Samantha Morton is so new years chic

Enjoy your night, everyone!

Forever never seems that long until your grown

Hello, I'm back.
God I hate winter. The holiday spirit, the anticipation of clearance sales, my birthday only two nights before Christmas... all of these combined expands my shopping list to such ridiculous proportions that I feel like I spend every winter break endlessly obsessing over stuff I want.
Like this:


The Tres Fluo leather bag modeled after the plastic shopping bag, by German furniture designer duo, Fluo. And lots of this:


Rick Owens Lilies. Nothing is better than soft and fitted but drapey and perfect Rick Owens jersey in the winter. And also these:

Sturdy, overtheknee boots by Veronique Branquinho. And others, like
-a Helmut Lang blouson (leather if I can afford it, jersey if not)
-a good black coat
-CdG Homme Plus backpack (to go with this awesome black nylon Norma Kamali dress I bought the other day.)
And the list goes on forever.

What's on your list this season?

Looks so good makes a grown (wo)man cry

Way to go Liberty of London.

what's the story sasha?

I rediscovered these ads from an old prada campaign and I’m obsessed with the eerie atmosphere, the tension... It’s all so sexy and Chinese-gangster-flick-chic (I get the impression that this "story" is set somewhere in downtown Shanghai but maybe that's just me) American Apparel needs to get over lame and start making some satin spandex headbands!

Totally belongs inside moomin papa's bedroom

Hot hot heat

Today as I was walking through busy, illuminated streets wrapped up in a woolly coat and scarf, I thought about summer
Those sweltering nights we spent up on the roof watching the fireworks, the feel of hot concrete and warm sand between my toes, lying with the cat in our favorite square patch of sunshine, midnight trips to the store for ice cream...loose skirts swaying, wind chimes tinkling, shoulders burning, ice cubes clicking...flip flops squeaking, Bebel Gilberto singing
Oh man I miss it all

Illustration by Linda Zacks

I'm an imperfectionist

I’m a sucker for imperfection. Messy handwriting, bedhair, cracked nailpolish, off-beat tunes...There’s nothing more perfect than a bit of imperfection done right. Like Haruki Murakami says of Schubert's music, “A dense, artistic kind of imperfection stimulates your consciousness, keeps you alert. If I listen to some utterly perfect performance of an utterly perfect piece while I’m driving, I might want to close my eyes and die right then and there. But listening to the D major, I can feel the limits of what humans are capable of—that a certain type of perfection can only be realized through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect. And personally, I find that encouraging.”

For me the idea applies to many things, not least of them being fashion. As beautiful as those big name fashion editors are, decked out in the latest Balenciaga and Chanel, I prefer fashion that’s a bit more down-to-earth and personal, fashion with a bit more character.
So even though I was tempted to replace my vintage leather jacket with something more hip and "designer" when the shoulder seams ripped last week (the fit is beautifully snug), I decided against it in the end and sent it to the tailors. Not because getting it repaired would be cheaper but because there's something so perfectly imperfect about a little Japanese girl wearing an old motorcycle jacket with the name “Stefan Scheer” hand sewn inside.

So much cooler than wayfarers

Grey Ant sunnies from Scout.

I don't know what

I wouldn't mind being transported into one of Jim Jarmusch’s early films. His characters all have this certain je ne sais quoi...an eerie and awkward charm maybe, that seems so very stylish when combined with the director's fantastic camerawork and deep blues-y soundtracks. Take Jarmusch’s most favored actor (and composer) John Lurie for example—he isn’t particularly attractive what with his strange nose and bizarre pout, and yet he emanates this cool vibe just by the way he cocks his head and walks with his jacket slung over his shoulder. It’s fabulous.

John Lurie in Stranger than Paradise





Chris Parker in Permanent Vacation


Masatoshi Nagase and Yuki Kudo in Mystery Train

And my favorite three--Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Benigni in Down by Law

hey

Yay or nay?I found these on a tacky little web shop selling imported hosiery from the US and I think they're kind of awesome but perhaps I've lost my mind?

this clutch was made for mountain-climbing

Most of the bags I own are large and practical leather totes with no embellishments or hardware but what with the recent clutch-hype, I ended up purchasing a little Junya Watanabe purse with sporty nylon details on calf leather, pressed to resemble crocodile. I like it.

how luxury works

You roll out of bed in your drop crotch sweats, throw on a $2,000 coat, and you're good to go.

