High Fashion Girl

If you own these, please send me a video of you walking in them...for science.

2012-02-25T20:58:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to pay $140 to make it look like I am walking on a 3-year old's birthday cake! Thanks to Jeffrey Campbell, it's now possible:

Jeffrey Campbell Rainbow Starlight Eva Platforms

George Washington - Just in time for President's Day!

2012-02-14T23:29:00.000-08:00

When I first started this blog, roughly six years ago, it was before blogs were monetized, before I had any notion that I could make money doing this, or before I had any knowledge that anyone else's eyes scanned my words but my own. Of course, it did begin with a vain hope that someone else would read it, but that is never guaranteed. And the way this thing took off surprised the hell out of me. It began as an innocent project - an experiment - and it changed my life. Every career path I am on right now converges on this blog as its origin.

But, at the time I started it, I was in school. An ambitious young Grace was getting two degrees (philosophy and psychology) at Oklahoma City University. I started High Fashion Girl my junior year. One of my philosophy professors was confused, unable to understand why I'd dabble in something so "shallow" when I spent my high school and college years dedicated to the life of the mind. When he said that, it made me feel like I had betrayed the Academy or something. However, one of my professors understood why I was doing this. "You are a person who looks for beauty in the world," he said, "Fashion is all about beauty. Go out and look at the beauty of the world."

I feel like that all happened a long time ago.

Six years is a decent passage of time upon which to reflect, and I'm in a reflective mood tonight. I can't believe this journey I've been on so far. Yet, because I wasn't anticipating any success with this, I feel like I began with a narrow scope that's been limiting my abilities to "blog" adequately anymore. When I started High Fashion Girl, I probably didn't know the difference between Ready-to-Wear and Couture, or how to tell a designer's clothes on the spot. I've learned so much, and in such a relatively short amount of time. Fashion has evoked a febrile reaction in me, causing me to explore new depths I had never been to before. It seems counter-intuitive that fashion could provide such intellectual nourishment, but through it I have been able to explore so much in the worlds of metaphysics, semiotics, linguistics, humanism, sociology, art, and aesthetics. As I've learned more, I have wanted to talk about more, but I feel so limited by the promise of "high fashion girl". I'm not a high fashion girl. I'm just Grace. I don't think there's a "brand" in there for anyone to get excited about, but I think I have a lot more to offer in the ways of being well-rounded and self-taught than just strictly being a "fashion" person.

That was an uneccessarily long introduction that I wrote to explain why I'm going to be talking about something so apropos of nothing as David Gordon Green's amazing debut film, George Washington. But, I have to talk about it. However, you are by no means a captive audience, so feel free to click away to something more interesting if this bores you.

When this movie begins, it is the color of a Coney Island winter,. Slowly, the lush, green of a summertime North Carolina country warms up the screen. George Washington centers on the friendship of four children, with auxilary adult characters providing scraps of wisdom among moments of humorous relief. The perspective is provided by the 12-year old narrator, Nasia, and the intimate glimpse into her thoughts allows us to see that it is often in the simplicty of youth (which some might call ignorance) that wisdom is found in plainspoken moments of introspection.

The wonder of childhood is the filter for the lens, and before tragedy strikes, there are several sparkling moments of pure naivety that made me grin wide. The children play in a setting that juxtaposes the trash heaps, landfills and junkyards of the post-depression South against a soundtrack of chirping birds and ambient, elegiac folk music. The kudzu creep of North Carolina woods holds everything in place. And the balance of their young lives is precarious.

Though masterfully shot and beautifully renderered, this is a throat ripping drama about children trying to understand a tragedy most adults never have to deal with. They cover it up. They lose their innocence. Unable to make sense of so much, one of the characters, Vernon, cries, "Man, I wish there was one belief: my belief." Solipsism is so comforting, and reality is so frightening and unpredictable. The truth is, we're all looking for salvation, Vernon.

George, the main character, is an emotionally frail child. I don't know if the foreshadowing was just overly subtle, but even from the beginning, I sensed something was off about him. George tries to redeem himself from a terrible mistake, relying on the idea that there is spiritual balance in the world. One good deed should cancel out a bad deed, right? One life can be given for another.

With an eye for wide-shot vistas like Terrence Malick and the dialogue pacing of Hal Hartley, this is may be the most remarkable debut film by any director I've ever seen. There are no wasted moments in this film, each one sparkles with precise poignance. Green is also restrained rather than self-indulgent, infusing his characters with a still and bitter grace. It's hard to reconcile this with the fact that he's the same guy who directed Pineapple Express and Your Highness, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

So, yeah, it's almost President's Day! Somehow this is all supposed to connect. I just really want you to watch this movie.

What the F*** Did I Just Watch?

2012-02-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

I got up at the crack of dawn this morning and had the bulk of my daily work done by around 8 a.m. I'm pretty sure that's a new record for me. With a suddenly unfettered morning, I turned my short attention span to the Hulu. My queue: barren. No favorite shows to waste a little time on, so I clicked through the new shows. Found Dating Rules From My Future Self which billed itself as a strange combination of light sci-fi and romantic comedy. Okay, interesting. Martin Starr is in it, so maybe it won't be utterly terrible?

FULL ON SPOILER MODE STARTS NOW:

Premise: Lucy (played by a rather blank-faced, dull Shiri Appleby) is recently engaged, sort of. Her douchey boss/boyfriend proposed to her upon their return from a vacation in Paris and she doesn't say "Yes" right away. Her hesitation should be evidence enough that she doesn't want to marry this guy, but instead of reading the signs clearly, Lucy is full of doubt.

In a pitch-meeting at the "App Creation" tech firm she works at, where douchey pseudo-fiance is also her boss, Lucy proposes an App idea where a user can complete a personality profile for their ideal self and an algorithm can answer the user's questions about big decisions they have to make - hoping that a concrete answer from a make-believer "future self" may help them eventually realize their ideal self.

Of course, things quickly turn strange when Lucy starts getting texts from an "Unknown" party that urge her to break off her engagement to the boyfriendboss. Unknown claims, eventually, to be Lucy's future self, and supports these claims by giving her eerily prescient advice that matches up to her present experiences. She begins to believe that this is her real future self communicating to her, and she follows Unknown's advice and dumps the boyfriend.

Okay, that's a strange premise, but hey, I've seen stranger. This is not my problem with the show. My problem with it is the overt and tacky way the show incorporates product placement.

Schick Quattro, Biore Strips and some kind of car (chevy?) are heavily and awkwardly promoted through the course of this short show (each episode is only about 7 minutes long). For instance, when Lucy breaks up with her boyfriend, her roommates urge her to go get laid. There's a scene where she's trying on the typically slutty** roommate's typically slutty clothes. The practical roommate informs Lucy that the next dress she's about to try on is so short that Lucy should consider "mowing the lawn" (i.e., shave her pubes), before trying it on. Cut To: Lingering, extreme close-up of Lucy eyefucking a Schick Quattro as she mulls over the temptation to shave her ladyparts. WTF? It's such a forced moment that it makes me cringe.

From left to right: Practical, Lucy, Slutty

Oh yeah, and when she's trying to get over the boyfriend, slutty roommate and practical roommate urge her to do a "Cleanse" with them, which apparently entails lounging around with stupid looking Biore strips on, drinking green smoothies, and generally whining about men. Oh, but the linchpin in this ridiculous display comes at the end of the episode, when slutty roommate declares, "There's only one thing left to cleanse." Cut To: A slow-motion shot of the three girls washing that goddamn Chevy car (or whatever car that is they're trying to promote).

Stupidest.
Product.
Placement.
Ever.

This show is an insult to me because it's not a fucking show, it's a vehicle (literally, at times) for product promotion. They're not even subtle about it. They might as well be doing this:

You might ask why I continued watching the debacle that is Dating Rules from My Future Self, but my reason is simple: I had gawker syndrome. This was a complete train wreck of a show that not only failed to convince me to buy anything, it actually turned me off from these brands. I couldn't look away. I had to count how many times they showed her iPhone, the car, the razor, and the Biore strips. I had to drink in these images so that I could better understand how out- of-fucking-touch Hollywood and marketing firms really are.

Shows are getting worse and worse about blatant product placement. As if it wasn't bad enough that loud volume commercials have cut the average 30 min Television show down to a mere 21 minutes, they're also obnoxious and promote heavy use of logical fallacies (stereotypes, argument ad populum, appeals to authority, etc), trickery and reliance on ignorance to sell products.

If you're like me (i.e., righteously indignant), then you might do well to avoid this show. Or better yet: watch it with your friends and develop a drinking game where everyone takes a shot when they show a product. Or don't. You'll all get alcohol poisoning.

[**For the record, I'm not calling this roommate "slutty" from a moral judgement point-of-view. I'm all for doing your own thing. I'm just saying that unimaginative writers have a lot to do with creating these archetypally loose women. Example: In the show, Slutty McSlutterbuttons makes out with a guy she has not even met, while she's sober, in broad daylight. They're making this character's only dimension one of sluttitude, and they're not being subtle about it. Surprise, surprise.]

The Art of Fashion Writing: A Love Letter to Tim Blanks

2012-01-25T12:30:00.000-08:00

Though I wear many hats, fashion writing is my main career. As such, it's often presumed by people who meet me that I am not very bright. Fashion has certain negative associations with shallow, vain vapidity and these associations can hurt my reputation. This typically causes me to set the bar higher when I engage in conversation with someone.

It is important to me to exercise my brain on a daily basis. My mornings start with a startling blast of Robert Siegel's voice on NPR. My alarm is set to the station, so I often awake in the middle of very confusing sentences ["...and lacking any available source of nutrition, the intrepid explorer chose to eat his own parachute..."]. From there, I check several online sources for information: the World News subreddit, the best science website ever, and Al Jazeera. I am never more thrilled than when I am learning something new, and being aware of the world around me is one of my highest priorities. I have a physical reaction to my own delight at learning, which is something akin to a flush that creeps from neck onto my face (I've dubbed this reaction "nerd fever"). The reason for my insatiable news/information hunger is two-fold: 1) Elevating the level of dialogue I have within my community, and 2) I am, at heart, a philosopher (a lover of wisdom/knowledge).

My educational background is in philosophy, and if I hadn't started this blog and then started writing about fashion professionally, I'd probably be a philosophy professor right now at some Midwestern university. When I embarked on this blog experiment nearly five years ago, I was finishing my final semester at OCU. When I told my philosophy advisor about my fashion blog, he was rightly confused, as fashion - taken only at its most popular defining parameters - is an endeavor that seems to fly in the face of higher learning.

However, I quickly realized how many philosophers, writers, intellectuals and thinkers have explored the arena of fashion. To name a few: Immanuel Kant, Susan Sontag, Joan Didion, Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Soren Kierkegaard. Each saw significance in the way we choose to dress, in the symbology of garments themselves, in the ritual of adornment and in the aesthetic debate to be had concerning the nature of fashion (is it art?). For that reason, I can and will argue for the rest of my fashion writing career that fashion can be an intellectual pursuit when dissected in metaphysical terms.

As such, I have made a career by writing about fashion philosophically. Though the bulk of my writing each season centers around runway reviews, I take pride in looking at each collection through an intellectual lens. Because fashion is a form of non-verbal communication, my starting point is often "What is the latent message of this collection?"

There are few role models to turn to when employing a philosopical approach to fashion writing. While there are many great writers - Cathryn Horyn, Holly Brubach, Guy Trebay, Joyce Carter (RIP), Rachel Strugatz, Suzy Menkes, Derek Blasberg, Ruth Laferla and Nicole Phelps - there aren't many that speak on the subject with intellectual authority. Enter: Tim Blanks.

Tim Blanks is, bar-none, the best fashion writer. Period. Though so few in the circles I run in know his name, those in the fashion world hold him in the highest esteem. His prose is tinged with poetic tendencies, and his insight is philosophical in nature. His words send a thrilling tingle through me. He's a writer who so casually incorporates words like "matriculate", "cantilevering", "fulsomely" and "auratic" in among gorgeous phrases like "plangent allure" and "bynzantine complexity". There is no air of pretention to his writing, only authority. His vocabulary and knowledge of art, culture, history, current events and mythology remain unmatched in the field of fashion writing. His talent is of an immense scope that keeps me scrambling to keep up. In short, Tim Blanks is my hero.

For reasons I can't fully articulate, it is important to me to have a guide through the jungles of fashion. I guess I sometimes feel at odds with my career decision because fashion is my first love, but I also read comic books, read philosophy, play video games, and don't do much shopping (in short, I'm the opposite of what you'd expect from a fashion writer). Tim Blanks is the mentor I've chosen, though I remain an eager pupil from afar. I dare not compare my writing to his, but I can say with vigor that I hope to accomplish a similar feat in my own career.

It is because of Tim Blanks that I have not abandoned intelligent pursuits in order to write vapidly about pretty shoes and clothes. Instead, I take a rigorous tack when writing, and I often find myself on fantastic journeys of the mind when exploring the meaning and importance of a runway collection. It is because of Tim Blanks that I choose to elevate the level of discourse in my writing - he's why I take a dialectic approach to fashion, and why I choose autodidacticism over didacticism.

Unfortunately, Style.com has failed miserably at archiving his works properly. Instead of almagamating his writing, you just have to discover it at random (I always pray that the review I click on is a Tim Blanks review). However, the best tip is: he mostly covers Paris and Milan. So if you see a major designer who shows in one of those cities, chances are he wrote it (Chanel, McQeen, Prada, Jil Sander, etc.). He also writes about the more difficult, complex and avant-garde collections. So take some time to read his writing, and let waves of pleasure enfold you, as the texture, density and insightfulness of his language tickles your brain.

Deluxe OK Indie Craft Bazaar

2011-12-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is a day I've been looking forward to for a long time. It's the annual Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar in Oklahoma City at the State Fairgrounds. If you're still doing your Christmas shopping, you can check everyone off the list with a visit to Deluxe. This is a family friendly event that gives something for the kids to do while you shop. Check out tomorrow's roster:

+ The Spy will be out there from 11-1:30pm.

+ There's a BBoy Battle with cash prizes!

+ Deep Fork Catering is providing yummy snacks

+ Roller derby stars The Oklahoma Victory Dolls will be zooming around trying to scoop up some new recruits

+ DJ Brandon Tabor will be spinning from 1:30-4:00pm.

+ Sugar Free Allstars performs at 4:00

+ Free photobooth.

+ Craft activities for the kids.

Plus, I'll be walking around taking street style photos and tweeting about the event on behalf of Deluxe OK. Deluxe is conducted by my friends Sara Cowan and JD McCoy, who are complete and total rock stars. They're two of the most creative and passionate women I know, so come out and support them! What's in it for you? Only an afternoon for the whole family where you can get all your Christmas shopping done. It's practically a Christmas miracle.

Admission is FREE. Deluxe is held at the Centennial Building on the Fairgrounds and will be open from 11am-5pm.

Nicolas Ghesquière Always Leaves Me Speechless

2011-12-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Presenting, Balenciaga's "Blue Zebras" for SS12:

Cool Hand Grace

2011-12-03T15:06:00.001-08:00

Don't let the picture fool you. I'm not much of a nail girl. I'm actually more of a put-on-a-shade-of-turquoise-polish-and-let-it-chip-off-completely kind of girl. I'm pretty negligent when it comes to digit upkeep, so this is a big step for me: I'm wearing fake nails. Not just any fake nails, but hand-painted ones that I picked up from Zebber Collective. However, I should have blogged about this sooner. When I bought these nails in the summer, they were only $34, which I still thought was steep for fake glue-on nails. They're $58 now. As for the cost, once you get these nails and see the astonishing detail that has gone into painting each one, even the higher cost makes sense. They're really well done.

Everyone, so far, has made a really big deal about these nails. Even men. Even straight men, I might add. They're a big hit across genders because they're just so damn cool. As the wearer, I can take credit only for paying for them and haphazardly applying them. True story: my fingertips still have remnants of nail glue on them because I was so messy. These aren't easy to put on by yourself, but the results are worth it. Also, not being much of a nail girl, I lack certain ambidextrous skills that allow me to apply things like fake nails and polish to my right hand, using my left. I pretty much always make a big mess anyway, so it's no surprise to me that my fingertips are as rough as a lumberjacks.

Hardly working

So, if you want to have cool hands like me (who wouldn't!) go to Zebber Collective and buy them. The link to the nails that I have is below the picture.

Image via Zebber Collective

Selena Gomez Creeps Me Out

2011-11-30T13:45:00.000-08:00

I live in a weird world where I spend a lot of time reviewing celebrity attire for work, but I also don't watch television. I'm enough of an internet maven to kind of know what's going on in pop culture, but when it comes to things like Top 40 Radio and the Disney Channel, I remain blissfully ignorant. For some reason, this baby-faced teenager keeps entering my purview, and she thoroughly creeps me out. You know her as Selena Gomez, I know her as "hamster face."

