We Love Mustard

Of all the "new" colors out there for fall, the one we're feeling most in synch with right now is mustard. We've noticed we're liking neutrals as always, as well as most of the saturated colors but not the neon-bright colors the GAP is trying to push on us right now. With a quick nod to runner-up cayenne, we're pegging mustard as our favorite fall color.

This color works with just about every other color we can think of from black, to gray to all the colors in the latest Prada ads. P.S. Isn't their use of color this season brilliant?


Mustard happens much easier to wear than orange or yellow, more interesting than red and unlike say a fun turquoise, actually feels like fall.

Uniformity

We've been doing a lot of thinking lately about various grand, overarching themes with regard to the topic of dressing oneself. I think we can all understand and agree that far beyond just the practicalities of wearing garments, one's clothes are always, whether one likes it or not, communicating with the world. As daunting as that may be, it is a reality and facing such, we've come to believe in certain strategies that make life easier and certainly more aesthetically pleasing.

Does anyone else subscribe to the value of a personal uniform? If t-shirt and jeans springs to mind yes, that's sort of what we're talking about but unfortunately while that is a uniform it's not, barring James Dean, personal. We're looking for a signature look rather than a look that says "hipster" or "investment banker." It doesn't have to be groundbreaking but it does have to be specific. Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel spring to mind.

Of course, this concept can stretch outside the realm of fashion. It definitely includes haircuts. Think the Anna Wintour bob, this woman cut her hair that way in the 70s and it still somehow looks fresh today. We're impressed. We think red lipstick falls in this category. Really anything appearance-related that can stand the test of time, looks good, and becomes a portion of one's identity qualifies.

We haven't quite defined our version of the personal uniform yet but we are continually adopting and refining the principles of simplify, edit, and streamline.

The Secretary Blouse

It's late October and we're knee deep into the season of pumpkins, cider donuts and football but does anyone else feel like it's the endless summer? Not that we're complaining, it's just that every time we try to wear our puffy vests we find ourselves breaking a sweat and we LOVE our puffy vests.

If you're one for fashion magazines, surely you've noticed that editors are screaming about the "secretary" trend for fall. Admittedly, we support the return of lady-like in women's fashion, for example we've always been a sucker for a good 1950's vintage day dress but what of this specific trend, and what of it's mascot, the secretary blouse?

We can't seem to shop anywhere lately without coming across something like this.


Why hello frumpy, what's your name? Prim and proper is one thing but attack of the hand-eating blouse is clearly another. We're finding this ultra literal translation of this trend quite a bit boring and another fabulous example of how to be a fashion victim.

Options abound for adopting a hint of this trend and giving yourself the option for wearing the garment next year. Several favorites below:

Banana Republic Satin Ribbon Top: $78


Just the black and white kicks it up a notch and makes the whole look more youthful.

Anthropologie Alameda Top: $59
More contemporary drape, nice sleeve detail. Would be great with a pencil skirt and some crazy heels.

J Crew Rivoli Blouse: $115


Not quite the traditional shape at all but definitely hinting towards that YSL ovoid silhouette that folks are loving right now.

Finally, we think the most brilliant way of capturing this trend in a semi-literal manner is with a sleeveless secretary blouse a la Natalie Portman's costume in Wes Anderson's short film Hotel Chevalier. We think that if you choose to go with the flouncy tie neck or any sort of ruffle, it is imperative to also impart a sense of long and lean. The sleeveless shirt lends a beautiful columnar aspect to an outfit especially when paired with a wide-leg trouser and high heeled boot.

We can't find an image of it online but you can download the short film for free here.

Baby Weight Looks Great on Nicole Richie

No matter what the tabloids say this particular month, it seems like there is ALWAYS a celebrity that could direly use some help from a pre-Gilmore Girls peak "Save the Children" Sally Struthers. Ahem, Mary Kate, you're still invited to our barbecue and Phat Tony just threw your double cheeseburger on the grill.

Its should come as no surprise then that we avoided all guilty pleasure media for the months surrounding the peak of Nicole Richie's "I don't have an eating disorder" problem.

I mean, bikini bottoms should not be baggy, that's so gross and it's enough to send us straight for a big steaming pot of fettuccine alfredo and let's just say we don't really need that kind of encouragement. But lately, thanks to Joel Madden weaving his magic spell of impregnation, our little Ms. Richie looks fabulous.


I think I see muscle tone and those are definitely curves. Might she even be succumbing to a hint of a smile?


We're not really sure how she's going to keep this up post birth unless she's already purchased her tickets to the Britney Spears "how to become the physical embodiment of Cheetos" seminar. Needless to say we're a little concerned but for now Nicole Richie, its time for seconds because baby weight looks great on you.

