if i were rich and swedish,

i would buy these shoes from swedish hasbeens:

 

you’ll remember that, some time ago, i declared ugly wooden soled shoes to be a priority for this summer (you do remember, don’t you?) under the assumption that i shop seasonally, of course, and have limitless swedish krona to throw about (233.349 dollars’ worth of krona, to be exact), these are the shoes whose ugly wooden soles i want to run around on.

hey diane remember that time we each spent like a million dollars in stockholm in three days?

anyhoo, swedish hasbeens introduces their company by way of this charming anecdote,

Her name was Anita and she was the hottest mum in all of southern Sweden in the 1970’s. While smoking Camel she screamed at her kids until her curlers fell out and just looked fabulous in her white high-heeled clogs.

and, monetary restrictions notwithstanding, we encourage you to think of anita, sweden’s hottest mum, and the 1970s in general (just not the disco parts), as you shop or don’t shop for this summer and next fall. think wide-legged pants, earth tones, and a very young anjelica huston.

(style.com)

oh anjelica, we ooze for you.

[ stefanie ]

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pendant l’ete

while watching endless summer, i came up with a brief sartorial summer to-buy list. this is it:

 

1. baggy cuffed denim shorts

 

2. super ugly pair of wooden-soled shoes

 

 

3. straw boater hat

 

4. a “boyfriend” blazer (i hate that phrase, it’s almost as bad as a “wifebeater” tank top)

 

 

5. cut-out dress

 

 

am also very into all the beige/off-white/white so-called minimalism going on. it’s trendy, but also elegant and pretty and super for the summertime, as long as your popsicle doesn’t drip on your shorts and ruin everything.

 

 

 

(chloe; celine; mad men)

 

[ stefanie ]

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Two (Now Three) of My Favorite Things

are fashion and food.. and this blog.  Meet Carol Han:

you looks fabulous

Via my workplace Twitter feed I’ve stumbled upon Ms. Han, fashion stylist, & her recently launched blog Milk & Mode.  It’s my new The Sartorialist.  …and by that I mean that it’s an addicting, minimalist blog rife with fash-photog.  There are other goodies as well, including a log of her social goings-on* (voyeurism!) and rando recipes.  The real pull here is her insider status: she posts the newest and the best.  Her editorial eye is spot on for young fresh things.  I am particularly hearting the following knits from her recent trip to Hudson Jeans fall preview:

and…

When can I buy you?!

Another recommendation culled from her recent writings, this post on inspirational, funky NYC apartment interiors.  I like these two a lot:

that mirror is reminds me of the one in Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Wedding painting

this room is a study in textures: chair, lime green cushion, zeba rug, couch, etc.

A+ for your mish mosh framed print collage, A++ for your clothing storage pieces

From blogger to blogger, kudos to Milk & Mode for the fabulous (dare I say poetic?) titling of some her posts.

Finally, check out her awesome pup:

*Ms. Han seems to roll with Rick Owens-loving Andrew from Kell on Earth

[mairin]

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Alice, Miraculous Yetis & a Nut Named Galliano

All the fashion weeks in the world just wrapped.  Unfortunately I didn’t pay attention to London (too busy at work), Italy was underwhelming (DG rolled out yet ANOTHER show full of leopard prints and Italian-woman-in-the-forties shapes… and a curious number of models without pants), but Paris delivered thanks to Dior’s funky, period ready-to-wear show and Chanel’s walking-on-water runway + iceberg (yet shitty– IMOHO– collection… two words: yeti boots). Don’t subscribe to WWD? Me neither, but I can borrow their images & show you the three cool things to come out of Pepe Le Pew‘s chic hometown.

1. Keep your eyes peeled for these kick-ass stockings– in theory for next fall, but why not this spring if you can find them:

Style them with see-through negligees layered with puffy culottes for day… (did I just suggest that?…)

…and silky black things for night.   Note: the hair kicked ass at Dior: poofy up top and ratty braidy at the bottom.  Will definitely be rocking that to work upon one-too-many at DOC.

2.  Karl Lagerfeld’s designs were underwhelming/ugly, but the man is fashion’s Jesus and made models walk on water:Brills.

**Read more about his “Climate change chic” (yes, Virginia, that is a paradox) collection here.

3.  Final observation, though hardly original as WWD has the same article (or at least I presume from the title- I can’t read their article because I don’t subscribe)… Dior’s RTW collection is Alice in Wonderland meets Sherlock Holmes and I luurrve it!

