Daphne Guinness to NYMag

Technorati Tags: daphne, guinness, nymag, quotes

ON ( Old Navy ) is having a major outerwear sale this week, and after walking home in the 500mph wind this morning, I’m at least interested in hearing what they have to say.

Wool-Blend Funnel-Neck Coat $44.75 (was $89.50)

This is amazing and beautiful. I need it. I can’t believe this is from Old Navy (no offense, guys, your clothes are just usually boring as hell. It’s no secret, c’mon).

Belted Wool-Blend Jacket $34.75 (was $69.50)

I love the idea of this jacket over a really warm, cashmere turtleneck (black, of course – if you want a cheap/convenient option, try the Rib-Knit Turtlenecks in Black Jack). It’s so classic 40s glam! It also comes in black, but this “chinchilla” color is too good to pass up.

Double-Breasted Wool-Blend Coat $75 (was $99.50)

I can’t decide if I like these old military-esque buttons better than the ones on the Funnel-Neck Coat above… You? This one also comes in black, but I’m completely sprung for this chinchilla color.

Wool-Blend Tab-Waist Coat $44.75 (was $89.50)

I think that every woman should own a near-white overcoat. It’s such a solid statement piece, but eternally so. Much better than a puffer jacket, anyway.

Do you have a winter coat yet? Where did you get it? What does it look like?

PS – the sale ends on 11/12/09, so if you need want one of these, grab it!

Technorati Tags: coats, fall, jackets, Old Navy, outerwear, warm, winter, wool

I’ve never cried while looking through a sample sale before.

The tragedy beauty of the internet, however, allows me to do so from the comfort of my own home. On my own time, I can wake up, check email, check Hautelook for the Voom by Joy Han sale, check my bank accounts, and proceed to weep into my Macbook keyboard… All privately. How quaint.

Fortunately, Joy Han is becoming less hard to find these days. At Hautelook prices? Maybe not, but if you’re asking me, she’s worth paying retail for.

But c’mon. Who would I be if I paid retail? A sucker, that’s who.

So in lieu of my embarrassing lack of Voom by Joy Han purchases today, I have scoured for some deals that, while they might not be of the “$50 and under” caliber of a sample sale, they’re still extremely good prices considering the maker.

VOOM by Joy Han Bridget Sweetheart Dress $168 (was $239)

This might be one of my favorite dresses from Voom. It’s the perfect balance of right-brain and left-brain, which I consider a prime quality of Joy Han’s pieces. It’s architectural and minimal, but the origami-like folds at the waist are pure art. Check out the close-up – so delicate!

Love it. I think it would look amazing on a curvy girl. Looks great on this model’s figure, too, but imagine the dress with kind of an Herve Leger fit.

VOOM by Joy Han Feather Babydoll $136 (was $261)

This dress is so interesting. I’ve seen about a billion peacock-empire-waist dresses over the last year – particularly in this shiny, silky fabric. The reason that those dresses are usually “boo” and this one is “yay” is for quality-related reasons. 1) The other dresses were dubbed “shiny, silky fabric” because… they’re silky but not actually silk. This dress? 100% silk. 2) The other dresses usually have elastic around the empire waist, so a range of sizes can squeeze into, inevitably stretching and/or fraying the band. This dress has a simple solution: back zip. 3) Ever seen one of those cheap, printed, empire-waist dresses with lining? Didn’t think so.

I could go on.

Instead, I think I’ll just let you judge the clothes on your own.

VOOM by Joy Han Eyelet Rose Top $102.60 (was $205)

Voom by Joy Han “Jenn” Minidress $53.40 (was $178)

Voom by Joy Han Rose Top $45.60 (was $152)

Voom Statue Drape Dress $87.60 (was $292)

This is definitely one of my favorite pieces from Voom. I love (LOVE) the print, and the draped sleeves don’t feel too kitschy, as could happen easily with the whole Lady Guinevere/renaissance fair style.

Voom One Shoulder Chain Dress $78.60 (was $262)

What do you think?

Technorati Tags: Designer on the Cheap, independent, joy han, sales, silk, vava, voom

Halloween is an excuse for a lot of things.

It’s an excuse to…

• Drink, copiously.
• Eat ridiculous amounts of corn-based, modified corn enhanced corn candy.
• Listen to “Monster Mash”.
• Dress like a cheap hooker, for some.

But for me, it’s always been about being whatever you feel like you can’t be, on a daily basis. For years at a time, I would be the same thing. I think it was the same for a lot of kids – Batman, Power Rangers, Clowns, what-have-you… But over time, some of the kids who used to be so devoted to their Halloween-excused alter-egos lost the best excuse of them all:

• Truly embody an idea that infatuates you.

