Menswear Morts: The Scourge of DBag V-Necks

(Catbird, via Radar)

The always excellent Radar mag traces the deevolution of the men's t-shirt from crew to douchebag cuts. Unsurprisingly, they point the finger at American Apparel. Also unsurprising: when I searched for a photo of AA CEO/ serial sex offender Dov Charney in a V-neck shirt, I could hardly even find a photo of him in a shirt, let alone a V-neck! Go figs!

Monday Must-Reads

A bunch of blogs you should read today if, like me, you're having a hard time motivating to do much else besides glance at open browser windows:

+ Fashion Architect: The 'Binge's Greek twin? Architecture student with a similar high-low aesthetic and schizo posting style to the 'Binge's. Love the post on hording!!

+ Super Kawaii Mama: Possibly the coolest mom on the planet. A Melbourne blogger, crafter and mom with the most amazing '40s hair ever. I look at her photos, and I want to fly to Oz and start a close-harmony group with her, a la the excellent Puppini Sisters. Check out her photos from the National Gallery of Victoria's Art Deco 1910 -1939 exhibition.

+ Unrealized Fish: I feel a little To Catch a Predator posting this one, because this Norwegian blogger is only 16, but I can't get over her punky-sweet style. Could she be the next Suzy Bubble? Also, she blogs in both Norwegian and English and often discusses pasta. She's like my long-lost little sister!

+ NY Post's PopWrap: I actually like Leona Lewis' cray-cray garden dress. Betsey Johnson maybe?

+ Fashion Toast: More of a look book. San Fran blogger Rumi Neely runs eBay store Treasure Chest Vintage and has style (and legs) for miles. Totally livin' the dream.

Big-Busted Bathing Suit Bonanza!

In real life, I'm pretty much a straightshooter. Online however, since we haven't exactly all met or anything, I tend to air on the more discreet side -- I'm just not the type of blogger who likes to blog about personal stuff like past sexual partners or number of weekly poos I take or that sort of thing. But, I'll be blunt about this because it's no big secret, it's something many of you readers out there can sympathize with, and because it's pretty obvious -- while I'm short (5'2") and small (around size 8), I ain't exactly wee on top. Like I said -- no big secret. They're quite real, and they're quite a hassle, especially when shopping for bras and bathing suits, and coincidentally I shopped for both this weekend. The former yielded more successful results. The latter, however... oy.

I tried on this lovely one-piece (it's gonna be a one-piece summer, my friends) at Bird:

($99, Mocium, Bird)

Surprisingly the butt and tum looked great! The top, however, covered basically not a damn thing. It was like comically pornographic looking. Like Pam Anderson in Baywatch, minus the gravity-defying silicon. Not cute. Seriously, this suit is for AAAAAAAA cups. I seriously felt a bit like this:



... Minus the bulge. Use your imagination. It was ridiculous. So when I got home, I Googled, in a rather rudimentary fashion, "big-busted bathing suits." Again, slightly ridiculous, I know. To my surprise though, I found some really cute stuff for those of us out there who are a weeeee bit bigger than a C and can't exactly pop in and buy suits right off the rack at Target or Old Navy. And, because some of you can, I threw in some "regular lady" suits too, so everyone feels like they win.

($99, Fantasie of England, Biggerbras.com)

I can't really tell if this is granny-ish or not, but I think it could actually be kinda cute. By the way, I'd never heard of Biggerbras.com, but it looks like most of the bathing suits start at D cups. Yay!

($89, Sunflair, Carabella.com)

Classic sweet polka dots. I like the piping at the neckline.

($75, Popina)

Sweet, but if you're gonna do polka dots, I think it's best to keep them black-and-white.

($39, Shape fx, Carabella)

I'm a bigger fan of this turquoise shade than the robin's egg blue above. And while the jeweled strap is a weeee bit cheeze-say, you can't deny the awesome slimming powers of shirring. Plus, this suit's got a built-in shelf bra, which is a must, obviously. I might try this one out. And also, I must say, I'd never heard of Carabella, but I'm definitely glad I discovered in my "big booby bathing suit" search, because their selection, range of sizes, and prices are great.

($39, Shape fx, Carabella)

Love the soft grey and the super femme style here. And, YO! $39!

