Fashion for everyone

Real vs. DIY Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte heels

You might have already seen this, but it's so great that I thought it was worth sharing. As you know, I've done my share of Rodarte DIYs (working on one as I write, as a matter of fact), and I always appreciate seeing when other people give it a shot, and how their results turn out. Christina and I have had vague ambitions to DIY the Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte heels, but frankly it got lost in the long to-do list. Not to mention the fact that I feel slightly uncomfortable doing any shoe DIY's without a hefty amount of help from my favorite shoe-repair man, Boris. That's why I was incredibly impressed when Carly from Chic Steals told me to check out the pair of heels she DIY'd entirely on her own, even though it required plenty of time, careful work, and most importantly, creative thinking and problem solving. After all, the greatest challenge is figuring out how to replicate the design yourself, and I think Carly did a pretty incredibly job. You can follow her step by step instructions here, if you feel so inspired. In the meantime, I'm going to go back to my knitting...I'll keep you posted...

Some of the tools you'll need

Carly wearing the finished results

Earlier today, I was emailed about a new street style web site based out of Moscow, Slickwalk. In the past year the number of street style sites that have popped up across the globe have become overwhelming, and like everything on the internet, is reaching a saturation point. I stick to following my two favorites, Facehunter and Stockholm Street Style, but feel a little too lazy to sort through the rest. I do not say this to discourage future bloggers/photographers, because there is always room for more, and the best sites will always rise to the forefront.

As soon as I saw the pictures on Slickwalk, I was immediately captivated by the images, which are taken with much more artistry than your standard outfit shot. I love the contrast of the focus of the individual in the foreground against the blur of the scenery behind them. I love how most of the poses look natural, and almost contemplative. And most simply, having never set foot in Moscow or any part of Russia, I enjoy seeing the unique style of women and men halfway around the globe, and the subtle series of sartorial universalities and differences. Then again, that's part of the appeal of any street style site, I suppose.

I was first familiarized with the work of Liselotte Watkins when I received a W29 Showroom tote bag emblazoned with one of her drawings last season. Susanne, who owns W29, always has an eye for fresh talent, and tapped the Swedish illustrator to create a whimsical piece that subtly incorporated the W29 logo into a black and white line drawing.

Watkins is actually best known for the illustrations she did for Miu Miu's iconic Spring 2008 harlequin collection (still my favorite to date). Miuccia Prada spotted her work in a book, and ten days before the runway show, commissioned the designer to make prints for several of her dresses.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find that Watkins recently designed a new Bloglovin icon (see our sidebar), in addition to having an incredible blog of her own. Filled with her moody illustrations of sultry ladies posing, pouting, and smoking plenty of cigarettes, it's easy to get lost in the world that she creates. My favorites are her posts featuring works in progress, and watching them come to life.






The new W29 Showroom bag designed by Watkins

Last night I met up with an old friend who's in from out of town to catch up. We ended up having a heart to heart about the ups and downs of love, and the alternating agonies and ecstasies that one cycles through in an average relationship. Even the best and the healthiest relationships have their rainy days, and I'm old enough to understand that no human is infallible. I think one the greatest, and truest records of all time is the Magnetic Field's album, 69 Love Songs, which outlines the sad, the saccharine, and the just plain silly moments in any love story. My much adored husband led me to one of the best internet finds I've come across in months, 69 Love Songs, Illustrated, a collection of drawings and comics by different artists that all refer back to the classic album. As teens, we both listened to this album from different parts of the world, and still listen to it quite frequently today.

I am a closet romantic at heart, and want to believe that all my friends will have long, lasting relationships, and that the heartbreaks will be few and far between. I can play tough, but I do have a soft spot for all the trappings of modern romance, and Stacey Bendet's latest Alice and Olivia collection is full of pretty things out of your sweetest candy-colored dreams. These are the perfect outfits for a cheerleader of love, through the thick and thin spots. I know that I left the conversation with my friend only half-jokingly offering to be her dating coach (dating in New York is a particularly harrowing experience). These outfits might be just the thing to wear on the sidelines. Here are some of my favorite looks from the lookbook, and some of my favorite comics from the 69 Loves Songs, Illustrated website.



