Slight attention deficit

I was researching up on my new source of inspiration, Trolley Square's Miss Dallas Shaw (post coming later), when I came across this blog created by image and wardrobe consultant, Greenville's own JoJami Tyler. Sounds like the most fun and baller job EVER. Real life aside, I found a post that featured the most beautiful over-the-knee boots I have ever seen in my entire life. Simple but not bland, worn but not rugged, Tory Burch but not the Reva flat. I'm undeniably in love. Pure fashion perfection.

Elena Over-the-Knee Boot

Tory Burch, $550

And while we're on the topic of visual perfection, why not allot a few minutes just to contemplate how stunning, gorgeous, hot, beautiful, incredible, fabulous and ultimately extraordinary Sienna Miller is? Gawd. These captures are from Alfie, one of the most depressing yet lesson-to-be-learned movies of all time, even if I was enjoying it with the best possible company (second family) in the best possible place (One River Place, apartment #428). But yeah, sucks to be Mr. Perpetual Bachelor, no? Someone cleely needs to watch this movie, maybe learn a thing or two... probz not though. xoxo gossip girl circa summer 2010. The second half of this post is dedicated in its entirety to Theresa Breitton and Yuri Bong. Love you both more than words could ever say lolz.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

Edith Minturn

Even the most eloquent of words couldn't do my reverence for Edie Sedgwick the proper justice. I love that even now, forty years after reaching the peak of her fame, Edie and her personal style of fur coats, leotards and smoky eyeliner is still not only relevant, but considered totally inspirational to the most fashion-forward of minds, socialites and hipsters alike. I don't know which makes more of an impression, her casual, slurred drawl and seemingly-intoxicated laughter, or her unforgettable saga as a poor little rich girl turned overnight celebrity. From her signature dangly chandelier earrings to mod shift dresses and dark opaque tights, I love everything about Edie's style and could analyze her fashion photos for hours on end without once feeling the need to check the time.

Obviously, one of the most important elements of Edie's personal style is her willingness to challenge the strict boundaries of dress established by society. Her waif-like features are astonishingly perfect and I could not think of a person, living or dead, I would rather trade wardrobes with. Designer labels are secondary to Edie's look-- it's not about who you wear, it's about what you wear and how you wear it-- a philosophy I respect a great deal. With her popping doe eyes perpetually smudged with thick dark liner, Edie channels the quintessential sixties fashionphile. I'll just cut myself short. Much more could be said about this Factory Girl, but I'll leave the pictures to speak for themselves. I love.

"I had fun, but I didn’t really have anyone I particularly loved except for loving friends. But I have a certain amount of faith that it will come." --Edie Sedgwick

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

Holly Golightly: the most classically classic woman of all time

Oversized shades, a perfect updo and that stunning open-back Givenchy LBD. The image of UES socialite Holly Golightly eating a pastry and gazing into the windows of Tiffany & Co. at 6 AM is more ubiquitous around college apartment living rooms than silly bandz are on the wrists of elementary school kids. I wholeheartedly understand and agree that Audrey Hepburn has become a cultural fashion icon personifying all elements of class, luxury and good taste, but if only the girls who share such a so-called adoration for her clothing would just adopt her practices of dressing, instead of just jumping on the bandwagon by tacking her image up on the wall...

Besides being breathtakingly beautiful in every way possible, Hepburn as Golightly epitomizes New York City high society and the beneficial significance of sartorial perfection. Her outfits accurately translate the character's emotion-- all-time highs as well as pitfalls-- and I could only dream that my wardrobe was as incredible as hers. Even when performing a hauntingly soothing rendition of "Moon River" on the fire escape in a simple cotton top and headscarf, Hepburn looks amazing, giving a new meaning to the recycled term "casual luxury". Perhaps my favorite look of the entire film is the cream one-shouldered toga frock she donned as the hostess of a banging apartment soiree (the cops were called-- Audrey knows how to rage). Not only was this dress considered darling in the sixties, but it could easily be worn in today's context and be just as fashionably powerful.

I say this time and time again, but fit and form were clearly much more of a priority to people in earlier decades than now, as these concepts are executed moreso in this movie than can be found anywhere else. This totally doesn't have to be the case, but why have we as dressers in the 2000's become so damn lazy? Instead of always looking pressed and polished like the hunky gentleman George Peppard, guys now seem to  just throw on whatever's clean, then wonder why the hell girls aren't flocking after them. Similarly, girls resort to purchasing blah garments created of subpar fabrics that "work", or ridiculously-priced items stamped all over with designer logos, but don't flatter them in the least and contribute nothing to the style pool. Bo-ring. 

