Coco 2010

Everyone adores a Chanel jacket. You know, the soft tweed, the boxy cut, the braid or the chains, the patch pockets. Everyone adores them, they're the index garment for so many fashionistas ("Someday I'll have a Chanel jacket,"), they've inspired countless imitations and untold envy. Except in me. I find them boxy & frumpy and for me they cannot shake the dowager-having-a-tea-party image, no matter how they are worn. I know some folks swear it's the most versatile garment ever created, blah blah justifytheexpenditureonastatussymbol fishcakes blah. Pair it with jeans to dress it down, whatever. ::yawn::



As I have pointed out before, if you can make Penelope Cruz look dumpy, you've really accomplished something. (Not something you should be proud of, but something nonetheless.)

So. While those jackets are a complete turnoff to me (and no, you're not going to convince me, so don't even bother), I do love that quintessential Chanel vibe that harks back more to the work she did in the 20's and 30's than her late-career resurgence. I love the easy, slouchy knits she pioneered, and it's hard to go wrong with her favored black & white color scheme. I just like to mess it up a little.




Here's me from this weekend doing my version of Coco. It's my black bandage skirt worn with tights and some real-thing motorcycle boots that I bought oooooooh, let's see now, I honestly cannot remember how long ago. Maybe 15 years? (Motorcycle boots are cool. They just are. They always have been, they always will be, and believe me, if I drop a bottle of wine on my foot while I'm in these things I'm not even going to feel it. They? Are sturdy.) The t-shirt, which, yes, is a bit of self-conscious irony of which I do not usually approve in clothing, but I'm being ironic about my obsession with Paris, so I'll give myself a pass. 'Cause I love Paris. What really makes this look gel for me, though, is the cardigan. It's a tipped cashmere cardigan in exactly the right shape and length. Chanel loved a cardigan and goodness knows so do I, but it's very easy to slip into mumsy with them. Keeping it long & lean prevents the mumsy.

I was so happy in my tipped cardigan that I wanted to share the love, so I hit the Series of Tubes to find you some.

Black and white! Cleverly detailed! Fabulous!

Sometimes a little color does a body good.

Kinda perfect.

Sweet but not twee. A fine line to straddle.

Stripes! Gives it a more collegiate air, but livens things up.

Here's the gray one in a great pink.





Marni. Worth the investment, as is all Marni.

More stripes.

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA LONG V_NECK CARDIGAN

This is why we love Margiela (click on the text for the link). They can take the most basic of garments and make it completely desirable with the smallest twist. Yes, the hemline is asymmetrical and yes, it's meant to be. I adore this.

You'd wear it for the rest of your life.

A teensy bit cutesy, but I'll let it slide.

Delicious blue, so perfect for spring.

Speaking of perfect... Wow. I really, really love this -- it's Exactly The Thing.

And here is Exactly The Thing in pink and gray, another classic color combination.

So that's my fashion "tip" (oh, I'm so sorry but you really didn't think you were going to escape it, did you?) for today. Now go forth and layer!

Photos: Style Spy, Fabsugar

Shopportunity part deux -- November 26

Free Standard Shipping on all orders on YOOX.COM

Oh, they have the pretty, pretty things. Like this:

Cardigan from Pinko I'm absolutely in love with.

Cute E. Pie pink shoes. Unbelievable price.

Gorgeous Furla bag for (gulp!) 84 bucks.

Go!! Shop!!!

Photos: yoox.com

How to Get Snuggled

It's COLD! Seriously cold, which doesn't happen all that often around here. We've got ice & freezing temps. So in honor of the cold weather, a few words on sweaters. This post is actually one for the fellas...

Guys, do you want people to pet you? Casually stroke your arm as they speak to you, hug you more frequently than is strictly necessary, perhaps rub a cheek against your shoulder as you stand in line to buy movie tickets? Wear cashmere. For those of you uninitiated to the Wonders of Cashmere, let me assure you that it's worth it. Once you go cashmere, you never go back.

My dad used to always buy snuggly clothes for my mom. All my life, Mom would open her presents from Dad to find something soft -- velvet robes, flannel jammies, fluffy sweaters. He'd say, "Oh, your mom likes all that soft stuff." Then one day I noticed Dad hugging Mom while she was wearing one of her snuggly things, running his hands over her back. That's when it dawned on me -- it's not so much that Mom liked the soft things, it's that Dad liked them. The next Christmas I got him a cashmere sweater, which he loved.

Cashmere is warm without being heavy, is not itchy, looks luxurious & rich... and did I mention the petting? And this is the time of year to shop for it, because there are lots of great sales. (The sweater photos are all links, by the way.)

I happen to love argyle. This one is especially un-dorky.

This is a little more Fashion-Boy than some. The cut of this is quite European (which means close to the body), so do take that into consideration. If that v-neck is too deep for you, there's no reason you couldn't throw a t-shirt under it. And the color is fantastic. I love seeing men in color.

Cable knit is another of my favorites. This gives a little extra interest through texture as opposed to pattern or color.

Classic v-neck. Just please don't stand like that.

Hard to tell from this photo, but this is waffle-knit like a thermal shirt, which is youthful and hip. Again, love the texture. Nice & slouchy -- if you have a girlfriend you're going to have to hide this from her.

The classic cardi. I know a lot of you look at cardigans and think "Mr. Rogers," but I love guys in cardis. What you need under this is a patterned shirt in a happenin' color scheme:

Too much? Okay, how about this:

Still too much? All right, I can even go for this:

The point is, if you wear a less-conservative shirt with your cardigan, you won't look like your high school science teacher. Add a loosely-knotted tie, some (clean, not filled with holes) jeans and good shoes (I'm thinking a nice brown lace-up -- NOT sneakers!) and you are good to go.

A couple of things:
1. No. You can't toss it into the washer. And before you moan & groan about what a pain in the ass that is, let me just say one thing: Grow Up. A well-dressed (or even just adequately-dressed) adult male needs to have a couple of things in his wardrobe that are going to require a little care. You can have cashmere dry-cleaned, although I honestly don't recommend it because the chemicals tend to ruin the finish. The best way to clean cashmere (which you won't actually have to do all that often if you wear a shirt or t-shirt under your sweater and let it air out after you wear it) is to fill your sink with warm (not hot) water & a little shampoo, swish it around a bit then let it soak, then take the thing into the shower with you to rinse it out. (Again, water not too hot.) Make sure you dry it flat and don't wring it -- squeeze it to get the water out. Here are some other tips on cashmere care.

2. Yes, cashmere is more expensive than a sweatshirt. Because it's better. And if you take care of it, it will last you for many years. A good cashmere sweater is an investment piece. But if you start trolling the department stores around this time of year, you should be able to find great deals. I've seen nice sweaters going for as little as 40 or 50 bucks during Presidents' Day sales.

So go. Get snuggled. I promise to snuggle you myself if I see you.

Small Good Thing

Ya know what I love? I love this thing:



I use this little gem on my cashmere sweaters & it works like a charm. Pilling on sweaters is, in my opinion, just as bad as scuffing on shoes (::shudder::) and this guy takes care of it really well. You just turn it on, run the screened head over the pilly spots (like that place where your handbag rubs against the side of your waist) and it really cleans it up. The blue bit on the bottom slides out so you can throw away the fluff, and you can store the little brush for cleaning the head in there, as well. Plus, it's cute!