” said Suzy Menkes in her review in the New York Times.
However, it should be noted that the Prorsum in Burberry Prorsum means “forward” in Latin and that is exactly where Bailey is taking us. Forward into the digital age, positioning his brand and name to be exposed to the masses.
