019. MARNI-COVETERS, REJOICE!

I've just been informed by the secret fashion grapevine that just in time for the holiday season, Marni's Virtual Store is going to be holding a sale on all(?) of its Fall/Winter '08 stock. It begins Friday November 30. Yes, that's tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen!

Hopefully some of these items will go on sale...


Marni.com
Is that perfection in a ballet flat? Why yes it is.


Marni.com
I'm very taken by how the bold shiny ribbon-type thing overtakes the muted color of the fabric. This is an excellent festive-yet-understated winter piece!


Marni.com
What can I say, I am a sucker for expensive lingerie. The last pair I bought came to about $200 USD - but the price of this bra already tops the price of that entire set. I can't believe John Galliano is cheaper!


Marni.com
You say bizarre-looking batwing dress that should never be worn in public...I say work of art, and I would wear it for a trip to Starbucks. It would look fantastic next to a pumpkin spice frappuccino!


Marni.com
This necklace combines two of my favorite things: Marni's eccentric granny necklaces, and the feather trend. Who wouldn't want to wear this around her neck, I ask you??

Ah, why'd I have to be notified in advance about this sale? Now I'm on pins and needles until the Marni Online staff get around to putting things on sale, which they always take forever to do!

006. Shades of gray.

Style.com
Fashion news flash: apparently the "it" color for the season is gray. (Another set of hues also rumored to be big this fall: metallics, but I ask you, when have metallics ever not been big? Gold and silver will never go out of style. Duh.)

At first, I was baffled - no, dismayed - by the extensive amount of gray flooding the scene. There were gray dresses, gray shoes, gray scarves, gray handbags en masse. And quite frankly, I freaked. Because gray is not exactly my color. In fact, I don't even consider it to be a color. It's gray, for god's sake. Gray is what you associate with obsolete, ancient black-and-white films. It's the epitome of drabness, even more so than black. Black is sexy. Gray is...well...boring. And it washes you out! I scoffed at the idiocy of the trend.

But I kept on looking. (I couldn't help it; everywhere I went, I saw gray.) And slowly, I began to come around. I began to notice the subtleties of a single color. Gray can be warm or cold, metallic or misty. It has been proven that once you've been subjected to the same thing repetitively for a long period of time, the mind attempts to find variety, to keep itself sane. And so I began to notice the variety that a color I formerly considered so drab could possess.

Here are just a few of the gray gems I've been lusting after recently:
Botkier Bryant Large Hobo
Marni Sleeveless Dress
Diane Von Furstenburg Ungaro Dress in Multi
Morphine Generation Script Hoodie in Night and Knit Vest in Steel
Pedro Garcia Daimi Suede Pumps

The key to working the gray this fall is moderation and contrast: balance gray with more vivid colors, and don't wash yourself out by overdoing either.