It’s all in the construction.
The Wall Street Journal examines couture and mass-market clothes in this short online video. Obviously the quality of the fabric is an issue. The way a sleeve is set can be a tip-off as well as the quality of the buttonholes.
(via FashionAddict)
PS to Vera Wang: I call bullshit on shoddy construction being a design element.
Do you like my new tunic? It’s part of my winter wardrobe effort. It’s by T-Bags and it’s drapey and soft and swoopy. The colors are unlike anything else in my closet and the gold touches around the teal add dimension to the superthin jersey fabric.
I like this top but the V-neck is way too low — it dips below the base of my brassiere. Safety pins are an option but they can look suspicious closing two inches of fabric. My solution was to add this giant gold-tone button to the pinning. Now I don’t have to buy gold accessories to match my hot new top. Behold my genius.
OK so maybe the photo needs a re-do. The shirt is way more fantabulous than it looks. I may have to start using an actual camera + tripod instead of my beloved Photobooth.
One answer to the short-sleeved winter conundrum is long gloves. Shopping this weekend I saw them at all price points and in varied styles. Leather are the most chic, especially if you’re pairing them with a three-quarters sleeved jacket. But they’re also the most costly. There are plenty of knit gloves out there, in different gauges of knit and fiber type (wool, acrylic, cashmere). Here’s an inexpensive pair from Nordstrom that aren’t as long as some might like but they’ll keep the draft out until the first snow hits the ground.
I realized why I’m bereft of many winter-appropriate items: it’s the short-sleeves trend that’s been going on for a while. I have blouses but they are all short-sleeved. A few of my winter-weight dresses are short-sleeved. Yesterday I went shopping and a great deal of the stock was short-sleeved or even sleeveless, including sweaters and jackets. Are people really wearing cardigans atop everything, and how do these layers work over puffy or dolman sleeves? Do tell. I am unconvinced that we need so many short-sleeved sweaters.
It’s time to buy boots. Maybe you heard that already. Perhaps you were already thinking about getting something nice to replace that beat-down pair you’re still wearing. Maybe you didn’t know where to look. Here are some ideas.
I would lick these boots, provided they hadn’t been worn: Perforated leather Prada boots are hot. If you work in tech and aren’t in debt or facing a lien you can probably afford them.
My favorite men’s boots aren’t all that tall — today’s boots have more of an above-the ankle style. One exception is the O-ring motorcycle boot, a classic I love in brown (pictured above) or black. In my experience these take some breaking in but last for years. Camper boots are a happening riff on that style.
Better boots have cooler details. Like these boots, which you could try on at Gimme Shoes Hayes or Fillmore locations.
Rules for boots: They may need to be broken in but they have to fit — boots don’t have the laces that help other footwear work. Insoles are sometimes helpful but you have to account for that when purchasing.
And your socks? It might be time to buy replacements. Smart Wool is now making high-performance everyday (read: awesome shoe appropriate) socks for their Dress and Metro lines. These socks are super-comfy, look good and keep feet/shoes from stinking, plus they don’t fade. Everyone wins.
I’ve written previously about my favorite indie SF shoe stores. I also love me a Union Square department store — Saks, Neiman’s and the new Barney’s all have worthwhile shoe shopping (even if it’s just window shopping).
I have nothing to wear. This is embarrassing. I’m not quite sure how it happened.
Recently I went through my wardrobe to assess my cold-month options. I was looking for pants, heavier skirts and dresses, sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. I’ve gotten rid of some things in the last year because they were ratty or out of style. Or in the case of two identical, unfaded black tops: over-worn and over-photographed.
The results:
I have one two long-sleeve blouses and zero winter skirts. No wonder I can’t find a thing to wear. I have a few cardigans and sweaters that are still in great shape but sometimes pairing those with my multitude of short-sleeved blouses and T-shirts leaves me cold. I’m also down one raincoat from last year and San Franciscans need our raincoats.
I need to find an afternoon to get down on some skirts, stat. Last winter I wore skirts from the early days of my pattern-making program but their time has so passed. They’re very basic skirts, possibly sewn by blind monkeys.
Ooooh, I wish this collection was comprised entirely of headdresses. These toppers remind me of Isabella Blow, the stylist/muse/tastemaker who died earlier this year and was known for her hats. Blow literally made McQueen’s career, buying his entire student collection and using her connections to launch him into fashion’s highest ranks.
Surely her life and death feature prominently into McQueen’s Spring ‘08 line. The one pictured above with the butterflies taking flight seems especially poignant.
*Third Sin is a category for clothes that I cannot live without but cannot afford.
Behold, the Prada Chevron-Knit Jacket. It is very me. The sleeves are minimal brilliance, the zipper is tough and the black-on-black-ness of the material is more me than me. This beautiful, streamlined wonder works because it’s thoughtfully constructed, beautifully cut and made from the best of the best materials. A down-market version would look like a jacked-up sweatshirt or deflated down coat. This is one of those items that make people understand the quality of true luxury goods.
A man in a well-made white shirt is hot. Tux-front, French cuffs, maybe rolled up to the elbow: hot. Any sort of stain: not hot.
To prevent yellowing at the underarms and ring around the collar, here’s a tip: Sprinkle a dash of baby powder on the area (inside and outside) and steam with an iron. This will take 3-5 seconds. Shake off excess powder. It will help keep the stains from setting.
Professional cleaners will press the shirt as well as clean it, usually for just a couple of bucks.
What? You don’t have a white shirt? You should get one. They’re very au currant. The look is more Carolina Herrera than Annie Hall. Here are four very happening white shirts, all with a twist.
The best-fitting white shirt should have a button between the center of your boobs. This will keep it from gaping across the fullest part of your chest. Sometimes it’s best to send white shirts to the laundry. They will do a great press job and you can get light starch for crispness.
Check Guy Friday tomorrow for another white-shirt tip!
