My Spidey Sense is Tingling

Fashion, they say, is a young man's game. (Oh, surely someone has said that -- they say it about everything else!) So young, evidently, that some of them are still reading comic books and collecting superhero dolls. (Oh, I'm sorry -- action figures. Very important distinction.) Here, take a look:





And here's the creator of these sophisticated ensembles:

What is he, 16???

Actually, he's 32 -- that photo happens to make him look particularly young. His name is Felipe Oliviera Baptista and he's a Portuguese designer who showed the above looks at the Fall 2007 Couture shows in Paris this month. You can see the whole collection and his previous collections here. Based on the t-shirt he's wearing and a few other looks from the show, he appears actually to be taking his inspiration from luchadores. (Trust me, this is not better than superheroes.) I'd like to say this is a flukey season from someone with a lot of promise, but I'm not prepared to go that far. He seems to have some... interesting ideas about shape and proportion, but is a little ham-handed in the execution of them. Not to mention some rather distressingly literal interpretations of what was evidently an equestrian theme in a previous collection:

Seriously?

Also, he appears to have a penchant for covering his models faces when showing the clothes. This is probably a device to throw focus to the garments themselves instead of the girls wearing them, but still... it gives me a bit of the willies. I find it a little dehumanizing.


Not that I'm positive he's all that interested in humans anyway:

(Still trying to work out how this fits into the collections with the horsey bits. Not having any luck with that.)

Ah, couture. Sometimes sumblime, sometimes... not so sublime. Still, I'm glad there's a forum for folks to indulge their flights of fancy, even if said flights are punctuated with the clip-clop of hooves.

(Will be showing you some of the sublimer parts in the next few days -- stay tuned!)

Photos: Elle.com

Conversion Experience

We all have our little soapbox things -- the topics about which we find ourselves being a bit evangelical or strident. (Crocs, for example, in my case.) For my friend Sian, it's bras. Sian feels very strongly about women wearing the wrong bras, and advocates actively for getting fitted by a proper bra specialist. (May I qualify this by saying that "soapbox" is rather a strong word for anything ever done by my lovely, soft-spoken, porcelain-skinned English Rose of a friend, whom I cannot imagine being anything close to strident even if her hair were on fire.)



So, this weekend, in the spirit of sisterhood and fashion research, I hied myself to Nordstrom's and had a fitting.

Well. Whaddya know. Sian's right.

There's an oft-quoted statistic that 70 -80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra and as it turns out -- I'm one of them. For pretty much my entire bra-wearing life I have been wearing a 34 A. I should have been wearing a 32 A or B, depending on how the bra is made. I'll be damned. I think a lot of why this might be happening so much is that women are embarrassed by the idea of a complete stranger standing next to us in a dressing room while we are nearly naked from the waist up, examining us and our... accessoires. But honestly, the SA at Nordstrom's (whose name I did not get, much to my chagrin) was so frank & funny & matter-of-fact that it was a real pleasure dealing with her. Not even remotely embarrassing. She measured me and then trotted off, bringing back with her a lovely selection of bras that fit me really nicely. Several that I was willing to purchase, as a matter of fact, because they looked so nice and felt so good. But then I put on this one:

(Wacoal iBra 85780)

and the clouds parted and the angels sang. Honest to goodness, ladies, this thing is fantastic. It's seamless, tagless, all one piece, perfectly smooth, made of the softest fabric (that Tactel stuff), lays completely flat against my ribcage, and the nude color is perfect -- nice & light for us fair-skinned girls. (I have a real grudge against a lot of bra makers, whose so-called "nude" shades are nowhere near nude if your skin tone is anything like mine. And nothing toasts my waffle like wearing a "nude" bra that shows under a white shirt -- something I wear a lot.) They also make it in a color called "suntan," which would be better for someone with darker skin. It's wonderfully comfortable, I really love it.

This is not a fancy bra, no lacy pretty girly bits to foof it up, but I gotta tell ya -- my girly bits? Look like a million bucks in this thing. If I'd had one of these bras when I was 15, I would have had a completely different self-image. I honestly want to walk around shirtless.




