All-American Steez

"Top Gun" is on the TV in the background--god, Tom Cruise had kind of a chipmunk face then, huh?--and seeing Tom & co. run around doing military things in their dashing Ray-Ban shades made me think about how aviators a very American item, and about which other things seem to me particularly native to the U.S....

1. AVIATORS

a good moment for ray-ban: tom in top gun

2. JEANS

1993 calvin klein ad w/ kate & mark (buy it on ebay! or buy it for me on ebay!)

3. COWBOY BOOTS

a) traditionnnnn! (@ www.cowboyboots.us)

b) super nouveau: martin margiela degrade cowboy boots (jane's, from sea of shoes)

Funny, the first 2 are eternally versatile and have come in myriad versions, from low- to super-high-end, and can flatter almost anyone. Cowboy boots, on the other hand, not so much. I look absurd in them, and they require very certain physical and stylistic criteria to look OK. (For way more street-style examples of hipsters as well as cowboys sporting cowboy boots, check my friend Jody's blog, When You Awake).

On that note, time to go find my aviators, shove em in my jeans pocket, and hit the open road. It's all right that I don't have cowboy boots, because I ate charred meat, which certainly fulfills my wild west quotient for the day. Happy Fourth!

If You Could Not Fail

Sometimes Sarah Von's blog, Yes and Yes, is sweet and funny, and other times it's thought-provoking. Tonight it's the latter, with this graphic. Once you start thinking about it, it's pretty damn scary, both to think in those unaccustomed limitless terms and also to realize how many of those hypothetical things you aren't doing. Like Sarah, my boundless enthusiasm and plans to be utterly reckless and flamboyant are often cut short by "come on, now, dumb dumb, know your boundaries." But what would end up on the To Do list without any assumption of failure?

Well, after curing cancer and AIDS, I'd probably...

wear anything and everything I feel like, no matter the day or context (what is so important about people on the street, anyway? or even in the office? really so important that they make one forgo a pink Burberry trench, say, or a vintage nipped-waist dress with a faux fur vest?)

take all the time I wanted to write treatises on the sociology of pop culture

then go undercover as a reporter in a highly controversial sociopolitical situation

then move to a small town in the middle of nowhere (it wouldn't be too exciting, but I could be endlessly entertained by old signs, open fields, and the general fascination of people out in society. and what could be a better cure for hectic-city disease?)

and grow tomatoes (instead of planting them and proceeding to fiercely neglect them)

be in a band (and ignore social niceties in favor of practicing bass obsessively until I could actually play it, and end up onstage in 1960s sheath dresses with my 1970s Fender Mustang)

make more of my own clothes (despite the laborious hours of patternmaking and fitting and re-fitting and pricked fingertips)

and while I'm at it, stay in Paris and make my only goal to know at which times the fresh baguettes came out of the ovens at each local bakery, since a fresh warm baguette is the best meal I've ever had, ever ever, and why not have the best meal in the world at EVERY meal? (actually, this may be somewhat attainable. hmmm....)

What about you?

Designer Jelly Shoes Are Funny

Aren't designer jelly shoes just the silliest, silliest things?

[tod's jelly thong sandal, $175]

Some people are pissed off at the nerve of designers, charging hundreds for what are inherently cheap, disposable shoes...but I think it's just so funny that I have to love the whole phenomenon. When that rubber-shoe brand (I can't remember the name for the life of me, though it's something like "minnie"--help, anyone?) did the collabs with all the high-end lines, jellies that would have otherwise been pooh-poohed by the fashionistas were suddenly embraced as high fashion's most charming new thing (and, when you're used to paying $195 for Tory Burch Revas, I guess paying $95 for the jelly version seems totally reasonable. I GUESS.).

I've just got to love that the shoes I had a new $10 pair of every summer as a little kiddie (pink and sparkly, thankyouverymuch) now have a new life as runway darlings. Tooooo funny.

