Beautiful Bonnet

Lately I have been inspired by bonnets, those beautiful yet functional headpieces of eras past. I can't remember the last time I saw someone wear one in a non-ironic way though. I've been looking for bonnets that are wearable, but still bear the historical charm. So I was delighted to find this bonnet by whiletheyplay on etsy.com. Now I can get my Phyllis Wheatley on!

Watch: The look of (500) Days of Summer

We just got back from watching Marc Webb's (500) Days of Summer, a movie I've been waiting to see for a good five months.  Funny how one can look forward to a movie so much.  It has some of my favorite things all in one--Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, and the City of Los Angeles.  Webb, a first-time director, makes downtown LA look downright magical.  He brings out the LA I love even though I haven't actually visited a lot of the locations he used.  But that's a story for another blog post.

What I really want to talk about is the film's style and the yumdellishous clothes Zooey gets to wear throughout..  It reminded me how much I enjoyed costuming for theatrical productions.  Garry commented that this looked like a movie "made by hipsters, for hipsters."  It's kind of true, but it's still noteworthy.  Costume designer Hope Hanafin dresses Joe's character Tom in mostly Old Man Chic--sweater vests and puce-colored cardigans over a tie and button down shirt, funky corduroys, messenger bags.  Zooey's character Summer gets to wear a parade of 50s-inspired secretary blouses, ruffle-paneled dresses and flouncy high-waisted skirts.

I really like the individual pieces of clothing, especially the cool navy dress she wears in picture 6 above, but I think Hanafin may have overdid it with the period style--it veers into "old fashioned" more often than I'd like... I think part of what makes vintage clothing wearable is mixing it up with more modern elements. Accessories, something unexpected, like pairing it with modern jewelry, adds some freshness to vintage pieces and keeps a look grounded in the here-and-now.  Still, it was a very well done movie and lots of fun to watch all the outfits.

Update: Check out this exclusive MTV interview with Hope Hanafin on her vision for costuming (500) Days of Summer.

Another update: Found some bags that look a lot like the one Joseph Gordon-Levitt carries throughout the film.  Check them out here.

Dilemmas: Which Flats Should I Buy?

As much as I love to wear heels, I live in San Francisco; hills, public transportation and walking a lot pushes me towards wearing flats almost daily.

I need new flats. I usually go for dark flats, but I'm feeling kind of summery and light (except for the last one). Please let me know which one I should get or if I should continue searching.

Wanted Shoes Bolero Ballerina with Bow $34.95
Wanted Shoes Dizzy Flat $49.95
Steve Madden Kazler Ballerina Flat $89.95

Update: Thanks to everyone that responded. I ended up getting the first one and it unfortunately doesn't fit me well! There's very little support and I don't have wide feet, but it sure feels like I do! Search continues...

More age-old perfection from Vintage Textiles

I posted about this almost a year ago. Again I was wandering around the interwebs, and again found myself captured by this site that sells historical vintage clothing from the early 1800s onward. And I still bemoan the fact that they just don't make clothes this fine anymore, or if they do, it comes at an abominable cost.

Looking at the attention to detail and painstaking execution of the most extraordinary embellishments, it becomes clear that this exquisite sort of dressmaking is a lost art...I am reminded of pyramids, of hanging gardens, of great walls and stories my mother told me about old kungfu masters who would withhold one or two secrets from their proteges, as a kind of insurance, should that protege ever decide to try to kill his master.  Eventually, so many secrets were buried that the whole body of knowledge was diluted forever.

At least I can marvel at these relics of the past and just imagine the hands that made them and the impossibly elegant women who wore them.  

All images taken from the Vintage Textile website, where you can purchase pieces for a pretty penny ($1200 and up).  Well worth it if you have that kind of money.

Stuff I just bought on sale at Anthropologie

I really need to stop, but when prices are this good, and I have free shipping as a member of Anthro, wild horses can't stop me!  If anything doesn't fit right, I plan to return them to the brick-and-mortar store.

1. Baltic twill trench ($498, on sale for $199.95): I feel I've been waiting all my life for the perfect white trench coat.  I hope this is it.  I like the details along the bottom hem.
2. Withering frost vest ($78, on sale for $39.95): I don't really need it, but it's pretty.  I am a sucker for crochet and lace edging.
3. Levitation slingbacks ($128, on sale for $29.95!): Just this afternoon I was noting that I needed a good pair of black flats since my current ones are falling apart.  These are not quite what I had in mind (I need ballerinas with a buckle), but I could hardly believe that they were $100 off and have leather soles - the mark of true quality - and available in my size.
4. Walk-the-line gauchos ($118, on sale for $39.95): Another phenomenal buy.  I have kept my eye out for good gauchos since I saw them on a friend of mine, who is very petite, and they complemented her frame handsomely.
5. Fallon cargoes by Hei Hei ($88, on sale for $49.95): Not super cheap, and if I wait a bit they will probably go down to $25 or less, but I absolutely love pants made by Hei Hei.  They are unbelievably comfortable to romp around in on the weekends...my favorite pair of pants, so I had to get another.

Meet: The Leather Jacket Girl

There are few things we love more than supporting local independent artists.  So a couple weekends ago, Sushmita and Stephanie made a hop skip and a jump over to Indie Mart, sort of an outdoor DIY-festival-slash-hipster-convention.  We were a bit disappointed by the small size of the gathering, but made up for it by hanging out for a good half hour with Monique of Gypsies and Lords.

Monique designs unique leather jackets made from hard-to-find materials treated in various difficult-to-replicate ways.  That didn't stop me from asking all kinds of questions about where she sources the leather (exotic locales like South America) and where she gets the jackets manufactured (in China, from the same guy who does leatherwork for some of the top fashion houses in Paris and Milan).  I was smitten by two of her designs in particular, one hand-painted blazer with rabbit-fur lapels (PETA be damned!) and one more down-to-earth number with an asymmetrical zipper.  The fit was amazing; the designs one of a kind, or limited edition.  The only thing that stopped me was wanting a jacket in a lighter color.

Check out more of her stuff on her website.  She has her niece model everything because "she has a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e." Except the last picture, which is Monique herself wearing the rabbit-fur blazer.

Cheap Chic Wedding Dresses Made of Toilet Paper!

Brides-to-be, listen up - there's a new way to cut costs for the wedding. Apparently every year a contest is held to make the most creative, beautiful wedding dress out of toilet paper. These dresses are so impressive! Check out the the winning designs below. I'm so amazed by the detail and the flow of the dresses - who knew toilet paper could be shaped quite so well! Just goes to show that true fashion designers are not limited by the materials on hand :P It's all about craftsmanship and enormous creativity.