Fighting Fashionista

I’m obsessed with ShopStyle ever since they hooked me in with that ShopBop contest. I created a fun new group, here’s how it works: You see someone on the street you think looks awesome. Go to ShopStyle and pick out items that recreate the outfit. If you feel like it, create a story or him or her. Post it on “Seen on the Street!”

Here’s my first look:

I spied this lovely young lady on a crisp San Francisco morning while I was sipping coffee and waiting to meet a friend at La Boulange in Hayes Valley. She and her friend looked like they were fueling up for a road trip… perhaps on Thanksgiving break from the Academy of Art about to drive to Southern California to visit their families, with a tote full of magazines. I loved the artful way her scarf draped across her black sweater, and the driving cap and gloves were the perfect accent for a leisurely drive down the windy and beautiful route 1.

They’re $400 on ebay right now ladies (regularly $895). I’d love to joint the bidding since they’re my size, but as of last week my husband and I are both unemployed. So I’ll just share the joy with you. I’ve yet to own a pair of these red-soled lovelies and they’re my current obsession.

Paying hundreds of dollars for shoes is a bit extravagant for a regular kinda gal like myself. However, if the praises sung of the shoes are to be believed, Louboutins will make you feel awesome, will last a good long time (but the way I wear shoes I wouldn’t expect them to become an heirloom unless in 2025 feet adorned in shredded leather are all the rage. weirder trends have come to pass.) and folks say they are more comfortable than your average 4-inch pump. My point is, they’re another example of slow fashion. Quality + love = value. If they fit well, make you feel great, and will be a staple of your wardrobe, paying $500 or so is better than having five pairs of crappy $100 shoes that make your feet bleed and deteriorate after a couple nights on the town.

I just discovered these over-the-knee Mogil boots—at 20 inches high they’re over the knee for my short little legs—at PixieMarket. Lovely, no? What a great site: super fashionable stuff, indy designers and pretty good prices. $305 ain’t cheap but it’s one of the best I’ve seen for a well-designed, over-the-knee style.

A Dutch photographer’s 14-year experiment in finding people who are dressed alike proves that no matter how hard you try to be unique, there’s most likely someone out there who’s got on nearly the same outfit as you. Rotterdam-based Ari Versluis and his partner Ellie Uyttenbroek were inspired by the “striking dress codes of various social groups” to document sartorially similar people on the streets of Rotterdam, Paris, London, Rio de Janeiro and maybe more (I haven’t clicked on all of them yet!).

At first this depressed me. Why try to craft a one-of-a-kind outfit when being original is clearly so futile? Then I sarted to think of my dopplegangers as soul mates I’ve yet to discover. And I felt better.

I was totally going to write a post about capes ages ago, but during my procrastination and laziness Refinery 29 beat me to it. What prompted me to want to opine on said outerwear was a tres chic woman I saw walking down the Embarcadero in San Francisco wearing a lovely short-ish wool, probably felt, cape. Hours later I saw this fabulous version (addmittedly my affection for the cape might have something to do with the dog), which is on sale at Max Studio for $158. Then this morning when I saw Refinery 29’s article, I knew I was officially LATE. But now I can continue in my indolent manner and just link to them. Hooray for blogging.

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent is one of my favorite labels of late, and Gilt Group (invitation required, let me know if you want one!) just announced a sale featuring her awesome shoes. I love the ikat print on these pumps—so unique. Kinda hippie, kinda elegant. Excellent price at $94 (originally $268).

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about slow fashion. If you’re familiar with the slow food movement then you probably know what I’m talking about. Fewer items, higher quality. Less H&M, more couture. There are lots of benefits to this sartorial approach: in the long run you spend less money, you’re consuming less so you’re kinder to the earth, and my favorite part is you choose your clothing more wisely, and therefore fine tune your look. You get more creative with combinations and accessories because you have to repurpose items more often.

But let’s be honest, the term “retail therapy” exists for a reason. We like the hunt and the satisfaction of bringing home pretty bags filled with lovely garments. On Saturday, I found a place where you can get a little of both worlds: Thread Lounge, a permanent sample sale. The owner, Colleen Schmidt, has two permanent stores in San Francisco and Palo Alto in California. She also has an amazing traveling sample sale that sets up shop all over the country. The store carries some of my favorite brands, like Mint by Jodi Arnold, Vivienne Westwood and Alice and Olivia. And they have a fantastic selection of $99 jeans. On Saturday they had gorgeous chashmere blanket-style sweaters very similar to the one I ordered from ShopBop with my $500 in prize winnings, but they were more than half off that price at $240. Hm, do I return the one I ordered, buy the less expensive sweater and get something else (like maybe these awesome boots) with my $500? Quel dilemma.