Thursday's Esquivel Event on W. 3rd St. & a Lesson on Niche Marketing

Super fun last night to hang out in my old West 3rd St. haunts...I used to be there every day working at Satine and Aero & Co, but not so much now, and I was looking forward to the Esquivel Shoes showcase event hosted by the lovely guys over at Esquivel House.

I've known Albert from Esquivel for a while, but never seen their space; it's REALLY pretty and the setup of the shoes was gorgeous. Even though I'm not a man and I have no use for 80% of their crazy bespoke shoes, the aesthetic of their space was so nice that it was fun to browse anyway. Exposed beams, raw linens, awesome leather samples strewn around, stacks of vintage books and cameras and whatnot that made for a great environment for the stuff they do. I got to ask Albert in more detail just WHO their target customer is - I mean, who is running around buying $1000 bespoke rainbow colored mens' shoes? - and details of our convo are below.

[When I did reach the ladies' corner, I was all like "UHHHHHH WANT NOW" over those lavender/cocoa wingtips (top photo). How super cool are they?! I'd wear them with retro dresses and a capelet. Those were the ones featured in Vogue recently as well.]

oh, you know, just some lavender leather and shoe forms hanging out.

these are like your standard chuck boots but 500 times nicer

EVERYONE there was wearing nice shoes. check out the guy on the right, who's obviously trying on two different ones :)


I had to ask them more about who their target customer was. You've got to have a pretty well-defined niche for this kind of product...and they do. Albert explained that the type of guy who goes for Esquivel is the customer who is already high-end but is used to getting other things commissioned. If they're already getting custom architecture, custom landscaping, custom art, and custom suits...there's nothing shocking about custom shoes. And for those customers who are already paying over $700 for standard designer brogues off the rack, another hundy doesn't seem like a bad tax at all for one-of-a-kind footwear to spec.

Customers tend to come in, first head for the more "normal" shoes, then realize how many options they have (there are 5 basic toe shapes, plus dozens of leathers, finishes and stitch colors) and start going nuts, then finally swing back halfway toward normal before they decide. Which customers circumvent that process and make their choices without waffling? The many movie producer clients they have, who, Albert says, are well versed in snap decisions. I love that picture: some film bigwig standing on set, pointing and gensturing and yelling commandments at everyone, then walking into Esquivel House and pointing, snapping his fingers, and leaving with a custom pair of robin's-egg-blue wingtips.

I didn't stay long enough for the 9pm raffle, but blogger Tasha of Blackburn & Sweetzer did, and won! Congrats lady! [I did score a sweet little leather card case, though, which immediately got filled with all the random cards floating in the bottom of my purse.]

more info: LA2Day on Esquivel

June 26 - 28: Planet Blue Trunkshow on Abbot Kinney

look what's going down at my company's Venice event space, AK1511, next Fri-Sat-Sun! Trunkshow/sample sale hosted by Planet Blue + Tarah Smith + more! I actually will be at a wedding up in the Bay, so I won't be able to get my claws around any of the goods...but feel free to buy extra sample-sale-priced deelights in my honor.

for some reason blogger is shrinking the flyer waaaay down...but it's at 1511 Abbot Kinney Blvd. With open Belvy bar...we all know what that means for wallets....

For the first time, I want to be Emma Watson

Not because I think Hermoine (sp?) has the coolest life ever and the hottest bf in fantasyland... no, I actually don't even know if she and Harry are still together or what, and I have yet to crack an actual book in the series.

No, no, my sudden and intense envy comes from Emma Watson's latest role: she's the face of Burberry for Fall '09. I'm so relieved that Burberry decided to move away from the plaid-centricity of yore (done very purposely, I've read, to distance itself from the UK's not-so-classy "chav" set that had adopted the classic plaid). For the past several seasons the brand has been turning out impeccable lines that, while not exactly earth-shatteringly creative, are pretty much GORGEOUS and make me want to wear them all while stalking around the city, talking about horse racing and hedge funds and making notes to myself on a tiny, monogrammed leather pad.

Emma, I could care less about Hogwarts...but oh, THOSE COATS.

