This fall there are plenty of docs and biopics to see if you want to learn more about famous, beloved, dead people. This week I’ll highlight five, kicking off with my personal fave, Diana Vreeland.
The documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel is about the iconic editor-in-chief of Vogue who was actually so much more. Made by a filmmaker who married one of Vreeland’s grandsons, the film is billed as an “intimate portrait” and celebration of her life and legacy.
Official Synopsis: During Diana Vreeland’s fifty year reign as the “Empress of Fashion,†she launched Twiggy, advised Jackie Onassis, and established countless trends that have withstood the test of time. She was the fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar where she worked for twenty-five years before becoming editor-in-chief ofVogue, followed by a remarkable stint at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, where she helped popularize its historical collections.
Awesome Stuff: She worked hard and established herself in an era when it was more common for a woman not to work and not to be able to rise to such a position of power.
She started the trend of wearing bright red nail polish, which I believe she called “laquer”
She said many cool things, one of which I have posted over my desk: “I’m looking for the suggestion of a thing I’ve never seen before.”
In photos, her clothing and jewelry look as fresh as they did 50 years ago. She had a living room that was all red. She was no great beauty and it didn’t matter – as it shouldn’t for any of us – what mattered was her style and her eye.
She had a gift for giving the people what they didn’t even know they wanted – before the rest of the world had even imagined it, Vreeland was capturing it and putting it in her magazines. For many years, she was the zeitgeist.
Who should go: Anyone who loves history, fashion and who welcomes an opportunity to learn more about an influential woman in American history. If you don’t think clothes matter, or that style matters, maybe this will open up some doors that have been closed for you. As we all know, the eye takes in the true story – what message are you sending out?
You’ve seen them. We’ve ALL seen them. They bring forth in us, depending upon our outlook and motives, either outrage or appreciation. Sometimes we put them down but we all know that, no matter what, they aren’t going home alone on Halloween night.
It’s the Sexy Ladies of Halloween. Women who can turn any costume into a wonder of titillation.
Not all of us have that ability, you know. We don’t have the body or the will or the drive. Some of us would maintain that we don’t have the cheapness, the sluttiness, required to take part in such a thing.
My days of slutty Halloween-ness are long gone. Let me amend that – my day of slutty Halloween. For I only attempted sexy once, as a freshman in college, when I went as a hooker and my then-boyfriend went as a pimp. I know. They took away my Take Back the Night card for that one. I never, ever mentioned it in any of my Women’s Studies classes. Don’t ask, don’t tell, was the sexy Halloween policy back then.
But now it’s rampant. “When did sexy Halloween costumes become a thing?” Keith asked me the other day. “It seems like there was a time when that wasn’t the case.”
I’ll tell you the very first time I realized that Halloween costumes could be sexy. It was while watching E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. In the Halloween scenes the mom, played by Dee Wallace, dresses up as a sexy cat. And when I say “sexy” by today’s standards it was actually very demure. She’d be shunned at the club for dressing “all Amish and shit.” But, yeah, I thought she looked kinda hot.
My friend JoEllen has a tumblr called Miss Guised that pays “homage” to sexy Halloween costumes. Each day  this month, she’s posted yet another ridiculous sexy costume, from Sexy Sriracha Sauce to a sexy highlighter pen – she’s truly found the best of the worst. Go take a look if you need some sexy inspiration – I think you’ll find that if you can’t think of a sexy costume, you’re just not trying hard enough.
As for me, I’m struggling (yet again) to come up with any costume, let alone a sexy one. But whatever I come up with I’m pretty sure I’ll be fully clothed. Just call my Sexy Otter.
The best thing I got on our recent trip to NYC was a belt purchased at the Brooklyn Flea.
I saw it sitting on a table and grabbed it in one of those “this is totally mine” moments. Â The buckle and the decorative front piece are made of brass and the belt part is worn brown leather. Someone wore the hell out of this belt already.
Actually, I know who had this belt, at least for awhile. On the inside, in marker, it says “C. Ramirez.”
I could have stayed at the Brooklyn Flea for an entire day, looking at all the clothes (I also got a skirt). The prices were “meh” – you’re not going to find great deals here – but duh.
What I didn’t enjoy so much were the overflowing Port-O-Pots. An old man opened the door to one, looked inside and walked away shaking his head. I really had to pee so I went in holding my breath and keeping my eyes level with the door.
Still, my cool belt is worth a minute of crouching over a pile of shit.
My belt raised security concerns on the way home. It was in my suitcase but the pointed and crossed brass horns raised the alert and my suitcase had to be searched, the belt extracted and run through the x-ray on it’s own, to make sure the horns weren’t really poison daggers or knives or tiny guns.
