Irina

My favorite model of the moment, Irina Lazareanu is featured in Nylon this month. Check it out online, pages 46-47.
She's so fucking cool.

Closetology

I'm not the biggest fan of fake -ologies, but this one is actually kind of interesting. I just came back from a seminar by Jackie Walker, is a self-proclaimed 'Doctor of Closetology'. "Ok," you're thinking, "Bullshit. I don't even like Dr. Phil, let alone a closetologist."
Well, I was skeptical, too. But it's actually kind of cute. She wrote a book a few years ago called "I Don't Have a Thing to Wear : The Psychology of Your Closet" and it's all about why women only wear 20% of their wardrobes. Even though I consider myself to make sound fashion choices, I can completely relate. Who hasn't stood in front of their closet freaking out because they only had 5 minutes to get ready and they had no clothes to wear? Jackie's theory is that every woman has a mixed type of fashion persona... from classic to natural to modern to romantic, etc. As long as she chooses pieces that are interchangeable and fit into her persona, she should have a great closet full of clothes.
The idea is pretty simple and obvious, but she also had great solutions for everyday problems. For example, when she 'read' my persona, I came out to be 50% classic, 40% mood, and 10% dramatic. Because of my 40% mood-style dressing, I can try on outfits for HOURS and not find anything to wear. Days are spent just piecing together items and walking around my room in circles, staring at the mirror front fifty different angles. She suggests that us 'mood' people spend one day every one or two months piecing together items and figuring out what works for us (and maybe even taking pictures).
Jackie's whole point is to make you feel better about yourself, and I think that's fantastic. The book is a little silly (down to the Cosmo-style quiz about finding your inner style), but very cute and actually resourceful.
At Amazon for only $10.

SHUT UP

Viktor & Rolf for H&M

No more trash talk, sort of

I know I've been trying to be nice to Russian Fashion Week, but instead ended up making fun of its amateur cuts and absolutely ridiculous jab at fashion... Well, yeah.
First of all, Yegor Zaitsev. Apparently he has a modeling agency as well, but that's not the crazy part. This is:The chest has "Dior" (in Russian) crossed out with "Yegor" underneath it.
And there is also Ruslana Frantsuzovna, while not completely original, is totally wearable:
























Hey, I never said it was good. Just amusing.
(pictures from rfw.ru)

Just say no

I don't understand. Is the school girl look actually becoming a trend? I thought it was out with Sailor Moon and Britney Spears. Hmmmmmm. From BBC News to net-a-porter.com, it looks like the obsession continues. My verdict? If you're not ditching class to steal smokes or scrawling boys' names into bathroom stalls, you should not be wearing anything resembling a school girl uniform. The only exception is the bedroom.

It's not too difficult to evaluate what's cute versus trashy.

Those Roitfelds

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld at the Teen Vogue Party in her classic all-black attire. I adore the fact that she has her classic "look". While she certainly deviates with patterns and color, it's this signature black style that looks so modern and polished on her. I think all-black outfits are commonly seen as outdated and too easy. But, perhaps piecing together a monochromatic look is actually more difficult than throwing on labels and calling yourself fashionable. The flow, the detailing, the silhouette... it must all be done right to avoid looking goth or boring. Oh, yeah, and don't forget that lint brush.

Not so fast, Anna Sui

So just when I've given up all hope for the Anna Sui cocktail dress, I find this on lagarconne.com.

Not only is it going for 262$USD right now, but they also have it in my size. Now it's time to get a plane ticket to Paris.

Solutions to Everyday Problems

It's every European woman's worst fear. You're walking across the plaza, and all of the sudden, you can't move your heel. That preciously thin and delicate stiletto is stuck between a crack on the cobblestone street. So what can we do to prevent this horrid, horrid despair?
Wedges to the rescue! And I do believe that these precious Marc Jacobs strappy sandals will do just the trick. Can't you just see these darlings paired with a white flowing dress for a summer afternoon stroll in Granada?Maybe with an Anthropologie "Pancakes" Dress, a Catherine Malandrino "Cahuita" Dress, or even a Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent "Garden" Dress.

And then the heavens opened...

And it appeared. The Anna Sui glitter tulle dress sold exclusively for net-a-porter.com. A bizarre and unexpected steal at 470$USD. But, before I could begin to really salivate, I noticed the bright red "Unfortunately, this item is sold out" script at the bottom of the page.
How is it that I'm always last to find out about these things?
And I looked so cute wearing it while taking my imaginary post-party midnight stroll along the Seine...