I’m aware that spring is coming and the time is now for flirty florals and peaches and all that crap… But I have an emergency on my hands: My LBD is totally gross.

It honestly might as well be covered in sludge and ripped into shreds. The material (polyester, I know) is eager to absorb every textural stain it can possibly dig up, and the seaming around the bust (admittedly put under a decent amount of stress – ahem) is starting to fray and pucker… I originally bought the dress for an audition at Teatro Zinzanni (that I totally got cheated out of, by the way) and it’s been almost two years – it’s time for a new one.

I’ve decided on some criteria:

• I’d prefer natural fibers, as long as it’s not dry clean only. I wear my LBD at least once per week and can’t afford to be taking it in all the time.
• I think I want it to be sleeveless.
• The hem should be at or just above the knee.
• POCKETS. If available. I’m just a pocket freak.
• NO bubble hems. That is a good way to accidentally show your ass to someone.
• V-Neck, unless it’s a really creative cut.
• Empire waist, or some kind of waist-defining apparatus must be present.

That shouldn’t be too hard to locate… right?

Right?

Banana Republic Jersey empire-waist dress – Black
$89.99 $39.99

Okay, this is the first contender. It’s not much of one, though, really. The sleeve are long (but… they kind of look nice on this extremely plain, boring, uninteresting dress). Actually, wait… If I tip my Macbook screen to just the right angle, i can see that there’s some pleating around the neckline. Ooh.

Pass.

J. Crew Crisp Plissé-Strap Dress
$78 $49.99

Machine-washable, baby! Wide enough straps to put a bra beneath, and textural and architectural details like the straps and the tulip skirt will keep this one interesting without being “HI LOOK AT ME”-ish. Could be paired with heels or sandals (I like the way flat sandals look on the model) – there’s one one issue: It’s… not black. It’s dark grey. Do I care? Maybe not…

ELLE Pleated Dress from Kohl’s
$50 $34.99

The frilliness of the collar might limit this dress’s’s’s versatility a little bit, but I like the cut, and the light, summery feel. I just hope it would be long enough.

Back-zip Sweater Dress
$98 $44.99

I don’t really “get” why this need to have a back-zipper… But I don’t really have to. The fact is this is a long-sleeved sweater dress that I’d be buying for summer. The problem is… I’m really attracted to it (in a platonic way) and would like to learn more. Is it worth it? It’s on major sale from Banana Republic, which is quality, but who knows…

Women: Silk Ruffle Dress
$130 $84.99

This is essentially… a good basic, black dress. But that’s it – it’s good. It’s versatile, and the ruffles are cute, but I could take it or leave it. (It’s also “expensive” in the context of this post.)

So confusing! Which dress do you think I should pick?

xoxo.

Technorati Tags: black dress, LBD

Sitting at home alone on a Saturday night (hey, it’s by choice…?) makes you think about some interesting things.

“Do octopodi get sore?”

“Does the girl across the hall worship Satan?”

“How does the skin of an onion get so papery?”

“Why can’t my refrigerator refill itself?”

Then I came across a question that not only pertains to, you know, reality a bit more than the others, but that you could answer for me!

Do product photos affect your perception of the product?

For instance, when you see a dress that you’re attracted to, are you more or less willing to purchase it based on how the product is displayed?

Example: Helmut Lang’s Spring 09 RTW collection featured this amazing silk dress that has a Daddy Long Legs spider printed on the left breasty-shoulder area. I found it in three different places (including March ‘09 Lucky Magazine, where the product was laying flat):

(Sorry it’s small.) One of the photos is from Style.com, one is from Bloomingdales and the other from Zoe. Obviously, they’re all the same dress… Or IS it obvious?

The dress on the left looks less like silk, more like jersey… Very matte, and very white. The dress in the center looks very shiny and silky, but easily wrinkles and wide. The dress on the right is very well worn by that model. The draping is perfect, but the garment doesn’t look all that shiny and, maybe it’s me, but it looks a little more yellow and cream-colored than the other two (and the description of the product, which says “white”).

Personally, I’d buy the dress after seeing it on the third model (far right). It looks smooth, soft, easy, and… well, more like a designer garment.

So which product would you purchase, if they were all the same price? Would you choose one over the other? None? Are they all “just a dress on a body”?

Let me know in the comments.

xoxo.

Technorati Tags: helmut lang spider dress, product photos, question

Seriously. I think I have a shopping addiction… But it’s not like the contemporary “shopping addiction” where I max out everyone and their Mom’s credit cards until the sky comes falling down around me and my chihuahua is seized by the government, no. My shopping addiction is a little more simplified than that.

I am addicted to the action of shopping, with a contrasting fear of spending money. I could shop all day, go to 5 different malls looking for clothing, but not buying anything. I don’t even need to be shopping for myself – I can shop for other people, with other people, near other people… As long as I’m shopping.

My favorite places to shop are (obviously) off-price stores like Marshall’s and TJ Maxx, but topping the list is the internet – the biggest off-price store of them all. These are the places that require so much digging, hunting, scavenging, checking, trying on… That you need to literally set hours aside in your day. These are not the “I’ll just pop in on the way home” stores, these are commitments.

