skin alive

I don't think I can adequately describe how I feel about the skin print series in Alexander McQueen's SS 2010 collection. I've been staring at this decadently bunched top/jacket and all I can say is pure awesome.ness. I know. I absolutely detest the gross overuse of the word (awesome) *accompanied by the bobbing head that tends to follow it* but, in this case...
Seriously!
If snake print ever looked so enchanting!: the luxurious richness of the varied colors, precisely gathered to bifurcate seemingly seamlessly from the nipped-in waist creating a most appealing 3D billowing effect — it's a tribute to a glamourous opulence. And while, the accompanying leggings and the mini-dress (pictured right) are available to purchase, this jacket isn't. Good thing too. It's probably made-to-order and we know what that means.

I have, however, indulged myself. I couldn't not!! This delightful snake de manta clutch is $495 and you know what that means in the world of decadently made handbags and clutches!! Practically. unheard. of.





Lip-smacking kisses on each cheek.

PS. I can't think or hear (the beginnings of) the name Alex/Alec/Alexander... without thinking of McQueen and feeling a rather sharp and hurtful pang in my chest. Still.

couture lab: karry'o jewellery.

Distracted by the number of tabs and windows I manage to get going when I settle in for some good fashion foraging on the interwebs — which, simply, is always — it wasn't for another good hour that I returned to the CoutureLab window. After a few moments of "she'll-love-this!" "i-still-haven't-given-her-a-gift!" and planning my imaginary apt via the Home e-section, I was admiring Beavaldes's jeweled bag. It's sort of a habit, when I visit the Lab; musing about how pretty these beaded bags are while simultaneously estimating the company's inventory turnover since said bags must have been online for eons, okay at least two years, no?!
Alright, I know Ms. Busquets goal with Couture Lab, I was just making an observation.
Let's just get along with it.

What caught my eye as I made my way through the jewellery section, is this simple but elegant hammered (circular) links pair of earrings by Karry'O. First you look at the pair front-on, then with a little pivot, its full three-dimenstional beauty becomes visible. I'd never heard the name and when I found myself admiring an adjacent pair (bottom pic) that happened to be Karry'O's again, I had to do a bit of investigating.


The line is the work of Karine Berreby, who began creating jewelry when she was just 18 years old and trained at Paris's Cours Bercort. About two decades later, Berreby launched her own line of bold vintage inspired costume pieces, under the name Karry’ O and opened a boutique in Paris’s St Germain area, stocking her own designs as well as vintage finds sourced during her travels. The Karry'O site currently tantalizes its visitors with pieces made Roger Scémama who created haute couture jewellery for the leading fashion houses for most of the 20th century. Schiaparelli in the 30s, Fath and Dior in the 40s, Lanvin-Castillo, Balenciaga and Givenchy in the 50s, Cerruti and Yves Saint Laurent in the 60s. Umm... yes! The prettiest of pretty pieces. I've done a haphazard pick and choose since I oohed and aahed over everything! And I tried to keep away from the labelled "Couture Jewels".
I am going to dream of wandering about in her little boutique. I'm in love with the promise of twenties art-deco and more modern pop culture pieces, as well as what must be the European fashion jewellery pieces equivalent of neo-expressive art that dominated the seventies and eighties. Or simply, pretty shiny objects, thank you very much!


The Nigerian in me delights in the possibilities for this strass and glass stone necklace; while the pendant (bottom) is my fave piece (today). It reminds me of what decadent angel wings would look like.





Decadent pretty kisses.

sheer serendipity. rachel freire.

Incoherent.
I wished I smoked. Gauloises?

Is there an easier way to upload pictures unto my memoirs or am I just terribly stupid and masochistic?!! (That's not the term I'm looking for; I'm not deriving any sort of pleasure from the annoyingly tedious and (ulna)bone-twisting process!)

I can't bear to be hot (temperature-wise) at bedtime. Has the ash made London warmer?? I'm almost holding my breath; waiting for a plop of rain drop on my nose each time I step out (into the deceptively cooler air).

~ Three am: After a regular bout of insomnia, I drift into the Land of Nod with a little smile formed at the corners of my mouth. I love the South African FIFA 2010 World Cup commercial, something about "you've never felt this kind of rhythm" and all the happy South African — I presume — faces. Later, I awake to the beautiful chocolate-y bronze god that is the model in Chimere Skin Care for Men commercial. These glimpses into the African continent and of delicious blackness momentarily fill the gap that only seem to develop at that precise moment and make me love Brit tv. just. a. little.

All of this is neither here nor there.
Forgive me. I did warn you.