But I digress. My point is, you won’t find cheaply made bargains a la Forever 21 at Thread Lounge. But you will find high-end, sturdily-made indy brands, and maybe instead of just one item, you can afford two. You get your retail therapy without feeling dirty later.

I was perusing the lookbook at chickdowntown.com and these Pratt’s motocross jeans stopped me in my tracks. Are they not awesome? This model’s amazing body doesn’t hurt the jeans’ appeal… but this is the most unique and interesting detailing I’ve seen on jeans. It makes them look like they might actually be worth $200. I guess I’m not the only one who thought so, they’re sold out in most sizes. You can find them in a lighter color without the tears at FreePeople.com, and in a darker shade minus tears at Intermix (horrible mannequin shows the value of using live models).

I can’t stop staring at Hayden-Harnett’s sample sale page. The Brooklyn label’s gorgeous bags, clothes, and accessories are deeply discounted online until the end of the day today. Deeply discounted does not necessarily mean inexpensive, but the quality and style of everything from HH is worth what you pay. This awesome bag, for example, was originally $600, now it’s $420. Still expensive but look at it: beautiful. It’s a lifer for sure. I bought this one on sale a several months ago and love it, use it a ton, and get constant compliments. They do, however, have some really cute change purses, glasses cases and luggage tags for around $15. And… if you’re a Billion Dollar Babes member in the San Francisco Bay Area, they’re having a real-life sample sale at 3232 Scott Street in SF on Sunday Nov. 16 from 11am until 5pm. I’ll be there with a mimosa in hand!

You might think that during an economic downturn, women would be headed to Banana Republic for staples designed to last a lifetime. But of course you would be wrong because anytime someone writes a sentence like that, it’s wrong! What women actually seem to be attracted to are shiny, sparkly, seemingly impractical things, according to this story at JC Report. It makes sense when you think about it. Personally I want more bang from my buck when I buy something now, and that doesn’t mean something with boring longevity. It means something with impact. Like sequin leggings! Impractical? Perhaps. Satisfying? Definitely.

(Leggings by Les Chiffonniers)

The Gilt Group announced a Cacharel sale (registration required, and if you tell them Kristen Philipkoski sent you I get $25 when you buy something!) this morning. I never knew how whimsical this line was. I really, really want this Paris Sketch Dress ($288 and going fast). Comfy, Frenchy, Style-y, it’s got it going on.

I know living in San Francisco is a bubble, but I have to say it was completely joyous to be in that bubble last night. Like I said on my Facebook status, my Pilates instructor described it best this morning when she said: “The neighborhood exploded into feather boas and tambourines!” O.K. that happens a lot here. But the exuberance was infectious; I was screaming off my balcony to the crowds on the street who were also hooting and hollering in happiness and disbelief (despite the polls—I don’t think any Democrat believed it until he or she saw it). It’s a new administration and a new world. Other countries like us a little bit more than they did yesterday, and everything feels positive in the universe!

But let’s get down to brass tax. What did we think of Michelle Obama’s dress? It’s by Narciso Rodriguez (scroll down), a designer I love—my wedding dress was a Narciso Rodgriguez knock-off (sorry Narciso, I couldn’t afford the real thing). I admit I was initially alarmed and confused by the pattern. It took a minute for my eyes to focus on what was going on, but in the end I decided I loved the way the paillettes were arranged to create an ombre look. Plus the black criss-cross in the front was waist-defining and flattering. I loved the black and red pallette. It was fashion-forward but communicated an appropriate tone of seriousness. It’s gonna be pretty awesome to have a first lady with a bold sense of style.

So I know everyone is obsessed with the election today (as am I, I’ve refreshed Huffington Post 100 times in the past 20 minutes) so forgive me for also been obsessed with ShopStyle/ShopBop’s “Play Dress Up” contest. Apparently all that obsessing paid off because I won week number two for the “Folk Tales” theme, which came with a $500 gift certificate for ShopBop! So now I have a new obsession: in between updating HuffPost I’m purusing ShopBop and trying to decide what to buy. At the moment I’m leaning towards this lovely sweater. What do you think? When else would I ever spend $500 on a sweater? And it would be the ultimate irony (read: digusting display of excess) to be posting blog entries that no one will read wrapped in a $500 cashmere sweater, no?