“You’re abandoning a lot of ideas when you are too into comfort. ‘Comfy’ – that’s one of the worst words! I just picture a woman feeling bad, with a big bottle of alcohol, really puffy. It’s really depressing, but she likes her life because she has comfortable clogs.”
We’re well into spring. Do you have your spring wardrobe together? No? Well, here are some suggestions for items you might gather up on this last weekend of April.
PEPLUMS are back. Or, more accurately, they are now joining us from the 80s. The peplum, in case you don’t know, is an over-skirt. So, if it’s attached to a full skirt, it’s a tiny skirt that only grew partway down.
You can get skirts with peplums or shirts/jackets with peplums – it doesn’t matter what your peplum is attached to, as long as it springs out from around your hips and makes them look wide. Which is what you’ve always wanted, right? To look wider than you are?
SEE-THROUGH PURSES are the must-have accessory. This makes it much easier for strangers to assess so many things about you – if you have anything worth stealing, if you have any spare change and if you’re on prescription drugs.
If I wanted to be all English major about this, I would say that the see-through bag is a response to our ever-more-transparent society. We overshare online and now we can overshare with fashion. Nothing is off-limits!
A round-up of fashion-y stuff to take you into the weekend. Don’t get too excited.
What’s wrong with this picture from a Ralph Lauren ad?
If you said, “Everything,” you’re wrong. Not everything. The orange pants, for example, would be quite lovely paired with a shirt that covered one’s middriff.
The correct answer is, “Those green garbage bag pants.” After staring at this photo for awhile, I realized that those are not pants. It’s a jumpsuit, made out of an old parachute, worn as pants.
I’ve been racking my brain for an hour trying to come up with some witty commentary for this.
But it speaks for itself.
I do have questions.
Why the pocket?
Was there a 1970s post-shower situation during which a man would hang out in the Terry-Go-Round to shave, check the mail, count change (in his pocket)? Was it a simpler, less-hurried time when a man didn’t feel the need to rush from naked directly into clothes?
If you ordered the 7Up version, were you admitting to not being macho? And WTF, Alabama and Virginia? Your citizens can’t show their Budweiser pride?
Big Eyelet is taking over – covering skirts, dresses, gowns, blouses and… pants.
I would wear these pants by Alberta Ferretti. Especially on that terrace. Looks like something Betty Draper would have loved to wear back when she was thin.
Last night I watched Stop Making Sense, the Talking Heads concert film from 1984, directed by Jonathan Demme. Besides being blown away by the music, I was blown away by the fashion.
It’s not particularly memorable fashion, but it defies the fashion sense of the 1980s by not being so, well, 1980s.
The color palette is neutral (no neon!) and the cuts are roomy but also point to things we might see, and actually wear, today. If you watch the concert, you’ll notice that bassist Tina Weymouth (new girl crush) starts out with a roomy jumpsuit and then changes to a miniskirt with arm warmers, patterned tights and suede boots… straight out of the pages of NYLON or a post on The Sartorialist.
Below is my favorite clip from the concert – for the song “Life During Wartime.” [Note: I’m still bummed that director Todd Solondz made a horrible, hard-to-watch movie bearing this title in 2009] Watch the back-up singers in their shorts/jumpers as they dance around having a blast along with David Byrne. I want to learn their moves and do it as a workout in my living room.
http://youtu.be/KsksSWOxq2Y
Note that they don’t have to have their breasts or asses hanging out to be beautiful and eye-catching. Would these outfits ever fly today? I don’t think so because:
1. They are comfortable.
2. They can move in them.
3. They dont’ show enough skin.
It’s too bad because, when you watch this video, the music and fashion are timeless. The only point during the entire concert when I could say for sure it was 1984 was during the last song, when the cameras turned to the audience, who were definitely rocking their 80’s finery.
My major revelation about last night’s Oscar fashions didn’t hit me until I woke up this morning. What we saw, played out in very expensive designer gowns, was a battle between good and evil. Fashion was wrestling with itself, forcing the actresses/starlets who paraded down that red carpet to choose sides.
Let me explain.
Without a doubt, the most popular color spectrum for gowns was white/flesh/champagne/silver. Put some beads on it, cut one arm off, don a cape, have a cascading train, it was still that same color palette. A wide shot of the red carpet revealed men in black tuxes and then blurs of women who appeared to be naked, so close was the color of their gown to their skin tone.
The leader of the white pack was Gwyneth Paltrow, wearing a gown Princess Leia herself might choose for her big day. The white, strapless Tom Ford gown was complemented with a cape that draped regally from her shoulders and fell in a strict, straight line down her pilates-enhanced back.
You got the J. Crew holiday catalog in the mail yesterday and the cover says “Happy Holidays From The Italian Alps.” How did they know that’s where you’re headed this holiday season? But between now and then you have a lot of holiday-ing to do.