She doesn't look like a real person to me, but more like the embodiment of a Bratz doll. The proportion of her doe-eyes to the rest of her heart-shaped face is other-worldly. Her flawless skin looks plastic. I know she's dating Justin Bieber, but I don't think he's a real person either. They're a matching set of terrifyingly perfect looking children. If they actual have genitals instead of the sloping emptiness found between the legs of Ken & Barbie dolls, they'll one day be able to make monstrously adorable children.

Selena Gomez is like a hamster mashed up with the Gerber Baby and a chihuahua - grotesquely cute and also a horrifying abomination. She popped up in The Muppet Movie for whatever reason and I was like, "AAAHHH! That Muppet is terrifying! Uncanny valley! Uncanny valley! It's scarier than the Swedish chef's inexplicably human hands!" Then I realized it was a "cameo." She was all flippant like, "Fuck you, Muppets, my agent told me to be here." and that was basically it. I don't understand why she was there, except as a ploy to lure in dopey tweens who would otherwise never watch something so pure and magical as The Muppets.

Anyway, she punctured my carefully cultivated world that rejects such things as mass produced, flawless looking human beings, and I'm pissed off about it. Really, it's not her that I'm pissed off at. All of this rage is fake in order to make the thesis work.

I was trying to find some pictures of her on the internet carefully, without trying to find out too much about her. I just don't want to know. However, I couldn't help but come across such savory gossip as the time Justin Bieber wooed her by shutting down some stadium in Los Angeles and watching Titanic with her. Stories like that make me want to break my own fingers, which is why I was trying to avoid them. The excess and stupidity of it all angers me, but it's such futile and unfulfilling anger that I end up having no where to put it. Then I just feel dumb.

I don't really care what these people do. I don't really think they actually do half the stuff that's in tabloids. I don't think for a second that Kim Kardashian didn't have her 72-day marriage planned every hour, on the hour. Pop culture has made me so cynical.

I feel bad for ragging on this poor child. She looks like she's maybe 9 years old, but the internet tells me she's 19. She's probably nice, or something. But she still creeps me out! That oversexualized appearance, the layers of makeup, the extensions in her hair, the suggestive but stylish clothes are all attempts at making her look older and more appealing to men. I looked at pictures of her throughout the last few years (read: before she was of legal age), and she was still slicked up with makeup and skimpy clothes, tempered with an innocent smile.

Young girls aspire to look like her as a result of this carefully cultivated persona because their young brains cannot understand the sickening amount of studied and calculated marketing manipulation that goes into creating a person like Selena Gomez. Tween girls and boys are fans because they have no choice but to be fans, that's the outcome of Gomez's Disney manufactured schtick. I don't really hold her ultimately responsible for this. The adults that surround the Selena circus of celebrity, who are responsible for CREATING the Selena circus of celebrity in fact, are to blame. Feed off a child's ethereal beauty and mediocre talent by painting her face and packaging her up to consumed by the masses = Sick.

What I'm getting at is that this post isn't really about Selena Gomez or her creepy cuteness. It's about the people that make children like her dance for the public. That's my real problem here. Thanks for reading my annual Rage post. I am sorry I vented all over you.

These Boots Were Made for Walking (in the Snow)

2011-11-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

If I was creating fantasy footwear, I'd use pillows as my inspiration. While strapping pillows onto my feet seems impractical, the thought of walking on all that cushioning sounds divine. I'll leave it to the Snuggie people to come up with something as ridiculous as pillow shoes. In the mean time, I've found something equivalent, but much more stylish.

A rep from Module, a marketing company out of New Zealand, recently contacted me to see if I'd test drive the Lara boot by Dominion. Since I was on the verge of replacing my trusty Uggs, I jumped at the chance to receive a free pair of boots, worth $299 (but, hey, they're on sale right now for $179!). All I had to do was review them!

Two things (aka, the section in which I qualify statements I have made or am about to make):

1) A word on Uggs - Yeah, I get that they put the UG in UGLY, but I don't really care. I would never wear Uggs as a fashion statement, but when you're as tall as me, something that keeps vulnerable toes from freezing because of poor circulation is practically a god send. And that's what Uggs are for me, they're practical. They keep my feet warm and they have good traction on slippery surfaces. They make for great winter footwear. The drawback is, they're not that great looking.

2) I rarely review products. It states clearly in my advertising policy that I will NOT endorse a product I don't actually love. The purpose is simple: I am a brand, in a way, and I can't marr my brand by talking up stuff that is complete crap just for a quick buck. Also, my readers might actually go buy the thing I'm endorsing, and then I'd be responsible in the case of their dissatisfaction. Endorsing products I actually love keeps all of this endorsing stuff above board and beyond reproach.

The above statements lead me to my overriding point: these boots are amazing. Not only are they -in my humble opinion - BETTER THAN UGGS, they're more stylish. Why are they better than Uggs? The interior shearling does not flatten out like Uggs do, but instead remains fluffy. It's very much like walking around on pillows. Pure heaven. So, I'm endorsing the heck out of these babies. If you're in the market for Uggs, switch to Dominion instead. The quality is still high, but they make a more durable and comfortable boot.

I received my Dominion Lara boots about a month ago and I've worn them EVERY DAY since. Why, I'm wearing them right now!

Keep it Local & High Fashion Girl Shop Local Challenge Collab.

2011-11-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

I am pretty pleased with the response I've gotten to the High Fashion Girl Shop Local Challenge, which offers a 15% discount to my favorite local shops: Blue 7, Collected Thread, DNA Galleries, Shop Good, Warpaint Clothing and Urbanology. This was both a method of encouraging shopping locally, and a way to give back to my loyal local readers.

Keep it Local OK championed the Challenge via twitter, and we started talking as a result. I pitched the idea for a collaboration and they were all over it. This is a tiny sample of why I so dearly love this community. I've never met Chris and Bryce from Keep it Local, but we've talked enough via social media to establish a rapport. From there, we're now launching a new Challenge together. It's a small, respectful, and supportive community like the one offered by Oklahoma City that makes these things possible. I love it here. I really do.

Keep It Local OK Promo from christopher hunt on Vimeo

Keep it Local & High Fashion Girl Shop Local Challenge

Here's all you have to do: If you took the Shop Local Challenge and purchased any items locally for Christmas, send me pics! ((grace AT highfashiongirl.com)) I'll post all of your pictures, and then we will select three winners at random to receive a brand new Keep it Local card for 2012.

I LOVE my Keep it Local card. I've had both the 2010 and 2011 cards, and I can tell you that they quickly pay for themselves. They cost $10, which is very affordable. I basically recoup that cost after only 3 or so visits to The Wedge. The Keep it Local card gives you amazing discounts to local retailers in Oklahoma City, Edmond, Mustang, Moore, Yukon, Norman and Midwest City. That's a pretty broad reach! The thing is, they offer such an amazing variety of deals at such a wide swath of businesses (credit unions, florist shops, boutiques, dry cleaners, restaurants, and more) that you're probably going to these places anyway. I use my card constantly because discounts are available at places I actually go.

Here's where I've used my Keep it Local 2011 card:

1) Cuppies and Joe

2) The Wedge

3) Blue 7

4) Cheever's Cafe

5) Elemental

6) Heirloom Shoes

7) Iguana Lounge

8) Iron Starr BBQ

9) Le Fringe Salon

10) S&B Burger Joint

11) Sara Sara Cupcakes

12) Sushi Neko

13) Beatnix Cafe

That's the tip of the iceberg! Just look as this gigantic list of businesses offering Keep it Local discounts in Oklahoma City alone!

The picture I'm trying to paint for you is this: The Keep it Local card is awesome, and you should get stoked about winning it for a prize. Think of all the savings! If you've gotten jazzed about me talking it up here and want to buy one now for a friend or family member for Christmas, you can pick one up at any of the participating businesses or order one online.

So, that's it! Send in your pics of Shop Local purchases that you got using the exclusive 15% discount, and you'll be entered to win. Keep it Local and I will select three winners on December 24, 2011!

The High Fashion Girl Shop Local Challenge

2011-11-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

I never thought I'd say this, but I love where I live. Oklahoma City has gone from being the representation of all that was lacking in my life to being a more fulfilling city to live in than I had ever imagined. I've watched this city blossom in the past few years, and it is in large part due to the locally owned establishments that have brought culture, art and progress to a city more closely associated with tornadoes and cows than fashion shows and graffiti murals. If you love this city as much as I do, you'll be pretty happy about the Christmas present I've created for my local readers!

I want you to shop locally for Christmas. That's what I'm doing. I'm committed to spending at least 50% of my holiday budget here in Oklahoma City at locally owned shops, stores and boutiques. There are a myriad of reasons why I'm choosing to do this, not the least of which are:

1) It keeps local businesses thriving.
2) It guarantees that I'll find unique presents for those on my list.
3) It strengthens the arts and retail community in this city.
4) It cuts down on emissions by buying things locally made or sold that haven't been trucked or flown in to big box retail stores from all over the country/globe.

I want you to join me in this endeavor by also committing 50% of your holiday shopping budget to buying locally. Need incentive? How about an awesome coupon that can be used at SIX of the best stores in Oklahoma City: Blue 7, DNA Galleries, Collected Thread, Shop Good, Urbanology and Warpaint Clothing. This coupon will get you 15% off your entire purchase and is good until December 24, 2011. If you already know and love these stores, you'll know that between the six of them you can get something for nearly everyone on your list (unless you're buying something really esoteric like 17th century erotic literature, or really strange like a hovercraft). Here's the best part: you can EITHER print off the coupon below, or show it to the person behind the counter on your phone! They will accept the coupon either way (save paper, ya'll!).

If you're going to use this coupon, please leave me a little comment here. Just a note saying which boutique you like, or what you're buying for Christmas, or even a "Merry Christmas, Grace!" will do. I want these amazing, lovely retailers to be able to look at this post and see all of the good cheer that surrounds their business and how much you guys love them. Without these businesses and their amazing owners, I'd have moved away a long time ago. They're the heartbeat of this city, and as such, are close to my heart.

So, as you venture forward into retail nightmare scenarios, remember that there are quiet little retail meccas nestled all over this fair city just waiting for your patronage. And you've got a golden ticket to a mega-discount right in your hot little hands. Start shopping!

PARTICIPATING RETAILERS:

Blue 7

Blue 7 Online

7518 N. May Ave.

Oklahoma City, OK 73116

405.604.5199

Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-7pm

Warpaint Clothing

Warpaint Clothing Online

1710 NW 16th St.

Oklahoma City, OK

warpaintonline@gmail.com

Hours: Tues-Sat, 12ish-8ish

Shop Good

Shop Good Online

3 NW 9th Street

Oklahoma City, OK 73102

405.702.0517

info@shopgoodokc.com

Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-9pm

Collected Thread

Collected Thread Online

1705A NW 16th St

Oklahoma City, OK 73106

405.557.1141

Hours: Tues–Sat, 11am-7pm (Open 7 Days a Week During Holidays)

DNA Galleries

DNA Galleries Online

1705B NW 16th

Oklahoma City, OK 73106

405.371.2460

Hours: Mon-Sat, 12pm-7pm

Urbanology

Urbanology Online

1751 NW 16th St

Oklahoma City, OK 73016

405.601.9555

Christian Louboutin SS12 No Limit Men's Flat - Also known as "what is this, i don't even..."

2011-11-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

We all know that the top of every dude's shoe list is a shoe that can puncture balloons. Christian Louboutin decided to give you guys what you want by releasing his most practical balloon-puncturing shoe to date.

The shoe most likely to get Kanye West stopped by TSA

Just be careful to keep it away from Rie Hosokai's designs!

Mrs. Clean - Karen Walker Eyewear Lookbook

2011-11-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Karen Walker sunglasses are the best, so it should come as no surprise that her lookbook is the best too. I don't even understand it, because I don't think I'm cool enough, but I still love it. BONUS: This has to be the least expensive designer photo shoot ever.

Extended Metaphor - The Photography of Elizaveta Porodina

2011-11-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

Call it what you will - haunting, phantasmagoric, transgressive, erotic - this is, at its most basic, brilliant photography.

Block Party OKC

2011-11-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

Today (11/12/11) at 8pm in the Packard Building, one of the best parties/events of the year goes down. The annual Block Party Fashion Show featuring local celebrities like Ferris O'Brien from The Spy, Ben Kilgore and corset designer Nicole Moan will see their Lego-inspired designs walk the runway.

The event is sponsored by local culture supporters Fowler VW, and will have a fully stocked open bar, food, music and more. Everyone I know has been planning their outfits for this all week, so expect to come and see the best and brightest of the 405, dressed to kill. Here's a sneak peek at part of my outfit:

There are still a few tickets available on their website and a few hours left to plan a killer outfit. Come drink with High Fashion Girl and become one of the fashion party people of Oklahoma City tonight!

Block Party OKC in the news:

News OK

Journal Record

Block Party OKC on the web:

BlockPartyOKC Twitter

The Exchange OKC Twitter

The Exchange OKC Facebook

Faking It - Faux Fur Options for Fall/Winter 2011

2011-11-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

The runway went overboard with fur options for fall/winter, and as hot as most of these looks were, I just can't get behind the slaughtering of animals for fashion.

Animal exploitation just isn't sexy, but these looks are. That concept just about does my head in. So where can a fashion forward lady turn when she wants to wear the trend without supporting the death of animals? Faux. But this season's faux is no faux pas.

Cropped Furry Jacket, $66.20

Spirit Hood Night Owl

Elizabeth and James Faux Fur Pencil Skirt, $395

ASOS Faux Fur Collar Cardigan, $81

Faux Fur Striped Cardigan, $28

Halston Heritage Faux Fur Cropped Coat, $375

Purr-Perfect Pairing Bolero, $55

Teal Faux Fur Stole, $100

BCBG Oversized Faux Fur Coat, $248

Merona Double-Breasted Coast with Removable Faux Fur Collar, $55

Via Spiga Faux Fur Jacket, $123

Michael Kors Coyote Faux Fur Gloves, $48

Where There's Smoke There's Fire

2011-10-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of the photographer Mario Sorrenti. He creates some pretty haunting portraiture, and his fashion spreads are thoughtful in addition to being drop-dead gorgeous. Check out this photoshoot he did for W Magazine back in 2008. Groove to some Jimi Hendrix's "Fire" while you check out the images:

Let me stand next to your fire...

Sartorial Seascapes for Spring/Summer 2012

2011-10-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Once More Unto the Breach, or Water, Water, Everywhere Nor Any Drop to Drink

While New York embraced sporty minimalism, London refused to land on a coherent theme, and Milan looked to Spain, some of Paris's top designers quietly assembled some of their best collections to date. Givenchy, Chanel and Alexander McQueen might have shared an "undersea" theme, but their approach to this theme was vastly different. Ricardo Tisci, Karl Lagerfeld and Sarah Burton have proven their design genius, but when pitted against each other their abilities really shine. Arguably part of the top 7 designers in the industry (the other four being Alber Elbaz, Haider Ackermann, Marc Jacobs and Christopher Kane), these three debuted their diparate takes on what H20's influence on fashion looks like in the present day.

Givenchy's influence was subtle. Tisci used eelskin and stingray to outline loose folded jabots that ran the length of the mini-dresses on his runway, and he repeatedly used a print that resembled the skin of a Leopard Bush Fish. Some wispy tails that hung from the hems of skirts suggested tentacles, and his textured obsidian black outfits looked like dangerous, dark reefs.

Chanel created a magical undersea world, showcasing a stage made of white coral and gigantic seashell backdrops (Florence Welch emerged from one of these seashells at the end, reenacting Botticell's The Birth of Venus). This fantasy world included ensembles fit for a mermaid princess. His rainbow fishscale dress, fluttery gill details, and bunched organza (made to resemble coral polyps) was an experimental and highly couture take on the concept.

McQueen explored dark choppy waters controlled by an agitated sea goddess. These looks reflected beautiful decay. Masks worn by the models resembled fishing nets or layers of barnacles. One dress imitated bloodstained waters, post shark-attack. Another look recalls the pleated ruffles of an undulating sea anemone. This collection is, perhaps, the most imaginative of them all, but it is also intimidatingly ferocious.

Fashion Video Lookbooks

2011-10-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

One of the things I do for my job is review video lookbooks and campaigns for high-end designs and brands. Some of them are really clever and well done with a lot of time, effort and art direction put into it. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

If brands were popular based solely on their designer's personality, Lanvin would be everyone's favorite brand. Come on, wouldn't you rather dance with the absurdly adorable Alber Elbaz than stiff old Lagerfeld?

