The good thing about June is that sale season has begun. The bad thing about June is that sale season has begun! But at least I’ll have eye candy trickling in to share with you here.
So today two pairs of shoes magically showed up outside my door. The first is the skull encrusted McQueen gold flip flops.
The second pair is a Barbie pink patent Valentino wedge with a bow, as if the bubblegum color weren’t girly enough:
Yeah, that’s a lot of saccharin for my feet, but oddly enough, I’m attracted. Not sure what purse I’d carry with that though. Hmmm.
If neither pair speaks to you, wait. Do you hear that? That’s the sound of more UPS trucks trekking uphill to my house, aka Shoes R Us 
.
So I woke up early this morning to a news broadcast about Osama Bin Laden and the ensuing mob celebrations that took place in DC and NYC. My first thought, of course, was has it really been a decade since the 9/11 attack? My immediate second thought was whether there would be any travel delays in the coming days due to heightened security as a result of this. And my third thought was how similar those celebrations looked like those I experienced just a few days ago during the Royal wedding.
On the morning of the 29th, I had a rather late start due to a rough night with my travel companions, Mr. Stuffy Nose and Ms. Itchy Eyes. So out the window went the plan to leave early enough to secure a great place somewhere to catch photos of the wedding procession. But I didn’t have a terribly late start either since people (many in wedding attire!) were also still just beginning to burst out of the seams of the city…
Vendors of all kinds of souvenirs surrounded us…
But I was really only after those official programs seen in the first photo; one for my sister and one for myself. Now about those crowds–they seem to pop up in every corner, alley, tube station you can imagine. One minute it looked like this:
and five minutes later I’d find myself in the middle of this…
Squirming myself out of one crowd only lead to another…
so finally I just gave up and wandered aimlessly with all the other people from one spot to the next. It’s not often that the taxi-crowded streets of London are ever closed off for pedestrians to stroll through its wide lanes, so we all took advantage of the space…
and pitied the few poor souls who dared to drive the random taxis or buses allowed that day:
All the while walking I was half wishing I’d stayed in the comfort of my plush room and watched it on TV instead, mainly because I was dying to know if the bride did wear McQueen. So finally, as I got closer to my eventual destination for the viewing party, I snuck a peek inside this Hard Rock Cafe’s window and saw the back of her dress on this TV:
So where did I end up after all?
Hyde Park. Simply because all the other parks were closed off due to oversized crowds:
I got to the Jumbotrons just as Wills and Kate began their procession out of the church as man and wife. Flags and cheers went up as confetti flew all around us…
So about these mob celebrations. Sometimes we’re not sure what we’re celebrating exactly, but most likely, we just want to be a part of this human phenomenon.
Tags: DC, kate, London, McQueen, NYC, Osama Bin laden, Wills
My mind’s eye is all about colors like mustard yellow, Peruvian turquoise, clay orange, and avocado green. But by far I favor the color black for all practical intents and purposes. So Antwerp’s ModeMuseum (MoMu)’s current exhibition of BLACK. Masters of Black in Fashion & Costume (running through August 8, 2010) is right up my alley.
I’ve always liked the city of Antwerp because roads like these…
lead to the MoMu:
Beyond its traditional façade are a modern entrance
and a sunny, lofty interior:
Before you enter the main exhibition, there is a display of the MoMu Award 2010 winner Mariel Manuel’s quirky collection:
Then it’s on to a fantasy world where the color of night rules…just as I like it. Zwart is Dutch for black. And what better way to meet zwart than to be greeted at the door by this first piece, a Givenchy couture gown by Riccardo Tisci…
followed by provocative groupings of black clothing,
accessories (I especially love the leather harness in the first picture of the series below), and jewelry
by Belgian and international designers like Olivier Theyskens, Ann Demeulemeester, Victor & Rolf, and Junya Watanabe to showcase the history, evolution, and art of fashion in the context of the color of black.
I really enjoy this comparison between a McQueen and an 18th century gown…can you guess which is which?
Now you can’t possibly let me leave this entry without a nod to my favorite designer who made black de riguer, do you? Next to the simple black Chanel sheath dress, there is a quotation from a 1926 Vogue review: The Chanel “Ford:”…the frock that all the world will wear–its model “817″ of black crepe de chine…it will become a standard wardrobe component for all women of taste…” . I can’t think of a more apt or prophetic description for the little black dress.
It’s truly impossible to photograph the color of black, especially when flash photography is not permitted, so I’ll leave you with this one last shot that I tried to take a few times to capture all the details of the lace and beading used in the capes:
Tags: Ann Demeulemeester, Antwerp, Chanel, Givenchy, Junya Watanabe, Mariel Manuel, McQueen, MoMu, Theykens, Victor & Rolf
No, I promise this is not another entry about the stray cat. I’m talking about my fixation with the other Coco, the one who’s long gone but lives on through Karl Lagerfeld. When (little) Larkie met Coco through the editorial pages of Vogue about twenty-five years ago, I knew one day my closet would be peppered with Chanel goodies. I just never knew it would become a full-blown drug addiction. But hey, it’s still better than meth or vodka, right? Anyway, I will bring a little bit of Coco with me on this trip.
Though to tell the truth, my head is not quite in the packing yet because i haven’t figured out which bags will travel with me this time, and usually all of my packing revolves around the bags as they set the color scheme for the traveling wardrobe. I know, it’s a nutty way to pack but I also cannot eat bumpy food (like octopus tentacles…gross)–but that’s just how it goes in my head.
