ASOS (As Seen On Screen) has been a go-to site since I had a freak Google search attack for thigh high boots circa my time in Roma. My first love derived from the fact that any trend you could possibly think of is offered in spades (I’m talking 10+ pages of bows, skulls, whatever your heart desires). You could spend hours on this site - which is exactly how I stumbled upon their “In The Style Of” merchandising efforts - in which you click on a classification, and the bottom of the left hand navigation lists celebrity names - where you can find a (top, dress, shoe, bag) that is either exactly what they were wearing, or a very close second at half the cost. Thank god this is a British retailer, so our boho favorites like Kate Moss and Sienna Miller are very well taken care of, but I wish H&M would get a clue already and open up ecomm - because I need to stimulate the $, not the £!
Above Agyness Deyn dress $78
Sienna Miller coat $200
Victoria Beckham dress $70
Anne Hathaway shoe $60
Leave it to YSL to make an ordinary symbol a must have. Spring 08 featured that outrageous plexiglass star necklace (see post: Seeing Stars) & strappy star shoes that left everyone salivating for more. Next, you see Kate Moss wearing the dress to her (34th) birthday party – envy inducing star face paint and all – and it just keeps slapping you in the face: You can’t have me!
Well, you can totally have it - and have it so much better because you only had to wait one season to pay sooo much less!
Asos $40
Tiffany $250
Delias $49.50
Top Shop $10
Asos $34
Get Creative - don’t just go to Ricky’s and pick up a costume in a package, unless you’re a dude! Marie Antoinette is one of the most fascinating icons in history - due in large part to her dress and how it drove the French crazy, in more ways than one. Of course it’s hard to achieve 3 foot hair, but the Sofia Coppola version of Marie Antoinette can be easily interpreted into best dressed girl on Halloween.
If in need of a little more inspiration, one of my favorite books “Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution” (Caroline Weber) - goes into detail about what was worn from her first steps at Versailles, to when she was beheaded - and all of the history in between. Fortunately, I learned way more about the revolution from this book than from public school in PA.
For the readers in Austin, an AMAZING place to buy/rent costumes, hats, & jewelry is Lucy In Disguise With Diamonds in SoCo. Jewelry is grouped by genre (Greek, Hip Hop, Victorian), and there are fabulous sales people who help you find exactly what you’re looking for - be it sequin hot pants or a Top Gun style bomber jacket.
Forever21.com $5.80
Forever21.com $4.80
AmericanApparel.net $34
Asos.com $58
Maybe it’s from my time at Ralph, maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by pearls/yuppies here in Texas - but I LOVE bows. That preppy princess look gets me every time - although I find I can never quite pull it off (I think you need straight hair for that).
I can full on vouch for the L. Erickson headbands below. After watching Gossip Girl last season - the world basically stopped turning because I needed to find a bow headband. As it turns out, adults really don’t wear bow headbands (insane) so the hunt makes it worth the $42 bones - not only because it comes in about 20 colors, but the charmeuse feels like heaven, it doesn’t hurt, and I instantly feel like running off to the Cape!
Since I don’t know many girls like that in an urban setting, however, I tried to scout out some pieces that would work for a regular city girl.
BellaDawn $24 www.BellaDawn.com
ASOS $8 www.Asos.com
L. Erickson $42 www.FranceLuxe.com
ASOS $24 www.Asos.com
