Don't Fade Away

These were a near miss on eBay last week:

Cacharel 'degrade' sheer pants (retail ~ $775) from eBay seller edropoff, one of my favourite online consignment boutiques.  I stalk them relentlessly for unique pieces from seasons past.  Auction-style listings tend to start around $20, which always gives me the tantalizing illusion of having a shot.  Turns out my meager bids never had a chance with these translucent beauties, and now I'm stuck wearing my usual opaque trousers... like a sucker.

Meant to be broken - Spring Stripes

Kate Moss 'Liquorice Stripe' dress for Topshop

Some rules, eh?

I'm sure at this very moment girls everywhere are carefully concealing this love handle and that bit o' arm fat, dutifully noting Stacey and Clinton's every word.  Turns out that style doesn't = skinny, though.  It's much more democratic.  There's at least as much cache, if not more, in dressing well with your smaller wallet, wider waistband, or weirdly long femurs.

So, don some stripes for spring.  'Nautical' always comes back around every April, so get a jump on it now with some simple shapes done in bold stripes.  Thick, thin, tall, small - it's all good.  Same goes for you, ladies. 

Alexander Wang tailback shirt, eBay seller: edropoff

DVF



Tory Burch



Alexander Wang

Robert Rodriguez



Torn by Ronny Kobo

Baby, It's (Still) Cold Outside

February is to the year what Wednesday is to the week.  It's limbo, so close yet so far.

We just had a quick cold snap here.  As always, I felt defeated when I had to reach (again!) for my black puffer coat.  It just feels like such a failure, such a mistep - "I was just layering a jean jacket and sweater last week", I grumble to myself as I grab Old Blackie and lock the apartment door behind me.

Maybe it's time for a new down-filled Blackie, one so style-forward that I actually look forward to wearing it - just in case it's going out like a lion.

Mackage "Chloe" coat, eBay seller: allure700



swirling Patagonia puffer, eBay seller: edropoff



Elizabeth and James cocoon coat

Rihanna wears this Marios Schwab peplum puffer onstage

Shine On, You Crazy Diamond

My favourite way to do metallic for day: a slouchy, gold or silver sweater.  I always reach for mine on Monday mornings after a weekend of lounging in, and acclimatizing to, a comfy old sweatshirt.

Joseph ($460)

It's infinitely wearable.  A golden version I got from Mexx years ago has been everything from a beach cover-up to a date night jumper.  Old girl's on her last legs; the last time I wore it out I got Weezer's Sweater Song stuck in my head.  Thankfully, lots of brands are turning out shiny knitwear for the coming Spring.

Vince ($220)

Temperley ($475)

Whistles ($380)

Bonus points for playing off the texture,
pairing with combed cotton cargos,
distressed denim,
leather vests, or
anything tweed.

Don't Call It A Comeback

They're BAA-AAACK!

It's like the coming of the spring thaw.

It's like the ebb and flow of the tides.

It's like the Toronto Maple Leafs being mathematically eliminated halfway through the season.

It's INEVITABLE.

Joe's high-rise wide leg jeans $170

Wide(r) leg jeans are back in.  They're coming off the bench.  Actually, they've been out of the game so long they'd left the bench, and were already showered and talking to buxom news-bunnies in the locker room.

Hudson "Woodstock" flare jeans $190

Blue jeans, the most ubiquitous item of clothing ever created, vacillate between one extreme and the other every few years.  We all have a pair of plain-jane, dark-rinse, boot-cut ones that withstand this 2-3 year cycle.  They're super flattering and generic enough to never seem dated.  Yet, they somehow always get shoved to the back of the closet to make room for BlueJean2.0.  I know I've done this countless times, like a serial monogamist who discards his comfortable, loving long-term relationship for the thrill of some hot young thing.  And guess what, time after time I go crawling back to the boot-cuts.  They've always been so good to me.

My many sordid affairs:

Destroyed

Coloured

Boyfriend

'Mom' jeans

Super-skinny

Low-rise

...
Maybe this time I'll avoid the pull of the new, however attractive that indigo vortex be.
Let everyone else run out to stock up on bell-bottomy 70s styles and wide trouser cuts.
Maybe I'll just stay in, with a DVD and bucket of popcorn... curl up on the couch with my boot-cuts.
They love me just the way I am.

Velvet Dresses

It's that time of year again.  I want to swath myself in yards of velvet and attend fabulous parties with cater waiters and ambient piano playing.

Emma Watson on the H.P. & the D.H. junket.

Velvet never goes out.  It just gets misappropriated every now and then...

...chiefly by mid-90's prom-goers.

Note: the Urban Dictionary contains the term Velvet Dress Lady:

A term made by a group of suburban kids in Seattle meaning  something

that is unfavorable, annoying, unpleasant, stupid and non-sensical.

Also used to describe something or someone ugly, gross, or unfashionable.

example: "Don't be so velvet dress lady, I was just asking [a question]."

Don't be a Velvet Dress Lady; be a lady wearing a velvet dress!

