It's Not Just Fashion

Zara just released it’s November 2009 look book and they stuck with what they do best: trendy basics.  Some of this seasons trends- 80’s, bold colors, menswear looks- are fun and exciting, but don’t consist of pieces that you necessarily want to invest barrels of money in.  This is where Zara steps in with its well-made and runway-inspired clothing and accessories.  We pulled our three favorite outfits from the book. We are absolutely loving their take on the shoulder pad and sweatpants trends; subtlety is the name of the game with this trend and Zara mastered it with this chic top.  The next menswear/equestrian-inspired look captures that effortless style we all strive for each day.  Finally, we love this structured brown coat, and the trend of the season: over-the-knee boots.  We are dying to get our hands on these boots that look beautiful and in no way remind of us of, ahem, a lady of the night.

We’ve been following the upcoming Rodarte for Target line with eager anticipation and are happy that the web was abuzz today with clearer pictures of some of the line’s pieces.  But from what we saw today, we’re feeling … meh.  The black lace halter dress that looked oh so promising in the blurry pics released several weeks ago, now looks a little, well, cheap.  We know from personal experience that this kind of lace, that Target also used for its Anna Sui line, doesn’t look or feel so great in person.  The bow-sleeved frothy number looks well made to us, but we fear that those bows will look like weird shoulder wings when the dress is actually put on a human.  Despite our concerns, we remain optimists!  Yet we are still pondering, how does this Target collection relate to their S/S 2010 warrior runway looks??  We’re completely baffled by how the inspiration for the two lines connect, but we’ll role with it.  Variety is good, n’est pas?

So on tonight’s episode of The City one of the most pleasant surprises, other than Joe Zee telling Erin that she needed to guide Olivia more (that was a bitchy move with the whole trade show scheduling debacle) was the bathing suit runway show put on by Mara Hoffman. So we did a little fashion investigating of her Spring Show on nymag.com and found some great looks. Her bold futuristic prints are refreshing and they aren’t overworked. We also like the construction of the second look and the white on silver. Sorry Erin, but Olivia and Whitney were spot on when she called Mara’s looks “futuristic hippy.” Nicely done Kelly Curtone and People’s Revolution.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Alexander McQueen is not easy to pull off, but if there is one fierce fashionista who can do it, it’s the pop phenom that is Lady Gaga.  In her latest (and very catchy might we add) music video “Bad Romance”, Gaga rocks McQueen S/S 2010 throughout what appears to be some sort of captive dream-like sequence.  Her wardrobe is, of course, highly appropriate considering the world premiere of the “Bad Romance” single was at the McQueen show this past fall.  Honestly, we do not know who else could possibly walk, much less dance in those insane shoes.  Maybe that’s why we only see a flash of Gaga walking in the towering glittery heels; we can picture that some poor intern had to catch her each time she fell trying to walk in those.  ”Bad Romance” has been a staple in the gym mix on our ipod and we’re excited to now have a McQueen-clad Gaga as a visual to go along with the song.

*We can’t find any stills of Gaga from the video yet, but here’s the S/S 2010 finale McQueen outfit that she rocks toward the end of the video

One trend that we haven’t seen quite make it State-side is the menswear shoe for women.  In Europe, these shoes are HUGE, a staple of any girls wardrobe; yet for whatever reason, they haven’t made the jump over the pond.  We love this style of shoe and Marisa has nearly worn through her third pair since leaving Paris a year ago.  We’ve been hoping for some lower-end brands to pick up this trend and try to make it work.  Well, we just saw a post about the new “Sophie” shoe by Vans on Nitrolicious that will make its debut in the spring.  Don’t get us wrong, neither of us are gnarly skater kids, yet we found ourselves drawn to the simple chicness of these delicate shoes.  We will be making a rare visit to our local Pacific Sunwear come spring.  In the mean time we will covet these silly, yet amazing Christian Louboutin menswear sparklers.

After being picked up by Vogue and Nymag.com, we felt like this totally creepy ring/6th finger deserved some extra attention.  The ring is designed by Delfina Delettrez, an accessories designer with a flare (to say the least) for the eccentric.  She got us wondering what else a woman who created a “sixth finger ring” that comes with it’s own nail polish, might design?  Well, turns out, Delfina’s full name is Delfina Delettrez Fendi (yes, as in the Fendi), and at the ripe age of 19 she was the designer for Fendi’s first ever accessories line.  We’re kinda falling in love with her kooky and spooky aesthetic.  Forget the totally weird finger ring, her high-end designs are creepy, chic and cool.

Aww we saw this on Leather-and-Lace’s tumblr and it’s too cute!  The sign is from backstage at the Alexander Wang show.  We just had the best mental image of little A.Wang barely reaching the counter of the bar ordering 50 shots of tequila for 50 leggy models.  So silly.  We wouldn’t need any tequila shots to convince us to wear the amazing looks from his latest collection.

Ok, this shit is B.A.N.A.N.A.S.  Taylor Jacobson just announced over email that she is leaving the Rachel Zoe Corporation.  What will the show be without her constant whining, threatening to quit, dirty looks, and sunglasses inside? She is one of the major reasons why the show ‘shuts it down’. We love how she puts Brad in his place constantly, but we also love all of her fashion moments: the leather Dior dress at Avenue, the half-leapord jacket, the skinny jeans, the Louboutin booties: EVERYTHING. We die for everything she wears. LITERALLY. We’re also super bummed she decided to leave outside the time of filming (how great would the awkward tension have been between her Rachel and Brad when she said she was quitting but was typing ferociously on her blackberry the whole time). Who will Brad constantly make jealous and pick on?  More importantly, how will ANYTHING EVER get done at Rachel Zoe Corp.?!  In the name of all that is vintage Chanel, Taylor come back!