For the French, the end of August/beginning of September marks a fresh start called La Rentrée, which literally translates to "the return." The French typically take the ENTIRE month of August off and come back in September renewed and ready for a new year, kind of like how we view that cross section of time between December and January. This "return" as discussed in this NY Times article is a cultural state of mind in France that is felt in all aspects in life, from political reform to the release of new books.
Anna Karina has nothing to do with this post except that she's French
Although we aren't in France (sadly) I think it would be good to do as the French do and perhaps apply some of that la rentrée spirit with some fresh fashion changes I'd like to make for myself (fashion week is upon us, what better time than now?)
1. Stop wearing so much 90s florals--I've been so 90s floral crazy since Chloe S. debuted her collection for Opening Ceremony and Luella featured those ruffly floral skirts on the runway. But its gotten to the point where I always reach for the florals and am getting kinda bored of this trend. Of course, i'm not shunning the florals yet, its a matter of picking and choosing. I just don't want to be a one trick floral pony!
trying to practice some (floral) restraint
2. Stop cruising the style blogs (so much)-- Style blogs and sites are great for inspiration but if you're anything like me, I start to get "blog vision" where I see a trend that is splashed all over the fashion blogs and forums and then I jump on the bandwagon too. Sigh. Again, I love blogs (hello) but sometimes you have to take a step back. It's great when you can see a trend an make it your own but sometimes its just easier to mimic. No one likes a copy cat!
why can't I be you?
3. Stop buying shoes that are either too big/too small--Now this one just seems like common sense, right? Somehow I always get suckered into getting the wrong shoe size because they don't have my size and I convince myself that I must have them and will take the necessary measures to make them work. Silly girl.
recently purchased boot, 1/2 size too small DOES make a difference
4. Find new sources of inspiration--This one relates to my second point, its fine and dandy to peruse the blogs and magazines for inspiration but it's good to explore different avenues too. History, films, and literature are rife with ideas for you to interpret and channel into your wardrobe.
Again, these are just my fashion "resolutions" that I'd like to instill for myself but I think it's nice to sit back and reflect about things you'd like to change (fashion or not)..
As dapper Joseph has blogged recently about how he admires the ease and accessibility of women's fashion, I think I might have to flip the script and say that I've been very much inspired by men's dressing lately and have been slowly channeling it into my closet. Of course masculine inspired dressing is nothing new but for a self proclaimed girly girl (bows in the hair, sweet floral dresses and even sweeter peep toe heels) this is quite a shift. Case in point, I've been far more interested in reading V Man and Fantastic Man and find that the gargantuan September issue of Vogue is well, kinda boring...(!)
sorry keira, you're boring me!
I'm not sure why men's fashion is more interesting than women's fashion but it may have something to do with the fact that the silhouette for men's fashion is getting increasingly slimmer and more feminine to the point where I can actually see a woman wearing it. That coupled with the fact that women's fashion is getting more and more complicated with so many bells and whistles, I'm ready to embrace a simpler approach to getting dressed!
April 77--how cute would that trench be on me?
First looking to the runways for inspiration, I'm digging the tailored suits, clean lines and simple fits:
Rag & Bone--luxurious fabrics makes me want to wear!
Thom Browne--Royal Tenenbaum-y
Robert Gellar--I'd make a pretty cute rude girl..
Of course I can't be romping around in tailored suits and wingtip loafers all the time AND since i'm not quite ready to throw out my dresses just yet, I've been especially loving Boy by Band of Outsiders. Band of Outsiders, known for their playful and boy-ish menswear has definitely channeled some school boy charm into their women's collection:
hay girl
Hay
I'm really digging the tough but still kinda sweet styling and men's inspired cuts. It's a nice break from the frilly lace and florals that everyone's been wearing lately (yours truly included). And I love the fact that they had the ever adorable Michelle Williams model their fall collection, cute!
Ladies, I think it's time to embrace our inner man..
The mustache (or if you're British, moustache) has had a long and interesting history. It first started when Neolithic people discovered how to shave with stone razors before 300BC.
riding in style
Since then, the facial phenomena has grown into mainstream style whether it be the neatly kept hair of yore or crazy avant garde mustaches that are seen at Movember and during Mustache March. Although it is a well known hair option, I feel that mustaches are still majorly overlooked in the fashion world. Nary a male model can be spotted sporting a well groomed mustache anymore nor do you see anything really creative going on in that sector of the face. It's unused and wasted fashion canvas!! Dear readers, let's do something to change that .