I think I just feed off the hunt for the perfect boot, or the most discounted designer dress… Then, when I find it, I’m already satisfied with it all, so I don’t buy it.

Am I alone in this? I’m curious.

How do you feel towards shopping? Hate it, love it, can’t get enough of it?

Let me know in the comments.

xoxo.

Image by: teotwawki

Technorati Tags: addiction, shopping

When I’ve asked friends and fashionistas alike about their opinion on wedges, I often get a snarl of disgust and occasional recoil.

The most common complaint is that “wedges make your feel look clunky/huge/big/whatever”. On the flipside, I also hear the rare-but-appreciated praise regarding their comfort, support, and sometimes even aesthetic appeal.

I’ve written a few wedge-related posts – my obsession with covered wedges may ring some bells. We’ve also discussed the atrocity of sneaker wedges where, surprisingly, 45% of you said that they were right up your alley, as a result of your addiction to height, while 47% of you say “hell to the no”, essentially.

So, I’m curious. What do you think about wedge boots? I have a sneaking suspicion that these might be making their way to the forefront of fashion pretty soon…

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Charlotte Ronson F/W 2009 courtesy of Fashionista

xoxo.

Technorati Tags: wedge boots

Oh wow, could we possibly hear any more gab about this boyfriend jean craze?! If you’re looking to point fingers, I personally suggest Katie Holmes for making this denim idea into a worldwide fuss.

Baggy, torn, rolled, low, faded… All the qualties of “boyfriend jeans.” Personally, I resent the title – “boyfriend jeans”. If I could fit into Conor’s pants, well… I’d look completely different. It’s not my fault I like slender men!

Anyway, this trend seems to have kicked off with SJP and Katie Holmes rocking a particular denim company’s jeans, and let me tell you… Current/Elliott could not be happier about this entire baggy-tacular experience. Every couple of days, I receive an e-mail proclaiming “CURRENT/ELLIOTT IS NOW AT [insert boutique here]“! They’re all over the place, and running CIRCLES around your silly skinny jeans.

Here are the jeans in question:

Current/Elliott Boyfriend Jean in “Tattered Destroy
$242

Did you just rub your eyes? Check your glasses? Blink rapidly a few times? Yes, it says $242.That’s two-hundred and forty-two dollars for non-fitted jeans with designer holes.

This isn’t the first time that this trend has reared it (potentially unsightly?) head. A few years back, a wonderful commercial hit the airwaves starring Claire Danes and Patrick Wilson:

Adorable forever.

The overall idea of a boyfriend jean is low-rise, slightly wide-leg, and if you so desire, distressed or khaki or whatever. The fit is easy, casual. Ideally, it is the sterling silver ring of the pants world – it goes with graphic shirts, sweaters, heels, flats, sneakers, or anything else you can dig up. It’s the ultimate go-to item.

I suppose the difference between the new and old trends are related, in fact, to our Hobo-Chic discussion. Perhaps you think boyfriend jeans/trousers/pants are okay. Well, let’s back it up a notch and take a peek at the boyfriend in question.

Is your boyfriend Eddie Vedder after a binge, or Patrick Bateman from American Psycho? One has holes with major distress (like Current/Elliott), the other is, well, perfectly pressed and all the blood stains have been adequately treated with Tide To Go stain remover pen. Unfortunately, OCD in terms of pants has gone out the window as far as trend in 2009 – what’s in right now is Vedder, Inc. – the ripped and raggedy pants that only some of you quite like:

So what do you think of boyfriend jeans? What aspects do you like and dislike?

Personally, I can’t deal with buying jeans with pre-ripped holes in them. That just makes me feel a little too “I’m pretty but can’t, like, function by myself.” I like the idea of the rolled jeans with some stacked heels (not stilletos) or some colorful sandals. Browse all the Current/Elliott Jeans at Singer 22. There are many, many, many styles.

Don’t worry, though, if you love the style and can’t drop $200+ for a pair of jeans. Birdiee from La Bonne Vie sent me this similar style from Victoria’s Secret:

$69.50

So what do you think? Are boyfriend jeans here to stay? Are they tacky, bold, youthful, sexy? Tell me!

xoxo.

Technorati Tags: boyfriend jeans

Hobo-chic… I never thought I’d see the day. I’ve seen Casual-Chic, Shabby-Chic… basically everything-chic. But I never thought I’d understand fully the concept of hobo-chic – and I don’t know that I have.

For several months, we’ve been bombarded with “street photos” of celebrities (or… rich heiresses, in the above case) walking about in extremely expensive, however completely generic and, well, below-basic garments. Ripped jeans, flannel shirts, oversized everything… But also decorated with hugely expensive accessories, such as the Hermes Birkin bag, as seen on Ms. Hilton.

