Balmain Be Mine

Bonjour, Paris Fashion Week.

It began with a bang at Balmain today, where everything was hot, sexy, rock and roll glamour.

Balmain's Christophe Decarnin had the mini dress of all mini dresses last year -- everyone from Carine to Celine was spotted in the one-shouldered frock -- and this year, he's no doubt going to have everyone sliding their plastic for his huge-shouldered jackets (think Balenciaga Spring '08 shoulders but bigger and pointier), tutu skirts, expensive rhinestones and artfully stonewashed denim.

Watch out for the French Vogue girls and Kate Lanphear to turn up in Decarnin's designs in three, two, one...

PS. Double points for having Angela Lindvall walk the runway.



















I'm Lovin' it: Those grey suede booties I spotted at Winner's, of all places, last week. I loved them, which makes it all the more embarrassing to say they're courtesy of Jessica Simpson. But they TOTALLY looked Loeffler Randall.


I'm Over it: Missing out on Religulous yesterday afternoon. Bill Maher, religion and political incorrectness with Larry Charles -- he of Borat the movie fame -- directing? Sounds like a hilarious time to me.







Music of the Day: Kid Carpet. This dude -- nee Ed Patrick -- from Bristol in the UK uses Casio keyboards, samplers, Fisher Price guitars and Tamagotchis (haha) to make electronic music. Check out "I Don't Want To Fall In Love With You". Apparently, I'm not the only one who digs Kid Carpet -- the Kid has toured with Mylo, Arcade Fire and The Go! Team.








* Photos property of style.com, bestival.net, nagornyy.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Happy Friday!!

This news tidbit really made my Friday:

Sacha Baron Cohen wreaked havoc at Milan Fashion Week as his gay Austrian fashion reporter alter ego, Bruno. He showed backstage up at Iceberg, Mariella Burani, Roberto Musso and then at Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, where he actually made it onto the runway, walking with the models. He had security on him like white on rice and had models screaming at him backstage.

This is all, of course, for his new film Bruno: Delicious Journey Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Male.

Hilarious.

Happy Friday, y'all!

xo
Haute Hippie







I'm Lovin' it: The Young and the Banging. Curated by Heron Preston, this book is a collective effort that compiles nearly 200 cool, up-and-coming kids across the creative fields from cities around the world. Marketing consists of setting up galleries to exhibit the book and its contents, with gallery-goers getting their picture take -- yearbook-style -- before entering. Next on the docket from New York is Los Angeles, followed by Paris, Berlin, London, Tokyo and Amsterdam. Bang-a-rang.








I'm Over it: How a nearly 2 am evening last night has rendered me thoroughly fatigued today. Also, that event producer at the Nicole Bridger fashion show last night was a heinous, well, you know. I know you agree with me, Reebs!


Track of the Day: "Family Reunion" by Kid Sister, featuring David Banner. Chi-town's Kid Sister -- nee Melisa Young -- is the girlfriend of Kanye West's tour DJ A-Trak and the real-life sister of Flosstradamus' J2K (Josh Young). She shot to the limelight with her track "Pro Nails", which features West. This song is probably her most commercial-friendly, thanks to an appearance by David Banner, so I expect to hear this on the radio pretty soon, much to my chagrin. But the beauty of "Family Reunion" is that it makes you happy, which is all anyone wants to be on a Friday, right?

Click here to jam.








* Photo property of WWD, rcrdlbl.com, hypebeast.com, youngandbanging.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Laptop Chic

My precious MacBook is having its first birthday at the end of December, and let me tell you, he's been through a lot already.

I'm talking daily blogs, articles, deadlines, constant Facebook checks, switching between screens and, unfortunately, enduring two cracks as the result of a nomadic lifestyle, coffee shop-hopping for free Wi-Fi.

My green Boden bag just won't do anymore since it lacks major padding, so I found something even better: Tom Ford's computer bag.

It's chic and black, with padded compartments to store various accessories, though it won't fit your studded Gucci heels (sorry). The lock is based on the shape of a lighter, too. How very...boy's club of TF.

This is how I imagine my conversation with Tom Ford going down in regard to my laptop:

Me: Hi, Tom. I'd love for you to meet my cracked Mac. Oh, what? Er, yes, that most certainly is a surf decal and that most definitely is sticker that says, "Partypants!" covering said cracks.

Tom: Ew.

So in order to avoid such a nightmare, I should probably make my way down to the nearest Tom Ford store.

And I just might have to take a deep breath, swipe that plastic and know my blogging will be that much better because of it.









I'm Lovin' it: This silk jacket from DSquared2's Spring '09 collection in Milan. In the famous words of Carrie Bradshaw: Hello, lover!







I'm Over it: Where has the day gone?? Is it seriously almost 4 pm already?

I'm Over it, Part Deux: Why, oh why, can't I find three tickets on Craigslist for the upcoming Cut Copy show? The number of "wanted" vs. "available" tickets is like 20 to 1 or something completely ridiculous like that. Scalper time.


Track of the Day: I walked into Urban Outfitters yesterday to see if, by chance, someone returned their BDG jacket -- you know, the one I wanted so badly -- and instead got barraged by a few really great tracks. I did my best to remember the lyrics so I could google them later but, of course, totally forgot them upon exit. So instead, here's the Fiascos Chunkafunk remix of "Breathe You In" by Samantha James. It's a Blenz music special.







And here's the original, too, which is equally good.







* Photos property of sybarites.com, WWD and are used solely for commentary purposes

Another Music Gem From RAC

RAC's Andre Allen Anjos just sent me his remix of Lady Ga Ga's track "Just Dance", featuring Akon and Colby.

Anjos said he tried to do something a bit different with it, so enjoy!







* Photo property of Lady Ga Ga and is used solely for commentary purposes

Give Me Guinness

Daphne Guinness is that beautiful, skunk stripe-coiffed, couture-crazy heiress to the Guinness beer empire.

She stuns her way through social events from London to New York, wearing the very best of Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and towering shoes from companies that make heels for hookers.

Steven Klein, who is hot and fresh off his statement "Black Issue" shoot for Vogue Italia, photographed Guinness for a "Future Couture" supplement that comes with the magazine's new issue. I think the image of her looking very Gwen Stefani-esque with arms crossed wearing a diamante-encrusted eyepatch looks amazing.

So she's not Sasha or Coco, but Daphne sure strikes a pose with the best of them.













I'm Lovin' it: A snippet I read in the latest issue of Wired that GD lent me about how nice, little demure Japanese girls go from eight-hour school or work days to nights wearing french maid, dominatrix and all other kinds of crazy ensembles. Because these double-life ladies have no place to change, COS-Pa is a company that rents out little rooms for $6 for 30 minutes, providing in return a space to switch outfits, put on provided beauty products, check email on Wi-Fi and drink a non-alcoholic beverage. Sneaky. Those Japanese think of everything, don't they?







I'm Over it: My addiction to the new HBO series "True Blood", which centers around the romance between a mortal named Sookie Stackhouse who can hear people's thoughts (Anna Paquin) and a vampire named Bill Compton. Yeah, you read right -- the vamp's name is Bill. Anyway, the ficitonal Louisiana backwater town is just so creepy and, for some reason, I can't tear myself away from the show, which I can imagine a few people might think is actually really terrible. GP, folks. Guilty pleasure.







I'm Over it, Part Deux: I really, really love those Naked and Bolthouse Farms green juices, you know, the ones packed with nutrients and vitamins and veggies and fruits and all that good stuff. But the price of just one bottle?? Yikes, yo.


Music of the Day: Oh. My. God. I have so much good music to post, but one at a time. For now, let's start with anything remixed by CFCF. At the moment, I can't stop myself from playing his version of Sally Shapiro's "Time To Let Go". There isn't a YouTube video of this remix track, so instead check out the CFCF remix of Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." below.







* Photos property of Fashion Week Daily, Vogue Italia and are used solely for commentary purposes

Gather 'Round The Bonfire

NBC's Lipstick Jungle just doesn't have Brooke Shields as protagonist, enviable New York-centric fashion and Candance Bushnell as mastermind, it also has a matching glossy to boot: Bonfire Magazine.

Tomorrow marks the drop date of Bonfire's next issue, featuring the model posse from television show Janice Dickinson's Modeling Agency.

Find out how to find the perfect assistant (should you require one), go back in time to rediscover 80s fashion (hello, neon yellow!), discover the best shop and nosh joints in Chicago and Miami and pick up a few pointers from Bonfire editor-in-chief, Nico Reilly, on how jet-setters pack smart (tip for thought: always, always pack a dress).

