I know it's a long shot, but does anyone has a lead on where I could find this Jane Marple dress and bag? (Lower right, next to the guy in the plaid suit) Or, even better, just the fabric? 
Photo from some Japanese Gothic Lolita magazine, via Jezebel
Next weekend I'm going to a wedding, the invitation to which specified 'dapper dress.' My dapperest wedding-appropriate dress (not solid black nor too slutty) is a 1950s cream and black silk party dress. I was planning to cruise ebay for a fabulous cocktail hat to wear with it, when I realized that I didn't have to: one of my co-workers has an amazing collection of vintage clothes and accessories and she's willing to lend.
I brought the booty home last night:
The contents of the box (that's the dress on the left):
The one at the top right is probably the most appropriate as far as time period goes, but it was terribly unflattering.
I love the red one and if I had a pair of lipstick-red patent leather heels to go with it, it might very well be The One. But I don't. Ignore the hair — I'll do something more cocktail-hat-friendly with it for the actual event.
I like this one a lot too. It's a little on the safe side, but quite nice. It's like a glammed-out sailor's cap.
But this one. Oh, this one! I love it so much. Even though it's the wrong decade (probably '30s), I think it'll work with the dress. It's insouciant and chic and a little wacky: everything I was looking for in a hat. I even put some eyeliner and lipstick on to try to do it justice.
I just need to figure out how to keep it on my head. The felt is too thick to use bobby pins. And I have a couple of vintage rhinestone pins that might prove a worthy adornment if it ends up looking too severe.
I finally got around to looking through the runway shots on style.com and overall: meh. Spring and summer clothes are a lot less interesting to me in the first place and this season's offerings aren't that strong, IMO. There are some standout looks though, definitely, and I'll get to those in a moment.
First though, on a somewhat related note, check out the Ten Most Physically Modified People in the World (via GetTrio). (Jocelyn Wildenstein didn't even make the list! — that's how hardcore these people are.) I will never stop being fascinated by the compulsions of human beings. The interesting thing about the people profiled is that they aren't modifying their bodies to meet external standards of beauty the way your typical boob-jobbed, duck-lipped, Botoxed mannequin does; they really seem to be doing it to make themselves more themselves, to make their physical self resemble their internal self more accurately. It's a mistake to write it off as simple provocation or rebellion or attention seeking. I don't want to curl up in front of a fire with any of these guys — or even look too closely at some of them — but that's hardly the point. I really admire the balls and commitment to a vision that this kind of transformation requires.
And, really, what is fashion if not just a another way to present your personal vision to the world?
My picks are what I personally would be delighted to wear if given the choice — no groundbreaking artistic statements here! If I had been thinking in this vein when I was going through the photos, maybe I would have tried for that, but, honestly, that's not what ready-to-wear is all about. Wait for the couture shows.
Vera Wang has been one of my favorite collections for the last several seasons. She hits a lot of my high points: gorgeous draping and construction, black and murky solids, a pervading edgy femininity, ever so slightly avant garde but ultimately wearable. This collection included some interesting textile treatments that I'd love to see up close.
I love the trompe l'oeil effect of this last one, the way it looks like a pinafore over a t-shirt but is actually fancy. I like a little wit with my incredibly flattering necklines.
Interesting colorblocking from United Bamboo:
Not such a fan of the grandma slippers though.
Sexy, monochrome texture at Catherine Malandrino:
I like the touches of bright color too.
I think this suit was United Bamboo too. I like the very subtle counterpane effect on the jacket and the gathers on the skirt.
This Phillip Lim dress is just beautiful. I don't think I'd ever be able to stand still in such a gloriously swishy skirt. I like the cardigan over it too, taking it down a notch.
And last, I like these looks from Proenza Schouler, the way they draw parallels between traditional Japanese prints and Western menswear patterns. 
fI'm not really buying clothes for fall right now. There's nothing I need and I'm more interested in using my pocket change to go see the Dropkick Murphys next weekend and go to Chicago in October and buy more gorgeous, perfect peaches from the farmers' market. That said, there are plenty of things out there that could easily tempt me if I happened upon a big ol' whack of cash. Or tempt me to knock them off, as the case may be. The striped skirt with a few increases to create subtle chevrons and that gathered neck detail are two things that I can see myself playing around with in the coming months.
Anyway, looking at lovely things is a good distraction from the nasty cold I seem to be coming down with. Zicam and herbal tea aren't nearly as appealing as gorgeous clothes, but I will continue to flood myself with the former and gaze from afar upon the latter. And since Fashion Week is currently underway here in New York, there should be plenty more to gaze upon over the next little while.
Via Shiny Squirrel, this is a label I've never heard of: Best Behavior. I love just about everything in their collection.
This jacket is fantastic.
I love the colors of this outfit. That murky teal is so beautiful.
I'm getting the urge to knit a couple of skirts. Something like this would be easy to work up and quite chic with a structured top and boots.
And Seattle boutique Impulse carries stuff that's right up my alley:
I can't decide if this last one would look good as a handknit or if it would be one hot mess. If I knit it, I would make the sweater out of a lightweight yarn with just the barest hint of fuzz, alpaca maybe, and the placket out of heavier, smooth yarn.
Banana Republic has a couple of good wrap dresses in their fall collection:
A most excellent dress from Marimekko. I would go for the purple/grey print shown in the shift dress, I think, instead of the black and white.
Gina and I were emailing a few weeks ago about style stuff and got on the subject of personal style icons. She named a few right off the bat and I was floundering, no names really coming to mind. I can describe elements of my personal style, certain colors and silhouettes that are flattering and I find appealing, but no people I would put to Gina's test: Would ____ wear this?
I was in high school when Jane Pratt had her tv show and I watched every day without fail just to see what she was wearing, but couldn't find any images online nor remember any specifics. There's one clip on You Tube, but she's wearing a boring Ann Taylorish pantsuit. I can't imagine that's what I found so covet-worthy, but who knows? I can't be responsible for the taste level of my 15-year-old self. It's entirely possible that I thought microfiber pantsuits were the absolute apex of sophistication.
Anyway. Moving on. There are a couple of people who come close to icon status for me currently though.
Selma Blair, for example, who manages to do both layered-quirky and vintage glam equally well.
And Cate Blanchett, who shares my love of layered black and clean lines and interesting, understated details. 
(not sure whats going on with the sleeves, but I love the huge black graphic on white and the red lower edge)
However, I find the Sartorialist's photos of stylish real women much more inspiring than any celebrities. Like this woman, Yasmin Sewell, a buyer for Brown's department store in London. (all following photos from the Sartorialist)
And this woman, who tied her father's shirt into a skirt:
This one is pretty close to my own style when I put a little effort into it. Feminine with a little bit of an edge, full skirt, cinched waist, monochrome, vintage elements worn in a modern way... All it's missing is a handknit cardigan.
I think I need to start a photo file somewhere in case I ever take a trip to Vietnam*, because I've heard that there is a district of seriously amazing and cheap custom tailors/dressmakers in Ho Chi Minh City who can copy any photo or make anything that you can describe. (I briefly dated a guy who traveled to Asia a couple times a year,
designed all of his clothes and had them custom-made there. He was a
bit of a dandy.) First, I would have them make eleventy thousand copies of an H+M shirtdress that I've had for years and which remains one of my favorite, most flattering, most wearable things in my closet. I would have it made in linen for summer and lightweight wool for the rest of the year in many, many colors and patterns and I would retire all of my other clothes. Then I would have them make this coat to wear over all of my dresses:
Cool assymetrical closing, nice combination of fitted and voluminous, great big pockets... It's by an esoteric company called Penelope's Sphere who seem to only sell their clothes in Berlin and Moscow. (found via Shiny Squirrel)
*I'm not going to Vietnam anytime soon. I'd like to, but there are plenty of other places on the list ahead of it, starting with Turkey, Scandinavia, Croatia/Hungary and Alaska.
