Bust Magazine Pays Homage to Twin Peaks Style

The boyfriend and I have been gorging ourselves on Twin Peaks episodes over the past few weeks and I am firmly convinced that David Lynch's sexy, moody, quirky show is one of the best things to have ever graced network television. In one of those bizarre occurrences of synchronicity, I discover Bust Magazine's new Aug/Sep issue features a fashion-spread devoted to Twin Peaks at the very moment I am pondering the perfection of Audrey's high-waisted plaid skirt and black-and-white saddle oxfords (see previous post for reference to my purchase of similar black and white lovelies). The show has aged quite well, and the makeup, hair, and wardrobe have an early-90's-meets-the-50's vibe. Sherilyn Fenn (who plays Audrey) and Lara Flynn Boyle (who plays Donna) are both amazing to look at, and Kyle MacLachlan is a dapper, loveable, dark-haired god.

I am so thrilled Bust did this spread -- they are one of the most interesting/provocative/thoughtful/progressive magazines out there as far as I'm concerned, and no one could have done it better. Here is a sneak peak:






BTW, the Aug-Sep issue of Bust is all-around great -- it features several of my favorite style bloggers, including Sally Jane Vintage and Francesca from The Snail and the Cyclops. Check it out!

Run, Don't Walk, to Target... for Oxfords

I am just coming down from an online-buying high that caught me off guard... I was checking on the Target website to see if the new Richard Chai Go International line was on sale yet (there is a black and white tank that I want), and I clicked on the new fall shoes just for the heck of it. Lo and Behold, there are three styles of Oxfords almost identical to ones on my Back-to-School-Must-Buy-List, but for much, much cheaper than I was expecting to pay (Urban Outfitters, ahem). They are on super-sale...seriously...$17.99, $8.99, and $9.99, respectively.

Victoria's Secret Does Vintage?

I'm Always a Sucker for "Vintage-Inspired": I just received a Victoria's Secret catalog addressed to the old tenant (I love that!) and was surprised to see they are going for a new all-around look in their Fall preview collection. The concept and clothes actually caught my eye. In the past, Victoria's Secret has been where I purchase my unmentionables...and not much else. Their clothes always struck me as a bit too I'm-trying-really-hard-to-look-sexy, and that's not really my bag. This new collection is going for a Great Gatsby, Art Deco-inspired look, and some of the pieces are very feminine and lovely. The two particular heel styles below really made me smile -- turquoise satin and pumpkin orange Oxfords. The tops and dresses have interesting little details -- ruffles, layers, sequins, ombre sashes, etc. This stuff could really work for those girly moments...don't you think?


Pleated Bra Top ($88); Multi-strap platform sandal ($78); Silk dress ($118).


Silk tiered babydoll top ($58); Peep-toe oxford ($70); Merino wool embellished tunic sweater ($188).

She's a Dandy, Pt. 2

Here are some practical, fun ways I've found to play around with "menswear." Basically, with a combination of various hats, ties, scarves, and jackets/vests, it's easy to create a look in combination with other basic wardrobe items -- leaving room to make the ensemble as masculine or as feminine as I like. My versions always tend to have a bit of the 70's Patti Smith/Diane Keaton feel to them -- I'm not exactly an elegant Left-Bank-Parisian-Dandy like Louise and Romaine (from Pt. 1), but more of a casual, poor-grad-student-dandy.

"Thank You Sir, May I Have Another?" Dandy:

Hat -gift
Blazer - thrift store
Striped shirt - Old Navy
Tie - vintage
Skirt - Gap
Tights - Target
Shoes - Vintage

"Because the Night Belongs to Lovers" Dandy:

Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters
Tuxedo shirt - thrift store
Tie - H&M
Vest - American Apparel
Pleather leggings - American Apparel
Grey ankle boots - Payless
Adorable black pug named Olive -- farm in Kansas

"Come, Watson, Come, the Game is Afoot" Dandy:

Fedora - Target
Tuxedo Shirt - thrift store
Silk Scarf - gift
Silk-blend slacks - Vera Wang collection for Kohl's
Red-tipped suede platforms - Nine West

She's a Dandy (Pt. I)

Masculine/Feminine: I never belittle the fact that there is still much to be accomplished when it comes to improving gender equality. However, as a person who always tries to see the proverbial glass of life half-full, I often muse over the things that make being a girl seem...well, a whole heck of a lot better than being a guy. One of those things is, of course, fashion. We simply have more choice, more freedom, and generally more encouragement to be creative than men do. I feel grateful that society no longer makes me choose according to assigned gender roles, but rather that I can be an amalgamation of traits that have long been considered either masculine or feminine. Speaking of having the best of both worlds, I've always appreciated a bit of fashion-gender-bending. I find it particularly interesting that ladies seem to be able to take traditional male clothing and accessories and wear them with more style and panache than many of their gentleman counterparts. The famous song lyrics from Annie Get Your Gun come to mind: "Anything you can do, I can do better..."

