Sunshine Day
Courtesy of Glamour.com
One of my obsessions in the summer months is definitely strawberries. It looks like the writers at Glamour share my appreciation for the summertime fruit.
Keeping your hair healthy is hard work, especially during the summer months. Being somewhat of a bottle blonde myself…I don’t go Heidi Pratt light, but I do have highlights…I know first hand how dry hair can get and that it needs extra attention. Here are some tips from Marie Claire to keep your tresses in tip top shape.
Maybe this is a little bit too much information, but website TresSugar has compiled a list of Maxi Pad Ads from different decades. I found it facinating. You can pass on it if you’d like, but’s just interesting to see adds from different decades. TresSugar also put together a list of what they call ‘Must Reads’ for July. Worth looking at for trips to the beach.
The page of TresSugar however, that I’m so excited about is the slideshow featuring girls that wear glasses! A flamboyant boy last weekend told me that glasses are having ‘a moment’ which made me really happy since I’ve been wearing spectacles since I had an eye injury last October. After wearing contacts for 10 years, it’s an interesting shift to say the least. TresSugar is helping make that shift just a little bit easier.
Also, Coach has a new collection called ‘Poppy.’ The website is fun to click through as well as utilize to drool over overpriced handbags.
Lastly, Perez put up a video of Kendra of Girls Next Door fame’s wedding. It’s cute. And, if you’re not a fan of Kendra’s laugh, not to worry. She doesn’t giggle too much.
What a Drag
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This past weekend, Gay Pride took over NYC. Marking the 40th anniversary of the riots at Stonewall, where police beat up a group of gay men at bar without a liquor license. The event took place on the same day as Judy Garland’s funeral - a woman who into addition to following the yellow brick road, had a huge gay following.
One of the men, dressed in drag fought back, marking one of the first times that gays resfused to be seen as submissive, but rather chose to fight back. The celebrations this past weekend were a world away from police brutality. The police lined the street on horseback to ensure that no one bothered the gay population that dominated Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood this weekend - more than usual, and the drag queens look gorgeous.
Also this past weekend, BET hosted it’s awards show. A bunch of stars came out for the night, and many paid tribute to Michael jackson. The O’Jays performed a tribute in addition to Ne-Yo, Jamie Foxx and Maxwell. I’m glad they performed - even Maxwell who got bad reviews. They put in a better effort than my spin instructor this past weekend who wouldn’t play ANY Michael Jackson. It was just really upsetting. In addition, those on the red carpet at the BET awards looked amazing, including Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and Kanye West’s on again off again girlfriend, Amber Rose.
Lastly, this writer at Glamour magazine needs help picking a floppy hat. I got one this past weekend for the beach. I’m super excited to wear it. Apparently picking a hat isn’t usually as easy as my experience.
They’ve got clothes in different area codes
Liking this 215 shirt from MikeJames clothing. Of course, if you’re somewhere else, you can get one from a good 50% of the places Ludacris mentions below (although DC, Pittsburgh and most red states that went Republican in 2004 are off the table).
Man, it has been ages since I’ve seen the video for this song, and I had forgotten how funny it is when the two pilots bite their fists about 40 seconds in.
I clearly should have gone into factory art. Or gourmet butter
Nutshell recap: Takashi Murakami does art in which retail, mass consumption and mass production are often themes. One of the more recent things he’s done is a collaboration with Louis Vuitton on a very colorful reinterpretation of their logo, which went on a limited-edition line of handbags. In Murakami’s Superflat exhibitions in L.A. and Brooklyn in 2007, Louis Vuitton set up mid-exhibit stores in which you could buy handbags with the special print for about $1000 and “art” prints of the pattern (comparison above) for more.
L.A. apparently-has-more-money-than-knowledge-of-modern-art guy Clint Arthur sued after reading an ARTINFO interview with the MOCA show’s curator, specifically this part:
Whose idea was the Vuitton boutique?
It was Takashi’s idea to the degree that he had worked with them on two occasions. I don’t think he thought they would do it. But Takashi had full control through Louis Vuitton of what has gone on inside that space. And there have been some things that have surprised me.
Like what?
Takashi found exactly the point that would irritate both me and Louis Vuitton. He took the materials that he had printed for various [Vuitton] products—the white one, the cherry one, five different sorts of patterns—and he had them stretched like paintings and made into a very large but numbered edition. He’s sort of selling this rather high-end multiple up in the Louis Vuitton boutique.
We hoped beyond hope that this wouldn’t just get settled out of court, because if it goes to trial it is perhaps one of the most interesting excuses for a national discussion of what art is, like, all about that we’ve had in recent memory.
And it’s going to civil court!
An earlier judge tossed out a case Arthur filed against the museum, because they had offered Arthur (and anyone else displeased with the prints bought from the museum store) a full refund, which he turned down because he wanted to keep the prints; the ruling read “To allow a purchaser to both keep his allegedly defective purchase and to get his money back … rewards opportunistic litigation (of which this case is a prime example).”
The surviving lawsuit is against Vuitton, on the same grounds; Arthur claims Vuitton kept it a secret that the above print was made of the same materials as the handbag below it. Although the lawsuits are very similar, and Vuitton has also offered to refund Arthur’s money, a judge ruled yesterday that it was going to court, baby!
I kind of find it hilarious how all the art magazines that mention this case, not allowed to just say “This guy’s an utter idiot,” make up for it by taking the douchiest possible picture of him and mentioning at every possible opportunity that Arthur is a “manufacturer of gourmet butter.”
Photo: Stefano Paltera for the L.A. Times
L.A. Times blog: Art fraud lawsuit against Louis Vuitton over Murakami prints to go forward [updated]
ARTINFO: Murakami Print Buyer Wins Right to Pursue Lawsuit Against Vuitton
Rat Tales
Eva Mendez wearing Jimmy Choo's
Famed Shoe Designer Jimmy Choo is collaborating with H&M! This article from the Wall Street Journal gives more details, but all you really need to know is the shoes will be avaliable in the fall. Ahh!
All this rain doesn’t make for such fun times with the flat iron. I’ve been trying to figure out how to create the perfect curls for the past few days, and while I’ve had some ok waves, Marie Claire explains how to get full out ringlets. They even have a video if you’re a visual learner like I am…or if you just like videos.
The Metro’s style blogger speaks out against 80’s trends that she thinks should never come back. Reading it made me remember how protective some little boys were over their rat tails in the early 90’s. I think it was a hard thing to let go of for some. Why did that ever seem like a good idea? ‘Mommy…I want a rat tail!’ What?
The Metro also did a list of things that Organic Beauty Product Company founder Yael Alkalay likes. It’s like a Hippie Oprah list. Nice.
Are Bikinis Too Revealing?
First, a quick look at the weekend weather forecast for Ocean City, NJ.
So maybe you won’t be tanning and playing beach volleyball this weekend. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare for the summer by purchasing a flattering swimsuit.
A few weeks ago Emily G asserted that most women under the age of 35 look better naked than clothed and suggested some two-piece bathing suits. But perhaps you don’t agree. Perhaps you’ve always thought that modern swimsuits are just a little too revealing. A self-effacing gal like you certainly doesn’t want a bikini or even a skirted one-piece. Fear not, Modest Mary. We’ve found the perfect swimsuits for you, too!
To quote their website (emphasis mine),”WholesomeWear is a modest line of clothing for ‘wherever.’ Our WaterWear is the first to be introduced because the need for modesty in swimwear is greatest and the supply is almost non-existent. Swimwear that ‘highlights the face rather than the body‘ includes an undergarment with bright colors at the neck and shoulders to draw the eyes to the face.”
Here’s an example of their Extended Slimming Swimwear, which, as you can see below, covers both your elbows and your knees for ultimate coverage. This fine piece of presumably Amish craftsmanship will run you almost a hundred bucks, but that is a small price to pay for modesty.
No Need To Stay In The Lines
Do you long for the days when you could still color with crayons? I’m not talking about those nights at Sugar Mom’s…check out these rings! They’re sort of pricey, but you can COLOR with them! Awesome.
Glamour Magazine wants to solve your beauty dilemmas on the cheap. Beauty tips include pouring dark beer into your hair and putting egg yolk on your face. Whatever, you already have it in your fridge, so what do you have to lose?
Perhaps this is Politically Incorrect, but it’s still entertaining. In addition to showing you the way to coloring bliss, The Frisky tells you what you should wear during fashion week in cities around the world that aren’t New York, Paris or London.
The Frisky also points out recent fashion trends that mirror what was popular during the Great Depression. However, these aren’t frocks that look like they were pulled out of the Grapes of Wrath or inspired by those depressing Dust Bowl pictures. These are cute outfits with strong lines and lots of structure.
Lucky Magazine wants you to have some luck! Go, enter some of their contests before someone else does!
I finally found the perfect pair of alligator pumps to wear to the Save the Everglades dinner tonight!
I only recently discovered that I live next to the park where they filmed the opening credits for the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and for that post recreating the shots, I must have watched the credits perhaps one billion times. So only recently having seen the double set of Pumas out a few years ago based on the Fresh Prince (the first pair incorporating the graffiti from the opening credits, the second representing Bel Air), I figured they were just as awesome the second time around. Or wait, was that Step By Step? Pictures via Hypebeast:
Naturally adorned
I saw these wood circles from Adorn Natural at the Art Star Craft Bazaar a couple of weeks ago, and I was seriously impressed. I loooove how there’s so many contrasts between the sterile aluminum/salvaged wood, perfect modern circles/chaotic wood grain, organic/inorganic, etc. all going on in this one little piece of jewelry. Or belt buckle:
The makers are a married couple, who also had some really beautiful furniture for more than I could think of affording, and their wearable pieces are all made from recycled or salvaged wood. From their mission statement:
Alexandra Snook and Edward Way are designers and makers of modern adornments, furniture and accessories. Their works blend a modern sensibility with a deep understanding of the intrinsic value of wood as a material. They met while studying furniture design and construction at Purchase College, and over the last nine years have developed designs that speak to both contemporary and traditional sensibilities.
If you missed them at Art Star, the Adorn Natural etsy site is here.
Walkin’ Like A Lady
Surfacing frequently in my style videos is the conundrum of the un-walkably high heel. The women of Philly are mixed, but most love to be comfortable, and shoes that make you feel like you’re going to fall down don’t always work for the pretzel-lovin’ kind of gal.
According to Beyonce, it’s actually easier to dance than walk in heels. According to Neko Case, F** IT, DITCH THE SHIRT TOO!
But just when we think we’ve really got the short end of the stick, leave it to the good ole’ middle ages to remind us how much worse things can get. I’m not talking about the torture scene from the Princess Bride. I’m talking about pattens.
Derived from the French word for hoof, women wore these strap-on miniature mud stilts until the early twentieth century. Leather bands attached wooden or metal soles to the wearer’s existing footwear. Petticoat muck stains, begone! Available in a variety of spear-like shapes and heights, to me they seem a lot like rain boots, except you’re probably twice as likely to fall on your face in a messy and befuddled heap. And thrice as likely to begin speaking in the manner of a Victorian luncheon guest. Egads!
Thanks to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s ode to the knock-kneed bimbos walkin’ like hos, it’s clear that extreme high heels of the 21st century don’t exactly empower. Here’s some wikireasoning behind the popularity of heels: “they change the wearer’s posture, requiring a more upright carriage and altering the gait in what is considered a seductive fashion.” I’d love to hear Beyonce’s take on this. “All the single ladies! Alter your gait in what is considered a seductive fashion!”
In some ways, pattens were liberating. Raining on your parade? No lady wants to be held back from her bi-weekly trip to town, and the chicken out in the yard certainly aren’t going to clean up after themselves just because it’s raining. What I find interesting is the way these un-sexy strap-ons factor into the the delicate female flower prototype. See Thomas Hardy’s story:
“…he saw before him the trim figure of a young woman in pattens, journeying with that steadfast concentration which means purpose and not pleasure. He was soon near enough to see that she was Marty South. Click, click, click went the pattens; and she did not turn her head.
She had, however, become aware before this that the driver of the approaching gig was Giles. She had shrunk from being overtaken by him thus; but as it was inevitable, she had braced herself up for his inspection by closing her lips so as to make her mouth quite unemotional, and by throwing an additional firmness into her tread.
‘Why do you wear pattens, Marty? The turnpike is clean enough, although the lanes are muddy.’
‘They save my boots.’
‘But twelve miles in pattens–’twill twist your feet off. Come, get up and ride with me.’”
Traipsing in the mud is slightly less graceful than strutting down Market St. in Steve Maddens, but it’s way more bad-ass than misplacing your glass slipper while fleeing a totally rockin dance party. This must be the medieval country gal’s ultimate fantasy. It’s nice to imagine romance wasn’t limited exclusively to evil stepsisters who stole gowns from Cinderella and refused to leave their carriage behind. Oh, Hardy, let me take my shoes off, baby!
I’ve definitely fantasized about the confidence of pumps echoing in an empty office hallway, but the deer-on-cobblestones effect of stilettos is not pretty after several beers at Eulogy. On Saturday nights in Old City, the pretty gals of Philadelphia will be ogled. Still, I’ve seen too many scantily-clad bachelorettes stumbling around while creepy guidos cross their arms and nod. It almost makes me wish that enhancing one’s height was still a primarily practical concern. So here’s my plea: Women of Philadelphia! Heels are great, but they are a decision you make for the duration of your night. Don’t get too drunk to function in them, unless you enjoy twisted ankles.