Flashlit

My New Obsession With The Clubmaster.

So, last year (and even right now) it's been all about the Rayban Wayfarers.

The coolest sunglasses of the 80's. I bought some really ridiculous ones on Ebay (ridiculous in a good way). An authentic vintage pair- in pristine condition. Black rims with green/black tinted lenses... I even featured them in our LAMade photo shoot for this Summer. (LAMade is the line I design for right now). Here's a little preview: Shhh...don't tell. This is a little early since the summer collection isn't quite in stores yet.

And I know these super cool reflective colorblocked versions (circa early 90s) are on thier way back. I feel like I've been spotting them here and there. I like them- but I think they're a little flashy for me... (I'm super boring.) But- I feel like Kanye west and his awesome shag will be sporting these like any day now.

But, what I am in to all of the sudden are the Rayban Clubmasters. Love love love love love. I need them- and might have to do a little Ebay search this weekend. (We're in a recession- and I need a deal...)

Aren't they gorgeous.....

The Right To Bare Arms

So, we all know about my new (well, not that new) obsession with menswear. I've been raving about blazers like forever now.

And so now that I have filled my wardrobe with all different variations of the blazer (from vintage finds on ebay, to a modern Hong Kong find with a button-off scarf, to a Karl Lagerfeld shrunken poplin waiter-style one), I have now managed to come up with one more style that I feel like I need.

The Sleeveless Blazer.

They were featured on a multitude of shows last Spring, and have popped up on some celebrities and in-store as of late. Vanessa Bruno has a beautiful black wool version in-store, and Mike & Chris have one on sale.

I definitely want a black or grey one (my favorite colors of the moment I'm so boring...), to wear with black skinny jeans, a white/black graphic boyfriend tee or flowy tunic, and some chunky booties. I love the way Phi showed them. The 3 piece suit with the sleeveless blazer is pretty genius...

And for Spring I'd love a heather grey french terry version or blue color, like YSL showed, to wear with a black patent leather belt and dark blue jeans...Love.

The Devil Wears Leather Leggings

My absolute Must-Have of the moment item is the Leather Legging.   

In the last few seasons there has been a huge resurgence of leather. The shrunken leather moto jacket being one of the hottest items for Spring. And now, leather will become the new legging for this coming Fall. They (or the thigh-high skin tight leather boot alternative) are on many of the shows I've looked at. They look amazing paired with the beautiful feather trimmed flapper-esque party dresses, as well as layered under a simple sweater dress or long menswear shirt. (Below looks are Halston, Versace, Versace, Jasper Conran, and Topshop Unique.) I LOVE the creamy color of the Halston boots.

    

Reminds me of my favorite look (and Andy's break out look) from 2006's The Devil Wears Prada. Below is the gorgeous Chanel ensemble and a look from Chanel's Fall 2003 collection with a different variation of the leather legging. Gorgeous.

Since I don't necessarily have the funds for the Chanel thigh highs or any of the designer leather leggings, I will probably opt for some "Leather-look" leggings like below. Perfect leggings for layering under an oversized t-shirt, blazer, and heels.

Beanie baby.

On Sunday, I found myself searching Ebay for vintage hats. Random- since my usual rounds on Ebay consist of YSL & Givenchy vintage, Chloe anything, and I usually check out Chanel and Balenciaga- but am usually disappointed when the bids go up a couple hundred dollars in the last few minutes. Anyway, I spent hours looking at these beautiful vintage menswear hats and amazing satin pillbox hats on Sunday, and almost won a cool black Chloe knit beanie. I'm not really a "Hat" person, but all of the sudden I'm wanting to top of my look with a hat.

Looking at all the new shows- there are hats scattering most all of the them. The fedora hat of last year has evolved into a an array of different looks for this coming Fall. The classic designers like DVF, featured 1940's inspired emerald green wool hats with pencil skirts and dresses. And there's the skull cap (usually metallic or beaded) that completes the 20's flapper looks. But my favorite is the re-emergence of "The Beanie". The grungy hat of the 90's is now a high fashion item.

I know- surprise, surprise. I like something 90's? I think most all of my posts for the last month have featured yet another reason why the 90's are coming back. But- it is undeniable when you look at the new shows this week. The Blazers. The Combat Boots. The flannels. The accentuated shoulders. And now, The Beanie.

