(IMO) The ThighHigh

So many women hate their thighs, but there has never been a better motivation to ramp up the stairmaster, sign up for an extra yoga class, and start to bloody love your legs!- hail the illustrious Thigh High Boot!

My near manic obsession began with a pair of black satin thigh high Christian Louboutin boots that I borrowed, and loved, and wore, and desperately wanted to steal away and keep forever. They were gorgeous, they were sexy, they were a power boot - nobody f***ed with you when you stepped out in these boots, and everybody wanted to know where they came from - they were blood in the water for a crowd of fashion sharks. Returning those boots to the showroom was like parting with a dear friend, and I knew my closet would never quite be the same.

And then I saw the Fall 2009 runways, and those black satin Louboutins became a distant memory. Every designer had them, and every designer had a different take. They can be skinny, they can be wide, they can be slouchy or stiff, and they come in every kind of material imaginable - including a vegan friendly option from Stella McCartney. I first noticed them at the Rodarte show in New York, and I thought, "I must have those boots". But then Prada showed in Milan; and Gareth Pugh and Hussein Chalayan showed in Paris; and by the time I saw Giles Deacon and Rick Owens I was ready to sell my first born to have them all!

Just so you know your options, here are a selection of my favorites. Happy hunting!

Clockwise from the top left: Antonio Berardi, Costume National, Rodarte, Giles Deacon, Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens, Prada, Hussein Chalayan
all images courtesy of The Cut

(IMO) Fashion Prays

The below poem ["prayer"] was sent to me in a mass email years ago. I usually hate those things, but I've always held on to this one. I long ago lost the link to where it came from, although I am sure it is published somewhere on the web. I rediscovered it this weekend while I was rooting threw all my old computer files; cleaning up the mess that is my hard drive.

It is amusing (at least to me) and if nothing else it denotes the fact that outrageous (to some obscene) connections are often drawn between fashion and religion - I'm thinking of the 19th issue of Pop Magazine styled by Miuccia Prada (below).

image courtesy of the soon to return Pop Magazine

The publication included a cover story written by Murray Healy that, at times, defended the cover images (there were six different ones all in the same theme). To quote from that article:

“No matter how authoritatively it appears to represent a time and a place no matter how powerfully it defines its age a look always has its roots in a previous era. And sometimes unearthing the chain of influence can lead you back to an unexpected place. Take the wide shoulders narrow waists an hard eges of Paris fashion in the early Eighties. It looked shockingly futuristic at the time, but both Claude Montana and Thierry Mugler were directly inspired by the glamour of the Thirties Hollywood: Joan Crawford dressed by the costume designer Adrian. And there’s a similarly cinematic back story to the early Eighties mania for nuns.”

I think it's a beautiful sentiment and an appropriate response to any expected criticism. After all, everything influences everything and no one is left unscathed. Personally, I think we might as well embrace those intersections rather than trying to keep everything packaged in it's own little box. I do wonder what he would say about the most recent round of 80s revival. Is it a reference to the original 30s Hollywood glamour or is a reference to the 1980s referencing that era? It all gets very confusing as history continues.

In any event, read the below poem in all its triviality - and enjoy or criticize.

Shopping Prayer

Armani,

Who art in Bergdorf
Hallowed by thy Shoes

Thy Prada come


Thy shopping done

On Madison Ave, as it is in Paris

Give us this day, our Visa Gold

And forgive us our balance

As we forgive those who charge us interest

Lead us not into Wal Mart

And deliver us from Sears

For thine is the Chanel, The Gaultier and Versace

For Dolce and Gabbana

AMEX

(IMO) Shin Guards

There is a new trend cropping up, and in all honesty, I am not sure how I feel about: Shin Guards.

At first I thought they were just a perverse costume choice by pop singer Rihanna - a slightly out-there option, but perhaps appropriate considering she was performing at the Super Bowl. However, I recently discovered that these shin guards are in fact being termed a 'fashion accessory' by London based designer Kokon To Zai. My question is: they are being marketed as a viable alternative to what? - pants, tights???

Perhaps my skepticism comes from years of varsity sports after which I could not wait to remove my uncomfortable protective gear - including shin guards. Alas, the trend seems to be catching on. As I was perusing blogs this weekend I came across the below image: a couple of homemade shin-guard-meet-boot type creations.

image courtesy of Hipster Runoff

I have to say, that I find these options to be slightly more alluring to Rhianna's stage preferences, but then again I always have had a penchant for fur and leather - plus I never know what to do with all my left over fabric samples. Who knows, six months from now this could be as prolific as the Ugg boot and gladiator sandal. I've learned to neither mock nor judge street fashion because chances are we'll all be wearing it within the year. Kudos to these girls for kicking off something different if not cool.

(IMO) Nicole Romano’s Pop-Up Shop

Several weeks ago I was invited to the launch party for Nicole Romano’s Pop Up Shop at The Plaza by a wonderful photographer friend. It was a night that I truly looked forward to because, one, the designer’s accessory collections are a destination in and of themselves, and two, I had never partied at The Plaza!