What makes a man? Some would say his strength of conviction, his job, his dreamy eyes, or maybe the way he holds you when you're crying in the rain (oh, don't that know that last one), but I beg to differ. For some men, they're strictly recognized by their facial hair. Would you recognize any of these people sans mustache?
the tramp
was a very very bad man
painted dreams
ok, i know he has a mustache there, but how can i do a post without JW
Back in the day, facial hair was a indication of rank and class, Upper tiered military men usually sported big full bushy ones in various styles, while the lower ranked soldiers were only allowed to wear simple and smaller mustaches. That's right, a mustache was an earned accessory. They did, however, get a bad rap with the advent of film and comic books when the English mustache became a signifier of villainy. Which came first? The evil or the mustache?
i'll get you moose!!
"i told you not to stare at my 'stache"
Mustaches used to be a style prop that demanded respect due to the care in which one had to take while grooming and the expense of paying for these services. But now it's become more of an joke of its former self with people sporting mustache tattoos. Where's the cool in that unless you get a monocle tattoo on your other had to go with it? Don't be a puss and just get the real thing!
that cat's a pussy
Anywhos, I'm just saying boys should get busy and creative, the world needs more laughter, style, and of course, mustaches. Here are a few of my favorites if you need some inspiration. Send in your best mustache pictures if you have any as well and I'll post them.... on my fridge.
last night i watched "the graduate". i remember seeing it with my mom when i was in high school, she went through this phase where she wanted me to watch as many of her favorite movies from back in the day as we could get our hands on.
i think the only thing i really remember from my first viewing was of that very last shot when dustin hoffman and katherine ross are on the bus. after fleeing the church, they jump a bus and ride off into the sunset, but once the laughter and adrenaline subsides they just sit there with blank expressions of....
holy shit, now what?
i think it goes without saying that this bag lady is no stranger to the graduate state of mind, even if it is a year later. fortunately for me it's finally starting to feel "normal" now that the unemployment phase is over. but i often feel the shell shock merely thinking about this past year and all the days leading up to today.
there were so many moments in the graduate that just felt so familiar, especially the pool scenes. there's a scene where ben's dad (aka mr. feeny!!!!) asks him what he's doing and ben responds:
well, i would say that I'm just drifting. here in the pool.
i know i'm already getting too after-school special with you guys, but watching the graduate really made me think how easy it is to "drift" away from what you want to do after college. i have too many friends struggling to get their feet on the ground and it sucks that money is becoming a bigger issue with unemployment, and an all around sucky economy, making them bag ladies out of necessity rather than choice.
the more i saw ben drift aimlessly from scene to scene the more it reminded me of david hockney and his paintings (for obvious reasons). interestingly enough his poolside series was made around the same time as the release of the graduate in 1967.
nice ass.
what once made me think glamour, now just seems like loneliness. upon closer inspection there's something about them that doesn't buy into the luxury LA lifestyle that appeals to most people. in many aspects there's nothing about his paintings that convey an overtly positive outlook on the leisure life. there's a significant absence of people altogether and if there is, no figure is ever smiling. when there's someone in the picture, it's the morbid graduate in me that just thinks they're trying to off themselves post college.
RIP.
post college is different for everyone and more specifically it doesn't suck as hard for some... but if it does there's always ben bradock to make you feel better--just watching someone feel just as shitty as me post-college is REAL chicken soup for the soul.
Cycle 11 of Top Model is upon us (can you believe it's been 11 seasons! How do they keep cranking those things out??). The promo for it just came out and I couldn't keep it to myself:
I couldn't have thought of a better concept
I wish I had a close-up to show you guys how awesome this is (and by awesome i mean it's so god-awful it's awesome). I can't decide what I like more, Tyra--wearing a tye-dye bandeau--doing a ballerina twirl as golden beams of light and flowers radiate from her or sneaky Jay Manuel on the left hand corner flashing his blindingly white teeth and bare chest. I just don't know!
But I guess this promo will never be as bad good as this one:
remember jade and her mother who was an "exotic white woman"?
Also important to note of this new season, there will be a transgendered contestant in the mix, which I think is a really cool move. And Tyra loves her some controversy thats for sure. I wonder if she is feeling she has to be more "shocking" and progressive than Britain's Missing Top Model, where disabled girls competed for a modeling contract...
anyway enough with the trashy tv talk. i'll stop (for) now...
