Molly Bloom knows style

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.

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.

One trend that’s moved from the activewear/outdoors camp to streetwear is seamless garments. I’m a huge fan of seamless underwear, which are made by everyone from Patagonia (my favorite) to department store lingerie brands.

Banana Republic has a line of seamless tops they call “layering tees.” Seamless styles are comfortable and non-binding. They’re body-conscious so if you’re uncomfortable with a form-fitting top, these styles aren’t for you. This fabric is usually wrinkle-proof and quick-drying, making these tops ideal for travel. You’ll need to pick your undergarments wisely because these tops aren’t too forgiving. I’ll report back after an in-store test-drive.

I’ve done an awful job following up with the dear readers about my Paris fashion purchases. I promised flickr groups and other manner of images I haven’t made happen. This just in: I hate being part of staged photos.

Here’s a pic of me wearing my Yaanbath dress Saturday night after a fun time at Bourbon & Branch speakeasy. Ted & I went for late-night Vietnamese food after gorging on cupcakes and cocktails at Marc’s birthday. I had the Molly Special (that’s when you eat half the food and leave the doggy bag on the table) and Ted ordered the kill-it-in-front-of-us catfish.

Even with the faded makeup and falling hairstyle the dress is spectacular; some time I’ll share a full-length picture. Until then, enjoy the neckline and sleeves — très dramatique, oui?

I adore shirtdresses. They’re modern and dressy without being too “Why are you so dressed up?”

The one pictured above is by Suzi Chin Maggy Boutique. I think it would flatter many figure types as well as hide some sins. This BCBG shirtdress is a bit more casual and youthful but again it would work on a lot of bodies — just don’t wear it to a wedding, mkay? Banana Republic’s shirtdress comes in indigo; did I mention that navy blue and its kin will be huge this spring? I think so.

One drawback to all these dresses is that they’re short-sleeved and it’s January. But they all have a waist and after seasons of swing shapes and trapeze tops it’s time to show off. If you’re cold turn up the heat or something.

Get $20 off any purchase of $100 or more at REI online or in store. Deets here.

I spend a lot of time people telling readers what they should or shouldn’t wear. What gives me the right, you ask? My innate sense of style, of course. But lest you think I’m always calling others out for being fashion don’ts, let me share my secret with you.

When I’m doling out style advice, I’m usually wearing arm warmers. I wear them to keep my hands warm so they don’t get stiff and sore when I’m typing or working on handicrafts. These are extra nifty because they cover the thumb. They’re hideous, actually, but the orange knit is better than the more medical-looking approach. I bought them in L.A.

Now you know my secret. What’s yours?