"Girls on Bikes" will make you green with envy, from 3.1 Phillip Lim:

A surreal and totally gorgeous presentation of the Vanessa Bruno FW11 collection, featuring Kate Bosworth:

So cute. Hate Aldo's products because they're usually so cheap, but this video is adorable:

Whimsy and a playful game of tag at Alice + Olivia:

Fashion Week Highlights

2011-09-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

I should have been keeping a running diary of all of my fashion week adventures, but the truth about FW is that there is NO TIME. There are days where I've gotten no sleep because of the stack of reviews I've had to write after attending shows all day and trying to navigate new cities. I've never been more stressed in my entire life, but I'm also having a fabulous time and meeting so many wonderful people.

New York Fashion Week highlights:

Seeing SUNO - My favorite brand right now is an emerging design duo from NYC called SUNO. They are high-concept, high-fashion and, best of all, completely fair trade. They're the only ones doing this and doing it well.

Attending FNO with friends. We hit up the Catherine Malandrino store where I saw this floor model in a horrible (but hilarious) pose:

Running into the band Freelance Whales on the streets in SoHo. I was on my way to the Hotel Gansevoort to see Jonathan Cohen's new collection, but I was completely and utterly lost. Somewhere 9th turned into Hudson and I had no idea where I was. Outside of the Theory store, I had just kind of stopped and was looking around, trying to get my bearings. A very nice guy came up to me and asked me if I was okay. I asked him if he knew where the Hotel Gansevoort was. He told me no, but took out his phone to look it up. Three other guys approached us and asked what was going on. The guy on the phone explained to them that I was looking for the Hotel Gansevoort. I noticed they were all carrying gear and asked if they were in a band. The four of them smiled at me and told me they were in the band Freelance Whales. I was bowled over! I told them I loved their music, they pointed me in the right direction, and I ended up with a pretty great story out of it all.

Finally getting to meet Jonathan Cohen in person! He was so sweet, and so was his business partner, Sarah Laff. His collection was tremendously beautiful. There was one really diaphanous printed gown that I wanted to walk out of there with immediately. So glad I got to meet him!

Talking to Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast and her darling boyfriend, Colin, outside of the Mulberry 40th anniversary party.

Seeing Susie Bubble of Style Bubble looking vaguely irritated by how many people wanted to take her picture outside of Lincoln Center.

Attending the press tea with Emma Hill, the Creative Director of Mulberry at the new Mulberry store in SoHo. It was really beautifully appointed, and the decor came in the form of over 8,000 books that served as a backdrop to Mulberry's exquisite shoes and accessories.

Meeting up with Kelsey Self and Bethany Young of Oklahoma's Twentysomething Magazine. We went shopping and had dinner together at a Cafe in SoHo. It was a really lovely evening and I became convinced that I want to work with these ladies to bring better fashion to Oklahoma.

Coming across my favorite store. While shopping with Kelsey and Bethany, I came across an AllSaints in SoHo. I wanted absolutely everything. Loved the wall of Singer sewing machines that decorate the front part the store.

Coming across this street (which instantly reminded me of my lovely friend, Caitlin):

Resting up in a lovely, quiet space. After an exhausting afternoon, I found the Phaidon Store in SoHo and had a really lovely, relaxing hour of reading books and resting my feet. It was so tranquil in there that I didn't want to leave.

Stumbling across my favorite place! Kid Robot! Wanted everything! Especially these guys:

Attending the Mulberry 40th Birthday party at Skylight Studios in Manhattan. This event was glam to the max. There was a balloon artist, tasty drinks, delicious food, and celebrities galore. I was sitting on a blow-up chair and standing not two feet away from me was Rose Byrne. I also saw Michelle Trachtenberg (who complimented my leggings), Maggie Gyllenhaal, and rode the elevator with Alexander Skarsgard and 2 police officers (Skarsgard commented that it must be a good party if the cops had to show up). Also in attendance were Solange Knowles and Alexa Chung, but I never saw them. I also saw Kasabian play, and I have loved Kasabian for years! Got hit on by a guy who told me that he had two Emmys, that he was on television, and that I should "Google" him. Umm...

Rose Byrne and Alexander Skarsgard (not my picture)

Kasabian (not my picture)

Partying with Saks Dubai. I attended a press event for Saks Fifth Avenue with press from Dubai/Lebanon and Saks Dubai. Met some really amazing people, like Amine Jreissati - the Fashion Director of Marie Claire Arabia and Sophia Serin - Editor of Emirates Woman. I really enjoyed talking to and hanging out with Carla, Dana and Joelle from Saks Dubai. We all took a meeting at Saks corporate, had a tour of Saks Fifth Avenue (I loved exploring the designer floor and 10022-SHOE - the shoe floor that is big enough to have its own zipcode!!) and then wined and dined at The Plaza Hotel afterward.

Scoping some Stella McCartney's at 10022-SHOE

Swanky Plaza Chandelier

Oh yeah, and at the Plaza we went up to the Caudalie Spa, where we just happened to run into the creator of Caudalie, Mathilde Thomas. She was lovely, and she chatted with us at length about the brand. I was especially excited to meet her because Caudalie is one of my favorite skincare lines!

One of the best parts of the Saks press gathering was that they had hired a photographer to follow us on our ventures. He was snapping pictures the whole time, which had everyone thinking we were celebrities. It was really fun.

The whole thing was capped off by the fact that the very generous and incredibly lovely people at Saks gave us each a $500 gift certificate. I still haven't spent it! I don't know what to buy!

Brunching with my dear friend, Amanda Cross. She's an amazingly talented singer (you can catch her singing back-up for Chromeo). We've been good friends since high school. We met at the most amazing brunch spot ever, called Jane in SoHo. Had the best Bloody Mary of my life there.

Meeting and intervewing the jewelry designer Alanna Bess. She gave me this gorgeous ring!

Making it to the second row at Badgley Mischka.

Seeing Max Stein and Reece Solomon in person. The Reece Hudson presentation at MILK Studios was amazing. Loved it, and loved the bags!

LFW Highlights (so far):

Arriving in London to a huge stack of invites.

Going to the Mulberry show and seeing Kate Moss and Kristen Stewart on the front row. That show was the most fun ever.

Check back for more fashion week highlights. I'll try to keep you updated in my (very limited) spare time! In the mean time, you can catch all of my fashion week reviews here. Enjoy! I've been burning the midnight oil to write these. :)

OK Style Guys: The Long & Shirt of It.

2011-09-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yep, two guys writing for High Fashion Girl… Who would have thought? Over beers with Grace, we discussed the need for basic menswear guidelines. We say guidelines because style does not follow any set of rules. And we say style because fashion is what you buy this season. Style is how you wear and pair what you have. We are not going to tell you how to dress, but we will give you a few examples of how we dress on a daily basis. How you dress is the unspoken way to present yourself to others. So go ahead, put some thought into what you are wearing, and you might like the response.

Over the next few posts, we will share our thoughts on what every man should know. From tops and bottoms to shoes and accessories, we dressed up to show you how to make these four pieces work together for you.

We aren't professing to be the say-all, be-all on menswear. This is what we love and wear. Tell us what you think! And let us know if you have any questions.

Fit.

1. Shoulders

No, your shoulders probably are not going to grow into that shirt if you are older than 21. Accept this fact and you will be well on your way to wearing a shirt that fits. The first and best way to find out what works is by making sure the two seams that meet on your shoulder break before they fall. Too many men think a bigger shirt will make them look larger, but the truth is if the shoulder seam of the shirt passes your shoulder, you’re going to look even smaller. A well-fitted shoulder will show your shape without being a squeeze.

2. Neck

Now, your neck area is probably one of the more complicated things to figure out just on the basis of different body types. Something that fits your shoulders and arms might not fit your neck. A good rule of thumb is to be able to comfortably slip two fingers between your collar and neck when the top button is buttoned.

3. Cut

Flatter yourself. Really, too tight or too baggy simply looks bad. If you have those six pack abs, leave something to the imagination. If you are an average Joe, a perfectly fitting shirt can hide those extra brews you had last night. Pinch both sides of the shirt you are wearing between your index finger and thumb. If you can get a little grip, the cut is perfect.

4. Length

Sloppy or put together—you choose. Well, your shirt may choose for you depending on the length. Any shirt that passes the bottom of your jean fly should be tucked. The length of an untucked shirt should fall somewhere in the three inches of your pants button fly and should not cover more than half the back pocket of your jeans. There is no need to sport the risky business look with pants on. Guys, tuck it. Don't get us wrong, we love a good untucked shirt, but really let your destination tell you what is ultimately appropriate. Over dressed is always better than under. Word.

Styling

1. Collar

Take your pick. There are so many types to explore and use, from casual to formal, much of your decision relies on the desired look. And with us, size does matter. A medium to smaller collar will pair best with your slim ties and is lower profile when buttoned. A tie will always look more put together with a buttoned down collar, but at times a slouchy collar can give just enough of that "I don't care" look. If you are a big collar person, go back to the 70s, we will see you in a few years when those come back into fashion. But honestly, buttoned or starched collars will adapt to how you wear them. Don't forget how that collar should fit your neck. There is no need to choke on your outfit or completely hide your neck under a large collar.

2. Pattern

Step away from the plaid. Really. It has runs it course, and quite frankly, the world is filled with other prints waiting for you to explore! If you really love the plaid, try on the not-so-distant cousin gingham. It will pair better with most outfits and add a level of class to your look. If you want to beat the trend, try on a polka dot like Kyle. The vertical stripe also seems to be a strong choice as well; here Jacob paired it with his red chambray tie. A mix of prints adds interest and will easily elevate your look. Wear your shirt with confidence and we promise you will dig the attention.

3. Color

You will never go wrong with the basics: blue, black, white & gray. Takes these staples and add a pop of color, and you will make a statement without much effort. On the other hand, dare to try different colors. We are fans of the brighter reds and deeper oranges in anticipation of fall. A purple shirt with red tie? Yeah, Jacob is a little colorblind and may have thought it was blue! But hey, wear it with a nod of confidence and you are more than golden.

**View the complete photo set in all its glory here
About Jacob and Kyle:

jacob peregrin is a furry faced, colorblind, raw denim nerd, who after a well pressed cup of joe is ready to spread the power of style with the oklahoma masses.

kyle reimer is an urban explorer & design enthusiast you will most likely find seated at a table with great friends for spirited conversation over drinks and nosh. check out his tumblr here.

Rie Hosokai can do a lot with 99 luftballoons

2011-09-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Japanese designer, Rie Hosokai, brings a sense of whimsy to her frocks and hairpieces she creates that are literally as light as air. The reason? They're made entirely of balloons. Her talent with balloons stems from a decade-long career as a balloon artist (not the kind who does imitation weenie-dogs party favors at children's birthday parties, but a legit artist). Her dresses and hairpieces are made from latex balloons, which are then woven like fabrics into the most fantastic shapes. Her pieces go from $1000 all the way up to $12750 - which is a hefty sum to pay for a dress that deflates after 24-hours. But, if you're seriously invested in art, fashion and the next-big-thing, you probably won't get the sticker shock that we mere mortals get at the thought of paying $12750 for a balloon dress.

Off to a Good Start

2011-09-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Fashion Week! I'm in New York! Just kidding! I'm actually blogging from Chicago O'Hare International Airport because my flight to NYC has been delayed. The friend that I'm staying with just told me via text that the weather in NYC is "nasty" and a quick check on weather.com confirms that it is 61 degrees there and raining. I really should not have worn shorts. Granted, I'm wearing them with knee high leather boots and a cardigan, but still. I'm gonna have to do a changeroo in the aiport bathroom before hailing a cab to Brooklyn at 1:30 in the morning.

Anyway, just wanted to say that you can be involved in my day tomorrow! I'm attending the Independent Fashion Bloggers Evolving Influence Conference. This is an event I've been dying to go to since its inception, and tomorrow will be my very first time. I think I picked a pretty good year to attend because Joe Zee, the Creative Director of Elle, is the Keynote Speaker. The panels this year sound awesome.

Since, you might be like me in previous years [unable to attend] you're in luck this year, because you can now witness the conference from the comfort of your living room. This year, the conference is streaming live, and you can watch it below (starting tomorrow/September 7, 2011).

Watch live streaming video from ifbconference at livestream.com

In the mean time, you can kill some time by checking out Tavi Gevinson's freshly launched online magazine, Rookie Mag. If you don't know who Tavi is, I'm not explaining it to you. That's like saying you hate Sriracha. Shame on you.

100 Years of Style in 100 Seconds

2011-09-04T13:50:00.001-07:00

Results are in:

2011-09-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you for helping me decide a winner. Your comments made me go back and reconsider a lot of the contestants. There are a few sets I was just absolutely crazy about, and unfortunately they didn't all belong to one person. You guys are just too good at this styling thing!

I ultimately decided to pick Elixir Creative (Kim!) as the winner of this contest because her sets contained clothes I would actually wear to fashion week and she stuck within my requested ~100 budget pretty darn well. Congratulations, Kim! If you ever want to quit your day job and help me style people, let me know!

Elixir Creative's Sets:

Inspired By Gucci by kim-egner featuring opaque stockings

Leave It With A Dot Dot Dot... by kim-egner featuring carved jewelry

NEW YORK FASHION by kim-egner featuring a buffalo plaid shirt

I Love You But I've Chosen Disco by kim-egner featuring stud earrings

Out for a Romp by kim-egner featuring a gray belt

The Contest Style Sets: Styling High Fashion Girl for Fashion Week

2011-09-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for participating in my contest! It means so much to me that you took the time to put together such awesome style sets with me in mind. I hope you had fun playing in Polyvore. I was blown away by your collective style prowess, which makes it very hard to choose a winner. So, I'm going to let this post linger for a day before I decide the winner, and dear reader, PLEASE feel free to voice an opinion on a favorite set in the comments section.

The Sets

NatD:

GG LFW 1 by nat1026 featuring skull jewelry

GG LFW Look 2 by nat1026 featuring kate spade jewelry

FashionLimbo:

The "I Wear Leopard With Everything" Look for Grace by fashionlimbo featuring printed handbags

The I Need a Soya Latte ASAP look for Grace by fashionlimbo featuring messenger bags

The "My Parents Want Me To Be Preppy But I'm Too Edgy" look for Grace by fashionlimbo featuring summer coats

The "Part Time Goth" look for Grace by fashionlimbo featuring crop tops

GlassGrrl Studios:

ready by glassgrrl featuring high waisted skirts

KendraKidd:

Highfashiongirl.com Fashion Week by kendrakidd featuring high heel boots

Highfashiongirl.com Look2 by kendrakidd featuring fur booties

Highfashiongirl.com Look3 by kendrakidd featuring a black shoulder bag

Lydia:

http://www.highfashiongirl.com style set by lydielee featuring high heel boots

http://www.highfashiongirl.com style set2 by lydielee featuring a leather sweater

http://www.highfashiongirl.com style set3 by lydielee featuring chandelier earrings

Elixir Creative:

Inspired By Gucci by kim-egner featuring opaque stockings

Leave It With A Dot Dot Dot... by kim-egner featuring carved jewelry

NEW YORK FASHION by kim-egner featuring a buffalo plaid shirt

I Love You But I've Chosen Disco by kim-egner featuring stud earrings

Out for a Romp by kim-egner featuring a gray belt

Margaret:

Styling Grace is Fashion by mcroom featuring knee high boots

Best Fashion Retail Site on the Internet: Supermarket Sarah

2011-09-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

I like to reward innovation with recognition and praise, and there is no single retail site more innovative than Supermarket Sarah. As much as I hate the overuse and misuse of the word "curate" on fashion blogs, I'm going to employ it here, because that's exactly what Sarah does. She "curates" walls that look like fashionable art installations, wherein every piece is for sale, and each item is of a similar phenotype to the rest of the items present.

Each wall is thematic, and when presented online, each item is clickable (and purchasable). One wall that Sarah puts up will be based around graphic prints, and all of the rugs, curtains, throw pillows, bangles, and dresses will be centered around that theme (though they are all made by different designers). I am totally crazy about this idea. It places consumer products in the most appealing setting possible, and breathes life into the staid practice of online shopping.

Besides the fact that her talent for presentation is unmatched, the items are generally pretty affordable and completely of the moment. She has one of the best style eyes in the business, and it's for that reason that when I'm pressed up against the wall, in need of inspiration, I pay a visit to her website.

Her talent hasn't gone unnoticed. Recently, Sarah was asked to curate a 30 ft wall at Selfridges London Concept Store, and has collaborated with such designers as Fred Butler, Patternity, Donna Wilson, Tatty Devine.

Forget bored looking models at Urban Outfitters and predictable presentations, and start spending your time and money on a site that authentically artistic and inspiring.