Dear Beautiful Readers, This month we have decided to invite some of our (very) talented and fashionable friends to guest blog for us. (Just keeping things fresh, you know) First up we have the very well coiffed and well written Joseph...his wit is almost as sharp as his tartan tie and cardigan ensembles...enjoy!
xx the bag ladies
I'm a Lady;
Or how I sometimes wish I were.
When it comes to fashion, ladies, you have the leg up, in my opinion. Everything about men's fashion seems lazy, unchanging & boring. If you want nice, fun clothing, and/or shoes (even trendy garbage), as a man you better be ready to open your wallet and spend your monies. Many monies. I've always been jealous of you girls, and your easy fix-all answer – Forever 21. Yeah I said it. (And though Forever 21 extends its thrifty, 'hip' alternative for men – Heritage81, I'm still left with a bad taste in my mouth. Not only is a bad taste left in my mouth but I'm also left feeling unsatisfied, empty and like I wasted my money.)
Women can dress like men, but men should not dress like women. It just never works for men. You can incorporate some feminine accessories and be okay, but as soon as you take the extra step, guys, you look silly. Silly & confused. Which leaves everyone around you feeling embarrassed for you, and equally as confused. Don't get me wrong, I love androgyny, but believe that the ambiguity should remain part of the person's anatomy – facial features, body-type, & body language (even mannerisms, which to some extent are more like clothing than they are appendages).
walk like a man, talk like a man
I See
I'm going to be honest with you – when it comes down to it, its not the clothing I'm gawking at as the male models make their way down the runway – it's the right way, ladies.
You might have noticed a lot of BBCnews inspired posts by this bag lady recently. The reason is I'm trying to detox myself from my addiction to celebrity gossip sites. Although they guarantee a good laugh everytime I log on, I'm still left with a feeling of emptiness and sadness inside... like a eating potato chips for dinner.... alone..... in a dark empty house. A little dramatic, I know, but I'm trying to replace it with more inspiring and interesting stuff, like pigs in boots.
Basically, the owners of Cinders, a little piglet who lives on a sausage farm in Thirsk, UK ,noticed something was wrong when he refused to go play in the mud with the rest of his piggy family day after day. After much observation, they concluded that Cinders suffered from mysophobia, also known as a fear of dirt. So in order to fix his condition, they got little boots for him to walk around on the farm in and !wha-la! little Cinders instantly became a mud loving piggy. click on the link to see a really cute video of Cinders strutting in his boots from BBCnews.
prancing about town
pigs 'n boots
Also of note, because of his little boot-condition the owners have decided that Cinders will never be slaughtered for Jimmy Dean like the rest of his family, Instead, Cinders has now been elevated to the status of a well loved and very fashionable pet. See, fashion really does save lives. Maybe when he grows out of his booties he can think about getting these as a replacement.
cowboy rain boots
or maybe these
rain boots by Chanel
and maybe if he's a really good little pig, he'll be able to grow up into this one day
I just saw this on BBCnews.com and couldn't help but share.
amelie, pa, and mr. gnome
The Traveling Gnome Prank has been around for a bit of time now, starting in 1986 when an owner in Australia found her lawn gnome missing and in its place a note that read "Dear mum, couldn't stand the solitude any longer. Gone off to see the world. Don't be worried, I'll be back soon. Love Bilbo xxx." Though quite imaginative and amazing, the prank wasn't really made popular until Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie came out. In the film, the mischievous leading lady kidnaps her father's gnome and sends it on a trip around the world in an effort to get her daddy to go outside of his comfort bubble and travel a bit. Amelie then spawned a bunch of really bad Travelocity.com commercials where a similar gnome travels around and offers you really mediocre deals on flying/hotel arrangements.
murphy relaxing/weeing into the pacific
Recently, it seems that a real-life gnome-napper in Gloucester was inspired, and decided to take his neighbor's prized front lawn gnome, Murphy, for a ride. After he was missing for 7 months, Murphy returned to his owner's front door with an album full of souvenirs and photos from his adventures to 15 different countries with his 'napper "The Bear." No one knows who this Bear is or why he did it, but I'm secretly hoping that maybe Murphy went traveling on his own and made tons of new lawn ornament friends (Bilbo perhaps) since we could all use a bit of adventure from time to time.