[emma watson for burberry, fall '09 campaign]

via BrandFreak

Stella McCartney's Super Shiny Pony

Stella McCartney was the captain of the horse boat way back when, definitely helping trigger the herds of horses then seen galloping across thousands of Urban Outfitters tees for months. What was that, Summer '06 or so?

Now she's reprised Lucky Spot, a gigantic Swarovski crystal "chandelier" installation at Belsay Castle in the UK. Lucky Spot was originally created by Stella back in 2004 for a special exhibit at the castle, and was brought back this year in celebration of Easter. What a Swarovski horse has to do with Easter I'm not sure, but its sheer insanity makes me a fan.

via Justin Timberlake's blog

some cultcha for your saturday night

ERA downtown summer party series

how cute is this? party at an art deco penthouse! if you're so over being up-to-the-minute, this would definitely be a good place to turn.

i was kind of excited when i saw it on dailycandy listed as "9am to 2pm," since i have a friend's wedding to attend this evening, but of course they got all dyslexic on me and it's at the normal hour of 9pm - 2am. i can't make it, but if you do, please deliver a full report and let me know if it's legit or if it's a weird collection of older people in ebay flapper costumes.

Pierre Hardy and I...

...united at last.

When I worked at Satine, I would die over each new pair of Pierre Hardys that we got in. Those grey suede peep-toes with the gold net? I DIE. The white and tan strappy sandals that looked like they should live on Carmen Kass? I DIE MORE. But they're all (like Chloes and Loubies), so teeteringly high that they'd make me die more literally. Doesn't prevent me from trying them on over and over and over, though. Ask Dieu, she's had to sit with me for hours at Decades doing just that. Oh, Pierre.

BUT CHECK ME OUT NOW. Thanks to great good fortune and stars aligning and so on, I'm wearing the most pristine grey suede Pierres. Normal heel height, which I've never seen before, and the most beautiful grey kitten fur color. I put them on as soon as I got home this evening, wore them to eat rice cakes and read about renovating French chateaus, wore them outside to yell for the cat, am wearing them now, and will wear them to the Gold Room for Tita's night in a few short mins.

Twitterin' 'Bout Feathers On Eyelids

I asked my Twitter crowd to give me questions to answer, and this one I know fer shur!

Q: phimuqt1221 @amaterialworld where can I buy some of those fake eyelashes you have on your background? I have a photoshoot coming up & I want some!

[my twitter wallpaper. img: barefaced luna]

A: Hey you cute lil sorority girl, I'm guessing you don't live in Tokyo, which means you can't go to the exclusive Shu Uemura lash bar there and pick them up...but you can find similar ones here on the Shu Uemura site. You can even get a blow-by-blow from Karen on what it's like to apply them. I looked on eBay for you just now and I didn't find any awesome ones, but I think someone or other should have what you're looking for! Your sorority sisters will be screeching in envy when they see your models. (I kid, I kid. Though I would screech in envy too, honestly. Let me know when you post pics from the shoot! I want to see! And, um, let me know if you have any extra lashes left over....)

[god, this one's incredible too. img: stylefrizz]

Dear Awesomest Louboutins In The World,

Dear Awesomest Louboutins In The World, a.k.a. the Christian Louboutin "Rodita" Zip Sandals,
See "Dear Chloe Shoes." Sentiments remain the same, but insert "5 inches" instead of "4.7 inches" for heel height.

I loved you from afar back in 2008, included you in a collection I designed, and was beyond excited to see you just now on sale at The Outnet! But the excitement was short-lived, my former friends. You were ON SALE, with ONLY MY SIZE LEFT - in any other circumstance a total sign from the gods that you had to be mine, stat! But you ruined my night when closer inspection revealed your heel height to be so insanely excessive that you will make me a freak show giant rather than a dreamy vision of undeniable chic, WHICH I TOTALLY COULD BE if only you knocked those things down an inch or two. But no, no, you had to go the extra distance, limiting your purchasing audience to tiny people with big feet.

GOOD LUCK.