And the best thing about this all?

No smoke stench on your clothes from this Bonfire.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Today is one of those days where I've done a lot of wishing for things, like being in San Diego with my parents for the San Diego Chargers vs. New York Jets game (my dad just sent me a picture text of the field).

That isn't happening at any point in this day of mine, and neither is getting any one of the following, but hey, a girl can dream, right?


1. New York graff artist Claw Money was one of 25 guest designers who created a limited-edition My Little Pony for the company's 25th anniversary. She decked hers out in a signature Claw Money silk scarf jackets and gold Nike Vandals -- two pairs for four pony legs, obviously. Can of spray paint is not included, unfortunately, but this My Little Pony is, well, money, nonetheless.






2. Damn, son! Forget about getting a pretty pink bike cruiser for next summer. This 24-karat gold Hutch Prostar BMX bike from Goldstriker. It'll match all my costume jewelry at least.






3. This striped jacket from McGinn. It's like Cabaret, the Godfather and Elizabeth & James all rolled into one.






4. He designed the mega-cool Prada flagship store in New York, and now he's building a freestanding, "swerving", 24-story apartment tower in the same city overlooking Madison Square Park. Rem Koolhaas is one of the greatest modern urban architects of our time. He apparently has a great sense of humor, too, because he laughed when asked how much one of the penthouses goes for in the $120 million building.






5. Ooooooo. Emilie de Ravin, who plays Claire in Lost, showed up to the Emmys last night in this very, very pretty dress from Matthew Williamson. I like.






It's rather necessary to tally up just how much these five items would set me back, even if I actually had the dough to drop on them, but it's definitely more than two months rent.

Yikes. Veuve Clicquot tastes, Pabst budget.



I'm Lovin' it: Rainy Saturday afternoons reading at coffee shops. Just as long as with you're with someone who ends up making a tasty chicken cacciatore pasta dish for dinner with baguettes and red wine, followed by a bowl of Island Farm coconut ice cream (my new favorite flavor). I love food! Oh yes, this Marc by Marc Jacobs outfit is just about as equivalent in the covetable department, only I can't eat any of the latter if I want to fit in the ensemble without Spanx on.







I'm Over it: Thinking of a baby gift to get my roomie's new nephew. I'm just not in baby mode at this point in my life, so I'm pretty sure I'm just afraid to dip a toe in my neighborhood Babies 'R' Us.


Track of the Day: There was this amazing Hed Kandi remix of a familiar song that GD had playing on his iTunes this weekend, but I just completely blanked. I'll have to use my investigative powers -- or my phone dialing powers -- to find out its name for y'all. In the meantime, here's another artist he discovered: Jamie T. Enjoy the Brit's half-rap, half-indie pop track "So Lonely Was The Ballad". The quality is bit low in this video, so I suggest downloading it off iTunes when you can.









* Photos property of style.com, highsnobiety.com, fashionweekdaily.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Color Me Happy

I really love the pops of bright color against more neutral backgrounds in these two pieces I've come across recently -- one is graphic art, the other a photograph.

The first is from a Russian graphic artist named Danil Kryvoruchko.

The second is from Phil Clarke-Hill, who shot shoe-shine boys in Bolivia for an art and social commentary exhibition called "Lustrabotas".








I'm Lovin' it: This shot of photographer Terry Richardson and Barack Obama. Man, Obama is such a rock star.






I'm Over it: Timing. Bad.


Track of the Day: The Teenagers' remix of Vampire Weekend's Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. Listen to it via Hipster Runoff at your leisure.







* Photos property of Kanye West, Phil Clarke-Hill, neumagazine.co.uk and are used solely for commentary purposes

Principles of Pleasure

Are you kidding me??

This rectangular jersey cape with hood and patch pockets in smoky grey from Pleasure Principle is about the hottest thing ever.

Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks it's hot, though, because Oak is all sold clean out of it.

Rats.









