Ooh La La

So maybe I've had a bit of a frisson with the French for a very long time. There has to be a reason for my slugging through piles and piles of French literature with no academic requirement forcing me to do so. Somehow, though, French brand Ba&sh's line has managed to intensify this crush. The pieces err towards classic but always have an edge, whether it be a bold shot of color or detailing in the seams and folds. They're the designs that you throw on, perhaps adding a pair of shoes in the process, and run out of the house still looking effortlessly cool. There are some girls who feel they need to add a belt or a pair of heels to look "complete," and this line takes that idea, sits on it, and drinks some espresso very calmly. Additionally, the line of handbags? Amazing. They'll put a big dent in your wallet but are unique and add a tough angle to the clothes. My personal favorite? Le Sac Jula:

The catch? The online boutique is entirely in French. On the bright side, at least I'm putting three years that won't even amount to a French minor to good use! Also, keep an eye out for the Euro to dollar conversion, because you don't want to overdraw on your checking account and have your bank forget to tell you while they charge you a ridiculous daily fee.

Last note: do you know what should be illegal? Ordering a pair of beautiful Calvin Klein heels from Gilt Groupe and receiving an email, three weeks later, stating that your order cannot be fulfilled due to an inventory error. It hurts. It hurts a lot.

Monday Morning

Hello lovelies, how was your weekend? Mine was bright, sunny, and a tad chilly - enough to make me climb into to bed at 6:30 on Saturday and nap before catching up on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (catch the flash mob scene in episode four - my roommate and I watched it about eight times).

Fortunately, I was able to steal some time in between reading Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Les Misérables (in French - naturally, my French-English dictionary has been my pillow for the past few days) to come across this pick of the week:

I love the shape of this and how buttons are completely unnecessary. It's perfect for the in-between temperatures of April and May (in Chicago, at least). And the sleeves! Oh, don't even get me started on the sleeves. I would wear this in a heartbeat, barefoot, with a fresh citrus tank and some worn denim shorts. Shoes? Who needs shoes? It's a steamy 55 degrees in Chicago.

Have a wonderful start to the week!

[photo cred to simply photo]

A Death (and a parallel rebound)

Dear Velvet striped cashmere cardigan,
I will always love you. I fear what transatlantic flights and buildings with overenthusiastic central air will feel like without you wrapped snugly around me. The hair on my arms will stand straight up (not flattering, but too true to lie about) and my goosebumps will rival Everest. How could this happen, what with all of the tender loving care that I afforded you? I never let the rain get the chance to harm you, and I always folded you with care. And yet, there is still a vicious and slowly widening tear on the elbow. I will try to salvage you, armed with some white thread and perhaps a big glass of Chianti. But it probably won't work so I must emotionally and mentally prepare myself. We spent many beautiful days together - some layered over one of my James Perse tees, others bolstering the warmth of a green suede Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti jacket, and never once buttoned (I would never do that to you, buttercup). Your cream and seaweed-blue-green-the-best-color-ever stripes matched nearly everything I wore with you, and you made my wrists look delicate. You were light, you were warm, and you were cute. With the addition of glasses, you allowed me to venture into "sexy (but smart!) librarian" territory. We were invincible together! Was it my umbrella that did this to you when you were both tucked safely (or so I thought) in my purse? Was it me? I'm so distraught...




...what? There's a 50% off sale at Lutz & Patmos? New colors? V-neck, mother-of-pearl button, long-sleeved sweaters? RIP old Velvet cardigan love you forever goodbye!

Topshop Versus Uniqlo

While both foreign imports reign within a mere few blocks of one another in the heart of Soho, Uniqlo and Topshop manage to cater to extremely varied clientele. First, Uniqlo. Let's be real - take a peek here and just admit that this is an eerily glorified version of American Apparel. The Broadway store itself is similar, although Uniqlo is cleaner, bigger, and much less of a mass market. Agyness Deyn can vouch for it until she turns blue in the face, but face it: there are only so many ways to reimagine a tank. Nevertheless, Uniqlo is fresh from Japan and boasts colorful basics at a considerably low price point, save for the occasional capsule collection by Alexander Wang and the forthcoming Jil Sander, aptly christened +J. This is cool, Uniqlo. Jil Sander, in particular, fits in with the clean, neat lines of the Uniqlo staples while Mr. Wang has an obvious weakness for simple, well-cut tees, hence the recent creation of T by Alexander Wang. These not only fail to be surprises, but will bring nothing very innovative to the store. The most credit I can offer to Uniqlo is the successful wooing of Sander in the first place, as she's a much more seasoned designer than Wang.

Ahh, but Topshop has Kate Moss, muse to experimental preteens worldwide. Admittedly, when I first stepped into the US flagship on Broome St. and Broadway, I inwardly groaned at the idea of an even trendier H&M (is that even possible?). But to my delight, Topshop happens to be four floors of pure sex. First of all, as a college junior, I'd like to applaud the fact that the store offers a 10% discount with a student ID. ALL OF THE TIME. If that's not an incentive, well just knee me in the heart. Additionally, Topshop not only carries the cheapest basics I've ever seen in my life, but dabbles (and by dabbles, I mean obsesses over) trends as well.
Pour exemple, if you look closely at these shots from the Dior Homme Spring 2010 collection, what do you see?

Cheekbones chiseled out of my stone cold heart? Check! Anything else? WHY YES, THAT IS MESH. And if you think very hard, who oh who would carry mesh pieces? Right, Topshop. I would know because I purchased, for 10% off of its not-very-exorbitant price, a lavender mesh motorcycle jacket. I understand that this sounds rather impractical, but when you consider that the price point, though not without a wide range, is not much higher than that of Uniqlo, this buy makes more sense than buying two tees that I already own.

In addition to the mesh, please note that the cut of the jacket hints at the hit piece that Christophe Decarnin of Balmain created for the label's Fall 2009 show. A happy purple marriage of the current mesh and the tried-and-true cut? I'm down.
Another perk is (hence the shoddy home photo quality) since the only American store is in Soho, if you can hoof it there and find something exclusive within the flagship, you won't have someone else mentioning that they bought the same exact thing online. The jacket, clearly, is not available online.

When you tally up the pros and cons of each store, Topshop is the clear winner as far as variety, price, and good clean fun go. Until we see what Ms. Sander has to offer, Uniqlo won't be a worthwhile stop for a wary shopper in NYC.