To avoid looking like you've escaped from a weekend at the Renaissance Fair, invest in velvet and forget the velour.  Before you buy, ask yourself: "does this look like a caftan made from old Juicy Couture sweatpants or more like a beautiful table runner from The Palace at Versailles?"  Check out the richness and density of this Burberry Prorsum:

Looks sumptuous, even in 2D, right?

While this material hangs and drapes so well it screams 'Festive Soiree', I have included plenty of short frocks that could easily become daywear with the right styling.  Mix contrasting (think: complementary, not clashing) textures for a modern look.

Barlow dress ($248) at I Don't Like Mondays 

Etro burnout dress (~$1450) eBay seller ajmfashions

Shoshanna dress ($375) at Shopbop

Christopher Kane runway dress

Behnaz Sarafpour runway dress

Diane Von Furstenberg Grano dress ($395) at Shopbop

Nanette Lepore "Love Affair" dress ($780)

Nanette Lepore jewel dress ($348)

Bedazzled

I'm really looking for a heavily studded jacket, preferably in leather or denim.

I just think it would go so well with the current Young Hollywood aesthetic.  Skinny jeans, military details, strappy ankle boots, and the tough-chic like aren't going anywhere anytime soon.  For now, I'll wear it with a hoodie underneath for warmth.  In the summer it'll be an opposites-attract cover up for feminine blouses and party dresses.

So, a little eBay roundup of what's out there:

Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier (BIN $200)

Stella and Jamie leather jacket (BIN $350)

Vintage punk jacket (BIN $200)

Sheri Bodell canvas jacket (BIN $90)

Vintage denim blazer (seller: bambi bones)

Backseam Tights

My friend Phoenix just messaged me an underpinning dilemma, specifically, where to find stockings with that signature 50's backseam.  Visions of Varga-style pinups danced through my head.  Hooray!  Phoenix is getting saucy.

Before recommending brands or retailers, I launched into a (somewhat erroneous) history lesson which I heretofore correct:

I had thought there was some anecdote revolving around wartime rationing, recalling movie scenes in which desperate heroines drew their 'seams' with eye kohl when they could no longer afford to buy new pairs.  How it really went:

- 1957 - performancewear company Bear Brand begins manufacturing tights with the newly developed material, Nylon.  The product was marketed successfully to dancers, actors, and children.  These 'fully fashioned' tights were expensive to construct, due to several knitted pieces being sewn together up the back.
- 1958 - the invention of circular knitting makes seamless stockings a reality, and accessible to the average woman.  Still, many women favor their stay-ups and garters.
- 1959 - Lycra is invented.
- 1967 - Mary Quant launches the mini skirt.  Men go crazy.  Women go crazy for tights in any colour or pattern.
- 2008 - Lindsay Lohan stumbles drunkenly around LA wearing tights as if they were pants.

If you're looking for backseam fishnets, they are easy to find.  Get the most durable pairs at Dancesport shops.  Brands like Mondor or Danskin make top-quality legwear, available year-round (tap dancers and Liza Minelli impersonators need tights, even in the summer!)


If you're looking for sheer, then things get a bit trickier.  Denier ranges from 3 (impossibly sheer and very rare) to 40+ (super opaque).  I recommend either a 15 or a 30.  American Apparel has a wall of choices, one of which is a mid-denier backseam version.  For higher quality, try:

Wolford's 10 - they're $50 so make sure to take a emery board to your nails and lose the cocktail rings!
(at: Net-A-Porter)

Spanx - a very reasonable $28, with a little tummy taming to boot!
(at: Shopbop)

Oh, and by the way: Wikipedia states: "For people who are either very large or very thin, pantyhose can be extremely uncomfortable and unflattering."  Thanks, but I think I'll take my chances.

Is There a Doctor in the House?

Happy 50th, Doctor Martens!  See a well-edited video of the Doc's history here.  The things you'll learn:

• Martens boasted the 1st ever air-cushioned sole ("AirWair" technology still used today).
• Have been worn by postal carriers, skinheads, punks, and now everybody else...
• Iconic appearances:
• Claire Danes in My So-Called Life,
• The Twilight kids,
• Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper,
• Liv Tyler on the cover of Empire Records,
• Supermodel Agnyess Deyn
• MTV's Daria
• Pete Townsend (of The Who) wore Doc Martens on stage (ie: with a white jumpsuit, as a commentary on the state of working class Britain).
• Pairs bought today still come with the same Lifetime Guarantee and Made in Britain seal that they did 50 years ago.  Jolly good, then.

Fashion-wise, there's probably no better investment than these time honoured classics (ranging from $60-$180).  They'll be the thing in your closet that proves to your future offspring that you once had a life, were cool, and 'damned the man' you now work for. 

Pair them with:

• skinny cargos/a kilt/jean shorts
• anything leather
• boyfriend cardigan/plaid button-down
• a rebellious spirit

Now, feast your eyes on 50 years of Doc's: