Stylish Thought

You all know, I love some good vintage, and I’ll take it anyway I can get it. Thrift stores, consignment, high-end and especially online. There has been a surge in online vintage dealers and their presentation and quality is top notch.

Nasty Gal has been around for ages as an Ebay staple and has recently moved over to it’s own website and online shop, featuring constantly updated vintage finds, accessories, a sunglasses section and new finds. They’ve recently updated their shops, so get it fast, cause Nasty Gal finds don’t last long. CLICK the IMAGE to get your SHOP ON!

We’re living in a celebrity world. Celebrities for breakfast, celebrities running our government (not Barack Obama, actual celebrities like Arnold), celebrities telling us how to be charitable. It’s reaching saturation and there are no signs of this obsession with celebrity letting up.

Pop stars, actors and actresses have always used their brand to sell things. They are advertising gold, after all. And any celebrity worth their salt can sell even the most minuscule thing. So it’s not a new phenomenon that celebrities lend their images and “style” to fashion houses to beef up the retail dollars. With the last decade celebrities have come from behind the advertising to create their own clothing lines. It’s a smart business move. We’re influenced by them everyday, so why shouldn’t they profit off of society’s desire to emulate them?

Here’s why not? It’s not that I have anything personal against Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpon, Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen or Rhianna, or anything against any celebrity for that matter. They are people searching to expand their businesses, which happen to be their images and perceived lifestyles. But it seems to me that most celebrities (ones that are big enough to bank off a clothing line) are mostly manufactured. They have stylists who create their images, conjur up the artists’ personal style.
So my thought is, it’s not the celebrities that need the clothing lines, it’s the stylists. Before Rhianna was Good Girl Gone Bad in goth colors and bad ass attire, she was Pon De Replay. Whomever the stylist is deserves to bank off of this amazing image change. Rhianna dresses fire, but do I think she can design a clothing line, uh?

Rhianna dresses fire, but do I think she can design a clothing line, uh?

And if a celebrity is going to go the route of clothing line, please be straight with me. I don’t want to hear hogwash about how you handle all the affairs, oversee the entire process, blah, blah, blah. Because if that’s the case, then I truly feel sorry, because most celebrity lines are just rehashed things the celebrity wears. Take The Row for instance. Mary-Kate & Ashley regurgitates latex leggings, plaid and grunge and then pass it off for $400 and upwards. I’m simply not impressed.
Celebrities I don’t want to knock your hustle and far be it from me to say what venture you should pursue, but I think that maybe clothing lines should be left to designers. Wait, who am I kidding, you don’t design your labels anyway, you hire designers to “interpret” your “style”. Keep the fashion cycle going.
What are your thoughts?

I’ve been nostalgic lately. Pining for days and music that I’ve actually never lived though. It could be my old soul or just a quest to delve into the past, but the 80′s are on my mind. So this Tunesday edition is dedicated to one of the baddest girl groups in 80′s and music history. Electic in sound and style, the Mary Jane Girls are an inspiration to all the fly girls of today. They were protegees of Rick James and consisted of Joanne “Jojo” McDuffie, Candice “Candi” Ghant, Kim “Maxi” Wuletich, and Ann “Cheri” Bailey.

Each had their own personal style and persona with Joanne being street tough, “female Rick James”, Candi was the Vamp, Kim “Maxi” was the leather queen and Cheri was the Valley Girl. They’re songs have been covered and sampled and the Mary Jane Girls have left a lasting impression on feminism, pop music and fashion.

My love for John Galliano knows no bounds. He could literally poo out a collection and my eternal ember would burn for him (maybe not) His tenure at Christian Dior continues to take the collection to new heights and he is truly a master of fashion and haute couture. Plus how can you not A-D-O-R-E a man with a scrawny mustache and a Puss-in-Boots air about him.

His Spring 2009 collection was atypical in the sense that it didn’t delve into the Over the Top region that Galliano tends to live in. He kept his “Tribal Chic” (guffaws!) motif understated and decidedly not literal, focusing more on the skins and patterns to convey the tribalness. Some of the skirts were a bit sheer, not particularly retail-worthy, but when you see a Galliano for Dior show, does anyone truly expect wearability. However, the kicker is that this was maybe one of his most wearable collections (aside from his Spring 2007 show). He showed his mastery of explosive color and the shoes (gaga!) and proved hair can be as vertiginous as the heels atop idol statues.

In short (before I blow a gasket) this Dior collection was short (in hemlines as well) on class and regency and full on in youthfulness and vibrancy. Some critics blasted him for not taking it to it’s full force, but then will criticize that he is too over the top. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t Galliano. In my eyes you can do no wrong.

The economy is in dire straits. The U.S. once a super power is slowly losing it’s prestige and financial viability in the global scheme of things. And while analysts and experts are mulling over a $700 billion bailout (which got shot down) average Americans need to be tightening their purse strings, me included. Since I still love to shop, I figure I can limit my spending to things within my recession budget. Since money is tight, I can only spare $20 on any given thing… so this has definitely been a test in recessionomics, but one I can continue to learn from, long after we emerge from these trying times.

1. Fab Floral Flat (8.50 Forever 21) / 2. Cheap Monday Nina Shorts (9.99 UO) / 3. Material Girl Gloves (11.99 Modcloth.com) / 4. Bow Wrist Clutch (14.00 FredFlare.com) / 5. Chiffon Ruffled Blouse (19.80 Forever 21.com) / 6. Glamour Shots Beret (17.99 Modcloth.com) / 7. Dean Harris for Target Peace Ring (19.99 Target)

I love having creative friends whose talents are so wide and varying. It’s great to see all of the creative things they are doing and it’s an honor to know them (plus I love bragging about them). One such friend is Drew Versak. A graphic designer by trade, Drew is also a jewelry designer, nature lover and photographer. When he’s not taking nature hikes with his dog Winston or making Victorian style jewelry, Drew enjoys shooting friends in natural and styles settings. Many of his shoots and works can be seen at this blog Semi Creative Genius.

He recently did these marionette-style shots and I thought they were too cool not to share with you.