($63, Rochford, Biggerbras.com)

It's a little '80s but still really cute. The tie = quite waist-enhancing, which is a good thing, especially if you've got lotsa business up top.

($39, Shoshanna, Bluefly)

($29, Shoshanna, Bluefly)

Shoshanna makes some of my favorite bathing suits -- especially bikinis -- for the well-endowed lady, erm, even though this one's only available (or only in stock) in up to a C cup. But check out the cute treasure chest theme on the soft pink background! Cute cute cute!

(Top: $11.95, bottom: $8.95, Carabella.com)

See, regular-chested lady? I care about you too!

Britain's Next Top What Now???

Wow. Just...wow. I have had a quite an Internet day. Earlier today I fell in utterly horrorstruck pity-laughing-love with Chase No Face, the sadly disfigured cat who has his own blog. And now...this.



I don't even know how to respond to this, but the British have created a new reality show: "Britain's Missing Top Model." Which might at first sound like a poor attempt at plagiarism. "Missing" as a synonym for "next"? Not very smooth. But what are they missing, in fact? Limbs, mostly. That's right: This is basically Britain's Next Top Disabled Model. I laughed in disbelief when I heard this, but it's TOTALLY REAL. Ugh. There's fun Tyra-enabled camp, and then there's the truly depraved, exploitative and icky, and this is the latter. Not that being disabled is gross or horrific or laughable or any of that, but do these people need to be wheeled down the catwalk? I'd say the answer is a pretty clear no. There are far better ways to humanize the disabled rather than, uh, "making it fashion." Who'da thunk America would come out looking like the tasteful one in the reality-TV game?

MASH-ing Shoes: Nicholas Kirkwood Vs. Topshop

Remember that game MASH, where you could live in a mansion, apartment, shanty or house? These amazing, Bowie-esque (or Barbie and the Rockers, depending on your vantage point) criss-cross heels by British designer Nicholas Kirkwood are amazing, but at almost $537 USD, they're definitely not bear-market friendly. ($537, Nicholas Kirkwood, Brownsfashion.com)

Totally for mansion dwellers.


Unlike these Topshop heels:

(Apprx $119 USD, Topshop)

(Apprx $129 USD, Topshop)

For the apartment dwellers out there.

Anti Rubber Shoes

Touche, MK:

($165, Givenchy, Barneys)

These totally remind me of those little-kid sandals that come zip-tied together in the metal shelving units at dollar stores and have, like, some untrademarked, bastardized version of Thomas the Tank or Dora the Explorer, but it's like Timmy the Tank or Nora the Explorer.

Also available in white!

(And agreed: Epaulet is super cuters.)

In Praise of Rubber Shoes

I have a confession to make: I recently considered purchasing some Crocs ballet flats. I know. Please hold your tomatoes; I didn't do it. I wanted something easy to bike around in, wear to the beach, in the rain, whatever. I wanted comfort, and as we all know from all the Crocs lovers out there, comfort is Crocs. However, cuteness is decidedly NOT Crocs. Even these are just barely acceptable.

But then last night, on a lovely stroll around my neighborhood, I popped in to the new fashiony store Epaulet. Lured by the gorgeous iridescent shell trinket boxes, I stayed for the jelly shoes and, truthfully, the conversation. Owner Mike was just as nice as can be, genuine and helpful in a nonpushy way. I was drawn to these fuchsia jellies, and basically was cheered into purchasing them before I could stop to reconsider paying $55 for rubber shoes.



Melissa + Campana jelly ballet flats, $55. Much cuter than Marc Jacobs's! Made by the original Brazilian jelly-maker, for whatever that's worth. I can attest to their supreme comfort, thankfully, and utter cuteness.

Epaulet, by the way, is a very cute, well-curated shop, with a burgeoning men's section and cheap framed photos to go along with all the pretty dresses and little trinkets. And of course, the selection of rubber shoes. Check out more awesome Melissa varieties.

Things I Need to Own Right This Minute!!

Let's cut to the chase for lots of indie designers, cheap shoes, hot black jeans to make your ass look even hotter, and a classy one-piece bathing suit:

($44, Rotter and Friends, Bonadrag.com)

Reminds me a little of Built By Wendy. I love the simple '70s-style line drawing on heather grey. More Rotter and Friends here.

