Les Fleurs

Every now and again I run across this jewelry in a magazine and I always want to show it to you to say, "Oooh, ahhh." Today I finally remembered.

Oooh, ahhhhh.

I find this utterly delightful, and so astronomically far out of my budget for "fun" jewelry that it poses no threat whatsoever to my No Buy. I just enjoy looking at it. It's by Christian Dior and available at eLuxury.com, if you're feeling like a splurge.

Wherein Style Spy Resists the Urge to Pun in Her Post Title

The Cannes Film Festival is presently going on in the south of France. Now, as a low-level film geek I'm always interested in what happens at Cannes, cinematically-speaking. And as a high-level fashionista, I'm always happy to have opportunities to view, critique, and learn from displays of wardrobe derring-do. But I can't help but feel that the Fashion Monster has completely devoured, digested, and regurgitated the film business at this point. My guess is that entire movies get made because some starlet or producer's wife saw a gown at a runway show and insists on creating an opportunity to wear it by engineering a movie premiere. I feel churlish about complaining about the chance to look at pretty dresses, but the dresses are ongoingly more boring, homogeneous, predictable, dull... in a word, Hollywood-ized. It just kills me, because one look at the latest round of collections in New York & London & Paris would tell anyone that this is an incredibly exciting time in fashion, with interesting new silhouettes and fascinating fabric treatments and yet... one by one, movie stars trundle down the red carpet in shiny, sparkly, skin-tight columns of fabric. It's such a yawn. To wit:

The ubiquitous Mischa Barton. Someone please tell me what this young woman has done besides a series of endlessly fey print ads for Keds sneakers. And yet – I see her everywhere. I need to hire her agent, because apparently he or she has figured out how to carve out an entire career based on just putting on pretty dresses and showing up. (And when I say "pretty" in this case, please understand me to mean "utterly forgettable.")

Julianne Moore in Christian Lacroix. Oh, my god. This is beyond dreadful. Now, I hate to shoot her down because I love when anyone wears Lacroix, but so few people pull it off well and that looks hideous on her. If you have this sort of complexion, DO NOT WEAR THIS COLOR.

Unless, of course, you are the magical exception that proves the rule. Apparently, angels and fairies hovered about Cate Blanchett's crib as an infant and bestowed upon her the Gift of Perfect Skin. I do not understand why this is so good on her and so terrible on Julianne Moore -- someone with more color & makeup savvy will have to explain that.

Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn. I will omit commentary except to note with mild surprise that this appears to have stuck and to say that if you're going to wear an evening gown A) STAND UP STRAIGHT and B) put some lipstick on, for pete's sake.

Amira Casar. I think she's an actress, but I can't be bothered to Google her right now. Love this. Love that it's black & sparkly, but short & not clinging to her like a wet paper towel. Love the slightly weird coral necklace as an accent. Also, how about those shoes, huh? Would really like to see those up close. Like on my own feet, under the table at a fancy restaurant.

Salma Hayek in Balenciaga. See, perfect example of my complaint. This stylist must have trolled through every stitch of clothing available at Balenciaga and picked the single least interesting piece in the joint. I mean, for crying out loud -- Ghesquiere showed this in his last show:

More than you want to bring to the red carpet? Fine, okay, how about this?

Come on, people. As LBDs go, that is one for the books. Yet Hayek looks, dare I say it, borderline matronly in that green number above. I do appreciate that the woman has an amazing figure. More to the point, the woman has an extreme figure -- she is not lithe & willowy in the way that allows a person to wear many different kinds of silhouettes in the manner that a runway model can. But for crying out loud, her husband is the CEO of the company that owns Balenciaga. My guess is that Nicolas could have been talked into doing a little something for her.

Natalie Portman in vintage Chanel couture. (Of course, these days "vintage" can mean "last season," so who knows...) Conventional wisdom has it that Ms. Portman is our new Audrey Hepburn, and she has always had a very precocious appreciation of classic fashion. She always looks lovely, and never like she's trying too hard. She understands how to wear a dress that flatters her without making her a exhibit in a freak show. But. I wouldn't mind if she were a little more adventurous. She's so young, after all, and so beautiful. I'd love to see her push the envelope a little.