Since I'm on deadline at work and in the throes of packing/cleaning/moving, and am spending 95% of my waking time thinking about one of those two subjects, I've pretty much become the world's most boring human. Do you think the tiara that goes along with the WMBH title is made of cardboard or newpaper?
However, since I hate to let the blog lie fallow for too long and I'm pretty sure that no one wants to hear about the evenings I'm spending scouring old grease off various surfaces in the new kitchen with brillo pads and elbow grease (the old tenants fried a LOT), I decided to give some of my own awards to attendees of the Met's Costume Institute party Monday night. Lots more photos over here.
The party was to celebrate the opening of the Poiret exhibition. He's one of my favorite designers. His work was groundbreaking and thrilling and I can't wait to see the show.
Most Unfairly Snarked About: Kirsten Dunst
I don't care what the Fug Girls say, I think she looks fantastic. She's dressed in keeping with the theme of the exhibition without being literal about it. The color is gorgeous. Although, if I were going to give mean-spirited awards, which I won't, she would be a contender for the attendee with the yuckiest date. Jeans? Couldn't be bother to shave? And in an obviously 'didn't bother' way; in no universe is that a sexy scruff.
Best Headband: Zani Gugelman
Also a candidate for best color gown and gown that I totally covet and would want to wear if I ever went to any galas.
Best Use of Hair and Make-up to Reference the 20s Without Going Overboard: Kate Bosworth
Dress That Most Resembles an Actual Poiret: Jessican Stam
Best Freaking Dress: my longtime girl-crush Charlotte Gainsbourg
Even those clodhoppers on her feet can't distract me from the true awesomeness of that dress.
Greatest National Treasure: Andre Leon Talley
The world lacks genuinely larger than life personas (another reason to mourn Isabella Blow), especially ones who are so cheerful and exuberant.
In lieu of original content (soon!), here are some things that stood out for me from the style.com slideshows of the fall runway shows.
1. Curved, cutaway jacket fronts. I find this cut to be incredibly sexy in a restrained, old-fashioned way. They draw the eye in a way that pretty much just serves up your ladyparts on a platter, but classily.
From Burberry Prorsum:
From Issey Miyake:
From Vera Wang:
2. Long Gloves. They're super-sexy and relatively practical (could be difficult to manage with long sleeves, but anything that's meant to keep you warm gets practicality points automatically). I've had this pattern bookmarked for a while, but I'll definitely make them sooner rather than later.
From Narciso Rodriguez:
From Vera Wang:
3. Stuff I find personally inspiring/worth ripping off.
Excellent use of oversized closures at Burberry Prorsum. These would be an easy way to turn a very simple sweater into something absolutely drop-dead killer gorgeous:
The textured squares on the front of this United Bamboo top could be knit in a number of ways—didn't Jan Eaton do a book on knitted squares a few years ago? (Yes.) You'd just have to knit four mitred squares or whatever, add that strip between them (and presumably one on each side) and you'd be all set to continue the top.
I like the constructionist aspect of this Calvin Klein jacket. I like the off-center closures and the princess seams and the band at the bottom and the big collar and the fact that the silhouette is slim enough to not overwhelm her figure. I like the whole outfit actually. And this entire collection, while we're at it.
I also really love the shape of this Vera Wang coat on the left, the slim fit of the bodice and waist with the full skirt. (The giant butterfly and weird neck strap on the right will not be spoken of.) I don't know that I'll knit this anytime soon though. It would have to be in something that had fantastic drape AND wouldn't stretch out of shape, which spells 'very fine gauge' to me. That's a big piece to knit at a small gauge. I think the Vera Wang collection was my absolute favorite. I would happily wear at least half of the looks exactly as is right off the runway. The layers and the colors and the architectural-yet-feminine shapes were perfectly to my taste.
