Aug 23, 2009

The Best Loafers


vintage Gucci loafer

No, it's not a new series in the Fall lineup starring Seth Rogen. I'm referring to that saucy leather number that's infiltrated everywhere from college campuses to corporate boardrooms.




1970s loafer available at Rusty Zipper here

With men's fashion fueled by convenience and comfort, the loafer has managed to maintain its footing for over five decades. That's a lot of appearances on a lot of different runways.


The ubiquitous Gucci bit-buckle loafer, first seen in Wall Street boardrooms in the seventies, sashayed its way into mainstream malls in the eighties. Where does the loafer stand now? Poised for style supremacy or back seat to the brogue?
These side buckle shoes were on the Fall 2009 Alexander McQueen runway but not offered for purchase on McQueen's website. Where are they Mr. McQueen?


Designers showing loafers / slip-ons in their Fall Winter 2009 footwear collections:

Aug 20, 2009

What became of the men's pinky ring?


Associated more with a Quentin Tarantino protagonist than a Victor Fleming lead the men's pinky ring was once a symbol of male elegance.


I'm trying to think back historically in order to understand how Peter Warne morphed into Ron Burgundy. The 1960s perhaps. Elegance became associated with money and money was associated with 'the man'. The lines were drawn and the styles defined.


Any of these looks could hold their own today. That is, of course, minus the pinky ring.

10 Unique Bedroom Ideas

A good time in the bedroom!
Well, it's the room we spend a lot of our time in, so let's make it worthwhile.


Style. Get that television out of your bedroom now and put in a dimmer switch. Good lighting, texture and personal style can turn that rental white box you call a bedroom into whatever your fantasies desire. After all, it's the bedroom.


  Ambiance. Reel to reel, projector, candles, mini bar and I'm sure there's a smoke machine somewhere in there.


  Consistency. Let's say you love brown but have reservations about painting the entire small room brown. Why not take shades of brown and extend them throughout the space by using texture, accessories and furniture. Striped wall paper hung horizontally stretches a small room even further by the use of a mirror. In this room the lamps, clock, wardrobe fixtures, sable crushed velvet bedspread and mirrored vase play off the reflections of the mirrors and the silver stripes in the wall paper.



  You. Remember how you decorated your bedroom as a kid. Collages of rock posters, fashion spreads, seals, cars, supermodels, or whatever, it set you apart from your parents. I remember the feeling of pride I had in my bedroom when new friends would come over to listen to lps, gossip or put together outfits. When I moved out at nineteen a box of incense and a pack of candles were the first things I bought.

Aug 19, 2009

What is your personal style?


Apparently, last week's mind fog was actually a time machine that took me back to Paris in the late '60s. The attraction seems to be unshakable—a sure sign to grab the inspiration and start my fall picking.

In his autobiography, Dior by Dior, Christian Dior reminisces on the social aspect of walking to and from the city during the German occupation of France from 1940 to 1944. Walking the same route daily became the most important networking event of Dior's career. I will keep this event to myself. Read the book.

Living downtown makes walking my main mode of transportation, which usually covers about 5 km a day. Walking this much has made the phrase, 'I don't have the right shoes, ' one of the most common in my vocabulary. Trust me, those black closed-toe YSL platforms would be mine if I wasn't so practical. Instead, I'll take that eight hundred bucks and buy a closet full of timeless vintage pieces and hopefully find the right pair of shoes to wear.

What I'm getting at is—plan your shopping for your lifestyle. Personally, I'm attracted to Francoise Hardy's style of the late '60s because I see it as adaptable and suitable for my lifestyle—comfortable chic. For another great look at Françoise, check out her 1967 video for Voilà here.

Note: In my repertoire, the fur is faux.

Belle de Jour - Coats Shoes and Sheaths

Luis Buñuel had a shoe fetish. However, the first thing that caught my attention as I watched this montage of shoes from his 1967 film Belle de Jour was coats. I love a well tailored 1960s coat. My eyes then moved to the sheath dresses, then the hair and finally the shoes. I'm more of a boot woman. If you made me pick - starting at 3:52 both his and hers are pretty fine. By the way, is it the shoe itself or the foot dressed in the shoe?



Aug 18, 2009

J-Beauty



Keeping Japanese women slim and beautiful for over twenty years Fibe-Mini is 100 ml of carbonated fiber goodness. One bottle contains the dietary fiber content of about two heads of lettuce and the equivalent of 15 lemons in Vitamin C (300 mg). Sounds like a high dose fiber detox combined with collagen stimulation. I think I'll eat an apple. Domo arigato.

View the Japanese Fibe-Mini advert complete with school girls, aliens and a female super hero below.

Aug 17, 2009

Hermes Paris Savage Elegance Campaign


Hermès Méharé bag in red ostrich 1988

Aug 16, 2009

Quote of the Week - David Bowie

Well, if I wear these things, I suppose in the next few months we'll start to see a lot of these around.
David Bowie, 1970s

Aug 14, 2009

Woodstock: An Aquarian Fashion Exposition


The Summer Pop Festivals of 1969 not only show cased some of the greatest musicians of all time but they also unknowingly premiered America's evolving fashion scene to the rest of the world. It wasn't since the 1930s that America saw both men and women eagerly cultivating their own personal style and individuality in regards to their appearance.


To this day music festivals hold a treasure trove of 'inspiration' for designers. I must admit that I felt a pang of sorrow, disbelief and a jab in the heart when I saw photos of the' 'Looks of Coachella' in a recent online spread for a popular women's fashion mag. I chuckle to myself thinking of this mag doing a fashion spot at Lollapalooza '92 - 'Grunge is Grand: The looks of Lollapalooza'.

During a vintage show in Los Angeles I was approached by someone who commented, 'I don't know how you can sell your stuff. I'd hate to see people walking around looking like me.' Hey, fashion is fashion, style is confidence. Keep it real.

Related Posts:
A Eulogy for my Friend and Inspiration
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