Got back from a short trip to PA at midnight – ran there once. They hills. We don’t. My hips are killing me.
I’ll put the sandwich – corned beef from Pittsburgh’s [locally] famous Primanti Bros. – first:
Horrible picture, I know, I know, but… look at it! An inch of sizzling corned beef with coleslaw, tomatoes, and fries on the sandwich. Delicious.
Followed by an iconic Smiley Face cookie (from PA’s Eat n’ Park):
But I digress. I was going to do an outfit thing today – for the first time in ever – but it’s disgusting outside and I need to get some exercise and other things (scholarship stuff, some senior pictures, cleaning, and other such fun things) done, so I’ll suffice with other people’s fabulousness for now.
Karla
Karla again. I need to find The Perfect Cream Silk Blouse – loose, sharp v-necked (deep), loose, nice buttons, and did I mention loose?
And a bit of springtime (for it’s finally arrived!) jesting on the esteemed Mr. Lagerfeld’s part:
Coco Rocha for Coco Cola Light, styled and photographed and designed (the bottle) by Karl Lagerfeld. I need to find one of these, but somehow I doubt they’ll find their way to our little town… unless it is just a joke? Hmnmm…
And a Springtime Picture for you all: a chinchilla!
As I’m still out of commission and filled with busy things to do (that didn’t make sense), here are a few images and a link to tide you over…
Miu Miu lace-up booties. Gorgeous.
Palermo – a gorgeously decaying city on Sicily’s gorgeous coast. Full of inspiration for me lately (partially due to my avid reading of The Godfather and other Puzo-penned works).
You all have probably heard of Bill Cunningham, Times street photographer extraordinaire. And if you’ve attempted to delve into his personal life at all, you’ve probably found that you can’t. Yes, as is typical with many photogs, Mr. Cunningham infinitely prefers to be behind than lens rather than to be in front of it. Over the course of his Long and Glorious Career, he has established himself as a hermit in New York City. (Relatively speaking). But now, thanks to an entrepaneuring new film maker Mr. Richard Press. It all started – well, read the article.
~ r
PS: Happy Socialism,* United States! *I exaggerate and mock.
While I’m still wallowing in a massive post-bronchitis (or maybe I still have it?? who knows) head cold, rather than post pictures of my own fantastic style these days (hark! sweats, hoodies, fuzzy socks, tissues, and hot cider with honey!), I’ll share some of slightly better taste. Photos from Vanessa Jackman.
Actually, I’ll start with the cacti problem. I suppose it’s just the one cactus, but ‘Cacti Problem’ sounds cooler (also, it could be the name of a band…). Anyway, I can’t seem to get this silly cactus to stand up straight or keep its limbs/branches intact and not falling off. It’s growing quite well, but the arms keep falling off, unable to support themselves. I just transplanted it to a bigger pot, though, so hopefully that’ll help.
Alrighty, moving on to the Read World.
News first, the topmost of that being the G-20 summit in London today. The PM announced that they’ve allotted about $1 trillion in worldwide stimulus packages, “But the funds he announced are well short of a direct injection of stimulus into the world’s economic bloodstream — the result of a continuing division between continental Europe and much of the rest of the world over whether to act now or wait see how current spending measures take effect.” NYT.
Ok, group picture, everyone!
(Gordon Brown – PM – talks to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil).
…and now a fun one! Haha.
Hmm, next up: those wacky French are up to it again, executive-kidnapping and 24-hour-hostage-detaining and… pizza-ordering? Sure, why not. But seriously: unions in France have taken to keeping their top execs locked up in the buildings for about 24 hours (against their – the execs’ – wills, of course). However, it’s ok because – as Stewart, Jon pointed out – “For every 24 hours in the office, they get 6 months of vacation.” (Either Colbert or Jon, I can’t remember…) At any rate, they were protesting over reconstruction of Catepillar’s French company. From the Times: ”
The company executives, including Nicolas Polutnik, the chief executive of Caterpillar France, were subjected to a night of pounding revolutionary rock music and shouted threats, said Eric Amstutz, a spokesman in Geneva for Caterpillar’s European operations. “It was a rough situation,” Mr. Amstutz said.
The workers let one executive leave because he was sick, and they allowed security guards to deliver pizza. But the remaining four, disoriented and unable to sleep because of harassment, including threatening calls to their cellphones, endured 24 hours of confinement. Their ordeal ended only after President Nicolas Sarkozy promised Wednesday morning in a radio interview that he would meet with union members and “save the site.””
Sounds really rough. Haha. But hey, it gets the point across. (Full article here).
