Sunday, December 27, 2009

WINTER BOOTS, HALF OFF



Winter boots, half off...it looks like it was the lower half this time, hohoho! When you spy something like this, how can you pass it up? These (Demeulemeester? knockoffs) were just too interesting, and such a bargain.

The singing Frosty with the light-up cheeks was extra, but well worth it as he balances out the edginess of the supple black leather and dichotomous, covered up/revealing concept going on.





Note the ankle-warmer effect the scrunched leather creates...perfect for the frozen northland where, when temperatures plummet, ankle warmth becomes paramount.

So good luck with your own post-Christmas hunting and gathering! May you find your own treasures...

Monday, December 21, 2009

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST



O.K., These are not the World's Ugliest Sweaters, but they are looking a bit dated...one's too long, the other is too short (and in that "this-sweater-was-in-style-about-8-years-ago" way).


I still love the colors though, and the textural interest created by the different patterns, the open stitching (forgive me if that's an incorrect term, I do not knit) and the ribbing is lovely.


The soft pink mohairiness of it...it's like a pink wooly cloud.


This one has some silk in it and is not at all scratchy but quite soft.



You can probably guess where this is going.
It's really hard to get started. You feel a frisson of danger, of destruction and doom. The fear that even though every time you put the sweater on you think, "Nooooo...too short, too long, too can't find the right thing to wear under it", you will make it even worse.
But then you start to cut. And let me tell you, it gets easier. Almost frightenly easier. The lavendar one is already gone...
Come back in a few days and you will see...



Friday, December 11, 2009

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

CHOCOLATE...Breakfast of Champions.

Along with the other Vitamin C foods (that would be Coffee, Cheese...hmmm, I'll have to come up with some more), chocolate is high on my list of health foods. The only time I ever remember being tired of chocolate was after a month long trip to middle Europe (countries to remain nameless) which I enjoyed greatly except for the food. At that time, I was a vegetarian and being a vegetarian in middle Europe is like being a vegetarian in the midwest USA: damn hard. So pretty much all I ate there were the three C-vitamin foods named above. Every day. All day.

Anyway, I highly encourage anyone and everyone to make sure they get their recommended dosage of Vitamin C today.

Especially Rick Owens.

Ciao

Saturday, November 7, 2009

THE WEEK IS ALMOST OVER!

Rick Owens Week is almost over. So it took almost a month, what? You care? That's the way it is, sometimes a week takes a month. But we must give Rick his due. Plus, I can hardly leave the Halloween photos up forever.
These mannequins are hanging out in Barneys NY. They've got an area all to themselves in which they can parade this way and that in all their RO glory. Note the subtle tones of ashes, lead and dead wood, signature RO colors. I don't care for the long skirt, it looks dowdy. Maybe if she had actual shoes on instead of white wedge-shaped feet, that would help.
These clothes are incredibly comfortable, soft, stretchy and cuddly. I love them all, but my favorites are the dramatic coats and jackets. More to come, as it is Saturday.
Ciao.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We interrupt Rick Owens Week for HALLOWEEN. As everyone knows, Halloween is an extremely important holiday as it celebrates dressing up in an extravagant, irresponsible and sometimes completely foolish looking costume while pretending to be someone, anyone, other than yourself. How fun!

As an alumni of the Large Midwestern University which has taken clebrating Halloween to a new level, I take my costumes verrrrry seriously. Sort of.


Hmmmmmm...let me see...what, or who am I?

Donatella Versace? Nah, obviously not (done that)! A Gautier runway model? Nah, done that too. Tickle Me Elmo Fairy? I do not believe Elmo would be caught dead in these black lace gloves, but you never know. I was going to be the Bad (Hair Day) Fairy, but my attempt at truly Bad Hair is not readily apparent and only supports the Gaultier theory. I'm still going with it though, if anyone asks. In this get-up, know one knows if I am a high schooler or not, so I have cleverly planned a trick-or-treating route including all the houses know to give away the full-sized candy bars.



Now go! Away with you! Have a good time and don't forget: LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE YOU CROSS THE STREET!

Au revoir...

Thursday, October 29, 2009

RICK OWENS BOOTS FROM MARS


O.K., you've heard of those '70's staples Moon Boots? These Rick Owens boots are like from Mars! They are so crazy-ugly, they're cool. When I first saw them, I thought they were the ugliest things I'd ever seen, but they've grown on me and I find myself fascinated with their soft-sculptural qualities.

