Stud Finder

Oak NYC

I'm planning on eating tortillas for the next two weeks so I can save up enough money to buy this Alexander Wang bag...it's blowing my mind!!!

Wish List

Vena Cava continues to blow us away with beautiful, inventive pieces. Rachel bought a gorgeous V.C. dress yesterday (we'll post our recent acquisitions soon!) and I am dying for this: 

Beautiful. Silk, Limited Edition, printed with a hot lady's nude form... what more could you want from a dress? At $211 on sale, I'm wondering why it's not in my closet.... Oh yeah, rent.

Rodarte's SS 09 show didn't break my "I like it, but not that much" streak, however they did feature some pretty awesome clothes.



While I'm not in the market for an ethereal gown, like the gorgeously artistic one shown above, I am on the look-out for a good leather jacket. I have one that's okay, but I need a motorcycle cut. I love that Rodarte's interpretation of the classic style has a vertical zipper instead of a diagonal one, but keeps the wide collar. I would most certainly pair that jacket with the Vena Cava dress, black tights, and these shoes:
The straps on these Dolce Vita Chastity heels compliment the S&M look perfectly (after all, the Vena Cava dress was created for OAK's "Bondage" event), and what's more conceptually synonymous with sexual domination than leather? The perfect place to wear this digital dream outfit would be a leather bar... Wolf's, why did you have to close???

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I don't know what is going on, maybe the stars are aligned weird, but today was a bad fashion day for me. I clicked around Style.com for to-die-for Spring RTW 09 lines and got nothin'. Even our beloved Alexander Wang sent hideous looks down the runway.

I have so many questions! What is this? A lace bodysuit under leather gym shorts and a sleeveless oversized hoodie? Is she wearing a kofia? And those shoes are just wrong. Why is she all sweaty looking?

Next I checked out Hermes.... All I can say is "Ugh."


It looks like a really cheap Halloween costume that is missing its pants. The color is awful, the cut is horrendous, and the short, thick fringe is unflattering. Jean Paul Gaultier can pump out some pretty weird stuff, but come on, dude. This is HERMES you're designing for. Please, can we leave behind the performance art and bring along some class? The collection wasn't all bad. There is one gown, a lovely moss green floor length number, worn with a cognac leather hat, that looks pretty. 

See??? Why can't the whole collection have looked like this? It's flattering, the asymmetry of the halter is eye-catching, and the color pops. Somehow, this look is an anomaly in a sea of tacky. Way to go, JPG. At least your fragrance rules.

What else... Chloe was a snooze. Boring x 10 with a couple exceptions. 


I don't like leather shorts, especially in candy apple red...

...But I do love metallics!!!

Miu Miu had some gems...

...despite the burlap sacks...


...and ugly prints.

Their makeup is just way too harsh and makes the models look old and tired. Ooh! I know what it reminds me of! Bette Davis in "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?"! Moving on...

Alexander McQueen handed over a mixed bag. While I am intrigued by his inspiration (Charles Darwin; natural selection), it comes down to what looks good and what doesn't. 

I LOATHE this look. It's so Jurassic Park the Musical. It shrieks, "I am the Lizard Queen!!!" which is really not a good thing. I hope that if my cat saw this in the backyard, he would attack it, remove its legs, and leave it in my closet. So I could burn it. Hideous.

Next is this weird wood print. It reminds me of a Brahmin Moth. (My dad would be so proud.) It grosses me out, and I really don't like how the print accentuates the crotch region. It's too Georgia O'Keefe for me, like, we already know where that is, thank you.

Obviously, I die for this look. You already know I love fringe, and this is done waaay better than Jil Sander. It's great, I love it, that's it. 

Lastly, I am really into these kaleidoscopic crystal healer dresses. I prefer the bright ones to the subtle ones; if you're printing gemstones on fabric, anything less than garish looks bland. 

Hopefully over my long weekend I will spy some collections I actually like as a whole. Rachel and I are both so underwhelmed by this season and we really welcome your suggestions.

Overly Tired; All Black

I've been awake too long to think of a subject for this post, so consider this a spazz sess.


Anzevino and Florence have done it again with this gargantuan silk cardigan that comes down to your knees. But you're not a model so your legs aren't about 12 inches longer than everyone else's, which means this cardigan comes down to your ankles. (Hobbit.) You know, this reminds me of the shirt/dress thing I concocted from three old black t-shirts... Cassie, your boyfriend made fun of me and asked if a fat man had been hula-hooping in my shirt; what that means I am still trying to figure out... And I didn't buy it for $268, I made it, so it was free.... But I digress.

This Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair dress also reminds me of the aforementioned hula-hooping shirt a bit... What's fun about this thing is that wearing it is like you raided the closet of a really tall guy with elephantitis on half his body... meaning half fits like a normal shirt, just really long, and the other half is incredibly oversized. It looks good the way the model is holding it, but if she let it go, it'd be down to her knees and I'm not sure how into that part I am. 

