TUESDAY TAILOR ♥ BUILT BY WENDY FALL

The Built by Wendy Fall 2010 Collection is awesome. I've been a fan of Built by Wendy for-like-ever. I own a lot of her clothes. Some old, some from last year. Sometimes they are a bit too pricey for what they are (sorry, but that's the truth and a lot of girls feel the same way). But then Wendy Mullin does produce some pieces you can only find in her collections. She designs for a very specific girl...a cool girl who doesn't need to try too hard but wants a little "girl" in her look. And she clearly loves to have a lot of 70s in her lines. Especially here with her colors and the Downtown boots and the length of the dresses and her knickers, which she does so well. This collection looks warm and "hot" at the same time. And I see a lot of pieces I'd like to add to my wardrobe. But then again, I should probably wear the pieces I bought from last year's fall collection first! PS Fashion Week News coming soon! ♡

more tuesday tailor ♥ ivana helsinki

all images from builtbywendy.com

MAKEUP MONDAY ♥ PERFECTION=CHERRY

I have to admit, I can't remember exactly where I pulled these images from. I scanned them about 2 years ago when I was working on a NIKE Women campaign in Portland at Wieden + Kennedy. I think they came from either Self Service or Numéro or Zoo magazine. I'll add the proper credit as soon as I figure it out. The reason I pulled them was because of  the type of photography effect they use...a lenticular 3D camera (which I LOVE and really want to buy...even though getting the images processed is hard because not everyone does it). I really love the sexiness and the perfection of the accessories, color, makeup, hair and angles on this beauty/accessories story.  It also has a lot to do with editing. There are some really amazing photographers out there...but they miss the ticket a little when they edit, i.e....they'll pass on the best shots for something else. Or else, they don't know  which shots are the best because, in their minds, all their shots are perfect. Editing is key. And any editor is going to notice how a photographer, or stylist, edits their work. I happened to find this story by accident whilst looking for another image in my old NIKE folders. And I was stoked that I had the entire story. I've rarely seen this photography effect since. You could give this assignment to ten teams and not get the results like the below vision. It's perfect. It's...cherry.  ♡

more makeup monday ♥ henna hands

all images from something i can't remember...but i will find out.

SUNDAY MATINEE ♥ WE'VE GOT A FUZZBOX

I had intended to do a post on another film this week, or even a record or two that just got released. But I had a lot of things I had to deal with that ended with good news. So I'm tired. So this one is short and sweet but just as fun, hopefully. 

I'm not a huge 80s fan, per se. Not of the fashion and bringing it back. I do realize, however, that if I was 18 right now, I would probably worship a lot of things about it. One of the main differences with the 80s and now when it comes to dress is the energy behind it. I was interviewed on BBC about trends in LA and how some designers are bringing back the 80s. My answer danced around a little and then I basically admitted that I thought it didn't have the same energy. A polka-dot legging now vs a polka-dot legging then...well, wearing a polka-dot legging doesn't make it 80s. There weren't two million stylists. And, from what I remember, most kids used to create their looks from stuff that was lying around the house or in their parents' closets. They cut and dyed and mixed things that looked really off, which is why they looked on. Whenever I think about it, I think about the bands who were around then. I had a lot of young relatives in London at the time, and they'd send me the most fantastic packages. Tapes and magazines and badges (buttons) and bandannas and bags with prints and crazy things like huge plastic skeleton earrings with rhinestone eyes. I was way too young to ever dress like the girls in FUZZBOX (which was originally WE'VE GOT A FUZZBOX AND WE'RE GOING TO USE IT), but this video especially (along with a lot of other bands out there) really, for me, showcases some real crazy good 80s personal style. It's all so low-budget. These girls didn't have someone come in and style them like this. THIS WAS HOW THEY STYLED THEMSELVES EVERY DAY...probably way before they got any fame at all. There's so much fashion in video from the 80s. I think I used to watch videos like the ones from Fuzzbox on local video shows and fantasize what it would be like to get dressed up and go to a "club"... I am always looking for a new batch of kids who take their style from what they already have. Not from walking into an American Apparel shop. That's just boring. BORING. It's much more interesting to see a kid take from nothing...and make something of it. That's what I think of when it comes to the 80s. Here's one more song, though I don't remember this one at all. I only remember "Love Is The Slug"... because of my dear relatives who exposed me to them. I totally love when she grosses out on the boys hitting on her in the club. Anyway, these are great references and also pretty fun...I hope you enjoy them. (I think the below song is a bite off of very early Go-Go's...but it's still good.)  ♡

more sunday matinee ♥ smashing time

SATURDAY SHOPPING ♥ KAREN WALKER

Karen Walker is one of my favorite creators and I'd love to work with her or her creations one day (soon). I just received an email saying some new designs were now available online for purchase...she has truly fun accessories. I wanted to post the shades, but then I noticed the robot love pendants, too. So the post ended up being a THINGS post instead of a SHADES post. Anyway, here they are...and you'll def be seeing lots of her on here, because I just LOVE that designer. ♡

SOL INVICTUS STYLE

 ROBOT PENDANTS!