(The image above left is Radclyffe Hall, lover of men's suits ...and author of the amazing novel, Well of Loneliness, published 1926).

Portrait of a Lady: This picture of the lovely Louise (below, right; from her blog Pandora) reminds me of early 20th century artist Romaine Brooks' self-portrait (1923). Brooks, a lesbian writer and artist during the early part of the 20th century painted portraits of herself and her fashionable friends and acquaintances dressed in men's attire. Like Brooks, many talented female/lesbian/avant-garde artists (particularly in Paris' Left Bank region) began co-opting dandy fashion for themselves. Thanks in part to these talented and provocative women, items such as men's hats, ties, ascots, collared shirts, riding pants, etc. began to slowly trickle into women's mainstream fashion... and continue to do so. Louise creates a sort of Victorian femme fatale with her version of the top hat (view her blog for the full outfit).




(left) Romaine Brooks, Self-Portrait, (1923); (right) Photo originally downloaded by pandora-pandora. blogpsot.com.

Warming up to Menswear: There is something a little seductive about a lady donning menswear, but let's face it, it's damn comfortable too. As I've said before, comfort is at the top of my priority list these days. It wasn't until the past few years, however, that I've actually felt comfortable playing with more androgynous clothing. Hats are a must for me these days, and I've recently warmed up to collared-button-ups (I was traumatized by private school uniforms, so it has taken me a while to recover). I'm also obsessed with Oxfords...but that's a subject fit for an entire post. I think as I've grown older, I've become more comfortable with playing outside of the confines of typically "feminine" clothing, and I like the idea of putting my own touches to menswear and experimenting with the options. I'd love a vintage top hat like Louise's, but they run several hundred dollars on Ebay...gulp. Oh well, I'll have to stick to my cheapie fedoras. Perhaps tomorrow I will play dress-up and see what dandy outfits I can come up with...and snap some photos?


More of Brooks' portraits:

Both by Romaine Brooks. (Left) Una, Lady Troubridge (1924). Peter, A Young English Girl (1923-1924).

Hats off to these ladies:

Vintage ladies donning menswear. Images from flickr.com.

The World's Most Practical (and sexy) Heel?

Hard-Working Shoes: I base my clothing and accessory purchases on a combination of three things: comfort, practicality, and a gut feeling. While the first two considerations seem really boring, hundreds of unworn items and numerous "WTF was I thinking" moments have taught me to be much more vigilante about what I spend my money on. I want my wardrobe to do some serious work for me; I want to be able to wear an item (especially shoes) until they are worn out and I can look at them and say "Thanks...it's been a great run!" OK, if I spend under $25 for a pair of shoes, they are allowed to be a little impractical (for example, my really uncomfortable but very rad neon yellow heels from the 80's), but if they cost more than that, I want some staying power. Because of these qualifications, I have a notoriously difficult relationship with heels -- they have the ability to make almost any outfit "sing," but with so many cute flats out there, I have been harder and harder pressed to find excuses to pull my heels out of the closet.

A Good Buy: So, out of the fear that I might be headed down the path of Birkenstocks and orthopedic shoes, I made it my quest a few weeks ago to find a pair of heels that I would actually want to wear...often. I decided light brown leather sandals would be the most versatile, because they would look great with all of my variously-colored tights and most of my skirts and dresses. They can also be worn more casually (with a pair of great pleated pants), which is a plus in my there's-never-an-excuse-to-dress-up world. In addition, I wanted a heel that was slightly chunky, so the hobble-factor would be cut to a minimum. After much searching and list-making, I found my dream pair on Zappos.com -- a pair of strappy, chunky Seychelles made out of the softest leather...and with the cutest liberty print floral detail on the inside:



These were some of my runner-ups; so hard to choose:

All shoes from Zappos. com. First Row: Frye Amy sling-Back; Nine West Antonela; Nine West Sulliban; Michael Kors Bergen platform Madras; Second row: Frye Gabby buckle-T heel; Ralph Lauren Erin; Matisse Gilligan; Mia Worship.