I wonder what kind of comments I'd get if I wore these boots for a day. "Interesting..." would only begin to cover it.

Off to figure out how to get my photos to stop being so lazy...

A bientot.

Monday, October 26, 2009

"Rick, Rick, Rick, Rick, Rick!"

Welcome to Rick Owens Week! They always say, write about what you know, and I know this: I love Rick Owens. I love Rick Owens soooo much, I'm giving him a whole week, and that's just because I don't have enough material for a Rick Owens Year.





Rick is one of those designers whom all the Fashion Insiders already know about but anyone I actually know has never heard of. Well THAT will all change with RO Week. I personally discovered Rick several years ago when I spotted his architecturally engineered pieces smooshed into a small corner of some magazine.





The outfits here are classic RO: multi-layered, dust-colored, parts which hug the body and at the same time, parts which flare away. This is the full RO effect, but you could deconstruct the look and pair any of the parts with your favorite jeans and t-shirt.



Yeah, especially the boots, right?



Red fencing mask (face cage?) optional...


And by the way, the shorter jacket is a Helmut Lang piece, a line I also loved before Helmut himself stopped designing it. Note the repeated layering and the subtle gradations of gray. Rick is also know for combining different kinds of materials in the same piece, usually sticking to his ashes & dust palette for a sophisticated effect.



This is not an outfit you are going to see coming and going!


(photos: Vogue)

Sunday, October 18, 2009

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

Back to New York! Let the gathering begin. You know the old (prehistoric, actually) concept of Hunting and Gathering? Well I do both. "Equalization of the sexes!", as Geri of Spice Girl fame would say.

Let's start with this lovely boutique EVA, located in the Bowery. Now the Bowery is known (or used to be, it's being gentrified as we speak) more for its bums than its shopping, but EVA had alot of interesting avant-garde items which would only give your credit card a hangover. Among my favorites was this Pamela Love claw bracelet. Pamela Love is a not-yet-widely know accessories designer out of Brooklyn, which my sources tell me is now the place for not yet R & F designers. This piece is so beyond cool as you can see where its talons actually left a small scratch on my wrist. Yes, I heal very fast!

This is the beyond adorable sales associate at EVA, who was very friendly and personable, completely busting to bits all preconceived notions about snooty New York boutique employees. This was a good thing as it made up for the experience at another boutique which I actually sought out and forced my friend to visit with me.
I won't mention any names (other than it is the name of a David Gates (Bread) song which was once cited on American Top 40 as having the shortest title ever for a #1 hit), but IF I'm ever in New York again, I will not waste my time looking for a boutique where they treat you as IF you either are in high school (not worth their time) or have typhoid fever or as IF they are the cool girls in your gym class and you have just tried to butt into their very important discussion on IF they should file their nails or clip them.
Too bad, because my experiences in New York every time I've been there have been of the positive kind. People seem to respond with genuine interest and warmth.



Here is my favorite local sales associate, Abbey, at BCBG (picture taken before I got my new camera, hence the blur). Abbey brings chicitude and friendliness together and takes them to new heights. New York's got nothin' on Abbey!



Plus, Abbey has killer shoes. Literally! I took this shot and so many people commented on how fabulous these shoes were that I went to gather them for myself but was told THEY WERE RECALLED! OMG, who has their shoes recalled? The extremely cool studded heels, apparently, detach. Unexpectedly. Three fashionistas have fallen to their death so far as a direct result of these killer heels. Needless to say, these shoes are no longer for sale.
So I was unable to procure these shoes for myself. The worst thing is, I was still disappointed, which tells you something about me. And I'm not sure it's good...



Friday, October 9, 2009

JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL...

Oh My God! There it is! Thank you, thank you window seat! In and out of the clouds, but definitely real, spiking right out of the face of the earth...Manhattan! I never get tired of this view.


An amazing opportunity came up last week...not only did I get the chance to go to New York City for a 4-day weekend, but it was to meet up with my "Best Friend From 9th Grade" (who shall, for the sake of confidentiality, be known as "Betty" in this post). And if you have ever been a 9th grade girl (and I'd assume anyone reading this has), you will perhaps remember how important and intense your best-friendship is at that stage of this Game We Call Life.