I'm not saying tailored tweed suits and shift dresses emphasizing clean lines are the solution to every single occasion today, but people, please clean yourselves up. If everyone simply honored this understanding of fit and dressed with as much flair as the characters in Breakfast at Tiffany's did, the world would just be such a better place. There would be no more trashy colorblocked elastic-waist dresses, heinous crochet-neck babydoll tops (undoubtedly paired with so-boring J. Crew shorts) or flimsy floral sundresses that were probably constructed for less than a dollar. When I'm baller, I really am going to make it a point to save the world.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

Asian fusion

So I haven't seen Tarantino's "Kill Bill", but I will never forget when the Tower Hill lunch ladies told me how much I resembled Gogo Yubari, the baby-faced little killer in plaid mini. So. Asian. That aside, I find it striking how many comparisons have been drawn over the past week between the cult film and Vera Wang's Spring 2011 line. Though Wang is Chinese, I've never once noticed an overtly cultural vibe in her pieces. It seems this collection gives a nod to her heritage in ways nobody would ever imagine. Instead of channeling the more-expected 1940's-era Hollywood glamour à la vintage Shanghai ad models (think Westernized cheongsams, immaculate finger curls for the glossiest of black hair, and blood-red matte lipstick), Wang opted for the path less traveled, highlighting ethnic pieces like "Obi belts, Chinese wrap peasant pants, kimono blouses [and] Geisha gal dresses"... interesting to say the least. And I don't mean this in a good way. I mean this in a great way.

 

Referring to her program notes, this "fusion of East meets West" allowed Wang to play up the drama while maintaining her signature ever-so-romantic style. Besides the occasional citrus tones of silky tangerine and butterscotch, the pieces were rather dark for a spring collection. How could the immensely talented woman responsible for designing some of the world's most elegant bridal pieces also be the creative genius behind these avant-garde looks just bursting with attitude? Now as cliché and blissfully ignorant as this sounds (honestly, this is something a true WP-trying-not-to-be-a-WP would say), I could fully sense an alignment between her use of shiny floral-printed satins and the costumes I envision when reading Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha. The same goes for the drapey silk top paired with that iconic red skirt. Brilliant, and pushing the boundaries for anything and everything that would be expected from her.

The light falls just perfectly on the interplay of fabrics Wang chose to combine throughout the show-- a palette comprised of silks, satins and sheers. I'm a huge fan of the models' voluminous, airy hairstyles comparable to the mod beehives of the sixties. Love it. In short, Vera Wang proved her ability to add yet another dimension to her design experience already bursting at the seams (seriously, no pun intended): a master of channeling and executing inspiration to create a truly successful finished product and final presentation.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

Mr. Vogue Hommes

Meet Francesco Cominelli, assistant editor of Vogue Hommes International. Eye candy and inspiration. That is all.

Images courtesy of Jak & Jil and Mister Homme.

If I were a guy, I'm pretty sure I would already own a pair of those sneakers. Brilliant versatility and understated coolness.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

"Grown-ups before girls"

Oh, the fun I would've had living in 1940's Manila as my Grandmother Magdalena. Not only was she young and beautiful (with a hint of Spanish blood), but she also had an impeccably glamorous wardrobe. Really, what's not to love about sleek pencil skirts, airy silk blouses and thick woolen coats that hit perfectly at mid-calf level? The inspirational retro-dazzle of one of my favorite decades can be found almost everywhere this season, most prevalently in Lanvin's A/W 2009-2010 Ready-To-Wear collection which debuted at Paris Fashion Week this June.

As Sarah Mower mused in a recent Telegraph article, "The Forties are back – and favouring grown-ups before girls."

Rita Hayworth

Lana Turner

Gene Tierney

Channeling Old Hollywood stars like Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner and Gene Tierney, Lanvin's collection is full of elegant forties timepieces like lush floor-length gowns, vintage fur stoles, whimsical feathery headbands and serious pieces structured at the shoulder. Instead of other designers who ultimately try too hard to embody "new creativity" at their catwalk shows, Alber Elbaz kept it classy, creating pieces that delicately emphasize the feminine silhouette and hug the body in all the right places, all the while maintaining an unavoidable sense of drama and seduction.

 

 

images courtesy of

VOGUE.com's Lanvin A/W 2009-2010 Show Report

While forties fashion was certainly classic and aesthetically pleasing, it can barely be deemed innovative by today's standards. Elbaz addresses this issue, successfully bridging the gap between then and now by substituting today's fabrics and cuts for otherwise obsolete patterns. Ensuring that the collection remains relevant to today, the elbow-length gloves are leather where they once were satin, and skirts and jackets now possess swing and shape where they once hung flat.

 images courtesy of

VOGUE.com's Lanvin A/W 2009-2010 Show Report

In short, bravo to you, Mr. Elbaz, on a dramatic performance well-done; one which Jeanne Lanvin herself would surely have been proud to witness.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.