Marc-y-Marc

Wow some of these purchases are old! Take, for example, this blue and black dress – I recall wearing this during my March exam last year! Oh well. I still like it. In fact, I’m really partial to Marc by Marc Jacobs.



The clothes generally come in small, medium, and large and are roomy, fun, and interesting. So…in the end, I bought a crapload (for the moment, anyway), of Marc by Marc clothes.



I’m also just going to put it out there right now that the following pants work excellently for bowling. And they are shiny! Who doesn’t like shiny things?



OOPS. I SHOULDN’T HAVE BOUGHT ALL THAT. But it was on a big sale and the clothes were fun and I was confident about the sizing and I was in a blue phase and I can come up more excuses than anyone ever.

Talking Myself Down

While I still have much to learn when it comes to saying “NO” to buying whatever amazing clothing is dangling in front of me at the moment (which is really why this blog exists in the first place), lately I have been exercising tremendous restraint and I’d like to offer my entirely unprofessional two-cents worth. Please try these at home. And if they don’t work, well, then you are really no worse off, right? Because you were going to buy it anyway.

Method a:
Imagine that you buy it and you’ve brought it home and it’s the next day and you want to wear it out. What do you pair it with? I specifically think of shoes at this point (unless of course, the purchase IS shoes and then you should BUY BUY BUY), and try to imagine if I can comfortably allocate a pair to this particular item. If I can allocate several, I’m on the path to purchase. If I’m pondering buying a purple and beige dress (like I am this very moment), that’s another story. I’m leaning towards no since I don’t want to wear black with it and I don’t have any decent beige shoes that I can wear for a long haul. Get my drift? It’s in there somewhere.

Method b:
You like it…is it because you already have something pretty close to it? And by pretty close, I mean if you are thinking about a black cardigan – do you have one in a similar style (regardless of the accent, design, fabric). Would you wear this piece with different items than the other one you have? Does if fill a wardrobe gap (however small)? It should – don’t just add substitute items – not worth the money! Which leads me to…

Method c:
Is it really worth the money? Now, this question is kind of invalid when buying designer items because, well, of course the answer is usually no. (I’m not immune to it though!) But even then…ask the questions in a and b but if you are passionate about the piece and its pricey AND designer (and if it is truly amazing, it likely is) and you’ll think about it for months (years?) after and wish you would have bought and it won’t make you destitute, buy it!! Um…I’m off track now. Maybe that leads me to…

Method? d:
Buy items that you are passionate about. Seriously. I’m talking about the moment you see it you are like, “!!!” It happens to me everyone once in a while. And TRY THINGS ON! But that doesn’t work so well if you are buying online…which I do all the time (as evidenced by the material in this blog.) If you can’t try it on, at least try to be familiar with the designer and know your size – go to a store and try the clothes on, take note, and then leave. Or guess. That sometimes works for me too. And sometimes not, as substantiated by the giant Y-3 dress hanging in my closet. Boo.

So there you have it – my jumbled, incoherent plea in attempting to save you some money. Did it work? I’m guessing not since you are here reading this blog and not shopping right now. So…yeah.

And what good is a blog without pictures? Here’s a few more (entirely unrelated) pretty pictures by the amazing Tim Walker.







Happy Wednesday!

Cult Classic

I’m obsessed. I’ve been obsessed with a lot of things in my day – Brad Renfro, designer denim, perfume, Apollo 13 – but that’s ancient history. My newest obsession is Jeffrey Campbell shoes. I know obsession sounds really extreme and kind of psycho, but I what else can you call it when every idle moment on the Internet is spent on solestruck.com deciding which pair shoes I am going to buy next. This is a daily occurrence and very serious.

Let me say that I am kind of practical when it comes to shoes (emphasis on kind of.) I can’t fathom spending the big dollars on crazy-high heels and so my Gucci shoes are runners and my Prada shoes are ballet flats. Get the picture? No Louboutins here (not yet, anyway.) But these…these are another story. They are a mid-price-range shoe with an unbelievable amount of comfort despite their height. I traipsed around Tokyo for nearly two weeks in the 99 TIE, whose heel clocks in at nearly 4”. My next purchase? The Clinic – a 5” behemoth.

99 TIE:





The Clinic:





Seriously…I think there might be a cult starting for this brand alone. Fans are rabid!

You Got "It" Dude

Did anyone other myself go “HUH?” when you first heard that the Olsen twins were going to design clothes? That’s like me deciding that I’m going to start a clothing line. Or Snooki. But the difference here is that their clothes turned out pretty good and me and Snooki are just going to have to settle for being left in the dust. Wait. Why the hell did I bring Snooki into this? Whatever. Anyway, the Olsens are actually regarded with some cred in the industry and frankly, after I bought a pair of Elizabeth & James pants, I can see why. They are nice. I don’t know how much part the Olsens actually had in the design, or if one can really screw up a pair of black pants, but…yeah. I like them. But I’m also a sucker for ankle pants.

My Rooftop Horse

I look at fashion editorials like a picture book. The clothes are ridiculously out of my price range and the models are impossibly thin doing things I won’t ever do (like petting a horse on a rooftop in Paris wearing wings.) So…what’s the point of them? Why do they even include the prices? A fun game I played with my in-laws during the summer while waiting in the ferry lineup was “Guess the price”. I’d show them the editorial and they’d guess the price. The conversation often went something like this:

Me: Guess how much this black mini skirt is?
Them: Um…$80.
Me: $1,500! Guess how much those gloves are?
Them: Um...$25.
Me: $350!