($438, Knox, Bonadrag.com)

Nevermind the fact that this Knox bag, by Brooklyn designer Jessica Maxcy, looks like it weighs about 30 pounds alone. I still love it. Check out her Romanov bag too.

($216, Moss Mills)

Horsey cuff by Moss Mills (really Korean designer Hae.) I can't decide if I like it better in brass (pictured above) or gold. It's pricey but use discount code "lucky" for a whopping 30% off! Woo!

($75, Whitehorse Couture, Singer22.com)

Speaking of horsies, this vintage-looking oversized neon tee by Whitehorse Couture looks like the type of top you won't want to take off for days.

($154, Hudson, CoutureCandy.com)

Hudson Jeans' new Stella Skinny Poplin jean in black ties it all together. Bonus: they're STTTTRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEETCHY!

(Apprx $27 USD, Office.co.uk)

Cutey cute cute little bowed flats from the UK's Office (the shoe store, not the show.)

(Apprx $29, Office.co.uk)

Ahoy, sailor! Cute little casual anchor-print espadrilles. Kinda Sanuk-meets-Toms, which is actually a good thing in this case.

($14, Fred Flare)

I personally can't sleep with a sleep mask on, but were that I could, I would so wear this. The gold piping and blue satin remind me of those creepy royal puppets who'd crawl out of Mr. Rogers' walls to visit him from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

($21 for the top, $21 for the bottoms, Asos.com)

Forgive the fact that it's a knock-off of a suit seen on Paris Hilton -- I love the bright colors, simple style and dip dye.

($158, Carmen Marc Valvo, Bloomingdale's)

With all that kitsch, I had to throw in something classy and cool, like this Carmen Marc Valvo bandeau one-piece in lavender.


PLUS:
+ Check out newly overhauled site, The Vintage Society.
+ Shop for (some) cute stuff at Unique-Vintage.
+ Admire all the pretty pretty beauties at Grayburn.
+ Watch this crazy lady from Big Brother nearly unload one over the idea of eating a cookie.

Old Navy Flip-Flops: $1 Per Pair This Saturday

OK, so not too long ago, I was positive I had some rare form of foot cancer and was going to die prematurely. Why? Because I was having terrible heel pain in my left foot, and also because I am a nutty, paranoid Jew. But, a quick check-up by Dr. Google assuaged my fears -- turns out I (probably) have plantar fasciitis (AKA: flip-flop disease!) which is often caused by wearing shoes that aren't supportive enough, obesity, or, in my case, from being overly awesome.

Needless to say, I won't be indulging in Old Navy's $1 dollar flip-flop sale this Saturday, June 28, but, don't let that stop you, kay? What I would buy instead?

($49.50, Old Navy)

Or, you could buy 49 pairs of flip-flops.

Sales Sales Sales!

A few NYC sample sales, but a few onliners too!

1.) Nordstrom is holding her annual Anniversary Sale Beauty Exclusive with over 100 beauty brands participating. The sale lasts July 18th through August 3rd, but you can preorder -- check out all of the available items here. Items ship July 18. My faves? MAC's Colour Form sets in bold primary colors:

($49.50, MAC, Nordstrom)

2.) eLuxury.com is also holding an anniversary sale -- take 15% off all sale items between June 25th through June 27th. What would I buy? Since you asked...

($239, 3.1 Phillip Lim, eLuxury.com)


($625, 3.1 Phillip Lim, eLuxury.com)

($475, 3.1 Phillip Lim, eLuxury.com)

3.) Piperlime is having a "tag sale," if you will, with savings of up to 40% off their summer styles. A few choice picks -- some of them aren't on sale, so, sorry for lying!

(Was $79, now $54, Nine West, Piperlime)

So gorgeous and fun, and they look really sturdy and not painful either!

(Was $132, now $89, Vince Camuto, Piperlime)

Subtle bondage vibe over here.

($450, Bettye Muller, Piperlime)

These are actually from Piperlime's Fall preview. Normally I hate Mary Janes, but I'm all over these like Amy Winehouse on her first cigarette out of the hospital.

