bits and bobbins

with the upcoming move (and needing to outfit the new apartment with a few new pieces, etc.) and some potential travel back east this fall (during which i will likely want to do some shopping, natch!), i’m thinking that putting the kibosh on most spending for some time to come is probably the best course of action for me at the momento.

but that doesn’t stop me from looking or coveting, right? nah…i suppose i’ll always be looking! doesn’t cost anything unless one crosses the bridge into actual buying, right?

so, keeping in mind the description of my crazy aesthetic sense in my recent missal, if money was no object…i’d certainly go for thus:

i’ve been wearing my classic gold elgin watch for several years now. ok, i LOVE gold, and i LOVE my elgin watch, but now i am kind of wishing for a watch that’s a bit more on the sporty/colorful/chunky side. i quite like these two futuristic looking styles shown below, in my favorite color, orange!

the top one is the vega watch by nixon (via amazon.com), and the bottom is the zub 20 zot watch by matthew waldman (via momastore.org).

san francisco can be a cold, windy, beastly place for much of the year. one MUST dress in layers, or you basically risk freezing. and somehow, my wardrobe is mostly bereft of thin, fitted sweatshirts and sweaters, which are actually just the thing when one needs to layer up but not look like the michelin man. i think this lightweight cashmere hoodie (or one like it) from j. crew would begin to solve my (lack of) hoodies/light sweaters problem:

maybe i’ve said this before (or meant to), but i actually really LOVE j. crew. they make classic pieces in bright colors, in nice quality fabrics, with nice finishes for a decent price point. their clothes may be marketed in a very preppy, new england sort of way, but almost anything they make could just as easily be styled to compliment many an individual’s idiosyncratic sartorial expression. for example: the hoodie pictured above could just as easily been worn (my way!) with a barrage of contrasting, colorful vintage or handmade fabric pins splattered across one side of the shoulder/bust area, emerald green high waisted, wide-legged jeans (man, if those existed, they would be HOT!), and red woven leather vintage heels. or it could be popped over a simple, subtly patterned or solid colored structured shift, and worn with ballet flats, for someone who’s a bit more conservative. and on, and on. and the darn thing comes in a huge passel of colors…one of them is sure to suit any given person.

i still love my skinny jeans. i know some people are saying they are “out,” my knee-jerk response to those people is: “who cares.” but i am admittedly sort of caving and feeling the siren-song-like pull of the option to don a slouchier jean silhouette, something like these wide leg jeans from goldsign (via shopbop.com):

just looking at them takes my blood pressure down a notch…they look as comfortable as pajamas!

the cracked leather on these t-strap heels from frye (via urban outfitters) is ace. it’s a nice texture that seems to be popping up a lot at the moment. plus they are shinny. and i am all about the shiny!

is it just me, or is frye making some amazing styles these past few seasons or so? very classic really, and simultaneously more than a little fashion forward. and they are using superb materials and craftsmanship. the quality of the leathers and the stitching on all of them is super evident just by a quick glance at them, and the heels of many of the shoes seem to be made of wood. which, i think i have mentioned before several times, is really important to me. i loathe when companies use fake materials just to cut corners. give me the real thing, if possible, designers! if i love it, i’m willing to shell out the dough to get the nicer stuff! i’m not just interested in the *look* or a shysty, half-assed facsimile.

(clearly i’m feeling a slouchy glamourous thing at the moment, with a dash of the sporty. so yeah, i’d wear all that together. *head spins*)

a few lovely things i wouldn’t mind acquiring…if, of course, money was no object…

deborah rice was a neighbor of mine back when pete and i lived in brooklyn. a former model and all-around beautiful person, deborah makes the most exquisite hand-made metal jewelry…all of it has a very sexy, sculptural, organic feel. there’s something almost visceral about them, with the ripped, gaping openings, you know? but it’s good. i particularly love these dangling earrings and this asymmetrical necklace, part of a larger collection that deborah is now offering:

i can totally imagine these particular (or any of the pieces in her body of work) with a very minimal black dress, upswept hair (if i had any!) and lots of bare skin…any other kind of busy-busy ensemble would fight for attention and take away from their simple, yet standout look, methinks.

