Halloween Eve

I'm looking for a costume tonight on Newbury St in Boston with a couple of my friends. The hour is 8PM, so the number of stores open is limited. The stores to hit: H&M and American Apparel. Going into this search, I had convinced myself that I wouldn't buy anything from American Apparel because two years ago I pledged not to give in to the mindless, pointless trend. Well, I broke my pledge tonight.

The store was mayhem; heinous mesh tights mingled with black lace unitards; crop-tops circa Slater from "Saved By the Bell" clashed with hot pants and thigh-high socks. While the employees wore their normal attire (horribly high-rise jeans and spandex) with casual, almost disdainful, ease, frantic girls in groups of three made these staffers' regular attire seem like novelties (which they are.) After holding up shirts and dresses like I was picking up stinking diapers, I came across a gem; a spandex and mesh dress with a sweetheart neckline. This is the first year I've decided to go "Mean Girls" (see Georgina's Halloween post), with my friend deciding three of us should go as bats. Anyway, this dress seemed perfect and potentially wearable post-Hallow's Eve.

So I bought it. And some feather clips from H&M to put on as ears. Oh, and trashbags will be cut to make wings a la Project Runway (which, by the way, has the least talented group EVER). Though I still disagree with many of the company's images and tactics, this sweetheart dress, well, charmed me. Dare I go into a trick or treat joke? I think not.

Oh, and H&M had some items to choose from (go in and find the Muppet-style knit dress. It's like a dog toy mixed with Studio 54), but many of the clothes were just too in-between fashion and costume. American Apparel works perfectly for Halloween; its clothes are absurd, but in a translatable, spandex way that, well, anybody can see through.

http://store.americanapparel.net/women.html

La Roux

Obsessed right now. The music sounds so metallic it feels like you're sucking on a metal-flavored lollipop.

Lovely and Lively

Wow, Blake Lively. She's SO doin it rite. Great look, great shoes, great legs, and great bod -- and she doesn't even look unhealthy! Also, she has a great name. Today is not a great day for adjectives, btw.

P.S. I wonder if this would look as good on someone shorter... er....

Mad Men: Misery Loves Company

Happy Sunday! You know what this means: Mad Men and Next Iron Chef are on TV. You know it's bad when I label the days of the week with what shows I watch (okay, that's only true for Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday). Anyway, in these hard times, Mad Men has found a place in many viewers' television schedules, reflecting the fact that maybe we aren't searching for escapism through musicals and luxe films, but through depressing programming that makes us feel like we aren't the only ones in trouble.

But Bravo believes in escapist television shows, and TLC's almost fetishistic programs about weddings or extremely large families make me sick with how intensely they try to convince its viewers that their lives aren't that bad, you could have 18 kids and be a mermaid girl who has a domineering mother and a rainy wedding day.

With the escapism of today, I'd prefer to watch Mad Men. I'd prefer its temporal removal, beautiful people and unrealistic problems.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/17/opinion/17sat4.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Russell Brand

So, recall my unreasonable celeb-crush on Russell Brand ever since watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall? He's now dating Katy Perry ... although that seems appropriate and almost reassuring. So in conclusion, I think I'm okay with it.

Celeb gossip is allowed when it's relevant to former posts, by the way.

Cut-out and Cropped

This is a cool dress. The chest area is a little intense and it might look better on a smaller-chested person, but still, Halle is rocking the cleavage and the dress. I'd love to see the back of the dress and I might alter the straps, but the body of the dress is gorgeous. I wonder if the sparkle is comprised of sequins or a heavier material.

Apologies for the photo source, but you know how it is some days.

Autotune The UN

Stupid/funny/reflects the time: autotune the news/UN.

Sweaters

I used to work at Rugby. Now that it's getting cold outside, I've been wearing the numerous wool sweaters I was given/purchased during my time there. I can safely say that Rugby makes the most comfortable, versatile and pretty wool sweaters out there. Their merchandise doesn't really change that much from year to year (though the line is only 5 years old, so we'll see if they diversify), so you can pretty much count on their staples with different colors every year, give or take a few patches or elbow pads.

http://rugby.com/shop/item.aspx?productId=3691417&categoryId=3372855&cp=3138869

I also have a Fair Isle mens sweater that I adore. I tend to like the mens items better than the womens--the preppy asshole, punk look somehow works better on guys than girls. Alas, this fall the Rugby designers failed to craft any mens looks that out-cool the womens. In fact, they even have the exact same sweaters they sold last year to moms shopping for their college sophomore sons so they'd look cute but not like they were trying too hard.
AKA this:

http://rugby.com/shop/item.aspx?productId=3757354&categoryId=3372179&cp=3138868

How creative!

