Sex and the Clothes

No, I haven't seen Sex and the City. Yet. In fact, I probably will wait until I can Netflix it. To be honest, I kinda feel like it's being shoved down my throat everywhere I go - the TV ads, the write-ups on the blogs... it feels like everyone's losing their shit over this movie. I can't imagine going the first week either. I don't want to sit in a theater with a bunch of what Jezebel has dubbed "Scary Sadshaws" (you know, the girls who watch the show and say "I am so a Samantha! This is so like my life!" even though they're all of seventeen and think that Juicy Couture terrycloth pants count as designer gear). Let's be honest... the whole point of SATC was that it wasn't like anyone's life. Nobody could live on Carrie's salary and afford all those clothes. Nobody's sex life involves that many "zany hijinks". In my opinion, what people really responded to was the frank discussion of sex (yes, girls do kiss and tell) and the relationship between the girls. But why people really watched was the fashion. And to be honest, I could care less about the plotline to the movie. I'm pretty sure I could watch the movie on mute. I just want to see the clothes.

Now that I've told you about how I'm tired of hearing about that damn movie, here I am writing about it!

What I was really impressed by, however, was the styling for the Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie in Vogue in Sex and the City (try to keep up!). I think Andre Leon Talley did the styling, and I know Annie Leibovitz shot the photos. They're fantastic. Take a look at some of my favorites.

Nina Ricci (who also did SJP's gorgeous NYC premiere dress) 

Alexander McQueen (who also did her London premiere dress, which I loved... and yes, I adored her Philip Treacy hat too- it was a great Isabella Blow nod)

Marchesa (who can do no wrong in my book)

Dolce & Gabbana (who I've been really impressed with lately)

If these clothes are an indicator of the fashion in the movie, then I'll be really impressed.

I found it!

Remember when I said I was searching for the perfect T-shirt dress? Well, I found it... in theory.

I haven't tried this on yet, but I think that it could be perfect! Target strikes again with the awesomeness.

Amelie, the Badass

I always thought superheroes were awesome. They get to have two identities that get two very different types of outfits. There's the everyday wear, and then there's what I like to think of as their badass gear. That's why this year's Met Costume Institute gala's theme "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" was so awesome. I'm really hoping to get up to NYC to see it before it closes in September.

My fashion sense seems to have an alter ego. I talked about her a little bit in this post, but she would be called Amelie and she's a Parisian risk taker. She's the one who can rock the leather. She's the one who wants to mix Rodarte with Balenciaga and would look awesome doing it. Amelie is the one who thinks Prada can totally be wearable in Mississippi. She thinks Georgina Sparks' wardrobe from Gossip Girl is the epitome of cool. And she once considered the feasibility of lame leggings in a Southern summer (luckily I stepped in and told her that was not a good idea).

So when I was searching through the Shopbop sales the other day and stumbled across these shoes, Amelie was the one who lusted over them.

SO friggin COOL. They remind me a lot of the AW08 Givenchy collection. I can totally see these worn with the Parisian outfit from my earlier post. I can also see Gwenyth Paltrow's walking the red carpet for Iron Man in these shoes (the girl has been wearing amazing shoes to the premieres lately!). They also come in a nude color that is equally as fierce.

Personally I (I mean Amelie) think that these would be hot with this outfit.

The girl who can rock this outfit is my hero.

So from now on, Amelie will be making guest posts occasionally. Get excited. She's pretty awesome.

The dress, finally

I'm back, finally. 

The dog has made his triumphant return to my boyfriend's. He's feeling much better and is up and about now. He's lost a lot of weight and is still a little shaky on his legs, but he is ready to take on squirrels just as soon as we'll let him. Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes.

So now, about that dress:

I'm typically not a Roberto Cavalli fan. I'm not one of those people who can pull off the luxe hippie look, and I'm certainly not somebody who can wear clothes that just ooze sex from every seam, so usually his stuff is a little too much for me. However, he seems to have read my post about Chihuly-inspired dressing with this dress.

