Accessory of the Week: Open-Toe Pirate Booties

With open-toe and pirate inspired booties hitting every must-have list for the past few seasons, we think this black canvas pair from KRISTEN LEE seductively hit the nail on the mark. They may be quite simple at first glance but they happen to boast sexy Cuban heels and ruching that runs up the leg and have contrasting gold zippers running up the back. They are perfect for year-round wear and are a smart option for those looking for animal-free options.


KRISTEN LEE Black Canvas Open-Toe Booties-size 9 $288

Romantic Warrior: 1990 Krizia Bullet Bead Jacket

With fierce warrior woman get-ups de rigeur on every major runway and on every urban-minded shopper's must-have lists, we couldn't be more enthused by one of our favorite finds, this slick, commanding 1990 KRIZIA plush velveteen jacket with bold shoulders that are covered with major titanium hued bullet beads. As you can see from this original ad we found, the beading seems to have been intended for that era's maximalist, opulent times, however we feel its context today reads more Mad Max than James Galanos. Its iridescent sheen and rich purple tie-die effect lend the other-worldly beading a sumptuously feminine romantic/rough divide that sobers its overall hardcore sci-fi aesthetic.


90's KRIZIA Tie-Die Bullet Bead Warrior Jacket-$424

Look East, it's Hammer Time...

Since one could easily call this the most heavily revival filled decade to date, it's rather intriguing that the early 80's Japanese infused work of avant-garde pioneers like YOHJI YAMAMOTO, Rei Kawakubo of COMME DES GARCONS, KANSAI YAMAMOTO and ISSEY MIYAKE are finally getting some due attention in the mainstream.

From Japan they optimistically brought an arty, intellectual and quite challenging aesthetic to the world of fashion like never seen before, a reaction to the ultra-femme norms of society and a pre-cursor to the maximalist glamor of the Reagen era. Together they introduced the concepts of anti-fashion through austere deconstruction, materials were often draped around the body and featured frayed, unfinished edges along with holes and a general asymmetrical shape. And to us, most importantly, everything was black, something many ran away from at one time.

And with dropped crotch pants, deconstruction, and asymmetry seeming to feel like a runway norm these days, we wanted to take a moment and highlight some of our own finds inspired by this groundbreaking era in fashion. Take these fantastic early 80's YOHJI YAMAMOTO fluid black pants that have a dropped crotch and one leg that's more voluminous than the other, ultimately creating a soft, draped, poetic imbalance. And from a man known for his own take on Eastern-influenced ease, GIORGIO ARMANI, come these early 90's black drop-crotch pants that have a pleated dhoti drawstring waist and contrasting velvet cuffs. Both of these pieces beautifully highlight the considerable contributions of the Japanese invasion of the early 80's while at the same time having a very contemporary sensibilty to them.

Above- Early 80's YOHJI YAMAMOTO Dropped Crotch Draped Leg Pants-$454 Sorry this item has been SOLD

Below- 90's GIORGIO ARMANI Dropped Crotch Dhoti Pleated Pants-$276 Sorry this item has been SOLD

V love Rye Rye!

It's been almost two years since we first fell for Baltimore teen Rye Rye & her infectious single "Shake it to the Ground" and her latest video, "Hardcore Girls" well, we just can't stop listening to it. In today's dark & dismal world of crossover hip-hop, we love that Rye Rye sounds & feels so optimistic, bubbly, and fresh. We wish the music industry would push more talents like Rye Rye instead of all that mindless tween nonsense.

Going Green: Nature vs. Future

With the Green agenda finally hitting fashion over the past few season's, we can't think of a more humorously chic way to support the effort than with this sassy(we can use that word for once!) mid 90's irredescent green MOSCHINO Cheap & Chic skirt suit. It is composed of what looks to be like photo prints of the earth & moon, boasts chunky plastic bobble-like buttons complete with pictures of the moon in them and it's jacket is paneled with contrasting stripes of text spelling out "Nature" on the front & "Future" on the back. It also has that era's fabulous cut with it's fitted, short jacket and sexy abbreviated skirt. Even almost 15 years later, it still makes quite a strong statement about the current friction between modernity & the mess it can make vs. nature. Talk about making a delightful in-your-face social remark.
90's MOSCHINO Nature vs. Future Printed Skirt Suit-$388

Accessory of the Week: 80's Tiger Wrestler Belt

There was a time a few years back where we were all about maxing out our wardrobes with sometimes ironic, often humorous yet totally cool outrageous pieces from the 80's, yet maybe it's something about getting older, or the current focus of fashion, that we now think there was a time & a place for that. We have always found that while vintage is of course always an option with endless limits, it's better to incorporate pieces, rather than pull out a head-to-toe look, which ends up looking costumey and too retro. And with proportion defining wide belts de rigeur today, we find this quirky, if not outrageous bold yellow wrestler inspired belt to be a chic way to hit-up the 80's, one piece at a time. It boasts red & black tiger striped side panels complete with studs and a large silver plaque with a 3-D carved Egyptian Pharoah's head. We'd like to think of it as Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci meets She-Ra: Princess of Power.

80's Wide Yellow & Red Egyptian Medallion Belt-$68