($335, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Piperlime)

I'm inexplicably drawn to the contrast of blue patent leather and burgundy suede. It's about as much patriotism as I can handle.

4.) Nutty Rice Sample Sale:
Monday June 23rd - Thursday June 26th
10am - 6:30pm
530 7th Ave #1009
Between 38th and 39th
Brands: PF flyers, Sugar shoes and cosmetics, Alternative Apparel, Gravis, Five Crown, Bread & Butta, Mr. Chips

5.) Ethan James Group Pop-Up Sale
Wednesday June 25 - Sunday June 29
12pm to 8pm

Openhouse Gallery

201 Mulberry St.
New York, NY 10012
Brands: Love YaYa, Aflalo, Staerk, Moon Katz, Fluxus, and The Smooth Company

6.) Ananas Pop-Up Store
From the press release:
"Ananas Collection, the best selling line of handbags from New York, is opening a pop-up store at 52 Canal Street in New York’s Lower East Side (BAMBI) for 3 weeks only! From June 24th to July 15th, the space, called “Ananas at fifty-two”, will be open with exclusive, limited-edition products as well as offering select styles from the fall ’08 leather & eco collections- these styles won’t be available outside of the store until August! Jennifer Lagdameo, founder and designer of Ananas, is thrilled with the opportunity to present her loyal customers with an entire Ananas shopping experience."

212-219-7641
Monday -Wednesday, 12:00 -8:00, Thursday - Sat 1:00- 9:00, Sun 12:00-7:00pm


OKee! Now go forth and spend! Especially you, Europeans -- come over here and spend some cash! It's like everything's 50% off! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. I've got a big day of work and the premiere of The Baby Borrowers tomorrow!

Escape to Cuters Beach

I'm headed out on a starter vacay tomorrow -- I really should be packing and not playing around. And while I'm not going to the beach (nay, definitely not -- I'm off to sandy Kalamazoo... jealous?), here's my fantasy packing list of stuff I'd like to be bringing with me were I off to a weeklong trip to the beach and not getting up at 5 a.m. for a three-day trip to the Midwest:

($168, Letarte, Canyonbeachwear.com)

Such a suit. Letarte makes great suits. This safari bikini is supercute and not too overkill with the jungle theme.

($156, Letarte, Couturecandy.com)

Another cute Letarte. Reminds me of Shoshanna's bikinis.

($187, Serfontaine, WinkNYC.com)

These are sort of ridiculous, but they're so soft and comfy-looking and would be so cute with a beachy tank.

($30.50, Alloy)

So old-school they're almost great. Very Mary-Kate Olsen, according to Chicago JP. True!

($35, Alternative Apparel)

Buttery soft heather cropped pants, perfect for pulling on and lounging around after you've taken your post-beach shower. Also, I cannot say enough good things about Alternative Apparel -- their fit and feel are fantastic, and they're not headed by an evil, mustachioed porn-faced CEO! Yay!

($112, Peter Jensen, Gargyle)

More Southampton than South Padre.

($595, Loeffler Randall, ActiveEndeavors.com)

I'm not the type to wear heels with shorts and a bikini top, but if I wear, these would be the perfect pair for that sort of ridiculous posturing that really only happens in movies and magazines, I hope.

($75, Shopintuition.com)

Super cute beachy-prep bowling bag.

($68, Brooklyn Industries)

Not beachy per se, but super fun. Brooklyn Industries has gotten cuter! The first one reminds me of Paul's Boutique.

($70, Boost, Urban Outfitters)

Suuuuuuuper fun, suuuuuper summery cute headphones... to go in your beach bag.

($1.29, Biocare Labs)

The site is pure crap, but trust me -- this lip balm is the best. Doesn't do that gross thing where it makes you thirsty in the back of your throat. Okay -- time to pack my ACTUAL, real-life items. Nitey!