Robot in Gold! LOVE IT

Mr Robot in Gold

Mrs Robot in Gold!

Robot Boy in Silver (if you prefer...)

APOLLO STYLE

Karen Walker accessories available at KarenWalker.com !

more wednesday bag ♥ johnny loves rosie

all images from karenwalker.com

GIRL FRIDAY ♥ DEVON AOKI MEOW KITTY

These images aren't necessarily new. But I love them so much I had to post them up. Of course they're also from Vogue Nippon. I have to say I haven't always been a lover of Devon Aoki. I did love her way back when she was in Jeremy Scott's mermaid collection. But I haven't been  a hater, either. I don't know where I used to stand, but I do know that I love her in these kitty shots and the location with the wood paneling. I love doing photo shoots with ideas like this that come out beautifully. I can't wait to start on some new projects. See Devon Meow Kitty below. Absolutely gorrrrrgeous.  Photographed by Camilla Akrans and styled by Sissy Vian. ♡

Devon from the Jeremy Scott collection where she was standing in a shell...not sure if she had something done or just grew up...but she looks so much cuter now...

more girl friday ♥ heidi hartwig


all images from Vogue Nippon

SHOE ME THURSDAY ♥ ISABEL TOLEDO

I had to post something on this one shoe. It's nice that Isabel Toledo has finally received all the due respect from the mainstream that she's been receiving for years from the counter culture crew. The Toledos (Isabel and her man Ruben) are amazing visionaries. I'm going to see if Walter Cessna will score an interview as a guest blogger on here for me (hi, Walter!). She's someone who continues to create, no matter if it is accepted by the masses or not. Well, when I heard about the Isabel Toledo for Payless Shoes collection, I was FLOORED. Truth be told, if you are not from the States, you might not know of Payless. I know they've upped their anty in the past few years, and they do offer cute shoes for low prices...but I used to equate those Payless shoes as shoes that would cut your foot up. I'd never even enter their stores. AS IF. But now...after seeing this one shoe, I might need to go pick it up. In addition to being sooooo adorably bonbon cartoon, I think it will also become a collector's piece since Ms. Toledo became one of the designers to dress Madame Obama. I see it in my collections along with my Stephen Sprouse for Target skateboard and clothes. I have to admit, though...I'd probably end up wearing these. They're just too damn cute. They're only $44 (USD)! I give you the Toreador Pump ! ♡

Just because I was able to take a quick pic of it lodged at the top of my old closet, here is my Stephen Sprouse for Target skateboard, still in its package. I'm so happy I own it.

more shoe me thursday ♥ les queues des sardines

shoe images from payless.com
sprouse deck image my own

WEDNESDAY WONDER ♥ UBER HIGH HAIR

WORK THAT HAIR! These looks below might look severe...but I feel, if done correctly, on the right girl, with the right outfit (and attitude), that they would RULE! This is why I have to live in cities where these kinds of looks are okay on a regular basis. Where people on the street might notice, but they're not going to care. I think the styling of these looks is gorgeous (even if they're a little rockabilly bride of Frankenstein). :) These images are from Vogue Nippon, and the title of the story is "Up to You" shot by Daniel Jackson with hair styling by Didier Malife. Brilliant. ♡

love the freckles in this shot. makes it much softer.

like a Debbie Harry updo

more wednesday bag ♥ johnny loves rosie

all images from Vogue Nippon

TUESDAY TAILOR ♥ I HEART CATSUITS

Catsuits are a tricky thing to wear, and even to style. They can come off as too 80s, too ballerina, too Flashdance, too future, too unflattering. But I'm seeing a new breed of designers creating new ways of looking at a catsuit. And I love it. Below are some photos I found while cruising the internet for new magazines in far away lands that maybe only a handful of people know of and read. These futuristic looking suits (which also sort of remind of me of Jean Paul Gaultier's catsuits from the mid-80s...I remember getting snuck into the avant garde clubs in Hollywood when I was too young to even care about booze, only to see the most amazing mix of older kids and a girl dancing on stage in one of those Gaultier all-over-print catsuits. I found one at a thrift store in the boonies a while ago. And, like an idiot, I gave it away to a fellow fashion collector. Oh well. I always figure it will come back to me... The below suits remind me of those old Gaultier catsuits...)...these futuristic-looking suits look so great on this little simple girl. They look lovely and girly and free. Credits for the kids who created these looks are below...look 'em up. ♡