Anyhow, if you do know me, you know of my decadent love of sheer fabrics and ummm... my uhh...*whispering* boobs. So this morning when my thoughts fluttered — incomprehensibly — unto the the frilly mesh peasant blouse bound by the Kara corset, both by Rachel Freire, I knew I had to indulge. A knowing sense of delight — I could've said sheer delight! groan...I'm keenly aware of fighting a losing battle as a maddeningly repetitive series of puns involving the word "sheer" stream into my consciousness. Arrghhh!! — spreads through my being as I re-immerse myself the frilly crevasses of her A/W 2010 pieces. The mesh blouse is making the rounds in my head and I dreaming up all forms of possible layering; I won't exactly leave my house with my boobs in plain view! (Some of my wicked friends may beg to differ. What.e.v.s.)


London-based designer, Rachel Freire, has a background in fine art and made her debut collection at LFW with On|Off in February 2009. For such a new comer, Rachel Freire's unrestricted application of materials in developing all manner of restrictive pieces from the specs neck collars, to the corsets and suspenders is enthralling and spirited. There's simply so much to enjoy and contemplate...

Oh... I am dying for the glow-in-the dark!! frill and armor jackets. I want. now. Please... Thank you.x
Immerse yourself.

BRB. Or not.
There's so much I feel I want to say about these pieces.
I need a drinki, however.
Air kisses.

mr orwell.

Pleasantries.
And more pleasantries. *snickers*

I've been to London to see the Queen.

Speaking of, I'll get straight to the point, the stingray Orwells from Mr Hare in London (now available at Oki-ni and Dover St. mkt. Le sigh. Dover St!). I've been dying to write about these shoes; but, as my (paternal) grandma would say, "procrastination is the theft of time, and..." I'm just getting to it.


[A moment.]
I'm at a loss for words, really, to describe — adequately — how I feel about these shoes. First, my love for men's shoes is turning out to be something insane. The smile that forms in my eyes from glimpsing a most perfect pair arises somewhere deep inside me, a most visceral pleasurable ache. Painstakingly repressed, and thankfully too, my otherwise unbridled love affair for size enormous brogues and loafers causes me to pause at the men's dept. for unduly unbecoming amounts of time.¹

Mr Hare, the 'shoeist', as he calls himself — I respectfully offer a silent applaud — offers a bit of insight into his thinking when it comes to this shoe; as he does with all his pieces. Each shoe is named an alias, of sorts, so the Orwell is actually Mr. Orwell. Read it.

I wonder he didn't just name this pair (Mr.) Ordell...

"The line [When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherfucker in the room. Accept no substitutes.] delivered by Samuel L Jackson as Ordell Robbie in the Tarrantino movie ‘Jackie Brown’ was the only sentence that came into my head every time I looked at the Orwell," he writes.

But, Orwell undoubtedly makes me think of the Animal Farm writer pen-named George Orwell, who was something of a democratic (revolutionary) socialist, if he was anything (other than a passionate writer). The possible irony. I imagine a man in these precious puppies running across a field of Lord knows what... *gasp!!*

He continues, "...Mr. Hare is of Jamaican decent and being such, my [Mr Hare's] night time shoes have always been top priority."
Of course, I'm immediately leaping to the conclusion that Jamaican men pride themselves in possessing fine pairs of dress shoes?! *slight, albeit ever reverential furrowing of the brows*
Really?
Really Mr Hare?? Forgive me, I can only imagine awful green and ochre-colored 'leathers' — and I use the word loosely — chosen — ditto! — to match the wearer's frightful summer suit! But then what do I know?! My perception stems from a rather vague recollection of scenes from "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" from another lifetime.²

But, all this is to say... I've summed it up quite nicely: All I want for Christmas to be on the arm of the man (naturally over 6'1, loves) sporting a pair of these shoes. Me in minimal clothing, naturally³, and what-would-be a revamped pair of this season's Balenciaga (slitted) booties (perhaps with the upper in matching stingray! umm yay!!) and the heel, a gleaming brownish steel materializing as part of the outer sole encasing bits of the rubber platform. I could make you a picture on illustrator and photoshop. I might try. Go over to at style.com and drool over this season's 'ciagas, I beg of you.





Double sugar kisses on each cheek and hugs.
It's been too long!!



Footnotes:
1. Occasionally, I've become an incongruous feature at the men's shoe dept. So of course, the sales people must make an already awkward situation just a tad more painful. "Would you like any help, Miss?" "Are you looking for a gift? For your boyfriend, perhaps?" I just need said bf to materialize and make an honest woman out of me as I continue to lie to these poor souls... "Why yes! I'm looking for something for my bf, I'll let you know if I need any help, thank you" How else could I explain my presence??
2. I've become a cynical, condescending American, when I am much better suited as an international woman of mystery. I must return to London ASAP!
3. I wouldn't want to detract from the lovely awesomeness of his/our shoes!!

a little pep in your step (boys)!

