Latest from Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang delivered a predominantly black (nothing wrong with that) fall 2009 collection full of body-conscious rock-chic dresses and staple leggings/skinny pants of varying lengths, including the infamous "biker short" above the knee cut. Now, I know some cool kids have been rocking the "biker shorts" cut for the last few months, but I take my lead from Wang and am only now considering taking the plunge. Back in middle school they were a staple of wardrobe, though usually worn in colors like purple and blue and almost certainly paired with an oversized tee or stripped dress-shirt (think Hannah Anderson catalogue!). Wang gives the style different textures and pairs them with tailored jackets and hardcore boots, creating an edgy but polished look. He continued to play with the skinny black pants, bringing some just below the knee. When leggings first became trendy again a few years ago this was the favored length, and then they got longer and below the knee looked like more of a gym look. Wang gives them a high waist and and adds a belt and simple blouse, and the look works. I also loved the cut-out leggings- I think we can expect to see a lot of cut outs this year. Of course the asymmetrical LBDs were winners too. With everyone from Balmain to Lanvin including a take on them throughout the past few seasons, this look seems to be no fail. I could seriously rock the style every weekend switching it up with ankle boots, statement heels, and cropped jackets. All in all the collection delivered the stylish grunge and glam that I expected from Wang. There was definitely an emphasis on minimalism, and the the economy (hate to bring it up but cant help it) almost certainly has something to do with that. Next up I'm really looking forward to seeing what Balmain puts down the runways...

Australia's Hottest Tradie

Until I moved to Sydney I had never heard the term “tradie.” Australians affectionately use it to refer to guys in trade/blue collar professions, such as carpenters, electricians, and plumbers. Apparently these men are a hot commodity when it comes to boyfriend material, as women in Sydney overwhelmingly prefer them to their white-collar counterparts. In fact, 94% of local, single women surveyed said that they were extremely interested in dating a tradie. These women are tired of high maintenance investment bankers and lawyers (etc), and instead want to love of a down-to-earth man’s man. Tradies are considered more loyal, more traditional, and more family oriented, not to mention they can fix things around the house and look smokin’ without a shirt. I think this phenomenon could partly be attributed to the whole “tall poppy” notion, as Australians pride themselves on turning their nose up at elitism. While in the States I think there is more separation between blue and white-collar, here everybody looks at each other the same when work is over and the pubs are bumping. Anyway, this craze has gotten so extreme that Australia’s RSVP.com (a networking site for finding love) has a section devoted just to finding single tradies to date. The website recently went the extra mile and ran a competition to find Australia’s Hottest Tradie, and the results are apparently in. I would call the whole thing pretty exploitative, but those dudes look really into the photo shoots! Anyway, in this economic climate these are the guys with the stable jobs, so they have more of a reason to smile than most bankers...

Delayed reaction: 2threads Awards

Click here to check out me presenting at the 2threads fashion awards from about two months ago.

Reverse psychology?

Some of you thought yesterday's video post was a bit insensitive, so here is a more light-hearted web video for those needing some uplifting. Click here to watch.

Amazing hissyfit

This camera-phone video of a woman losing the plot after missing her flight in Hong Kong is hilarious! Click here to watch!

Girl crushes

Just taking a moment to highlight some girls who have been getting it right lately. Whether this can be attributed to their great taste or great genetics, they are just plain enviable.

In my mind Diane Kruger can do no wrong. I think her taste is impeccable (she dates Pacey!!), and I have literally never seen her make a fashion mistake. She loves classic looks with slight twists, a la this floral Nina Rocci look and this sophisticated yet youthful Chanel suit. Also, Diane is in her mid-thirties (same age as Kate Moss) and her skin and body look flawless. Girl crush.


Speaking of girl crushes, I think Bar Rafaeli might be the one. I sat next to her on the subway once, and I remember being struck by the combination of her exotic her Israeli accent and gorgeous face (without a stick of makeup). Girl has been everywhere promoting her Sports Illustrated cover, and while she doesn't dress super interesting, she doesn't need to cause her perfect tan, aqua eyes, subtle freckles, and sick curves speak volumes.

Not only have the Sports Illustrated crew been promoting tirelessly this week, but the Victoria's Secret Angels have been hosting a bunch of events too. Adriana Lima and Doutzen Krous hosted an event at the Bowery Hotel last night and I thought Isabeli Fontana looked amazing. This is an outfit that I would love to wear out to dinner and drinks on a Saturday night, although her legs are part of what makes the look so hot. The icing on the cake is fringed Balmain boots- I need a pair!

If we are going to talk about flawless girls I have to mention my thing for Lily Donaldson. I think her face might actually fit the exact scientific characteristics that define beauty. Usually we see her styled to the max in magazine and on runways, but here she is at a AmFar/Fashion Week party last night looking so gorgeous in an evening gown, and two others of her perfectly thrown together M.O.D looks (Model Off Duty).



Ok secretly, I want to give some credit to Whitney...yes, Whitney Port from The Hills and now from The City. Obviously both shows are worse than bad, with hardly anything more than preplanned conversations, head tilts, and blinking happening in each episode. I think we can all agree though that Whitney always looks super cute, and ever since she moved to New York she has only gotten cuter! I'll confess that I have been downloading and watching each new epp weekly, and am finding that it is Whitney's outfits that keep me coming back for more. Here are two wintery street snaps of her walking around Manhattan. Not sure what is going on with those leggings (sparkles?), but I like. And the leopard print coat reminds me both of Kate Moss and of my cousin Hilary (who has been rocking a similar one for a decade).