These Manolos are pretty fun. They are similar to the Burberry Prorsum heels from Spring 08 RTW that Rachel and I spent literally hours searching for on the internet. No decent pictures are available, so you'll just have to grab your glasses, go here and squint at the models' ankles. (I am so obsessed with those shoes that I am on the verge of buying some lower-platformed stripper heels, taking them to a cobbler, and instructing them to make me my own pair. Anyone know of a shoe-making class in Southern California?) This ankle cuff trend is reminiscent of electronic monitoring anklets. See Rachel's Bonne Annee post? Those shoes are very House Arrest.

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

New Year, New You

Ah, 2009 has begun. Not off to the best start, as my beloved Sidekick ran away, but full of hope nonetheless. Below are some New Year's Rezzies I will do my best to adhere to over the next 12 months:

1. Treat my clothes better.
This is probably one all of us can relate to. You know those awesome vintage boots you just had to wear right away even though the heel taps disintegrated, and now the heels look like crap? Or that expensive dress you didn't get dry cleaned often enough, and the stains from nights spent partying have set? We all have a story like that, as most of my shoes can attest to.

*Smart Heel makes plastic heel covers to prevent your favorite shoes from suffering awful scuffs and scrapes while in transit. At $11.95 a pair,they're not cheap but one pair will protect all your heels.

*Tide To Go is seriously made of magic. I'm pretty sure that's what their ingredient list is. Now this little stick of wonder comes in a mini size, to fit in your smallest clutch. You have no excuse not to have one. Drugstore.com has a pack of two for $5.99, with the second pack half off. Do your girlfriends a favor and get them some, ok?

2. Mind my manners.
Etiquette is always in style. Though I am a perpetrator of road rage, and occasionally get so frustrated with T-Mobile's automated customer care that I begin screaming into the phone, I must remember to keep my cool. As much as I love the stories of nutso supermodels trying to crack people's skulls open with their cellphones (Ahem, Naomi), my favorite icons are women of class. Or grace. Well, at least I imagine them that way. Regardless, to help me keep my craziness in check is....

*Etiquette by Peggy Post. The original version was written in 1922 by etiquette expert Emily Post, and revolutionized the genre. Sounds weird, I know, but until then, etiquette was for the wealthy, all stodgy and classist, and the progressive Post helped everyone realize it is for everyday life. This version (really, a tome, as it includes nearly 900 pages) has been re-written by Emily's great-grand-daughter in-law, Peggy, and covers everything from email etiquette to how to discuss STDs! A guide to live life by, for as little as $21. Thoroughly modern, I say!

3. Drink more champagne.
I only know a few people who wouldn't want this resolution on their list. Undoubtedly the most fun res, I am sure I can manage to make this one work!

*Sofia Blanc de Blancs is a delicious sparkling wine, created by Francis Ford Coppola, and named for his daughter, director Sofia Coppola. Just like her films, this beverage is effervescent, youthful, flowery and fruity. At only $19 a bottle, it's quite a steal. Better though, are the Sofia Minis! These pink 6.32 oz cans come with their own pink flexy straws, just like the juice boxes of our youth! $4 for a yummy grown-up juice box? Yes, please!


*Even better than champagne, however, is champagne splashed with St. Germain! This delectable liquor is made from Elderflowers in the French Alps. Packaged in a gorgeous Belle Epoque bottle, notes of pear and grapefruit make this light libation the perfect addition to a number of cocktails. $30 will make your friends wonder where your bartending prowess suddenly came from. Don't worry, we'll let you take credit.

4. Exercise more.
Several months ago, I could be found stretching and sweating a couple times a week at yoga, or jogging with my dad. Then I found excuses: I had to work late, I had dinner plans, I was just plain lazy. My skin suffered, my body cried for help, my energy declined.... Ok, I'm being melodramatic. But seriously, all forms of exercise are great.

*Bikram is my favorite form of yoga. The 90 minute classes are held in a room kept at 105 degrees, and special breathing techniques are employed. You'll do none of those repetetive sun salutation series found in regular yoga, because Bikram has 26 poses, each done twice. For the first time in my life, I felt that post-exercise high runners talk so much about. Check out the link for locations. My goal is once a week. At $10 a class, it's not highway robbery and the benefits are well worth it.


Those are my New Year's Resolutions. Here's to hoping I can stick to them!

BONNE ANNEE!

Balmain dress (beautiful). Perfect black boots. I want these tights. And the legs that are wearing them. If I were a doctor, I would perform leg transplants.

What a Drag

Bona Drag, meaning "nice outfit" in Polari, a secret language used by the swinging London gay set in the 60's, is my current obsession. Located in Encinitas, the site boasts some pretty awesome finds which won't break your bank (leather jacket for $98). Their snake vertebrate necklace (see second picture down) rocks my world and also, incidentally, reminds me of bacon. I'm also inspired by the sweet studded ballet flats...I'm going to fashion a pair with the studs I bought on ebay. If you're still looking for x-mas gifts, the site ships express until the 23rd for christmas arrival with gorgeous packaging. I've got my eye on the peacock necklace in case anyone's wondering.