Luckily, you can do it all in J. Crew.
You bundle up in your HEARTHSTONE SNOOD ($49.50) to walk to a cozy cafe to sip cocoa and write gift ideas for family and friends in your ARCHIE GRAND FOR J.CREW NOTEBOOK ($10). Your cello teacher is getting a MAGIC WALLET in leopard print ($22.50) and your third cousin is getting the CASHMERE-LINED LEATHER GLOVES ($98) but everyone else has you vexed!
When it comes time to decorate the tree and hang the wreath, you change into your NO. 2 PENCIL SKIRT IN MIDNIGHT TWEED ($138) and slide across your shiny wood floors with strings of cranberries and popcorn in your CORGI CASHMERE SOCKS ($88).
Oh, you have to work at the art gallery on Tuesday! You forgot – you thought you took the entire month of December off. Oh, well. You just have to sit at the desk and pretend to read Ulysses. You do it in your HANDKNIT FAIR ISLE SWEATER ($225) over your JULES DRESS in Fresh Strawberry ($198). Chinese food for lunch, sign for one package, send a fax and you’re done for the day!
Your fiance’s old roommate is protesting down at Occupy! You agree to go visit and share some falafel and pumpkin seed bread while sitting on the curb. You wear your FAIR ISLE SWEATER-LEGGINGS ($98) and PUFFERS coat ($188) to try to blend in at the drum circle. To show the old roomie you’re not the unimaginative bitch he thinks you are, you bring him a gift – who wouldn’t want a pair of DANCING SANTA BOXERS ($18.50)?
Time for caroling! You go with the MAJESTY PEACOAT in Dark Bone ($258), PIXIE PANTS ($88) and your MACALISTER WEDGE BOOTS ($198). You get drunk while waiting for everyone else to be ready to go, then have to pee the entire time. You beg people to let you use their bathrooms and rifle through their medicine cabinets.
Holiday Open House at your boss’s loft! You spend hours preparing a a messy ponytail and wear your dark-rimmed glasses and TALIA TOP IN WILDCAT ($118) with CAFE CAPRIS IN WOOL. Keep an eye on your BROMPTON SATCHEL in Henna ($278), that’s where you keep the cache of drugs you stole while caroling.
You forgot to buy a bauble for Betsy, that annoying, sort-of-friend who happens to have a great summer cabin you love going to every August. You buy her an ARGYLE, HAND-ENAMELED BANGLE ($28) and a pair of socks from THE GAP.
For the cookie exchange with gal pals you’re wearing your WYNTER V-NECK SWEATER in Roasted Cider ($69.50), STRETCH VINTAGE BOOTCUT CORDS ($79.50) and BIELLA METALLIC PENNY LOAFERS ($248) but you’re not eating any cookies – you’re biting into them and slipping the bites into napkins when no one is looking and throwing them away. You can’t believe how much the other ladies are eating. It’s depressing.
Holiday movie time! You put on your SILK CELESTIAL PAJAMA SHIRT IN STARSTRUCK ($118) and SILK CELESTIAL PAJAMA PANT IN STARSTRUCK ($108) and make a big production of making popcorn and queuing up It’s a Wonderful Life but then spend the entire time texting and tweeting.
Quick pre-holiday Job interview for a junior associate assistant position at a PR firm! You think they will take you seriously if you wear your TISSUE TURTLENECK TEE ($29.50), monogrammed ITALIAN CASHMERE V-NECK ($168) and SILK STINGER SKIRT in Grey Slate ($235). Oh, but they don’t.
Holiday shopping at J. Crew in your CASHMERE BOYFRIEND CARDIGAN in Heather Spearmint ($198), NIGHTSHIRT IN SILK FOULARD ($178) and CLASSIC MINI IN FELTED WOOL in Stone ($98). You can’t figure out why the other customers keep asking you if they can get a fitting room.
You are so exhausted. It’s time to go to Italy. You wear your HIGH-WAISTED SKINNY JEANS in Night Owl Wash ($125), ITALIAN BALLETS in Lula Snakeskin ($198) and DREAM DOLMAN SWEATER in Heather Cloud ($98) on the plane and watch Just Go With It starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. You think it’s a good movie.
As soon as you get back from the holidays you’re going to buy your J. Crew ESCALIER GOWN COLLECTION WEDDING GOWN ($2,400).
Blah. If real moms are going to get shit for wearing Mom Jeans, then I don’t think young, hipster Non-Moms should get away with it either. And, let’s face it, this is ugly, proving that not everything can be co-opted by the young and waif-ish.
