Item of the Week: White Cut-Out Vest by Barlow

I found this item of the week hiding deep in the fashion wilderness of shopbop.com. It took some scrounging, once on the website I actually had to press in the middle of my computer screen with my mouse-tool to enter the featured items page. But once done, the website yielded to me some wonderful leather goods which I quiet enjoyed. None did I enjoy more, however, than this marvelous Barlow vest:

Any hink-de-dink, once I saw this spectacular beast, I started wondering how one might best wear this. Needless to say it is now the orbital outfit of the week. I do believe that there is only one truly right way to wear an item of clothing, one that compliments it and only it. One in which all the other items in the outfit are, in a sense, orbiting around it. That's what I've tried to do for this poor lonely Barlow vest, I've tried to find it some truly complementary companions. Here are the friends I've found:

(Note that the dress is totally backless, allowing for the vest's sexy pattern to shine!)

Alexander McQueen Belt

Eric Beamon for Alice + Olivia Necklace

Pigalle Flats

Kamala Snake Cuff

Contrarian Backless Dress

The Sandals of the Summer: Which Styles Will Win Out?

There will be few winners. It is the same each year. Many vie to contend, but the popular majority will decide on only a chosen few to reign the summer season.

We're talking the Battle of the Sandals.

As I am a fashion prophet, (the natural gas pipe line which runneth underneath my house may be less than air-tight, I suspect, causing a "Delphi" effect) let me begin to spin my prophecy about the sandals who will dominate, and those who will be left to fade, sun-scorched, in the windows of Aldo.

The sandals of yore shall perish. No, not the gladiator format, per se, but the way in which we have seen it played out during the past two summers, with extravagant metallics, and gaudy jewels that weigh down the foot. But don't think too minimalist either, the time for a sandal that looks somewhat like a g-string for the foot is still far in the future. Besides, those are so goddamn hard to keep dans le foot! No, the sandal of today is just about as practical as the fashionista will ever allow herself to get. Here are the defining traits of this summer's sandal:

• Soft, slighty worn, or buttery leather
  
• Colours are primarily neutral, a sophisticated black, or a fashion-forward pop of a subdued bright, child-like colour. Think tempera paint.
  
• Straps and cut-outs is where the shoe will show it's unique style, either with a eye-boggling amount of slim straps, unusual criss-crossing or interesting cut-outs.


• Many lace up, almost bridging the gap between shoe and sandal.


• Instead of having a Roman or Grecian influence, many of these sandals have a more British root. For example, hot young shoe brand F-Troupe, based in London, claims their shoes and sandals use "British historical and functional influences to make footwear that is quintessentially British but with an international appeal."

Any sandal who can fulfill those recquirements shall prosper in the new season, and henceforth have my blessing. The following are some that do, just for example's sake. In order: 1) Cooperative blue cut-out & lace-up sandal at Urban Outfitters 2) F-Troupe red cross-strap sandal at Buy Definition 3) Forever 21 sophisticated black low-wedge cross strap sandal at Forever 21 4) Forever 21 navy blue cut-out & lace-up sandal at Forever 21 5) F-Troupe soft leather lace-up sandal at Buy Definition 6) Ecote multi-strap brown leather sandal at Urban Oufitters 7) Deena & Ozzy cut-out and lace-up black sandal at Urban Outfitters.

Strike a Pose!

A gorgeous tribute video made for a gorgeous high school fashion show.



Did you see me do my death-defying drop from the raised platform into the arms of my many fashionable amours? This movie was done for an entertainment intermission in the recent high school fashion show which my two lovely and fashion-forward friends Catherine Stockall and Abby Smith co-directed. It was a smash-hit, an absolute first-class production.
Soon to be posted: our recreation of an episode of America's Next Top Model!

A Shuft-Eye at Halifax!

Not too long ago, in the more wintery months, I took a little pough-keepsie at Halifax with my shopping-goggles on, which is to say, I did a fashion raid on the city with my mother and sister- currently five years of age- in tow (participating as heartily as they could, mind you, but needing multiple green tea/muffin breaks to strengthen and sustain them).

I, on the other hand, could shop without pause for several consecutive hours. Some would say I THRIVE in a marathon environment.

But in any case we hit up ALL of downtown and the next day moved on the Mic Mac Mall for a quick whirlwind visit. We basically pillaged all there was to be plundered. I'd like to share with you here some of my interesting finds throughout the downtown of the beautiful port city which I will be inhabiting next year and onward to an extent of four years.
First off, Elsie's, a quaint and high quality vintage hole-in-the-wall on Queen Street (a great vintage shopping area) where, if you come with a small child in tow, you will recieve free things! A purple scarf in the case of my petite sister. I, however, did not get any freebies. But I did appreciate their show collection, which I'll share with you here.

A store right next to it, Put Me On, had a fantastic pair of leather shorts in it, and also some striking shoes and earrings on the top floor:

A great place for accessories is The Black Market (Grafton Street) very hippy-dippy free-trade sort of place, but with some very classy jewelry. Don't let the wooden voodoo masks fool you; this place is more than just hemp bracelets! Here's some examples:

Also enticing? The wares of the Biscuit General Store (Argyle Street) owned by a fashionable American ex-pat. Little bit cheaply made for the pricing, but then again, some nice and fairly unique items.