Same color scheme, same long brushstrokes, same nature-inspired theme (Chihuly's is based on reeds, Cavalli's is based on the interior of a flower)... I kind of love it, even though I don't want to. Here's another picture:

While I hate the cut of the top (there's no way that can be flattering on anyone), the bottom is just so damn great that I can't stop obsessing. Would it be blasphemy to cut up a designer dress and rework the top?

Roberto, you're welcome for the inspiration. If you'd like to refer to me as your muse in the press, that would be just fine by me as long as I get an in-house discount. That sounds like a fair exchange, right?

GOOD NEWS!

Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes to our dog. It seems to have helped! We are expecting to bring a much healthier (if not totally mended) puppy back to our house late this afternoon, and we could not be more excited. I even bought doggy ice cream! 

I should be back to our regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow with a report of a Chihuly-esque dress from a designer that usually makes me shudder.

GO GO Target GO!

Hello, my name is Emily, and I am a Targetaholic. No, really, it's an issue.

For example, I'm addicted to the GO International collections.  I have stuff from the Paul and Joe collection, the Behnaz collection, and I bought a TON of pieces from the Libertine collection. However, I've not been super-impressed with the quality of the most recent collections.

So then the other day I ran into Target to get a razor (because when you gross yourself out, it's time to shave), and I ran across the latest collection. This collection was done by Target's in-house design team, so I hadn't really given it a whole lot of attention up until that point. Let me tell you this now: it may be my favorite collection so far. 

And now for show and tell about the stuff I got!

This top may not look like anything special, but let me explain why it is:

1. This picture doesn't do justice to it, but the color is a really beautiful, slightly-darker-than- royal blue.

2. Pleats along the chest are difficult for those of us with....ahh.... bountiful chests to wear. Sometimes they manage to make your boobs look like shelves that you could serve meals off of. Sometimes they make you like pregnant. This manages to do neither of the above, and also manages to conceal a bit of a tummy.

3. My favorite part - the racerback!

I truly believe that the racerback is the most underrated sexy back to a piece of clothing. It's also incredibly flattering to almost everyone - very few people think that they have fat shoulderblades.

I love, love, love this top! I've written about how much I love ombre before. This shirt also reminds me somewhat of Rodarte's S/S collection. This picture does a bad job of showing it, but there's a really beautiful sea green on the right side that then fades into a light coral/peach, and then the grey. It's just an amazingly beautiful shirt.

Seeing this collection makes me hopeful for Rogan's collection, which should hit stores May 15. Plus it's eco-friendly!

Finally, if you're as Target-obsessed as I am, know that we are not alone. Check out Slave to Target for moral support (or shopping inspiration).

Art and News

When I turned 21 (once up a time...) my mother gave me this painting as my birthday present. I had seen this painting (River Reeds by Dale Chihuly) many many years ago, and so I knew when I picked this piece as my gift, it would be a gift that I would enjoy for many many years.

It's hanging by my couch in my den now. As I was thinking about what I wanted to write about today, I looked over at the piece and was struck by how on-trend it was. I've written about how art-inspired fashion was very popular this season, and while I can identify many designers who were directly inspired by Piet Mondrian and Richard Prince definitely influenced Marc Jacob's Louis Vuitton collection, I think this print would also be a great inspiration for a designer who isn't afraid of color. Marc, could this be for you?

Now for some news from me: I will be spending the rest of the week meeting the boyfriend's dad for the first time. I'm really nervous but also really excited. Unfortunately, this means that I will be taking a temporary break from the blog. I have been thrilled by the feedback that I've gotten from y'all and I hope that you will continue to leave me sites and notes while I'm gone. I will be checking in when I can. I should be back early to mid-week next week, so I hope that you'll at least come back then!

Warning: Long and Rant-esque

I want to preface this post by saying the following things: First, I really try not to get too serious on this blog. Usually this is where I come talk about things like shoes and artwork that take my mind off of the real world at the end of the day. Secondly, I have been a loyal Vogue subscriber since about 2005, and although I have disagreed with their magazine several times, every month I trot down to my mailbox and am excited to see that month's issue taking up my entire mailbox (seriously, the September fall issue is huge).

With that being said, this month's issue pissed me off.

April is the yearly Shape Issue. This issue is the one that irks me every year because it features five body shapes: tall, pregnant, thin, curvy, and short. And every year the curvy girl is still just a slip of a thing! Let's check out one of this year's curvy girls, shall we? On the right is Shaila Freyer.

Now let me say this: Ms. Freyer is a beautiful woman. And she does have a bit of an hourglass shape. But if you asked me to describe her body type, I would not call it curvy.

Because I'm a bit of a packrat, I went back to last year's Shape Issue to check out the former "curvy" girls. This is what I got:

Ah, Scarlett Johansson. I have a bit of a girl crush on her. However, either she or JLo gets brought up anytime the idea of curves in fashion/entertainment/Hollywood. While both ladies are curvier than the standard body shape in those circles, they are waifs compared to most Americans.

But wait! Occasionally Vogue does give us a real-life curvy girl! I even have proof!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present exhibit A: Jill Scott has curves, and she knows how to use them. They even gave us a real life curvy girl with Scarlett last year:

Exhibit B: on the left is Ashley Graham, a plus size model and lovely lady if I may say so.

So you may be asking yourself, "Emily, they balance out the faux-curvy with real curvy, why are you so pissed?" Good question. I was even excited to hear that Queen Vogue herself, Anna Wintour, had made the following statement:

"I wish I could say the same for the young women who were just on the runways of the New York fall collections. Overall, they were pale and thin, and entirely lacking in the joyfulness and charm that once defined the supermodel. This, of course, is not their fault: Designers now near-uniformly favor a non-vivacious, homogenous ideal."

Queen Anna made this statement on page 98. Two hundred thirty-eight pages later, Vogue put these ladies on a diet.

If you follow fashion at all, these ladies need no introduction. They are the Mulleavy sisters, creators of the label Rodarte, which in my mind is one of the most innovative and interesting lines today. The first time I saw the sisters Mulleavy, I loved them. Finally, there was someone in fashion who looked like the people I live next door to, who hung out around models and trendsetters all day long and didn't look like the they were made out of the same mold. They were unique. They made me miss the days when Karl was chubby and Marc was an adorable dork. Then Vogue waltzed in with their magic skinny wand and made everyone shiny and pretty again!

Don't get me wrong: if the girls genuinely wanted to lose weight, then hooray for them. I am by no means advocating that everyone sit around and eat Twinkies all day. What I am saying is this - wouldn't it be nice if instead of sweeping in with a diet team, Vogue had instead taken the girls out shopping for beautiful clothes for curvy girls?

So listen up Vogue: I understand that fashion is aspirational. I understand that models are meant to accentuate the clothes and not the other way around. I get your point. My point is this- America doesn't look like you. And while we're cutting you some slack, how about giving back a little bit? Have an issue without a diet article. Show us clothes that come in sizes over an eight. And please, when you say you're gonna show us a curvy girl, make her actually curvy, ok?

Oh, and if you're listening... I wouldn't turn down a free purse if you wanted to send it my way.

Art to Art

When I was in kindergarten, we had a class play where I played an artist. I don't remember much else about the play, but I distinctly remember my costume: an oversized men's button down shirt that was splattered with paint.  I thought that it was quite possibly the coolest shirt ever. I remember even after the play, I wanted to wear that shirt everywhere. My mother was opposed to this idea, for obvious reasons, but I still remember that shirt today.

That shirt seems to be still influencing my fashion tastes today: I love the classic tailoring of a white button-down and menswear-influenced style. I hadn't given much thought to the paint splatters until recently though. Lots of designers sent paint-inspired looks down the runway for their spring and resort lines. Dolce and Gabbana showed a number of dresses with bunches of tulle and what appeared to be layers upon layers of paint around the waist and bodice. While this may sound more like the insanity you'd be used to seeing at a Heatherette show, the results were surprisingly feminine and wearable, if a bit daring.

These dresses remind me of what would happen if  Betsey Johnson got to play in Marie Antoinette's wardrobe and then decided to repaint Versaille.

Yves Saint Laurent decided to continue with this theme of artsy fashion for his resort collection.

This collection seemed to be more influenced by Jackson Pollock. Stefano Pilati took his collection one step further by integrating the brush strokes into his accessories:

My personal favorite art-inspired collection was by Rachel Roy. Rachel hasn't been designing for very long, but so far her collections have been spot-on (I even raved about her fall 08 collection earlier this week).  Her spring collection seemed to have been influenced by the artist's smock and watercolors, and was so light and beautiful, but also incredibly versatile. 

While this might not work for the office in a conservative law office, this could work as a shift dress (with more sensible shoes) in an artistic field, and would work for anyone as a night-out dress.

This dress is perfect on so many levels, but let me just say this: pockets make my world go round. 

Oh, and while I still may love that paint-covered shirt from my childhood, I wouldn't recommend making this a DIY fashion project. Leave this one to the pros.

Fall/Winter things I want: BCBG's structured jersey dresses and fantastic belts, Erin Featherston's ability to mix florals with heavy winter fabrics, the burgundy silk formal dress from Nicole Miller, the menswear-inspired double-breasted cardigan from Rag & Bone, and the green party dress from Sue Stemp.

My Fair Lady

Sorry for the sporadic posting lately. We're having really nasty weather down here, and I've been without internet because of it.

I'll also be adding a new feature starting today. In honor of fashion week, I'm going to add a list of things that I'm coveting from the new collections at the bottom of the page. I'm not going to link specific pictures, but head over to Style.com to check out the new collections.

Enough with that. On to today's blog:

I mentioned this in the previous post, but I'm incredibly fair skinned. And not what makeup companies call fair either. This, my friends, is what Cover Girl calls fair:

Not even close. I wish that I could be that tan. Instead, I'm closer to this:

very obviously not me

This means that certain clothes make me look like the living dead. These include all clothes that are stark white. Which makes me very sad, because I'm obsessed with this dress:

Absolutely gorgeous, understated dress by Pringle of Scotland, who sent an incredible collection down the runway for spring. Check out this detailing at the shoulder:

Such a tiny little bit of tailoring, but the asymmetry along with the fold are enough to make a difference. Plus, they expose the nape of the neck and shoulder, which I think is a subtly sexy body part on every woman. No woman has ever said, "I have fat shoulders." Or at least no sane woman.

Neiman's is trying to tell me that this dress is "oyster grey", but it's close enough to white that I know that it wouldn't work. Which is a damn shame. If you're not like me, then skip yourself over there to pick up this dress. Just be sure to send me a picture of yourself having a grand old time in it so that I can live vicariously through you.

Fall/Winter things I want: Rachel Roy's Native-American inspired collection (especially the pumpkin silk sheath), big cuddly sweaters coats from Elie Tahari, grey tone-on-tone plaid pants and shrunken vests from Boy.

Rings and Things

I'm not a huge fan of jewelry as a Valentine's present, just like I'm not huge on the generic red rose bouquet.

However, if you are the type of girl who's looking forward to something sparkly on the fourteenth, isn't this a lovely ring? I love the contrast of the chunky ring with the delicate micro pave diamonds. Plus, I've always thought that the mathematical sign for infinity is such a gorgeous representation of love. If you're not in the mood for a ring, Love Rocks NY (which was featured in February's Lucky) has some unique necklaces and earrings as well.

All My Friends Are Getting Married... I'm Just Getting Drunk at the Open Bar

I never have an excuse to wear pretty dresses. I always see gorgeous summery dresses and think, "That would be so cute!" and then realize that I have no reason to spend that kind of money on a dress that I would only stare at in my closet.

Luckily, this summer I have a great excuse to stock up on girly, flowy dresses: I have about a zillion weddings, rehearsals, and engagement parties to go to this wedding season. I think that this dress from Derek Lam would be so lovely for a summer wedding. I even think that I could pull off this color!

Thought for the day

Can someone please invite me to an event where I'll need shoes like these? Please? I'm a really awesome date....

Bootyful Boyshorts

I love underwear. Ever since I travelled to Paris in high school, I've had this crazy fantasy of being the kind of person who wears fantastic lingerie under even the most boring outfits. It's like having a little secret pick-me-up under your clothes! Unfortunately, I'm not that kind of girl, mostly because I just can't afford to be. 