Somewhere along the way I got absorbed into a personal writing project and my Fall Overhauling and forgot to write this blog! I left off right after complaining about not fitting into my jeans from 2007, which is sort of an odd place to simply stop. To all (5) of my faithful readers, I apologize. Here’s what I’ve been up to:
Writing – 145 pages of fiction
Weight – down 5 lbs
Hunger – up 80%
Travel – a wonderful trip to glorious Winneconne, Wisconsin
TV watching – The New Girl, which I give a solid “B” for the pilot episode, Ringer with Sarah Michelle Gellar (I joined late and never did figure out what was going on, exactly), a shameful viewing of Dancing With the Stars.
Play watching – reasons to be pretty at the Guthrie Theater, put on by Walking Shadow Theatre Company, is excellent. So is the Thai food across the street at Kindee.
But what’s on my mind tonight is fashion. The September issues of fashion magazines can be daunting – all those ads sandwiching maybe 20 pages of editorial about what we should wear this fall and into winter. I’ve hardly gotten through them and it’s nearly October and time for another round. Sitting down with the September issue of Vogue can feel like curling up with the Yellow Pages and reading it cover to cover. After an hour, it’s all a blur of layers, patterns, bright lipstick, smudged eyes and towering shoes.
Although I have little money to spend on Fashion this fall, I am going to overhaul my closet for the change of season. Do you do that too? It’s something my mom taught me to do – there would be the semi-annual switch from winter to spring/summer and then from spring/summer back to fall/winter. The out-of-season clothing gets stored away in bins or suitcases to wait its turn again. I certainly don’t want to look at it – there’s something unsettling about seeing your winter sweaters on a warm spring day or catching sight of your sundresses in January.
So, starting tomorrow, my closet becomes a darker, warmer place. And what should I fill it with?
Well, that depends. Culling through the fall magazines, here are the major trends they would like us all to be aware of:
1. ANIMALS/ANIMAL PRINTS
Yes, you can still wear your cougar prints! Hooray! Zebra skin, alligator skin, leopard print, etc. all get the nod. But the bigger trend is to wear clothing with the entire animal represented on it. Big horse heads. Shoes that look like kitty cat faces on top. A zebra running across your t-shirt. A fox in your knitwear. I thought this would be played out already as this started showing up over a year ago but, apparently, it’s not. All the mags plus the Wall Street Journal have stories on it. (Have you ever checked out the style section in the WSJ? Not bad!) Except they only showcase things that cost a bazillion dollars because everyone who reads WSJ is rich, right?
But you don’t have to be super rich to embrace trends, if trends are your thing. Hit the thrift stores, where everyone has dumped their sweaters with big panther heads on them. Or, if you can’t take the time to dig, go to sites like ASOS and buy something more tasteful, like this Galloping Horse Print Shirt (I WANT.)
This brings us to our next trend, which is
2. FUR, FUZZY, WOOLEY
I know. Fur sucks. But I’m into faux fur as long as it doesn’t look like a stuffie one drooled on when one was three. Fur is BIG this year, sad to say. Even the vintage clothing stores and antique stores have brushed off the tiny fox faces and put out the stolls. If I wore one of those things, it would quickly devolve into a comedy routine in which my fox serves as my conscience and I consult him on every decision. “Should we eat that sweet roll, Foxy?” “Do I deserve a new pair of shoes, Foxy?” “Was that man rude to us just now, Foxy?” Sort of like whatever is going on here:
Marie Claire ran an article in its September issue about fur in which it quoted the Fur Council of Canada as saying, “Fur is a natural, renewable and sustainable resource,” and that new trapping regulations have resulted in as many beavers, muskrats, raccoons, coyotes and foxes as there were when the Europeans first arrived on the continent. Canadian school children are leading beavers around on strings and playing tag with foxes, there are so many just overrunning the country!
Seriously? As many as when Europeans first arrived? Huh. At least everyone still seems to be in agreement that there aren’t as many Native Americans as when Europeans first arrived.
Anyway, if you’re in the market for a faux fur vest, this vest from Nordstrom’s is along the lines of what you want to go for. Not so much this version from JC Penney (I’ve got nothing against JC but this looks too fakey and screams COUGAR SNOWMOBILE PARTY OVER HERE!).
3. LACE
Do it up Stevie Nicks style, yo! A lace shirt and a dress is suddenly a must-have. I actually do enjoy this shirt, if only because it is understated and black:
Lace Shirt from ASOS
4. HATS
I don’t love me in a hat, so I don’t think I’ll be embracing this trend except to keep myself warm when it’s 20 degrees outside. Thanks a lot, Kate-person-who-got-married-and-everyone-wore-a-hat-to-your-wedding-including-the-two-royal-sisters-who-remind-me-of-the-ugly-stepsisters-from-Cinderella. Besides wearing a vintage hat can seem awfully pretentious sometimes unless it’s for a hat party at which everyone else is also wearing a hat while standing around eating nachos.