As I contemplated what'd recently caught my eye in men's fashions ― but, never really taken root in my consciousness because, well, I'm not shopping for any men! ― I exhausted my brain recalling some of the most inspiring and innovative contemporary brands/names I'd heard floating around. An hour, two crosswords and a slice of quiche later...
Nope, nothing.

You see, for 'it' to have even the slightest bit of flair for the typical gentleman, (true, even when dressing women) one has got to take one's cues, very frequently, from brazen, avant-garde designers who aren't afraid to go to extremes. Most certainly, you'll find a striking detail to make your own from the designer's seemingly Gordian, or ― *ahem* crazy absurd ― runway pieces, for instance. And yes, of its on accord, my mind was running amok with selfish desires to recreate such (essentially) male details/pieces to fit myself as a woman.

It was in this despairingly distracted state that I thought of love potion Number (N)ine. And thank the Lord for men.style.com, because I couldn't remember the designer's name, Takahiro Miyashita. Now, I know not very men ― actually, I can't even think of a single male friend ― that would look favorably at Miyashita's ensembles, well, as they appeared on the runway (pics, men.style.com). And I get it. You really don't want to look like a bleach-blond Juliette Gréco channeling a disconcerted, hallucinating Renaissance androgyne sans paint brush (this spring, left pic) or Ali Baba's step-son, reincarnated, and still running from the sharia police (fall collection). I don't want you to either.

But, let's look a little closely at the brilliance of a series of shoes Miyashita showed for this spring season. The uppers are actually made from heavy rich jacquard, the kind normally used in curtains, yep drapery! Have you seen anything like it?? I haven't, and I think it's charming. I mean, seriously, worn with a pair of your usual (ho-hum *chuckle* plain) linen shorts/trousers or sport coat/blazer ensemble say for spring, it's bound to give you a little more oomph in your step. I'd totally do a double take!! Really, let's think about it: I'm not asking you to go crazy because you'd still be in your regular (more or less presentable) clothes; your shoes would just be a little more special. *smile* (at Number (N)ine, Brownsfashion)

So I decided to search out more of such interesting (proper) shoes (brogues, oxfords etc. wait, there are only three?! shoe options for you poor, poor men!). I found some, nothing more in jacquard like I was hoping.

I showed the Martin Margiela's confetti sneakers (I h.a.t.e. sneakers), but compare it to the proper shoes (of which I'm now a huge! fan) and which I could only find on darling site, LuxuryCulture. It's exquisite decadence. The confetti pieces on both the sneakers and the proper shoes ― I think these are derbies, I can't tell the difference ― are supposed to fall off with time, carrying on the uniqueness of the shoes. Gosh I'm in love. (with shoes I can't even own! or can I?)

Shoes:
Top: Raf Simons, Colette Paris; Middle: Gucci, Saks, Neiman's, Gucci; Bottom: Sneakers: MMM, Brownsfashion, or Eluxury.




Big kisses.

labour of love

Speaking of, for the most inexplicable of reasons I've become delightfully enamored of these Labour of Love jazz shoes. Paired with cigarette ankle-length trousers or short shorts, they'd be so chic!! This patent fuschia pair is wild!! But, they come in fourteen!! pretty colors. At Far Fetch.



Bubblicious bubble-gum kisses.

the romantic edge (givenchy sandals!)

Single-handedly Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy) has ensured that the gladiator sandal or its continuously more refined and evolved clones will remain the impossibly chic accessory for the possibly next two seasons!! (...a lifetime in the fashion world!)

Just imagine the delightfully treacherous cycle: pieces appear six months before on runways, editorial buzz, fast fashion replicas months avant la saison (none of which truly eco-conscious glamour gyrls will touch with a twelve foot pole; we know it's not cheap, despite what the price-tag says!), designers feed off buzz and incorporate similar motifs into next season's pieces... Nope! The original pieces haven't hit the stores yet! But that's the way it goes, you see.

'Tis a tremendous feat when we think back to the style icon of my lifetime, the exceptionally chic Carine Roitfeld, sporting Givenchy gladiator sandals last fall/winter! Tisci's pieces, both clothes and accessories, are marked by an unsurpassed sophistication that is the result of his own keen aesthetic, a futuristically cool reinterpretation of a Romantic history.

I will be keeping a close eye on these pieces online and in store and when they do go on sale (believe me, they will, do I even have to say, "look at the economy?!" haha. I know it's not funny, I'm sorry) I will snag possibly three? pairs!! Yikes!! I mean I absolutely need one of the gladiator-applique pairs (top), definitely one of these lace pairs (below) and a pair of this to the right!! *wistful sigh*







The pieces have started arriving in stores, Barneys, Shopbop, Zappos, Net-a-Porter. European designers are cheaper in Europe for Americans without VAT (ha!) so Luisa Via Roma it is for me. Bellissimo!!



Delicious kisses.