jean vest by Dor Chen & amazing catsuit by Miki Avni

catsuit Omer Poizner

looks like Miki Avni again

catsuit Miki Avni (love this image)

these are tights under a cape, but it works with the story well.
Cape by Avinat Gottesman & tights by American Apparel

credits: 

photography amit israeli

styling maayan goldman
hair and make up nirit hirschmann
model vika / deja vu

more tuesday tailor ♥ le tour de force

all images from pet fan club blog

MAKEUP MONDAY ♥ COLLECTIVE WELLBEING

I've always received product to try out...especially skincare, makeup and fragrance. It's been a while since I've really done a test-drive, but a few new skincare brands have come to my attention. I think that's one of the great things about the interweb...we now get to hear about everyone's products...even if they're made by a granny in a small town on top of a mountain...not just the big guns who have the financial backing to advertise their goods in all the consumer-variety fashion rags people see whilst in line at the drug store. So you will be seeing a few new products in the next couple weeks. And, rightly so, 'cause I always think it's good to get turned onto something you haven't heard of before. 

The first is a group of products called COLLECTIVE WELLBEING. They're made with good product, are cruelty free and have a low carbon footprint. Plus, a portion of your purchase "goes to those good works that make our world more beautiful," which you can find out about here. And, the packaging is pretty to boot. So...let's go through some of the products I got to try out:

The Corrective Cleanser is made with oatmeal and raspberries (mmmmmmm! and equally mmmm for my skin, too!) and act as a cleanser but also are anti-inflammatory, too. I wasn't sure about it at first. I'm SUPER picky about what I use on my skin. I have sensitive skin. If the product is wrong, I can be dry and break out at the same time. I hate anything that has perfume in it or a lot of funky ingredients. This felt strange on my fingers when I started to use it. But, the proof is in the raspberries...because my skin did actually look great after using it. So, yeah. I liked it. :)

I was super excited to try the Honey Buff. I love honey anything for my skin. I've even used honey directly on my face as a humectant mask. Honey draws moisture TO your skin. It's a natural healer (that's why Egyptians used it a thousand years ago). PLUS this is also a face scrub, which I also love. This felt good and it worked really well and it smells amazing. LOVE it.

I really was interested in trying the Charcoal Body Wash. Sound weird? Sure. Sound pretty? Not necessarily. BUT it does have stuff in it that's good for your skin and any NANCY GIRL would want their skin looking amazing. The active ingredients are charcoal and zinc, two really amazing things to use in a body wash because the charcoal sponges up all the impurities from your skin...like a detox from the outside. And the zinc reduces inflammation and germs that can cause blemishes. It's good stuff. I really loved it as a detoxifying wash in between my Frenchie soaps.

Anyone who has hung out with me for any length of time knows that I wash my hands a lot. I don't have OCD (really...!), but I just like to be clean and I really like to keep my hands clean so I don't accidentally rub my eyes and get sick. (And I worked in a bank when I was really young. There I learned how filthy and gross money is...and if you touch it every day, you need to be washing your hands yo!) I use good soap so my hands don't dry out, and I also need good lotion around at all times. I really liked the Dry Skin Relief lotion because it absorbs into my skin, but still left it soft. I don't want my hands greasy. It's a good basic lotion if you don't want any fuss. 

The Weightless Day- cream was just that. A really light, clean, easily absorbed cream. It's perfect if you don't need to much or live in a climate that's humid and hot. I tend to need a little more moisture. But it was nice. The chamomile and aloe vera felt really cool and soothing on my skin. (Especially with the 100+ degree heatwave we're having in LA.)

The Category 5 Eye Cream sounds MAJOR. I haven't had a chance to try it yet...it's still in the mail...so I'll add the review as soon as I do. BUT based on the other products, I am sure it'll be interesting. It's supposed to do all those things everyone wants an eye cream called Category 5 to do: reduce signs of aging and stress and still moisturize. Even if you don't have any signs, START EARLY. I've always taken care of my skin, since I was in junior high. I'm barely showing any signs of wrinkles, and that's because I've always been a sun bunny. (I should have never sat in the sun for 2 weeks last year in Hawaii...without a hat!) Every little bit helps.


All and all, I liked the line and the packaging. It's something to try if you you're experimenting. At the very least, the Charcoal Body Wash is a really good must-have all the time. You can check them out and find out how to buy them HERE. ♡


more makeup monday ♥ lollipop girls

all images courtesy of Collective Wellbeing