5. DROPPED HEMLINES
Drop ’em, ladies. Just when you got your legs all toned up from kettlebells, pilates, yoga, what-have-you, it’s now in fashion to wear your hemline at your knees, minimum, and mid-calf or longer if you’re so cool it hurts. I’m kind of excited. How long has it been since I’ve heard something like this: “A covered-up silhouette feels more confident right now and definitely cooler.” – the Proenza Schouler designers. Was it back in 1918? Covered up is cooler? I can handle that. I did just find a sweet sequined mini-skirt at an antique store for $15 but as long as I wear tights and a tuxedo jacket with it, I think I’ll be forgiven.
6. “NOUVEAU NATIVE”
Don’t look at me, I didn’t coin this phrase. Anything “ethnic” is hot for fall. Any kind of colorful print, anything with fringes, blanket coats, leather… basically, you want to look like you cut up a teepee and wrapped it around you. Or you just got back from your humanitarian work in Africa and, oh, look at this cute dress you found in the marketplace that happens to go with your Jimmy Choos. I don’t know why I’m sounding so bitter about it – I actually think all this stuff is pretty but I resent the prices they put on it. How many colorful beaded belts and bracelets have I seen over the years discarded at the thrift stores (you know those leather belts with someone’s name spelled out in them in a panel of seed beads – maybe I should start buying them and be “LISA” or “DIANE”)? People, I don’t even know what to collect anymore.
Poncho from Zara.com
Which brings me to a bigger point – if you aren’t someone who would normally embrace ethnic prints or wear a heavily fringed jacket, please don’t start now. It will just look wrong.
You know how sometimes you’ll buy a box of crackers and on the front it will have a photo of the crackers all doctored up with cheese and some nicely sliced fruit? And if you read the tiny print on the box next to the photo it will say “serving suggestion?” That’s all trends are. Serving suggestions. You can ponder them. Think about if you would like them. But you don’t have to do it! Just because they show a Triscuit with a slender cutting of cheddar and half of a grape doesn’t mean you’re required to eat them that way. If you want to eat them at all. Triscuits – gross!
And if you do go through with a trend (I’m talking trend, not a classic piece you can wear for years), you have to make it your own and not spend a ridiculous amount of money on it. Example – in Marie Claire (I don’t know why I keep picking on Marie Claire when Vogue and Elle provide just as much fodder) there was an article about buying one fall “investment” and then wearing it three ways. One “investment” was a huge t-shirt by Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci of a Rottweiler face. The t-shirt is $265. Apparently, one can wear it with shorts, with jeans and a tuxedo jacket (you do have your tuxedo jacket, don’t you?) or with leather pants.
This is the shirt:
Well, I don’t care what you pair it with, if I see you coming with that Rottweiler t-shirt for the fifth day in two weeks, I’m going to be over it. Poor investment. Why not hit a thrift store instead and buy a t-shirt with a big whale on it? Or a tiger? I could find you a whale t-shirt in 30 seconds, it will cost you a few bucks and you can style it just as well and then use it to scrub your toilet when you tire of it. And it will look cool, I promise. Or totally uncool, if that’s your goal.
I don’t want to end on a diatribe, so let me name another trend that’s easy to like.
7. POLKA DOTS
If you don’t enjoy polka dots, you were born with a stone for a heart. Big polka dots, little ones. Mixed and matched ones. Polka-dotted pants. Dresses. Umbrellas. Pajamas. It will make you feel good.
As for me and my Closet Overhaul, here are some pieces I’ll be wearing this fall:
Knee-length, pleated skirts in bright purple and black
Velvet blazer in navy blue, purchased from vintage store in Oshkosh, WI
Men’s button-down shirts with patterns or texture, must be vintage and cotton. Think Tobias from Arrested Development. I nearly always want what he’s wearing in an episode. Except for those cut-offs.
Brown oxford shoes by Frye
Tights, tights, tights
Sequins, sequins, sequins. I’m like a crow attracted to shiny objects.
Boots in brown and black
Jeans – trouser cut (but let’s face it, the second I can get into “skinny” jeans, I’m going for it)
Black turtleneck sweater with long sleeves that come all the way past my wrists. Covered up is cooler.
Vintage dresses. I have a ton of them – Who needs to shop for “40s dresses” (another trend)?
Suede car coat with faux fur raccoon-ish collar and cuffs purchased from antique mall
Plastic and metal bangles going all up my arms like Nancy Cunard!
Now here's a woman who knows how to wear a bracelet or 20.
My investment piece is going to be a pair of well-made, tailored trousers that will go with anything and that I will wear until I’m 85.
I leave you with an image of a man who is not afraid to rock a fur coat:
It's OK! There are still lots of furry animals in Canada!
