Say what you want about the e-commerce “takeover” — retailers still love to send snail mail. Judging by the number of catalogs I receive, brands must be destroying millions of trees per month, all in the faint hope I will somehow be swayed to buy a $250 faux leather sweatshirt. Most of the catalogs come from brands I don’t even recognize. (What is […]
Month: July 2014
Planet of the Platforms: The Rise & Fall
There are some fashions that just won’t die, and most of them hail from the 60s and 70s. Bell-bottoms, PVC and fuchsia tights are all as stubborn as Styrofoam, doomed to repeat the same Sisyphean trend cycle: ascendance, eclipse and return. The most enduring example is the platform shoe, a style that refuses to be snuffed out, despite its status as […]
Nail Art for Busy People
I believe in fiscal responsibility, and my attitude boils down to this: The less you spend on manicures, the more you can spend on clothes. I’ve been doing my own nails for three years, and my self-penned designs and cray color combinations have become my signature. The first thing onlookers often ask? “God, how long did THAT take you?” Not only […]
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Can a White Shirt Transform Your Look?
There are the fashionista factions who will advise you to spend as much as you can on your wardrobe basics. I am not one of them. Today’s theme is the white shirt, the queen of all wardrobe basics. The variety in price is astounding. First up is the white Oxford, a working woman’s uniform. At the high-end of the spectrum is Carven’s version for […]
- Consignment
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Are We Okay Going Gray?
Is it possible to max out on minimalism? I tested the thesis with this head-to-toe granite combination. I blame this look entirely on the Jenna Lyons cyborgs featured in the J. Crew catalog I received last night. Gray is not a cheerful color, and it doesn’t do much for the complexion. Gray is TV snow. It’s aluminum foil. […]
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Don’t Make Excuses for Summer Dresses
Sometimes it’s easy to feel guilty when you opt for yet another summer dress. Women often feel like sophisticated style should be opaque to all but Vogue editors — and a dress just seems TOO easy. My inner-critic is fond of chanting, “Oh. A dress. How original.” But let’s be practical: Choosing a dress over separates means less time stranded in front of an […]
Tweed Dreams Are Made of These
I don’t consider myself a slave to fashion — I’m really more of a student. It all started when I received a subscription to W at the frighteningly young age of 10. In the years since, I’ve pored over hundreds of fashion magazines with all the seriousness of a monk studying a religious text. For the last 16 […]
The Holy Grail
I’m sick of fall clothing already, and we haven’t even hit August. I blame this on the pre-fall shopping hysteria unfolding online. Every fashion blog has been crammed with “previews” of pre-fall sales, imploring me to scramble for limited quantities of boots, coats and sweaters. Every promotion is a thinly veiled threat: Shop NOW or […]
The Ring of Fire
Some clothes just scream for attention, and this Issey Miyake piece is a YELLER. The collar is constructed like origami, fades from black to red and ends in stiffened silk that’s been micro-lasered to resemble tiny flames – or perhaps thorns. The effect is beguiling, but mildly threatening – like the gaping maw of a Venus […]
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The Puffy Shirt’s Comeback
If you buy consignment as much as I do, an excellent tailor is essential. My tailor and I are BFFs, and he’s saved many of my blouses, dresses and skirts from closet purgatory. When I bought this ruffled blouse, I knew it would be a challenging item. For one thing, it had sleeves that looked exactly like these: […]