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...

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...

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

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.

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...

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.

"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)