New Thrift finds/some more MJ

I am still obsessing over Michael Jackson.

The costumes for his upcoming London tour were supposed to have been amazing!

Yesterday I bought this white night dress for $5. I can't tell whether its obviously sleepwear or not, but I love the sort of "origami" details. 

It's gotten to the point where I no longer buy things purely because I like them - I buy them because they have some detail or feature that makes them fairly unique. (My dad would kill me if he read that sentence because nothing can be fairly unique - either its one of a kind or its not. However, I am using the phrase "fairly unique" in the sense that perhaps it is unique to me or it is unique in my closet, though it certainly is not unique in the grand scheme of things.) For example, I contemplated buying a floor-length green velvet skirt and matching quilted puff-sleeved bolero, simply because it seemed so outlandish and odd but wearable, especially the skirt. Perhaps I'll go back to the thrift store I found it at and take pictures. That thrift store just opened, right near my house as well! I love it! It's pretty cheap for a Manhattan thrift store so whoopee.

I got my denim jacket and black zippy pants there. The pants get Cheap JAP (thats Jewish-American Princess) cred for being Miss Sixty and $15, while the jacket would get hipster cred (thrifted!) were it not originally from H&M. 

I also got this skirt. I am feeling the longer lengths now, possibly just because its summer and miniskirts are everywhere. Just so long as I'm wearing the longer lengths with heels - my amazing amazing amazing Gap heels arrived about a fortnight ago. I love them and they are really comfy due to the 1.75 inch platform with a 4 inch heel. 

I also got this sweater. Perfect for cool summer nights. Erm, Happy July 3rd! In preparation for tomorrow! 

EDIT: Wow, I just realized how unenthusiastic I sound. So, I LOVE MY NEW CLOTHES! I SOUND SHALLOW BUT THERE YOU GO! I'M ON A LAME RHYMING ROLL SO . . . YEAH, SO! WHOA! 

RIP MJ/new hair

How I love Michael Jackson. I can't say anything that hasn't already been said about a million times but he was amazing. However, I only started really appreciating him when he died, sigh. I heard it from a vendor on the street at about 8 on Thursday. On Monday, I set out to document what had been brewing in my head since then. Behold, the lamest tribute for the greatest of stars:

With the glove but without the fedora.

The fedora and shades were both new. 

Sorry for the cheesy expression but it was the only mirror pic that came out halfway decent.

The hair was new as well. (The first pic was taken on Monday night, the rest Tuesday night.) More pics coming!

Gap trek

About a week ago I went to Gap to see the release of the A. Wang/Vena Cava collabs, and while the clothes were nice enough, they were a tad stiff, material-wise.

The store was empty at 10:45, when the line had been released at 10:30!

I then went into H&M and tried on these pants which I think I'm going to go back and get.

As well as some stuff from the Matthew Williamson line.

I really liked these shorts. If I had $50 lying around I might have bought them.

I liked these pants but the only size left was a size 0 and it was far too small around the hips/butt, so I just took a photo of 

the nice back detail.

Aaaaaaand this is what I was wearing.

Aaaaaaand this is what I bought at Borders:

Story of my life.

I thought these shoes were awesome - orthopedic sandals but in faux-snakeskin!

And I liked this girl's suede bag.

City garden/harp in a park. Random.

I have so much to post about! But I probably won't post on Tuesday.

Summer

I wore this in May because, weirdly, there were two very hot days in May and then June, so far, has been fairly cloudy and breezy. But today was hotter, and in honor of the heat and Brooke changing her tags, I hereby post this picture of me wearing an almost comically colorful outfit. 