And one of the reasons is that this baby is a push-up bra. Oh, I resisted for years the blandishments of the push-up bra. I am very small-busted, I always have been. And I'm really perfectly okay with that; it honestly has its advantages and once I got past adolescence (which is not fun no matter what your body is shaped like, let's face it) I really liked my pert, perky, petite ones. But it is very, very difficult to find a small-sized bra that is not loaded with padding. On the whole it annoys me because it always seemed that the lingerie industry just couldn't wrap its head around the idea that I didn't necessarily want to be an entire cup size larger, I just wanted to properly support what I had. When I was young, I was okay with a soft cup bra -- one that has only a layer or two of fabric -- but as I've gotten older & more sensible I've become more sensitive to the subject of, er... protrusion and now I prefer a "contour" cup bra that presents a nice smooth surface under the clothing. Some padding, yes, but I didn't want to become Anna Nicole Smith. (Heaven forfend!) Didn't ever want to be accused of false advertising. It seemed like wearing a padded bra was admitting that I wasn't happy with the body I had and wanted to change it.



Well, I am officially over that now. This bra has what the SA charmingly referred to as "a little bump-up." Not a huge, Frederick's of Hollywood one, but it definitely has some padding in the bottom of the cup. And, turns out a little bump-up was exactly what I needed. Is it artifice? Yes, a little bit. But. I also color my hair, wear mascara, and shave my legs -- artifice all. If you are not in need of this particular bit of technology, they make this bra in a couple of different versions, and without the bump. But I'm enjoying mine. This is as close to cleavage as I think I've ever gotten.

This is not a cheap little piece of lingerie -- this bra retails for $53, which is far and away the most I've ever spent on one. But I'm telling you -- I'm going to get more. I've had my conversion experience, I'm a member of the Proper Bra Flock now.

Any other good bras I should know about? Let's hear it!

Photo: fashion-Era.com, BareNecessities.com, Wikipedia.com

Crushed!

The lip, it quivers.

The eyes, they glisten with tears.

I am crushed. Devastated. Gobsmacked. How can this be? The people at Miu Miu have pulled a bait & switch on me! I feel like a toddler whose favorite stuffed toy was just yanked from her hands and tossed out the car window. Bye-bye, Mr. Bear!!!

I just received an e-mail from Lizette in Customer Searches at Prada. She sent me the product number for these boots that I have been daydreaming about for weeks now:




along with where I could buy them in black (Nieman's, Saks, Nordstrom) but, but, but...

"I am sorry to inform you that red is not available."

WHAT?

WHY NOT??

Why not available to Style Spy -- they were available enough to the people at Vogue, who got a picture of them and splashed them right there across the page for sensitive, loving souls such as myself to fall in love with!! Are you kidding me? -- I've already mapped out the trajectory of our relationship -- I have outfits planned!!! (Sadly, no, I am not kidding. My friends, this is who I am.) I was thinking I would take them with me to Paris in November -- how cute would I have been, sitting at a café, my black velvet stole wrapped nonchalantly around my shoulders, enjoying my verre de vin blanc, legs daintily crossed, with my red patent leather bootie dangling several inches above the cobblestones of rue de Buci?

Pretty damn cute, that's how cute!!

But no, it is not to be.

Honestly, I really feel quite hurt. Why would they do this? Obviously, if you show a boot as fantastic as that one a lot of people are going to want it. Why would you have a photo of it if you're not going to make it available? Why would you tease me like this???? I'm confused, I'm stung, I'm disillusioned. Next thing you know, someone is going to tell me there's no Santa Claus. Or Shoe Fairy.

Someone pet me, please. I feel like I might cry. Maybe I should go put on my new Manolos for a few minutes.


Photo: Vogue

Confession and Confusion

I stand before you, my head hanging low in shame.

I have violated my No Buy.

In my defense, please look at them:

(Manolo Blahnik Prisca)

If that's not enough for you, consider this: 75% off. Yeah, you heard me. So. Yes, I broke my No Buy. But I feel that unthinking orthodoxy in any belief system leads to fanaticism and you don't want me to become a fanatic, do you?

I didn't think so.

Seriously, this was the sort of gift from the Shoeniverse that it would have been wrong -- and potentially dangerous -- to walk away from. When the Footwear Powers That Be toss you this sort of goodie, you dare not say no. Because the Shoeniverse might then decide that you are unworthy of its gifts and withdraw them (insert ominous organ chords here -- dun-duh-DUH!!!!!) forever. It was a test -- a test to determine whether my devotion to shoes outweighs my common sense.