Sovereign Beck Ties

One of the main complaints/ criticisms I usually hear about Le Binge (besides what seems to be our feast-or-famine style of posting as of late) is that we don't do enough menswear. Actually, we do almost no menswear! Mainly that's because it's just not our thing, but these silk ties by Sovereign Beck -- I know it sounds like a bank, but Sovereign Beck is actually Brooklyn designers Ryan Sovereign and William Beck -- were too beautiful not to Binge about. I saw their 2008 collection at a Shecky's shopping event, and I had to share their smart, sophisticated designs that look like hand-rendered line drawings without a hint of too-cutesy craftiness:

($90, Thatch in grey and mauve)



($90, Crystalize in pink)


($90, "Links," from the 2007 collection)


($90, "Rings," from the 2007 collection)

Buy them online, and see who stocks them, and then check out their looks here -- you can totally tell how good these look on everyday guys who don't necessarily wear ties every day, but don't want to look like total DBs or Wall Street rejects when they do. I'd get one for my boyfriend, but he's about as happy in a tie as a cat in a laundry bag. Oh yeah, and no matter how much you might like them, ladies, PLEASE don't wear one unless you're Diane Keaton and you own a time machine. Otherwise, girls in ties is a fashion crime up there with doing the dirty dirty double denim deed.

Flirt Mascara: Hello, Old Friend!

Beauty Blogging Junkie's Amber, who I've hung out with, and I assure you, she is, indeed PHENOM IRL, completely reminded me -- because I somehow totally forgot -- that I used to LOVE Kohl's Flirt "Far Out" lengthening mascara:

($11.50, Flirt!, Kohl's)

The bald wand is so creepy-cool, right? And seriously, while it looks defecto, it does its job like a little effin' champ. It lengthens better than a measuring tape. A good lengthening primer to help lift and separate, if you will.

($10, Flirt, Kohl's)

Thinking I'd ordered the "Far Out" (heh! I accidentally typed "fart!") I ordered the "Big Flirt" mascara instead. Definitely does the job and didn't sell me down a river like Dior's Diorshow or shit the bed like Urban Decay's Big Fatty Mascara. AND AND AND you can buy both Big Flirt and Far Out for the price of one (useless) Diorshow. Do it!

Red, White & Ew

Look, I love the US and/of A too, but not like these girls love it:

(Click the photo to expand to full badness.)

($65, NillaShields.com)

Mmm. Patriotic capri pants. Enough to give Lee Greenwood a heart attack. God bless the USA.

Kirsten Dunst, in one of my fave movies, Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Say word.

Jelly Flip-Flops: Rad or Bad?

($60, Kate Spade, Bloomingdale's)

Pretty bad, right? They're the kind of thing you'd buy on vacation at a beach general store out of desperation.

($10, Old Navy)

The red ones are a bit much, but these actually aren't too bad in grey -- especially for $10. They're worlds better than these golden caged monstrosities.

One Good Gladiator Deserves Another

I've totally been thinking about these for a couple of weeks now:





Dolce Vita "Sabrina" sandal, $115. They also come in gold.

I should just get 'em, right?

One Good Pair of Gladiators That Aren't Even Really Gladiators

FashionWatch.com did a feature on gladiators. I actually liked several of the pairs they picked, but that's probably because they cast a really wide net on their interpretation of gladiators. They're more gladiator-inspired picks. My favorite pair:

($225, Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, eLuxury.com)

Love the coral color and neutral earthy beige.

And now back to two more offenders:

($198, Tristan Blair, Gargyle)

These will go perfectly with that loin cloth and shield I'm so fond of.

($195, Gracienne)

There's just no excuse.

Maloles Embroidered Ballet Flat

($300, Maloles, Vivre.com)

How I wish I'd spent my Bush bucks.

How I actually spent my Bush bucks:

Buy Babs' Black Suede Shoes!

These "Dezario" wedges: a.) are vintage, b.) size 8 and c.) were once owned by Barbra Streisand -- three things I always look for when shoe shopping. They're currently just $16.50 (what the shit??) That could be because of the description: " the lining of the shoes is in distressed condition and is deteriorating." Boo, but at least they're honest. There's nothing worse than getting a "new" pair of vintage shoes, taking them off eight or nine hours later, and your foot looks like you developed a scorching case of leprosy over the course of the day.

Anyway, if you can deal with that, and you're a size 8, go for it, and own a piece of history -- and Babs!! Less appealing -- her used bedroom slippers.

American Apparel Now Selling Vibrators!

I know. That's as redundant as like "Amy Winehouse Does More Drugs" or something. (Wait... what?) I can almost appreciate that American Apparel is inching ever closer to becoming a full-fledged adult superstore now that they're selling "magic wands."

You know! For working those kinks of out your neck. Or out of your vagina. During your next American Apparel board meeting, where I'm sure Dov Charney suggested (and by suggested, I mean "lightly forced") his female staff to test out the vibes in front of him while he watched, and by watched, I mean "jerked off while not wearing any pants." Which, at AA HQ, is probably also known as "Tuesday."

Still, none of this explains why they sell Sharpies.

I Succumb to "As Seen on 'Gossip Girl'": Alex + Chloe's Black Pearl Necklace

($380, Alex + Chloe)

I confess: I haven't seen even one episode of Gossip Girl. I had my emotions toyed with too much by Josh Schwartz after The O.C. jumped the shark with the introduction of Oliver. By the time Taylor arrived, the damage had been done -- that house was practically burnt to the ground. Besides, I don't need to watch the show. I can get all of the ridiculous eye candy fashion (hello -- I was wearing oversized flannels, thrift store tees and, like, Xena jeans in high school) -- because the show truly is Sex and the City goes back to school -- online and in magazines. Anyway, I really love this necklace, as seen on the character named Something-or-Other Von Villain McBitchySkirts, played by the super pasty Michelle Tractenberg.

Gotta agree with No Good For Me's assessment of black pearls: "I love how they make a ladylike staple into something infinitely more subversive." Truest that, and coupled with the triangular pendant, there's even more of a good-girl-gone-bad vibe happening here. Let gossip reign!

Comfy, Cute, CHEAP! + The Scourge of Kira Plastinina

Can I just rename this blog "Comfy, Cute, Cheap?"

I'd like to be wearing this right about nows:

($31, Lulu's)

Why can't Lulu's start sprouting brick-and-mortars, instead of those deplorable Kira Plastinina shops that are popping up all over NYC like fashion cancer? Now I know that's a harsh, semi-unfeeling thing to say, but I stopped into the Kira Plastinina in Soho the other week just to check it out and I was absolutely appalled. Both the store and the (appropriately) plastic and poly pieces looked like someone fed a bunch of off-brand Bratz dolls after midnight, and they shellacked a Deb with glitter and newspaper, hung a plastic chandelier and called it a store. Real REAL bad. Normally I shamelessly embrace opportunities others might find embarrassing (I love a good story), but I ducked out there absolutely horrified someone might see me.

Also, I DO NOT believe that bullshit probably-PR story that that chick is really 15 and some frozen OJ magnate's daughter. She's probably 47 and his half sister or something. Gross all the way around.

Anyway, Lulu's, if you're reading this, come to NYC. But first... TOPSHOP!

Random Hump Night Binges

Y'all, first of all, my sincerest apolomagies for not Binging as hard or efficiently as I have in the past. I've been blogging my ass off for work, and while my heart remains in the Binge, work, well, pays the bills. Ah tries mah hardest to come up with some fun, semi-thoughtful and cohesive, subject-driven posts with lots of fun shit to look at/ buy/ dream about, but that's the Type A-er in me. At the risk of creating Bingeorexia and leaving you starving without much Binge at all, perhaps I should try being more Type B and just throw some shit up there? Your thoughts in the comments -- less frequent posts with more ZING or more frequent with less ZIP, if you will?

Okay, that said, here are three random Binge wants on this Hump Night (the night OF hump day, and not, to say, a night during which I'm humping, because I'm not, because I'm blogging. Ew. "Humping" is gross but funny!)

($99, Anthropolgie)

Oh, Anthro, you heartless, overpriced little bitch. Your sales are hardly even. Yet you keep drawing me back in.

($140, Nine West)

My ongoing love affair with grey heels continues. These are perfect summer shoes (with easy warm-to-cool seasonal conversion capabilities!) and almost have a Chie Mahara feel. But cheaper!

($175, Brian Bowie, Refinery29)

This messenger bag is supposed to be for guys (which fulfills one of my Type A goals of doing more men's stuff on the bolg), but I'd rock dat. Each bag is handmade by designer Bryan Bowie (best last name ever!!!! besides Rockwell) and thoughtfully comes with a detachable laptop case. Noice! They're supposed to be available at Bowie's site, Nostalgiecloth.com, but that site looks like it's slightly busted, so yell at Refinery29 and not me, k?