Not only that, but I am stuck wearing long, loose pants and 3-quarter-length t-shirts because I have poison Ivy ALL OVER i.e. on my shins, knees, arms, in between two of my fingers and two of my toes, and even some on my face. I get poison ivy at least twice every summer (this is my second time this year) and I KNOW not to itch and I don't itch, so why is it everywhere? Well, I can actually answer that this time, not most times. I was pulling up poison ivy while wearing gloves, and yes, I was aware that some of it was touching me but afterwards I sprinted up to the shower and scrubbed myself - usually if you scrub yourself right after the oil doesn't affect you but I guess I didn't scrub soon enough or I'm just extremely allergic! So, really I shouldn't be complaining because I have no-one but myself to blame. Oh, look, another outfit with the leotard:

And yet another outfit from a long time ago because dear God I need to post these pictures that have been 

vegetating on my camera:

Oh, look, another hat-outfit: (I wore this one a lot more recently):

And some thrifted earrings I bought yesterday for $7:

And a trench coat I bought . . . I think . . . in April? for $16:

It's vintage silk Abercrombie and Fitch, and though the condition is not great (sleeve-hems (is that what they're called? or is 

it just cuffs?) are undone and slightly fraying with some slight discoloration) I love it. It feels so luxurious and is so

voluminous and a wonderful, CDG-esque length. Sorry for the lousy pictures!

And one last celebrating-summer picture:

Vogue isn't what it used to be, or so I've heard

More like "or so I've concluded based on these old Vogue covers":

It's about time!

Finally, an outfit post! I don't know whether this is good or bad for readers, do tell. Oh, and it's about time I figured out how to put the black bar over my eyes as well!

I forget what molecule this is a model of, but I was very proud of it. So proud I made a friend take a picture of me with it. I am such a nerd. 

And the boring closet-door shot:

H&M leotard, old old old skort, mom's old Cole Haan shoes that I have developed a weird fascination with. They're navy! And pointy-toed! And flat! They should be boring but they aren't. I like typing extra things in the teensy italics because I feel like its a little surprise for readers who bothered to read the clothing "credits". I myself am fond of witty notes in teensy font, though I don't flatter myself that my remarks are witty or even funny to anyone but myself. 

I've already used up the one good backpack pun I can think of, the Dora the Explorer one

I am majorly digging this super super backpack, especially in navy. 

What I want to be wearing

I've been feeling quite inspired but unfortunately not by any of my own clothing. Right now what I want most is a denim jacket, "nautical" striped t-shirt and a pair of black jeans (original, I know). I've also been feeling the Union Jack, even though I keep on asking myself "What is so great about it?" and I still haven't answered. Basically, the following 3 outfits are what I want to be wearing this summer.

(source)

Although summer is a time for bare legs, these leggings look quite light and are ideal for summer. And she is rocking that denim-on-denim!

Tank, jeans, boots.

This so un-summery but its perfect for those gray, colder New England days, walking along a windy beach with lots of jellyfish.

And this? Do I really need to say anything?

Jacket, flats, skirt, clutch, shirt. 

WHY YES I ACTUALLY DO NEED TO SAY SOMETHING: Thank you so much Rosie for the award! I'm going to use the honor system and say if you think you deserve the award, its all yours! 

Resort Part 5: The Final Resort post

Balenciaga:

I swear I saw this very jacket for sale on the Urban Outfitters website a few months ago, which is not actually a bad thing, as I quite like it.

UPDATED TO ADD: And here's a picture of the UO jacket! Compare and contrast:

OK, so maybe they're not quite the same, but they're pretty darn similar!

Bringing back the neck ruff. How awesomely soft does the shirt look?

Richard Nicoll:

Hello, panels! Nice scarf too.

I love the colors, the bow, the draping, but what I really like about this look is the badge/ribbon-thing. It is super.

I love the top and belt and I'm not sure about the skirt; it reminds me of those sheets you see pinned to lampposts and what not advertising baby-sitting, guitar lessons, etc. More specifically, it reminds me of the bits of paper on those sheets you rip off because they have the telephone number/e-mail of the service provider on them.

Cynthia Rowley:

So simple, so classic, so lovely. 

I like the subtle stripes on the jacket, though I wouldn't make the neckline as severe, and I love the print on the skirt.

Lanvin: I liked it, and so, it seems, did the fashion editor, but I doubt it will receive the blog coverage of his previous collections. There was nothing wrong with this collection but it wasn't particularly exciting. 

Nice dress but stellar earrings and shoes especially.

Now this is a Harry Potter-worthy yellow. (Remember in the first book when Ron tries to turn Scabbers yellow? I imagine this is the sort of yellow the spell was supposed to make him.)

Awesome florals and cute bucket hats. 

I love the studs and neck flower thing. 

Vera Wang: I liked the overall feel of the collection, loose and relaxed, if not many of the individual pieces. That said, I did like the lace bike shorts with the blue semi-sheer top and black cardigan.

Proenza Schouler:

Ideal for a slightly cooler day at the beach/a nighttime beach barbeque. 

Is that a swimsuit? Whatever it is, I love it!

What a lovely, lovely print.

Its rather late at night and so while my feelings for this bag are deep and true, all I'll say is "this bag is amazing."

And so are these shoes. The first thing I thought of when I saw these was how awesome they'd be to wear to this fancy restaurant I ate at in Santa Fe, NM. Hmmm.

VPL: 

I never thought I'd be one to advocate cropped leggings but with the shiny skirt and cropped shirt, it works. I like it.

Super silhouette and the skirt is such a perfect basic.

Givenchy:

I don't know what this print is but I love it. 

Perfect basic not-quite-navy dress, much?!?

Suede hammer pants? It shouldn't work, but it does.

'Nuff said.

The dress on its own is gorgeous and I am digging the headgear!

Louis Vuitton: Overall I thought this collection was too themey but there were a few things I liked.

Pleats! Awesome halter! Just the right amount of gold! 

So the boots are ugly, but the dress seems perfect for the beach and I can totally see The Glamourai rocking those sunglasses. 

OK so this is a tad gimmicky but I actually really like it - the belt really makes the look. Plus, the sequin cap reminds me of these Patricia Field sequin visors:

I've actually been dying for one of these, which is odd but very summer-appropriate. So thank you Marc Jacobs for giving me an excuse to post these visors!

Of Stingray and Salmon leather

Quite frankly I don't know what to write about stingray because nothing in particular led up to it, I've just been thinking about it a lot lately. Perhaps the snakeskin of spring led to the stingray of dismal weather? Whatever the case may be, this stingray bangle from Alkemie Jewelry (I'm going to have to do another post on this) is enough to cheer me up on the gray day.

I also like these bangles.

According to style.com, Hannah Marshall used stingray in her Fall 09 collection. If that's true, methinks the 

two looks below employed stingray in the line down the waist and the detail around the bust, respectively.

The clutch that initially sparked my interest in stingray, and is absolutely gorgeous to boot:

And matching flats:

And as for salmon leather?

A few days ago I went to the Cooper-Hewitt and saw several inspiring exhibits, among them "Fashioning Felt" (perhaps I'll explore this some other time) and "Design for a Living World". "Design for a Living World" was comprised of ten artists working with sustainable, underappreciated materials to create something useful. Isaac Mizrahi used white salmon leather 

pailletes to create a dress, cape, and shoes. 

(picture source)

The salmon industry throws away ridiculous amounts of perfectly useful salmon skin every year. Unlike some cow leather, salmon leather is actually a byproduct of the salmon-eating industry. And I don't know about you, but I love some good salmon. (Its at times like this I'm glad my blog is not all that popular, because it if was, surely I'd be subject, at this point, to cries of "you cold-hearted animal killer!" And I don't think I would ever become vegetarian, but I might become pescatarian.) I've actually heard that salmon leather lasts longer than regular leather because the fish's skin must be ultra-tough to withstand the constant treks between salt and fresh water. The Irish Salmon Skin Leather Company actually has a small range of products, including this and this:

I'd happily wear either. The texture is fabulous! Sort of a subtle snakeskin.