Hair there and everywhere

Are hair clips accessories or necessities?

In my research, these items are classified both ways - longhairgirl.com talks accessorizing, accessorizing, accessorizing with hair ribbons and clips, while hairboutique.com describes hair products and includes brushes and earrings with hairbands, combs and clips. Confusing, to say the least. Especially when you wonder where the basic rubber band gets included in the mix.

My gut tells me that if I have to ask the question, I should stay away from purchasing even bobby pins at this point, for fear of purchasing what may be classified as an accessory. (I say this after being told that the bobby pins in my medicine cabinet were "rusting" and I had to toss them out. To clarify, they were "shedding" the plastic coating, not rusting. Not that shedding is any more attractive. Or sanitary.)

So, with only a few Goody Stay Put bands, one remaining plastic clip, and no bobby pins, I'll have to make it through these last few months doing without.

Thank goodness I already own a brush and a hair iron.

Blundstones

For the unenlightened and my non-Aussie friends.

The Edge of Love

It seems Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller are doing for floral "tea" dresses, wellingtons, and cardigans what Sarah Jessica Parker did for flowery caftans, gladiator heels and scarves - put them on the season's fashion wishlist.

The movie, "The Edge of Love," unlike SATC, is not a fashion flick but the two actresses apparently look so good in the film's wartime outfits that the skirts, blouses and coats of the 1940s are now all the rage. According to my research, when the film opened in Britain in June, it sparked copycat looks along London's high streets - fast-fashion chain Oasis created an entire Edge of Love collection, and H&M and Topshop were racked to overflowing with '40s-style "tea" dresses, pleated skirts and chunky knits.

This is good news for me and my old clothes in my closet, despite not knowing what a "tea" dress is. I have a floral dress circa 1940 (and I have my chai tea or supper when wearing it) as well as chunky knits from Ireland and the US, so I'll be in front of the fashion line!

Now if only I can find my old Blundstones...

Fashion meets fantasy

Am I ahead of my time or is everyone as interested as I am in superhero fashion?

S tells me that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC has a superhero exhibit that looks at how movie and comic book superheroes have inspired fashion. "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" displays over 60 clothing ensembles, including movie costumes, active sportswear, and couture.

Among some of the noted highlights:

- the influence of Superman’s “S” on designer logos (apparently Coco didn't start the use of initials as a logo!)
- the sex appeal of Catwoman’s catsuit in women’s fashion (although men's fashion is adopting wearing tights, remember my entry, Tightwad of August 11?)
- the aerodynamic body behind Nike’s “Swift Suit” and Speedo’s “Fastskin" (visuals to get the young girls and boys into the show)
- the use of red/white/blue a la Wonderwoman and Captain America in Olympic fashion (although the USA gymnastics outfits can't be called fashion)
- the influence of capes on the catwalk (I just made this one up - I want to see more capes!)

In addition to the haute couture by designers like Giorgio Armani, Thierry Mugler, and Alexander McQueen, among others, movie costumes are displayed, such as Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman suit and Toby Maguire’s Spiderman suit - well worth the price of admission!

As exciting as this news is, it presents a new dilema for me - does hiatus prevent the purchase of a Halloween costume? There is “superhero” merchandise for sale at the museum store and October will be here before you know it.

My Last 100 Days

During my last 100 days of hiatus, I pledge to hone in on my assessment of my shopping habits, and if needed, I will seek professional help with purchasing the best clothes and accessories for my looks.

During my last 100 days of hiatus, I resolve to further rid my closet of those last pesky items that don't fit or look quite right even if I paid full price and even if that amount was 3 or more figures.

During my last 100 days of hiatus, I am committed to continuing the pretense of my old clothes being new and different by mixing and matching items that have never been worn together before with the hope of finding a combination that actually works for rather than against me and despite any subsequent stares that I may receive.

During my last 100 days of hiatus, I will not think about the new fall and winter clothes that I cannot buy, but rather will concentrate on being a better, more thoughtful shopper who wouldn't consider ruining someone else's shopping experience by pouring a hot beverage into their Armani and Bloomingdale bags simply because they can't stop talking about shopping while I'm just trying to enjoy a chai tea.

And of course, during my last 100 days of hiatus, I will be counting down to when I can walk back into a store to simply stop and smell the newness of the clothes.

Healthy Fashion, the oxymoron

Lots in the news about the health hazards of fashion – being unable to eat because of the tight jeans, the risks of throwing out your back from wearing high heels, but what else is new? Women were breaking ribs with tight corsets hundreds of years ago.

I was surprised to find nothing in the news regaling the health benefits of fashion. Hard to believe, since wearing those fabulous polarized sunglasses protect eye health, do they not? Don’t those big beautiful hats protect the health of your skin? And my friend S would be the first to point out that wearing eco-friendly fashions protect the health of the Earth.

The real issue isn’t fashion and health but rather beauty and health. Fashion is merely a by-product. Eating well and exercising to fit into those skinny jeans is a good thing, unless your idea of exercise is sticking your finger down your throat after each meal.

A recent story about women who are able to quit smoking only when their plastic surgeons refuse to perform the eye/face/neck lift unless they quit really brings this beauty and health issue to the forefront. I mean, if a woman can’t quit smoking because of the risks of cancer and emphysema but suddenly can quit because she wants liposuction, then that says something.

Something like beauty rules.

Turning Japanese

An interesting item on what's been dubbed a new trend in Japan - skirts that are silkscreened with crack shots.

Seriously.

Now I received this tidbit from a friend in Scotland and I'll wait to hear from another friend in Japan who can tell me if it's real, or just another western slur on an ancient and proud culture.

If this ends up being a farce I will never again believe in a pretty 9-year old Chinese girl's beautiful rendition of her country's national anthem during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, or in the fireworks display over the Bird's Nest stadium during the same opening ceremony, or in Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, or in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy.

Never again.

Olympic fashion

An article in the Wall Street Journal mentioned that while there was plenty of opportunity for fashionistas to make waves at the summer Olympics in Beijing, it wasn't happening.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121831527595827279.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The author notes that country uniforms fell into one of three categories - colorful national costumes (ie, the bright scrambled egg with tomato colors of the Chinese), flight-attendant flair types suits (nothing wrong with the onesy, right?), and tracksuits (a la The Royal Tenenbaums).

I don't know about you, but I'm okay with this lack of fashion. I know it's not deliberate - the fashion icons just missed their mark this year - but there should still be some places where the human form rules. Especially if the form takes the shape of those guys on the US men's swimming team.

That new Speedo LZR Racer sure looks like a catsuit to me. Meow.

Extremely casual Friday

My friend S sends the solution!

106

Wikipedia tells us:

- In the year AD 106, in a letter to Christians in Smyrna, the term "Catholic Church" is used for the first time.

- The 106th Army-Navy Game was won by Navy on December 3, 2005 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Go Navy! Beat Army!

- 106 is the name of a car, the Peugeot 106.

- The Australian national text emergency number is 106.

What Wikipedia doesn't mention is that I have 106 more days left of hiatus!

Tightwad

Here's some interesting news - tights are back in fashion. For men.

Apparently the superhero craze has brought back the idea of metrosexual men wearing tights a la Robin Hood. I'm not really sure what other pieces of clothing these men are wearing the tights with, but I guess we can expect to see tights with short or capri length pants, tights with kilts or lungis (however these men want to define what the rest of us will call skirts), and possibly tights with big tops ala 1980 or - even better - tights with capes. 'Cause who doesn't love a cape?

Now I had understood that Gossip Girls brought back tights for women, but I didn't realize that the trend extended to menswear. I wonder whether Bill Cunningham will do a piece in the New York Times on this. I was surprised when my research found a note in The New York Post that was done last December (after the trend was first announced in Milan).

http://www.newyorkpost.com/seven/01252007/entertainment/ fashion/man_in_tights_fashion_brian_niemietz.htm

Since that piece is from last winter, and the whole announcement in Milan seemed a bit of a forced trend rather than an observed one, I'm not sure that it's catching on in NYC.

Thankfully.

Falling

Did you know that the fall fashion shows already occurred?

This must have happened while I was traveling in March or June or something, because I totally missed them. (I say that as if I attend these things, when in reality, I just missed the press on them!) Thankfully, Google allows me to catch up on what I've missed.

I don't think I missed much.

Looks like the SATC craze took over for fall and designers presented a lot of achromatic pieces. Of course, there's a lot of black (there always is - especially in the NYC shows) but there's also a lot of greys and some whites. There are very few pieces with stripes or other patterns (except on the tights) and even color/pattern-happy Betsey Johnson was subdued with only a few bits of red and other colors and a couple of patterns.

I really liked Caroline Herrara's colors - warm browns and yellows. It's when I see those colors that I begin that same fantasy of looking good in everything by her, despite the acutal style. (You know the fantasy because you live it too, just with another designer - as long as we don't attempt to make the fantasy a reality, we're safe.)

And if we're not safe, there's always hiatus.

Missing sunnies

As you all know, this hiatus of mine relates to clothes and accessories.

I say "accessories" as if I know how to accessorize, which I don't. I wanted to include things like belts and bags in my hiatus because I thought I needed to assess some of my insane purchases of both, many of which ended up on eBay or donated to my local thrift store.

That being said, the one accessory I miss buying during these summer days is a new pair of sunglasses. I love sunglasses. I love everything about sunglasses. I hide behind big dark ones, pretending I'm Jackie O. I switch my big dark sunglasses around and go from wearing my big white Ralph Lauren pair one day, to my big black Givenchy pair the next day, to my newest big pair - the brownish red Valentino ones with polarized lenses.