That's all for now!

Deep thoughts: my boyfriend reads Vogue

So I am sitting on the couch with Mario, and when he isn't pulling for Federer (loudly) as we watch the Australian Open, he is flipping intently through the February issue of Vogue with Daria Werbowy on the cover. Here are his insights:

*"This is the hottest outfit I've ever seen!" - in reference to this look from Balmain's latest collection. I'm impressed with his taste- would of thought he'd make a comment like that about a look with a lot more exposed skin.

*He is apparently stoked on the latest Gucci collection, which is full of tropical-meets-urban safari looks with punchy prints and colors.

*Like any rational man or woman, he also commented on Daria's extraordinary beauty. She wasn't wearing a stitch of makeup (well at least that's what we are supposed to believe) in the shots taken in her perfectly messy bohemian apartment in Manhattan. Hatred!

*"Stella McCartney is pretty hot for a fasion designer. I thought they were all old gay men?" McCartney opens up about motherhood and childhood in the feature.

And then just when I thought we were really having a fashion moment (he was really into the mag), he said, "Models are my favourite kinds of women." Digress.

Ooo lala, some non-Obama related pics from the week

Brangelina having a grey old time at the Paris premiere of Benjamin Button:

Baby got back! And baby just had a baby. Dear God, if I ever have a baby please can I look like that just a few months later? Can I look like that anyway? Allesandra Ambrosia frolicks during a photoshoot in St Barths:

Bobby "White Woman" Trendy caught the attention of the paps on Robertson Blvd the other day:And then a few days before snapped in his "workout" clothes:

"I used to be Vietnamese. But now I am a white woman," said Mr. Trendy, adjusting his diamond-encrusted lady’s Chanel watch. "A very rich, very beautiful white woman." -- Exerpt from Simon Doonan's hysterical profile of Mr. Trendy from back by 2002.

Inauguration snaps

Michelle O rocks a lime green (although I've heard it being called yellow) dress by Cuban American designer Isabel Toledo. Thoughts? I love the bold choice and think she looks elegant, funky, and every bit the First Lady. She paired the dress with green patent leather Jimmy Choos and green leather J Crew gloves.
No biggie, just a few snap shots of Daddy's big day
Jay Z and Beyonce staying warm while keeping cool
What do you think Ted Kennedy is saying to Sasha??
Kinda looks like she is giving Bush the finger...


Mexico City:
Times Square:
Michelle O looked beautiful in a shimmering one shoulder dress designed by Jason Wu. The couple danced to Beyonce's rendition of Etta James classic "At Last." Click to watch.Bye bye, Bush!

January 20, 2009

Screenshot from my TV:As a child when I would tell people I am from Washington, DC they would always ask, “Do you know the President?” or, “Is your dad a senator?” The answer to both is NO. I just happened to grow up in a capital city, in a neighborhood called Capitol Hill, on East Capitol Street, a stone’s throw from the actual Capitol building (if you continue down from my house five blocks you’d be find yourself at the steps of the building itself). You get the idea. Anyway, despite being amongst all the action (I can look out my window and know if Congress is in session based on the lights on the top of the Capitol building), I never involved myself in any of the politics. I didn’t feel special, and my city didn’t feel any more important than any other city. My family knows a few influential people, and we discuss issues at the dinner table like any other New York Times reading family, but that is about the extent of it. And even though there are important events in our city all the time, and top-secret conversations between head politicians every day…I’m usually just not that enthused.

But as I sit here watching CNN alone in my Sydney apartment looking at a screen shot that could have been taken from my doorstep, I am so jealous of the thousands of people that are already rallying around the Capitol like March of the Penguins (it is 20 degrees F)!!! The coolest, most exciting, historical, energetic political (or other) event to happen in my city (in my COUNTRY) in my lifetime, and I’m not there to be a part of it! Damnit.

The city has this buzz on big days like inaugurations, even the Fourth of July, football games. I still remember watching people walk proudly past my house all day during the Million Man March. Even the hideous anti-abortion rallies bring a certain energy (albeit a negative one). BUT THIS. This is by far the most exciting event my city has hosted, at least in my life time- and maybe since Martin Luther King’s speech in 1963. I can only imagine the vibe in the crowd of thousands of freezing people standing in the early morning glow of the Capitol building.

Guess I’ll just have to accept the fact that when my grandkids ask me, “Where were you when Barack Obama was elected President” and “Where were you when Barack Obama delivered his inauguration speech on January 20, 2009?” I’ll have to say, “I was in Sydney.” Yes, that is my reality. But you know what? THere is something kind of fun about coming home from work and turning on the TV to watch my city LIVE from about 3am (DC time) as it fills up with people. Watching the sun come up over Capital and the throngs of people surrounding it was actually quite awe-inspiring. Even though I'm not there in the thick of it, it will surely be memorable watching from my apartment in the southern hemisphere. Better go to sleep now so I don't fall into a CNN trance. It'll be 4am Sydney time, and I'll be glued to my TV...