In Spandex and Beyond

The superhero is really a great fashion icon that is rarely appreciated for its daring style. Spiderman, Superman, Batman, etc. are some of the only straight guys that would be caught dead in Spandex when rescuing a possible lover. If I were Superman, I would opt for skinny jeans. I mean, hey, you needn't dress like Tae-Bo in order to show off your heroic muscles.



The only proper representation of superheroes seen recently was the 2008 Met Cosutme Gala. So, do me a favor. Take a stand. Wear some spandex and support comic book revival!

Plum Plus Yellow Equals ... ummm What Does it Equal?

Last night I went to a handful of designer boutiques (Saint John, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Donna Karan) and with each one I was given a harsh "Hello" and a cold stare. Some sales people gave a me a look and then asked me "Is there anything I can help you with?" And when I told them that I was looking for new material for my blog, they would flash a wide smile then slightly huff and roll their eyes. But this was not the point of my post. Read the next section for further information:
Let's play a little game, shall we? I'm the customer and you are the designer. Now think. If almost all of the other designers were showing plum for fall, wouldn't you (as the go-to designer for unique and interesting pieces) want to be showing plum with yellow accents? Yellow is the complementary color of purple therefore it makes perfect sense to use it sparingly to bring a little color to, say, an all plum shoe. But, the thing was, I didn't see any designers showing this color combination at all. In fact, I practically didn't see any color combinations at all. In a recession, I would be the designer with the interesting yellow accents that would lure my customers in.

Fred Segal Book Signing

The destination for ladies who lunch and for those who repeatedly slap down the black plastic is Fred Segal. Now, it has become a destination for book signings, this time for the book FU Penguin. Over chocolate chip cookies (made by the author's mother, Mindy) and champagne, the normal blonde drones plus the cooler crowd of LA (e.g. My mother with her genuine crocodile Parker Ochs chocolate brown messenger bag) milled about and enjoyed a photo opportunity with a penguin. While chatting with Ron Robinson, I was pointed towards the wonderful makeup department where organic and ecofriendly makeup was being demoed, all in all, making a quick jaunt to Fred Segal richly rewarding.

Returning... for Better or for Worse

Revisiting the Eighties doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Ms. Anna Wintour states, "Fashion is about the future." Nothing about the eighties seems futuristic to me in fact, it seems like we're back pedalling. Fashion is all about looking forward, thinking forward, and then acting forward. Nothing about big hair, crazy pastel prints, overly large teeshirts over leggings with Keds seems to scream "FUTURE! AHEAD!" in fact it doesn't even whisper it. It's more hinting at "TACKY! NO CLASS!" and I really don't think we need to go there again. And then, of course, there are those who argue, "But what about reinventing the eighties? That counts as looking forward right?" My answer is absolutely not! If something needs reinventing in the first place, it's because it failed the first time around and it doesn't need repeating. So what I am going to suggest is this: lots of contrast and juxtoposition for next winter. Big, flowy, silvery pants paired with a tight, fitted creme colored cashmere sweater. Yes, that should work out nicely.

The "Return" of the Leather Jacket

How can the leather jacket be "back" if it never really went away in the first place? Is Teen Vogue just looking for something to print? And on that note why, why, why is Rihanna on this page (page 110 for all of my fellow readers out there) if she is wearing leather PANTS?? Can't the editors of this magazine tell that there is a difference between the garments that clothe your legs and the ones that go over one's torso? I honestly think a fashion magazine of all things could tell the difference between pants and a jacket.

Getting a Bit Philosophical

This morning, as I was writing this, I was looking out the french doors that face out to my side yard. It was then that I noticed that most spring colors are derrived from religion. I mean, just ponder this concept for a moment. If spring colors had anything to do with spring itself, it would probably be variations of green. But no, what we see are pastels... which are linked to easter... which is linked to religion. So, really where does that get us? I don't exactly know but I am quite sure that I am tired of pastel pinks, blues, purples, etc. being dragged down the runway and then their residual counterparts showing up at the mainstream retailers like Target. 2010 is a big year. It means that we've spent 10 years in this new millenium and new, fresh colors for spring would be a great way to celebrate a new, fresh era.

Marie Antoinette Polyvore Set

Marie Antoinette by LadyZaza featuring Naughty Monkey shoes

True Blue Polyvore Set

True Blue by LadyZaza featuring Melissa shoes

I Am a Poodle; Hear Me Yap

It seems to have been a while since I last saw the quick-fix of taking a hair tie and using it to tailor an overly-large T-shirt, but this hideous trend seems to be on the rise--again. I like to call it the poodle, for the wonderful tail it creates.
To start off, "the poodle" was not attractive. Then, on the Fourth of July, I saw something that really sent me off my rocker. Said "something" was this: a girl had taken a sweatshirt and tied it to make it smaller. The tail that resulted from it was no less than four inches long.
This is really just too much. If you know that the sweatshirt or T-shirt you are wearing is over-sized, why even bother wearing it?? You must have something in your wardrobe that is tight and tailored.
I mean, I understand there are dog lovers out there, but please is it necessary to give yourself a tail?! I think not. So, the new dog fad is on rise, but this time, you aren't buying your pooch a sweater.

Economy... etc.

The Economy. The topic has been ALL (and by all I mean all) over the news lately. There are some ways to tell if we really are in an economic crisis. One, is the fact that gas prices went from $4 or $5 a gallon to $1.99 in less than six months. The other is the fact that, at the opening of The Penthouse at South Coast Plaza, St. John stooped so low as to serve YELLOW, BANANA cotton candy and give out T-shirts. First, yellow was last SPRING'S color, and for the banana cotton candy--I would keep my distance.
St. John's new Southern California brand, SoCa, goes so far as to add LEOPARD PRINT sweaters and cardigans in their "Resort Collection." They may be trying to create a line that emanates the Southern California lifestyle, but let me tell you, leopard print is most definitely NOT going to do that.