Joe's Edge tee, $48 (This is a guy's shirt, so you'll need to get a smaller size. If you don't want the shirt to be super-tight, then you'll be fine. Thankfully, French Connection carries men's extra-small!!) Beetle flats, $68
So, I pretty much absolutely hate Anthropologie. Before you get in a huff, let me explain myself -- I think they charge entirely too much for pieces that really do not merit it, and on top of that, try to see some VERY hideous things.
Take, for example, these denim gauchos. Let that sink in. DENIM. GAUCHOS. Yuck.
Then there are these throwbacks from the Colonial Period: What in the hell? It's like Daniel Boone crossed with Thomas Jefferson. Readers, when an article of clothing is inspired by two different "Men of the American Frontier," please just say no.
Now, I see where they were trying to go with this, but somewhere they lost the comfy, "boho" inspiration (I'll get into this whole "boho" thing some other time) and moved into Crazy Cat Lady territory:
Thankfully, it's not all this bad. For instance, there's this quirky giraffe dress: It's beautiful, but you'd definitely have to try it on in the store and see how that large print looks on you. Oh, p.s. it's also $498, so you better really like it.
My two absolute favorites are this top (on sale for $64, down from $128) and this skirt ($118): What makes these two worth buying are the details: the clever interwoven ties and ruching on the top, the realistic, almost-photographic quality of the flowers on the skirt and how they fall in an unpredictable pattern (there's also one on the back).
There's also this smock top ($58) and this clever take on a wrap shirt ($48): All in all, my advice is this: If you're going to buy from Anthropologie, just make sure you don't waste your money on (a) ugly or (b) overpriced pieces.
I usually try to keep the prices of the things I feature on this site low, but I just have to tell you how much I love Erotokritos. He's a Greek designer based in Paris, who studied in the U.S. and in Paris. His label is 12 years old (!!), but it's only in the past few months that I've seen his clothing in magazines (British Marie Claire, to be specific -- love that mag!). It's probably some of the most beautiful clothing I've ever seen. There was this one peach colored wool peacoat...*sigh* Alas, I think I threw that issue away. Of course, since this is designer stuff, it's all expensive, but it's all worth seeing.
I love the lace detail on the collar and front of the shirt.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you are), that wonderful time of quiet reflection and restrained chastity known as Spring Break has come and gone for most. If you spent your break on a beach, like I did, you probably noticed some... interesting swimwear choices. Nothing will top the time I went to St. Maarten and saw 80-year-old men prancing around in g-strings. Yecch.
I've been looking at style.com's feature "Spring 2007 Trend Reports," which (obviously) lists all the new trends, but they only talk about clothes. So I figured I'd try to translate their trends into swimwear. This way, when you go to the beach or pool this summer, you won't be stuck in something incredibly outdated (speaking of which, whatever happened to skirtinis?).
Sporty: Style.com pointed out the prevalence of anoraks, racing stripe-adorned track pants and leggings and hoodies on the runway (see: Proenza Schouler), in addition to logo tees and T-shirt dresses. So if you're trying to get that sporty look, go for a bathing suit that has a mesh overlay, or boy short bottoms, one that has a belt on the bottom (think Halle Berry's swimsuit when she was a Bond Girl). This swimsuit by Stella McCartney for Adidas is quite possibly the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. With a daring, yet flattering plunging neckline and that cool mesh overlay, this is something you'd buy to stand out. The best part is, you can actually swim in this -- unlike some other designer swimwear! ($120 at shopadidas.com)
Romantic: The romantic look basically means two things: flowers and ruffles. Now, the last thing most of us need is a big ruffle on our butts or boobs, so I'm just going to skip that one outright. See, this is what I mean. Poor Giselle.Instead, go for something like this bikini from Victoria's Secret. I like how they split the print into three parts. It's far more interesting than an allover print, and gives it a graphic, artsy vibe.
If you're looking for a suit with a softer look, try this one from spiegel.com:
Pinup: Though this pinup look showed up on a lot of runways, they all had high-waisted shorts in common. From the Akris Spring 2007 show: I was able to find a website that had retro swimwear, like this cherry-print one piece: ($68, www.pinupgirlclothing.com)
Eighties: For the 80's look, think Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Remember how Will used to wear like, 4 different neon colors in one outfit? That's where I'm going with this. Check out Christopher Kane's take on the 80's: So, when it comes to swimwear -- think BRIGHT, like this bikini top from L*Space, who are quickly shaping up to be my favorite swimwear brand: ($55, www.everythingbutwater.com).
Space/Futuristic: Go nuts with it, but all I ask is that you avoid swimsuits that make it look like you have light rays coming out of your no-no spot: Instead, pick something like this infamous bodysuit from American Apparel: Consider yourselves warned, though: You cannot wear this in salt water.
Trapeze Artists: As you know, the trapeze is one of the newest shapes that's been seen on everything from dresses to coats. Obviously, this would be pretty hard to do on a bathing suit, so let's just look at some trapeze-shape cover ups. Try this pink fan-print top or the yellow cotton top, both from French Connection: ($88, www.macys.com; $78, www.frenchconnection.com)
And for those of us who like to dream, this Philip Lim dress (it's kind of trapeze-like from the waist down), which you'd have to be crazy to wear as a cover-up: (sold out, www.blaec.com)
Have you heard that Lucite's making a comeback? I guess it's all part of the whole 60's revival thing going on. First, mini dresses, then Lucite, eh? Well, unlike minidresses, everyone can wear Lucite accessories :)
I've seen a lot of Lucite-heeled shoes, which I think is the hottest thing ever. There's one by Marc Jacobs which is a tad...outlandish, and a pair of platforms by Brian Atwood.
Brian Atwood platforms: Hotness, no? I saw them in the March issue of Marie Claire in a silver that looks even better. Look there for the Marc Jacobs shoes also (I couldn't find a picture, sorry).
These Casadei heels managed to make something that's essentially wacky, understated and classy: (couture.zappos.com) This isn't Lucite, but while we're on the topic of crazy accessories:
I would soooooo wear this. I can see it now: an all black outfit (which seems to be my uniform lately), and then BAM! this gorgeous necklace around your neck. Conversely, you could pair it with neon/lime green and just blind everyone in sight. Don't they look like oversized sleigh bells? Too cool, in a weird way.
I hope this post will tide you over till I get back from Jamaica! Have a safe Spring Break, everyone.