On Halloween, as a child, you’d rack your brain to find a costume idea. A role. And it wasn’t “what would be the most popular”, it wasn’t “what would make me gain respect”… It was “who deserved to be my costume the most” – that is the costume you’d wear.

And you spent weeks, maybe going so far as to plan a month in advance, figuring out who would make the cut. Was it a romantic, mysterious gypsy? Dripping with gold chains and scarves? Was it a character from your favorite book? Dorothy with her gingham dress, and sparkling red shoes? Or would it be the inherently evil witch, whose frightening complexion and immoral abandon would give you the perfect persona to emulate all night?

I was She-Ra, Princess of Power for years on end. She was gorgeous, 5′900″, blonde, and had all of this amazing power.  She didn’t swear, she helped people she didn’t know, and she was always fighting for the greater good. Plus, a woman who got to kick ass and carry a sword?

She was the epitome of “excellence” to me. Now, if a 24 year old woman dressed up as She-Ra, she’d be in panties, a gold bra, and have a plastic sword that she’d set by her purse while she did Jell-O shots. One of the best “loss of innocence” stories, yet!

So, while other fashion blogs are posting beautiful photo spreads of fashionable women in creepy, macabre editorials, I’m taking a different route.

Here are the images that inspire me to explore an idea that truly infatuates me on amore daily basis.

Alla Kostromicheva by Sebastian Kim

Raquel Zimmerman by Emmanuelle Alt

Lily Donaldson, Kinga Rajzak, & Guinivere van Seenus by Steven Klein

Heather Marks (my fave!) by Alexei Hay

Edita Vilkeviciute by Thomas Schenk

Anastasia Krivosheeva

Trish Goff by Henrik Bulow

Happy Halloween, lovely readers!

Images: FGR

Technorati Tags: commentary, editorials, fashion, halloween, magazines, opinion, scans, style

BTR = Beyond The Rack, for anyone who is confused.

They’re having an enormous handbag sale today, including pieces from Burberry, Fendi, Chloe, and Marc Jacobs. There are also a ton more, but you’ll just have to go see for yourself!

Use the code BTRACCESS to join!

Beyond The Rack

Technorati Tags: blowout, bottega venetta, burberry, chloe, Designer on the Cheap, fendi, handbags, purse, sample sale

Well, not the secretary herself.

But I’m sure I was possessed by one at some point during the day. Cardigans! Bun! Belt! Who knows what’s going on over here…

Skirt, Torrid , $10
Tank, Alternative Apparel courtesy of Mapel
Cardigan, Merona courtesy stolen from my little sister (Sorry, Al!)
Leggings, Torrid , $10
Belt, Can’t Remember
Shoes, MIA via Online Shoes , $35
Necklace, custom made by Lila Lou For You years ago

I’m still just as in love with these shoes as ever. & yes, I am that obsessed with T. Waits.

Technorati Tags: black and white, MIA, monochrome, office, secretary, shoes, torrid

i’ve always been in love with graphic t-shirts.

No matter how much of a high-quality junkie I think I am, a good, old-fashioned raglan tee will always find a welcoming home in my closet.

Over at The Demoiselles, we’re taking graphic tees and making them deliberate. We’ve been contemplating the effects of a graphic print on body shape and visual perception. We’ve gathered a bunch of really awesome options that we think would highlight each specific body type. As Staci, owner of Mapel, would say – IT’S SCIENCE!

My Broke & Beautiful pick, when it comes to graphic t-shirts, would have to be my current, lust-filled selection from 80sPurple:

Division E – Crying Game Cut Front Top (Malt): $46

Oh, you bet it’s creepy! We’ll pretend it’s because Halloween is right around the corner (Happy Samhain, as well!), but we all really know I just love creepy stuff.

I have no idea which tee Jen picked as her favorite on Awakened Aesthetic – but go look anyway!

And then, head over to The Demoiselles, and give your thoughts on our graphic theory.

Technorati Tags: casual, comfortable, graphic tee, jersey, raglan, t-shirts

I don’t really own “nice dresses”.

A large part of my adolescence was spent as a tomboy. Hanging out with the boys, playing sports religiously, and wearing JNCOs with Converse was a right, not a privilege. I cringed at the thought of dresses… I hated dressing up for weddings, the theatre, anything remotely involving a dress was my arch nemesis.

Then I grew up. Then I fell in love with fashion. Then I realized… I have no nice clothes.

