combat boots

I'm excited to announce I have acquired a pair of combat boots from Mary-Kate and Ashley's new Olsenboye line from JCPenney. They arrived in the mail on Wednesday, and I think I'm going to wear them for the first time today. I've been wanting a pair of combat-like boots since the whole 90s grunge revival thing happened, but these MK&A boots have an added bonus. After staring at them for a little while, I concluded that they bare a striking (kind of) resemblance to the Ann Demeulemeester boots from winter 2008.
Similarities: they both come up to mid-calf and lace all the way up. Also, they both have a zipper on the side, sparing the wearer from lacing and unlacing the boots every time they need to come off or on. They also both have a seam on the rounded toe (very small detail) and a stacked heel.
Differences: the Ann Ds are made of fine Italian leather, while the MK&As are constructed from "synthetic materials" (better for the cows, I say). The MK&As only have a very small heel, while Ann's are known for the taller "talon" heel. Also, the Anns would cost me more than two month's rent, while my boots are currently on sale for $29.99.

OK, the comparison might be a bit of a stretch, but I'm in love with these boots, and the deal that's going on right now on JCPenney's web site is hard to pass up. It's almost Christmas--treat yourselves to some Olsen-approved fashion!

images edited by me, from mkashley.com and shoppingandinfo.com

lara

I really need the December 2009 issue of British Vogue. My current favorite (and everyone's current favorite) model Lara Stone graces the cover and stars in a elegant, ballgown filled-photo shoot and interview in which she reveals her struggle with alcoholism and recounts a story of pushing another model down a flight of stairs. WHY ISN'T IT AT BORDERS YET??

image fashiontography.blogspot.com

Heaven

This lunch break made the rainy day bearable.

photo via me at Naked Chocolate Cafe

ga-ga, ooh la-la!

Remember the last time a music video premiered and the world seemed to collectively stop, watch it and react to it? Yea, me neither.
Lady Gaga pretty much single-handedly made the music video relevant again with yesterday's premiere of her "Bad Romance" video. Haters who have labeled Gaga as disposable, unoriginal or irrelevant seem to be eating their words after viewing this unforgettable video. Whether you love it, hate it or are just plain confused by it, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with an argument that the Lady doesn't put on a hell of an entertaining show. Just try to look away when she and her dancers claw at the air wearing skintight body suits or when Gaga sings to the camera with tears in her eyes, face startlingly free of makeup.
More than any other popular recording artist today, Gaga is 150% devoted to the art of performance. The set, the clothes, the makeup and the choreography are all working together to tell a story, and we haven't seen anything like this in a music video in years. Christopher John Farley said it best on the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog, noting that Gaga is, "one of the few pop stars these days who really understands spectacle, fashion, shock, choreography—all the things Madonna and Michael Jackson were masters of in the 1980s." I completely agree. And nothing demonstrates Gaga's understanding of what it means to be a pop star better than this music video.
All Gaga like or dislike aside, I think it's worth noting that in our excessively informed, ADD-afflicted culture, everyone has something to say about this video and this artist in general. Heck, Bad Romance and/or Lady Gaga has been a Twitter trending topic for more than 24 hours--practically weeks in Internet time. I know our attention spans are shorter than ever and there's always a new distraction around the corner, but I think this could be one of the biggest music video events in a long time. If Lady Gaga aims to do nothing more than stay in the public eye for as long as possible, I have no doubt she will succeed.
OK, now I'm going to take my amateur pop culture analyst hat off and get back to what I know: the fierce, off the wall fashion that defines this video.

Tiny fences are your nails are so chic!

I loved this look for its simplicity with a touch of weirdness in the black crown.

Don't you wish you were one of Gaga's back-up dancers? I know I do.

The orbit!

Most notably, the SS10 McQueen outfit I compared to a disco stick back in October... remember?

Looks like Gaga snagged it in gold though. Unless it's just the lighting.

One of the most insane outfits came towards the end when Gaga approached her suitor wearing a coat made out of a polar bear. What you may not know is that this coat originally appeared on designer Benjamin Cho's Spring 2004 runway with the Humane Society of the United States. That's right, no polar bears were harmed in the making of this video.

I could go on for days about how amazing I think this video is, and I know I'm not alone. So, if for some odd reason you haven't watched the video yet, please do so immediately. If you don't like her music, turn the sound off and watch a true artist at work.

URAQT

Now THIS is having some serious fun with fashion. M.I.A.'s pose goes with the shark's expression, the blue flow-y sleeves are like the ocean the shark is jumping out of! She's even wearing fish earrings! This reminds me of those theme outfits Claudia Kishi wore in the Baby-Sitters Club. Well done, Maya. Very well done.

image from jezebel.com