Dear Stylist: Balenciaga Edition

Dear Stylist,

Ok, this is a shame. We think Balenciaga fell off the rails this season. We're pretty sure this isn't Jennifer Connelly's fault.


Yes, we were madly in love with Fall 2007 and then found that the Spring 2008 offering from Nicolas Ghesquiere pained us too deeply for to speak of most of the time. But seriously stylist, think before you blindly follow a supposed genius. This is what fashion victims are made of.

Yours truly,

The Aesthetes

Wall Flats

We became obsessed with all things Inhabit Living a few years ago when we discovered their great selection of pillows and bedding which we find on trend but not over the top. Lately our fascination for texture has brought us back to the one element we have yet to try, wall flats.


These embossed square panels are made out of bamboo-pulp which has a growing reputation for being an environmentally sustainable material. Like wall decals, wall flats are removable but not reusable. We think adding a white on white textural element feels very modern and is a great option for hiding a poorly textured wall or just for adding surface interest for a minimal investment.

This product is available in 18'x18' squares and comes 10 panels per box at $86. We're waiting for a wider selection of patterns to open up before trying this out ourselves. But for anyone thinking about checking it out but wanting to try a little preview before committing, Inhabit sells 1 tile samples as well as a sample pack of all their designs. We think this overall concept is great. It reminds us of FLOR, but more on that later.

These Kids Nowadays...

So Bets and I were taking an afternoon stroll through the park (oh, and just so you know, the Dalai Lama is out in full force. He's so hot right now. Folks were loving him today... and passing out cookies.), bubble tea in hand, and we couldn't help but notice the fashion-forward kids all around town. Okay, first thing's first, sometimes their parents could learn a thing or two from them. Second, I wondered how fashion-forward kids in the Midwest were socially appropriated by their peers. I turned to Bets, as she is a constant source of reality at times like these, and posited the inquiry her way. Looking exfoliated and carefree as she does on a day like this, she blinked twice and said, "I think they were just nerds. But they're also the kids who grow up, then look back on their past and realize they were just with it."

Truth.

In light of this, we began thinking about tips we can pick up from these in vogue youngsters.

Tip #1: Don't steer clear of interesting eyewear.

Growing up with vision issues can be kid's nightmare, but those who know better pull it off with style and grace. It's also a purchase that parents (the nice ones, at least) allow their kids to have at least a little of input on. So take a page out of these parents' stylebook, and get a pair that tells the people around you about more than your crazy astigmatism... Purchasing eyewear is a great way to express yourself without feeling like you're throwing away money on an outfit you may never find an excuse to wear. Think Oliver Peoples. Think Prodesign:Denmark. Don't think $99-and-under rack at LensCrafters. Two quick addendums, though: (a) listen to the person behind the eyeglasses counter, for they tend to know the shape of glasses that work with your face. They know more about this sort of thing than you do, it's what they do. (b) The combination of great designers and best selling literature does not make for great eyewear. Enter the round Harry Potter glasses. People, have we forgotten that Harry is a fictional character? Is Mary GrandPre really supposed to be a style icon? Not since Gandhi has anyone been able to rock these glasses. Take the hint.

Tip #2: Don't be afraid to layer, especially when circumstances require it

Kids are forced daily to run the gamut of environments: from chilly early mornings at bus stops to stagnant classrooms with invariably crappy climate control to rank school gymnasiums to stifling hot buses to what we can only hope to be a regulated climate in their own homes. Kids are forced to be ready, clothing-wise, for every eventuality, and those fashion-forward kids tend to do so with style. Basic rule: Layer is encouraged, but don't put anything on your body that you would be ashamed to wear on its own. Simple, but a rule that tends to be ignored by most. Let's see, what are we trying to say here?... Ummm... oh right, this is it: Guys, you can afford another white undershirt.

Tip #3: There's a difference between whimsy and ridiculous.

Whimsy = good. Ridiculous = bad.

This is perhaps the most difficult to grasp if you haven't thought about it before. Whimsy implies confidence, a sense of humor and wit. Ridiculous implies that your parents dress you because if they didn't, you might actually look worse. Whimsy is effortless. Ridiculous looks contrived.

Let's put this another way, this time in a way New Yorkers can't ignore... it has been everywhere the past decade, nowadays more than ever. If you haven't run into a Sex and the City film crew on your way around NYC, then you arguably haven't left your apartment recently. Unfortunately, the new movie provides an ideal example:

Patricia Field (SATC stylist) has been historically daring, but she might've taken a brief, somewhat unfortunate, detour recently...

Carrie, circa 2003:
Carrie, circa now:

If we need to say more about these images... well, you should get out more.

Toga! Toga! Toga!

Something's afoot in Hollywood and that something is more mysterious than the last David Lynch film. Starlets are parading around in a very special mix of John Belushi's Animal House Toga and Joseph's Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Right, so Cate Blanchett can be a little edgy, what with films such as The Talented Mr. Ripley, Notes On A Scandal, and every movie ever made about Elizabethan times. So sure, we'll just chalk this one up to an off the shoulder column of a dress in which this turquoise is flattering and she's carrying around just enough, I realize I'm wearing a bedsheet chutzpah.

But in what world do Mischa Barton and Courtney Love meet up for Pinkberry and then shop for matching ensembles of crazy? We speculate that perhaps these two were shot in these getups sometime around fashion week and thus may be some sort of trend/practical joke as played by a designer who's done way too many drugs.



And if that's the case, we have our suspicions of who just might be that designer's muse...

Weighing In: Stirrup Pants

from: "betsy" [betsareoff@AQoT.com]
sent: Thu 10/4/2007 7:46pm
reply-to: betsareoff@AQoT.com
to: "phat tony" [phatty@AQoT.com]
cc:
subject: Armageddon (and not the movie)
attachments: img


Dammit I'm at Bloomingdale's and they're going to force me to write about stirrup pants.

-b.


from: "phat tony" [phatty@AQoT.com]
sent: Thu 10/4/2007 7:52pm
reply-to: phatty@AQoT.com
to: "betsy" [betsareoff@AQoT.com]
cc:
subject: RE: Armageddon (and not the movie)


Oh jesus... next thing you're going to tell me is that they have a
huge display with wooden jewelry and applique holiday sweaters... I
mean, how much more "elementary school teacher" can you get?


from: "betsy" [betsareoff@AQoT.com]
sent: Thu 10/4/2007 8:01pm
reply-to: betsareoff@AQoT.com
to: "phat tony" [phatty@AQoT.com]
cc:
subject: RE: RE:Armageddon (and not the movie)


Not quite but they've chosen to display said pants alongside an assortment
of short-sleeved turtlenecks. It feels like 1988 in here I'm getting itchy,
I have to go.

We Love Stina Persson

Having discussed affordable art, which we love, we felt remiss in not discussing our shall we say "aspirational" tastes in art. Lately, we have become obsessed with Swedish illustrator Stina Persson. We were turned on to her work at Oh Joy! and since cannot seem to stop looking at her gorgeous watercolors and illustrations.

We have found her works on sale here and an interview with the artist on the Immacolata and her Friends collection here. Though this particular series is not our favorite, we'd love to see any of her works in person. It would be a bit more of an investment to purchase one but we can't help hoping, perhaps someday...

Street Style

Are we the only folks bored to death with fashion magazines lately? It often feels like the same old stories and the same celebrities cycling through on endless repeat. Is anyone else tired of hearing about the daring comeback of animal print?

Our best thoughts, ideas and opinions come not from the fashion establishment but much more often from street style blogs. These sites showcase the beautiful, the wacky and most importantly the so-fashion-forward-but-somehow-it's-barely-hanging-onto-a-thread-of-"it works."

We have decided to share a few of our favorites.

The must read everyday, Sartorialist.



Our favorite in Japanese street style


Uber-quirky but somehow it works, Hel Looks.


And finally, for European-chic simplicity, we love Face Hunter.

Dear Stylist: Old Spice Edition

Dear Stylist,

We have no shame over our love of pop music. In fact, our cries of "gimme more gimme gimme gimme" were barely heard over the din of the last VMAs. There even were 10 minutes in the 90s where we would've been happy to "tell you what I want what I really really want." Despite the bad lyrics (2 become 1?) and the even worse fashion,

here we sit a solid ten years post the Spice's rise to fame and Sporty, Scary, Baby, Ginger and Posh are still (somewhat) in the public eye. Amazingly, and thanks to you stylist, there has been no respite from the bad fashion.

We do admit that two of the five women may have come out slightly ahead of the errant spice situation. Emma Bunton aka Baby Spice has adopted a Twiggy as ANTM judge look for which we do not find fault.


And despite the Crazy-Catwoman leather jumpsuit motif, we applaud Geri Halliwell (Ginger) for the impeccable hair and makeup.


Mel C's colored denim gaffe brings her to about even with the old days,


which leaves the real task of spreading the crazy falling squarely on the shoulders of Melanie (Scary) Brown and Victoria (Posh) Beckham.

Luckily these two special ladies do not disappoint. Mel B may have recently won her paternity suit against Eddie Murphy but has since violated several state and local statutes regarding the misuse of animal print.

Have we learned nothing from Ms. Spears? Do not, I repeat do NOT get photographed in or around the bathroom.


Despite Victoria Beckham's short lived reality show and current clothing line, there is still a bit of Eau d'Irrelevance perfuming the air around her. Not to mention our strong suspicion that she's dressing like Captain Kangaroo on purpose.


Zig-a-zig-huh?

Yours truly,
The Aesthetes