Spring 2009 Couture Favorite

I'm completely in love with Lacroix's Spring 09 couture show- it's so very saccharine but all of the layering and combining of prints and colors just blew me away. #2 is my absolute favorite with #1 coming in a very, VERY close second. I think I need to experiment in the combining of some prints...which my wardrobe might need some infusions of. I'm lusting after that striped skirt in #2 (If it's even a skirt, it's hard to tell?). The only thing I'm not smitten with in this collection is the footwear.

See full collection at: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/S2009CTR-CLACROIX

p.s.
Christian quite obviously agrees with me, more IS more.

Confession: I Have A New Girl Crush

Let me preface this by admitting that one of my guilty pleasures is reality TV...very bad reality TV-as in MTV style bad. I'm not proud of it. In any event, to all those familiar with MTV's "The City", I'm smitten with Adam's girlfriend, Allie- full name, Allie Crandell. Turns out she's got a legit modeling career with Wilhelmina, and has done a few music videos as well-I'd post but embedding is disabled, so click through here for her appearance in Duran Duran's "Falling Down".

At a mere 5'8, she's on the short side-likely ruling her out of the runway scene...but that height also puts her in the Kate Moss category...and I think there's something intriguing about her-she's stunning, but if you've seen "The City", you've seen her blatant fragility. I'll hope for big things for her-there aren't a whole lot of pics of her bouncing around the web.




p.s. Has everyone noticed that www.ActiveEndeavors.com went out of business?

"I don't understand $400+ shoes, it's not like they can make you breakfast" - The Boyfriend

In a world of shoes like these:










How does one resign themselves to these?



Such is my current dilemma. I'm looking to commit to some quality, beautiful, long-lasting shoes...but GAH!

Sincerely,
I don't care if I'm impractical, I want the pretty ones

Addressed: The Feather Trend

Feathers all over the place, on the hems of slips and dresses, on headbands, dangling as earrings- but I like this one by Laura Kranitz with it's slightly more hippie feel (maybe that's the Vermonter in me). AND, it's a mere $20 at www.80spurple.com, or easy enough as a DIY.

A Pre-Fall Feast For The Eyes

Some favorites...

VERSACE

LANVIN

BURBERRY

I'll take the Versace shoes, the Burberry pants and everything Lanvin.

I also liked Zac Posen-not shown. Many, many designers were going with a 1940's-1950's point of reference- See the movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day", it's visually quite beautiful-the interiors, costume, etc-although upon further inspection it takes place in 1939-but, nonetheless...

For lack of a better photo:

Proof : Less Is Not More

This Valentino Spring 09 embellished fingerless glove just screams for a DIY attempt of sorts-and obviously it's best paired with an equally, if not MORE blingy counterpart. One of these days I'll actually get around to executing the DIY ideas...maybe after I've finished moving.

Now THAT'S an LBJ I'd Settle Down & Start A Family With

Little black jacket awesomeness by Margiela and Elizabeth & James respectively. Both available at www.ELuxury.com. The $775 for the E&J Superfine Leather Jacket feels almost like a bargain when up against Margiela's $3,145 Zip-Sleeve Bomber. To shamelessly quote clueless, "As if!". But DAMN the styling going on in my brain makes it almost seem worth it, albeit completely infeasible- because unfortunately, I'm just NOT that irresponsible.

Boyfriend Style (Not the Katie Holmes Kind)

I work in the fashion industry, but have virtually no enthusiasm whatsoever when it comes to men's fashion. In addition to the obvious fact that there's far less room for creativity with men's apparel, I think the main reason is that my 'type' of men are no-fuss, gritty manly-men who keep it clean and simple. Take my boyfriend for example, he's a jeans and t-shirt guy. He shies away from anything even slightly embellished, he prefers single-breasted- and definitely forget excessive pockets. However, his style is one of my favorite man-styles ever-and it isn't as straightforward and plain as you might think.
I love his style because he couldn't care less about what anyone else thinks. He's got no qualms about wearing women's sunglasses (in fact I think he prefers them), he's always hiding various extra-long necklaces (rosaries, beads, chains, etc) underneath his shirts, he'll put a scarf on with just about anything-even wearing MINE around the apartment-fringe, studs and all (and I'm guessing he'd wear it in public too), and lastly, he's been known to wear slippers out of the house. Oh, and how could I forget, his collection of bracelets and rings rivals my own. And he 100% rocks it-all of it. The lesson in all of this- I suppose it's 'own it and you can pull off virtually anything'.

P.S. It might be worth noting that I thought he owned his style long before I loved him as well...Now if only he'd quit busting on the 'un-sexiness' of my plaid shirt.

Note the plastic rosary beads-->

Marketing Brilliance, Sensory Dessert

Check out the most gorgeous commercial I have ever seen. Unfortunately the picture quality isn't better, but you'll get the idea. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant marketing work on upping the level of class associated with the brand. How badly do you desire to attend this party?