Gillain Anderson in Alberta Ferretti. Dress is fine, pose is slightly ridiculous, and I hatehateHATE that hair. Honestly, when I rule the world, all the flatirons are going to be gathered up and thrown into a deep, deep pit. It is NOT flattering, and it smacks, on someone this age, of a desperate attempt to look younger than you are. (Vera Wang, I'm talking to YOU!) And if you're going to wear stick-straight hair with a part this extreme, see to your roots first. Sheesh.

No idea who these people are, but this is important: if your boobs look like this, do not wear this neckline. Or wear a narrower version of it that shows off your sexy sternum and that is all. God bless her for not succumbing to the lures of the knife, but discretion is the better part of valor. This is a perfect example of the Pick One Thing school of fashion advice: she's got great legs. Work that slit skirt, amen. That dress with the slit and a higher neckline -- much better. As an addendum -- if your boobs do look like this and you insist on wearing this neckline against my advice, at least try not to wear long, droopy hair that echoes your long, droopy... well, enough said.

Eva Longoria in Atelier Versace. No, sweetie, I think you misunderstood. You're supposed to save a piece of your wedding cake and eat it on your anniversary, not save the entire wedding cake and wear it to a party.

Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, and a large stuffed panda. I... What...? Why...? Every single thing about this photo makes me fear for the future of my species.

Gael Garcia Bernal with Yoshino Kimura. Again, don't know who this young woman is, but I love the kimono. Often I find the donning of traditional garb in formal situations a little forced, but this is just so pretty. I attended a wedding this past weekend and one of my fellow guests was a Japanese woman who also wore her kimono. Ohhhhhh, my goodness, it was so breathtaking. I sat next to her at the ceremony and paid almost no attention to the bride & groom because I was so mesmerized by Kumiko's kimono. There is a LOT going on in a traditional kimono -- sashes & belts & ties & underskirts and many layers of gorgeous fabrics. When it's done right it is a graceful symphony, and fascinating in a way that modern clothes seldom are. Looking at it, I found myself wondering all sorts of things about it -- where did she get it, how did the designer choose the colors and fabrics, what sort of process is it to get into & out of... I was riveted. Everywhere else around me sat a sea of women in droopy, poly-chiffon floral print dresses with flounces at the bottom and faux pashminas draped over their arms. I didn't give their dresses a second look. So -- here's to the kimono. It makes a statement.

Linda Evangelista. Yeah, buddy, that's what I'm talkin' about. Still one of the most beautiful women and arresting presences in the world, if you ask me. (I say "still" like she's 100 years old -- for crying out loud, she's a mere three months older than me! Such is the ephemeral nature of fashion.) Forget everything I said above about being bored by shiny, sparkly columns of fabric. This is how you do it. If you're gonna go, go big. And if you go big, work it for all you're worth. La Linda gets it.


Photos: Style.com

If You Can PIck Up Your Own Suitcase...

A friend of mine sent me a link today to this great article from The Guardian in the UK. If you've ever had to pack a suitcase, you should read it.

The Beast, upon returning from our last trip to Paris.

Hadley Freeman frequently writes about fashion for the Guardian and clearly she & I share the same travel philosophy.

Photo: Style Spy

Wherein Style Spy Seeks Your Permission...

...to break her No Buy.

Now, before you get all huffy with me, let me inform you that it's not for some fabulous pair of swoony shoes, like these

although they're certainly making my heart beat faster. I've decided that I need more purple in my closet. Every time I wear it, people compliment me like crazy. I don't have much purple, it's just never been a color that grabbed me, but apparently it's faboo on me, so... (Of course, wearing purple on my feet would not so much serve the purpose, but let's not quibble over details.)

No, I'm not looking at shoes. I need a bra. Despite my recent bra binge, I find that I'm in need of a particular bra. I need a smooth, nude-colored bra that is not terribly padded but just padded enough (to prevent embarrassment) to wear under snug-fitting things that are light-colored.

I have two Wacoal bras that I really love:

(Racer-back -- LOVE!)