"I Think I Need a New Heart" illustrated by Mark Gamble



"Sweet Lovin' Man" illustrated by Kristyna Baczynski


"Yeah! Oh Yeah!" illustrated by Scott Jason Smith



EDIT: How could I have forgotten to include my favorite song off of 69 Love Songs? Listen to Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side, with even more video fan art!

Giraffe-print pony wedges courtesy of 80%20, Stine Goya cable sweater, The Bitches With Cigarette Burns sheer dress, American Apparel mini-dress underneath, Alexander Wang sunglasses, turban courtesy of Mike Gonzalez, bag courtesy of Katherine Kwei, H&M tights, Triskaidekaphobia tooth necklace and buckle ring, Iosselliani ring.

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending Blue Stripe PR's blogger get together, where I got to catch up with some of my favorite internet ladies and meet a few amazing ones I'd never talked to before. In between chatting, we snacked on candies, sipped on mini-Sophies, and previewed the showroom's new Spring collections, which included 80%20, Pleasure Doing Business, Mike Gonzalez, and GAR-DE. I was so busy talking that I only got a few photos of the clothes, but photos of the event the lovely bloggers who attended are up on Laney's blog.

I did however snap a few of 80%20's spring collection, since I'm always a big fan of Ce Ce's, and have been wearing my Heide boots all winter. The spring shoes were full of colorful french linen prints, tie-dye leather, and rainbow striped wovens, which provided a nice contrast to the black/grey slump I've been in due to the drab conditions outside. At the end of the night, we each got to take a bunch of goodies home with us, including our choice of 80%20's from the fall collection, and I picked out a pair of giraffe-print pony wedges that I'd been lusting after for a while. They've got a hidden platform, which provides the height of a heel while making them as comfortable as flats, and I already know that I'll be stomping around in these all fashion week.

My Mom told me that this hairstyle made look very "ancient Asian" whatever that means. I think she was talking about the people on her antique vases. Uh, thanks Mom.

Then my husband told me that my shoes looked like a cross between London punk and orthopedic comfort shoes, but are still cool, which is kinda the truth. Does your family comment on your outfits like you're not in the same room with them?

The Feather cork wedge

The Yossi wedge

The Dawn wedge

DIY knit sweater, vintage Gunne Sax dress that I adjusted myself, Marc Jacobs heels, Devaki hat, H&M tights, Triskaidekaphobia necklace and earring. All photographs by David Carlo.

Yesterday night, I had the pleasure of hosting a party at vintage mecca, What Goes Around Comes Around, with Elizabeth of White Lightning, and Leandra of The Man Repeller. I dressed in vintage for the occasion, wearing a 70's prairie revival dress by Gunne Sax that I had picked up after scouring eBay. Leandra directed the photographer to take a picture of me, and explained,"I'm going to write about Chronic Man Repellers" and then aside, "I hope that's not offensive." Thankfully I'm married, so I no longer care about grossly offending the opposite sex (not that I cared much before I was married either), and I am always happy to be surrounded by my own kind (you can see the list of fellow Man Repellers here). As you know, female fashion freaks/repellers tend to attract fellow repellers, and I definitely thought there were plenty of stunning looks in the house.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who stopped by last night and had a drink with me. I know I had a few too many, cause I ended up having nightmares about being attacked by the ghosts of invisible jellyfish, which seeped through the walls and could only be seen under black light. If you didn't make it, you should swing by the store soon (351 West Broadway), as all of the fall collection is on sale for 70% off!

The lovely ladies of WGACA


Elizabeth from White Lightning, and Gerard from WGACA, and myself. I ended up taking home this plaid asymmetrical jacket from the WGACA in house label, along with a few other vintage goodies.

Leandra, aka The Man Repeller

Just a few of the amazing women behind Stylelikeu.

Updates have been sparse since I've been in Paris, but I wanted to let those of you who live in New York know about two parties next week!

First off, on Wednesday night I will be hosting a shopping soiree at What Goes Around Comes Around with two of my favorite fellow bloggers, Elizabeth of White Lightning, and Leandra of The Man Repeller. There will be wine, and steep discounts of up to 70% off all evening. Plus, it's always fun to meet some fellow internet freaks in person.