Bitter, disillusioned love,
Rachel

obligatory Anna Wintour interview post

I'd never heard Anna Wintour speak before (I didn't ever realize she was British!), and I was pleasantly surprised at her good humor. This interview didn't really tell me anything new (Vogue is a leader in the fashion publication industry? No way!), but it's cool to see the dream team in action. No matter how bitchy A-Wint may or may not be in person, she really is just such a powerhouse and I love that.

Dreamiest, though, are the other cameos: Nicolas...Karl...Alexander...let's hear it for the boys! Fashion is a funny industry in that the real major domos of it--designers--are rarely in front of the camera. Designers' clothes are larger-than-life, on runways and in your face everywhere, but it's a treat to see them connected to their creators' very human little bodies and voices.

[Also kind of made me wish that "The Devil Wears Prada" was on cable, just so I could revel in Emily's insane outfits....]

bad decision, banana.

guest post by the lovely Erin! she sent this gem to my inbox and I had to share.

WHAT IS THIS PICTURE? Literally the worst "picture of a garment used to sell said garment" I have EVER SEEN.

BANANA REPUBLIC?! I do not want your dress banana republic.

amen, sistah.

yard sale of champions

The yard sale thrown by eternal bastions of hip Ana, Tita, Brian Lichtenberg and Mariko on Sunday was probably the greatest yard sale in the history of ever. All of the hosts are beyond fashion-forward, so instead of weeding through XXL tent dresses and old Express jeans to find one sort-of-OK blouse, it was more like trying to decide between last-season Sigerson Morrison shoes for $10 or Michael Kors shoes for $10. I was in a major fashion-scouting mood; it was the perfect day to frolic in piles of designer clothes with fashion junkies.

the lovely Tita and Ana overseeing the sale and the champagne


fashionable feet (left: Mariko. right: girl who got the Michael Kors)

the last scraps of Mariko's pile. she has stacks of clothes from her years at Marc Jacobs, and you could see every season represented. I made out like a BANDIT since, lucky me, she has my same crazy-long-limb disease. new J Brand black skinnies, old faded Sevens, vintage cocoa-colored Wranglers, and a never-worn silk MJ bomber jacket. lovvvve. wore it for the rest of the day. and also today. so sad that I don't wear the same shoe size (see multiple MJ's above).

Brian, other guy with Brian, Elliott (the original rescuer of our cat when he was a tragic tiny kitten abandoned under Elliott's porch, and also a very dapper person.)

leftovers from Brian Lichtenberg's pile. extra neon fur, a green visor, Dior dustbag, PALM PILOT. sure, why not? [I snagged some great hand-printed fabric of his to hang as a closet curtain.]

this carefully outfitted guy inspecting the particleboard struck me as very funny.


I had to tell myself not get this old Singer. so preeeetty & industrial.


somehow wearing a 70s bikini top seemed logical that morning.


driving back past silverlake reservoir.

Items of Note

1. Anyone seen Madewell's new "MyMadewell" feature? I know they're trying to capitalize on the whole "this isn't glossy advertising, it's just totally stylish real girls who happen to wear this awesome brand" thing... but it's just too cutesy to ring true. Meet the MyMadewell crew: Emily, a writer/editor, loves The Shins, the farmers' market, afternoon movies, traveling, and skinny Madewell jeans! Anne, on the other hand, takes guilty pleasure in Top 40 pop and adores Sunday brunch with the girls, mani-pedis, brownies, straight-fit Madewell jeans and "Love Actually"!

It's a direct copy of those American Express ads with Kate Winslet or whoever filling out blank forms with their endearingly relatable answers to rope you into thinking of AmEx as your brand next door. Blech.

2. My coworker wore these on Tuesday night when we were out at Myhouse, and they were KILLER. Turns out she snagged them on sale from Urban! I can't get them because she beat me to it, but you still can. Do it for me.

[sam edelman lombard bootie]

3. I'm watching Gossip Girl (thx DVR) and the episode's OK...but not even half as good as its Gawker recap.

4. Whoa nelly, next week's GG is an 80s flashback with young Rufus & Lily?! Hecckkkk yes.

xoxo,
MG