P.S. Note the gorgeous dresses.

Premium Denim For Your Premium Booty

On February 28th, Members Only releases some of the most insane denim we've seen thiw season-we're even re-thinking our general distaste for skinny jeans. Feast your eyes. LOVING the Storm Jean in black and the Coco Skinny(the two left-most pairs).
Click thru and check 'em out:

An Open Letter To: The Girl Hiking in Front of Me Wearing Booty Shorts

Dear Girl Hiking Runyon Canyon in Booty Shorts,

Thank you for motivating today's entire workout and for setting my breakneck pace.
I first spotted you when you were two ridges ahead of me, taking a breather as I began my ascent of the leftmost ridge of Runyon (also known as my own personal hell for 25ish minutes a day - hopefully more like 10 in the near future). My immediate reaction was "uuuuugh, no she didn't". From there on out, my mission became to pass you...which I quickly accomplished. Then, I ran up the extra long, steep slopes just to make sure I'd grounded you into your proper place.
Darling, not even Giselle should be hiking with her bare ASSets on display. I could be the proud owner of an elusive, mythological onion-butt (of which you weren't) and I'd still keep my shiz tastefully under wraps. So, to the girl in the booty shorts and knee socks...and every other girl I regularly see up there in their god-awful skivvies, the flattering lighting in your apartments and your strategically tilted mirrors are lying. It doesn't look that good while the directional sun sets over the otherwise gorgeous canyon. Lock it up, ain't no Photoshop in real life. Please and thanks.

Sincerely,

Bearing your fleshy ass while allegedly sneaking in an exercise is not clever, it just looks like you're trying to distract from your personality...or face.

Shared Closet Space: Part 1

Moving in with the boyfriend.
Re-evaluating the wardrobe.
Forgotten and often unworn treasures.
What was mine could be yours.
Ebay.
'Nuff said.

Heaven Sent

How often are these bootishes the focal point of my dreams? What do you mean 'what would I wear them with?'- EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER AND WILL EVER OWN!?


Coming soon to a shopbop near you...

If Marie Antoinette had been a Rocker...

Every day my junk email account is bombarded with "New Arrivals" from a bzillion e-tailers, "Account updates" from Paypal, "New Release" notifications from Amazon, Ebay garbage and a slew of spam of even lesser value. I also get a few Daily Candy emails, which I admittedly leave unread only to accrue about 2-3 months worth before eventually sifting through them and relegating the especially good ones to a 'DailyCandy' folder. Today, I happened to open one on its actual date of publish only to be pleasantly surprised. Behold the work of New York jewelry designer Katherine Sturgis:



Her handmade, friendship bracelet-esque braided jewelry combines materials ranging from embroidery thread to leather, chains and swarovski. It manages that very delicate balance between pretty and glamorous yet unpolished, edgy roughness that I love so very much- reminding me on an aesthetic level of Pedro Garcia shoes. Perhaps the best part is that they are quite reasonably priced with some pieces costing as little as $115. Or, if you're like me, you're inspired and itching for daylight hours to venture out to the jewelry supply and craft stores downtown. Strike while the iron is hot-rhinestones and swarovski are supposed to be big this spring, and I don't see the edgy rocker trend as reinterpreted and reinforced most recently on the runway of Balmain as going away anytime soon.

Eye On: Isabel Marant

I'm obsessively lusting after a very large portion of Isabel Marant's Spring 09 collection- it'd be an absolute dream of a casual, everyday wardrobe for me. Feminine but with a slightly gritty, messy and disheveled edge, it satisfies my unending affection for little dresses but also my general distaste for all things overly polished and fussy when it comes to everyday wear. Easy throw-on wardrobe that could and should replace sweatpants in my life. In essence, perfection. I'll be finding a way to DIY a pair of those chain-strung boots as soon as I can find an acceptable slouchy, suede pair to serve as a foundation. (*Click through to Polyvore for clickable links to full-size pictures*)


isabel marant spr09



*Please excuse ass-less model, you know how we feel about booty around these parts*

Images from: http://content.coutorture.com

Confession: I'm a Product Whore

It's only now that I'm moving that I'm being forced to re-examine my habits and acknowledge the accumulation of the mountains of half-empty products in my bathroom drawers. There are very few that I've developed such a love for that they get restocked month after month without the slightest interest in dabbling in the competition. Most get replaced in favor of different brands, scents, methods, etc.

The products that have earned my unwavering commitment are as follows:


Product favorites

Capri Blue Jar Candle in Volcano
Murad Essential-C Cleanser
Nars Duo Eyeshadow in Pandora (Used as eyeliner)
Chanel Ligne Precision Liner Brush
Bronze Universel de Chanel Sun Illuminator
Chanel Le Pinceau Teint #16 Foundation Brush
GO SMILE Whitening System
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer with SPF
V/S by Gianni Versace for Women
Philosophy Sugar Cookie Body Wash


What're the products that've earned your affection?