Confessions of a Fashion Fanatic: How Sui It Is To Be Loved By You

Confessions of a Fashion Fanatic

The daily chronicle of a fashion-and-beauty obsessed, style-writing, pseudo-Angeleno who made her way from the Great White North to La-La Land -- otherwise known as Los Angeles, California -- and back again. Till the next big city calls out her name, that is.

: Name: Haute Hippie; Location: Everywhere and anywhere

I'm a Vancouverite who moonlighted as an Angeleno. My momma is the best in the entire world, and I'll argue you hoarse on that one. I've been in love only once in my life. The East Coast calls me but the West Coast is in my blood. Social butterflies -- and party animals -- are a great species. Fashion and writing will be the death of me, but what a way to go. Carine Roitfeld is fabulous. I would die a painful death if art, design, photography, fashion, music and dancing did not exist. Always kind of wondered why Smurfette was the only girl in town. I can't draw. Absolutely believe everything happens for a reason. I feel so lucky to have the girlfriends that I do. I'm a total sun baby. Think I might be a workaholic. I may have slight road rage. Ice cream and hockey are religions. I buy too many glossy magazines. Nothing beats someone with a killer sense of humor. Chivalry is really not dead. I'm a victim of minor vertigo and a serious lead foot. Always up for meeting people from paths different than mine and crossing paths with old friends. At the very end of it all, I want to be able to look back and say: Yeah, I sure lived a damn good life.

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Thursday, September 14, 2006

How Sui It Is To Be Loved By You

Oh, Anna Sui.

The Spring/Summer 2007 collection of this free-spirited New York designer nods to the increasing popularity of pirates -- albeit pretty, bohemian ones -- thanks to a series of high-budget blockbusters starring a certain method actor by the name of Johnny Depp.

Her very recent show at New York Fashion Week started off boho enough. Lots of pretty hankerchief-prints in ivory and navy, white eyelets, and off-the-shoulder mini-dresses -- all, of course, accented with horizontal stripe knee socks, ripped footless tights, and hats vaguely resembling pirate chapeaus. The addition of huge flower chokers and bits of lace here and there gave the designs a little Spanish feel -- you almost think the catwalkers might break out into a mini flamenco.

By show's end, there's a lot of black, lace and chunky ebony-hued beaded jewelry (chokers and cuffs). The eventual progression was slighty Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness -- or Hussein Chalayan presentation, minus the uber faux-intellectual pretention.

The verdict? I've always been a fan of Anna Sui. She's forever a hippie cowgirl...and now slash Spaniard pirate. Her creations are fun, flowy and completely fabulous (three very important F's in fashion!). I go ga-ga over her boots (check out the buckled white number playing off the eyelet two piece) every season -- even if it's summer!

My fashionista pals have always touted me a teensy bit bohemian. Ok, a lot.

Anna Sui + Haute Hippie = Friends Forever.

I'm Lovin' it: Dame boutique in Santa Monica. Dana, it's super sweet owner, houses racks and racks of local L.A. designers and a few from the east coast in this warm, feminine, European-style store. The window displays are something to watch religiously (as I do), because those mannequins of Dana's sport new, pretty frocks every week. And look out shoe-mongers -- she now carries fabulous footlines like Dolce Vita. The boutique (about a year and a half old) is getting some great buzz around town -- both Los Angeles Magazine and Daily Candy have written praises about Dame already. I'm obsessed, and so will you!

www.shopdame.com

I'm Over it: Trying to finish the novel Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem. I'm onto bigger and better things, like manic fictional biographies such as A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius (penned by Dave Eggers). Maybe I should stick to tepid roman a clefs by Lauren Weisenberg (the infamous The Devil Wears Prada auteur).

Band of the Day: Oh No! Oh My! from Austin, Texas. Catchy, poppy, indie-type tunes from Greg, Daniel and Joel will keep your iPod hopping. Check out fun track "Jane is Fat". I find any band with exclamation marks in its name is usually pretty good music to the ears.

www.myspace.com/ohnoohmyband