Separated at birth

I was just watching a corny Agatha Christie flick featuring Jane Birkin and I couldn't help but notice...

Jane and Daria. Twins?

When kawaii is okay

The Japanese singer Kaela is such a chameleon, she pulls off just about any haircut/haircolor imaginable and always looks so adorable.

Who this is

Thanks to Diana at Hot Chocolate and Mint I've been tagged! So loosely following the rules, I'll tell you some random things about me, all style-related of course. (I think this is the first time I'm writing anything vaguely personal on this blog!)

1. To me, being overdressed is a sin. Not that I'm into conforming, but I think style, or stylishness rather, has a lot to do with dressing appropriately and maintaining a certain sensibility. I feel the sexiest when I’m comfortable in my environment--for school that could mean something as simple as my ADD hoodie and CdG Homme Plus backpack.

2. I wear heels most of the time. I love my Nike air rifts and dunks (wooo team NIKE!!) and flipflops and flats and stuff but that's purely for aesthetic reasons. Honestly, heels are the comfier option for me. I run in heels. I play cops and robbers in heels. I'm wearing heels in my room as we speak.

3. I have not yet come across a single female writer whose work I can enjoy or identify with...which is curious considering I am very skeptical of men in general. My favorite authors are Raymond Carver, Haruki Murakami and Denis Johnson.

4. Since 2006, I’ve taken to getting a pair of shoes tailormade for every bag I get. I know it's passe to be matchymatchy and all but I kind of dig the way my youngish appearance counterbalances the austerity of what I wear.

5. I honestly feel people need to stop hating on American celebrities and overrating "french" and "effortless". What is so radically wrong with Paris Hilton--she has her own style, she boozes around town in hot pink with an ugly dog, it's entertaining!--whereas so many of those french it-girls and style-icon-in-the-making-s are just the same thick-browed messy-haired bores in their "vintage chanel" and whatever.

6. An overview of my closet: Comme des Garcons takes up about half of my current wardrobe. The CdG main line is everything that I am, I feel so fresh and nice in it. The rest is a mixture of Helmut Lang from different eras, bits and pieces of Rick O and Ann D that I gultily indulged myself in, an assortment of cashmere sweaters and basics from the Gap and Banana Rep, United Bamboo tailored suits, some Balenciaga denim, lots of lesser known Japa labels and etc. Lately I haven’t been wearing much vintage or second hand, or the kind of loud, fun pieces I used to love as a teenager but I still enjoy picking up quirky euro designers in little boutiques and writing about them here.

7. I'm constantly torn between the desire to look sensible and intelligent, and the desire to wear whatever the hell I want.

8. My style is very androgynous, although funnily enough this didn't occur to me until quite recently. It's not something I'm concious of when I'm shopping, but I do own a lot of unisex and boyish stuff. And I'm always wearing ex-boyfriend tees and cardies to bed.

9. The truth is that until I started ASBTM I had no outlet for thoughts on art and fashion--my friends and I don't share the same passions and besides, a part of me has always held back for fear of sounding like a snob. I still have moments when I feel vain, somehow, for writing about clothes. But I know that starting this blog and reading lots of others has made me think about fashion in ways that I wouldn't have otherwise. Though I still find some aspects of it difficult to put into words, I'm slowly beginning to understand what constitutes my style and why that is. I love that here, I'm allowed to throw around big fashion words like Ghesquiere and Demeulemeester, or ponder just how many lines make up the CdG Universe. And more than anything it's been a relief to discover that there are tons of people out there who, like me, genuinely enjoy fashion and aren't afraid to say so.

I'll be thinking about who to tag...

The things that are out of your clutch

I looooooooove these rectangular leather bags from Dries Van Noten's latest collection.

Back in the day when I was young I'm not a kid anymore

but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again

A young Chloe looking all Vice mag (from The Face, 1997). I've been scrutinizing the 200+ pages of pictures at chloesevigny.com like a madwoman these past few days so there will be more to come!

Most of you probably scroll past youtube links but still

The song is Special by Mew. It's totally worth listening to if you haven't already and the video is lovely...but the reason I'm posting it is because the girl in it has my ideal hair cut (and possibly the hair cut of the moment?). Very very short with bangs swept to the side a la 90s Kate Moss or better yet, Jean Seberg. So hot!




A reminder of the cuteness that was Jean Seberg and her hair

I'm so 2004

I love the skinny silhouette and they'll always be a part of my wardrobe regardless of people declaring them a trend. But right now I am kind of skinnied out what with all the drainpipe jeans and tapered tailored pants I wore through winter. So I'm going to try big bellbottoms and wide denim pants again this season (it's been like 4 years since my last miss sixty flare jean fiasco which I figure is long enough) and I'm totally starting with these awesome destroyed pair by Junya Watanabe. Just looking at this picture makes me want to sit on the lawn in a big straw hat and make flower necklaces.

First born unicorn, hardcore soft porn

Those of you who are lucky enough to be in NY from now til May 3 should head on down to the team gallery to check out Ryan McGinley's latest exhbition I know where the summer goes. Less fortunate people, myself included, can enjoy some of his work on his website. I really like his firework series.

Some velvet morning when i'm straight

One of my favorite scenes in the amazing film Morvern Callar directed by Lynne Ramsay. It really captures the drama of listening to an amazing song in a mediocre setting don't you think...And the soundtrack (Some Velvet Morning by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra) is truly truly killer. I think a large part of the reason why I love this movie so much is because throughout the story the main character played by Samantha Morton listens to a mixtape left to her by her dead boyfriend (a damn shame he killed himself considering he had such good taste). So basically the entire soundtrack is a dead kids' mixtape which makes the film all the more sad and bad and morbid/haunting/emotionally charged. I really recommend it.


1. I Want More - Can
2. Goon Gumpas - Aphex Twin
3. Everything You Is A Balloon - Boards Of Canada
4. Spoon - Can
5. Blue Milk - Stereolab (edit)
6. I'm Sticking With You - The Velvet Underground
7. You Can Fall - Broadcast
8. Gamelan Drumming
9. Cool In The Pool - Holger Czukay
10. Hold Of Death - Lee "Scratch" Perry
11. Some Velvet Morning - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
12. Japanese Cowboy - Ween
13. Fragrance - Holger Czukay
14. Nannou - Aphex Twin

And another scene...be warned it's slightly grotesque but the ever-genius director Lynne Ramsay makes it okay.

Wowza

The coolest collab in the history of highstreet x designer collabs:

Big announcement on the business wire this morning. "Comme des Garçons’ founder and head designer Rei Kawakubo will create this autumn’s guest designer collection at H&M... Rei Kawakubo, famous and admired for her creativity and artistry, will design a women’s and a men’s collection, with some pieces for children too. Accessories and an exclusive unisex fragrance will also be included in the collection...
The world launch of the collection will be at the opening of H&M’s second store in Tokyo, Japan, in the beginning of November. Launch date for other H&M markets will be a few days later."

via highsnobiety

Chandler says: could you BE more techno tribal?

Henrik Vibskov helsinki blanket and t-shirt dress available (but possibly sold-out) at Stand Up Comedy and Tres Bien Shop, respectively.