Please note that the 99 objects are going to include clothing, kitchen items, and some home furnishings... this is going to get interesting! ... View the Post
Archives for December 2011
December 2011 - Page 2 of 2
99 Objets – the 2nd installment
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99 Objets – the first installment
December 6, 2011 I'm always intrigued by lists - the perfect wardrobe, the necessary objects etc. So when one of my favorite authors tackled this idea, I had the book in hand pronto. (available here from FNAC - ordering books from France is great fun!)
Dominique Loreau is a French woman who has lived in Japan for many years, and has written a handful of books which merge her innate French love of beauty and elegance with her acquired Japanese aesthetic of simplicity and clarity. The books are written in relatively simple French which I find quite clear - this isn't like tackling Balzac in the original...
So my interpretations of what Dominique lists as HER essentials will follow, over a few day's time. Please note that these are MY ... View the Post
The Full House of Fashion Failure
December 5, 2011
On my always-interesting walk to work this morning, I passed one of the "cheap and cheerful" clothing stores (which I really dislike) and saw something quite horrendous.
An ENTIRE rack of blazers.
Orange blazers.
Orange DOUBLE-BREASTED blazers.
For $9.99 EACH.
And they appear to have been constructed by pre-school aged children. Who were blindfolded at the time. And maybe drunk. Not a straight lapel, nor an even hem among any of the more than 60 or 70 blazers I could see.
AND, the material was of an appallingly bad quality.
So: difficult color, difficult cut, horrid workmanship, and terrible materials. The full-house of failure.
Please note: I think there is a place in the world for a ... View the Post
Michigan Avenue Style Lab: Outerwear Observations
December 4, 2011
If your coat has a back vent (an opening either in the middle of the back hem of your coat, or maybe two openings, one on each side of a back "flap"), and that vent is sewn shut with a cool little "X" stitch, REMOVE THE STITCHING. A vent is supposed to be open, and was sewn shut just to hold it in place in transit. Nothing accents a bubble butt more than a closed vent. Fabric content labels on your sleeve are ALSO supposed to be removed. I'm impressed that your coat is 100% cashmere, now take that label off and throw it away! Hems that drag the ground are unsanitary. And unflattering. If your arms are hanging at your sides and we can see only the tips of your fingers (or nothing at all of your hands), ... View the Post
The shopping fast: Month 3
This has in many ways been the easiest month so far. Day to day, I'm only wearing a variety of gray or black tee shirts, jeans, and my work shoes. (and of course, my apron, which is NOT pictured here...) If anything, December might prove to be even more dull fashion-wise than November!
Working in retail is a great way to condition yourself away from constant shopping; the endless glut of unnecessary stuff that we have to handle every day makes the idea of actually buying something and taking it home absolutely repulsive. What an insane frenzy of over-consumption the holidays are in the United States...
And I must give a warm, grateful shout out to my work shoes - Camper Pelotas. They are durable, ... View the Post