Everyone Loves A Challenge

I love -- no, adore -- Miuccia Prada as a designer. She's consistently in my Ideal Wardrobe Top Five. But I have to tell you, I'm not sure I ever want to have dinner with her. Not because I don't think she's a nice person, I have no reason to believe she's not; but because I'm pretty sure she's really much, much smarter than me. Too much smarter than me. I'm afraid our conversation would consist of her expounding on politics, economics, and art (the woman has a PhD in political science, for god's sake, and she and her husband are going to be opening a museum in Milan solely for the purpose of displaying their contemporary art collection) while I gazed at her like a lovesick teenager and occasionally piped up with inanities like, "Oh, Ms. Prada. I love your clothes so much!"

I do love her clothes so much, although sometimes, I'll admit, they're challenging. That's why I like 'em. This collection, as far as I could tell, might have been titled "Fall '09: Mad Max Visits the English Countryside by Way of the Coliseum."

Yeah. I know.

So, this was not my favorite look of the collection. I really don't think there's going to be much of a market for the upscale Italian leather fishing wader. (Although stranger things have happened.) There seems to be something being said here about returning to basics, and classic pieces of clothing, and the natural world... but I'm not sure what.

The collections started with a series of slightly oversized basics in a very heavy, stiff-looking blanket wool.

I liked these a lot; they were just a little twisted with some interesting seaming and that cool overlapping side seam

This silhouette, with a sort of thirties draped bodice of velvet that I really liked, made an appearance

and then the velvet morphed into some devoré pieces that are just stunning

She played with that dress shape in several different ways

I'm afraid I'm not down with the fur dress. Besides being impractical (seriously, if it's cold enough for a fur dress, girlfriend is going to need a much higher decolletage), it's just not... attractive.

This neckline is one of the few times we small-busted gals have it over on the curvy ones. You can't have much of a chest and wear a dress cut like that without looking extremely tarty. Sometimes it's good to be a member of the IBTC. (I wonder if the vee will come higher once they go into production, or if they'll leave it like that. Sadly, I predict a lot of women who shouldn't wear it would anyway, so who knows. It might actually be a selling point for some ladies who have added to their natural blessings by visiting the plastic surgeon's office -- a great way to show off your investment.)

The sequins & appliqués are stunning, and I was simultaneously confused and fascinated by the leather-strip skirts.

There's something very Roman Centurian about those dresses that turns me off, but the detail and workmanship

are dazzling. And there is something about the prim toughness of them I find very alluring. I think "prim toughness" is a good desription of this collection -- a weird sort of tea party barbarity. Is this what Miuccia is trying to tell us: "Be nice, but be ready to throw down"? According to Style.com, Prada wanted the collection to be about the outdoors, but also wanted to do a lot of suits and coats. And, as Miuccia herself has pointed out many times in her career, sometimes it's best not to think about it too much. Sometimes she just has an idea and runs with it -- playing with shapes & volumes & fabrics.

The leathers were gorgeous

and the fabrics were really wonderful

And how about this lovely thing

which I'm completely in love with.

Besides the wacky waders

there were some other interesting shoes

and also some really interesting shoes

I am tired of this conceit of the lug-soled dress shoe. I've never liked it -- I find it as forced as the high-heeled sneaker, and almost as ugly. As for the mohawk shoe, well... it's certainly editorial. You're going to see them in a lot of magazines, but I'm afraid I don't think they're going to fly off the shelves. They're going to cost a mint and they are not the sort of all-purpose shoe that's going to last for years that most women want to spend a mint on right now. Glorious, yes. Practical? Not so much. And I sure hope that leather is very, very soft and those studs are very very smooth because if you're anything like ankle-kicking me you'd cut your legs to ribbons with them otherwise.

Bags are always the steam behind the engine at Prada, and there were some very good ones

Those leather totes won't just be good for a few more seasons -- they're the kind of bags you can carry for the rest of your life. And while I find the little fur clutches kind of adorable,

I could do without the giant fur bag. I dunno. It's just a big hunk of... fur. Meh.

On the whole I think it's a great collection. It's a wee bit indigestible in places, but it certainly tickles my gray matter, and there's actually quite a bit in it I found very wearable. I don't think it's going to sell as well as some of Prada's previous work, or as some other designers this season. These clothes are not as obvious a response to the economic climate we're suffering through as Marc Jacobs' exuberant time traveling escape back to the nightclubs of 1980's New York, or the several-season bang-for-your-buck sleek basics of Michael Kors. Miuccia Prada, I suspect, is not that linear a thinker, and is a much more subtle designer. But I really liked these clothes, even the ones I didn't like, for simultaneously evoking the discomfort most of us are feeling these days and suggesting a balm for it.