(So pretty. I have this one in red, too. Va-va-voom!)

but these are both heavily padded. I don't mind that when I'm wearing button front blouse or a looser top, but they feel a little... Pamela Anderson when I'm wearing a top that's more form-fitting, like one of my nice, sleek Vera Wang t-shirts. The problem is not so much finding the style of bra, it's the color. Wacoal's nude is perfect on me, it completely disappears underneath a white shirt. Many nudes are not very nude. Well, at least on me -- I'm extremely fair-skinned and I find that most nude bras are actually too dark to match me.

So what do you think? Are underduds an acceptable exception to the No Buy? These won't even be fancy, special-occasion underduds, remember, but something very everyday and serviceable. Can I sacrifice one Parisian lunch for this?

Guide me, oh, wise ones. Let me know what you think. I swear, I will feel less guilty about spending the money if you tell me it's okay.

Update: Hey! I figured out how to put one of them nifty poll thingamajiggies on the blog! It's over on the right side just under my profile, so just click to tell me what you think!

Shopportunity -- May 14

Ooh-ah! Big sale at Yoox.com!




This is how devoted I am to you all -- even though I cannot purchase any of the lovely goods on this site, I have just pored over them to pull out some exceptional examples for you. It hurt, oh yes it did, but I did it for you. Click photos for links.

Dress by Dries van Noten for $240. I actually own this dress. It is spectacular. This photo, however, makes me extremely worried about the color reproduction on this website. The color is listed as "military green," and it certainly looks it in this picture. But this is the color of my dress:


which is decidedly teal, although I suppose you could call it military green if you were so inclined. It seems unlikely that they would have produced this dress in two such similar colors, but I dunno. And the tricky bit is that Yoox often does not offer refunds or exchanges on things that are marked down this far. So. If you're at peace with the possibility of military green or teal, then I urge you to order this dress. The fabric is shiny, so it will be dressy no matter which color it is. The fit, due to the wrappiness and ties, is somewhat fungible. It is not a great dress for the large of bust -- good luck finding a bra to go underneath that. (I bought this dress, by the way, in the company of the fun & lovely Bellette Rouge. It took two women with a combined total of four college degrees to figure out how to get into this thing, because I didn't have a photo to crib from in the store. If you order it, e-mail me & I'll send you instructions.)

Really beautiful Norma Kamali bright blue wrap dress for $224. By this point, I don't have to make an argument in favor of the wrap dress, do I?

This is from a great, newish label called 6267 who have done some of the best dresses of the last few seasons. This is a fall dress, it's tweed, but it's only $242 and at that price you won't mind hanging it in the closet and eagerly awaiting October.

Style Spy loves her some Pucci. Adorable little bag -- $214.

Style Spy also loves her some Furla, and this beautiful blue shoulder bag is only $98. Furla makes wonderfully high-quality bags.

Oh-so-sweet Missoni fabric brooch, $58. I just love this, you could put it on a blouse, a solid-color dress, the lapel of a jacket... Endless possibilities, and anything you attach it to is instantly more fun & interesting.

Comme des Garçons, $142. Own this blouse and you'll never again have to worry about what to wear to a cocktail party. Even with jeans, this would be great. Wear a pretty cami underneath it. Or not...

Oh, this is so adorable! Krizia, and a measly 38 clams! Look at the back!

Want to get a little Prada into your life for under 100 bucks? How about a gorgeous graphite gray charmeuse blouse that will go with every single thing you own? Guaranteed you will wear this at least once a week. $94.

Want to get a little Alexander McQueen into your life for under $75? (And I highly recommend doing so.) Perfect, perfect tweed skirt for $60. If you can't find a use for this, you aren't trying hard enough.

Want to get a little Versace into your life for under $50? How about $45 for this great cotton blouse? Swell tailoring, and look at the great detail over the bust. Terrific blouse.

A caveat: Yoox has limited sizes of any given item, and the return/exchange policy can vary from item to item, depending on the depth of the markdown. Be sure you read carefully before you order if you think you have questions about it. Also, the notice on their site of the return policy makes them sound rather draconian, but I believe it's all just fancy, non-native-English-speaker (Yoox is an Italian company) language for the usual requirements for returns: you have a certain amount of time, and the item must be returned unworn and with tags attached. Don't be afraid.

So, go! Shop!!