Then, on Thursday night, we'll be throwing a joint birthday bash for Jules of Bijules, and her twin sister Sam of Skimkim at Anchor Bar (see adorable flier featuring baby Kim Twins below). Both birthday girls will take turns DJing alongside Marcos Udagawa and Ibemusic, and there will be plenty of Grey Goose to go around!

Bright Young Things LBD worn with my own Comme des Garcons skirt, vintage Turban, Slow and Steady Wins the Race sunglasses, and vintage heels, bag, lace top, and belt from Cobblestones. All photos from You Bright Young Things.

Last week, I was asked to participate in the Bright Young Things Style Challenge, along with several other local bloggers. Designer Eliza Starbuck original created the super-versatile Little Black Dress fom The Uniform Project, in collaboration with blogger Sheena Matheiken. Sheena wore the dress for one full year, styled many different ways, in order to raise money to pay for the educational expenses of children living in the slums of India. Sheena has thus far raised over $100,000 for The Akanksha Foundation, and the dress itself has already been snatched up by hundreds of women worldwide. Basically, it's the hardest working LBD on the market.

We were assigned the challenge of styling the dress to reflect our own personal style, using items from our own personal wardrobes, as well as clothes from East Village vintage store, Cobblestones. I had a great time putting together these two outfits, and hanging out at the store with all the gorgeous ladies from the Bright Young Things crew. Cobblestones has been an East Village must-stop vintage destination for thirty years (!!!) now, and I was overwhelmed by the treasure trove of goodies to chose from. You can spend an eternity looking through the store, and even after two hours of rummaging, I had barely scratched the surface. It was also fun running into some of my fellow bloggers--Pamela of Market Publique is always a sweetheart. Make sure to check out the rest of the style challengers here, and vote for all of us on the Bright Young Things Facebook page by "liking" your favorite style!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that by voting, you are automatically entered into the Voter's Dress Drawing to win a Bright Young Things LBD of your own! Voting ends at midnight on August 1st!

These gold vintage heels from the 40's were so comfortable!

My second look, aside from my Slow and Steady Wins the Race sunglasses, was entirely put together from the vintage available at Cobblestones.

Lovely Lulu chilling on the East River

This past Thursday, we shot our Triskaidekaphobia Fall lookbook with our dear friend and favorite feisty blogger, Lulu Chang. Lulu has coyly been hinting at a move to New York for the past year, which is yet to happen. In the meantime, we have to settle for quick glimpses when she comes over for her business jaunts. This time, we really made Lulu work, putting her through an eight-hour shoot that had her climbing, perching, and tilting dangerously off of anything high up and unsafe that we could get her on top of. We even had the misfortune of all getting caught in a flash thunderstorm which drenched us to the bone, in addition to ruining half of our electronics. Thank you Lulu for being such a good sport, getting soaked, and taking a tumble or two! And an extra special thank you to our photographer Serichai Traipoom, our hair stylist, Dakota Heman, and our makeup artist, Terese Bennett. Please check out their websites!

Dakota getting Lulu ready for her princessy look

Seri shooting Lulu at the basketball court

Susie Bubble wearing the Triskaidekaphobia bandage wrap bracelet available at Kabiri. Photo by Susie.

A couple of days ago, Alexa Chung picked up her Triskaidekaphobia tooth pendant necklace, after admiring her friend Daisy Lowe's. While we're honored to have some of Britain's brightest beauties wearing our jewelry, we're just as ecstatic to have our fellow bloggers, and girls that we know and love, wearing our designs. The best thing about having a blog is joining a community of like-minded individuals, and as corny as it sounds, I can't tell you how much I value the people I've met through blogging, and the relationships that I've subsequently developed. How else would I have met such a diverse array of women (and a few dudes too) from all across the world, and from such different backgrounds? Here are some images from a handful of our favorite bloggers, Style Bubble, Lulu and Your Mom, and The Stylish Wanderer, all wearing Triskaidekaphobia. If you have a piece of ours at home, please send us a picture, we'd love to see it on you too!

Susie Bubble wearing the Triskaidekaphobia black ruffle collar, available at The Moon and Mars. Photo by Style Clicker.

Lulu wearing the Triskaidekaphobia sterling silver restraint ring, available at Kabiri. All of Lulu's photos from Lulu and Your Mom.



Our buckle ring (forth finger from the left, in the middle) amongst Lulu's serious collection of silver jewelry.