My New Favorite Thing: Alexis Bittar Lookbook

2011-08-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

I went totally crazy for Alexis Bittar's Miss Haversham collection last year, but he just trumped himself with the zaniest lookbook collection of awesomeness I've ever seen (and I write about lookbooks as part of my job, so I've seen a lot of dang lookbooks).

Presenting, a few snaps of graphic, morbid brilliance:

That's not even all of the pictures. Go to Alexis Bittar's FB page for the full set

High Fashion Girl & Collected Thread Giveaway!

2011-08-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

If you frequent this blog, you've probably noticed that I go on and on about the Plaza District in Oklahoma City. This quirky little arts district boasts some of the best shops in the 405, and I am forever trying to lure big box patrons away from the retail giants, the malls, and Nichols Hills. One of my favorite places to visit is Collected Thread, owned by the utterly adorable and totally loveable Linday Zodrow, and guarded by the ferociously cute Sargeant:

Besides the fact that Lindsay is lovely human being, and a business-minded inspiration to young entrepreneurs, she has the keen eye of a true creative. Her store is decorated with whimsical spools of thread, a knitted branch, and other unique displays that Lindsay created herself. She's also the craftiest lady I know (and by "craftiest" I mean she's good at crafts, not like she's into Wiccan, black lipstick and playing Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board). Lindsay has also been gracious enough to indulge me by allowing me to teach classes over fashion and blogging at her store on the weekends.

Lindsay posing with a sample from Collected Thread's

popular line of Local is for Lovers tee

(Photo courtesy of Candi Coffman McKinney)

Recently, Collected Thread announced their biggest event ever, called Collected 3 in celebration of THREE YEARS in business!

COLLECTED THREE DETAILS:

Collected Thread's Three-Year Anniversary party will be September 9th and 10th. They will be giving away t-shirts, totes and gift baskets full of Collected Thread goodies. They will also have free cupcakes from Cuppies & Joe. Cafe Evoke will be catering delicious coffee on Saturday. Lindsay has chosen to name the event "Collect 3" because for every purchase of 3 or more items, 20% of that sale will go to the Plaza District. Last, but not least, they will be showcasing a huge yarn installation outside.

Free cupcakes? Free coffee? 20% of your purchase helps the Plaza District? Yarn art? Sounds like your weekend is PLANNED. (right?)

To sweeten the pot, Lindsay and I have teamed up for an awesome giveaway. High Fashion Girl readers have a chance to win the super amazing Fashion A to Z: An Illustrated Dictionary which also happens to be my personal favorite fashion dictionary.

How do you win this super prize? It's easy.

1) Leave a comment on this blog post - it counts as your initial entry.
2) "Like" Collected Thread on Facebook.
3) Follow Collected Thread on Twitter.
4) Tweet about the Collected 3 event @CollectedThread
5) Write a Facebook post about Collected 3 @Collected Thread.

That's it! Each subsequent action beyond leaving the initial comment here earns you additional points in the contest. Winner will be selected at random after tallying all points and entries. The more you do, the likelier it is that you'll win!

The contest closes on September 9th. Enter now! Win a prize! Support local!

Style High Fashion Girl for Fashion Week and Win!

2011-08-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm going to fashion week! Hoo boy! New York Fashion Week is just around the bend, and I'm jetting straight to London Fashion Week when NY wraps. I'll be traveling the majority of September, and I'm lying if I try to put on my professional face and tell you I'm not freaking out about this at all. I totally am. I'm covering the runways for Savoir Flair, whom I write for regularly. They're the awesome people who are sending me to fashion week. This means, however, that I'll be working the entire time I'm gone with lightning fast turn around times on my many runway reviews (in between the runway shows, the parties, the store openings and the interviews!). Couple this with the chaos of fashion week and travel, and you can see why I'm a tiny bit stressed out.

Here's how YOU can help! You can style me for fashion week(s)! I believe in reciprocity, so I'm not asking you to help me for free. Oh no, I'm holding a super special contest with three awesome prizes: A vintage powder blue shoulder bag, a vintage red locket necklace, and a retro houndstooth print scarf. The lucky winner gets all three items as a THANK YOU for helping style High Fashion Girl.

THE PRIZES WHAT ARE AWESOME:

Here's how you enter:

Create an outfit on Polyvore and submit it. Post a link to the set in the comments section. This counts as your initial entry into the contest.

Earn additional points:

Follow me on Twitter.
"Like" me on Facebook
You can also tweet about the contest @graceisfashion, or FB about the contest @High Fashion Girl Blog for more points.

The contest closes at midnight (CST) on September 1st. Once I close the contest, I will load all of your awesome sets onto my High Fashion Girl blog for the world to see, and announce my favorite set! The winner will be contacted by me via email. Reminder: those who earn more points via additional contest participation (tweeting, facebooking, etc.), will be moved to the top of my queue. :) Hard work pays off, ladies and gents.

Please keep in mind that I'm dressing for fall fashion, so you'll get additional style points for incorporating the major fall trends into the style set you can create. Since there is a good chance I will actually BUY the stuff you style for me, I would be ever so grateful if you kept that in mind and styled items in your set under $100.

ALSO: there is no limit to the amount of Polyvore sets you can make and enter into this contest. Happy styling!

Fast Fashion vs. Slow Fashion - Favor the Tortoise

2011-08-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

The black & white striped dress on the right costs $4.95 at H&M

In the mythology of slow vs. fast, slow always wins. Think about the tortoise. His perseverance won out over the rabbit's hastiness and poor judgment. Frankly, I think all of the media hype over the fast-paced nature of our daily lives is too predictable and not at all accurate. My internet is slower than it used to be, lines are longer, traffic is worse, Netflix takes forever to load. Yeah, these are the minor inconveniences of modern conveniences, but at the same time, the pace of my life is pretty much like it always is. I don't need or want things to speed up. Which brings me to this question: Why am I gobbling up fast fashion? What does it bring to my life?

If you're lost on what fast fashion is, I'll give you a quick (ha!) summation. Fast fashion is cheap, disposable and trendy. Think Target, H&M, Zara, Mango, Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, Old Navy, etc. None of that stuff is built to last, and most of it falls apart after 10 (or even less) cycles in the laundry. What you're buying is a cheap convenience that allows you to stay on-trend, but there are wicked bad drawbacks to indulging constantly in "Fast Fashion."

Fast fashion drawbacks:

1) It's not high quality. Say you buy a shirt for $15. You wear it 8 or 9 times before the seams start coming undone, or holes develop in the underarms. Since you paid little for it, you feel like you got your money's worth and toss it.

2) If you apply a cost/benefit analysis to the problem, you will quickly realize that fast fashion is actually more expensive in the long run. Operating on the same scenario as mentioned before, think about this: You tossed the disposable $15 frock. Having created a loss in your wardrobe, you buy another similar shirt in the same price rage. You end up buying the same type of shirt several times in one year. You could have purchased a high-quality shirt for 5 times the original amount and gotten substantially more use out of it.

3) Fast fashion items are all replications of runway trends and styles. Supporting fast fashion means supporting the imitation and ripping-off of creative innovations. However, the other side to this coin is that most top designers steal ideas from one another. Everyone steals from everyone in the fashion industry because there are no copyright laws that protect designer's ideas/designs. The only form of intellectual property protection a designer has is trademark protection, and that just means their brand name is protected. No one can use the Gucci name on a non-Gucci product.

* However, many see this "problem" as a good thing. Fast fashion which is quickly manufactured, produced and sold around the world means that the turn-around on ideas must be much quicker. This basically forces creativity (nice people say it "accelerates creativity"). Kind of insane, but also an interesting factor to consider.

When I think about this, I can't help but think of Prada, who occasionally baffles her fans by producing intentionally "banal" collections that no one wants to rip off (and, contrarily, no one wants to wear), affording her some very interesting commentary on the current state of the ability of fast fashion retail giants to replicate looks and sell them at a fraction of the cost. The turn around time on this replication is startling. Some retail giants can get an item in stores in as little as 12 days.

4) Fast fashion can have devastating effects on the environment. Beyond your junk clothes finding their way to a landfill, it takes a lot of natural resources to produce shitty clothes in a matter of days. These demands on natural resources place a huge strain on the environment. Furthermore, many ethical questions are raised as to the conditions of factories where workers are demanded to produce an extreme amount of output in a short period of time. For pennies a day. Thinking about where your clothing comes means taking into consideration more than just the location you purchased it from. Where did the materials come from? Does the factory where it was produced maintain diligent environmental protection standards? Do the workers at the factory make a living wage? What are conditions like?

When clothes are so cheap, it should raise some of these questions. Most consumers don't like seeing how their sausage is made, though. That's why fast fashion is on the rise, rather than on the decline.

5) It creates a "race to the bottom" as Howard Brown of Stewart+Brown so aptly puts it. In this article on Ecouterre, Brown declares the type of tactics employed by retail giants like H&M as an arms race, where the H&M squeezes "the stakeholders in their supply chain to pull this off." Brown goes further to add, “Their copycat competitors will do the same. If this trend has any staying power then we might as well kiss the American apparel manufacturing sector, and those hundred thousand or so jobs that are still left, goodbye.”

It pains me to write this, because I have convinced myself that fashion fashion giants are the only kind of clothes I can afford (and god, do I love H&M), but this is a marketing ploy and a lie. I've bought into it just like everyone else.

So, here's my strategy to the alternative. Favor the tortoise. Buy quality all the time, from here on out. And if it's not feasible to get a Burberry trench that will last you the rest of your life instead of an Old Navy trench that will last you the rest of the month, then turn to these pointers instead.

Tips to slow down your wardrobe: 

1) Repair your own clothes.

2) If you don't have basic sewing skills, then ask stores about repair services (If you want to acquire basic sewing and clothing repair skills quickly, I highly recommend this book Sew U

3) Conduct a clothing/accessories swap with your friends.

4) Purchase a majority of your wardrobe secondhand at thrift stores, consignment stores, antique stores. Make this a budget priority. If you find a MUST HAVE trendy item, remember that trends cycle and that it is likely that you'll find a cool, unique retro version of the same thing at a vintage store, antique store, estate sale, etc. It takes more hunting and more patience, but you end up with something that no one else will have, and it'll still be cheap! Hello, does this not solve every problem?

5) Embrace the DIY ethos. Make it yourself. Make your own jewelry, clothing, lipgloss, etc. Do you have internet access? That'll getcha stared.

6) Give back! If you want to make a big purchase, donate items from your existing wardrobe of equal or greater value for each new item you purchase. Charities that help women in need of professional attire to help them find jobs are a great place to donate your clothes!

7) Dye your clothes to breathe new life into them.

8) Take better care of your clothes in the first place. That means actually following cleaning instructions, and hanging most things to dry instead of putting them in a dryer which is really hard on your clothes.

9) Shop handmade on Etsy.

10) Shop locally!

Final Slow Fashion Exercise in buying quality over quantity:

Add up how much you've spent on clothes in the last 6 months. Realize the many high-end items you could have purchased instead that would last you a lifetime. How quickly have you exhausted the cheap items you bought? You can rely on fast fashion for flash-in-the-pan trends, but not for basics or classics. Stop compromising and start building your wardrobe around quality, sustainable, classic pieces.

Allow yourself to buy "fast fashion" if you want to incorporate a trendy piece, but lay a very solid foundation of quality basics, classic pieces, vintage pieces, and handmade or DIY pieces. This ensures you will get the most satisfaction out of your wardrobe possible.

Please buy me this Terry Richardson doll.

2011-08-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Best photo campaign I've seen in a while. Shot by everyone's favorite Denizen of Depravity, Terry Richardson, the new David Webb campaign features tongue-in-cheek humor and seriously awesome jewelry:

Eniko Mihalik for David Webb Fall 2011 Campaign

Behind-the-scenes Making Of Video:

Electric Twist - A Fine Frenzy

2011-07-26T15:22:00.001-07:00

How does it feel to be the most adorable person in the entire world? Alison Sudol knows the answer to that question:

Ladies Who Are Awesome. This post brought to you by boredom™

2011-07-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Bored? Check out these amazing ladies. They complete me.

Meredith Kachel.

Comedian, illustrator, animated filmmaker. Hilarious. I like to think we would be best friends if we ever got to hang out.

Sarah Haskins

Comedian, social commentator. Her series, Target Women, exposes the appalling marketing strategies behind advertisements targeted at women in a very funny, but still illuminating way.

Susanna Lee (aka Lucky Deluxe)

Female comedian who does relationship related comedy that doesn't suck.

Jenna Marbles

You may know her from her video that went viral How to Trick People Into Thinking You're Really Good Looking. Jenna Marbles has become a youtube sensation, and her videos are really funny and sardonic. My favorite one is this one:

The Bloggess.

I love reading her writing. The Bloggess is super funny, and if you haven't heard of her before, it's time to get to know this lady. Why I will never look at a big metal chicken the same way ever again:

And that's why you should learn to pick your battles

Allie Brosh / Hyperbole and a Half

I think Hyperbole and a Half has finally surpassed that Oatmeal guy in internet fame. That guy stopped being funny about 10 posts in, but Brosh manages to come up with fresh material and hilarious illustrations on the regular.

Sister Wolf

Far and away the funniest fashion blogger out there, Sister Wolf is irreverent, brilliant and brutally honest. Her posts really resonate with me, and she has an amazing wit that keeps me checking back for new content daily.

Kate Beaton of Hark, a vagrant

Kate Beaton is so awesome that it makes me feel bad about myself because I know I'll never be more awesome than her. I love the way her mind works, and she has just about the best webcomic out there right now.

Garfunkel & Oates

Garfunkel & Oates are an adorable comedic singing duo - like the female version of Flight of the Conchords. They have so many funny videos, it's hard to pick a favorite, but if you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose, it'd have to be this one:

Julie Klausner

Comedian Julie Klausner penned a hilarious book entitled I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, and Other Guys I've Dated. This smart memoir will make you laugh out loud. I am so jealous of her ability to turn a phrase. She's totally brilliant, and incredibly talented.

Dorothy Gambrell of Cat & Girl

Gambrell writes a smart web comic that oftens leaves me with my head in my hands. She slices through the bullshit of consumerism, capitalism, and the constructs of our modern society with a gloomy, but darkly funny take. A few of my favorites:

Peak Nostalgia Production

Grace

This Postmodern World

Megan Amram

The first time I read a Megan Amram post I hooted with laughter. Thankfully, no one else was around except my cats, and they're pretty used to my weirdness. Her writing is laugh-out-loud funny and ticks all the right pop culture reference boxes.

What I Imagine "Game of Thrones" is like Based on Never Having Seen An Episode Of “Game Of Thrones” & Only Hearing My Friends Talk About It

Black and White and Cool All Over

2011-07-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

I thought long and hard about the perfect summer outfit to beat this streak of critical 100+ heat Oklahoma has been having. Here's what I decided: You need a lightweight t-shirt dress, a ridiculously oversized Kentucky derby hat, and I think punching up this basic look with a few graphic accessories is what will take it from "cool" to "hip" pretty quickly. Sandals and a woven tote complete the ensemble.

I also recommend cooling down with some awesome Clarins Hydraquench gel on your sweaty face. Don't forget the SPF. So, after much deliberation, I present to you my fool-proof, heat-proof, sweat-proof (okay, probably not sweat proof, but nearly) perfect summer outfit:

T by Alexander Wang short dress
$86 - boutique1.com

Swimwear
$45 - neimanmarcus.com

Dorothy Perkins white leather shoes
£25 - dorothyperkins.com

Beach tote bag
$50 - dsw.com

ASOS bangle bracelet
$34 - asos.com

DAY Birger et Mikkelsen beaded necklace
$65 - 25park.com

Kokin summer hat
£145 - julesb.co.uk

Vans retro sunglasses
$12 - swell.com

Clarins HydraQuench Cream SPF 15 1.7 oz
$49 - sephora.com

Fashion in the 405

2011-07-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

My initial frustration with Oklahoma City - there aren't a lot of great places to shop - has actually become one of the things I like most about it. We don't have an Urban or an Anthropologie, a Neiman Marcus or a Marc Jacobs. As much as we'd love an H&M or an Opening Ceremony, they simple don't exist here, and probably won't for a long time (or ever). This forces us to be more creative, and to think outside the box. Oklahoma is starting to become a much more fashionable state, and Oklahoma City is the epicenter of a fashion movement that is thrilling to witness.

We have a crop of talent that make it possible to buy cool clothes locally. I'm starting a segment here to feature all of the wonderful clothing, accessories and shoe designers that live, love and create locally. From vintage clothes to high-end designer apparel - I'm going to showcase everyone that I know and love (so feel free to drop me a line with suggestions).

This first segment is dedicated to the hippest hipster-apparel lines in the 405. If you're young and you want to wear cool clothes, you shop at these places (and if you aren't local, I'm providing links and shopping information for each of these brands so you can buy them online, believe me, you'll want to).