I also took a turn at entering the formidable Foreign Affair a gorgeous, but uber-expensive, Canadian designer boutique. I attempted flash photography but was quickly slapped to the ground in this attempt. All I have is a blurry photograph with a human hand waving me away in it. I admit, passing the store-front in my younger days, I was in awe at the classy looks on the mannequins, but now that I have grown older, I have come to realize what money looks like, and what fashion looks like, and have realized that they are not the same thing, not the same thing at all.

However, I now feel like I'm dissing the designers in that boutique, that is NOT my intention. Of course if I could purchase a gorgeous soft leather vest by I-Can't-Remember-His-Name then I would! All I'm saying is that I've learned a bit of inventiveness lacking money in my seasonal quest to follow the trends, and I greatly admire that quality in others when I see it. I prize it more highly than the so-called quality that snobs get their panties in a twist about.
But in any case, that just about summarizes most of my past Halifax excursion, I hope you enjoyed the mind-tour!
I am about to scamper off their again in the very near future and hope to take snaps of spring style all around town- get ready for it, it may be mind-blasting, yaar!

"Mirror Mirror, On the Wall..."

Peacocks Rose Print Dress (peacocks.co.uk)

Jordache Cropped Denim Jacket (nastygal.com)

Forever 21 Gold Braided Gladiator Sandals (forever21.com)

Darcy Miro for Unholy Matrimony Crown Cuff (farfetch.
com)

Nasty Gal Dime Stud Bag (nastygal.com)

"...Who's the greatest of them all?"

So starts many a good night. Especially when the mirror has the magic ability to speak and survey the kingdom and replies "Why you m'lady!" (Which it often does).

We owe this classic line to a certain musical fairy tale called Snow White. I, the Popster, have much in common with the protagonist of this particular story. For one, I'm pale- or 'fair'. Two, I have blue eyes. Three, I live with seven old dwarfed men, whom I call by catchy nicknames.

The reason I bring this up is because spring, with the reappearance of chirping birds and snow-bells sprouting through the grass is very conducive to the thoughts of whimsy and magic. Of course, this is transferable to fashion. I feel extensively weird saying this (really, just all through my nerve system, very strange) because I'm usually very down with the avant garde mods, but ya know, shit happens and all of a sudden you're feeling all frilly and shabby genteel and like you'd like to ride a pony over a drawbridge etc. etc. etc.

Above is an outfit built around the delightful Darcy Miro for Unholy Matrimony cuff that resembles a crudely-made paper crown. It's sort of a modern look to indulge your inner princess/queen/fairy/dwarved old man (depending on your fancy).

And henceforth there shall be enjoyment.

Orbital Style: My Closet is a Solar System

In this post I would like to describe to you my personal fashion methodology, which never fails to allow me to re-invent my wardrobe in a multitude of exciting and creative ways. I have, quite honestly, brought fashion to a science.

Let me explain: every morning I begin with a clean slate, then scan my wardrobe to find something that draws my attention. It's got to be flashy, eye-catching, almost offensive in its vibrance. In my example above I use the hit trend of spring: clogs, a notoriously tricky type of foot wear. Not only that, but this pair is a bright yellow colour, just right for stealing the scene. Once I find this item, I build my outfit around, like a solar system. All the other pieces orbit around that item, highlighting it, complementing it, toning it down when needed. That lucky accroutrement is the star on that particular day. It is more than a star, it is, in fact, the sun.

Of course, I don't think for one minute that I am the only one practicing this method of fashion divining. There must be women all over the world doing the same thing as I each morning. The question is, why is there no term already?

Well, now there is, and that term is orbital style, coined by yours truly, here and now. You stand as a witness to a momentous moment in fashion, and you're very welcome.

Items used in example:

Yellow Clogs- No. 6

Cracked Leather Jacket- Helmut Lang

Dark Skinnies- J Brand

Gold Pendant w/ Blue Jewel- Monica Vinader

Gold Key Pendant- Alex Monroe

Wolf Head Ring- Alkemie + Wolf

Blue Jewel Flower Earrings- Irene Neuwirth

Scarf- Henrik Vibskov

Cream & Gold Sunglasses- Ted Lapidus

Illustration- MYSELF

What I Have Learned From... The Mayans

Colour, mystery, pageantry, ritual and amazing dress sense. The Mayans sure did have it all.

I like to sidestep the whole...'sacrificing' aspect of their culture in favour of a more superficial, and friendly, look at our ancient friends. And boy, were these guys superficial in the ultimate sense of the word.

They did anything to get the look. Sure, in the current day people still stretch their lobes (ear lobes, that is), but does anyone go so far as to bind their head? No. Therefore I bestow respect upon them.

I've been fascinated by Mayans and the Mayan culture since borrowing a library book on the subject when I was... twelve? Something like that. And ever since I've yearned passionately to see the great and mighty ruins, but never have. Ah well, at least this interest gives me lots by way of fashion inspiration.

In set: Mayan Calendar Leggings from nastygal.com, Beaded Balmain sandals (by Giuseppe Zanotti), Mayan Belt Dress from Elegantly Waisted at shopbop.com, Tulun feather earrings by Monsoon, Mayan gold earrings and necklace by Wendy Culpepper, Bloodwood Mayan earlets from Onetribe Organics and a Mayan Womens Huipil from, well, Mexico.