theasceticlibertine

The Wishlist So Far...

I think I'm growing up.  I went into H&M the other day, just to see what was on hand, and there were exactly two items that I would consider wearing:  a leather shift dress that was really cool, and a split-pleat skirt that looked well-made.  Otherwise everything left me cold.  And Banana Republic was no better; the quality of clothing was so shoddy it might as well have been H&M.  

I find that the three "affordable" retailers that really have me coveting their clothes are J.Crew, Zara, and Uniqlo.  The clothing is well made, using (mostly) natural fibers and fabrics.  Zara has a lot of runway-inspired stuff (some lovely Miu Miu-esque blouses and dresses, and another leather-sleeved coat that I want immediately and must have), as well as just amazing basics like silk blouses and well-tailored jackets.  Lots of jewel tones, lots of deep color.  Some gorgeous fur coats.  I was very impressed:

 

And J.Crew isn't far behind, IMHO.  I love this skirt:

And the slouchy, oversized Merino Boyfriend Sweatshirt in deep turquoise is definitely tempting:

I'm glad fall is gearing up to be about color.  It'll be nice to get out of the grey and black.

As for Uniqlo, the +J collaboration with Jil Sander is seeing its end as of this fall, so I'd love to get at least a couple of pieces before it's over.  I have such a weakness for the color green, and for down jackets in interesting shapes:

And for asymmetry:

I am so excited for fall, but you know, right after we get seemingly endless months of crappy winter, so... it's a tempered excitement.

The Last Mistress

Every once in a while a film comes along that stuns you with the beauty of its costume design.  Movies like this get it so right that even if you normally don't give an eff about fashion, or clothes, or anything related to it, you notice.  I think The Last Mistress is one of those movies.  Of course, costuming buff that I am, I'd notice anyway.  But I seriously think this is one that just knocks it out of the park.  I read an interview with the director, Catherine Breillat (quite a controversial filmmaker; it appears TLM is rather tame compared to the rest of her oeuvre), and she said that she chose the fabrics for the clothing, and that the silver belt I now completely covet was something she picked up at a vintage market (and that she may bring it back in another one of her films).  So the costumes were a labor of love for the director, and it's interesting to me that it's so seamless, because there aren't too many costume designers who would be thrilled about the director taking over most of that role.  But the collaboration between Breillat and her costume designer, Anaïs Romand, really works.  Here are the looks worn by Asia Argento's character, la Vellini, a Spanish courtesan living in Paris (the first featuring the silver belt I can't stop obsessing over):

I love that these first two images represent her Spanish heritage; the outfit above mirroring Goya's Clothed Maja, and the one below giving her a female matador vibe.

When she returns from Morocco, the influence is seen in her clothing:

And finally, her makeshift outfit at the seaside:

And here is another view, with the coat off, so that you can see her arm coverings, the rest of the skirt, and the red boots:

All pictures and screen captures courtesy of the Costume Captures blog.  Check it out--there are a few other movies in there (all gorgeously costumed, natch) and more screencaps from The Last Mistress, including other characters. 

Red is for Rainy

I guess I'm not a proper fashion blogger, since that title assumes that I would post pictures of myself in various outfits, and considering my job and my life, well... that's just not gonna happen.  But I can *tell* you what I wore, and I like today's outfit, even though it's not super exciting save for one tiny detail:  my awesome tights.  I got a super special deal on these Happy Tights in red:  

and I'm wearing them today with:

 

 

and last but not least, utterly boring boots:

 

 

The reason for the boring boots is, alas, practicality (it's raining; they're waterproof).  With this outfit, I'd prefer to have worn these:

 

But they're suede and the rainy weather is staying in NYC today, so I had to trot out in my LaCanadienne rain boots. 

As to why I'm sharing this outfit with you, well... it was a challenge to come up with something that would go with those tights.  In my head I loved them so much, and then when I mentally tried to combine it with something, nothing worked.  The interwebs were also no help--most of the places I looked for inspiration just paired similar tights with a black dress.  Bo-ring.  But I have that great denim skirt (mine is in a bit more of a faded wash than the pic above, and it has zippers instead of button pockets) and I realized it'd go perfectly.  But I was definitely flummoxed on what to wear up top.  The white button-down and grey cardigan go really well with the faded blue of the skirt and the bright red of the tights, so I'm glad my instincts were right.

As to my post on The Last Mistress and its glorious costuming, it'll have to wait since Photobucket wouldn't let me upload the pictures.  But it's on its way. 

The September Issue

Fall is without a doubt my favorite season, for everything.  For clothing, for weather, for holidays--everything.  So when the little present that is the September issue of Vogue--chock full of the new ads for the fall season--landed in my mailbox, I couldn't wait to rip it open and see what's in store.  High fashion trickles down so quickly, especially these days, to more affordable retailers like Zara, H&M and Topshop, so it's good to have an idea of what the season's going to look like, so that you can make your shopping decisions wisely.  If you're anything like me, with a magpie-eye that gets easily distracted by the shiny, then it's even better to know what to buy and what to go back into your closet for.  These were the ads that left me drooling...