photo cred: the sartorialist

i like big bookshelves and i cannot lie

The other day I got a voluminous skirt with interesting origami-type folds by Marjan Pejoski, which reminded me of this pejoski ad campaign. Back in the day (2005ish?) I would play electrojazz and give my room random makeovers, taking inspiration from this picture. I'm not exactly sure why I liked it so much but I'm guessing it had something to do with the whole pseudo-intellectual/ethnic/jesus-lovin vibe. Call me weird but this is how I developed a love for big messy bookshelves and wooden-framed postcards.
Eyecandy for freeeks like mee, found on bored&beautiful.

tribute to a mystery fashionista

There's one diary on MSD that constantly stuns me with its outstanding originality and style. Forget all those Hollywood starlets with undeserved style icon status--Kokopuff really, seriously knows how to dress. I mean, if I happened to spot a girl on the street in any one of the following outfits, I swear I would just stop and gape and break into crazed applause. Kokopuff's wardrobe accomodates a huge range of different designers (from Dolce and Gabbana to Rick Owens to Karoo) and she isn’t afraid to mix them up and take some risks.
How she manages to work difficult tops with such versatility is beyond me. (I actually own the same sheer Comme des Garcons top with cream appliqués, but I can assure you that Kokopuff wears hers 300000times better than I do mine. )
Her collection of boots is literally "to die for"—ankle, over-the-knee, and hooded—they’re all fantastic.
And I am so jealous that she owns a Fluo bag. I've been searching for this bag in Tokyo for god knows how long...
In conclusion, I am endlessly inspired by this girl.

small for a change

The New York Times Style Magazine thinks clutch bags are making a big comeback. Of course, little purses are nothing new (back in highschool I’d pair 3dollar granny clutches with crumby old tees and feel like a million bucks--oh the shame) but after the long-continued body bag trend, smaller-sized bags suddenly seem quite refreshing and nice. They're not the most practical option, and as a student I love my wide and roomy leather totes, but there's something about carrying a tiny purse that just screams effortless cool. For a while now, I've been obsessed with the idea of sporting a voluminous sculptural coat or jacket with a teeny tiny clutch. So yes NYTimes, I am definitely feelin you. Personally I dig hard box-type clutches (leather or metallic) like the ones from Jil Sander SS07 or the one this girl from facehunter has so perfectly paired with her vest.But vintage inspired ones are pretty too.

my latest obsession

Black lipstick. As I've mentioned before, I'm quite experimental when it comes to makeup and I particularly enjoy playing around with lip color. I've tried all kinds of reds, hot pinks and wine purples in the past, and this season I've been wearing dark chocolate browns...so now I'm ready to move onto something more extreme. Black lipstick is such a cool way to add a bit of drama and a touch of badass to a simple outfit dontcha think? Wearing it probably isn't half as difficult as it seems-- I'll take inspiration from Zucca's ss07 catwalk and work it with sheer materials and loose silhouettes in black and white. I loved loved loved this particular collection by Zucca by the way--you should totally check it out. Aren't those ankleboot/buckle-down sandals something?

chop chop

I've been seriously considering getting a short-do in manner of Jean Seberg in A Bout de Souffle or Kate Moss circa 95--you know, something along the lines of a pixie cut, as I am growing tired of the bore that is my current shoulder-length hair. If I were fifteen I would have done it already (in fact I did have a pixie cut up until I was eighteen, it was a bitch to grow out I'll tell ya) but oohh this girl I found on bored&beautiful who kinda sorta reminds me of antm's kim is really inspiring me to just go and hack it all off again.

so fresh and so clean clean

I love big hoods. Most of the hooded garments I own are in black or grey, so this white vest by Helmut Lang is stunning and refreshing and just... ohhhhhmmm. I would gladly wear the entire ensemble on a cool summer night (orthopedic granny shoes included of course)--I'd pull the hood way over my eyes, shove my hands in the pockets and skip around Shibuya listening to 2pac's Fucking With the Wrong Nigga--classic.

haidee findlay levin

As far as I know she's a stylist and writer for hintmag. I saw her for the first time on thesartorialist and since then I've recognized her on various street style sites including facehunter and style.com's event pages. It's hard to forget her as she's always in her signature frames and orange lipstick-- for some reason, I am intrigued when a woman has a uniform style, or dresses according to a single, strict theme. (My own wardrobe is quite themed--possibly more so than most girls my age, but I do have moments when I just want to chuck everything out and start over again...) Judging from the photos I've seen, it seems she favors Dries, Marni, Comme des Garcons and Martin Margiela.