I Wanna Be You

This amazing creature is Shingai Shoniwa of the band Noisettes. She is my new hero. Her style is KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!!



*photo via Refinery 29

Pieces of Me (a rather disjointed outfit post)

I took a cab to work today and snapped a few pics. I'm sure the cab driver thought I was crazy, crawling around in the backseat like a feral cat.


Sheer F21 tank with AA mesh leotard underneath.





AA white denim skirt.






Vintage sunglasses and blazer.






F21 bracelet.






H&M purse with Silver Fox tail attached. Oh, the angry looks I get!





UO studded sandals. Shortly after this picture was taken, the cab stopped short and I slammed my left shoulder into the partition. Let this be a lesson- kids, wear your seat belt!

My Theme Song

Copycat aka Investigation II

Whew...it's been a while. There's been so much crap I've been trying to sort out in my head, I haven't been thinking about this blog. And while I could say that there have been more important things going on than shopping...well, that would be a lie. In fact I've picked a couple of really fantastic things and I'm long overdue for an outfit post. Anyway, on to a subject I've been thinking about for a while. Knockoffs. I had a very interesting conversation with the stylish sales associates at Confederacy last weekend about knockoffs and what they thought of them. It was pointed out that it's very hard for designers to be completely original and that fashion borrows from many, many sources. Recently DVF has come under fire for allegedly copying a bed jacket design from a independent label called Mercy but it seems that the issue has been worked out.

I used to buy knockoffs all the time in NYC. I would go down to Chinatown and buy myself Prada (my friend would call them "Pradon't"), Louis Vuitton, and others. Remember the Christian Dior Saddle Bag that was all the rage? Yeah, I had that too. I stopped after a while because let's face it, it's super tacky. Also, the knockoff trade is rife with child labor/abuse and is a horrible business. However, I recently purchased a knockoff of these:



The Stella McCartney Mesh sandal. Retail price $995. Can't afford them. However, I can afford these:



My hands trembled, hovering over my keyboard when I discovered these on the Bebe website. Could it be? Oh my god, they look JUST LIKE THE STELLAS! I called the Bebe at the Beverly Center. I put them on hold and booked it over there after work. I slipped them on, had a weird sensation on my feet but bought them anyway. I was happy as a clam. Let me tell you something...they are the MOST. UNCOMFORTABLE. SHOES. EVER. And I can't help but wonder if I would have the same problem with the originals.

In keeping with the same theme and to call back to my obsessive vest collecting, I picked this up in a vintage shop:











Look familiar?



No, of course I'm not saying A. Wang copied the pattern from a Cache vest but there's no denying how similar the pattern is. Maybe designers can't be 100% original, 100% of the time. Does that mean we should fault the companies who try to make certain styles accessible to the public? I bring this up because it really polarizes people who feel strongly about fashion trends. Those (myself included) who shop at F21, H&M and others must realize that we are buying knockoffs and understand where it came from. But I also think the fashion snobs should stop going on and on about how it hurts the designers. They are two different markets. I respect and appreciate a designers vision and when it's blatantly ripped off as is the case of the Stella shoes, then yes- it is off putting. Especially when the quality is so shabby. At the same time, my intentions were pure when I bought the Bebe shoes. Of course I would much rather have the originals but until I win the lottery, knockoffs are as close as I can get. However...I plan on returning them. They're so poorly made that I'll never wear them. Hmmm...maybe I should have just saved up.


*pics via Stella McCartney and Bebe

V, I Hardley Knew Thee

There certainly is a whole lotta hoopla over V Magazine. I must confess that this mag was not on my radar until I started obsessively reading fashion blogs. So the great fashion photographer, Mario Testino, has done a kick ass swimsuit issue featuring the world's best supermodels. I was intrigued by the pics but I was also curious about the magazine as a whole. I wandered over to the website and OMG....beautiful, arresting images that I must hold in my hand. After work, it is straight to the killer magazine stand on Cahuenga Blvd. to pick up a copy and add to the collection. In the meantime, have some eye candy.


Naomi Campbell is the world's best supermodel. I didn't say world's best human being. But her job? Yeah, she's good at it.





For all you skull fans (myself included): Pinault Collection at The Garage in Moscow




Photo by David Lynch, my favorite film director.




I think this is just so beautiful. Nina Stotler's Von Kottwitz necklace photographed by Clayton Cubitt.




*all photos via V Magazine