Harvard Yard: New line from Wearwolf + my alma mater

This sent in from a friend via the NYTimes: Harvard University has entered a 10-year licensing agreement with Wearwolf to produce a line of "preppy clothing" to hit department stores by February of next year.


I'm not sure how I feel about this quite yet.  Part of me is revolted by the idea that Harvard (and other Ivy-league schools) necessarily be associated with privilege, wealth, and social status.  People might watch Gossip Girl and think that everyone who goes to such schools are similarly well-to-do and out-of-touch with reality.  Sure, there is a pretty large contingent of legacy brats, elite from around the world (Manhattan, Hong Kong etc.), and otherwise snobbish young Turks at Harvard.  But I, along with most of my friends, came from backgrounds firmly rooted in the middle and working classes, and we sure as hell didn't wear blazers with the Harvard insignia stitched in crimson thread on the lapels.

In fact, when I went to school there, it was downright shameful to tout the fact of your school.  No one wore Harvard-branded clothing (unlike certain West Coast contemporaries) around campus or anywhere else because we're deathly afraid of dropping the H-bomb.  From what I observed when I went back to visit is that this has changed in the last 5 years, but I should hope the majority of students there are still down-to-earth.

Anyway, the other part of me kind of loves this stuff in the teaser photos.  That blazer, crimson thread and all, is pretty sweet.  And I like that there isn't some tacky Harvard logos emblazoned on them.  And, if nothing else, you could just wear it in a spirit of irony.  What I really want to know is, are they going to release a line of clothing for the ladies?

From the NY Times slideshow: "John Longbrake, a university spokesman, disputed the idea that a preppy, Harvard-branded clothing line would dimish the university's efforts to appeal to students of diverse backgrounds."  Learn more at the Harvard Yard Collection website.

And this is what a more realistic Harvard student wears:

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.

Hot or Not? Expensive Designer Jellies

I can't quite decide if Tory Burch et al has created the most brilliant-nostalgic throwback to our little-girl days of carefree sunshine and outdoor frolicking, or if it should join the ranks of absurdly unnecessary things designed with one thing in mind: to rob us blind.

I'm guessing the latter.  Who out there's gonna pay $90 for plastic shoes, however cute (and some of them really aren't)?

Cholosoy is having a sale

One of my earliest posts was asking people which chullo hat I should buy from Cholosoy's Etsy shop, which featured some of the most lightweight, ugly-awesome chullos I'd ever seen (I got the blue-green one).

I thought I got a deal for $18.50...this weekend only, they're having an even better sale.  All hats $15!  Makes you wonder if they are employing Peruvian orphans to make these and paying them $1/day.

Dilemmas: I love my mom (or, My mom weighs in)

From: Me
Date: Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 2:06 AM
Subject: Should I keep these?
To: My Mom

Hi Mommy,

Please tell me what you think of these clothes.  

1. Beige sweater, $50 (on sale from $78).  It is soft and comfortable, just not sure it is worth $50
2. Gray felt blazer, $80 (on sale from $160).  It is very soft, but I'm not sure if it is practical.
3. Gray/black long heavy coat, $91 (on sale from $130, but I got it from Ross so the suggested retail price is more almost $300).  It is just a tiny bit big for me.
4. Dark gray sweater/jacket, $35 at Ross.  I really like it--it is warm and comfortable.  

Thanks for your opinion!
Steph

________________________________________________________

From: My Mom
To: Me
Subject: My Opinion

Dearest Stephanie
I look @ your 4 clothings that you sent to me for opinion,  twice.
this is my honest opinion on all of them, don't care about how much they cost,
I think they are all pretty "UGLY" 
even God bless you with a beautiful figure, all most like > 95% no matter what you put on ,
both daddy & me all ways say you look nice.
but not with these 4 clothings
they are not just UGLY by themselve, they made you look fat , heavy & UGLY too for no reason.
So, my advice is to  RETURN THEM ALL ASAP
When we 've a chance we shop together, I 'll HELP you pick clothing that will make you look cute & classic

 May God BLESS you ALLWAYS with his WISDOM & HEALTHY LONG LIFE
also KEEP YOU ALLWAYS  SAFE  from all evil harmfull things
LOVEEEEEEEEEEE
Mommy

This entry needs a new Day of the Week: Fashion-Forward Fridays

I was trolling Urban Outfitters.com to look for other tasty sale items to add to my cart before I checked out (some of the things in there are more than a month old!) when I came across this thing called the "Pocket Bag Belt."  I thought, hey, that doesn't look half bad...and it's useful besides!

But after careful reflection, I realized that I'd been duped by a feat of well-positioned marketing, and that this item is nothing more than a glorified fanny pack.

Observe: the only real difference between the 'stylish' item in the first photo and the unattractive accessory in the second is who is wearing it: one is a thin young woman, the other, a rather heavy-set older man.  Ah, the power of context.

I threw in a third photo of a cute fanny pack that this woman made and blogged about.  At least she had no pretensions and called the thing what it is.

Trend that should die: Gladiator Sandals.

I knew something was up when I was NYC last week and everywhere I looked, there they were.  Gladiator sandals.  How they can be construed as attractive, I have no idea.  They are ugly enough when limited to one's feet, but then somewhere on the ACE train I saw this most HIDEOUS example of the trend, the Chanel Knee-High Gladiator Sandal.  I thought it was a joke.  But clearly, they aren't kidding.