I'm Lovin' it: Discovering hole-in-the-wall eateries. Yesterday, GD and I had dinner at a little nondescript place on Davie called El Taco, which neither of us had been to before and where we proceeded to eat the best shrimp and cilantro pesto baked quesadillas with baked beans, Mexican rice and green tomatillo sauce. Yum. This was followed by ice cream from Marble Slab on Denman (bananas foster in a Skor waffle bowl for me, raspberry cheesecake in a Butterfinger waffle cone for him) and a viewing of a gorgeous English Bay sunset (swirls of thin, wispy clouds against a red sky). Long live quesadilla and ice cream combos. I could've done without the sugar coma that followed, though. Oh, the price you pay for good food, good dessert, a good sunset, good company and a few impressively good jokes...







I'm Over it: My new bondage heels sure look great, I can't deny that one. Plus, they're so very comfortable for heels, which -- trust me -- is not something that happens often. So what's the problem, then? The back zippers give me really terrible blisters behind my ankles. Nothing is ever perfect, is it?


Track of the Day: I was all over Passion Pit's track "Sleepyheads" a few weeks ago. I'm still pretty into the song, though it's always super fresh when someone remixes it. This awesome music site I subscribe to called Rcrd Lbl -- which gives out free MP3 downloads -- informed me via e-blast that Landau did something called the "Wake Up" Remix of this track. Good stuff.







* Photos property of oaknyc.com, thephoenix.com, eltaco.ca and are used solely for commentary purposes

PRPS School

I fully intended to write a "Top Ten at New York Fashion Week" blog last week, just as it came to an end on Friday, and then got slammed with work.

Is it too late to write one now? Is it moot now that London Fashion Week has started??

Hmmmm, I think it might.

Instead, I dedicate this post to PRPS denim and a wonderfully strange trend phenomenon called the boyfriend jean.

PRPS, which basically stands for Product With A Purpose, hit it big with the media and fashion circuits after Katie Holmes -- yeah, I know...please don't judge me -- wore her boyfriend-style pair rolled up with flats around NYC.

Because the brand isn't available in my current city of residence, I've subsequently taken my Express skinnies (which, thankfully, are not skintight and get loose after a few wears) and rolled them up, pairing them with both flat gladiators and bondage heels, depending on day, mood and time. Oh, I just love it.

Anyway, PRPS has been selling out mad crazy in Noo Yawk, and I imagine will go that fast in major fashion cities like L.A. and London, too.

But apparently, I won't be able to wear this look anywhere near Prince Street or Union Avenue, since some fashionable New Yorkers are reserving it for...well..."douche-bags".

Heaven forbid.








I'm Lovin' it: The Sea Ray. Thanks to some rubber arm-twisting by Stephanucci, she convinced me to spend a lazy Sunday on board her buddy Robbie's boat, which she has been doing practically all summer. Now I understand why -- Robbie ain't got a dingy, that's for sure. Basically, it's the kind of boat that comes with a boat. The Sea Ray was well-equipped with a BBQ, table and seating in the back, plus a bathroom, lounge area, kitchen and bed downstairs in the galley. It also came with watermelon cubes soaked in blueberry Stoli, more Stoli the cooler, huge grapes from Granville Island, loud tunes, an 8-ball jacket from the 90s and a pair of binoculars, with which we -- me, 'Nucci, Robbie, his girl Janet (who peaced out early, having done herself boating damage on Saturday), Tracey (who is like the live version of Mr. Clean, shiny bald head and all) and Jason (who had the raddest Bruce Lee tee I've ever seen) observed nude sunbathers at Wreck Beach from the water. Ishita and Anita joined in the festivities later on, too.

Needless to say, in the end, there were four: Captain Robbie, Jason, me and 'Nucci, causing a trouble on a Yaletown patio and eventually ending our Sunday fun day of boating near midnight. It was the best Sunday of my entire life, despite the bruise J. gave me by stepping on my right foot with the entire weight of his 6'3 frame.

So guys, can we do it all over again this weekend?!







I'm Over it: Whoa. It's not a wise idea to operate from 6:30 am to 2:08 pm on only an iced americano, a vanilla bean Frapp and a kiwi strawberry smoothie sampler at Blenz. Hungry hippo action happening to me right now.



Track of the Day: "Beast of Burden" by the Rolling Stones. It will now forever remind me of jetting down the ocean on the Sea Ray, singing at the top of my lungs with 'Nucci on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Quite the feat, considering I don't really know the words.







* Photos property of denimblog.com, Google Images and are used solely for commentary purposes