Molly Bloom knows style

For the curious, here’s a look at my fashion line. It’s called First Resort. I hope you like it.

I’m not in the market for a new bathing costume, mostly because this one is sold out in my size. Love those big bottoms and the separately sized bra top. Swimwear should be sold individually for the best fit, unless you’re buying one of those tiny triangles-on-string concoctions, in which case screw you for being skinny. Kidding.

This coverup is adorable, you should get it.

I’m of the opinion that zippers should be used and not seen. Hidden under the arm or enveloped in a back seam, dresses don’t need a clearly marked exit.

Enter a new trend: the ugly zipper. A too-heavy zipper with large metal teeth or unsightly contrasting border seems to be the zip du jour for some of fashion’s au currant designers.

Phillip Lim 3.1
Dang cute from the front, right? Love the pockets. I wonder if that metallic tissue fabric is scratchy; I’ve sewn dresses with similar material and I constantly felt it against my skin. Now click on the back view and tell me you don’t suddenly hate the whole thing.

RM by Roland Mouret
This kooky dress is a pattern-makers dream. It’s like origami. Then you see the back view. That thing is obscene. The zipper looks cold and hard. You need bloomers to wear this. Fail.

This special edition of Guy Friday comes at you on Monday. Special shout-out to dapper dresser Jackson West, who’s right — I should write more Guy Friday posts.

Spring 2009 was not the strongest season. Things got crazy in a way that menswear doesn’t wear well. I’m not going to say much about Fendi’s ridiculous wedge shoes — they write the jokes themselves.

Bottega Veneta, a brand I will wear when I become a rich lady, had a strong showing. As pictured above, the proportion of the pant leg looks great. It’s a full leg but it’s not flared and even translates to more traditional looks. And the one-color/multiple-patterns thing is working. I’m not sure what’s going on with the blazer-shirt thing; looks as though the sleeves are sheer, exposing the short sleeve of the top worn underneath. I imagine the sheer sleeves won’t translate to ready-to-wear but I’d like to see the blazer-shirt take off. Bottega Veneta makes legendary leather goods as well, hence the upscale cases and man-bags toted on the runway.

Dries Van Noten, Prada… Labels I usually love, showing ugly things: sandals with socks (Dries Van Noten), ballet necklines and superfluous halter straps (Prada).

Vivienne Westwood really turned it out with her collection. Not every guy could pull off this piped-in-white jacket but it’s fantastic. I’m not a fan of knit polo/golf-style shirts with suits because it’s a slippery slope to unacceptable pairings, however this look makes it work.

Who can afford $300 sunglasses when it costs $75 to fill up the tank? I’ve had my eye on these Chloe stunnas for months now and the price hasn’t budged — only the worst, what-were-they-thinking designer sunglasses go on sale. I bought this pair from Anthropologie — the shape is similar enough, the lenses are light and gradated, the frames are beige. They aren’t as fab as the Chloe pair but they aren’t trying to be. The rose-tinted lenses are a treat. They feel a bit brittle and probably aren’t too durable but they are the closest I’m getting to Chloe for now. And they’re on sale at the downtown San Francisco location for $10.

A raglan sleeve extends to the neckline of a garment; most sleeves are set into the shoulder seam. Classic baseball T-shirts are a raglan style but this sleeve design can give great shape to dresses and blouses as well.

There are safety pins in all my purses. If it’s been carried to a wedding, it’s got pins inside. I don’t even have to double-check anymore, although I do, because what if there were a fashion emergency? I am occasionally called to duty at functions, helping with slipped hems or bursting necklines.

These multi-colored pins are a great idea. I’ve seen metallic colored pins at the fabric store but never had a need for iridescent jade. I imagine the black pins will be big sellers. A nice companion to Hollywood Fashion Tape in your beauty tackle box.

Promise me you’ll be careful pinning; I usually try tape first if the fabric is thin, sheer or silky. Always use the smallest pin you can find.

The black BCBG shirtdress I featured a few months ago has turned out to be so versatile I wear it as soon as it’s clean. I’ve worn it with a light sweater underneath, with red sandals and to brunch with hot pink tights and mary janes. A great dress will take you far. Here are some more.

Look past the boring styling of this photo — this shirtdress is cute in black or khaki. I love the way khaki looks on dark or tan skin. Giant sigh because I am neither. This dress would be cuter hemmed above the knee and with a bright, chunky necklace or arm of bangles. I imagine most of us have a cuter belt than the elastic number that comes with it — red leather or one of those preppy webbed dealies.

I’m fond of this orange dress. It has pockets and cute top-stitching. If I owned this dress I would wear it too often. I used to wear a 1960s orange and pink dress twice a week. It became a problem.

This drapey jersey number is a great go-to dress for summer wedding season or date night.

If I were spending money on a dress right now it would be this one from Phillip Lim (pictured above, from Pinkmascara). I think it would look fantastic on a petite woman, even a curvy girl. Yellow looks great on freckled blonds, redheads and African-American women. The dress isn’t so short — it’s 32 in. long and it’s shown on a nine-foot tall model. I know it’s bright yellow and fashion-forward — experimentation is the mother of style.

Walking out of my usual lunch spot I got an idea for a post. A woman asked where I got my bag. I told her I got it in Paris. I like telling people I got things in other countries because I know they won’t head downtown and buy the same thing, like that woman from fashion school did with my favorite pair of Frye shoes. Everyone who goes to Paris comes back with fabulous things. It’s the law. But back to my idea: I sat down to write this entry, checked my RSS feed and saw a similar post on Jezebel.

I wish people would pay a compliment (”Great jacket! Love the pattern!”) instead of turning it into a query (”Where’d you get the jacket?”) There is an underlying compliment in there but it’s not really a compliment. It’s more aggressive than a compliment, especially if you’re asking someone who takes pride in their style. On this site I have occasionally linked to items I own; usually I attach the disclaimer that if you buy the same color, I will cut you.

Jezebel’s post is problematic because I don’t think telling people wearing vintage or shopping overseas is smug or obnoxious; what am I supposed to do, lie? If someone has the nerve to ask where I bought something they shouldn’t judge me on an honest answer. It’s not my fault someone hasn’t been to France or doesn’t have the eye to shop vintage. I’ll admit it though: sometimes I pretend the question is a compliment and just say thanks. Especially if it’s a mass-market item that’s still in stores. I don’t want everyone dressing like me; that’s why I won’t do a StyleHive account. If you want me to shop for you, I will gladly do so. My personal shopper rate starts at $50/hour. Does that seem bitchy? Fashion is kind of that way. Air kisses!

Lately I’ve been focusing on finishing my fashion line. It’s the last thing I have to do for school and it is kicking my ass emotionally and physically. I’ve never sewn to this level of quality before and it brings out the perfectionist streak that I have spent years beating back. The patterns have to be perfect as well so there is a lot of work for me to get lost in.

Working at home isn’t for me. Not really. It’s too distracting. Oooh, look! The floor needs to be mopped! I’ll do that first, it’s more important, can’t live in filth. On and on. Ideally I’d like to spend half my time in a workroom or office and the rest of my time tending to housewifery and fabulousity.

But I’m almost done. And when I am done I will buy those yellow shoes in the shop window a few blocks away, a small present for finishing. They’ll look great with my orange dress.