More protests, this time in London: against globalization (and the G-20 summit meeting). They didn’t employ traditional protest tactics; for the most part, they seemed to stick to a “hey, let’s get our pictures taken and attract attention to our cause!” sort of thing. Just how did they accomplish this?
Dressing up as a hot pink Darth Vader and Jesus in a police helmet. And you can’t protest without a symbolic “not ‘just resting'” canary.
Another protest, anti-capitalism: this one employed a large Monopoly board.
AFP.
Et enfin, ex-governor of Illinois has (finally!) been indicted and, if found guilty, will be fined $4 million… and faces over 300 years in prison. Good luck with that one, Blagojevich. (By the way, he claims he’s innocent and “the victim of a political witch hunt”. Suuure. It had nothing whatsoever to do with your attempts to sell Obama’s senate seat or any of the other 15-odd charges…)
“A federal grand jury indicted the 52-year-old Democrat on 16 felony counts, including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion conspiracy, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal agents.
Blagojevich, who claims he did nothing wrong and is a victim of a political witch-hunt, has promised to fight the charges in court and has a book contract to tell his side.
He faces more than 300 years in prison if convicted and at least $4 million (2.7 million pound) in fines, plus restitution, according to the indictment.
Blagojevich was in his second term when the state legislature kicked him out of office nine weeks ago, after his arrest in December.
He was accused of seeking cash, campaign contributions and jobs for himself and others in exchange for state appointments, state business, legislation and pension fund investments.
Among those actions were attempts to leverage his authority to appoint a U.S. senator to take over Obama’s seat after his election as president in November, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said.” – NYT
That’ll be an uphill battle and an interesting book…
Ok, fashion time, starting out in a good way with these amazing Chanel grater booties:
Via JAK&JIL.
Adeline Rapon rocks tee + shorts + black tights, a favourite spring look of mine… (and hey, she’s 5’4″, same as me! Woo!)
From JAK&JIL. Legs and legs and legs for – not days, that’s too short – decades? centuries?
Hooray for super-short posts. G’night!
~ r
PS: Have you read about all the lost looks from the Fall runways? (But the ones that remained will all sell?) *sigh* More evidence of the recession being reflected in every aspect of society… but it’s too late (10:30 – an hour past my bedtime! But Def Leppard’s keeping me up, so… haha) to start a rant on that. Toodles.
Firstly, happy Day After St. Patrick’s day! Yes, I was lazy yesterday and didn’t post – but only because I ran 8 miles (! although we stopped for ice cream at mile 4) and had family celebrations to attend to.
And hey, I started this, but didn’t finish it, so it’ll be another day delayed. Although I’ll just post it later… so there’s no point in typing this. Oh well. (Bedtime).
And hey, it’s Thursday! My stupid quad is messed up after only a few weeks of running. Blech. OK, time to finish this silly post.
Secondly, the E-word (economy!).
Yesterday on the way to school, I was listening to NPR’s Marketplace (6:51-6:59, every day. No music for me! :P) and heard a report about a recent survey done, asking if people thought the economy was doing badly. Surprise, surprise, 97% replied that yes, it was bad.
I have to wonder about the 3% who said it wasn’t. I figure they’re either the super-rich and self-centered, the super-rich and ignorant, or the ignorant in general. (Maybe 1% from each category, or some unfortunate combination of all? Who knows.)
Next: The AIG $160 million bonuses scandal. Funny quote related to that (from the Daily Show, some random guy):
“Those guys should get the Nobel Peace Prize for EVIL.” I was laughing so hard. Another funny Daily Show quote…
Jon (to Ian McShane of NBC’s new ‘KINGS’ program): “So I rather like the idea, the US with a monarch… we’ve come quite close in the past.”
Ian: “Yes, the difference is I’m articulate.’ OOOoooooohhh! Haha. Even after he’s gone (thank god), Bush is still getting hit. Good.
Back to the economy. Yes, we all know that AIG is responsible for innumberable amounts of taxpayers’ money, and at first glance we think – espeically after receiving some $180 billion in government stimulus money – that $160 million in bonuses is ridiculous and outrageous and amazing self-centered of those AIG bastards.
But wait!
Most people don’t realize that the people who are still at AIG aren’t the criminal weasels that stole all the money, but are in fact ridiculously hardworking, honest people who are trying to straighten out the whole thing. The bonuses are for them because they’re working themselves out of a job, practically.
In good economy news (weird, right?):
“The chief executive, Edward M. Liddy, made the announcement during his testimony on Wednesday afternoon before a Congressional committee investigating the problems at the insurance giant.