WARPAINT

People travel from all over the country to get a slice of a Warpaint Clothing. The owners of Warpaint, Travis & Derek, keep their fingers on the pulse of fashion and are always just slightly ahead of the curve. Their clothes features macabre images, Native-American inspired graphics, and rock n' roll prints - all manually screenprinted onto soft, loose t-shirts. They also carry wicked jewelry and vintage clothes in their store. Warpaint is located in the Plaza District, but you can also order online.

CADILLAC COWBOY

The prints on these tees and tanks come from photos taken by the screenprinter, Chad Odom. Cadillac Cowboy hits the nail on the head: spiders, skulls, and graffiti prints on sexy tees.

HEADRESSES HANDCRAFTED GOODS

Headdresses is run by the adorable duo Jake Scott and Jacob Peregrin. They favor simple, straightforward Native-American inspired prints on soft Alternative Apparel tees. They also carry scarves, jewelry, among various other and sundry things. Everything from Headdresses is handmade and their materials are all environmentally friendly and sweatshop-free. You can pick up their stuff at Blue 7 in Oklahoma City and Stash in Norman.

TREE AND LEAF

Tree and Leaf is an apparel and screenprinting shop that just relocated to an awesome new space (their Grand opening is July 30th). This makes it sound like they're brand new, but they've been around since 2005 and have established a loyal following among the youth set in the 405. They offer super soft tees and hoodies with Oklahoma-oriented designs. You can order their stuff online, or if you're local they'll be carrying their complete line in-store which is opening on July 30th.

BOMBS AWAY

Bombs Away is a popular local favorite, offering Oklahoma themed prints that speak of a deep love of native roots and local flavor. Bombs Away is owned and operated by Dustin Oswald, an accomplished local artist. You can buy Bombs Away in his Online Store, at Blue 7 and DNA Galleries in Oklahoma City, and at The Rage in Ardmore.

Catching up with Highfashiongirl

2011-07-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

I've been writing a lot. If you want to catch up on all my latest writing, visit these websites:

* Savoir Flair

* Okc.net

* The Mustard Mixy Film and Music Blog

* The Mustard Mixy Tumblr

Also, if you're local, you might want to take the Fashion Class I'm teaching this weekend at Collected Thread. Only $35 for the 2-hour class.

Daphne Guinness: Mad Genius

2011-07-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

"Daphne Guinness. Daphne Guinness? Why do I know that name?" My brain was asking this question when I woke up this morning, and the fates aligned later in the day to put the answer squarely in front of me. I stumbled across an article about Guinness's latest art installation/fashion event/wake (or whatever you want to call it) on Women's Wear Daily and then the latent stored information I was searching for earlier came back to me in a rush. Daphne Guinness is an heiress, an iconoclast, a gadfly, an artist, a style goddess and one of those real-life wacky characters that seems too good to be true. I had started writing about her a few years ago after seeing her insanely innovative fashion spread in the July 2005 issue of Vogue.

Guinness has just about every quality I like in my style muses: she's original, she's sincere, and she's inspirational. Count on her to not only think outside the box, but to reinvent the box into a dodecahedron. Guinness is a well-known fashion icon, garnering wider public attention after she purchased Isabella Blow's entire collection minutes before it went up for auction at Christie's (and is consequently owner of Alexander McQueen's very first collection, as it was Blow who discovered him at his graduation from Parsons and purchased his entire graduate collection on the spot).

Beyond her fashion status, and her cadre of close famous friends like David LaChappelle, Tom Ford, and Derek Blaseberg, Guinness is a photography lover and avid art collector. Yet, something that sets this fantastically wealthy heiress apart from other collectors is a singular rare quality: she buys art because she likes it, not because of its value. In short, she deeply appreciates the creative and has a keen eye for it herself.

I like to think of her as one of the (many) trailblazers for Lady Gaga. Yet, Guinness's avant-garde sense of style is all her own, done for no one but herself. I have a lot of respect for this, and feel that this makes her an even more inspiring fashion figurehead.

Guinness's latest art experiment revolves around her obsession with armour. In 2006, she commissioned her friend (and famed designer) Shaun Leane to make a gold and diamond arm glove. This exquisite piece, entitled Contra Mundum (or Against The World), is considered to be one of the most technologically advanced pieces in the world worth an estimated $1.76 million dollars. The design of the Contra Mundum eventually evolved into a collaboration between Guinness and Leane, and has finally reached completion. On July 1, 2011, Guinness debuted the much-anticipated piece at a sort of funeral wake. Posing prostrate in an Alexander McQueen bodysuit, Guinness lay motionless under a veil, with the armored glove featured prominently.

I love the gothic theatrics of the display, and I love the glove. Daphne Guinness may be a teensy bit mental, but in the kind of nonplussed way that I've come to respect in those that seem to inhabit an entirely other creative realm than the rest of declasse artists I come across in my quest for originality.

We are Nowhere and It's Now

2011-07-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

[This post contains NSFW images]

Aoi Kotsuhiroi isn't simply an accessories maker, she's an artist/poet, and the distinction is clear. Jewelry is worn for self-adornment, as a status symbol, and to enhance wardrobes, but Kotsuhiroi's pieces are so startling and subversive that they inhabit a totally different realm altogether. The first time I saw a Kotsuhiroi collection, all I could do was wordlessly gawk. The softly lit photography of her online lookbook lends an unsettling air to her line of maniacal, bondage-themed shoes, cuffs, bags, and...muzzles? Set out in three chapters [ 1) Dawn Ritual, 2) Colorless Murder & Silent Wolf, and 3) Scar of Memories & Naked Solitude], Exotic Regrets unfolds a disturbing story of cult behavior, BDSM, and terror. Yet, each piece in the collection is exquisitely handcrafted and otherworldly. Kotsuhiroi's vision extends beyond the commercial into captivating storytelling with a flair for the morbid.

The Silent Wolf portion of her line is haunted by three stanzas:

I thought I was a wolf...
but the owls are hooting
and I’m afraid of the dark....

I thought I was a wolf
but I’m so hungry
I’m tired from just standing...

I am a wolf
I go to many places
I’m just tired of that one...

While the bound feet in her shoe (I'm sorry, I mean, "feet objects") collection are epigraphed by this quote:

"I only tie up a woman's body because I know I cannot tie up her heart. Only her physical parts can be tied up. Tying up a woman becomes an embrace." - Nobuyoshi Araki

Spooky.

This designer likes to experiment, her collection of gemstone rings woven with human hair as a tribute to Victorian mementos is proof. She is a shadow-watcher, "I examine the shadows and their manner of speaking," and whispers from ghostly corners of the room, "I am born nowhere. I live here, I embroider the moment that layer after layer becomes stratified as a geology of emotion. Many things are connected and inseparable. Our memory...our now..." When I read her words ("In the middle of nowhere, nothing separates"), I get the feeling that she's not even real.

Her Nowhere collection contrasts ethereal nudes with harsh, talon-like cuffs and rings, while ominous phrases float underneath as captions, phrases like "It takes me several nights of dream, several days of rain, weeks of drying between the rain and the dream..." and "Still think about all those unnecessary things that you said."

Her obtuse responses to interview questions, her shamanic outlook, her bizarre musings, and her powerful vision have branded her upon my brain. I saw Exotic Regrets a few months ago and haven't stopped thinking about it. The disturbing quality to the images and pieces acted as a magnet. I want to own everything in her collection, but what would I wear it with? I feel like her funereal, sadomasochistic creations either belong on a craven spirit from the past, or in a museum of the macabre.

Fashion and Music Fusion

2011-05-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my reader and dear friend, Ted P., for alerting me to this awesome band. Check out Justice's music video for their single D.A.N.C.E. and revel in the brilliant combination of fashion and music:

Ksubi Kolors Lookbook

2011-05-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

I write about and review a lot of high-fashion Lookbooks, from the fashion industry's top brands. Video lookbooks inhabit a strange realm in my mind. They are usually incredibly beautiful, artfully shot, and expensively turned out. Sometimes, the cinematography is a real treat to my eyes, especially when they're shot with a loose plot, like a short film. But, they're still advertisements. They're still constructed to trigger that "want" center deep in your brain. I'm not really a big fan of adverts or commercialism, which makes me kind of a weird outlier in this industry.

However, I recently encountered and reviewed a Lookbook that didn't so much make me want the product as it made me wish I had been raised by wolves or something. The lookbook captured this really wild, unhinged feeling that made me feel rather exhilarated. In it, three models face down wheel-smoking, 80s muscle cars that are quite emphatically gunning for them. Watch them leap the cars in a single bound, set to an operatic soundtrack, all in slow motion with really gorgeous color composition to boot. This is the most badass Lookbook I've seen all season:

Ksubi - Kolors (MASTER GRADED) from For-Tomorrow-TV on Vimeo.

McQueen: Savage Beauty

2011-05-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

I can't write about Alexander McQueen.

I have been trying to form the right words for over a year now, but they get caught in the lump in my throat. My frozen hands hover at my keyboard because trying to distill my feelings into sentences is a Sisyphean task. Case in point: I just spent an hour trying to convey how I feel about McQueen, his death, his art, and his legacy, into an introduction to this piece, but what I ended up with was something so raw and personal that it was painful to re-read it. Definitely not something I am willing to let the world-at-large see. This was but one of many attempts to discuss something that is very important to me, but I see now that it is also intricately enmeshed with my emotions and my limitations more than I was willing to admit before.

Instead, this confession of failure will serve as the intro to my blog post about the McQueen exhibit which opens today at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City (runs until July 31st). I am flying out to NYC in June to see it with my own eyes. My trip isn't some indulgent whimsy, but more akin to a hajj. Like I said, this matter is deeply personal.

Here are a few sneak peek photos of the exhibit:

Since I don't do well with failure, especially the failure to write, I am going to attempt this subject again soon. Gotta get brave first.

The Buffalo Lounge at Norman Music Festival Pics, Part Two

2011-04-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Byron of Rats Rats Rats and his girlfriend Natasha

Alan the Art Historian rocking a truly great shirt

Alex Larrea of DEERPEOPLE and Kite Flying Robot

Alex Larrea (he's on here twice because he's in two bands) & Kyle Mayfield (but, by the same logic, Kyle should be pictured five times because he's in FIVE bands)

Riley Jantzen of Riley Jantzen and The Spirits and Charles Whetstone of The Boom Bang

Comedian, Musician (in The Nghiems, Writer and Owner of comedy label Robot Saves City, James Nghiem

The Brother and Sister-in-Law of The Lost Ogle (purposefully not pictured, but I had a great time talking to him.) Love the photobomb on this pic.

Norman Music Festival Pictures, Part One

2011-04-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

Best Outfit at Norman Music Festival

Waiting to get into The Buffalo Lounge (we're popular!)

Tired cuties

Kite Flying Robot

Dancing Kids outside The Opolis

Who Are These People?

2011-04-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Peelander-Z hanging out at The Buffalo Lounge at Norman Music Festival. These guys are awwwwwwwesome.

Live Blogging The Buffalo Lounge

2011-04-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Buffalo Lounge at Norman Music Festival is filling up with people, and I am sitting on a raised platform kind of feeling like I am about to expose some big secrets: namely, what it actually looks like when I create a blog post. This is the gritty underbelly of the whole trade. I have a mirror display on a television behind me that shows everything I type, even the mistakes (backspace, backspace, backspace). I promise I spell better than this, it's just that I'm a little self-conscious (oh, and I'm wearing a lot of rings).

The reader not in attendance at the actual Lounge may be wondering what the hell I'm talking about and this weird neo-gonzo journalism may seem a little off-putting. The Buffalo Lounge was conceived by the Oklahoma Film & Music Office a few short years ago and has morphed into a year round event. The "Buffalo" travels from music venue to festival showcasing the best in Oklahoma film and music talent. Our recent adventure on 6th Street at SXSW was a massive success and spurned a wave of media interest. This is the reason we've decided to keep going with it, and why we're making an appearance at the fourth annual Norman Music Festival - a three day music festivsl in Norman, Oklahoma (Home of the Boomer Sooners). This year's headlining band is The Walkmen, but there are hundreds of featured act - most of them local (and awesome).

We are hosting a VIP lounge at the festival, sponsored by Red Bull with catered food by Eat At Local and hosted at FIVE - an insane event space owned by the Idea Collective. They have blown out this space to epic proportions, it's not like anything I've seen in Oklahoma so far. In fact, every time I come here I feel like I'm hanging out in an artist loft in New York City.

So, I wrote most of the above as a distraction from the fact that people are taking videos of me and pictures and the fact that everything I'm writing is showing up directly behind me on a large flat screen TV. Surprisingly, I have managed to make it this far on no libations, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a beer or two here in a minute.

If you're local and you decide to stop by the space, I'm the lady in a pink wig. Come say hi. For all other readers, I hope this blogging experiment has given you a small taste of what my world currently looks like.

Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars

2011-04-28T10:52:00.001-07:00

Les Sapeurs of the Congo

2011-04-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

I remember vividly back in 2003 when I came across a news piece on the wire that read "War in Congo has ended." What war in the Congo? I do not believe the nationalist perspective that America sits in contained ignorance while the rest of the world is at war with itself (especially since my view is that much of the world's war and atrocity rests /in many cases/ with things that America has started and/or interfered in), so I was genuinely surprised to learn about the political unrest in the Congo. Given the fact that it is considered the largest modern war in Africa's history, involving more than 8 African nations, I was even more surprised to be hearing about the end of a war that never seemed to have had a beginning (as far as media reporting and coverage was concerned).

This may read a little like a Wikipedia article, but bear with me. In August 1998, war broke out in the Congo (officially The Second War, or the Colton War) due to three factors 1) Deeply rooted government corruption (reading about the war is kind of a litany of who overthrew who), 2) Racial related conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes (same causual relation as the war in Rwanda), and 3) Trade in conflict minerals. The racial tensions were the worst, and fed the flame of the war for over a decade. Even after the war "officially" ended in 2003, fighting continued well into 2008. An estimated 5.4 million people in the region died/were murdered. This is a staggering figure, a little less than what is statistically attributed to the amount of Jewish deaths Hitler was responsible for. When confronted with figures so large, I can barely grasp the concept. Like Camus said in Neither Victims, Nor Executioners, "[we] are unable to really imagine other people's deaths. It is a freak of the times." You're right, Albert, I can't. Not on this scale."Freak of the times" doesn't even begin to cover it.

The country is still in a fragile state: human rights abuses abound, hundreds die per day from easily preventable diseases and malnutrition, the threat at the Rwandan border still exists, there is still ethnic Hutu/Tutsi violence, rape has been weaponized for horrific purposes of power and control, the environment has reached critical mass after years of war and poor treatment has devastated natural resources, and the Ituri conflict escalates.

In a nation beset by corruption, famine, power struggles, racial conflict and suffering, a fashion zeitgeist has taken hold. This seems a strange Phoenix to rise from the ashes of poverty and war, but the more I research it, the more it begins to make sense.

The movement is called Les Sapeurs of the Congo, with the root word "sape" being taken from the French slang for "dressing with class." Their official society title is La Société des Ambianceurs et Persons Élégants, or "The Society for the Advancement of People of Elegance." You can parse it down even further by calling it simply, as its members do, La Sape or Sapes. Befittingly, the movement really started back in 1922 (dandys, jazz, zoot suits, and flappers come immediately to mind by way of the distant fuzzy film images of 1920s dance halls) by "Grand Sapeur" G. A. Matsoua. A book written on the subject, Gentlemen of Bacongo, describes the movement as such:

In 1922, G. A. Matsoua was the first-ever Congolese to return from Paris fully clad as an authentic French gentleman, which caused great uproar and much admiration amongst his fellow countrymen. He was the first Grand Sapeur. The Sapeurs today belong to 'Le SAPE' (Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes) - one of the world's most exclusive clubs. Members have their own code of honour, codes of professional conduct and strict notions of morality. It is a world within a world within a city. Respected and admired in their communities, today's sapeurs see themselves as artists. Each one has his own repertoire of gestures that distinguishes him from the others.

In the 20's in France, dandyism was dwindling, but still very much a prominent style of dress. Dandyism, roughly defined by someone who has seen every episode of Jeeves & Wooster and has read a lot of Oscar Wilde, is something like a man who approaches aesthetics like a religion, and who participates in gentlemanly behavior and leisurely activities. A dandy doesn't brawl, but he doesn't do too much thinking either. He just has a good time, and is usually an affable, vain chap who ultimately comes out in the history pages as a caricature of a Narcissistic social climber.