Now I also enjoy my sunglasses with smaller frames. My big pairs don't take away from my classic Maui Jim's (great for golf) or Ray Ban's (great for the boardwalk). Nor do they take away from how cool I think look in the tortoise-shell BCBG pair I found a few years ago or the lightly tinted Dolce & Gabbana pair that I also found (with the case!). I like wearing the small framed ones too, but mostly in the other seasons.

And of course, when I'm out on a boat (someone else's, naturally), I like the Costa Del Mar pair with polarized reflective lenses.

I do miss buying a new pair of sunglasses. But since I have plenty (and these are what I have left after cleaning out my closet and selling off a few (okay 5) other pairs including a too-big pair of Ray Ban's and a pair of heavy brown ones from Kenneth Cole), I must mix and match and be satisfied with the ones currently in my stock.

Unless I happen to find another pair. (Finding isn't buying, blogsters!)

The Cat is Back

News has it that Angelina Jolie is signing up to be the next Catwoman!

With the recent Batman movie, "The Dark Knight" breaking all kinds of money-making records in Hollywood, it makes sense that the Batman bonanza movie train will keep on going. And since Catwoman is Batman's true love (sorry Batgirl and whoever Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal play in the 2 recent movies!), I hope that the next Batman movie will feature Catwoman in all her cat glory. I'm looking forward to it!

For purely selfish reasons, of course.

Catwoman has always been a favorite of mine, and not simply because she's a fashion icon. To me, she represents the ultimate in female power - she knows what she wants, she makes no excuses, she's smart and witty, and she can kick some Bat butt! I remember her from the old Batman comic books and the television series reruns and even as a kid liked her. And like Gwen in the Spidey comics, I cried when she died, despite knowing that - like all cats - she had 8 more lives to go.

I also had the pleasure of dressing up as Catwoman one Halloween. The costume was a blend of the television series Catwoman and the one Michelle Pfieffer played on "Batman Returns," not the Halle Berry version (which deserved the panning if only on the basis of leaving Batman out of the movie). Nothing like a unitard coupled with boots, a mask and a whip for a night of fun! I may do it again this year in her OLD costume (as pictured above thanks to my friend S), since there likely will be a lot of Dark Knights and Jokers going around. The powerful women of fashion need to be represented.

Hot Hot Hot

Up here in the northern blogosphere, it's been a hot and steamy couple of weeks. We had a nice breeze today for a change, a precurser to the cool breezes heralding autumn that we'll have later this month. This brings to mind a new season - my favorite.

Autumn represents lovely contrasts - a bit of hot and cold; bright reds and oranges against dull hues of browns; a transition to acceptable hibernations and frenetic activity before summer ends. The shorter days disturb me, but everything else I enjoy.

I spotted a lovely Nanette Lepore brown/black/beige cap-sleeved dress (called the "Upstage Dress") with a bit of a side bow in the window of a store, and actually stopped to admire. Yes, my size; yes, my colors; yes, perfect for mid to end of September. Perfect.

That would be September 2009, of course, after hiatus ends.

Sigh.

Casual Friday wear

What DOES one wear on casual Friday?

The 'casual Friday wear' dilemma for office workers isn't new and answering the question isn't easy. This is especially true when many offices (mine included) now have a "business casual" dress code for all days. "Business casual" means buttoned shirts with collars, dress slacks, skirts, etc. but not business suits. So what makes casual Friday wear different?

Apparently not so much. Most everyday, I see collared shirts that button up (often blue), Khaki pants (it's like a friggin' uniform), dresses, skirts. I don't see tank tops or halter tops, but sometimes the occasional halter dress appears in order to show off a tan. Capri length pants too. I don't see much denim, but there are some denim jacket wearers.

I wore a denim skirt today on this quiet August Friday. Most of the day I sat at my desk working and not paying attention to what anyone else was wearing. So how did I become the subject of scrutiny for others on my way to the toilet? How come others felt free to comment on my skirt but not harass the flip-flop wearers (who happen to wear flip-flops every day of the week, never mind just on Fridays)? A bit of research around the blogosphere (and even out there in the real world) revealed that in most offices, denim not only is allowed on Fridays, but denim jeans are a staple! At least my denim was in skirt form! And I also wore a buttoned-up blouse with a collar. Can I have a little credit, eh, on this not-quite-so-causal-Friday?

Not really. Seems like after I did a bit more research, I discovered that my office doesn't have casual Fridays! "Business casual" on all days means ALL days. Who knew? That explains why Fridays look the same as any other day! And why I was so scrutinized!

I guess I'll have to get rid of that skirt now. I tell you, if I wear denim outside of work it's got to be in jean form.