“I have asked the employees of A.I.G. Financial Products to step up and do the right thing,” Mr. Liddy told lawmakers. “Specifically, I have asked those who received retention payments of $100,000 or more to return at least half of those payments.”
The A.I.G. chief said that some recipients had already offered to give up all of their bonuses, and he added later that he expected to get most of the money back.” [NYT]. So yeah. Hopefully it’ll work.
Ok, enough of that: moving on to fashion. Yay.
Valentino‘s movie, ‘The Last Emperor’, hit theatres in the US yesterday. Eeeeep! While he’s officially out of fashion (although some rumors have been circulating about his contributing to the Valentino Fall 2009 line, as well as possibly designing for opera), it’s still satisfying to see him around. He’ll never – perish the thought! – be forgotten.
[Fashionologie]
Next on the agenda is Marc’s engagement… awwwww! They’re headed down to Martone’s native San Paolo to meet the ‘rents.
Marc Jacobs & Lorenzo Martone [Fabsugar.com]
Again, awwwwwwww!
Rodarte’s “first” ad campaign is out:
Ah, the diamond cut-out leggings. Mmm.
But wait! Rodarte’s had another campaign before this…
This ad ran in the Fall issue of Anthem magazine… So yeah. Just saying. [Fashionista]
Yes, we all know Jil Sander is going to lend a helping hand (so to speak) at Uniqlo.
Liya Kebede is the first model to have an exclusive in the J. Crew catalogue. Hmm.
Check out these amazing boots. Mmm. From Easy Fashion – something about a bomb alert. Always fun.
From AltaMira NYC. Love that scarf & bag.
And just because:
Leighton Meester’s Reebok ads. A bit random, doncha think? I mean, when have you seen her not wear heels? (This coming from me, who keeps track of celebs like she keeps track of, say, her coat which she left in the band room yesterday or her cell phone she left at home the day before). But still, I don’t think it matches her style/aesthetic/reputation. You be the judge. (Sounds like a reality TV show – You Be The Judge. Agh. Reality TV pretty much irritates the socks off me. It’s all so overdone, overacted – even though it’s reality tv – and, above all, catty. Take: ANTM, Running in Heels, American Idol, umm… I’m running out of reality shows… even those home makeover shows can get catty. i.e.: “Oh my gawwwd, that designer lady is sooo pushy and SUCH a b*&(@!'”, etc. I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems like the quality of TV has really degraded over time. Although if you love all things British – particularly satirical, sarcastic comedies involving one ever-drunk Irishman who hates his book shop and his “barely humanoid, milk-fed gimp” shop assistant, Manny, equally, and puts up with his friend Fran. It’s hilarious. Sadly, it died in 2006 and there were only 18 episodes ever made. *sigh*. All good things must come to an end, I suppose. Anyway.)
(Oh, that show is called Black Books, which I only just realised I forgot to put in that whole little rant. Ok, back to fashiony things.)
Where was I? Oh yes, Leighton and her (infamous?) Reebok ad.
via Fabsugar.com.
One of the top models this season, Anja Rubik, seems capable of pulling off anything – this goes from $20,000 dresses to…
a jeweled skeleton hand?
Also via Fabsugar, which has had some cool RSS feeds popping up. Agh, I have over 300 to check up on when I got back from my run… I admit I skimmed.
Roight, that’s enough of that. Entirely too much silliness. (If you haven’t watched Monty Python, you haven’t lived. See immediately:
Airplane Pilots (in the How To Irritate People episode). Oh wait, why don’t I just stick it in here? Lovely thing, the internet.
The Spanish Inquisition
Cheese Shop
Exploding Penguin
Ah, Monty Python. (Haha, I definitely typed ‘Pythong’ the first time. Skill.)
Well, this is dragging out a bit. Pardon-moi pendant je mange le diner. Yum.
*another Monty Python-style INTERMISSION*
Yumm, pasta is good. OK, I’ll wrap this up pretty soon. But first, some cool plant architecture:
Cubist flowers at the New York Botanical Garden, courtesy of TheMoment.
…and a bit of controversial (so what else is new?) Lady Gaga style. But this time, it’s not for indecency:
“The pop sensation Lady GaGa may have just started her “Fame Ball” tour, but we’ve already got a case of fashion plagiarism on our hands. We’ve known about her penchant for wearing big-shouldered blazers with no pants — à la Maison Martin Margiela — but this latest bubbly ensemble is nearly identical to a Hussein Chalayan number from a few years back. Check out GaGa’s outfit and then take a look at the original from Chalayan’s Spring 2007 runway show. Maybe she banks on the fact that her fan base doesn’t keep up with fashion the way we do. But if GaGa, who says she takes her fashion cues from nobody but herself, is going to wax poetic about being an “artist” in a sea of pop drones, we couldn’t help but burst her bubble.” – TheMoment
Hmm, can I scrounge up anything else?