I'm happy to report that it does.

Look! Look at them!



Tiny adorable sparkling crystal flowers! The merest slivers of shiny, warm golden leather! Swoon!!!

And a further confession -- my shoes appear to be smarter than me. I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to wear these little beauties. The straps on the back lend themselves to a variety of configurations and I can't quite decide how I'm going to work them. There are long cords that are obviously supposed to be ties, but there are also loops that are either supposed to function as slingbacks or as halters that go across the top of the foot. I'm not quite sure of how Maestro Blahnik envisioned these. So tell me what you think. (The black tights in the photos are a device to make it easier to see the straps, not -- I repeat, NOT -- a fashion statement.)

(Also, a warning. The rest of this post, unless you are as shoe-focused as I am, is going to strike you as meaningless, blithering gobbledegook. Unless you, like me, are the sort of person who can spend a good chunk of time tying and re-tying a scarf, adjusting the length/configuration of a long strand of beads, or fiddling with the placement of a brooch on a sweater, well... the following is probably just going to make you want to smack me. Just so you know, I'm actually a fairly well-rounded person -- I can talk politics or literature or food & wine... but this is my style blog, dammit! And here we talk shoes!!)


Halter across the back, tie around the ankles once with a bow at the back. I find the bow a little floppy and annoying.



Same thing, but wrapped around twice and knotted in the front. I think this is a nice neat option, but I'm not convinced I love the whole ankle-tie thing. I also did this in reverse -- halter across the front, wrapped twice and the small knot in the back. I think that's my favorite of the ankle-tie options.


This is the halter at the front and the ties wrapped once and bowed in the front. That bow is way too big.


Here I've got the halter across my instep and the tie knotted at the back of my ankle, without wrapping it around. Now, the length of these ties makes it obvious that they were supposed to be wrapped around the ankle at least once, but I'm kind of liking the bareness of this option -- this is about as little strappage (I just made up that word) as you can get and not have it be a slide. Very bare, especially on a naked leg, and that is always sexy. However, if I choose to do it this way, I'll definitely have to cut the ties so that they're shorter because that bow is out of control. And who am I to destroy the work of the Maestro?


This is the same thing in reverse -- halter at the back, tie on the front. Ditto comments about cutting ties.

So, what do you think? Or did you tune out four photos ago?

On a practical note, these are going to be my birthday shoes. I'm having a procedure on my foot to finally fix this endless plantar fasciitis foolishness on July 20, which will require me to wear (oh, I can hardly say it) one of those surgical shoes and then sneakers for something like two weeks. By the time my birthday rolls around in mid-August I should be cleared for high heels again (not to mention being able to wear flats without weeping -- hurrah!!!) and these seem like the perfect way to celebrate both my increasing stock of wisdom and maturity (::ahem::) AND my good-as-new, no longer painful, no-more-limping foot. So if you see me out & about in Austin in mid-August wearing these shoes and enjoying a crème brûlée, wish me joyeux anniversaire!

Photos: Style Spy

A Style Reminder

For the record:

This is jewelry.

This?

IS NOT!!

Oh. My. God. These things enrage me. I want to yank them out of peoples' ears and shove them up their noses while seething, "Can you hear me NOW????" Not only are they horrifying to look at (What are you? The Borg?), but they are the very height of self-involved rudeness. "I am SO important that I must at any moment be ready to ignore you in order to listen to the voice in my ear." People are actually wearing these things while they're out socializing with their friends -- I see people in bars with these giant silvery cockroaches glued to the sides of their heads while they drink beer & talk to their buddies. (These are even worse -- far worse -- than having your cell phone clipped to your belt like some sort of geeky high-tech weapon in the Wild Wild iWest.) My response, whenever someone speaks to me while wearing one of these wretched devices, is to look puzzled and frown and not respond until they have to repeat themselves and then I say, "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you talking to me? Or someone on your earphone? It's hard to tell."

I understand the convenience of them, and I really don't have a problem with someone in an office using one of these to talk while leaving her hands free. It is a useful tool. But it is exactly that -- a tool. It is not an accessory, it is not a decoration. So please, I'm begging you -- take these things out of your ears. They're awful.

And besides -- they distract from your earrings.