Photos: Style.com

Alterna-boots

Well, I felt pretty bad about being such a wet blanket about those Louboutin boots my friend Elke fell in love with, and so I went trawling around on the interwebs to find some alternative boots. I was looking for good, basic, high-heeled black boots that you could wear for some time without them going out of style.

There are some expensive boots here, and there are some boots that are great deals, but what you're not going to see are cheap boots. Because good boots are wardrobe staples and the sorts of things you shouldn't be afraid to spend as much as you can afford on. Chosen well, they'll get you through several years in style.

Martinez Valero - Bliss (Black Suede)

Love the subtle piping and the black buttons -- like spats.

BALLY - SOFT STRETCH NAPPA BOOTS

Gorgeous. Not cheap, but definitely not disposable.

Corso Como Cab Boot (Black)

The back ruching gives these a slouchy feel.

Fitzwell - Jigsaw/Wide Calf (Black Suede)

Lumiani - Bondy (Black Nappa)

Lumiani - Ximena (Black Leather)

Thee are gorgeous -- so simple & elegant.

Sigerson Morrison - Sm9031 (Nero/Bianco)

Yeah, buddy, now we're talkin'. Not so basic, certainly but who can resist that patent and those fantastic heels?

Giuseppe Zanotti - I88052 (Black)

Mmrroooowrrrr. How about that back lacing? Sex-ay.

Costume National - 1145270 23001 (Black)

Okay, I'm pretty embarrassed by these next ones...

Betsey Johnson - Whistle (Black/Gold)

But I can't help it -- I love them! Oh, god, I'm so ashamed!! (::Style Spy bursts into mortified tears::) Here I stand, a so-called fashion professional, actually advocating for a pair of black lace (lace!) stiletto-heeled boots with big gold bows (bows!) on the toes, but I don't care!! I LOVE them!! Oh, lord, you've lost all respect for me now, haven't you? But this is me, warts & all, and my warts? Lurve those boots.

Delman - Legacy-Sc (Black)

Great shape on these, but that is a really tall shaft. Probably not good for the petite. I think these must be intended as a slouch or over-the-knee boot, but the picture doesn't convey that.

BOSS Hugo Boss - Cloey (Black)

The curves on these are so sexy -- the ankles, the heels. Yum.

Elie Tahari - Catherine (Black)

Lovelovelove the snakeskin detailing on these -- really gorgeous and special.


There are a lot of good boots out there and since spring is just around the corner, there are a lot of good boots on sale. So click any of the e-tailer links on the right side of the blog (including my newest affiliate, Jildor Shoes) and start shopping!

Wishful Thinking

Sometimes, when you're me, you have to be the bearer of bad news. The pooper on the party, as it were. Which last week resulted in me saying something that greatly disappointed someone I like a whole bunch. I felt bad about it, but I had to tell her, "Oh, honey, no. Those are fake."

It started with an e-mail from my friend, the lovely Elke, who has it bad for a pair of boots. These boots:

And who could blame her? These are Louboutins. The style is called "Babel," which I don't think is a well-chosen name because if you ask me those are pretty damned easy to understand. In three words? Gorgeous. Freaking. Boots. Maybe it's supposed to be "Babble," as in: the stream of nonsense syllables I'd be likely to spew uncontrollably if presented with a pair of them.

Elke and her husband were on a visit to Chicago and Elke met the boots in Saks. She was smitten; and apparently her husband was also smitten, to the tune of commenting that even he'd like to try on those boots. (See, that's a discerning male eye. If it's beautiful, it's beautiful, and there's no sense in going all Fear of Pink on us just to preserve your man-cred. Go with it -- enjoy the beauty.)

What will de-smitten a gal pretty quick about these boots is the price tag: almost 1400 smackers.

Yeah. Ow.

So Elke went a-huntin' on the interwebs for the boots and she found this link, which sent to me, asking me if I knew anything about this site.

What do I know? I know everything on it is fake, that's what I know. First off, those boots on this fake site are $274.00. As I told Elke, I don't think you could even get those boots wholesale for that price. If you click on the picture of the boots above it will take you to the Net-A-Porter link for them. If you do that you will notice they've been reduced from $1475 to $997.50, which is a pretty good reduction, about 30%. You might also notice, if you look carefully, that they are sold out. So the things are going for a cool grand on sale and they are still sold out. Do we really think these people have sooooo many of these stuffed into a warehouse somewhere that they can afford to let them go for 3 Cs a pair? Unlikely.