[Dandy dress saw a massive resurgence in Europe only a few short decades later in the 60's - I'm thinking here of Malcolm McLaren and Fred Vermorel running around London in bummers and vests and a haughty demeanor - but I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be ironic the way hipsters dress "ironically" today. See also: Malcolm McDowell as Alex in A Clockwork Orange (dandy dress minus the manners), and Brian Slade's attire before he turned into Maxwell Demon in Velvet Goldmine].

Matsoua emerged from the streets of France with a really brave new look, and took this look back to the Congo. It caught on there like wildfire. Like the quote said, it caused uproar, but overridingly, it caused admiration from his fellow countrymen. Here's a guy that isn't dressing like anyone else. You know those people, the ones who walk through crowds with the confidence that they have a look that is wholly unique, and you know how bad you want to look just like they do. So, the movement had some of that coveting and envy going on as catalyst and impetus, but it went further than surface appearances. Congo, even then, was not a free and easy society, as it was ruled, not by the Congolese people, but by the Belgian government.

I can't find much on the Sape movement between the 20s and the 70s, but the 70s saw a massive surge in the amount of Sapes in the Congo. This is due to the peristent promotion of the movement by pioneer rumba musician, Papa Wemba. This guy strikes me as a pretty cool cat. While he became the leader of the Sapes and ruled pretty much with an iron fist, he also seems like he was involved in a lot of political agitation. In 2003, he was arrested for smuggling hundreds of illegal immigrants out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, reportedly to give them a better life in a safer place. Pretty admirable stuff for a guy who's being classified as a knock-off Victorian dandy.

Back to the 1970s Papa Wemba figure for a minute. The Democratic Republic of Congo, finally under its own rule, didn't offer its people much better government rule than the oppressive European regimes it had been dealing with for the last several decades. In fact, as soon as Mobutu Sese Seko got into power, he banned Western styles of dress. Immediately, Papa Wemba, in defiance of the ban, brings back La Sape code and style. His reactionary politics, rather than provoking the government, inspired multitudes.

Papa Wemba even went so far as to establish a Sape village where Sapeur code was strictly enforced and adhered to by Sape members. You may be wondering what exactly the Sape code is:

1. A Congolese Sapeur is a happy man even if he does not eat, because wearing proper clothes feeds the soul and gives pleasure to the body.
2. A real Sapeur needs to be cultivated and speak fluently, but also have a solid moral ethic: that means beyond the appearance and vanity of smart, expensive clothing there is the moral nobility of the individual.
3. When the Sapeur expresses himself through the harmony of his clothes, he is returning his admiration to God.
4. A Sapeur does not shed blood. Your clothes do all the fighting for you, otherwise you are not fit to be called a Sapeur.

What I find most alluring about their beliefs is the line, "he is returning his admiration to God." I've long been working on a fashion book, and I am pretty keen on one chapter where I go into how fashion (as garment, not as trend) is, in many religions, directly relational to spirituality. In the Garden of Eden, Adam & Eve cloaked their naked bodies in animal skins in an attempt to forgive their humanness to the Divine. Clothing is a way of becoming more than our base selves. Look at the gaudy garments of the Pope and of priestly garb, look at the saffron robes of the Buddhists, and the ceremonial Upanayana dress of the Hindus. This touches on something pretty deeply connected to human spirituality which I see without fully understanding. The way we choose to create our appearance in the presence of others contains within in it a touch of the Divine. Les Sapeurs have taken this concept and applied it to their lives in a beautifully self-reflective way. They adorn their bodies, not only to appear beautiful, but to appear worthy.

There is a predilection in the coverage of this topic for writers and journalists and documentarians to write off this movement as something vain or whimsical; or to approach it in sort of an exploitative nature, the way the media typically does when presented with some distantly cool and difficult to understand. These guys like to be elegant, they say reductively, "gentlemen pimps" they call them, or else label Les Sapeurs a bizarre gang or a cult of clothing. Yet, their surface appearance is a symbol for something greater, a striving for a goal, a coping tool.

What is startling about images of Les Sapeurs is not their refined and beautiful dress, it is the gritty juxtaposition of these sharp-looking men against a backdrop of garbage, poverty, and filth. This is where Coping comes into play, where this reactive, political movement becomes an act of turning inward. The community has codes, not so that everyone becomes homogenized, but that everyone can become safe and earn respect. They have created an insular, exclusive society not only for protection, but in pursuit of higher ideals. They're not asking us to compare them to the Paris runways, in fact, they don't care if we know about them at all. I like that it's not some big self-aggrandizing movement. I like that not one member of Les Sapeurs is ever going to read my blog about them. They're just doing it for themselves, for the sake of passion, for the sake of art, for the sake of being closer to God.

Les Sapeurs are artists, or at the very least, consider themselves to be artists. In art, there is creation, and what Les Sapeurs have created is a communal identity. Though I am loathe to pull from Michel Foucault, he makes an excellent point about aesthetics and the self. In his later works, Foucault claims that, "the present task for each and every one of us is to create ourselves as works of art." In Foucault's view, the self is social construction anyway, so why not invent oneself however one sees fit? Reminds me of pithy old Oscar Wilde: "One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art." The shaping of one's identity, being the artist of one's self, is an idea that is innate to the Sape movement.

In Orlando, Virginia Woolf states that clothes go beyond utilitarian uses for warmth or protection, "They change our view of the world and the world's view of us." Nothing so aptly sums up Les Sapeurs movement than this idea. Enduring through suffering and poverty and hostile living conditions with the attitude that the world will be a better place because of the beauty and art the individual self can imprint upon it is central to Les Sapeurs philosophy. This is self-conscious escapism with a purpose, and a striving for a better life through fashion, style and behavior. The Sapes feel good about themselves because of the way they look and the gentlemanly way they interact with the world and each other. And they should feel good about what they created, because what they created is damn astonishing.

All photos are by Daniele Tamagni, author of Gentlemen of Bancongo and are copyright their owner.

Style Inspiration: Tina Weymouth

2011-04-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

It's hard not to watch Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense without coming to the conclusion that Tina Weymouth was a totally bad ass lady. From her outfits to her energy to her extraordinary talent on the bass, she is the kind of female musician I'd most like to emulate. Okay, make that the second most because Patti Smith will forever top the list.

Tina Weymouth, one of the founding members of The Talking Heads, has that rare 80's style that translates well even today. You can't get away with copying a look from Cyndi Lauper at the height of her fame the way you can with Weymouth. She has those big Twiggy Eyes and a blunt cut hairdo that still looks awesome by modern standards. Plus, her outfits (especially the khaki dress, polka dot tights and boots she changes into halfway through Stop Making Sense - see video below) signify that the lady has got style.

Even though, famously, Lester Bangs once yelled at her inside CBGB one night for being a sellout, I'm still a fan of Tina. I'm pretty sure at that point in his career, Bangs thought everyone was pretty much a sellout.

Some outfit inspiration:

What I like about her fashion sense is that even in the era of big hair, garish makeup, and gaudy dress, she retains a singular look. She never appears to be trying too hard, and her onstage act is sincere, incredibly energetic and cute - it genuinely looks like she's having the time of her life. There's no maudlin posturing behind Weymouth's performances, and her casual, nearly tomboyish attire is a great compliment to her overall onstage persona.

Where I've Been: In Which I Pitch The Buffalo Lounge at SXSW

2011-03-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

Oh, god. Where have I been? I bet that's been your most pressing question for weeks now. Call off the private detectives. I'm here. I've been writing runway and fashion stuff pretty much every day since fashion week started and had little energy to put into the blog. That's going to change soon....after I get back from SXSW! I'm in Austin, TX at the moment for southby and I'm bragging just a little bit. All the cool kids are here, according to some unspecified source that tallies cool kids. I'm not one of them. I'm just a humble joe working this amazing event called The Buffalo Lounge which is being hosted by the Oklahoma Film and Music Office.

Here's the deal: Oklahoma is cool. I mean, it's wicked cool. I mean, I'm giving up moving to really awesome international locations to write about fashion all up close and personal (well, I'm still doing that remotely, but still), just so I can stay here. I never thought I'd choose this, but man, let me tell you, Oklahoma is awesome. The art, music and film scene here is exploding with creativity and we're on the cusp of something BIG. The Buffalo Lounge is but a microcosm of Oklahoma's immense potential, but it's totally the coolest thing Oklahoma has EVER attempted outside of our home state. Basically, The Buffalo Lounge is a 4-day event ON 6th street in Austin during SXSW ( a string of words that mean something to a lot of you ) that aims to prove what Oklahoma is made of. We're down here, staking our claim - invading, if you will - and we've got a lot to prove.

My role in all of this is as a glorified press secretary/liaison for the bands playing the event. I'm also doubling as a venue gopher, twitter campaigner, chauffeur, photo taker, hand shaker, baby kisser, facebook updater, palm greaser, and all around busy lady.

It all starts tomorrow (TOMORROW!), at 3pm at Friend's Bar on 6th street. First up, from 3-6pm is the The Oklahoma Film Party also known as the Red Dirt Reel. This is for Buffalo Lounge sponsors that are here to represent their companies in support of the Oklahoma Film Industry (Case in Point: Terrence Malick just filmed two movies here. So did Famke Janssen. We're awesome. Get over it!). After the Red Dirt Reel is our OpenBeta 6 from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m hosted by blogger Becky McCray of Small Business Survival. This will include lightning talks and panels and mingling and networking and elbow rubbing with industry insiders.

Music stuff starts Tuesday with the Okie Soundcheck party from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. I'm just gonna copy and paste from the ol' press release because I refuse to type out ALL of the bands that are playing (there are so many):

Performing will be Brine Webb, Josh Roberts, Ryan Lawson, The SKYS, Jabee, Jacob Abello, Rainbows are Free, DEERPEOPLE, and The Non. The 3rd Annual Sax, Clogs, & Rock-n-Roll music event will take place Wednesday, March 16 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees will be able to listen to Oklahoma artists including John Fullbright, Sherree Chamberlain, Emory Grey, Ben Kilgore, Fiawna Forte, Kite Flying Robot, and Audra Mae. Finally to close the Oklahoma events on Thursday, March 17 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Oklahoma based music label Tate Music Group will showcase their signed musicians.

Oh yeah, and on top of that mountain of awesome, I have to mention the SXSW showcases on Wed and Thurs night (hosted by SXSW, not OFMO):

OF&MO is also pleased to announce that SXSW has selected six Oklahoma bands to be official SXSW artists for the first ever Oklahoma Showcase in Austin. OF&MO has worked with SXSW to secure a headliner for the showcase for SXSW badge holders, which will be Oklahoma City native Graham Colton. Playing before Colton will be Broncho, Colourmusic, Pretty Black Chains, OK Sweetheart, and the Boom Bang.

I can't even believe that's happening. Too awesome. Particularly in regards to Pretty Black Chains, because that's my band right now. I mean, not my band, but a band I'm pretty much completely infatuated with. Listen to them. You'll see why. They're playing real rock and roll. Need I say more?

Oh, and I'm also really looking forward to seeing Ryan Lawson, and Kite Flying Robot, and Sherree Chamberlain, and Jabee, and John Fullbright...and the list goes ON and ON.

On top of all of this, this venue is going to be a wi-fi hotspot (super hard to find at SXSW), high-tech, colorful, well-appointed, and run by the savviest group of individuals you'd ever want to meet (myself excluded. I'm just fortunate to be a part of it all). An amazing pop-up store will be available in the venue, which is being run by the fabulous owner of Dwelling Spaces in Tulsa, Mary Beth Babcock. We're also organizing some awesome swag bags and door prizes too from some of Oklahoma's best local businesses.

Here are some links you need to click on and follow and share:

The Buffalo Lounge Twitter ( Follow us! I'm the one tweeting! )
The Buffalo Lounge Facebook
The Buffalo Lounge Tumblr

Also, I can't go without mentioning my people at OKC.net. I write for them, I love them, and I support them fully. They are sending a convoy of people to cover The Buffalo Lounge and other Oklahoma related events at SXSW at their own effin' expense. I'm so impressed with their dedication, their talent, and their love for the state. I also write for them, but I'm not participating in their SXSW efforts since I'm going to be running around like a lunatic doing Buffalo Lounge stuff instead. Support them and their microblogging efforts by reading them. Visit their site. Give 'em some love.

Most of this stuff is free to the public (we're expecting SXSW foot traffic of 5,000 people a day!), so if you're a cool kid walking around 6th street during SXSW, please stop by. It's going to be a total blast. Promise.

P.S. I didn't get to mention all of the people I know and love that are working to make this possible, but just know that you're in my head and my heart right now.

One of the best moments in fashion history

2011-02-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

Shalom Harlow spraypainted by two robots for Alexander McQueen's SS1999 show: It's so breathtaking and graceful. Gets me all choked up:

Celebrating René Gruau

2011-02-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

John Galliano's Spring 2011 Couture line for Dior was a beautiful tribute to fashion illustrator René Gruau. Renown for his breathtaking watercolor fashion sketches and masterful contrast of graphic color against negative space, Gruau became a celebrated artist in the 1940's and 50's. Gruau was hired by Christian Dior to be the advertising director for the design house. The two eventually forged a friendship, and Galliano's tribute collection is a reminder of what the House of Dior once was.

From Dior's Spring 2011 Couture Collection:

Gruau's Illustrations:

Experimental Shoes

2011-02-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

My friend Andrew pointed me toward Kobi Levi, an experimental shoe maker from Israel. His designs are a riot. They are clever and funny, and filled with pop culture references and trompe-l'œil. I am mad for them, and if it were not for the impracticality of the shoes, I would wear them (okay, probably not).

"Blond Ambition" shoes

Playground inspired shoes

Chewing Gum Heel

Tulip Shoes

Double Boots

Benoît Méléard's off-kilter designs also interest me. The first pair sent me into an tizzy. I love them! They are ridiculous!

What's rather silly about my obsession with impractical, experimental and architectural shoes is that, if presented the chance, I probably wouldn't wear them. I don't wear heels! I'm too tall! I only wear flats!

I am a ridiculous person!

Win A Pair of Whooga Ugg Boots

2011-02-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Whooga UK makes a luxurious alternative pair of boots lined with thick Thermofleece. Considering that I live in my Uggs all winter long, this even warmer alternative sounds like heaven right now. If you're stuck in a deep freeze, like I am, then sign up for Whooga UK's newsletter. By doing so, you'll be entered to win a free pair of Whooga Ugg Boots (valued over $100).

Winners will be drawn at the end of the month. The contest is open to all countries. If you can't wait until the end of the month and want to get your hands on a pair of these snuggly, warm boots NOW, you can use this coupon code, exclusive to High Fashion Girl readers for a 10% discount on your order: 1465HFASHION.

New Lines at Opening Ceremony

2011-02-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

Opening Ceremony knows what I love, or at least they seem to. I am obsessing over their collaborations with Rodarte and Chloe Sevigny. Rodarte offers up versions of the best looks from their Spring collection - pleated skirts, drapey cuts, and impeccable tailoring - at much lower price points. Chloe Sevigny defines the grungy, sexy look of the 90's, but with better fabrics and more modern cuts. I'm obsessing over the shoes and the tights from her line. In fact, I'm about to pull the trigger on that leopard pair.

RODARTE x OPENING CEREMONY

CHLOE SEVIGNY X OPENING CEREMONY

First Aid Kit - I Met Up With the King

2011-02-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

This song really does something to me.

Latest Writing

2011-02-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

I have five runway reviews up at Savoir Flair:

* Chanel

* Valentino

* Jean Paul Gaultier

* Elie Saab

* Dior

I also wrote a piece about a local production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch which is worth a read. Not only is Hedwig my favorite piece of theater, with a tale that is quite meaningful to me, but the local production kicked ass:

* The Fabulous Hedwig has Arrived in Oklahoma City

Romance was Born in Winter S/S 2011

2011-01-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

The colorful proto-punk meets geisha collection by Romance was Born in Winter evokes some of the industry's top creative designers: Betsey Johnson, Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier. Whether or not this type of dress is your style, it's easy to appreciate the rainbow palette aesthetics and bold designs of their S/S 2011 collection. There are a ton of pictures after the jump(click pics to enlarge) :

Credit Due: Pedestrian.tv, and Sister Wolf.

The Coveted Controversy

2011-01-25T14:10:00.001-08:00

Fashion blog gossip is fun to read about, except when it concerns someone who has done so much for our community. In one colossal dick move, Erin Kleinberg and Stephanie Mark managed to raise the ire of a large portion of the fashion blogging community. Kleinberg and Mark launched a website called The Coveted (I'm not linking to it because I don't want to give them traffic). The site's function is interesting: they look into the closets of people in the fashion industry, and publish the photos. Nice concept, but they could have executed without stepping on everyone's toes. Their website uses the same name as one of the most well respected fashion blogs in the industry, The Coveted maintained and managed by Jennine Jacob.