Leather Lust

($1605, Costume National, Yoox)

There just so happens to be a massive fucking heat wave going on right now, and, next to wool, leather happens to be one of the last materials I'd like to wrap myself in, and this jacket just so happens to be $1505 out of my leather jacket budget, but still this grey Costume National jacket is heavenly.

Wedding-Season Winners

It's that time of year, ladies. The season when you're like "WHY don't I have any cute gold or silver heels, goddammit?" and frantically go searching for some. Well, I have at least one answer for you. I have found pretty much the perfect affordable wedding-attendee shoe.



Nine West "Falcoin" sandals, $47.90. I was originally going to get these in bold orange satin to play off my royal blue dress, but then I decided that was a little crack-smoker of me. (Bold color on body AND feet? Too much.) These gold ones have a delicate heel that's still low enough that you can dance with abandon. Which is pretty key to wedding enjoyment. These come in a wide range of colors if you're a little more adventurous than I am.

But you have metallic sandals, you say, and are in dire need of a good dress? Consider this:





Laundry by Design metallic minidress, $325 at Saks but only $49.99 at Marshall's!! It is SO flattering (at least on me): makes your waist look tiny, has a pleasingly poufy skirt, and is the epitome of understated elegance in deep navy. Also, the structure is such that you could probably go braless even if, like me, you hardly ever do that.

With the almost-blackness of the dress, I'd allow myself to go a little crazy on the shoes. Perhaps with these:



Chinese Laundry "Jemmy" sandals in gorgeous raspberry satin with a big ol' bow, $50.

Or these—



Steve Madden Blosommm flats, $79.99—if they weren't flat. Unforgivable!

Bicycle, Bicycle: You are My Bicycle Bag

So, I recently got a bicycle. And it has kinda changed my life. Now I can zoom around Brooklyn so easily and quickly, with the wind in my hair and the burn in my thighs. And it's a step-through frame, which means I can wear cute dresses and not flash the world as I mount (ahem) my awesome bike. However, it does present a particular fashion challenge, which is this: The bike bag. It has to be a cross-body/messenger style, big enough to fit a U-lock (until I get an attachment so I can hook it to the bike while I'm riding), and, of course, cute. So I've been looking around, and here's what I've realized: Most messenger bags are profoundly uncute. Yet I managed to find a couple of good 'uns:



Of course, the best and most unique stuff is on Etsy. I'm loving Ouno's white reclaimed leather bag, $230.



I also like madebycate's recycled-leather messenger bag, $185.



Juliana Jabour Bosla satchel, $548.10. Nice, but no chance.

Here's what I actually bought:



Vero Vintage's brown leather messenger bag with tree print, $22. A little small but totally me. And...



Deux Lux pintuck satchel, $68. Adjustable cross-body strap AND regular shoulder straps, tons of room, and interesting details? Sold.

Pricy Produce: A $6K Asparagus Bag?

($5995, Judith Leiber)

Uhhh... this evening bag appears to be made of like 10,000 trillion mini Austrian crystals, all of which combine to form what I guess is a bouquet of roses but really truly appears to be a bunch of asparagus. Whatever it is, it's absolutely indicative of kind of horrendous taste not even money -- yet only those with way too much of it -- can buy. Also, don't they know that not even rich people are rich anymore?

Also:

WHYYYYYYY???????

Boat Shoes: Good & Bad

($45, Converse, Karmaloop)

So cute, so cheap!

($70, 80%20, Karmaloop)

So... never gonna happen.

+ More Fashionbinge boat shoe love here and a little here.

A Fashion Confession

I want zippered leggings:



But I sure as shittin' ain't paying 99 bucks for 'em! WTF, world?

Cuteness Revisited: '80s Graphic Prints and Splatters!

While still dreaming of the pieces I dug up on the wings of Nicole Ritchie's Chanel-print airplane dress, I discovered this:

($185, Julie Brown, ActiveEndeavors.com)

Though do yourself a favorite, and put something on underneath.

And pair them with...

($49, Tarina Tarntino, ActiveEndeavors.com)

And...
($115.50, Ash, Shopbop.com)

These heels are the heat.