Kate Middleton looked stunning on April 29th in her traditional, satin and lace gown designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.
“The corseted bodice suggested Victorian tradition, the long translucent lace sleeves evoked Princess Grace, the white veil a reminder of the dead but not forgotten Diana, yet none of this swerving into kitsch. The symbolism of the bridal bouquet was also beautifully judged – lily-of-the-valley (for happiness), Sweet William, and stems from a myrtle (marriage) planted by Queen Victoria – and although I was prepared to be irritated by any reference to the new Middleton coat of arms, Catherine’s handmade diamond oak-leaf and acorn earrings inspired by the crest seemed sweet, rather than smug.”
Me and my bride paper doll reunited on the same weekend as the Royal wedding? Coincidence? I think not.
So I got the sack this week. That’s right. Unemployed.
I’m OK with it. In fact, I wouldn’t bring it up at all except that it, my current joblessness, has led me to discover a new passion – local news talk shows.
I can’t get enough!
I love the low-quality, low-rent-ness of them. There’s a lot of flubbing of lines, private jokes between the hosts, weird topics, interviews with authors of terrible books (usually books for kids that have something to do with butterflies or snow angels), fashion segments with horrendous or boring fashion (I saw two such segments during my first week of watching alone), opportunities to call in and win tickets to the Middle-Aged Dudes Sportsman Expo, etc., etc. to infinity.
Interestingly enough, one sees both a lot of cooking segments and a lot of exercise segments, which is enough to make anyone feel as if maybe they are suffering from, I don’t know, schizophrenia. Eat. Don’t eat. Eat. Don’t eat. Exercise. Eat. One minute they will be doing a segment on bacon cheeseburger meat loaf and then they’ll be talking about circuit training. Continue reading The Return of the Bowler Hat→
Back from NYC, a whirlwind tour of Manhattan by subway and foot. There would have been a ferry involved as well if the wait to get on it had not been an hour and a half.
Now back in the Midwest, I bring stories to my Midwestern brethren. Stories about jeggings (and leggings) and buses called jitneys. And lots of things lying on curbs and clothes, glorious clothes, and people who are not at all well in the head.
But first, jeggings.
I never took this trend seriously. Jeggings? Leggings made to look like jeans only tight, tight like leggings with no real zipper or buttons but perhaps the imitation of them, plus seams, drawn onto the fabric? Yes.
If I were, say, Great Britain during the time when GB controlled India, jeggings would be Ghandi. Someone, something, that I didn’t take very seriously at first and then… and then… oh, shit. Something like that.
Friday night was Voltage Fashion Amplified at First Avenue in Minneapolis. This year we were perched at the railing on the upper level in order to avoid some of the pushing and shoving of last year (it got a little crazy up in that bitch) and also to allow for easier viewing of the clothing for those among us who are short in stature. I admit, watching a rock and fashion show from up above does put things in a weird perspective, not just in terms of how one sees the clothing but also in terms of interacting with the crowd. Although, things weren’t quite as raucous this year. In fact, it seemed downright organized, which is kind of disappointing. What, no sneaking into the VIP section (guarded by a tough-looking broad) to hobnob with press types and the Beautiful People? No displays of underwear? Damn.
Before I go into my download of the fashion at this year’s event, I’ve noticed that most of what fashion writing exists in the Twin Cities is consistently upbeat, dare I say perky. The idea, which is a good one if you’re connected to the industry in any way, is to champion our designers because the design world here is so small and insular. It’s a seedling that people want to see grown and flourish. I do, too. But since I’m not connected to the industry other than as an observer, sometime participant and home sewer, I can also say what other people won’t:
Minnesota designers need to take risks. Go ahead. We can handle it.
Fashion inspiration for us all as we kick off MNFashion Week. I’ll have my review of Voltage 2010 up over the weekend. In the meantime, keep those caftans flowin’ ladies.
Everyone is always bragging about how great etsy.com is but I found at least the initial store set-up bewildering and time-consuming. But still. I’ve got a Not Shallow store and it’s open for bidness.
I’m going to add more portrait t-shirts in the months to come. But who wants to think about that after all the labor of just getting these first t-shirts up there? Guess what? I won’t be quitting my day job anytime soon.
Really, all I wanted to do was make a Little Edie t-shirt available to the masses. Or, uh, about 13 of you.
Was anyone else scandalized that Drew Barrymore didn’t even give any thanks to Little Edie or Big Edie in her acceptance speech for her Golden Globe on Sunday? She’s no Little Edie!
And that’s the revolutionary costume for today.
To show the polo riders, in khakis and topsiders,
Just what a revolutionary costume has to say.
It can’t be ordered from L.L. Bean.
There’s more to living than kelly green.
And that’s the revolution, I mean.
