Redacted

We may have poked a wee bit of fun of the Prada Spring 08 line of calf length floral skirts.

Then we saw this:


We'd like to offer our sincerest apologize to the gods of Italian fashion. We get it now.

Mystery Revealed

We had been wondering and wondering about the floral prints that abound in the spring collections of otherwise sane designers like Prada and Balenciaga. We think we have finally uncovered the hidden inspiration for all this.


With characters like Miss Truvy, Claree and everyone's favorite Ouiser, this is a good, nay, great film and an absolutely killer way to spend a Sunday afternoon. But a fashion inspiration for our time? I think not.

Designer, Don't Fail Me Now

The holiday season can be rife with disappointments. That one present that symbolized just how little your (insert close friend or relative here) really knew you. The box of chocolates that looked amazing but was secretly filled with cherry liqueur. 'Tis also the season of finding oneself horribly disappointed by the resort collection of your favorite designer coming right off the heels of a brilliant fall.

We've already had our say regarding Balenciaga but unfortunately, we have been wounded yet again. We fell off our chairs raving about the Fall 2007 Prada collection. We loved the color, the freaky texture, just about everything about it. And then there was this:


What in the name of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder is going on with the florals this season? Yes, florals are touted as the "next big thing" for spring and yes, Prada's use is at the very least fairly sophisticated (if in a high-school English teacher sort of way). However, lets not make excuses here, is the deafening tones of the Native American flautist trio playing My Heart Will Go On in the subway station marginally better than the ramblings of the errant crackhead? Certainly, but is it the stuff of brilliance and great art? Surely not. Fancying ourselves as having our thumbs on the pulse of the everyman, we judge a great collection by the speed at which it appears on the shelves of Forever 21. We're not predicting the appearance of ankle length floral skirts anytime soon.

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.

My Name is Gladiator

Sadly, we're feeling all the tell-tale signs that we're coming to the end of summer. As we welcome cable-knit, hot cider, and college football, we happily say goodbye to one of summer's enduring and oft-misused trends: the gladiator sandal. Fear not, we will not be ranting about the look as a whole. Rather, as per usual, we'll be delving into the subtleties of its use. The gladiator sandal was more than passable this season in either a neutral or maybe a metallic. They looked great with jeans or a flowy skirt. The concept began to become a little dodgy if you will around the time the Olsen twins got a hold of it.

Hey Mary Kate, that little black dress is working, and not too many people can rock the Prada Cousin It bag... so hats off to you! But... umm... can we talk about the footwear? Those shoes are a little ridiculous and very costumey: two things which are only acceptable under a very (Phat Tony: "VERY") special set of circumstances. If you insist on wearing the full-leg gladiator sandals, we insist you go all out and pair them with a toga. We're not kidding, boldness and irony go hand in hand in fashion. Also, would you like a sip of our milkshake? (Phat Tony: "C'mon MK, it tastes like Christmas!") No? Well then would you mind having a chat with your sister about this?


Oh Ash, there's so much you do right. We really adore that yellow skirt and we think you're right on track with that charcoal blazer. However, whoever viciously attacked your patent knee high boots with pruning shears must be brought to justice and just say the word and we'll be happy to organize a posse and hunt he/she down vigilante style.

You're welcome.

Phat Tony Addendum: You know, Bets and I have always agreed that one can pull off almost anything, basically, if you're doing it confidently and with a style of your own. Confidence might just be the best accessory... and you, Mary Kate, I've got no doubt you've got confidence by the LV duffel-load (although I really think you could use this... no judgment, of course)... but no amount of confidence will help with gladiator sandals. We don't need to see those sandals, only to instantly become entranced by that optical illusion graph-like pattern all over your calves. Of course, maybe it's fun for you to see the white squares magically appearing wherever the black lines cross. I mean, sure, magic can be fun. Ask J.K. Rowling. Regardless, for your entertainment...