I’m sure I could, but I’ve got history and AmLit to do, so… ciao!
Wow, sorry about the last post – the formatting got totally screwed up and now I can’t fix it. 😦 Silly computers.
Anyway – you know how the Snuggie’s been making waves lately? Well, the Reign of the Snuggie is no more… but don’t get too happy. Its newest competitor is, in fact, a one-piece sleeping bag, complete with padded feet (like you had on your onesie PJs way back when).
I can only hope the Selk Bag (for that is what this monstrosity goes by) factory self-combusts. Haha, like in those mafia films… in a menacing, deep Italian voice. “It would be a shame if something unfortunate were to, uh, happen to this factory of yours, see? Now, we wouldn’t want that, uh, would we? Didn’t think so.” Tee hee.
The end of fashion week has left us all in a stupor of sorts – we’re all wandering around with a dazed look in our eyes, Starbucks in hand, hair in a perfectly mussed bun, with visions of thigh-high boots, sparkling minis, and outrageous gowns dancing in our heads. Aftershock of sorts; like PTSD for fashion addicts (PFWS: Post Fashion Week Syndrome). In the wake of FW, I still have a few bits to catch up on, namely…
WUNDERKIND, whose collection was highly geometric and visionary and… cool.
Constance Jablonski. Hehehe, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with this hat. It reminds me of Gonzo in The Muppets’ Christmas Carol…
Sorry for the crap picture – it was tiny & needed enlarging. Gonzo (left) and Rizzo (right) sporting perfectly worn-in top hats. So the Wunderkind hat is more like a Lincoln hat.
Myf Shepard. A cross between something from a circus and a classic English trench… paired with jockey gloves…
Amanda Laine. Adding some blue into the mixture there…
Deer-printed dress and a floppy hat.
Vlada Roslyakova. More foresty-themed clothes. (Bambi, anyone? Actually, animals have been popping up all over the runways this season:
Minimarket, Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, and Erin Fetherston.
Rickard Lindqvist, Erin Fetherston, Louis Vuitton, Minimarket. Images from Refinery29.
Righto, back to Wunderkind.
Hanne Gaby Odiele. Foresty colours now, while retaining those jester tights.
Ali Stephens. Cheetah fierce! Haha idk. Love that bag… actually this whole look has caught my eye for some reason. (The feline on the dress, perhaps?) This sort of takes an all-grey look to a whole new level. (The level of ridiculously cool & chic, yet wearable… for a brave soul…)
Karolin Wolter. More colour here, still forest + circus.
Irina Kulikova. This print reminds me not only of clowns and jesters, but also Alice in Wonderland for some reason. The crazy, slightly distorted checks… hmm. Either that or the wallpaper in some little kid’s playroom. Maybe the carpet.
Ouais… definitely a more eclectic collection, and maybe an acquired taste… but it’s made it onto my List pour la saison. Bravo!
Et maitenent pour les choses aleatoire…
J’ai regardee les films des 1960s… et je reflechis sur les ans. Il a ete un tres bon deacde (haha yay pour Franglais!) Sorry.
I watched some movies from the 60’s, and it’s got me thinking… the 60’s were such a cool time. The clothes (well, mostly – those plaid pants the guys wore, shudder… my dad commented, as we watched a dance scene, “Hey, I had a pair of those!” *cringe* Thanks, dad.) were cool – I love that mod look, except you have to be a twig (hello, Twiggy!) to pull them off. Watching the Twiggy look-alikes run around in short, mod shift dresses with their pixie cuts made me feel oh-so-huge and frumpy. 😛
No caption needed.
Ah, the 60’s…
Wouldn’t you like to be here?
The 99 steps at St Mary’s Church on Bled Island, Slovenia. [via TheMoment blog] I so want to take a year – or two or three – off and just go places. Europe, Asia, Australia… I’m running out of continents, because – while it’d be cool – I’m not sure I’d really want to go to Antarctica. But yeah. Not just go on a whirlwind tour of Europe – a few weeks – but really spend time in each place, get to know the city (or rural town, I don’t really mind) and really get the feel of the culture. I know, I know, America’s supposed to be the Great Melting Pot, but it just doesn’t have the long history or rich cultural heritage of England or France or Spain, etc… Lord knows how many memory cards I’d need!
Anyway…
A cool look outside Gareth Pugh. Rick Owens coat
Via StreetPeeper.