To a newly minted fashion addict at 19, this was a big problem. First, I went through my “fast fashion” stage. Everything I wore came from the shelves and racks of Target. Then, I went through my “ultra debt and desertion” phase, where all my fast fashion purchases finally caught up with me (i.e. they fell apart), and I was left with no cash. This is what I like to call “The Reformation”.

I learned about quality, brands I could trust, independent designers, and true fashion. I learned how to “covet” as opposed to “find the knockoff, so it can fall apart in 6 months”. I looked to indie designers with open minds, and big passion instead of big box stores with open sales.

But I digress.

A few weeks ago, before my second, secret trip to Seattle (oh, I can feel the hate mail already!), indie designer Mahtab Azimi got a hold of me, and asked me to peruse her line of dresses, and choose one for review.

Now, this sounds like a simple task, but to a girl with absolutely minimal experience with dress-selecting, it was kind of daunting. Should I stay in my comfort zone? Or should I branch? My style has been on a major change-binge this fall, so I decided that out-of-comfort-zone was probably best, as I don’t really have a comfort zone right now.

I chose the Meibury dress from her collection. It’s floor-length (never had one), slit-sleeves (still never), and beautifully constructed (DEFINITELY never had that!).The day I received it, I pulled it out of the beautiful packaging, and the first thing I did (and always do) was feel the fabric. I had it in fistfuls, just feeling how thin and luxe it was.

It skims the floor when I’m not wearing shoes, but because the fabric is so wonderful, it moves perfectly with a pair of heels, despite the fact that they’re not covered by the dress. In other words, I was worried it would be awkward with heels, but instead of was glorious.

I definitely saved the best part of Mahtab Azimi for last: the price. At retail, this independently designed, high-quality, and ever-unique dress goes for $89.95. That is an absolute steal, considering how much use I will get out of it (basic with a twist, anyone?) and how amazing I feel in it.

Steal this dress here, or view her other amazing pieces on her site.

Also, if you want to see another fabulous IFB member in a Mahtab Azimi piece, check out the stunning Jennine in the perfect little black party dress.

Technorati Tags: black dress, evening, gown, independent designer, made in usa, mahtab azimi

Today at TD, we’re talking about sweater dresses, and the modicum of options out there, a fraction of which are worth looking at.

Actually, let me take this time to talk about how awesome it is to have a BFF whose style is so. completely. different.

Jennifer (for anyone who doesn’t know, she’s the owner/author of Awakened Aesthetic – an amazingly chic eco-blog [with a fresh, new makeover!]) is so demure, and so tailored and classic. She loves trousers and spectator pumps and smart jackets.

I wear dresses as shirts, and today I wore two pairs of pants at the same time.

While I wouldn’t call it “polar opposites”, as it might sound… And, in retrospect, it really does sound that way… We’re pretty different.

So, when we collaborate on these gigantic, feature posts at The Demoiselles, it’s really interesting to see what we like, what we agree on, and what we disagree on.

For this week, we decided to feature our own picks on our individual blogs, as well. If you’ve been to Awakened Aesthetic today, you saw Jen’s eco-friendly, gorgeous pick… And now, here’s my Broke & Beautiful pick:

Velvet Kedda Dress ($206)

I know, you’re freaking out about a) the fact that I posted a 100% leopard print dress – calm down, b) $206 probably has some of you scoffing. Hear me out!

I was into leopard for… pretty much my entire life, and then I stopped. Abruptly. I entered high school – where faux leopard trench coats are not stared at from across the room, they are publicly ridiculed. Multiple times over. For 3 years. I abandoned it, completely! Well, I’m taking the power back, damnit! I miss leopard, and this dress is hot. All I want to do is wear it with sweater tights and ankle boots, with a white wool trenchon top for the rest of winter. As for the price? Well, what would you pay for a cashmere sweater? $80? $100? How about a leopard print, adorable, reputable brand, silk & cashmere dress? $206? That’s what I thought.

Now go check out some sweater dresses!

Technorati Tags: autumn, leopard print, seasonal, sweater dresses, the demoiselles

Remember Erika Hendrix? My swoon-worthy indie designer friend from Germany?

Do you remember how she was the first ever ECIG? Yeah, that’s old school.

Well, she’s back and she’s got a Spring/Summer 2010 collection with her. Of course, it’s gorgeous. Of course I need half of it. Where is the shock here?

My favorite thing about the Erika Hendrix line has always been the separates. For instance, that light pink, voluminous-yet-shimmering skirt? Must have it. The black, wide-neck top? Must. Have. It. The best part is that Ms. Hendrix offers her wares at, wait for it… a reasonable price!

Check out her collections, past and present, at her site, ErikaHendrix.com.