Anyway, then I build on top of the color depending on the activities and climate of the destinations. Finally I throw in some great pieces for the photo shots I already have in my mind’s eye for the cities I will visit. Of course, these photo ops don’t always work out because things generally unfold differently on the road (like inclement weather or lost luggage), and I’ve learned, the hard way, that control freaks are no fun to take around the world, so I leave that inner freak at home and just hope that I get some good photos regardless of what goes wrong. And honestly, after a few weeks of living out of suitcases, it’s really hard to break out of the jeans and tshirt mode…you just want fashion to take a vacation.
So far, I’m thinking I’d like to pack a few of the Cruise and Spring cardigans shown here to throw over nautical shirts. Or maybe add these funky McQueen racer-back tanks that might be fun without the sweaters when it’s really warm…
…and speaking of warm, these Tory Burch, Sonia and Chanel tanks are good staples in my suitcase:
So far that’s all I’ve pulled for now, which I hope won’t be all because I’ve got no bottoms…yet. But I do know I’d like to use that gray Panama fedora hat in the first pic, which may hint at which color bag I have in mind…but it’s not really matching the red cardigan with navy trims, which I’d really like to wear on this trip. So I guess that means yet another hat. Grrr.
I’m also packing this Eugenia Kim for Target straw cloche. I think it’s only like ten bucks so if I accidentally lose it I can replace it when I get home without crying. I’ve lost a couple of Prada cardigans on the last few trips and those were not as easy to replace!
So without giving away too much about where I’m headed, as you can see I’m anticipating meeting some cool weather even though I hinted a few days ago that there will be lots of sun as well. It’s no wonder I can’t seem to wrap my brain around the wardrobe yet. I feel schizo, and until I can nail down the bags, the only sure thing I have in my suitcase right now is my toothbrush.
Here’s hoping in the next entry I’ll have more clarity 
. Happy Independence Day everyone!
Tags: Coco Chanel, Eugenia Kim, Karl Lagerfeld, McQueen, Panama hat, Sonia, Tory Burch
Ever since Coco Chanel made it cool to look like a gondolier I’ve been collecting Breton or mariner shirts. A fashion editor in one of my favorite magazines once wrote that women over the age of 30 should stop wearing stripes, especially the horizontal kind. I was past 30 when I read that and stored it in the back of my fashion brain, but look…
…so basically, (a) I don’t really listen to advice, and (b) I just can’t seem to get over tuxedo or mariner shirts. Luckily the fashion gods agree with me about the latter this spring/summer. The nautical striped shirts are everywhere you look, at all price points.
And since my entry started with a reference to my favorite French designer, just for fun, the title for today’s FIMTSO episode is Une Semaine à Paris (a week in Paris). It is a capsule of how I would pack around one key item for a trip that involves business and play and multiple weather possibilities.
Test Item: KORS by Michael Kors black/white mariner lightweight pullover sweater.
Look 1: Since the fantasy here involves Paris, let’s bring out the good stuff. For a business meeting I would pair the top with the Chanel wool tweed skirt from their 09 Moscou Paris collection. Black patent Manolos finish the look.
Look 2: That skirt comes with a matching jacket and if I needed to, I would wear it with the look above. But let’s say my meeting spills over into dinner and I want to not look so Nancy-Reagan-formal–I’d swap out the skirt for a pair of black 7 For All Mankind skinny jeans. But since we are in Paris, I’d keep the heels for dinner (for some reason my French sounds better when I am tottering in cute shoes!):
Look 3: Let’s say on the third day of my trip Karl Lagerfeld announces to the world that I am his latest muse and must immediately make my way to 31 rue cambon before my fantasy expires. After I recover from my fainting spell, I consider putting on my Chanel ballgown, but no, I’m here to represent the All-American casual look. So I’d slip the top under the 09A black tweed tunic and pair it with a pair of white palazzo pants. White palazzo pants? Pourquoi pas? I’m sure to wear my high heels (see what I wrote above) and red classic flap just to add a pop of color:
Errr, if I had four minutes of face time with KL, why would I be wearing a shirt that I’d already worn two days in a row already? Because, dear readers, in one’s fantasy there’s no room for logic or common sense. But anyway…let’s continue with this episode, shall we?
Look 4: On the last day of my week I spend the morning at the musée Picasso followed by an afternoon in old book stores. Sigh, the idea of this is making me drool already. I’d want to dress comfortably so all I need with the top is a pair of my Ann Taylor Loft denim sailor pants. Sidebar: can you believe I only paid $18 for these white jeans? And yes, Imelda here did buy two pairs. An Alexander McQueen chiffon scarf completes my look; I’d probably wear some black sandals or white leather Converse sneakers:
Look 5: If for any reason Paris is chilly and hazy on my trip, I’d forgo the white pants in Look 4 for Hudson jeans instead. My 07A peacoat rounds out my nautical theme. And the red flap is still appropriate for work or play (though I would not wear the red purse with the red suit above):
So this episode begs the question…just what exactly would I wear to meet Kaiser Karl? Maybe we can visit that scenario in a future blog entry. I welcome all suggestions!
Tags: 31 rue cambon, 7 For All Mankind, Ann Taylor, Breton, Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, mariner shirt, McQueen, Paris