Shopping list:  tophat, leather & velvet,  CAPES & LACE! (thanks Sherlock Holmes)

Alice in Wonderland gives us crazy hair, dramatic/sickly eyes and whimsically romantic outfits!  Behold:

and stacked neckline/collar + more lace:

I will let John Galliano bid you au revoir… until next fashion week(s)!

Bisous!

[mairin]

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no more tweezers

prada has emerged with kickass cat-eye frames for next fall:

normally i’m not crazy about eyeglasses that come with built-in eyebrows but i really think the shape of these is the cat’s meow, ahaha, but seriously everything else about the late 50s/early 60s style has been reexplored and regurgitated for the past few years and glasses like these are the next logical step. a self-serving trend forecast, but whatevs, we trust that you will wear them well.

[ stefanie ]

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Finery at Fashion Week

It’s almost the end of New York fashion week: Marc Jacobs has stunned the fashion world (again) by NOT wearing a kilt (ok, ok, his quality show/celebrity-free afterparty at the Standard were factors, too) and Donna Karan celebrated her label’s 25th anniversary of pumping out designed-by-woman-for-women urban chic with luxurious fabrics in a mostly black color palette.  [Though I would live in the bat-sleeve fitted-yet-baggy DKNY sweater I’ve recently acquired, I DIE for Bessie Afnaim’s collection (par example) at Donna Karan’s alt store, Urban Zen.  It’s layering at its most fearless; a single garment has its own layers and those in turn are designed to be layered upon each other.  I love this young designer!  Of Turkish descent, Bessie trained at Parsons.  She has tremendous energy and a fabulous British accent. I can’t find a picture that does her work justice, so visit the store at 705 Greenwich St. in the West Village.]

I digress.  Fashion week is an awesome circus (snow! Rachel Zoe!) but not entirely tangible for most of us:  Fall 2010? $5,000 for a single item?  What I really wanted to write about is a smaller label called Standard Finery created to “marry understated feminity and function.”*  The superb Jessa Blades, a friend who does their organic makeup, introduced me to the line, which is produced in New York’s Garment District with organic fabrics whenever possible.  I have taken a gander at designer Caron Callahan’s superb spring 2010 collection, a reinterpretation of “classic New England weekend wear” and meant to capture a “sensual mood” with “urban appeal.”  It’s still fashion, but slightly more accessible, and totally to die for.  Look & be inspired for fashion for warmer temperatures:

Lolita-esque top, a la Urban Outfitters/Lolita (see prior post!)

Can’t quite grasp the fabric, but it looks like a totally live-in-able, March-to-May transition piece that goes with everyyything. Loves. LOVES.

Must.have.shorts.  Just about the only tasteful, fashion-forward midriff peek-a-boo I’ve seen.

Yay for Standard Finery!  More small(er) label finds to come…

*P.S. As a writer for Festo, I must include Standard Finery’s thoughtful & eloquent manifesto-like vision:

“Standard [stad-derd] 1. a rule or principle that is regarded as the usual or most common size or form of its kind 2. an average or normal requirement, quality, quantity, level, grade, etc.

Finery [fahy-nuh-ree] 1. fineness, beauty 2. adornments, especially fine clothes and accessories

Standard Finery is a collection created for women who love beautiful clothes but don’t need to make a fuss about them. As the name suggests, the company ethos is rooted in well-made, feminine clothes, while keeping in mind that they should be playful, purposeful and wearable.”

[mairin]

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Lolita, outfitted

What’s up with Urban Outfitters spring ’10 look book being all Lolita?  From fetish-ized shots of awkwardly bent little girl legs & their shoes (mimicking the iconic cover of the novel) to the photos of a very lithe young thing, dressed in culottes and frilly 1950s bikini tops, the inspiration is hit-you-over-the-head obvious.  In theory I’m in favor: I love the book and like the reinvention of its esthetic, but something feels odd about a store for young girls marketing to their audience with tween erotica.  Honestly, then, mission accomplished: the photographer has realized visually what Nabokov elaborated verbally- uncomfortable, voyeuristic beauty.*

Check out the looks here and judge for yourself.   (Oh, and P.S. towards the end, more too-young-for-comfort borderline porn with their night-out looks, but I loves it anyway, especially those vampy, pointy shoulders! Viva los 80s silhouettes! Even if they are tired and blah blah…)

[mairin]

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