Anyway, we had not seen eachother for decades. How we reconnected is another long story (as they all are with me!), but when we met in La Guardia, it was as if we'd only been away for a year or two.
Only in New York City, we won't have our moms making sure we are home on time, not that we ever did anything like run around at night while saying we were at eachother's houses or hitch-hiking (OMG, did we do THAT? Noooo...) to the next town over for shopping...no, not us.

The Upper East Side...so Upper Crust! I love city views because all I can think about is how many people live there, in all those appartments, the perspective stretching on and on and on, and all those people have their own stories...all those stories, sometimes intersecting, sometimes not. Happy people, sad people, people in love, desperate people...
They will be all around me. I will meet them in the stores, on the street corner, in line for coffee, on the plane. I love hearing their stories.


That's our penthouse, the one with all the trees on the terrace...o.k., not really, but Betty's place was just as good. Had to be, it was in NYC and all we midwesterners know that the streets are paved with gold there.



The 'hood on the UES.
Haven't figured out yet how to rearrange the photos, so I will have to post again on the shopping & art issues...as you know there will be!




Wednesday, September 30, 2009

"Dahling, I LIVE for (faux) fur!"


(note the Lush Pile)

Yes indeed! Today's iconic fashion quote comes from your favorite fur-crazed fashionista from hell, Cruella De Ville! This short ivory faux fur cocoon coat has absolutely no dalmationish markings on it, I may point out. I may also point out that I meant the photos to be in reverse order, starting with the eerily moody full-length shot and moving toward the more close up one showing the lush pile.



I have curated an extensive coat collection over the years. This is my newest addition which I'm sure will be a wardrobe staple even though with no closures, 3/4 length sleeves and a fairly short length, it makes no sense at all here in the harsh northern climes. But everyone knows we must suffer for fashion even if it means the occasional frost-bitten extremity...


(eerily moody shot)
Well, I'd better go. I'm leaving for New York City tomorrow and I'll probably be seated in the front row at all the big fashion shows. Oh, wait, New York Fashion Week is over! Everyone's in Milan now. Still got to go, "no time to palaver!"


Monday, September 28, 2009

Harry Potter, an Iconic Fashion Statement

DON'T TRY THIS OUTSIDE THE HOME!

As a not-R & F Person (Rich & Famous), I would just be considered incredibly odd or incredibly cheap if I wore these delightful Harry potter-meets-bejeweled-reading-glasses-look on the street.

If I was R & F, pictures of me, looking artfully disheveled and wearing these tape-embellished glasses would appear in magazines everywhere. Young, aspiring trendsetters across the nation would rush to sport the quirky, bohemian new look. There would be a run on tape and 3M stock would go through the roof, making stockholders and employees everywhere dance with jubilation.

I don't know why I've decided to advertise recently that I'm so thrifty (well, yes I can, I'm so excited about bargains), but "never miss a chance to make fun of yourself", that's one of my 17 mottos...
Here's a closer look for all you do-it-yourselfers...captivating, aren't they?
Vogue accessories editor Sahvahnah Shalom breathlessly described them as, "A triumph in re-inventing recessionista chic...the asymetry and the unexpected combination of two such disparate fashion genres...the rhinestone-embellished glasses and the masking tape...make a statement not seen before in the fashion world..." while several people in my own home added, "Pathetic..."
No where before has someone referenced Harry Potter, 3M, Vogue, and Bejeweled Reading Glasses in the same iconic accessory. And that's exactly what I meant to do...

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Totally Thrifty




I just love those glossy fashion blogs where the people are running into the designer shows during London, New York, Paris and Milan Fashion Week. Also the ones of Beautiful People in their Beautiful Clothes in their Beautiful Lives.

They always have great shoes, the kind I only see in magazines, totally impractical, so sculptural and phenomenally realized that I must prevent myself from hyperventilating.

Just the fact that these women are willing to walk any distance in those sky-high heels shows their steely and unwavering dedication to the fashionable life. Since I don't live in a (fashion-wise) Beautiful City, you won't see that type of photo here.

In the Fashion Hinterlands, we must Make Our Own Fun. We must scrounge up our fashion, patch it together and take pictures of ourselves in the mirror.

Just like the Cool Girl blogs, I will now describe my Totally Thrifted Outfit:


"Outfit: Vintage Ralph Lauren cropped denim jacket, Anthropologie ruffle front top, 100% silk leopard print skirt, BCBG patent accent platforms, all thrifted" Total outfit cost: $9.97


The jacket is the best, it's SO eighties, really cropped and boxy. Makes me want to run for the hairspray and find some of those really close-fitting acid wash jeans. Well, not really! The sandals are super-cute but the closest thing to Chinese footbinding I've ever worn. Good thing I only paid $6.99 for them!
Au revoir...








