the wonderful wizard(ress) of OZ

alice mccall is an australian designer who previously worked with buddhist punk and did a lot of styling. that's the short version. the long gushy version is that she now has a name-sake brand where she makes really of-the-moment wearable clothes. the current fall/winter07/holiday07 collection is available at honey in the rough in the lower east side(helpful i know) and its ridic cute,sassy,rad,tight,and necessary. these are photos from s/s 08. feelin' good feelin' great.

kate the great

jez posted an article about the versatility of the world's greatest model. and i agree whole heartedly. just look. you'll see. and if you don't, well than twain us two two shall never pass

OMFG KITTIES

OMG! KITTIES! this guys cats love to eat so much! if that article on andre j didnt cheer you up then watch this video of these two cats chowin down on people food to some pretty epic ambient bittersweet music. description of this video: 'my cats are pigs'. that speaks to me. if this doesnt make you smile well. you are even colder than myself, which is cause for medical concern.

really fucking heartwarming

ok so my internet is jacked and ive been boozin' so! not full write up, but! read this! its inspiring and may make you hate your current status in the world a little bit less! fyi:"Anything you love you can sell, honey, and I sold it" p.s. how sultry is the guy center image right!?

lazy news

+ phillip lim won the CDFA swarovski award
+ marimekko is doing a colaboration with H+M to be in stores in April
+ jovovich-hawk is will be a GO!International designer for target to also set in April
+bindi irwin, the croc hunter heiress, is gettin in the rap game
+answers to why black friday is so black; hint its not because its into metal. even though it was a poor turn-out for non-electronic retailers
+sam davol cellist of the magnetic fields and his wife quit their jobs and bought a 1$million dollar loft in boston. which was purchased and renovated with profits off selling their greenwich village place. damn gina. also new mag. fields album in january which means they should be touring soon if not already.
+nymag's annual holiday gift guide; always humorous and mostly informative

whyred

refinery29 wrote an insightful article about swedish brand Whyred. both the article and the brand are nice and well fitting.

sunshine and shadow

FYI/PSA/OMG: sunshine and shadow is a sick line of silky tops, stern but loving skirts and dresses, effortless layering pieces, and playful accessories. the garments have the kind of unstructured structure that always seems to be only seen in editorials or your very own clothing related dreams. and to top it all off, they are easily stand alone pieces. which i have been really critical of in my own choices, but have the versatility to play well with others which is pretty key in the winter months. we spent some time at work lusting over the pieces we didn't get in and trying to find a way to get our grubby paws on the tie-dyed silk scarves which are selling like mad. p.s. the designer is totally cute and friendly which only makes it sweeter

for the person who has everything; a fancy version of something common!

i'm all for subversive design and am even a little indulgent by using clu tee shirts as lounge wear, but let's get real. 435$ for a 90%wool10%cashmere deep-v? i would really like to encounter, not necessarily meet, the person who purchases this item at full price.

flavor of the moment

i acknowledge my impatience when it comes to hunting for accessories. usually it stems from my attention span hovering on something for a few extra nanoseconds and i decide i need this possibly/probably ridiculous item or i just might die; please see bag and shoe A and B respectively. for winter holidays i feel like i need a supple black bag and some white buckskins. i've spent the past month hunting for similar versions of the ones below to no avail and at the original items respective price points it's an either/or situation. either i need to win the lottery or i need to get some adderal for my shopping adhd.

its friday night an i feel alright na na na party na na west side

please look and shriek in delight at this picture of worlds largest dog meeting worlds smallest dog; things are ok on earth sometimes. also! surprise! amy winehouse apparently probably keeps drugs in her bee-hive hair-do. uh duh, this is the musician who's manager quit because her drug use was so out of hand that he had second hand smack in his bloodstream. but i mean, wouldnt you, rather, dont you keep your narcotics in a clever hiding spot too?

TGI-never

I've been ruminating on whether I like being bored to death or overwhelmingly busy and riddled with anxiety. Truthfully, I like neither, but if I had to choose it would be a happy medium of bein (and gettin!) busy and maxin and relaxin. Waking-up, throwing some layers on that smell clean enough, braving the day, then going to bed exhausted can be as satisfying as waking up, rolling over, and watching some jolly, visually interchangeable women cook couscous, marion berry cobbler, and chicken with forty cloves while never leaving the comfort of your underwear/bed/living room floor. I live fast 'n die young...or something. Really, I am just grasping for some sentences so I could post these images from winter07 acne. Also, last nights proj runway, wtf are you kidding me? Since when do people with careers or careers in failure want to be on a reality show that has been proven to further ruin lives? I guess Heidi Klum said it best when asked what's in store for this season; "same shit. different people". word. guten-tag girl.

let's get 'em!