Personally, I think that this “movement” was spawned from the previously popular “Boho”, or bohemian craze kicked off by starlets like Sienna Miller, Mischa Barton, and Kate Hudson. Flowy fabrics, florals, and those awful forehead-headbands were the front-runners in the trend, and I think that the next step to many trendsetters was a bit of a decline into, well, homeless-style garb.

Mary-Kate, bless her tiny little heart, is probably pegged for a lot of this new trend, as her extreme layering styles definitely fit into the “I found a blanket and will constantly wear it in my cardboard box” regime, but I see an art in her style, which I actually like.

As much as our style-icon celebrities would like to think that their style is all original, and secretly consider themselves as “trendsetters”,  there’s no denying that they copy one another. I mean… How else would there be EVER so many people running around in liquid leggings and plaid button-down shirts if someone didn’t say “Hey… They’re getting attention for that? Hell, I can do that!”?

I also am a loyal subscriber to Lookbook.nu, a simple site that allows its (invitation-only) users to upload their outfits daily in a feed that sometimes produces 400 new “posts” per day. I am often inspired by many of the outfits I see on the site, but recently I have a complaint: They’re all starting to look the same.

Every girl is in second-hand, well, everything and ripped tights, dirty sweaters and oversized Granny-style glasses. (I’m sure they’re all prescription….) The idea of coordinating pieces and coherance seems to have flown out the window right along with proper fit. The phrase “SO tacky, I love it” is becoming a standby when determining clothing choices. What is happening here? Coco Chanel is certainly rolling over in her grave.

Now, I understand that a) everyone has their own style and b) fashion is cyclical. Experimentation is definitely a-ok. But if everyone’s style is “individual”, then why are so many people looking like the same bum that sleeps in front of the local bar?

… Or, another form of late-night, street-walking… sleeping type… Ahem.

Yeah, I said it.

When I decide to try thrifting (which, as I’ve previously stated, totally scares me), I can imagine that the pieces I select will be chosen because they do NOT look like someone didn’t want them. Just my preference.

So now you’ve heard my piece, what’s yours?

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xoxo.

Technorati Tags: hobo-chic, style

While I wouldn’t necessarily say that I was “old fashioned”, but I do really enjoy the idea of correspondance and proper etiquette (…mostly). I’d like to get some “Thank You” cards, really gorgeous ones, and get a collection going so I have something to send to the folks who really help me out.

I want to purchase from Etsy, as commercial Thank You cards seem so… well, commercial. I’ve narrowed it down to far too many, and need some help choosing!

Set of 20 for $25

I love these. I’d get them without the “Anita Lauren” text (tough decision, that one), and with a simple “Thank You” instead.

Set of 6 for $15

These are amazing, in a word. I love everything about them, and the price is …okay.

Set of 8 flat notecards for $12

This might be my favorite set so far. The price gets an A+ and, as some of you may well know, I’m obsessed with anything and everything baroque.

Set of 6 for $9

I think these are… adorable. I’m not, like, partial to goldfish (or any sea creatures, really), but I love the stark contrast between the background and the floaty, swooshy fishy.

Set of 6 for $4

Okay, honestly, the price of these caught my eye initially – but once I took a second to actually look closely at the cards, I totally fell in love with them.

So what do you think? Let me know in the comments… I really need your help!

xoxo.

As we’re well aware, there are simply billions of etailers (internet retailers) out there, many of which are from the US.

However, there are also many wonderful businesses that reside across the pond, such as ASOS.com and Topshop (hopefully opening in the states soon) which are both very popular. I tend not to toss items from International stores on to B&B because the idea of the shipping charges make me quake in my boots.

So I want to know – do you, or have you (or would you consider, for that matter) shopping internationally? I think I would, provided the shopping costs didn’t leave me homeless.

So?

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Looking forward to your answers!

xoxo.

Technorati Tags: Cast Your Vote, international shopping

Selfishly, I’ve had questionable luck when it comes to receiving gifts of apparel on Christmas… From great things like amazing scarfs and a great sweater, to really, um, such worrysome pieces as a courderoy leopard-print sports jacket.

Oh, excuse me, stretch courderoy. Mhm.

So I want to know about YOUR luck and your giving habits: Are you comfortable buying loved ones gifts of apparel, or do you stick to the tried and true gift certificate to do the hard work for you?

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xoxo.

I’ve decided to make a post about my history buying things from ebay and thrifting, as its the most ecologically-friendly method of shopping, not to mention extremely discounted!

So, here’s the deets:

I don’t have one.

Right, I don’t have a history of buying things on eBay, or thrifting… I’m a total and complete newbie at both! Well, less a newbie when it comes to eBay as I’ve sold many things… But I have no idea where to look as far as cool eBay stores, or how to thrift efficiently.

It seems that every time I go into a thrift store or GoodWill, all I find is oversized Christmas sweaters (not my bag), and granny-style penny loafers. Ack!

So, teach me! What are your favorite stores? Do you HAVE an eBay store to share? What should a new thrifter look for while shopping in a consignment store or second hand store? Anything to be careful of?

I’m the grasshopper now – teach me!

xoxo.

Technorati Tags: clothing, ebay, eco, internet, thrift, thrifting