Ah, this is turning out to be one of those long, ramblingly random posts. Sorry if it bothers you. Although, hey – I’ve just realised I’ve run out of things (for now).
Haha, why yes, I am feeling a bit schizophrenic today! I spent the morning – before biking to school through mud and freezing wind (remind me to never do that again!) – running and browsing the fashion blogs. After a brief stint at school (a mere 3 hours… why even bother going?), I returned home, changed from my skinnies and flowy grey ruffle cardi (my new favourite) into grey sweats and a grey thermal long-sleeve shirt (mmmmmmm, so comfy) and settled in for a multi-hour Clint Eastwood classic Westerns film festival in my family room. (Holy run-on sentence, Batman!) So yes, I’ve renewed my addiction to classic westerns, particularly Clint’s.
Clint in Joe Kidd.
But now back to fashion…
…or lack thereof. Just when you thought UGGs couldn’t get any ugglier, they came up with these monstrocities:
Also in baby blue and pink for the truly blind. Ugggggh.
Love strumming chords? Love fashion? Want them both at once? Then this $5,500 Chanel guitar is for you! (The quilted calfskin case is a mere $12,000).
…really?
A cool Paris street chic look:
Via ELLE fashion news blog.
And now a few runway looks, starting with Alexander McQueen, whose freaky collection has been controversial – genius and innovative, or just scary?
Crazy prints, unwearable clothes, and clown-inspired makeup… you decide.
Yulia Kharlaponova.
Elsa Sylvan.
Taryn Davidson.
Clown lips or a rare disease? And is that… cellophane on her head?
Crazy huge patterned platforms.
OK…. WTF???
Moving on… Valentino. Very ladylike & feminine, very classic Valentino. Some speculate as to whether the collection was too… basically Valentino, if the design team could’ve played with it a bit more… I agree, but while it’s nothing spectacular, it’s still nice.
Anna Jagodzinska.
Daria Strokous.
Freja Beha Erichsen.
Ehh, so it may have fallen a little flat. But it’s not ugly. 😛
A few from Antonio Berardi:
Nimue Smit.
Yulia Kharlaponova. Hmm, I’m liking these boots – maybe my favourite pair of thigh-highs yet… not skintight, yay!
Georgina Stojilkovic.
Yulia. I like how he uses the big shoulder in more of a Victorian way than an 80’s acid flashback. This collection is definitely on my List, and Antonio’s on my radar. (How sad is it that I haven’t really seen much of his work before??)
Sooo yes. Yaaawn, I should go to bed. Run again in the morning, then school then – undoubtedly – more fashion catching up, quite possibly more Clint, and maybe throwing some (bore!) homework in as well…
Look du jour:
A strong aviator theme was present at Hermes today. Who knows, maybe all the models will be running around Milan and Paris in goggles soon. (London, they may come in handy!)
Set in a grungy city car park, Lacroix seemed to create a miniature couture show – everything toned down while maintaining that Lacroix look.
Kim Noorda.
Siri Tollerad.
Tara Gill
Heidi Mount
Olga Sherer.
Mmm, luxe and classic.
GIVENCHY, as per usual, shower uber-trendy, chic looks… wearable?…
…not so much.
Perhaps.
Rebecca Chandler.
Absolutely adore this one.
More shaggy.
Cato Van Ee. Such a cool name.
Hehe, that looks like our band plumes…
Karlie Kloss.
Gorgeous gowns at the end there. So a few wearable pieces thrown in (for the fashion brave!)
Last, but most certainly not least, LAGERFELD. While others were content to thrive on the past, Lagerfeld focused entirely on the future (save for one straight jacket).
Sigrid Agren.
Toni Garrn.
Anna Jagodzinska. (Really, there’s not much to say – these all speak strongly for themselves)
Heidi Mount.
Hehehe (girlish twitter) this is so cool!
Sigrid Agren. Ears! And great makeup too. (Big surprise, right?)
Karmen Pedaru. Gloves! (I seriously need to make some customised sheer gloves soon…)
Freja Beha Erichsen.
Ah, so… Karl. While maybe not the most practical clothes, it’s still pretty.
Look du jour:
From JAK&JIL: Lily Donaldson, Emmannuelle Alt, and Anja Rubik are susceptible to the rain just like every other fashionista in Paris; the rain has become the bane of every well-heeled (ha!) fashion women – err, people (who knows?) – who’ve flocked there for the shows.
Brand new Alexander Wang F09 boots! (JAK&JIL)
While we’re on the subject of shoes, have you seen these?
[Fashionista.com] Martin Margiela split-toe shoes (hoof-boots, perhaps?) at $775 a pop. Yeah.
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black & white & chic all over 