jog their fashion consciousness

I just went to The Fashion Spot forums for the first time in about 6 months. What the hell happened?!?! People are posting up items from Victoria's Secret in the trendspotting section. VICTORIA'S SECRET. You know, that place where you can buy shitty ass bras and $2.99 panties with huge pockets of fabric in the ass. Were you aware that they sold clothes? ME NEITHER.

TFS used to be a place where the fashion snobbery could be snide and elitist, mocking the general public's affinity for mall stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and VICTORIA'S SECRET. Now that's what people are wearing in the "What Are You Wearing Today" thread. I just threw up my dinner on the keyboard. I need to clean it off.




dress. ebay. vest. aqua. belt. ??? shoes. ebay. hat. american apparel.

raf simons, you are a god.

Raf Simons' collection for Jil Sander was a godsend. More on this later.

lace teddies in barcelona

I recently got a chance to watch the much recognized "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" starring that blonde girl who’s a bad actress, that creepy looking guy who looks like 4 other people, and Penelope Cruz. (That Oscar she won – it was much deserved because she was so unbelievably good.) It was what you would typically expect from a Woody Allen movie: pseudo-intellectualism, great scenery shots, artist enclaves, wisps of some faded bohemian ideology that no longer applies in our capitalist world. Aside from the passion-incensed Maria Elena (Cruz), my second favorite character had to be Doug (played by Chris Messina). I used to live next to people like him – hell, I have people like him in my family – and he’s just so damn predictable and readable that it’s quite comforting to have someone like him in this mess of a complex movie/world.

Aside from the plot, I really loved watching Penelope waltz around Barcelona in various versions of a lacy nightgown. Sometimes she would opt for slutty prostitute (the pink and black lace) but then counter it with a long, matronly white slip. My favorite had to be the one she wore on the picnic paired with a black top hat.

Whimsical in various states of undress in Barcelona. Sounds like my ideal summer. Anyone else up for it?

we call her ms. lanphear

It's no secret that the style editor at Elle is a goddess in her own right. Her jewelry collection is beyond enviable, and there's this unspeakable ease in which she wears her own brand of anti-fashion. Who else can pull off that nearly white-blonde hair in a short crop that she's come to call her own? I smell the makings of the next potential Anna Wintour, minus the diva behavior, of course. (Can you really put a diva label on someone who was seen wearing an "Obama Mama" t-shirt under a plaid button down?)

The rest of this "First Look" section from February was pretty incredible, but I just wanted to show off the first page. I love the model's blown out hair and her plush nude lips. I'm a huge fan of nude lipstick.

i hate mondays.

Topics of conversation from this weekend:

- the picture of Rihanna right after Chris Brown beat her ass
- Ingrid Betancourt's son is hot.
- "Taken" is a story about over privileged white girls from southern California. U2. REALLY?
- Robert Pattinson looked creepy sitting behind Mickey Rourke at the Oscars. Like a pedo who's just gotten out after serving 15 years and just spotted a cute child.




t-shirt. Hanes. tank. TBJ. jeans. Levis. shoes. miss sixty. bag. miu miu.

dark, dark spaces

There was a supplement to this Vogue Korea I bought years back that showed the design spaces of designers like Roberto Cavalli, Phillip Lim, Richard Chai, and a handful of Korean designers. I was browsing through this book a few days ago when I came across this particular spread about Lee Ju-young.

From the red velvet curtains, the wall of crosses, dark wood paneling, and delicate chandeliers, it's my absolute dream lair. I'm such a huge fan of Gothic-Victorian, especially anything that reminds me of Dracula (which I'm reading right now). I can just picture the Count on his (cherry wood) throne, asking if he could suck my blood. My answer? "Only if I can live in this room for eternity."

who's that girl?

Who's that girl in the black top and deep red lipstick?

a. actress
b. musician
c. model
d. groupie

She was alllllllllllllllll over Kanye West in the Cobrasnake pictures.





credits: Cobrasnake

because the lady is a vamp

I'm obsessed with Victorian Gothic. Fall 2005 was the best time to be in England because Topshop, Warehouse, Miss Selfridge, and everyone else sold nothing but lace, lace, and more lace. Everything was frilly, delicate, and just pure femme. It fit in perfectly with my curriculum of Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

So when I saw Jill Stuart's collection for Fall '09, I flipped. Everything oozed of that seductive delicacy I fell in love with that one fated fall.




I love how Jill gives you an option to be the dominating seductress in black lace and leather or the demure innocent victim in white, dainty organza. I don't know if this was on purpose, but in the last photo in the black series, there's a cross dangling on a chain from the bottom of the coat. That would be a really great way to jazz up a plain black coat for low cost. Perfect DIY project.

credits: style.com

disappointment tastes bitter

I'll expound upon this later, but I just wanted to ask: who else was disappointed by Alexander Wang's collection? (My hand is raised, very high, and might possibly be waving frantically.)