Photos: Saks.com, motorola.com

Be Careful What You Wish For

You know the leopard print thing I've been having? This might be enough to cure me:

Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy Couture

Wow. That's... a lot of kitty cat. Way more kitty cat than most anyone needs, if you ask me. You wear that outfit & someone's liable to give you your own litter box. Me-ow. (Of course, this is from the runway of a couture show, so it's all about over-the-top and not necessarily how you would wear things in real life.)

This jacket, though, is pretty fantastico:


I've always somewhat irrationally loved ombré effects, and that's a pretty damn cool one. I'd prefer to see it worn with something a little simpler (I'm of the philosophy that one animal-print item per outfit is probably plenty), but imagine that jacket with a good pair of black slacks (and without the riding hat) and a black cashmere turtleneck. Pretty fabulous.

Okay, so maybe I'm not cured after all. Purrrrrrrrr...

More about the couture collections (which are happening as we speak in Paris and ONCE AGAIN I am not there, much to my chagrin) soon. Get ready -- there's some intense fabulosity going on in Paris right now.

Photos: Style.com

Bags and Baggage

This is my Longchamp Le Pliage bag:


It's a fantastic fold-uppable travel bag made of very sturdy nylon with beautiful leather trim. I've known of the existence of these things for years, but when I went to Paris for the first time I realized they are nearly ubiquitous -- it seemed like every Parisian woman I saw was carrying one. After I bought one, I realized why: they're brilliant. This thing is like the clown car of bags: you cannot believe how much stuff you can get into it. It's genius. It instantly became my carry-on bag for air travel: you can fit all your traveling needs: potions & lotions (in less-than-one-ounce containers, sealed in a ziplock!), your makeup, antihistamines or nausea medicine to knock you out so that you sleep through most of the flight, your iPod, a couple of energy bars & pieces of fruit to offset the nearly-toxic qualities of typical airline food, a neck pillow, a cardigan, some books & (fashion) magazines, a bottle of water (bought AFTER you clear security, thanks very much), and a partridge in a pear tree. It was also great for wandering around Paris itself, happily swallowing the odd perfume purchase and Eiffel Tower-shaped trinket, plus a palmier from Ladurée to take back to the hotel for a late-night nibble. It folds up nice & neat:


and manages to be chic and functional all at once. How many items in the world can you say that about? My red one is the "Sac Large," which measures about 19" x 12", and I have the long handle drop. You can order them online from Longchamp, but even more exciting, you can customize them -- choose the colors of nylon, the hardware, and even have your initials embossed in the leather. Of course, I'm dying for a customized one now...

They sell them at a few different places here in the states, including Nordstrom & Saks. (What I really suggest, though, is going to Paris and buying one there. I've never felt so chic and in-the-know in my entire life as when I strolled down the rue Saint-Honoré with my Longchamp shopping bag in my hand. I stopped and had a glass of wine at a café in the Palais Royal gardens, with my bag cuddled up next to my feet, just to extend the moment. Oooooooh, November can't get here soon enough...)

They have a few on sale on the website right now, in seasonal colors. I can't recommend these strongly enough -- with summer here, everyone needs a good, sturdy, non-Disney-character-embossed totebag for beaches & picnics & vacations, and what with the dollar slowly making its way into the Inner Circles of Economic Hell, they aren't going to get any cheaper any time soon.

Longchamp makes absolutely stunning leather goods. (Check out their website here, although be warned about the slightly annoying music that accompanies.) Their bags are not cheap, but they're not overly trendy, either. They make the sort of beautiful, classic bag you can carry for years and years, not worrying about if it's "last season."


See? That is a bag you could carry absolutely forever. So fab. That being said, here's the little beauty that inspired me to talk about Longchamp in the first place:


This is called the Legende and it was supposedly inspired/co-designed by Kate Moss. Much as I don't usually trust the design instincts of cokeheads, I really, really love this bag. It's a beaut, and evidently it has a bright red lining. (Ms. Moss' contribution. Much easier to find things, like your stash, when the lining of your bag is a bright color.) It's supposed to be available in July, and it looks like it's going to be going for around a cool $1400, so I don't suppose I'll be picking one up, but it did make me go "ooh." For now I'll have to make do with my Pliage (which means "fold" en francais, by the way) and dreams of Paris. They've gotten me this far...

Photos: Style Spy, bagshop.com, Longchamp.com