Now, most fashion bloggers know who Jennine is. She's a celebrity in our part of the world, along with people like Susie Bubble, Jane Aldridge, and Tavi Gevinson. Yet, in many ways, Jennine is far more important than the Tavis and Jane Aldridges of the fashion blogging world. Jennine created Independent Fashion Bloggers. IFB is the community for fashion bloggers. They host a huge conference at fashion week every year and they support and aid fashion bloggers in a myriad of ways. IFB wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Jennine. What she has done for our community is immeasurable.

Jennine and I started our blogs around the same time. I've had many opportunities to talk to her, and I consider her a fashion blogging friend and ally. Sure, I don't know her in person, but she's the type of blogger I'd feel comfortable asking to dinner if we were ever in the same city. Though I know her only through the veil of the internet, it is clear to me that she is a wonderful person who has worked hard for what she has. She is one of the rare bloggers that became popular and did not become stuck-up. Instead, she created a beautiful, close knit community for fashion bloggers around the globe. She cares, and we care about her.

What Kleinberg and Mark have done by using the name of her website is incomprehensibly discourteous. They just launched their website, and already are ranked #4 in Google searches for "The Coveted" - a feat that would have taken them nearly 6 months to accomplish under another name, no matter the influence they might have had to encourage their page rank.

Using the name of Jennine's site was the same as stepping on her shoulders to rise above her. It's so goddamn opportunistic. I don't buy the argument that they haven't heard of Jennine's site before. If they ever searched the word "coveted" her site comes up fourth. You mean to tell me they haven't tried googling themselves since launch?

I also thought it was super lame that Refinery29 covered the launch of Kleinberg's and Mark's website without a single mention of the fact that they had the same name as a well-established and highly respected blogger in the fashion community (a fact they already know). Their head-in-the-sand approach caused me to lose a lot of respect for them

Racked tried to reach Kleinberg and Mark for comment, but they didn't respond. They know full well what they've done.

On Twitter, I suggested that someone create a TEAM JENNINE widget for our blogs so that we can post them to show our loyalty. I'm not looking to start a flame war, but I think Kleinberg and Mark should show some respect and change their name. For the sake of common decency, they should, at the very least, apologize.

TEAM JENNINE!

Jeffrey Campbell secretly hates us

2011-01-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

It's shit like this JC:

Adding insult to injury, these atrocities sold out on ModCloth, even at the ghastly price of $103. I bet everyone thought these were really clever because of Andy Warhol's Campbell's soupcan paintings. Let's take a pop art painting that's been imitated to death and put it on .... SHOES! And the hip kids will buy it so they can prove that they get the reference (I mean, honestly who doesn't anymore?). I'm disappointed because this is what passes for ingenuity in today's fashion world. Artists ripping off other artists.

This Week in Fashion News

2011-01-14T16:19:00.000-08:00

Brandon Holley has been named the new editor of Lucky Magazine.

You can now view Gareth Pugh's much talked about film online as of this week.

Two interviews with Alber Elbaz came out this week. One with Paper Mag, and the other with NY Mag. You should read them because Alber Elbaz is awesome, and easily my favorite person in the world of fashion.

M.A.C. is launching a Wonder Woman line. It will be available nationwide by mid-February. I can't freakin' wait!

Miss Piggy is set to depict the French Vogue Editor in the new Muppet film set to be released in 2012. I wish life would imitate art, so that this scenario would become reality. Miss Piggy, so used to getting her way, so shrill and passionate, and so well-dressed would make the best editor French Vogue has ever had, non?

Katie Holmes is the new (half-smirking) face of Anne Taylor. Remember when Coutorture was run by Julie Fredrickson? Remember her awesome blog Almost Girl? She doesn't write on it anymore, but when she did she had the most insightful, intelligent posts about blogging and branding that I had ever read. She's now the Manager of Digital Programs and Client Outreach at Ann Taylor. That's why I'm fully supportive of this Katie Holmes campaign. I think KH is really going to help elevate the brand in the public forum. Success for Anne Taylor means success for Julie in some ways, and I'd love nothing more than to see Julie go far. She's awesome!

Give some love to all the great men's fashion blogs out there by checking out the winners of The Cravats, the first annual award given out solely to men's fashion blogs. There are some fantastic reads on that list!

3-D has taken over our lives, and now it's taking over...our runways? Ermenegildo Zegna has planned the first ever 3-D Fashion Show tomorrow (Jan 15, 2011). You can watch it live, streaming here.

Gwen Stefani has been named the new face of L'Oreal Paris. I'm okay with that. I like looking at her face.

Rachel Zoe is said to be debuting a new line of clothing. Like, a legit fashion collection. Like, I am literally dying when I hear that. I'm kidding. I don't care that much about her, but a lot of people do. If you are one of those people that like Rachel Zoe, maybe you can explain to me why everyone is suddenly calling her a "superstylist." I don't get it. I mean, she's a stylist. Is there anything that super about what she does?

And last, but CERTAINLY not least, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2011 has released their schedule for this year!

High Fashion Girl's Guide to Getting More out of Your Clothes

2011-01-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

If you're like me, you source a lot of your clothing purchases from cheap places like Charlotte Russe, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Target, etc - mixing in some high end stuff and a fair amount of vintage or thrift store items. This means that it's pretty likely you'll run into the same problem as me: cheap clothes are not made to last. They fall apart, develop holes, unravel at the seams or fade. Instead of buying new clothes every time your old ones wear out, I put together a handy guide so you can personally revive your tattered rags and make them shiny and new again.

(Even without a DIY background, most of the advice I'll give here is easy to follow and idiot-proof.)

Problem #1: Fading.

Most of my black clothes (uh, which is like 92% of everything in my closet), fade terribly when I wash and dry them. Fading can be managed by these three things:

1) Good detergent. Woolite is ideally suited for black and grey clothing. Tide Total Care is also awesome for all of your laundry needs.

2) Not drying your clothes in the dryer. Hang them up to dry! I, conveniently, have a clothes line strung right about my washed and dryer in my laundry room and I hang up nearly all of my treasured dresses and tops to dry.

3) Re-dying when necessary. Rit dye is cheap and easy. However, a single box is not powerful enough if you want to re-dye a whole loads worth of faded clothes (reminder: faded clothes must be one color if you are going to re-dye, otherwise logos will get messed up). You'll want to double up on the amount of Rit dye you use so there is enough color saturation to actually have an effect. The easiest method is washing clothes with the Rit dye. Do NOT forget to run an empty cycle on your washer (maybe even with a cup of vinegar thrown in) to get rid of any residual dye left. Otherwise, your next batch of clothes through the washer will be ruined. Rit dye makes the newly dyed fabrics stiff. Wait a day before you rinse them in the washer. Hang them to dry. Tumble dry for a few minutes with a wet washcloth if the clothes are still stiff.

Problem 2: Wear and Tear.

I have a big problem with wear and tear because I wear basically the same thing every day (not the same clothes every day, mind you, but the same general outfit). I call it my Uniform and it consists of an oversized cardigan, slouchy t-shirt/tank/tunic top, leggings, and boots. The Uniform is generally comprised of black, grey, or other neutral colors. It's easy to mix-and-match, comfortable, and it's stylish enough that I get tons of compliments on my outfits when I go out. I like my Uniform. Unfortunately, wearing a lot of the same clothes in different combinations each week means they wear out pretty quickly. I solve this by:

1) Buying multiples of your favorite thing. For example, I have four of these in a size medium. They are a little big, but they allow for maximum mobility and comfort (and possible weight fluctuation). Plus, they were less than $5 each at Urban Outfitters. I will wear one of them until it's useless, but I'll always have back-ups. It seems a little ludicrous, and I probably wouldn't do this if the clothes were really expensive, but I have a problem with totally falling in love with something and wearing it to death, only to feel deep pangs of regret that I didn't buy a back-up.

2) Learn basic sewing techniques. Knowing how to sew a button or repair a seam will save you money from going to a tailor for repairs. Sewing a button is as easy as threading a needle and looping stitches through the holes. Of course, there are other ways to do it, but I'm talking basics here. This is a good button sewing guide. I also highly recommend investing in this book. It will teach you basics, but will also go beyond that! You can learn how to sew your own outfits using the clear, precise lessons found in this book. That's definitely one way to get more out of your clothes: be your own seamstress.

3) Learn how to store your clothes. Invest in good hangers, so the shoulders in your clothing don't get warped. Fold and store cashmere and wool sweaters. Put mothballs wherever your clothes are so they don't get eaten up. This really helps save on wear and tear.

4) Wash and dry your clothes properly. I already told you how to avoid fading by not drying your clothes in the dryer, but this step also helps prevent wear and tear in clothing too. All of my flimsiest, cheapest stuff gets hung to dry so that it lasts longer. Obey washing guides on the clothes as closely as you can, and this will also help extend the life of your clothes.

Additional tips:

1) If you hate high-maintenance laundry, do not buy Dry Clean Only or Handwash Only items. Even if you lovelovelove the item in question, after you wear it once or twice, it will probably take forever before you get around to actually cleaning it. Cut out the hassle by opting not to buy high-maintenance clothes.

2) Even if they say "hand wash only" most polyblends are, at the very least, machine washable. DO NOT DRY them in a dryer, though. Hang to dry, for goodness sakes!

3) Removing deoderant stains from clothing can be difficult. However, I learned one little hack that has saved me lots of laundry time. Take the foamy material that comes on top of a lot of wire hangers from dry cleaners and rub it against the deoderant stain. It lifts it right out! I don't remember where I learned this, but it's quick and easy. I don't really know why it works better than anything else, but it does.

Fashion Philanthropy

2011-01-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

Let me start this off by saying that I am not affiliated with the people I'm going to write about, but I wish I were. These people have gotten my attention, and I wanted to tell you about them because I love what each of them is doing. I want to help them, and I want you to help them too. I'll readily admit that I'm coming from a place of enlightened self-interest here. Giving makes me feel good. Furthermore, giving money to these creative endeavors means that, in some small way, I have contributed to more creativity going out into the world. I'm definitely okay with that happening.

Dig deep for these deserving projects:

Stacy Lomman is the new It topic in the fashion world. She garnered a nice little HuffPo piece about how she used Social Media to start her fashion label.

Truly, her savvy alone is of interest to me. Instead of going the old-fashioned route (Create a collection, shop it around to department stores, seek backing, have a runway show, seek buyers, etc.), she went the other way around. She started a blog FIRST, and within two days had an email from someone interested in sponsoring a dress. Her readers and supporters helped fund a show at NYFW. Her show at NYFW displayed designs that were flirty, and fun - focusing on dresses in glitzy fabrics and the sharper side of 80's style. Truly, this is the kind of innovative thinking that could only be actualized in today's hyper-connected, technologically driven world.

While her clothes are not really my personal style, I still plan on supporting her because I like what she's doing. It's very inspiring to see someone do so much when they start with so little. From a blog to a show at NYFW - I am duly impressed with the business acumen exhibited by Stacy Lomman!

You can support her latest endeavor by contributing to her Kickstarter fund. She's only $200 short of her $4000 goal at the time this blog was posted.

Sister Wolf is, without a doubt, my favorite blogger ever. Which is why she gets a big fat mention here. She deserves it. She is a light in the dark, even when people accuse her of being snarky or negative. What they don't understand about her particular brand of candor is that it comes from a place of honesty. She is honest about herself, about her anger, and her righteous indignation. I think of her as a powerful force of nature, bringing wit and wisdom to my life on a nearly daily basis. I would be crushed if she ever stopped writing.

After a devastating year of loss, Sister Wolf's roof caved in. The structure of support and protection that most of us take for granted, came crashing down in an literal illustration of symbolic tragedy. I am so impressed with the way the fashion blogging community banded together to raise money for her roof replacement.

Wendy Brandes, Marie and Michelle of Kingdom of Style, and Kate of Make Do Style created a fundraiser for Sister Wolf. Proceeds from every purchase of Wendy Brandes' Little Woolf necklace or Swear Ring Set have gone to SW to help her out. Other people are coming up with ways to help. Blogger Carrie Blaydes is offering to donate proceeds from the sale of a gorgeous vintage cape. Some are straight-up donating to her via Paypal. Whatever avenue of philanthropy you choose to take, I hope you help out our beloved Sister Wolf. She's like the brilliant, savvy, bullshit detector of the fashion blogging world. Since this is a corner of the blogging world fraught with bullshit, we need her around to keep us honest.

Vivian Maier was a photography genius. Little is known about this reclusive photographer, but what is known about her and her life results in a fascinating story. I read about her in this article on Jezebel and I was absolutely captivated by the mystery and intrigue surrounding this woman.

A real estate agent by the name of John Maloof discovered a cache of her negatives which was comprised of thousands of pictures taken by Maier between the the mid 1950's and the late 1980's. Maloof found, in total, over 100,000 negatives. Another collector owns around 12,500. She was a prolific photographer. I imagine her to be like a reclusive version of Thierry Guatta, obsessively documenting the details of her day.

Read the whole, awe-inspiring story on Jezebel. I can scarcely do it justice. Not only is it an interesting story, her photographs are phenomenal. This is someone who really understood lighting and shadows (Which, in my opinion, is the mark of a true talent. Anyone can take a Hiptamastic snap and have it look good. That does not make you a good photographer. Technique does). Her photos have a haunting, surreal quality to them. I want to buy and frame all of them.

This is the photographic version of a major anthropological finding. Because of her immense volume of work, and her talent for capturing the man-on-the-street there is much to be told about three full eras of fashion. Her candid snaps capture American fashion in its natural state. There's no predestined shots or stiff poses. I felt dumbfounded as I flipped through a collection of her photographs that I found online. They were remarkable! She was (unwittingly) the Scott Schuman of her day. The beauty part is, she never set out to capture street fashion in Chicago in the 50's-80's. It was merely incidental, but it's one of the facets to this discovery that I love the most.

Since it's a story that is still unfolding, you can take part in bringing her photographs to the world by donating to Maloof's Kickstarter project. He aims to make a documentary of his discovery entitled "Finding Vivian Maier." I can't wait to see it!

Smashbox Savings are Smashing!

2011-01-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a new rule of thumb: shop for cosmetics on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This may sound strange, but after discovering Smashbox's amazing Tues/Thurs deals, I have committed to being a repeat buyer. The Smashbox products that I currently own are high quality and rich in pigment. Am now fully convinced that they have not only high-quality products to offer, but they also seem to have the best marketing strategy around.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 9am and 2pm, their website offers a "Let's do Lunch" deal that gives you a free FULL SIZED sample with any purchase. However, if you sign up for their "Pretty Points" awards program (it's free to sign-up) you get another jumbo sample. I found yet another way to get a freebie with a coupon code on RetailMeNot. Use code BDAY2011 at check out to get another free sample. In order to maximize this offer, I only ordered a lipstick from their Curtain Call sale section and got all of this:

How is it that I'm only paying $16.50 for all this stuff? Smashbox offers free shipping on every order! All told, this is an incredible deal. I am filled with warm, fuzzy feelings towards Smashbox and plan to become a repeat patron of their products.

[HAT TIP to Hip2Save for posting about this first.]

If you missed out on the promo today, don't worry. It happens every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 2pm. Savings to look forward to on a bi-weekly basis? Yes, please!

Today's Post is Brought to you by the Letter "B"

2010-12-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR

PIERRE BALMAIN

FERNANDO BOTERO

LUIS BUNUEL

LUCILLE BALL

HIERONYMUS BOSCH

WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS

CRISTOBEL BALENCIAGA

CHARLES BUKOWSKI

DAVID BOWIE

WILLIAM BLAKE

THE TYGER by William Blake

Tyger, tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And, when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tyger, tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Avant-garde Shoes

2010-12-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

I am in love with the designs by shoemaker Kerrie Luft (hint of Kirkwood, no?). They aren't just shoes, they are works of art.

Her gorgeous shoes remind me of something else I am in love with: Caledonia Curry's paper cut-out art installations - which can be viewed in all of their breathtaking glory in her book Swoon.

Christmas Wishlist

2010-12-02T09:14:00.000-08:00

If money was no object, this is what I'd be getting this Christmas:

Matiko Studded Leather Flat

MARC BY MARC JACOBS 'Classic Q - Baby Groovee' Satchel

Rebecca Minkoff Boyfriend Crossbody - Tomato

Dinosaur Bones Rib Cage Cuff Bracelet

Mekai Dress

Ecote Studded Leather Moto Boots

Oversized Solid Brass and Stones Three Spike Ring

Jeffrey Campbell Brisbane

Sergio Rossi Metallic Suede Fringe Boots

Karen Millen Graphic Stripe Cardigan

Monki Jeanelle Sweater

Philippe Audibert Mitaine Swarovski crystal silver-plated glove

Gipsy Back Seam Hearts Tights

Tsumori Chisato Slub Cashmere Fringe Jacket

Julien Macdonald Wool Sweater

Damisi Boots

RCVA Machination

Gabriel Mini Dress

Raven Dress

Erin Wasson Welded Necklace

A Peace Treaty Caral Shawl

Say It Ain't So

2010-11-30T09:49:00.000-08:00

Social networking is taking over our lives, our music, and now our wardrobe? No thanks!

