Tuesday, March 27, 2007

two weeks til kathmandu


I am trying to deal with the challenge of packing for both Paris and Kathmandu. This outfit doesn't show too much skin and has red in it (red signifies luck in Nepal and many other Asian countries; in fact, Nepali brides wear red saris on their big day), yet it is chic and comfortable. I am trying to incorporate a lot of red into my wardrobe for the next month. I also need to be careful about wearing just white or beige (as these are mourning colors in Nepal and India). I am digging through my closet for everything folky and festive. This skirt is great. It is high waisted wool, has a nice swing to it and is decorated with happy paisley throughout.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

spring

Today is the day! The first day of spring, finally. Here is my favorite image from The Sartorialist to help us get into the swing of things.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

la double vie de veronique

I first heard about "The Double Life of Veronique" through New York Magazine; the Fall 2007 Rodarte gift bag contained a DVD of the 1991 Kieslowski film. I finished watching it last night after moving it to the top of my Netflix queue. I couldn't stop thinking about what a lovely film it was and I became nostalgic for the film classes that I took during my undergraduate days.

The film stars Irene Jacob, winner of the Cannes 1991 Best Actress award for her performance as Veronique and Veronika. Born at the same time 20 years ago in Poland and France; Veronique and Veronika are identical in every way, yet share neither mother nor father. They grow up to lead eerily similar lives and both have the feeling that they are not alone. The movie shows the auteur as voyeur, with Kieslowski at his best, coddling the lovely Irene Jacobs with his camera as she wanders breathlessly and dreamingly through Krakow and Paris. Both Veronique and Veronika are aware of their beauty yet they navigate their respective worlds in a child-like way, removed from the everyday. They are so conscious of it that the world around them molds into an aesthetic ideal. Their presence lends a magical tinge to the most common of situations, as if they are the characters in a story book. Perhaps the movie is similar to "Amelie" in some ways yet more despondent. It has an evanescence and seductiveness and that makes "Amelie" look like the saccharine cute-fest that it is.

If you didn't need more reason to see the movie, here are some stills. Couldn't you just stare at Irene Jacob the whole day?



Sunday, March 18, 2007

dreaming on a winter's day

Two days ago, New York was hit with a blistery snow storm after a week of Spring-like weather. The first day of Spring is on the 21st and I had a hard time reconciling this last bit of wintry unpleasantness. I really couldn't bear the thought of going outside. So yesterday I decided to play dress-up and day dream of warmer times. After trying on my Prada loot, I remembered that I promised to write about the outlet in Montevarchi.
I was too overwhelmed to take pictures near or inside the outlet because I told the cab driver that 1.5 hours would be enough for me. Suffice to say, I was off by about an hour. The outlet was pristine. A machine dispenses a piece of paper with a number on it. This number is used to identify you within the store. It is necessary because you are not allowed to carry around the wares. Instead, once you try something on, a salesperson puts it away for you. The train ride was about 30 minutes from Florence. It is the local train from Florence to Rome. It was only about 8 euros. The cab ride to and from the outlet was 24 euros; there are always cabs waiting outside the station. The outlet sells Prada, Miu Miu, Jil Sander and Driving Shoes. The outlet has clearances, so my Prada ankle length wool and fur coat was 350 euros marked down from 500 euros. I can only guess how much it must have been originally. I bet I found it for about 80% off.



I still haven't had an occassion to wear the coat. I'm afraid it's too light for this weather. And in three weeks the only coat I'll be wearing is my Mountain Hard Wear hiking fleece along with my new boots (that I will be diligently breaking in starting now!)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

the new yorker does it up in style


I always await The New Yorker's Style Issue with bated breath. It offers a refreshing perspective on some of what's going on in fashion. The tone of the articles is quite different than what you find in fashion magazines; there are limited pictures and it is designed for an older and less connected audience . I have not finished the whole issue yet, but three wonderful articles that I got through on my commute today were:

"Dressin' Texan"--A story about what oil money can get you in Neiman Marcus, and the women who have closets ten times bigger than my apartment. A snippet of a conversation between a stylish woman and her personal shopper goes a little like this: "'Can you send it to me? Because I have to keep moving.' The 'it' was a delicate pale-pink linen Andrew Gn A-line coat with silver leather paillettes ($2,700), which would join other 'it's' being speedily dispatched to the woman's house: a Roberto Cavalli top made of paper-thin leather so distressed that is looks like crumpled paper ('Fabulous for the South of France at night, right?'; $3,460), a black Dolce & Gabbana duchess satin coat with a ruffled leopard lining ('How cute for the boat!'; $3,010), and a white Armani shirt with vertical seaming in front and back, because you can never have enough white shirts ('They go to the dry cleaner's three times and it's goodbye'; $450)."