Here's the other way I know for sure this site is full of counterfeits.

This, they claim, is a red ostrich leather Hermès Birkin bag, available for $399.00.

BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!!!!!!

First off, Birkins start at around $7000. That's for cowhide -- exotics like ostrich can cost three, four, five times that (or more) easily. Secondly, the only -- I mean ONLY -- place to get a brand-new Birkin (or a Kelly, for that matter) is an actual, brick & mortar Hermès boutique. You must walk in and put your cash on the barrelhead, so to speak, and even then you're not guaranteed to walk out with one because there is often a wait list for these bags, depending on what color & skin you want. Hermès does not sell these bags anywhere else; not their online store, not any luxury department stores, certainly not in outlets. I double-checked this information with a very nice SA at the Dallas Hermès boutique, so I know this is true. It is possible to find genuine Hermès bags through reputable re-sale dealers, but they usually get snapped up pretty quick and they're not sellin' for 400 bucks.

So that bag above? Is a counterfeit. I have ranted here before about counterfeits and so I'll spare you the bulk of it. Suffice to say that I feel quite strongly that no matter how badly you want something, no matter how much it tugs at your soul, there is never an excuse to buy a counterfeit version of it. You are simply buying into a system that exploits people all over the world. And? You've got a fake. It's fake. That thing you loved & wanted? Is not what you have -- you have a fake. You have an unreal, cheap, artificial version of the thing you loved & wanted -- like a Madame Tussaud's wax statue of your husband or wife instead of the flesh and blood human. It will never be as good as the real thing, and you will always know it.

So back to the boots. Those are some lovely Loubies and I would never dissuade anyone who had room for them in her budget and closet from purchasing them. I would not encourage it if it's going to be a financial hardship, because no boots are worth sitting up at night worrying that you can't pay your mortgage. But if a person did want to splash out that kind of scratch (say she has a Luxury Tithe, or a nice fat tax refund coming), these boots would be a worthwhile investment. I don't think they are going to go out of style ever -- that is some classic, classic footwear. That is important criteria to take into consideration when trying to build a quality wardrobe, especially if you, like most people, are thinking a little more about your budget than you might have been a year ago.

There's a good argument to be made that when you have less disposable income, you should buy fewer disposable clothes. When times are flush & you toss away 50 bucks on a pair of shoes you're only going to wear for a few months, it's not such a big deal. When every penny counts, so does every purchase. And if you happen to have 140,000 spare pennies, this is not a bad way to spend them.

Junk Food

Ohhhh, this can't be good for me. Really, this has to be the television equivalent of a box of Jujubes -- pure sugar and empty calories and who knows what all synthetic chemicals and if I'm not careful & bite down wrong, liable to yank a filling right out of my head.

There's a new show on the Style Network called "Running In Heels." It's a reality show (I know, I know) focusing on three young women who are interns at the fashion magazine Marie Claire. It's drivel. I'm completely addicted after one episode.









Like, new heights in vapidity. Wow. Like, really.

Ashley is the ambitious, cutthroat one. The world owes her because she wants it so bad. You'll hate her. Samantha is from Oshkosh (no, really) and doesn't know anything about fashion, ostensibly. Also, she cries. You'll feel sorry for her, but you'll also think she's an idiot. (Personally, I think she's a dark horse.) Talita? Is from LA? And has a chihuahua? Named Chanel? And fashion? Is her life? You'll dismiss her as a spoiled little princess who couldn't be bothered to even housetrain her dog.

Basically, the function of shows like this is to make you feel better about yourself because you may not be much but at last you're not as stupid and bitchy as these spoiled little monsters. This one has the delicious addition of being set in the fashion world -- the first episode takes place during New York Fashion Week. I'm hoping that it does actually give some insight into how things work behind the scenes at a major fashion publication, but we all know that's not what this is really about.

So it's bad. It will rot my brain and prevent me from spending my time usefully. I'm totally programming it into my DVR. You should, too.


Late-breaking news: Have just added a new affiliate to my roster -- Zappo's, the Big Daddy of online shoe shopping. Note their banner in the ads on the right sided of the blog. Between these guys and all my other excellent affiliates, we have got your shoe-shopping needs covered around here. Do some clicking!