Like I said, staples that are warm, comfortable and versatile. I miss the crazy Rugby from its first couple of years, where eyelet bustiers thrived and Skulls and Bones still meant something.

Seniors

My friend's Halloween costume idea for us: Seniors from Dazed and Confused. Seems appropriate. Except I've kind of never seen the movie...

I've discovered

that I really like short, structurally interesting dresses in black or white. Feed me more! I don't think I have any though. But I don't think that's unusual -- that would be a very, very specific purchase and not necessarily the most wearable (or re-wearable) item. Anyway, that's what blogging is for. (Well, for now at least!!!).

Also, I more than a little bit want to be Joan from Mad Men for Halloween. But what would I wear? Mostly, really just want to wear a crazy, improbable wig.


Or being Betty Draper would be fun. These costumes sound time-intensive, though.


Or... I could always just be a mouse... duh.

Masks

Love the feather mask. What a great cover-up for those bad-skin days! Thanks, UO!
Speaking of masks...

I'm going through a huge The Knife/Fever Ray phase.

The creepy vocals and haunting electronic beats that burst out of my horrible Dell speakers somehow resonante with me nowadays, though it's the kind of music that I can't listen to with everyone. I have a knack for Swedish/Norwegian/Danish sounds that can sound ridiculous at times, but I love it anyway.

Hearbeats is The Knife's biggest hit (look it up on hype machine) but here are some stranger ones that fit the masks of the brother-sister duo:

Fever Ray "When I Grow Up" (Fever Ray is the sister in The Knife). Please excuse the absolutely creepy music video and just listen to the music. Same category as Bjork, wouldn't you say?

Grizzly Bear + Beach House

Getting off the Park St. stop, I heard the men who normally sell tix for Sox games hollering "Tix for the Bears! Bears Tix!" While laughing at their nickname for Grizzly Bear, one of those bands that really shouldn't be abbrev'd, I noticed that I was walking with some of the most hipster-y hipsters ever. A sea of flannel, skinny pants, fake glasses and Cosby sweaters suffocated me almost as much as the stench of cigs, PBR and angsty white kids. I forget that I listen to hipster music sometimes.

Anyway, the concert was fine--Beach House opened for GB, which was okay, I guess? Lots of deep woman voice going on there, like Cat Power in its haunting delicacy but with points taken away for just sounding like a hangover. If you were to have a cocktail party for people with indie music taste on a fall eve, this would work.

GB was pretty good--they played their big hits, had pretty neat transitions and fine audience interaction. I like GB. When their album "Veckatimest" came out, I listened to it a couple of times and gave it a thumbs up (see "Cheerleader" and "Southern Point" for some real GB) but it proved difficult to sit through their concert. Perhaps it was the annoying drunk high schoolers who tried to commandeer my friend's seat that took away from the experience. I don't know.

Good intro songs to GB are "Two Weeks" and "While You Wait For The Others"--upbeat rhythm (though the lyrics aren't quite) and digestible vocals and instrumentals. After two hours of contemporaneously deliberate and fragile vocals that echoed out of the theater down Boylston, I had had enough.

Review: GB sounds better live, but isn't the best show in town. Next on my list: Passion Pit, Of Montreal, Crystal Castles and Radiohead. Yethhhhh

http://www.grizzly-bear.net/

And a slightly absurd music video:

Georgina will kill me for this

I'm a fan of Vampire Weekend. Saw them with Georgina in NYC summer 08 in the park and had a blast in the pouring rain. Appreciated the ribbon belts and plucky songs. But their new single doesn't do it for me--I think "M79" and "Bryn" are the bee's knees, but "Horchata" doesn't give me what I'm looking for from a band whose songs all sound pretty much the same. What do you think?

Black

Who says black is boring? Her top is completely sheer, btw. Those are some very strategically placed lapels. Nicely done, Kate.

The only time I like insects (aside from the fact that they feed salmon etc.)

Alexander McQueen's most recent show yesterday in Paris. His Spring 2009 line, I presume? Filled with some of the most fantasmical, eerie, and wearable dresses I've seen all season. Moth-wing prints are SO the next intricate floral pattern. I also liked the continuation of nipped-waists and padded hips. I liked the more intense pattersn, but this is one of the most wearable items I saw. It looks a LOT like the shape of shorter BCBG cocktails dresses from last fall, but more otherworldly as opposed to punky exposed zipper black rose-y.

McQueen:
Oh, and these shoes, nbd:

Genius. It looks like a watering can, not a shoe. Truly transformative clothing.

Model Anja Rubik shows up (with) Mario Testino

ObSESSED with this dress.

Karl Lagerfeld

Ciara. SO FIT.

Girl is looking testy but that dress is HOT. Almost as sick as her calf muscle and the rest of her very well-toned bod.