Black Is Black

I hate that feeling of being totally out of the loop, and that's how I feel now that I've discovered this gorgeous Burberry Knight bag. Huge, black leather, extraneous straps, and most importantly, studs. A girl in my French class last night was carrying the best bag ever, and when I asked her who made it, her answer hardly surprised me. 

Rachel and I have been looking for good new bags, and thought we had done a decent job of it... Not so. I'm pretty certain everyone but me already knows about this bag. Whatevs. It's fucking fantastic. I now have my next project... all I need is some leather dye and a big bag of studs.... Who knew punk would become priss (and not completely suck)?

The Kids Want A Little Action

Say WHAAAAAAAAAT???? Alexander McQueen for TARGET!? Ohhh, sweet baby Jesus I am so ready. Thakoon's line for Target was terrifically boring, and before that, my favorite mass retailer went through a design dry spell for months. This is probably the best collaboration possible to win back our fashion-addicted, bargain-hungry hearts.

The line, entitled McQ (which, for some reason, I read as M-C-Q, hence the MC5 reference in the title), explodes into stores, then out of stores and into my closet, this March. That's perfect, seeing as how Rachel and I will be scraping around for dough after our respective trips to New York and San Francisco next month... 

The line features shirts, dresses, circle skirts, jeans, shorts, bathing suits, jackets, and vests, all designed with that "rebellious, nostalgic flare." McQueen took inspiration from his muse, Leila Moss, and her band the Duke Spirit, whose distorted blues sound brings to mind a gritty road trip to nowhere with the wind whipping through your hair and few places to bathe. McQ's sensibility is a little punk, a little fem, and a LOT of McQueen. The devil is in the details, like in the sleeveless button up with bondage-y straps, or the one-shoulder dress with criss-crossed draping and a wide black sash holding it all in. The palate of grey, charcoal, and black stays true to McQueen's typical downtown aesthetic, with bursts of color in shades of electric blue and hot pink.

That grey motorcycle jacket with double lapels is going to be mine this spring... so, in the immortal words of the MC5, you better get out of the way. 

Something I forgot...

I meant to add this to my post last night. Rick Owens' DRKSHDW. This hoodie fucking rules. It's like a druid hood. And the long, skinny sleeves are so punk. My birthday's coming up, you know....

Costume International

I have always been a huge fan of anything over the top. Blame it on the ballet, maybe, but for whatever reason, sequins, lame, studs, and fringe have made my heart beat a little faster. Honestly, the hooker shoe trend had me jumping up and down and searching obsessively for the highest platform this side of El Cajon Blvd (San Diego's working girl playground, for the out-of-towners). Two inches is as high as I got, but I haven't given up. 

Fringe Benefits

Several designers are showcasing fringey looks for SS09, and I couldn't be happier. I've been so inspired by this trend that I've already done my own ombre fringe dress (pictures to come soon!) and I have plans for several other fringed pieces.

Eden dress, BonaDrag.com; White dress, Jil Sander SS09; Fringe blouse, Centimetre, PixieMarket.com

Hey There, Stud....

We were all teenage punks, right? My love of studs and spikes has stuck around and here I am, dying for Burberry Prorsum and Rodarte.

Cut It Out

I was getting kind of sick of all the cut out booties coming out, but there are a few which are truly beautiful. More and more labels are coming out with cut out clothing, something that makes me think of the big booty hoes in 2 Live Crew videos (Have you seen them? They dance around in parking lots wearing bike shorts with huge holes down the front and back!). A few choice pieces, however, have changed my immediate association with the phrase, "cut-out".

Photo from PixieMarket.com; Dolce Vita Cher bootie; Versace SS09 Heart Dress

You don't have to be strange to be strangled