from a recent post on shiny squirrel i found the label figmint. i’m loving the relaxed, arty feel of their fall 2007/winter 2008 collection…the hoods, cowls, drapes and fabrications (knits, primarily) exude a laid-back aesthetic that conversely suggests quite a bit of attention to detail.

i suspect that part of the reason i am grooving on this particular label/collection because i tend to be all about the comfort factor when it comes to clothes, mostly…wearing lots of knits, cowls (that i typically make myself, like this or this), leggings, tights, boots, and the like.

and actually, admittedly? a big thing that really appeals about these looks above, is the styling, i.e., the black tights with brown platform sandals or brown boots, not even the clothes themselves, which are of course, definitely lovely, as said. weird the things i fixate on, ha!

cocktail hats are all i can think about at the moment. and well, shoes (when do i ever not think about shoes??)…but really, my mind is primarily occupied with visions of cocktail hats and ways i want to wear them. this obsession with cocktail hats has sort of reached critical mass within my own fashion-addled mind.

i envision cocktail hats with everything…jeans, cute little thrifted dresses (from whatever era, you know i don’t discriminate!), shorts, whatever. dressed up, casual, everything in between. actually, i quite like the idea of wearing them with casual ensembles, because of the visual irony/clash of it all. or like, wearing a cheap chic casual outfit with like, a fancy hat and fancy shoes. that sort of thing.

cocktail hats, or really, any little fancy hats of a similar ilk, are a fun way to explore fashion on another level through the utilization of accessories, another point of visual interest on the map of the moving human form. they are truly indulgences…we don’t NEED to wear them, they don’t have any practical purpose (like shading or protecting the head, for instance) but they add an air of intelligent, sophisticated play to any ensemble.

cocktail hats are absolutely nothing to be afraid of. such hats can be worn anywhere if you *believe* that they can be worn anywhere. simple as that.


(that’s in answer to the inevitable retort…”but where would i wear them??”)

…and actually, that’s my philosophy on anything fashion-related. fashion: love it, believe in it, have fun with it. who CARES what the hell others think of what you wear? be courageous.

and i gotta say, while i am seeing cocktail hats here and there in magazines and on people now and again, they are still a rather rare sight on the streets. it would be nice to change that.

so without any further ado…here are some swanky cocktail hats i’d snatch up, if, of course, money was no object…

a fascinating facinator from an ebay seller who goes by the unwieldy name of HAZEL CHURCH HATS LADIES RED HAT (huh?)…her store has a section filled with fancy cocktail hats…packed to the brim with fun, feathery fripperies.

katie burley of san francisco is behind the goodly green fun shown here, a hat called “apple martini“…the perfect topper for getting one’s drink on. put it on your crown while you guzzle a beer.

in my fashion fantasy land, that sweet sassy green hat would look mighty fine with an orange or red dress in more of a modern cut…perhaps even something a little 80s in its aesthetic. just sayin’. i think i have just the item in my closet already…!

boring sidney makes all sorts of hats, most of which have a gorgeous gothy sort of feel, but the bright hues and exotic peacock feathers (looking a little like antennae?) on this particular topper really get my blood racing:

love it paired with the pink hair (a wig, methinks, but still, so lovely!).

the great thing about a lot of cocktail hats is that they are really like sculpture…bits and bobs and feathers shoot off of them, interacting with negative space in an unexpected way. they are also incredibly dynamic, in a static state, as well as when one is in motion. they move as you move, constantly changing shape.

this one by chimerablossom has a lot of movement, as that feather swoops right on back. it has a dark beauty, almost too lovely for words.

here are some other places to find super amazingly fabulous cocktail hats that i’ve managed to uncover of late. i am happy to share!:

-artikal
-gena conti custom millinery
-fino fino
-patrick bay millinery
-philip treacy (the favored milliner of the late isabella blow)

i’m going to keep searching around for more amazing cocktails and facinators, and will report back with any particularly stunning finds, but feel free to pipe in if you know of more sources for such!

cheers!