Ebay outfit #1

I am an ebay addict and no, I'm not apologizing for it. I think you can find some great items for a bargain price...I should, however, apologize to my bank account (even though lately I've been abstaining)
Sometimes you find that great piece for so little money. So little, in fact, that regardless of the fact that the item might have nothing to do with your style whatsoever you consider it anyway...just to claim it yours at a ridiculous price!

I like to dream up outfits that could go with whatever I find. First item in question is a Martine Sitbon wool jacket. Impeccable tailoring and chic satin inserts for only $65!

I think this jacket would complement the following outfit perfectly:

- the perfect white shirt (ann demeulemeester)
- some skinny cropped black pants (fendi)
and fabulous neutral-toned shoes, be them sky-high or flats...(sexy laponos by the master himself mr. louboutin)

now go and Buy It Now!

venice-ing...

Summer uniform

I've always been more of a "winter spender"...Even though I adore summer, somehow I feel that winter clothes should be of better quality than summer ones. Coats, sweaters, thermals...it's all about the quality materials and fit!
Summer, on the other hand, permits you to walk out in jeans and a tank top and you're done. (I'm not much of a dress person).

That's why I can't justify spending $600 on zanotti gladiators or on a marc jacobs embellished tank top...a price I would pay, on the other hand, for some great leather boots or a thick chunky knit. It's the quantity of fabric (or leather) that makes it worth it to me.
So this summer I'm keeping the spending to a minimum... I will get a few basics and go from there! accessories make the look here, like bangles and necklaces, not to mention a golden tan a' la Daria W.

So here is my go-to summer outfit: White drapy tank or tee, cutoffs, gladiator sandals and jewelery. My only summer splurge will definitely be the Chloe Myrte sunglasses in Ivory, they are SO amazing.

One of my little obsessions for this summer is a white orchid hair clip. I have searched quite a bit for a quality one, not those flimsy fabric thangs you can get at Claire's for $2.50.
A medium-sized white flower is such a great accessory, it screams summer chic. I love flowers in hair, if it was up to me I would wear fuchsia-and-yellow hawaiian hibiscus flowers, but since I have an olive skin tone that turns really dark in summer and brown hair I would look more Puerto Escondido pareo-clad hotel hostess than laid-back city girl chic.

Bela Brazilian Designs on Etsy has these gorgeous hair accessories (among other things) that are made of real tropical flowers preserved in resin. I was considering getting one but I was afraid it might be too heavy (and given it was also shiny I didn't want it to be a focal point of my outfit). Beautiful nonetheless.

white orchid hair clip with pearl, $39

I went through a few sites that sold silk flowers and found that the best quality is found in wedding adornment sites. They might be a little more expensive though. Here is one I found that is exactly what I'm looking for. Realistic, all white orchid hair clips! from LateBloomerBoutique.com:

white orchid hair clip, $45

I would look at camellias or magnolias too, but the orchid is less of a frilly girly-girl flower. It is structured, strong and has a very sculptural look.

I had better stop coming up with these "small touches" to the basic summer outfit... knowing me, they will add up and financially become a worthy contender to its winter counterpart!

Sweet Dreams...

(fendi.com)

This ridiculous Fendi clutch is as beautiful as it is impractical. I think it resembles a big fluffy pillow and would use it as such. Curl up anywhere and catch up on your beauty sleep. On the sidewalk, on the subway, work that homeless-chic look!

one of my pictures has died... here's another.

(image from indyblogs.typepad.com)

Eiko Ishioka

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Cell (2000). I don't know if you have seen it, but it contains some of the most beautifully intricate costumes and sets that I have ever seen. Not only is it cured in this aspect, but the storyline is like no other. I do not want to spoil the movie for you if you have not seen it.

Do you know that feeling you have when you've just woken up from an incredibly crazy dream? while you were dreaming, the dream (in all its senselessness) was perfectly logical and the sequence of events seemed (relatively) normal. Once you wake up and try to tell someone about it, you realize as you're talking about it how illogical/crazy it really was.

The scenes of the movie when they are inside the other's minds completely embody this feeling of "relative" normalcy. (Relative to what, you ask?)

I searched for the mastermind responsible for such costumes and found out it was Eiko Ishioka, Oscar-winning costume designer.







(pictures from newline.com)
(yes, that is J.Lo. She is actually not annoying in this movie)

I managed to find an interview with her regarding the costumes of The Cell here.
I was also very happy to discover she directed a Bjork video,Cocoon, one that I have always liked (it's up there with Hunter). Isn't it great when you find out things like this?



She has a long list of impressive credits, such as working on the Cirque du Soleil Varekai as well as Wagner's "Ring Cycle" opera costumes.

one of her prints:

Now WHY ISN'T SHE A FASHION DESIGNER???? I think she would make some groundbreaking collections. With an imagination such as hers and the willingness to go all out I can really see her creating some INCREDIBLE pieces for RTW.

Is it me, or am I seeing a hint of Alexander Mcqueen FW08 in all this?

Dirty Librarian Chains

Who didn't love the multi-layered chain necklaces on the Givenchy FW08 runway? That romantic goth in you is telling you that this accessory is a MUST come next fall.
Designer Susan Domelsmith has created the label Dirty Librarian Chains, giving us edgy, deconstructed jewelery made from vintage chains.

This one of a kind piece doesn't come cheap at $425, but I'm willing to bet the few coins left in my wallet that it'll be cheaper than the Givenchy version. Plus, they are made to order! They have more stuff around the $150-$250 pricepoint but a tad less spectacular. So go get your Dirty Librarian on. you know you want to.

the perfect gladiator

Who knew searching for the perfect flat gladiator sandal would have proven such a difficult task? I have seriously been at it for months. At first I was considering going high-end, by grabbing some Alaias or Zanottis, but I usually destroy flat sandals during the summer months, and even though I can totally see the appeal of some busted-up balenciagas, I would rather save up and buy some spectacular high heeled shoe instead. Plus, one can go cheapy for flat shoes but such is not the case for heels!

(giuseppe zanotti and alaia)

Summer is always hard for footwear choices. Most people opt for the no-brainer route and wear havaianas in sweltering heat, but this time I'm gonna listen to the queen of chic Vanessa Traina, who says that flip-flops cheapen an outfit. I SO AGREE! it's like you didn't put in the extra effort!
(I feel the same way about ballerina flats but that's a whole 'nother story)

anyway...

My search began when the Nine West 'Heech' gladiator wedges started exploding over fashion forums worldwide. They are an EXACT copy of the Balenciaga ones, so they became pretty popular. I was more interested in the flat version, but sadly they had a square toe which made them pretty unappealing and kinda manly. They've got kind of a leather Teva vibe going on. Next!







I went to Topshop.com and found some AMAZING sandals. One of them had a great thick T-bar with big jewels on them, they gave me a total Miu Miu vibe and they were cheap too... 35 pounds! they sold out the next day. ARGH! here they are on Ebay already, obviously not my size either.






My next find were K.Jacques Saint Tropez sandals. Gorgeous, handmade, but a tad overpriced in my opinion. A pair of simple leather sandals 250 dollars? no. For jeweled ones, yes.
Even so, here were my picks: the Icare sandal with the wings (so amazing), the classic gladiator (Parys) and the patent lace up (Tartane). visit them also if you're in the market for jeweled sandals but can't/won't drop the cash for Zanottis. CHIC!

(I am so now considering getting the patent laceups despite saying they are overpriced)

So I happened upon these Steve Madden sandals. Steve Madden is so not up my alley but he managed to knock off the coveted Zanotti sandals and although it's not screaming FIERCENESS, it pretty much summed up what I was looking for BUT THEN....

I found the perfect perfect ones! gladiator sandals with not too many straps and not too high up the ankle, not chunky enough to look like leather Tevas. I present Matt Bernson sandals, designed in NY and made in Brazil.

the KM gladiator - $169


another one from that I love... it's the zippers. $189


and this totally chic t-bar with the golden chain...Beach Street sandal $169


I would get all three. Available at mattbernson.com

So what are your picks for this season?

PAJAMA HO

yes, you read that right. I know all of you do the same thing! when you're vegging out in your pajamas and have nothing to do, your fabulous footwear collection full of high fashion hooker heels is screaming at you from your closet, begging to be worn. so you put them heels on with your ratty sweatpants and still feel fabulous. BTW, this post was inspired by the lovely ckparis who lives in her fierce shoes.

get your PAJAMA HO on up in here! work!


behold my fave Pierre Hardy white wedges with coral jersey pajama pants. FAB!

DIY: Chanel nail polish

Okay, I too caved in to the Black Satin hype (albeit a thousand years late) and bought the nail polish. What makes it different from any ordinary Wet 'n Wild drugstore halloween nail polish you ask? well, I had seen on many different beauty sites that Black Satin had blueish undertones and very slight metallic sheen to it.
Being in a relatively conservative city (at least style-wise), I wasn't too surprised to see it on shelves of my local profumeria, so I said 'what the hell' and put down the 20 euros for it. As soon as I hurried back to my appartment to paint my nails (I swear, I told my BF I was in a hurry to get home so I could do my nails) I discovered that there was NO subtle metallic sheen at all, and the freaking polish look exactly like my black maybelline one I got for a lot less at Target. It turns out that the limited edition Black Satin that came out in the US was the shimmery one, and the one sold regularly in Europe is plain old flat black.

I was determined to have a unique black-ish, shimmery shade on my claws so what did I do? I crushed up some old silver and gunmetal eyeshadow and poured it into the nail polish!!

alas, the ASS quality of my cell phone camera does not permit an accurate picture. I poured Lancome chat gris eyeshadow and some random silver one into the bottle. This is how the end product looks on my nails:

I love it!!

Shadows and Dust

I just recently discovered this small label based in Australia. I followed a link on Altamira NYC and ended up on their webpage.

from Altamira NYC: Amanda de Simone, photographer, wearing SAD jacket and hood

They have a few select pieces, no prices to be seen. The ruffled jacket is incredible but I'm not sure I would wear it. The pants, on the other hand, are FEEYARCE!! (forgive such an expression)
They gave me a Jean-Pierre Braganza biker goth ninja kinda vibe, something I could definitely see on Queen Michelle.

ruffled jacket

leather hood
countach jeans

panther pant

python pant

ruffled leather vest

I have fallen head-over-heels in love with the python pants. I emailed them to ask how much they were and the designer himself answered, they are $500 shipped. I can only justify that kind of money on shoes or outerwear, but I am seriously considering saving up to get the freaking pants. I also wish the phrase "saving up" existed in my vocabulary. SOME ONE GET THESE PLEASE!