022. Hark, the clearance sales are beginning--

Fall down and weep with joy, my fellow fashionistas - for the winter sales have begun. For all my complaints about recent fashion, even I can't turn down a good sale.

So here are a few low-key fashion picks to check out. Lesser-known designer names whose quality rivals the big name brands who have been sadly lacking in taste as of late.

First up is Tsumori Chisato, whose dresses are oddly reminiscent of ancient tapestries. Yet the frocks are a casual take on modern street style.


ShopBird.com
Next is Iosselliani's Pearl Stacking rings. While this isn't on sale, I just had to include it. What an exquisite panoply of gemstones! $351 at Adele.


Adele.com
And the perfect little party dress, straight from Nanette Lepore at Shoptwigs, casts a modest but flirty shadow at any bash.


Adele.com
More to come soon, I hope!

021. Woe.

Well, I've been trying to think of things to post here. I could do the usual and comment on some new unusual piece of clothing, but this is not the time. The time has come...To Rant.

What is going on with spring fashion? What has happened to good fashion? I got home after finals, eager to flip through the new Vogue and W, and what do I get? Abysmal editorial after abysmal editorial, not that the articles were any better. I can't even begin to describe the mediocrity of the ads. Prada, fie on thee. And Dior, words cannot even begin to describe.


Style.com
Bring back the glory! Bring it back!

020. Chaos in Fashion Paradise.

(Courtesy of MSN)

Just found this on MSN Travel. This is a picture of the Galeries Lafayette in Paris during the holiday season. Now, let's forget for a second that I have no idea how they got that tree into a building (if indeed it is a real tree, not many small trees glued together to form a contiguous whole). Can anyone explain to me how they fit it into that area?

I don't know if any of you are familiar with the Galeries - it is one of the most famous department stores in Europe - but what you are seeing in the picture is the central area where the cosmetic kiosks are situated (I believe you can make out the words "LANVIN" faintly in the bottom left-hand corner). What kiosk(s) have been completely obliterated to make way for this monstrosity of a Christmas decoration? And more importantly, where did they get a ribbon that huge? I am impressed at the extravagant inventiveness of the French!

Well, the one thing I do know is that the Galeries will probably be getting a lot less traffic this year. The exchange rate for the US$ is currently abysmal, so Europeans are getting much of their shopping done in America. I hope the trend reverses itself soon - even last Christmas, when I was in London, I kept seeing flight discounts to NYC emphasizing the benefit of shopping abroad. You know the exchange rate is bad when you still save money with the additional cost of purchasing a plane ticket from London to NYC.