Home for Thanksgiving, at the Manatawny Creek Winery in PA with the family.
Archive for November, 2008
My time spent in Barcelona was short & sweet. It was my first trip of many outside of Italy during my semester abroad – and I went to visit a high school friend of mine studying at University of Barcelona. Their fast fashion was very affordable, and I happened to have extra money left over from opting out of buying books for the semester. This trip was my first introduction to Mango, a mix between Zara, H&M, and Forever – but with more color, texture, and personality. It was also my first trip to Top Shop, which I had been dreaming about for years prior, as well as Corte Ingles (which is it’s own little phenomenon). The main shopping street is called Las Rambles, and luckily my dear friend lived close by (as well as 5 min walking distance to the Mediterranean). Dressing in Barcelona is a bit flashy, uber colorful in the flavor of Custo Barcelona, and all about form fitting silhouettes.
Outside of shopping, there is a ton of partying. Everyone always says that about Barcelona, and it is definitely true. There are specific venues that serve only Chipitos (shots) of varying combinations and themes. The Chipito bars were insanely crowded, but that just added to the flavor and experience of it all – it was like the college version of going to a wine tasting, an endless menu of shots.
Maybe it’s because I was with a gay man, but that trip was especially interesting for many, many reasons. Although it is very Western and comfortable – when I went I kept badgering my friend about how lucky he was to have normalcy, because Rome is VERY authentic – I still loved it. It was nice to speak English and use the Spanish I had learned in high school but never utilized – even though Catalan (dialect) really puts a hitch in your step. Looking back, 85% of my time studying abroad was spent partying, and thank god. There’s a reason why they made concealer for under eye circles - so you can live in the moment.
Mango fringe dress $109
Forever 21 clutch $24
American Apparel legging $52
El Corte Ingles ring $45
Word on the street from my LA editor - the Beverly Hills Saks is rumored to be going out of business, so shoes are 70% off! If you happen to take advantage of this sale, you HAVE to let me know what you got and what price you got it for!
Saks Fifth Avenue
9600 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA
320-275-4211
If I was going to live in any decade – it would be the 20’s. I can’t get enough of that flapper mentality – cutting your hair off, throwing away panty hose, and boozing and dancing all night long. It would have been a great time to be young – rather than during the Bush administration and this lovely economic downturn we have going on. We have to play the hand we’re dealt – but that doesn’t mean we can’t live vicariously through Chanel & Paul Poiret and all that they stand for! Luckily – this decade has been resonating in the contemporary market recently, and I’m not exactly sure where it came from – I can’t think of any notable designers who showed anything that would spark this revival, but that almost makes it so much better.
Some key components of the 20’s were the dropped waist, cloche hats – and an overall androgynous silhouette that freed women from corsets and their inhibitions. If you are in the market to see cloche hats in film – Angelina Jolie’s film Changeling is a perfect example. They were actually created because the forehead was considered unfashionable, strange but true. The dropped waist and shift silhouettes came from an extreme turn around in the fashion cycle, going from very tight Victorian corsets to a liberated, I can do anything as well as a man, fashion standpoint. Women actually used to bandage their breasts to make them appear less womanly. I also recently learned from my love’s grandmother that the saying “the bees knees” came from that period – when girls would put blush on their knees because it was considered an errogenous zone – the most anyone had shown at that point were their ankles. Can you imagine? Ok, we are pretty lucky to be young right now.
Forever 21 $34.80
Urban Outfitters $18
Asos $50
Top Shop $36
Go Jane $32.99
The absolute cutest gift, with no real purpose, that I’ve seen in a long time. Ever since I spotted these - it’s been running through my head who I should get them for. I don’t know anyone super into cards, but I know A LOT of people into Tiffany.
Shop Tiffany argyle playing cards $30
Earmuffs are a winter accessory I swore by as a kid, and still do to this day. Last winter I had attempted to pull off those from-Russia-with-love furry bomber hats, after seeing many a girl in New York look great in them – but it just didn’t work - I could barely see because my peripheral vision was blocked and the (faux) fur was all in my eyes! I also have a jungle of hair so it just made for major tangles. In New York – some of the most fashionable women are of Asian descent, for reasons unknown, they always have the best bags and eclectic outfits. Whenever it would rain, I would see a bunch of girls with their cute little bubble umbrellas & Hunter rain boots, while I was using a $5 one I bought off the street & some form of leather or suede.
I think that’s where most of the envy lies, being unable to look completely polished in a torrential downpour. Regardless – I fell in love with outrageous, exaggerated fur earmuffs from this subculture of crazy stylish girls. It’s too bad muffs would be absolutely ridiculous here in Texas - we’ve barely hit the 60 degrees!
Jcrew $68.50
Ugg Australia $75
Kate Spade “clever” orange muffs $65
New York Magazine: Thakoon for Target Launches Christmas Day
To check out more of the collection - Nylon Magazine’s First Look: Thakoon for Target
Let’s ignore the fact that the hemline on this dress needs about 3 inches – and concentrate on the rich color story. As Thanksgiving is only a day away, a lot of us are starting to plan our feasting outfits. I plan on scouring my closet for anything cranberry or squash colored, inspired by who other than Gossip Girl. Seriously though, autumnal colors like berry, rust, and evergreen are perfect for not only this time of year, but as an excuse to exercise your closet for the family. I remember when I was at V, I went home for the holidays and my mom said “Jennifer, you look like you’re right out of a magazine” – my mom is a lovable crazy, and so I say - well mom, I do spend most of my time at a magazine. She still has no idea what I do. As family dynamics seem to get more crazy as you get older – here’s to filling up your glass of wine and looking good while doing it.
Delia*s beaded skirt $38.50
Newport News ombre shoe $39
Top Shop blouse $65
American Eagle scarf $19.50
Nine West patent satchel $69
Eliza, a student at Central St. Martins
Courtesy of photographer (slash street style maverick) Wayne Tippetts
Contact: Wayne@waynetippetts.com
For those of you who don’t know what Shop Bop is - get there ASAP! Shop Bop is a contemporary online retailer that is never lacking in noteworthy sales or noteworthy designers. In the beginning of the season, I like to use the site as inspiration - at the end of the season, I scope out the sales (I can only ever go for 70% off) - and I find some insane form of justification in buying a cotton dress for more than $50 (which I KNOW is all it could possibly cost at wholesale). What’s lovely about Shop Bop is that they carry designers you really only find at the best of Saks - if that (Rogan, Rag & Bone, Elizabeth & James). Here in Austin we have been graced with the presence of American materialism that is the Domain (an upscale shopping center) - where there’s a Barney’s Co Op and Intermix, but others aren’t so lucky - so ecommerce and the likes of Shop Bop are heaven sent. It definitely took me leaving New York to realize that the fantastic flagships we had in the city don’t exist anywhere else - and if I had the resources, I would have bought out every last one. Such is life!
Robert Rodriguez silk chiffon dress $125 (orig $418)
Botkier Stevie Satchel $142 (orig $475)
Accessories & Beyond bracelet $46 (orig $154)
Cynthia Rowley dress $108 (orig $363)
