The bumblebees murmur among the flowers, the blue skies seem endless & dog owners are out cruising other dog owners. Yes, spring is finally here & it couldn’t have come at a better time. Just when everyone in New York was about to hit their absolute limit with the cold weather, suddenly the sun came out, & everything seemed good again.
In 2008, the entire fashion world had a collective eyegasm while gawping at the Sex and The City movie. While most people I know were flabbergasted and horrified by the story, the styling was a definite high-point. From the Vivienne Westwood bridal couture to that infamous studded belt, its aesthetic influence — just as it was during the show — was massive.
Oh, the continual debate.
Vogue continues to showcase and support the fur industry. It’s still seen as a luxury item, something for only the very wealthy (which adds to its aspirational appeal). But is it humane? Is it okay to wear the pelt of a dead animal? Haven’t we evolved past all that?
The questions keep coming. Should you wear the real stuff or do you prefer a faux muff? Will you buy it new or only wear vintage? If you berate fur wearers but still own leather shoes & purses, how do you justify that? Is fur chic or just freaky?
I am a huge fan of faux fur, and own multiple faux coats which are in almost continual rotation when the temperature drops. I was recently given an extremely old, vintage brown rabbit fur jacket by a friend of mine and I absolutely love it. It has been my first foray into wearing the real stuff, and I wore it on the plane from Austin to New York because I really hadn’t packed anything warm enough. After nine hours of traveling, as I was waiting for a car at LaGuardia airport, a surly teenager mumbled to me, “If you want to wear fur you should skin it yourself”, before being sternly reprimanded by his mother.
Sugarpill Cosmetics. Let’s stop and let that name sink in for a second. Delicious, no?
There are so many wonderful makeup companies. I have been a MAC Cosmetics devotee since I was 14 years old, and rarely deviate from their products. Sometimes, though, you want something brighter…sparklier. More intense. For most of us, this means wandering around Sephora in a perfume-induced coma, gawking at sparkly eye pencils and wondering if turquoise glitter is really something we can pull off.
Sugarpill, though, is incredible. It is honestly going to be HUGE. I’ve been watching the reviews as they roll in, and everyone is astounded by the quality of the product, the attention to detail in the packaging and the generous quantities of product. The colors really are staggeringly bright, they wear like nothing else and best of all, you’re supporting an amazing person. Amy has been selling online for years and her track record is off the charts.
A few days ago she sent me a package, filled to the brim with pressed and loose eye shadows, and everything I’ve tried so far has far exceeded my expectations. My favorites? Dollipop is a super-saturated piping hot pink and Lumi is a loose dust worthy of any snow queen.
I’ve been waiting for Sugarpill to launch for what seems like forever, and I was dying to know more about what had gone into the making of the line. I fired off some questions, and here’s what came back…
Every season, there are trends which come to the fore & cause us to crinkle our foreheads in confusion. Why is this in fashion? Who is really going to wear it, & if so, why? So many things seem to be designed with the intention of being “interesting” as opposed to flattering. While this certainly happens in high fashion, it seems to be even more prevalent within the realms of young indie designers. Sometimes I look at what’s on sale & wonder, really wonder, why? With that, I present to you some trends which I have mixed feelings about.
Clogs. Karl Lagerfeld, head evil genius at Chanel, sent clogs down the catwalk late last year. Since then, they have popped up on the tootsies of both Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen as well as countless other celebrities. Since fashions usually trickle down from celebrities to the high street, it’s a fair bet that we’ll soon be seeing only the backs of our friends feet for a while.
I remember being in primary school when black studded clogs worn with white ankle socks were all the rage. I didn’t do it then and I definitely won’t be doing it now! This new incarnation is a little less clunky, more streamlined & mostly designed to give you serious height. Take your currently fashionable wedge bootie and lop off the back, and you have the modern clog.
So, what do you think? The perfect shoe for summer or an unfortunate trend?
If clogs are a-callin’ to you, Teen Vogue has a list of “must have” clogs for Spring. Also, may I suggest exfoliating your heels thoroughly?
Sometimes you meet someone so incredible that you are completely smitten with their view of the world. Angeliska Polacheck is one such person.
We met in 2002, when she was living in New Orleans & I was in New Zealand. A writer, photographer, folklore expert and overall wonder, her style is a brilliant and absolutely original mishmash. Sequined voodoo priestess, hedonistic Victorian, tattered bon vivant, she is all of these things and more. I hope you find her style as inspiring as I do!
The Austin Speed Shop is somewhat of an Austin institution, and renowned within the hot rod and custom car culture scene.
Their passion is apparent in everything they do. From the shop’s reception area which is decorated with original work by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth to the garage with its “Hot Rod Church Of God” sign, these are people who live and breathe their craft.
As much as I love to explore new cities, for me no trip is complete without a thorough investigation of the best places to shop. I can’t help it — it’s just how I am. I do judge a city partially on its materialistic merits.
Heading to Italy any time soon? If so, why not spend a spell at the newly-opened Maison Moschino? From its fluffy origami cloud light installations to its candy-themed chandeliers, it is surely a one-of-a-kind gem in Milan’s hotel-scape. Situated in the building which once housed Milan’s first train station, it is described by Rossella Jardini, the Creative Director of Moschino, as the “home and place of enchanted fairy tales.” The common thread connecting the rooms is a fairy tale theme because to sleep is perchance to dream, and dreams are fairy tales that we are allowed to experience first hand, the fables of a fantasy world that we have created. This is an alternate life in which we direct & stage the scripts of our very own play.
Fashion Institute of Technology’s Tokyo Fashion Festa: A Fashion Show of Rarely Seen Lolita, Gothic Lolita, and Tokyo Girls’ Styles marked the last show of my New York Fashion Week experience. Designed as preview of FIT’s upcoming exhibition, Japan Fashion Now, it was a mix of short film, live fashion & musical performances which caused me to turn to my companion and say, “I feel really… foreign!” Japan is known for its extremely individual take on fashion and style, and Tokyo Fashion Festa really gave its attendees an undiluted taste of the country’s amazing street style. This truly unique event was invitation only, and the guests descended on FIT’s auditorium dressed to the nines. New York-based fans of the Gothic Lolita style sat front and center, all frilly underskirts and miniature top hats. The mainstream press, who had also been invited (and relegated to seats on the left-hand side) didn’t know what to think! We were treated to a variety of looks from designers such as Alice and the Pirates, Amy’s Love, Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Black Peace Now, Mielette Tautou and Madame-Killer. The show was accompanied by musical performances from visual-kei group VY, wearing h.NAOTO. The ensembles were amazing, frivolous, fun & totally over-the-top — the perfect antidote to what we’d seen for most of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week!
Valerie Steele, the director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT said, “The Tokyo fashion scene is very exciting. Japanese subculture and street styles, such as the Gothic Lolita look, are attracting more and more attention in the West, so we wanted to be sure to include them in The Museum at FIT’s upcoming exhibition, Japan Fashion Now, which opens on September 17. In the meantime, we’re delighted to give New Yorkers a preview with a live fashion show. Tokyo Fashion Festa will feature some of Japan’s most famous Lolita brands, as well as Gyaru (Girl) styles, which are also extremely popular on the streets of Japan. It is a special pleasure to have Madame-Killer debut their line in the U.S. at this fashion show.”
Words by Gala Darling