Some of you (five of you) may remember my design for a Little Edie Beale t-shirt. I’ve just ordered some! I’m only getting a small amount and right now I believe they will be for sale on etsy.com when they become available. They are white, crew neck shirts with the design on the front. About as simple a t-shirt as one can get and yet… so chic! Layer one over an oxford shirt or long-sleeved t-shirt for winter, add a cardigan or blazer and you’re good to go.
Confession: these are not American Apparel shirts. Horrors of horrors! I’m still really pissed about what they tried to do to Woody Allen, so I’m saying no to A.A. Actually, I just decided to go with a less expensive shirt that is still soft cotton but probably made by one-armed, 3-year-olds in a Romanian factory. Not that I’m trying to make light of that situation… sweat shops and all… OK, I’m a horrible person and you shouldn’t buy my shirt!! No, buy my shirt! It will be reasonably priced ($20 to $25), which is pretty good, right? I don’t know. I’ve seen $45 t-shirts on the Internet. I’ve seen $40 t-shirts at J. Crew. My sense of what’s reasonable for a t-shirt has been called into question.
T-shirts will be available at the end of December or early Jan. 2010. Very limited number so, if you want one, check this blog and RUSH to etsy the moment I post them. See what I’m doing? Creating a sense of scarcity. That’s called Marketing, people!
If you’re looking to express your offbeat, kooky personality, dressing preppy probably isn’t for you. The number one principle is sameness. Sameness from day-to-day but also sameness with your fellow Preps. You have your sturdy go-to wardrobe staples – your beige corduroys for the weekend, your tennis whites, your navy blue suit, pink polo for picnics – and then you never need to think about wardrobe ever again.
Still intrigued? Here are some basic tenets to follow when dressing, courtesy of the Handbook:
1. Conservatism
2. Neatness – Yes, you do need to tuck in your shirt.
3. Attention to detail – skimp on the details and everyone will spot you for a fake!
4. Practicality – forget stiletto heels; embrace the classic pump
5. Quality – No, you don’t go to Forever 21 and load up on trendy clothes.
6. Natural Fibers – synthetics scream disco era, poor taste, lack of money.
7. Anglophilia – Except maybe for Burberrys, now that they’ve cheapened the brand.
8. Specific Color Blindness – pastels do go with primary colors!
9. The Sporting Look – even if you’d never hunt down a spider in your bathroom in order to flush it down the toilet, it’s best to look as if you’re joining a fox hunt in ten minutes. Or going off to flush pheasants from your hedges. But beware: the deer hunting look doesn’t pass muster.
10. Androgyny – your khakis, rain gear, wool sweaters and tweed jackets should look just as good on Muffy as they do on Bink.
Earlier in the summer, I used a coloring book from Fleet Farm to find an embroidery pattern of a whitetail buck. I eventually chose a buck’s head that I wanted to work with. I found a dress at Arc in Richfield that was cute and polka dotted but need some detailing. I embroidered my deer head onto it, took in the sides quite a bit and cut off about 4 inches from the bottom and hemmed it so that the overall effect was less frump, more fab. I found a purple belt to go with it but there is also a polka-dotted sash that came with the dress.
Here is the result of my handy work! The dress gets its official unveiling/first wearing on Monday.
I hope you’ve been saving up your coins because next weekend is a bonanza for you if you love: vintage clothing, garage sales, stuff, stuff, stuff and even some books. It’s all goin’ on June 26 & 27th.
I suspected, going into Friday night’s Voltage: Fashion Amplified show at First Avenue, that I was wearing the wrong shoes. I’m the Mistress of Flats, not the Mistress of Peek-Toe Patent Leather Heels. But flats didn’t cut it with a short black skirt and a vintage wool tank top covered in beads and sequins. Besides, the heels elevated me above the crowd, allowing me to see the runway from the floor, not as easy thing to do when the place is packed.
My friend Ellen, always my Comrade in Arms when it comes to 1) shopping 2) fashion and 3) making fun of things, looked very pretty indeed in similarly high heels (not patent leather though) and a black, sleeveless dress. She also had on thigh-high nylons, which she announced she wasn’t pleased with as soon as she got in the car and proceeded to strip off.
I would want it to be called something like Stars and Infinite Darkness. Click your way over to a super cool site featuring work by independent clothing and jewelry designers. There is an inordinate amount of jewelry you would actually wear for years and years.
These kinds of sites are popping up all over but the recipe for a good one is to have many different ways of viewing the merchandise (by designer, by product, by what’s new, by what’s on sale) and having kick ass stuff at various prices. Stars actually has an option in Women’s clothing where you can select what you want to view by price, which is handy if you know you want to spend under $50 on a t-shirt. It also helps a site like this to have just the right amount of merch. I quickly become overwhelmed by choice on sites like Etsy (which I also enjoy and see the value in but just don’t visit that often) so I appreciate a site where some editing is going on.