The pop up shop concept has been ‘popping up’ all over New York in the last few years. The idea is to rent a location to showcase a collection for anywhere from a few days to a few months. It’s relatively cheap for the designers, and it gives them a chance to test the market’s reaction to their style before making a full fledged investment in NYC’s pricey retail real estate... still some of the most expensive square footage despite the latest recessionary collapse.

Pop up shops have been stepping it up a notch lately. Once the domain of dressed up warehouses and decked out caravans, pop up shops are now opening for limited commitments in the ritziest of locations - hello, The Plaza. I arrived straight from work (thank god for great coats!) and walked into a wine-subdued sea of New York’s fashion forward crowd... Chardonnay in hand I gravitated towards to sparkly creations calling out my name.

Nicole’s set-up at The Plaza Retail Collections is a special offering of her favorite pieces. She has included some of her favorite dresses and an incredible selection of jewelry from her latest collection. I loved her “Window Gown”, a simple yet elegant floor length dress with a transparent panel stitched in mid way down the leg, but it was the accessories that had me wishing I’d saved my last pay cheque instead of spending it in SoHo. She collects a lot of antique chains and chunky baubles, and turns them into variable works of art - all hand made in her New York studio! (It is important to support our local talent.)

I am telling you all this because I recently received word from Nicole that her stay at The Plaza has been extended by a month or so! Lucky us; we’ll all have another chance to scurry over and pick up one of her beautiful statement necklaces - an indisputable must have to revamp your Spring wardrobe.

There is clearly a lot of passion and talent that goes into her creations and I can’t wait to get my hands on some of these pieces - **sigh** - one day.

a little SHOUT OUT

I came across Soop Group on a miserable, rainy afternoon some time ago... one of those days where you postpone all your errands, ignore your To Do lists, and busy yourself at home with hot tea and takeout. Tucked up in a millennium old sweatshirt, that's really more like a moo moo, I stumbled upon Soop. Soop Group is a design company that, best I can tell from their site, has a drastically different outlook on the role everyday products should play in our lives.

Their take on product design can't help but make you smile. Take for example - the GMP (Genetically Modified Pillow). If you've ever spent many, many, many, many nights alone you can sympathize with my love for this idea!

How can you argue with Chat ©ups - wine glasses with messages on the bottom that your conversation counter-parts can see when you lift your cup to sip!!! Au revoir awkward silences..


My all time favorite Soop Group item is not actually currently found on their site - much to my annoyance. I came across these rings on Etsy.com - the ebay-esque home of arts & crafts. They are lucite rings with little animals raised up off the band... I dearly want to collect Old McDonald's entire farm to wear on my fingers!!!


If you can't feel good about a purchase here, you'll probably never get over buyer's remorse.

(IMO) A stroll on the Brooklyn Bridge

Spring has been teasing us for weeks. The sun peaks out and we think that maybe this godforsaken winter has finally come to an end, when alas, the rain, snow, sleet and hail barges back into our afternoon plans. Yeah, mother nature has been sticking her tongue out at us for weeks, and there is nothing we can do about it... except enjoy the brief and intermittent moments of Spring.

At the first hint of sunshine and warmth my girlfriends demanded I meet them on the Brooklyn Bridge for our first spring time stroll... a tradition typically to be followed by brunch and beers on the LES! So I decked myself out in a brand new black silk jumpsuit for the occasion and grabbed my oversized sunnies (because although we love the sun, we do not love wrinkles!). Finally, I grabbed what I thought were sensible shoes for walking on the Brooklyn Bridge - beige open toed ballet flats... flats, because we are planning on walking... across a bridge.

Well my poor little flats sure felt silly when the saw the extravagance that they were to be walking next to. My dear friend - and one of fashion's favorite PR girls - had donned a brand new pair of black lace Christian Louboutin booties with swarovski crystals all over the toe and heel. The exact same pair that had graced the podiums of the Marchesa Fall 09 presentation mere weeks before were now making their way up the Brooklyn Bridge.

With a five inch heel, I thought she was perhaps a little bit ludicrous to attempt the climb in these beautiful shoes. But she did it, and let me tell you, the Brooklyn Bridge has never looked so couture! Forget the stunning view, we had tourists snapping pictures of the shoes.

And so the moral of the story ladies - is do not discriminate against your shoes! Every pair in your closet deserves a good stroll, and there is no better place than the Brooklyn Bridge!

(IMO) Manish Arora

Longing for the simple days when you would root through your mum's closet to find items that would help you to create a whole new persona? - a princess, a magician, a mythical creature! Manish Arora's designs are the ultimate grown up girl's 'dress-up trunk'. His whimsical creations reference an imagination so brilliant and outlandish you wonder if he does not live permanently in the mind's of children ... albeit incredibly fashion forward & talented children!





Seeing Manish Arora's collections for the first time was like stepping back into my favorite childhood dream. I first fell in fashion love with Manish Arora when I came across his Fall 2009 show during my research of New Delhi Fashion Week. It was the best possible introduction to the designer. His Fall 09 collection is immaculate, and the New Delhi show eclipsed the more refined version he gave in Paris. Regardless, the whole collection is beautiful, nay thrilling, nay inspiring... I’m speechless every time.

Take a look & get lost for hours... Manish Arora

WELCOME

Welcome to the first day of a whole new memory...