I saw it last night on style.com and couldn't have been more bored. There were a handful of looks - and literally, five - that were worth their weight in fabric. I know he's considered a demigod in the blogosphere with only a handful of bloggers brave enough to question his "brilliance" (ahem, luxirare), but honestly, is he really all that great?


Like these looks. They're all so bland. An oversized sweater, an oversized white oxford, and leather jackets with leather leggings. All of these looks can be replicated (if wanted) at a fraction of the price it would cost to buy an Alexander Wang label. And in these economic hardships, can you really call any of them investment pieces?

With that said, I'm not going to deny that he does have the ability to create some really nice things. I thought the blazer that's linked in chains by the shoulders was quite clever, and the sequin dress with emphasized shoulders is beautiful. And the bralette with a cropped jacket paired with high waisted pants with grommets (or safety pins?) is nice, albeit a bit reminiscent of his pre-spring collection.

But it wasn't enough to render THIS collection into any type of masterpiece. Maybe he got complascent after winning the CFDA award. Maybe he was just straight up tired and used up all his good ideas. I don't think that a designer should feel obliged to make consistent hit collections. Nobody's able to operate like that. I just hate when people make something into something that it's not. Yes, Alexander Wang has had some great collections (Fall '08 being one of the best I've ever seen), but his Spring '09 is no godsend.

credits: style.com

like a rhinestone cowboy going to a rodeo

Living in the capital of the south, seeing people (i.e. Mexicans) walking down Buford Highway wearing Route 66 jeans, plaid shirt, bolo tie, cowboy boots and hat is not uncommon. I've been a little obsessed with the whole cowboy theme for about four years now, but never really had the guts to get anything because there's just something that looks fucked up about an Asian girl rocking out like she's the eastern answer to Dolly Parton.

But I got over my fears upon my first trip to Plaza Fiesta (Laredo Western Wear, to be precise) where I saw the most awesome saddle ever. I kinda wish I lived near a ranch so I can pretend to rope wild buffalo (i.e. hay) while wearing turquoise lizard skin cowboy boots.

Unfortunately, I'm not that awesome.





dress. Kimchi & Blue. boots. e-bay.

still single

A conversation...

her: You're just too picky. No wonder you're still single. There are too many stipulations.
me: There's no such thing as being picky. It's just a matter of how much vodka it's going to take. I don't want to drink an entire bottle every time I go on a date.

Whether or not you have a valentine or not, these are some hot duds. Besides, Fred Flare has given me the option to turn a frog into a prince.



Eliza Maxi Dress, Ray Ban Avaiators, Pamela Love heart necklace, Maptote Manhattan, Magic Frog to Prince, Forget Me Knot ring

yes, i wore that

A few friends and I discussed the fashion choices of our past (in particular, fashion choices of middle school). We were lucky enough to come of age during the skateboarder/surfer look of the mid 90s, which meant that we were either street or dressed like Cher from "Clueless." Jnco jeans, Mossimo (when it was expensive), logo wear like Tommy Hilfiger/Nautica/Polo... and if you wore different brands mixed together, you were called a perpetrator. Thank God those days are behind us.

I used to date guys who had bowl cuts. And I thought they were really hot.

Yes, I used to be a hot mess. Please share your middle school mistakes so I can have a good laugh. hahaha





top. Y-3. leggings. Members Only. jacket. Smythe. sweater. Uniqlo. bag. Barbie. shoes. Miss L. Fire.

a peek into your room

I've been meaning to do something like this for a long time... ever since I started getting comments that read, "It looks like you live in a hotel room." I used to laugh, because I honestly live in borderline squalor. At any given time, it can look like my room threw up on itself. So, consider this a good day.

P.S. That is not my entire shoe collection. I have resorted to throwing them in a pile on my closet floor. It is quite unpleasant.

who's the one who smokes barefoot contessa?

So pictures from tonight's adventure were a kinda disaster. They were entirely too small. Like really embarrasingly small. And we didn't get a single lewd comment. What is the world coming to?! What happened to those days of yesteryore when all I heard on Buford was, "Heyyyy, mamacita, como te llamas"??? Maybe I'm losing my touch.

Since everyone's pinching pennies these days, I thought I should share Amazon's rather impressive collection of free mp3s. I've been stocking up for the past few days. On Sunday, they had the Motown Collection for $1.99! Can't beat that.

What are you spinning right now? I've been listening to "Momma's Boy" by Chromeo.




shirt. Uniqlo. skirt. Diesel. sweater. Zara. jacket. Smythe. jewelry. various.

surprise! it's round.

I'm not dead. I swear. Just a little busy. I bought Lady Gaga tickets this weekend. I'm embarking on an adventure tonight. It involves boots, grilled chicken, and salsa. It might even involve lewd behavior (from other people, not me) and some cheesy pick up lines (mamacita). Expect a legit blog entry in about... five hours.

This is currently the first picture on the New York Times webpage.



Who would've thought former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle, would take fashion tips from Who What Wear? Lurve it.