I kept meaning to buy some of those fall editions of fashion magazines. I have to admit they are a bit intimidating – as big as phone books and full of ads with snarling or unhappy women. Even the fashion editorial, when you get to it on page 354, is weak. Get the “bohemian look” for $600 a pop? Doesn’t that undermine the very meaning of the word “bohemian?” I looked it up. Bohemian refers to a person, such as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules and practices. Just like Keira Knightley!
This week I found out about HauteLook.com and I was instantly hooked. Basically, it’s a site for sales on designer clothing but they only hold any one sale for 12 to 48 hours and for only one to two designers at a time.
There was fashion to be seen at Square Lake last weekend. Some of it was truly beautiful and inspiring (There were a lot of sun dresses – hooray for sun dresses!) but everyone seemed to struggle with their footwear. I saw:
I’m the gal who doesn’t think about acquiring a new suit until it’s the middle of July. Imagine my surprise to find that everything is picked over, out of stock or just cleaned up and put away, save for a tiny rack of bikinis fit for third graders. No, the American Girl dolls that third graders lug around.
The scene at Macy’s yesterday was one of utter disgruntlement. I wasn’t the only one feeling it. There were several of us just weaving around the racks as if we were the lone survivors of the Swimming Suit Apocalypse, destined to browse through racks and racks of mismatched lycra. I’ve never seen such a hodge podge of shit! Could someone be hired to keep this all straight?
I think I’ve almost exhausted Tim Gunn’s book about style but thought I would post his “Top Ten” list of pieces a woman should have in her closet. It’s kind of ridiculous and then there is a lot of truth here as well. I wish I would have had a copy of this to give to the woman I saw waiting for the bus this morning wearing a mint green long sleeved shirt and mom jeans. Strange outfit but also – it’s July! It’s going to be 80 degrees! What are you wearing? And who looks good in mint green? What skin tone does mint go nicely with? I contend no skin tone. But I’m being bitchy this week so maybe when I’m in a better mood I will embrace mint green…
I’m not going to name any names here but I must put this out there: Men, pay attention to what you wear on your feet! Especially in summer.
Men and sandals… the age-old problem. Some wear socks with their sandals. Some wear leather sandals with so many straps and buckles, you can’t tell what’s going on down there. And then… there is the “sport sandal.” The sport sandal has its place. Like, outside when sporting. I think the same rules apply to sport sandals for men as to flip flops for women. Outside, going to the store, in the backyard, at the beach, cleaning the car… etc.
A full review of the book Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style to come but I will share this nugget of information. Tim Gunn doesn’t like flip flops. He refers to wearing them as being akin to strapping slabs of rubber to your feet. I agree.
Back from NYC, a whirlwind tour of Manhattan by subway and foot. There would have been a ferry involved as well if the wait to get on it had not been an hour and a half.
Friday night was Voltage Fashion Amplified at First Avenue in Minneapolis. This year we were perched at the railing on the upper level in order to avoid some of the pushing and shoving of last year (it got a little crazy up in that bitch) and also to allow for easier viewing of the clothing for those among us who are short in stature. I admit, watching a rock and fashion show from up above does put things in a weird perspective, not just in terms of how one sees the clothing but also in terms of interacting with the crowd. Although, things weren’t quite as raucous this year. In fact, it seemed downright organized, which is kind of disappointing. What, no sneaking into the VIP section (guarded by a tough-looking broad) to hobnob with press types and the Beautiful People? No displays of underwear? Damn.
Oh, hi. Thank heaven you’re here.
Some of you (five of you) may remember my design for a Little Edie Beale t-shirt. I’ve just ordered some! I’m only getting a small amount and right now I believe they will be for sale on etsy.com when they become available. They are white, crew neck shirts with the design on the front. About as simple a t-shirt as one can get and yet… so chic! Layer one over an oxford shirt or long-sleeved t-shirt for winter, add a cardigan or blazer and you’re good to go.
If you’re looking to express your offbeat, kooky personality, dressing preppy probably isn’t for you. The number one principle is sameness. Sameness from day-to-day but also sameness with your fellow Preps. You have your sturdy go-to wardrobe staples – your beige corduroys for the weekend, your tennis whites, your navy blue suit, pink polo for picnics – and then you never need to think about wardrobe ever again.
I’m the gal who doesn’t think about acquiring a new suit until it’s the middle of July. Imagine my surprise to find that everything is picked over, out of stock or just cleaned up and put away, save for a tiny rack of bikinis fit for third graders. No, the American Girl dolls that third graders lug around.
I’m not going to name any names here but I must put this out there: Men, pay attention to what you wear on your feet! Especially in summer.