I saw this and my heart sunk. So. Absurd. I hope these are the new Crocs and anyone who wears them will be ridiculed with a ruthlessness they so deserve.

Cyber Monday Deals

2010-11-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a round-up of the best Cyber Monday Deals on the internet. Most of these are for today only!

Bag Inc. Designed Inspired Handbags
- Free standard shipping and free gift with any purchase over $99
- Get additional 15% off purchase with code BAG+LOVE at check-out

Kensie & Monet:
- Click the ads on the right hand side of my website ----> to get 20% off and free shipping at Kensie and Monet!

Forever 21:
- Free shipping, no minimum, today only (CYBERMONDAY10 code at checkout)
- 10% off any sweater at Forever 21 with the code COZY.

Tory Burch:
- Tory Burch Limited Edition Tote gift with any purchase of $150 or more
- Spend $300 and get $30 off with the code GETGIFTS
- Free shipping and gift wrapping

Shop Goldyn
- Receive 35% off all merchandise with the code FRIDAYMONDAY
- Free shipping on ground orders over $100

Trend Boutique
- Spend $250 get $50 off with code 50OFF
- Spend $500 get $75 off with code 75OFF
- Spend $750 get $100 off with code 100OFF
- Spend $1000 get $150 off with code 150OFF
- Spend $2,000 get $350 with code 350OFF
- Free shipping on ALL orders

Macys
- Free shipping on orders of $75+ with code CYBER
- Additional 25-40% off markdowns on Clearance items (today only)

Steve Madden
- Free shipping on orders of $75 or more with code SMFREESHIP
-
Shock Boutique
- 30% off site wide sale with code CYBER30 at check out

Kohl's
- Take 15% off any order with code CYBER15
- Spend $75 and get an extra 15% off AND free shipping with code CYBER15
- Spend $100 and get an extra 20% off AND free shipping with code CYBER20

Labellush:
- 30% off entire order with cody HOLIDAY30 (good through Dec. 1)

Pink Mascara:
- Pink Mascara is having a huge sale on their site with up to 90% off their merchandise.
- Spend $150 or more and get an extra $20 off with code THX20
- Spend $250 and get $50 off with code THX50
- Spend $500 and get $115 off with code THX115

Shopbop:
- Shopbop has new markdowns on hundreds of items
- Spend $250 and get $50 off with code BIGEVENT at checkout
- Spend $500 and get $100 off with code BIGEVENT at checkout
- Spend $750 and get $150 off with code BIGEVENT at checkout
- Spend $1000 and get $250 off with code BIGEVENT at checkout
- Spend $1500+ and get $500 off with code BIGEVENT at checkout
- Free shipping and free returns

Max and Chloe
- Free authentic freshwater pearl necklace with any purchase of $150+
- Spend $150 and get $30 off with code HOLIDAY10 at checkout
- Spend $250 and get $75 off with code HOLIDAY10 at checkout
- Spend $500 and get $150 off with code HOLIDAY10 at checkout
- Spend $1000 and get $300 off with code HOLIDAY10 at checkout
- Spend $1500+ and get $500 off with code HOLIDAY10 at checkout
- Free shipping on all orders over $75

Endless:
- Spend $100 and get $30 off (no code required)
- Spend $200 and get $60 off (no code required)
- Spend $300 and get $100 off (no code required)
- Free overnight shipping and free return shipping

Express
- Spend $50 and get $20 off with code 8658
- Spend $100 and get $30 off with code 8658
- Spend $150 and get $40 off with code 8658
- FREE SHIPPING TODAY ONLY

Urban Outfitters:
- Free shipping on orders over $75 with the code GETSTUFFED
- Get 20% off all online orders with the code GIFTED
- Markdowns of 40% off on all outerwear
- Get $15 off orders of $75 or more with the code SAVEFACE

The Limited
- Get 40% off everything
- Free shipping on everything
- No code required
- Today only

Singer22
- Spend $250 get $50 off with code THANKS50
- Spend $500 get $100 off with code THANKS100
- Spend $750 get $150 off with code THANKS150
- Spend $100 get $200 off with code THANKS200
- Spend $2000 get $500 with code THANKS500
- Also take additional 10% off with code ADD10
- Free shipping on orders over $100

Steve Madden
- 30% Off Entire Purchase + Free Shipping w/ Coupon THANKS30

My Obsessions:
- Take 35% off entire order (some exclusions apply) with code TODAY35

Sephora
- Get free shipping on all orders over $25 with code SHIPNOW
- Free shipping on Philosophy’s Limited Edition Hope in a Jar with code HOLIDAYSHIP

Drugstore.com
- Get free shipping AND a $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate with your $25 order

80's Purple:
- 25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY

Piperlime
- 20% off with code LUCKY20
- Free shipping and returns (no code required)

Buy Definition
- 30% off everything, plus free shipping, with code BLACK30

Also check out Overstock, Target, Amazon, and Ebay, for one-day only, deeply discounted sale merchandise and really awesome door-buster deals.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:14:00.001-08:00

No fashion posts today.

Just wanted to stop by and say a sincere Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope that all of your tofurkeys, hams, turkeys, and turduckens turn out perfectly. I hope that there are no kitchen fires or family brawls. I hope you have a peaceful day, and that you are able to gorge yourself beyond limit without feeling guilty (today of all days!). If there are any family brawls, I hope that there is lots of alcohol on hand so that you can get through it without becoming part of it.

That is what I hope for you today. Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Reader!

What do You Want to Know Wednesday?

2010-11-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

Today's question comes from my friend, Sara C. [Oh hey, thought I'd mention that Sara is one of the women responsible for putting on the Deluxe OK Indie Craft Bazaar coming up on Dec. 11 at the State Fair Grounds. If you're local, don't miss it. It's a great place to buy Christmas gifts, and everything for sale is LOCALLY made by hand. Awesome. I will be there taking fashion photos! It's a great destination for the entire family.]

Sara:

Liberty of London has been incessantly promoting their new scarf hall, leading us to believe that scarves are super important and here to stay. What are your favorite scarves, and can you make them work with just about any look?

Well, I'm going to have to agree with LoL (haha!), because scarves are not only here to stay, they've been here all along. According to the internet (the most credible source on earth) scarves were devised by ancient Romans as a purely functional garment. They wore scarves to shield their necks from the sun, and used them to mop up sweat. Nice. Eventually, it became used as a fashion accessory.

Scarves are a classic European statement piece. When I think of scarves, my mind immediately goes to French women and their enviable, easy style. A plain white Oxford shirt can be spruced up with a well-placed scarf. In fact, any outfit can improve exponentially by accessorizing with a colorful scarf. French women are famous for their ability to transform a mere square of cloth into a gorgeous fashion accessory with a few twists and knots of the fabric. Have you ever read a fashion journo waxing poetic about French women and their scarves? Man, I have. I loved this article by Susan Sisko Carter that talks about French women and their scarf-wielding intimidation factor.

It also recalls to mind a passage in Carol Shields heartbreaking and moving (and Pulitzer Prize winning) novel, Unless. On pages 58-61 she writes about her quest to find her daughter Norah the perfect scarf.

"My daughter Norah's birthday, the first of May, was coming up in a week's time, and she longed to have a beautiful and serious scarf. She had never had a scarf in all her seventeen years, not unless you count the woolen mufflers she wore on the school bus, but since her grade-twelve trip to Paris, she had been talking about the scarves that every chic Frenchwoman wears as part of her wardrobe. These scarves, so artfully draped, were silk, nothing else would do, and their colours shocked and awakened the dreariest of clothes, the wilted navy blazers that Frenchwomen wear or those cheap black cardigans they try to get away with."

Personally, I collect vintage scarves and have a huge array of printed silk scarves that are almost too beautiful and too fragile to wear. My favorite one is a HUGE silk scarf depicting colorful scenes from Alice and Wonderland's "Through the Looking Glass." The date stamp on the bottom corner of the scarf says "1952."

Vintage silk is my favorite type of scarf. When I wear them I like to do the triangular drape in front. Take the scarf and fold it into a triangle. Drape the triangle portion across the front of your body, like a bib. Next, take the ends and wrap them behind your neck such that the ends now come back around to the front. No knotting required!

Liberty of London has collected scarves from major designers like Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney. They also have exclusive prints of scarves, and they have arranged them all artfully in a gorgeous space. They also give lessons on different ways to wear the versatile scarf. If you can't make it Liberty of London's Scarf Hall, there are hundreds of youtube videos to give you ideas on how to wear your beloved scarf.

Liberty of London's Scarf Hall

My favorite look is a plain white t-shirt, jeans, and a trim boyfriend blazer, with a brightly colored scarf to accessorize. This look is simple, chic, easy, and user-friendly. If you love scarves, send me your pictures with your favorite way to style your scarves and I will publish them on this blog! In any event, you can always take a page from ancient Rome and wear one for sweat-mopping purposes.

Sale Spectacular: Christmas Gift Ideas

2010-11-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

Instead of rounding up all of the awesome fashion sales going on right now (man, they're nothing compared to what Cyber Monday's going to be like), I am focusing this blog post on sale items that you can buy for those on your Christmas list. Sales + Ticking Things off the Christmas Shopping List = Awesome.

For the DJ:

Crosley USB Tech Turntable, now $129.
*Also, spend $75 or more at Fred Flare and get free shipping with the code FESTIVE

For the film auteur:

Lego Stop Animation Camera, now $98
*Also, spend $75 or more at Fred Flare and get free shipping with the code FESTIVE

For the hypochondriac:

Scented Cure All Candle, now $10
*Also, spend $75 or more at Fred Flare and get free shipping with the code FESTIVE

For the Twilight/Cat Lover:

Betsey Johnson Vampire Cat Earrings, now $36.95
* Also get 20% off and Free Shipping at Karma Loop with the code: STATIC20

For the indoor gardener:

Birck Bark Planter, now $18

For the cowgirl:

Nicole Bask boots, now $99

For the private eye:

Spycam Classic Lighter Camera, now $39.99

For the herbal enthusiast:

Dancing Desktop Jellies, now $29.99

For the mad scientist:

Petri Dish Plush Giant Microbes, now $12.99

For the college student:

Caffeinated Nixie Tubes, now $5.99

For the dog in your life:

Fragrance Fido Charms, now $2.99

For the musician:

Pick Punch, now $24.99

For the unemployed gamer:

Console Controller Soaps

For the family:

Zombie Board Game - Last Night on Earth, now $29.99

For the cool kid:

Bilbo Imagination Toy, now $25.99

For the late-rising cartoon fanatic:

Charlie Brown Alarm Clock, now $9.99

For the savvy DIY person:

Handheld Sewing Machine, now $9.99

For those that fancy themselves as clever:

Takeout Trash Can, now $9.99

For the nympho:

Sexy Book of Sexy Sex, now $14.99

For the bookworm:

Waking Whale Bookmark, now $8

For the carnivore:

United Steaks Wall Art, now $29.99

Do the No Pants Dance!

2010-11-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

When it comes to accessories, it's probably my legwear collection that is the most out of control. I have officially moved on from pants. I have one pair of jeans, that I wear maybe once a month. Otherwise, fuggadeaboutit. Leggings and tights are where it's at, for me, ad infinitum.

At last count I had something like 46 pairs of legwear (16 pairs of leggings, and 30 pairs of tights). This count doesn't include the range of knee-high and thigh-high socks I have too.

Small sampling of my collection:

It stands to reason that I am quite taken with a line of "tattooed" tights by Tattoo Socks. Their delightful collection of tights have a range of designs printed on them - from peacock feathers to forest scenery.

Forest Symphony Tights

http://www.etsy.com/listing/29669719/sexy-tattoo-01-knee-high-socks-light

Octopus Tights

Peacock Feather Tights

Daydream Tights

White Rabbit Tights

They all come in a wide range of sizes (S-XXL), and are reasonably priced ($13-23). The thing I like most about these is the possibility of layering them with other tights. Wear the sheer White Rabbit tights over another bright red pair, or wear the Octopus underneath a pair of fishnets. You can change the look any way you want. Their design is so simple and so brilliant. I must have every pair! So much for getting over my addiction to legwear.

The Perfect Christmas Gift

2010-11-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

I have a really simple solution for those of you striving in vain to find the perfect Christmas gift for the person on your list that already "has everything."

Unless the person on your list "hates music" this suggestion will make all of your holiday shopping dreams come true. No one hates music, right? Except maybe this guy:

(Clip from one of my favorite movies: "World's Greatest Dad")

I'm talking about GET Broken Record's beautiful hand-painted vinyl art. It's music + art rolled into one. The awesomest aspect to his art is that you can request any artist to be painted on the record you want. Or you can just buy one that already meets your needs. If your impossible-to-shop-for dad loves BB King, buy him a BB King album with King's portrait painted on it. If this person likes off-the-radar type music, you can still request something esoteric, as long as they have an album available. Classic rock is good for portraiture, but the possibilities for other genres are endless!

The guy behind this brilliant idea is one Kevin J. Kelly. Kevin and I have known each other since 4th grade! I promise I'm not just shilling for one of my good friends. I am totally smitten with his art, and I wanted to pass the Awesome on to my readers. He sent me a Bob Dylan painting/record and it's one of my favorite (of MANY) art pieces in my house. Everyone that comes over comments on it and wants to know where to buy one. This reoccurring request ("Where did you get that and can I buy one?") prompted me to blog about his art. If my friends and guests want to get their hands on Kevin's art, then it's likely that my readers will too.

Here's a really neat video of Kevin painting Mick Jagger onto a record:

Some of my favorites:

These cleverly rendered portraits are the perfect gift. Just pick out the recipient's favorite artist (Patti Smith? Arcade Fire? Frank Sinatra?) and have Kevin paint it for you. You'll have an awesome, one-of-a-kind, personalized gift. I really can't think of anything better.

To commission a piece, write to Kevin at getbrokenrecord@gmail.com. "Like" on Facebook. Follow on Twitter/

Urbanology Feels Like Home

2010-11-11T14:49:00.001-08:00

Urbanology is a recently opened vintage home decorating shop located behind Mockingbird Manor at 4417 N. Western Avenue. This shop is curated and cultivated by a woman whose eye for interior design aesthetic remains unparalleled. That woman is Tammy Switzer.

Tammy Switzer hails from the “feel good” school of interior decorating. She wants her boutique to fill you with warm fuzzy feelings, and if you “get it” you’ll certainly feel like you’ve come home upon entering her shop. Or at the very least you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled upon the Platonic ideal of “home.” When I first set foot in Urbanology, my immediate reaction was, “Can I just live here? Please?”

Half of the shop is run by Tammy, and the other half (known as Room #9) is run by her friend Trish. Together, the two have created the warmest, most beautiful decorated space I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. If you visit, you’re sure to be in good hands. Tammy isn’t just a vintage goods purveyor, she is also an experienced interior decorator. She favors mid-century modern designs, and incorporates lots of chrome, Lucite, texture, and color into her decorating schemas.

The result of her hard work and expertise is a space that contains the single most welcoming, eye-catching collections of excellent vintage furnishings and decorations in the city. The shop is situated in a small house, and Tammy chose to keep the “home” feel by creating gorgeous vignettes in each room, while keeping to the intent of each room (the living room is set up like a living room, the kitchen like a kitchen, but also like the coolest living room and kitchen you’ve ever step foot in). The result is a tightly edited collection of the best vintage pieces from 1950’s-70’s. Her eye for style and color, and her attention to even the most minute detail is what makes this vintage shop stand above all others in the metro area. Vintage glass bowls and cups do not remain empty and austere, but are instead filled with vintage matchbooks, bundles of chalk and bouquets of colored pencils. Even the books that line the shelves or lie about on coffee tables are quirky and fun, with topics like Poison and the Occult. These innovative touches are so charming that when you notice them, you can’t help but grin.

Tammy started out eight years ago with a booth inside of Mockingbird Manor, hocking her beautiful, vintage home décor pieces. She recently graduated to a full-fledged shop in May. Since it’s located behind Mockingbird Manor in a separate building, visitors to the Manor don’t always make it back. Next time you’re in the area, be sure to stop by. You’ll feel like Indiana Jones discovering the Holy Grail, but you won’t have to maneuver through any boob traps to find it.

Tammy Switzer, posing with one of her favorite pieces in the shop

Follow Urbanology on Facebook
Business Hours: 10:30-5:00pm Mon-Sat, Closed Sunday