Is anyone really going to buy the plain white knit from Prada for $800? Are those the same people that buy fashion magazines? Oh whatever. Honestly, aside from some absolutely stellar photographers, I don’t give a hoot (ha!) what designer loaned their collection for some waif to wear (while petting her rooftop horse.) Did I just mention stellar editorial photographers? Oh yes…and do you want to see the work of one? TIM WALKER.










The geris say, "what?"

Haan-ds Down

I used to think leather jackets were reserved for older people who shop at Danier Leather. I mean, my parents picked up new leather jackets each spring when the winter coats were on clearance and frankly, they weren’t flattering or fashionable (sorry Mom). However, I got a bee in my bonnet (so to speak) last winter and I set out on a hunt for one…from someplace else. Well, it turns out that the someplace was a Rue La La sale, and though the model and styling were absolutely horrific, I saw beyond to a sweet Cole Haan jacket at a decent price.







It’s hard, isn’t it? To look past the dowdy ensemble and boring hair? Gosh these pictures are unflattering to the jacket. Trust me…it looks better on me!

That Thong Tha-Thong-Thong-Thong

And here is my first purchase with none of the passion that usually accompanies one of such magnitude. It’s no secret I’m a crazy fanatic for Alexander McQueen and most everything that marches out under the brand. But I bought these sandals last year and I just can’t get excited about wearing them. You see, I was at work one day and was about to rush off to a meeting and these were in my cart…and my credit card information was already in the system and so…well, you can guess the rest.

My foot just feels so naked.







I’m sad. They are just so hard on my feet!

Statement Pieces

One of the easiest ways to kick up your personal style a notch is to focus on a statement piece. A statement piece can be any piece, but there must be only one. This is handy if you aren’t super-rich (like myself) but still want to look like you aren’t completely hopeless on the fashion front. And it’s also handy because you only need to buy one thing! Even if you don’t know what to pick, most gaudy things look OK on their own paired with an all-black ensemble. Think…like, yellow stilettos or something. Catch my drift?

My favourite stand-out items are necklaces, brooches, bottoms, and tights. And some of these can be bought for really cheap. Use your imagination!









I own the leggings and the tights and, well, they are me. But this is just to give you an example of how one item can turn your otherwise mundane black pants/tunic/blazer/dress into an outfit. The list I’ve shown above is a real mix between high and low fashion (Lanvin necklace, handmade brooch, handmade leggings, cheapo $4 tights), so no excuse not to try. No harm – I want to see more of this!

source, source, source

Made in Japan

In 2009 (aka forever ago), I bought that pair of Gucci sneakers which are now collecting dust in my shoe rack. Seriously, I’m choked that it’s such a shame. Since I don’t wear jeans, I don’t usually wear sneakers either. Ugh, enough about those. This post is about my most-cherished shoe that I bought less than a month after the Guccis and, to this day, adore the most of all my shoes.

If you know me at all, you know that one of my two favourite brands is the ubiquitous Comme des Garçons. And their shoes are a dream. They never require breaking-in and they will be eternally fashionable. I hope.







I would sleep with these on my pillow if it wasn’t so unsanitary.

Case Study 1: Creating an "eye"

What looks good? Why? How do people ever figure out how to look stylish and fashionable with what’s available in their price range? I’m not a professional, but I do know what looks awful and why.

Let's do a short case study. Here's two photos and I want you to think about who is fashionable and who's a fashion victim.



It's too easy, isn't it? But why do you think so?

Here’s my two cents on it. Dear Solange in the pink tights looks like she’s combining a bunch “trendy” things to say “look at me!” – the belt, the tights, the booties, an awful shiny shirt – but our friend in black has worked with proportion, details, and a hint of gold. I would fix Solange (ha ha ha – I’m getting self-righteous here), by changing two things – the tights and bag. My personal choices for substitution would be these:


Pamela Mann tights - $13.30 (I own these and love them.)


Alexander McQueen clutch – more than $13.30 (I have no idea and I’m not going to check! But Solange has enough money, so…no excuses.)

The easiest way to start seeing what works and what doesn’t is to look at yourself in the mirror every morning, basically. Don’t you get that feeling when something doesn’t “work”? Trust it. Make sure you feel good about it when you leave the house. Believe me – it will put a bounce in your step.

source

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Aspirational

Let me re-introduce myself. I am an 'Aspirational'. At least, according to this article. And...though I like to come off as rich and fancy, let's face it - I'm pretty poor 99 percent of the time. I think I've finally decided what I'd like to blog/write about - poor people making life look fancy, because I think I know that really well. As an avid reader of a lot of the major fashion blogs, I noticed that people who dress in head-to-toe designer are perceived as not "real" or "relatable". But I don't want to tell you what to buy or anything. It would be silly to assume our aesthetic eyes would be the same. I just want to talk about what is popular, what I like, and what you might like too. With likely the occasional rant about something thrown in.

Let's be honest - there is a truckload of fashion blogs out there who have one good entry that you happened to stumble on when you were searching for a picture of a pair of shoes on Google or something. At the best, that's kind of what I hope for. But I hope you stay to read more.

For a style injection today, visit the Sartorialist. Always inspiring.