Instead, I try to wear semi-nice panties almost ever day. Don't get me wrong, I still love a good pair of cotton granny panties, but I feel like I have a little more bounce in my step when I wear a great pair of silky boyshorts instead.

First off, a word about boyshort undies... I know that thongs are the traditional "sexy" undies. But ladies, seriously, how sexy do you feel with a piece of string up your crack? Not very. I understand. I love my Hanky Panky thongs as much as the next girl because they're adorable and they help avoid panty lines, but as much as people try to convince you that you will never get a wedgie with these, they're wrong. A thong is a thong, and eventually it will end up in your bum. That's why boyshorts are so amazing- they're wedgie-proof. Plus, they make your butt look great. Plus if you're trying to impress a new guy (not that I would know anything about that, Mom and Dad...), they're sexy without trying too hard.

So while fantasy shopping on Figleaves the other day (Sidenote: Am I the only one who does this? Pretends to shop like I have an unlimited to budget, fills up a cart with pretty things, and then doesn't buy anything in it?), I found these Mary Green boyshorts that I'm currently lusting after. Each pair says I love you in a different language (Engligh, Chinese, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Hebrew). I can pronounce all of them except for the Hebrew, so if anyone wants to send me an email or comment about the pronunciation, that would be awesome (and for those who are curious, the Chinese pair's pronunciation sounds like "whoa aye knee"). Anyway, I think that they would be absolutely adorable for Valentine's. Unfortunately, at $105, they're a little too much for my limited budget.

In the meantime, I've been buying these panties from Target like I'm stocking up for a war - because seriously, who wants to be wearing old underwear when you're under attack? Anyway, here they are:

A word about these panties: If you have not discovered the wonder that is Gilligan and O'Malley underwear,  run, do not walk, to your nearest Target and immediately buy some. They will change your life. Honestly. These pair in particular are amazing. They're a microfiber material, so they're really comfortable, they stay in place (aka out of your buttcrack), and they look way more expensive than they really are. Not to mention that they have been guy approved (again, Mom and Dad... I only know this because somebody told me so).

So go out and wear boyshorts today. Your butt will thank me.

A Little Yadda about Prada

I'm just going to come out and say it: I love Prada. Especially the accessories.

Miuccia Prada is definitely a love her or hate her type designer. She definitely doesn't design the type of clothes that I look at and think, "I know exactly where I'm going to wear that outfit." Honestly, in a lot of cases I don't know that I ever even would wear some of her clothes. Her clothes definitely challenge you. For example, this outfit:

Ok seriously, where the hell am I going to wear this? In Mississippi? That's right... nofreakingwhere. But then you look at the accessories. Here are the shoes:

Now, you may disagree with me, but I think these rock. They're a great basic black sandal, but the ombre detailing towards the toe and the elastic band at the top of the foot adds some really interesting touches. Plus the heel actually looks sturdy enough to walk in, and what girl doesn't love that?

Now here's a bag from the same collection (which, in

 case you can't tell, really focused on texture and color):

Again, a fantastic, classy bag. More great ombre on a super-lush leather, and the longer strap and side zipper add some cool hardware.

As you can see, I might be a teensiest bit in love with Prada at the moment. SO I was amazingly excited when I checked out what would be coming for spring of 2008. 

Lately I've been digging things that are kind of whimsical and fantastical, but also a little twisted - think the original Willy Wonka (tangent: how awesome is Gene Wilder?).  Evidently Ms. Prada's been thinking the same thing because her designs were covered in these hippy chick/fairy sketches and looked like they had been dyed in watercolors.  

While I loved the concept, the clothes were a little too pajama-esque for my taste (you can check out the collection here), I absolutely loved these bags!

*To see these bags better click here

I know! Gorgeous, right? First of all, I love that off-white/nude/ecru/whateverthefuck seems to really be one of the big color trends for the spring. Secondly, how great are the doodles on the purse?  This is definitely a purse that you could carry that would have every girl in the room wanting to know where you got it.

Now, if only it was in my price range... *sigh*. Oh well, a girl can dream!