Thursday, September 24, 2009

MAYAN BLACK ONYX

Breakfast of Champions...the famed MAYAN BLACK ONYX. It sounds so exotic, so mysterious, so rich and dark. It's not bad coffee, but more than drinking it, I just like to say the name:
MAYAN BLACK ONYX. It sounds like an Indiana Jones movie, or perhaps an older film starring Humphrey Bogart.

Mayan Black Onyx. Mayan Black Onyx. MAYAN BLACK ONYX. Mmmmmmmm...

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Project In Progress: Cargo Pants Jacket

These are my cargo pants...

And these are my cargo pants on my arm.
So if you thought this picture is of me doing a Scarecrow-from-the-Wizard-of-Oz-inspired dance move, you'd be wrong. This is my Project In Progress: the cargo pants jacket. Now some inquiring minds have inquired about the completion date for this project. The answer is:
1) when I have time to finish ripping the seams out of all the pants,
2) when I have a spare 10 hours, and
3) "after the dishes are done".
While #3 would seem to be the easiest, it is always the least attractive activity. #1 is also not really that fun or fast, as cargo pants have flat fell seams (the kind where the fabric is doubled over and stitched twice, with lots of annoying ladder-type serger action happening also). So it's slow going.
This idea came to me after I had been in J. Crew. They had a really cute military-type, army green jacket, just cotton, unlined, with nice pockets. I tried it on and loved it. However, due to my new commitment to thrift, I did not buy it. Some days later, as I was sorting through things I no longer wore much, I came upon these pants which were at one time a daily go-to pair but had fallen out of favor. So naturally, I put one leg on my arm and envisioned a really cool, Junya Watanabe-type jacket.

It's an arm! It's a leg! Arm! Leg! ...No...it's Cargo Pants Jacket!
Can't wait to see how it turns out. I will post a working sketch if I can figure out how to scan things.
Bisous, GW

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Public Service Announcement

Here it is, folks! The product you have been waiting for your whole life even though you never knew it existed! If you take the time to read the label, you will discover that the ANTI-PUFF EYE ROLLER GEL is far, far more than an ANTI-PUFF EYE ROLLER GEL...it is a product which will DELIVER CAFFEINE into your system directly through the delicate skin around your eyes!!!

With a product like this, who needs Mayan Black Onyx Roast? Now the dark circles you used to get from staying up way too late or getting up way too early, activities enabled by copious amounts of caffeine, can be eradicated WHILE you are getting your caffeine!

This is probably the first thing ever (well, since the Nair commercials from the 70's and we all know that stuff not only doesn't work, it stinks) that I have purchased as a direct result of seeing an ad on tv. And it wasn't the anti-eye puff promise that hooked me, it was definitely the caffeine! And just look at how lovely and anti-puffy the eye on the box looks. Too bad about that lime green swoosh underneath though...

Do my eyes look "instantly renewed and refreshed"? I guess you can't tell, because I'm wearing sunglasses! It promises that "In 1 week: under-eye puffiness is reduced and women saw dark circles diminished". I've been using it for a week and frankly, my eyes look the same but the caffeine seems to be doing its job! What? You're not supposed to use it six times a day? Woooohoooo!!!!

Monday, September 21, 2009

The Girl


Just because I'm such a neo-luddite (I so love that word, I may have to stay one), I forgot to put a picture in the first entry. So here it is: oops, it's on top of the text. Told you so!

Welcome to LAND OF THE GIRLS!

Welcome, welcome to LAND OF THE GIRLS! ...this is my space where I am going to post all the stuff that undoubtedly causes half my Facebook friends to "hide" from me.

Yes, here you can revel in the important information which comes straight from my only-slightly-crazed mind. Projects In Process (currently in the works: the cargo pants jacket, the cut leather cuff and the skirt I may make from a completely different jacket), important Public Service Announcements (like Vogue Francais Hair Week) and the Caffienated Eye Puff Remover Roller, what kind of coffee I am currently main-lining, and WhateverelseIwanttosay.

Because THIS is the LAND OF THE GIRLS. And I'm the first Girl here.