 

 

The best for last, since I'm loving Miu Miu's gorgeous ladylike, 40's inspired dresses:

So you SEE...

When I went to Miami earlier this summer, I ended up buying a new pair of shades, and deciding to buy new glasses.  The Rx shades I had been sporting up until then were a prescription behind, and about 7 years old, so it was time.  The regular glasses had a lens half popped out, so it was time for them, too.  (While I'm at it, can I plug my friends at SEE?  I've been going there for glasses for ages and they are always lovely and the frames super affordable, including Rx.  I know Warby Parker is cheaper--and they do donations--but I really have SEE brand loyalty, not gonna lie.)

I love change, I really do.  But it takes getting used to.  And even something as silly (and fun!) as new glasses took some getting used to.  The shades I picked have a masculine, 50's vibe and aren't something I would "normally" wear, or consider my usual style.  But they worked really well with my face, and were different enough that I felt really drawn to them.  As for the regular glasses, those were picked by one of my dearest friends, who had them on her face and as soon as I saw them, it was love.  The saleslady had been trying to get me into these small, rectangular frames that I just didn't like, and considering glasses are something you wear on your face all the time, every day, I knew whatever I picked had to be love.  And so it was.

At first it was super weird because they are a damn sight bigger than my old ones, which were dainty and small.  These new frames are big, but they don't overwhelm my face, and everyone that sees them thinks I am instantly 100% cooler and more interesting than I actually am (kidding!) which is what I was going for, so yay.  Last night a friend who hadn't seen them yet got her first glimpse and she was so funny--she said something along the lines of, "Oh my god!  Those glasses!  They are so sexy.  Oh my god, they're amazing on you.  I kind of want to date you now."  Which is the effect I want to have, but on dudes and not my married girlfriends.  :)

Here is a visual of my new regular glasses: 
I got the ones in the middle, with the blue on the inside.   I can't really describe to you how much I love them.  That's how much.  But the interesting thing is, my brother hated them on sight and said he couldn't get used to me in them and in his typical blunt manner (we are blunt in my family) said, "I think they're too big and in a few years you're going to look back and say what was I thinking." 

So here's the style lesson for you all--as long as I let what he said get to me, I couldn't get used to myself in these glasses.  I felt not like myself, but not in that great way where you feel like a new person, but in that doubting way of "maybe he's right and these are *totally* wrong for me."  And then I said fuck it.  I knew it was love at first sight, I knew that they worked on me, and I loved them, so who cares if he didn't?  And ever since then, I have owned my new glasses and owned my new look and I keep getting reactions like the one my friend gave me, saying my glasses are the coolest thing ever and omg I look awesome and like someone you'd want to get to know, which is the whole point of style, is it not? 

I believe that what we put on our person, on our faces, in our hair, on our feet--that all of it is a form of artistic expression, and a form of personality expression.  Yes, there are days when all I'm wearing is something really boring because I woke up late and couldn't be bothered to think and hadn't shaved my legs so I couldn't wear a short skirt or dress and blah blah.  But when you care about what you put on, even if it's just one item that's special to you, I think you are putting that out in the world to be seen, to be a bit of your personality that people can instantly grasp. 

I love what my new glasses say about me and the type of person I am, and maybe that's why I love them so much.  I would love to show you a picture of me, but I was cyber-stalked a couple of times pretty fiercely, so anonymous is the word for now, possibly ever.  Sorry if that disappoints. 

In another personal-style news, I am probably, 99.9% going to get my hair ombre'd.  If you've read this blog for long, you know my love of ombre in general, so to have it in hair form is just fucking cool.  I read somewhere that it was a trend on its way out, but I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not someone who "follows" trends.  I like what I like and if it happens to be "in," great.  And I'm not saying I'm not influenced by trends, but something not being trendy isn't going to stop me if I really like it.  I've been debating the ombre hair thing, just because I don't have a colorist at the moment and was worried it would be super duper expensive, but I found a good, affordable place that everyone raves about on Yelp, so I'll let you know.  This is an example of what I'd like:

 

Biel can't act, but damn she's got a good colorist.  The effect on her is my favorite.  I would ideally like blue mermaid hair like Claire Barrow, but really can't do it with my job.  Plus my hair is very fine and bleach would kill it.  So ombre highlights it is!  I think the biggest plus is that it's a change, but it's subtle, and can be grown out easily or cut off without having an "awkward phase" replete with roots. 

That's me for now.  I've got another post coming up about the costume design in The Last Mistress, which was amazing.  Expect it sometime this week.