"This Old Thing?"--A retrospect on how Cameron Silver started the vintage craze in Hollywood with his boutique called "Decades" and "Decadestwo." Right now, he senses a big Lacroix moment.

"In The Now"--By far, my favorite...a profile of Kaiser Karl. I still remember the wonderful article that The New Yorker did on Hedi Slimane. Karl Lagerfeld is described a crazed workaholic with little understanding of the outside world except for his forays into Colette's record, book and magazine collection. He goes through assistants like I go through packs of gum, he calls models fat ("I eat next to nothing," he says in his best-seller, "The Karl Lagerfeld Diet"), and he owns mansions that he never visits and suits he never wears. At the same time, he is a prolific designer with his own label, Chanel and Fendi.


"Lagerfeld's devotion to fashion also has an intellectual dimension. He is fascinated by the manner in which clothes reflect the times and attitudes of their wearers. He mentions a project conceived by Albert Kahn, an eccentric banker who lived in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century. Kahn hoped to construct 'Archives of the Planet,' and to that end dispatched photographers and filmmakers around the world to document, essentially, everything. At one point, according to Lagerfeld, Kahn set up a movie camera on a Paris street corner, and every day for ten years filmed people walking by. 'You see the houses, you see the cars--and there were few changes in tens yeras,' says Lagerfeld, who has viewed the footage. 'The cars changed not that much. The architecture changed not at all. But the attitude of the people changed much more, in the way they walked, in the way they dressed. So don't tell me fashion is not important."

mj does rehab

Marc Jacobs recently checked himself into rehab in Arizona.  And we all thought that the recent weight loss was due to a healthy diet and exercise.  Nope.  MJ took part in the Coke Cleanse, the lesser known version of the Master Cleanse where you replace the concoction of water/cayenne pepper/maple syrup/lemon with large amounts of cocaine. This is merely an opinion and is in no way meant to criticize Marc Jacobs, LVMH or Arizona. I think rehab is becoming the new black.

Pic from Popsugar

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

rainbow brite

from left: Pierre Hardy, Fendi, Balenciaga.


All from Candy Pratts Price fall's top picks

kiss me kate

Photo: Thornton / Baggoo / INFGoff.com

Just...lovely.

According to Laird Borelli of Style.com, Kate will be speaking in the new Rimmel ads. Her line? "Get the London look." Don't mind if I do, Kate. Don't mind if I do.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

who's the vain one now?



I was recently told that "fashion is architecture's vain little sister." Well, perhaps Architecture has been setting the Narcissistic example all along. I was floored by the interior of the Longchamp store in SoHo, designed by Thomas Heatherwick. The store houses a three-story staircase, made from 55 tons of hot-rolled steel with acrylic-like panels based on aerospace windshields hanging from the handrails. Thanks to Wired and Tim McKeough for the information. Photo by David S. Allee.

This almost makes Viktor & Rolf and Balenciaga look tame. Almost.

from Balenciaga's Spring 2007 collection

Monday, March 05, 2007

scarves 'r us

Why is it that Parisiennes can tie a scarf like no one else? Is it genetic? Do they learn in grade school? And most importantly, can I take an accelerated course in 24 days? I am excited to be going to Paris so soon, but all of the pictures of the ultra-chic denizens buzzing around the shows in Paris are giving me performance anxiety. I think Susie might agree with me.




All photos are from The Sartorialist's time in Paris during the fall collections.

Right after Paris, I am making my way over to Kathmandu, where I imagine there will be pashminas drapped "just so" around the shoulders of many a woman. I can't wait to take some photos. It will be a fun comparison, I think.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

intermix sale

Look at what New York boutique has graced us with their end of season sale. Although I got there on the first day, the deals were just not that great. The hat that I bought from them online was the same price; no further discounts. There was a lot of stock, but another downside was that it felt a little like a cattle ranch. Take a look to see if you agree. I was very disappointed.

The blond saleswoman looked great decked out in the season's red plaid:


There will be more Italy posts to follow, but right now I am reveling in being back in New York.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

rosemary's dress


When everyone thought that Michelle Williams could not make any more wonderful style moves because she had reached her pinacle, she shows up looking more lovely than ever. She walked past me at the Phillip Lim show. She was glowing, much like she is in the picture above. I was really curious to see that Chloe dress worn by a petite girl. It works so well. And the hair--well, not to salute someone with my exact haircut, but--well done!

Oh, and happy March to everyone. This leaves one month until I go to Paris and then Kathmandu. I am counting down the days, as you can well imagine.

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