shoes. omg. shoes. i, like 99.9% of all women, am inexplicably drawn to shoe departments even in stores that i loathe. shit, i would look for shoes in home-depot if they had them. i 'just want to look real quick' and i'm sure my boyfriend gets tired of trying to follow me while i weave in and out of other-less-vicious-shoe-shoppin-women looking for perfect shoes that never seem to exist. i've snatched shoes right out from some other, less decisive, woman's nose and then watched her pout to her mother while the clerk rang up my purchase. however, for all my shoe affairs, i only wear three pairs, sven swedish single wood block sole 3" maryjanes, acne for tretorn high-tops, and frye veronica short slouch boots. all comfortable; all distinctly me, but nothing slinky and subtly vampy. there-fore i am reinstating the hunt for these nico pumps from brian atwood.

pretty leather

a growing trend in the norse regions is the application of pretty leather. red leather skirts paired with white button ups whose peter pan collars are buttoned demurely all the way up. capped off with a loosely draped skirt-hem-length cardigan, ankle socks, and flat shoes. juxtaposing what could and should be tried and true street walker pieces against strongly young and chaste garments makes for an outfit mind fuck akin to an adult lolita; all grown up and legal but still inherently bad to the bone. acne will show you whats up:

pied piper of ice y'all

i need to work on my general sorcery abilities because if i could gain some sort of magnetic pull for these little babies i would be-more-jeweled than all of the cash money millionaires. jeah girl, MJ mice ice is nice.

fashion nerd excitement

so! judging from the shown accessories for s/s08 there may be a new shape in balenciaga handbags! i am honestly excited for this because balenciaga makes some incredible shoes, handbags, small leather goods, and jewelry, but none of them are ever seen in favor of the ubiquitous and throughly played out motorcycle bag. the real ones are nice, but can never be carried lest you feel like looking like a mid-western college sorority sister with a love of all things celebretarded with only worn copy of Star! to introduce you to new fashions. now, balenciaga will obviously still produce and make truckloads of money off of the motorcycle bags, they just will, but these new bags are appealing; they have compartments! patent and matte leather! shoulder straps! good hardware placement! lady like but not stuffy! smart but not unwearable!

you know what they say

they, or maybe just me, say. those who cant design pay way too much for shit. some of these items below i honestly don't know the price for, but given their provenance and the fact that they come from s/s08 it's safe to guess that its more than my rent. so, arts and crafts will rule my life this winter. so here are some projects ranging from easy you know what peasy to may-need-some-time-or-booze-aided-patience-and/or-a-brainy-friend to make this work. you can even make an arts and crafts party of it if you are feeling particularly hostess-y. if so. invite me, i'm a good party attendee and have some applicable craft skills.
(braided metal necklaces: gemma redux; beaded necklace: carlos de souza; woven leather clutch: chloe; linen and patent tote: lacroix)

5th ave shoe repair: marry me

Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair is a swedish design company that makes me really consider paying the exorbitant prices to get it for my very own. The clothes are made from the softest fibers and are all hand crafted with couture techniques with attention to drape and form. the kinds of tee shirts and sweaters that really do send the message that someone really loved making that garment and didnt make it to fill a style quota. each piece is wholly personal and smart. the kinds of garments that you really have to assess if you are mentally ready to wear. please note this origami draped tee (yes its from bird. we only have two left. )

see bad things do happen to bad companies

not to say that Crocs is an illegal operation that suppresses struggling children in third worldcountries. making them toil over the gurgling foam molds and organize and pack Crocs off to people who dont have enough sense to spend 30$ on something that isnt essentially a sponge for your feet. but! sunday their stock dropped 36%. THIRTY SIX. that is incredible and has the potential to wipe Crocs off the face of the planet or atleast out of sight out of mind. I guess their design update to line the foam monstrosities with shearling for winter 07 wasnt a huge hit with consumers...

john waters films: trove of sick outfit ideas

is there a box set of all the john water's movies? why not? they would make a killing because 'omg i luv hairspray john travolta dress as a woman is so funny!' and then tens/hundreds/millions could be shocked and/or offended by the other, better films and also i would be able to have it for my very own! hairspray, not really my deal; pecker, cry baby, and serial mom are my jams. i have yet to see pink flamingos so i cannot speak on what i am sure is its fantastically bizarre visuals and perversely hilarious dialogues.
oh my point: graphic colors, blissfully awkward pattern mixing, and 90s proportion aesthetics are something to think about and incorporate, i mean if you know what is good for you. please see these examples in both extreme and toned down forms.

seen/met designers in akward places

so last week i saw costello tagliapetra at SIL (a zipper store) they were very much the design bears they are portrayed to be IRL and totally cute. also, i met samantha pleet at work. she loves pirate chic and has big faux plans for binky fleece/fur. these two sets were way more interesting to encounter than keri russel. designers: 1 celebs:0
enclosed are pictures of C&T and a design from their spring 08 runway. no picture of samantha but take it from me, girl is super cute and has it goin on. here is a picture of her handy work.