Alexander Wang, as well as many other designers have topped off their looks with messy hair tucked into a knit Beanie hat for their Fall 08' collections. Here are some Alexander Wang looks- executed in true 90's grunge fashion:

And some more:

The way I want to wear it: Donna Karen's Prefall show featured an exaggerated beanie with more of a renaissance poet type of look. I want to wear my beanie with skinny jeans tucked into boots with an over sized sheer blouse layered under a cool vest or jacket. Love:

And the genius that in Yojhi Yamamoto also showed one of my favorite items- the SNOOD. My scarf of right now (which I wear almost everyday), will be replaced with a snood. I have a grey/pink cable knit one from Stella McCartney's Adidas collection- but really want a black one like this for this coming Fall:

Pretty little mini.

All of the sudden I really want a mini skirt. After a long haul of mini dresses and slouchy menswear shorts/pants being the perfect bottom half- I feel like the mini skirt is THE perfect piece to wear with all my floaty chiffon tops, A-line jackets, belted vests and layered over tights or with booties. The particular one that has been on my mind is this fab embellished one that Chloe showed in their SS08 collection. Amazing, amazing, amazing, gorgeous, gorgeous:

I love how this heavily embellished mini looks with the floaty chiffon tunic and ankle high boots. I've been seeing them embellished, in Jacquards and novelty fabrics or as a simple ponte layering piece. And always layered and just peeking out from underneath lengthy tunics and jackets. Missoni's Prefall show made a Mini statement, layering them in a variety of looks- and in THE most beautiful color combinations might I ad.

As well as Zac Posen, Rachel Roy, Proenza Schouler, Matthew Williamson, and Chanel to name a few.

I'm on the hunt for a heavily embellished one to wear under simple tunics. Or a little black leather one to have peeking from underneath chunky sweaters. I love the look below with the sheer striped top and bright magenta shoes. And of coarse, the multi color passementrie mini in the second look is gorgeous for Spring. Some looks to inspire:

Cause A Spectacle

All over the runways for this Spring/Summer, and all over the cool kids street scene are Spectacles. Always thick-rimmed, oversized and rectangular. Whether you have vision problems or not, these nerd-esque glasses are one of the must-have accessories for Spring. 

On The Runways. Specs everywhere:

Flashback: Be inspired by these 70's starlets and Debbie Harry's 1981 look.

      

The Leather Moto Jacket

So, THE must-have item of right this second is the shrunken Leather Moto Jacket- or atleast that is what I'm obsessed with as of today. There has been a huge re-surgence of LEATHER. Leather jackets. Leather booties. Leather pants. Gloves. Everything. And all with moto-inspired hardware detailing and silhouettes.

Gucci showed leather moto jackets paired with printed skirts and graphic tees for their Resort 08' show (even on the newly appointed designer herself- Frida Giannini), and they have since been showing up everywhere.

Find a vintage one, or buy one new. As long as it is shrunken or cropped. I found a vintage black leather one on Ebay, and just bought a gorgeous white one from Marciano- perfect for Spring.

Layer over grey skinny jeans and a boyfriend tee with layered long necklaces or a scarf. Or over a floral printed flowy dress and booties for more of a femme Spring-y look. Some looks to inspire:

The Blazer and Bootie

Okay, so not to reiterate, but I'm really feeling this whole blazer thing. I seem to get really obsessed with one thing, and I have to achieve that look, and design beautiful looks around that item. Then, once that is accomplished, I move on to the next...

So, this week, I'm obsessed and enamored with The Blazer and The Bootie. I've put together THE perfect look to accomidate, and it happens to include the infamous new boots I've been talking about for the last few posts- my new Ash Nirvana booties.

THE look of right this second. With all the key components: The blazer, the v-neck boyfriend tee, any type of neck decoration, (whether you layer on long necklaces, or wrap on a scarf), any type of legging (denim, leather, or knit), and yes, the bootie. There's a huge assortment of booties out there right now. From the ankle high, to this slightly higher height. I love these (I'm sure you know that by now), because they are so remeniscent of the 90's combat boot, but still have a feminine silhouette.

Here are some additional looks to inspire- booties included: