Posts tagged ‘rag and bone’
Teenage Dreams
All throughout high school you could find me dressed in flared jeans, oversize sunglasses, and some kind of vintage leather bag. (I wore shirts too, but they’re irrelevant here simply because they were belly-button bearing t-shirts that I stole from my friend’s little brothers.) Not unlike today, I was very much about the accessories — earrings, sunglasses, bracelets, and bags. And while I was content with my handbag selection, there was one bag that haunted my dreams like a lion after you’ve watched it rip it’s lunch to shreds at the zoo (anyone else have this experience? Anyone? Bueller?)
It was a vintage brown pouch with engraved floral detailing that I saw at a thrift store on Haight Street for the whopping sum of $250 — a price well out of range for my 16 year-old self. And so for over a decade my dreams have been haunted. Nights pained with regret, loneliness, and longing. Why hadn’t I just saved up the money and bought the bag? Was it really so necessary that I spend all my allowance on weekly mani/pedis and trips to the Urban Outfitters sale rack? At the time I thought it crucial to my well-being, but in retrospect no. Absolutely not.
As you may have imagined or noticed from the beautiful bag featured in this very post, my dreams have been rescued from torment. My saving grace? Patricia Nash; the creative mastermind behind this Marciano Leather Crossbody with the tooled floral detailing that caught my eye in the midst of my adolescence. (I was a late bloomer, which is funnily coincidental since these tooled blooms were late to joining my life as well. Ha. Get it?)
With a snap closure, interior pocket perfect for things like lipstick, hair ties, and lint, and a very reasonable price of $128, I’d say your dreams have been rescued as well, whether you knew you were having sleepless nights of handbag longing or not.
And with that I’ll just say that I was all too ready to slip back into my high school staples of flared denim and oversize sunglasses, since they really do just look so much better with the proper, vintage-inspired handbag. I skipped on the little boy t-shirt, though knowing my repetitive nature, they could easily find their way back into my wardrobe sooner than I think.
End scene.
Rag & Bone hat | Zara shirt | Textile Elizabeth & James jeans | Isabel Marant heels | Patricia Nash bag | Elizabeth & James sunglasses | 2Bandits & vintage bracelets
// photos by Emily Malan
The Punk Aesthetic
With tonight’s Met Gala and the opening of the new Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibit, I decided to put together a topical punk-inspired outfit for today’s post. When I first approached my closet with the “punk” mindset — Sex Pistols, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and Iggy Pop playing on full blast much to my neighbor’s dismay (the girl who lived in my apartment before me actually got kicked out because she held punk rock shows in my living room) — I was pretty surprised by how easily I put the look together. My initial outfit however was much more like a costume than something I would actually wear. Black jeans, ripped t-shirt, leather jacket, red plaid shirt tied around my waist, spiked bracelets, Doc Martens, thick black eyeliner and oxblood lipstick. It’s not that I didn’t like the outfit, I actually think I looked pretty awesome and hardcore, but I also looked like I was going to punch someone. So, I toned everything down to make it more Sonia appropriate since something tells me you don’t come here to see me dressed up in costumes, and if you do then I must really be letting you down.
I wiped off the lipstick, removed a good half inch of black eyeliner, and took off the red plaid shirt and spiked bracelets. I then added a pile of edgy necklaces and a safety pin cuff since the punks may as well have invented safety pins (fun fact: apparently a man named Walter Hunt invented the safety pin, but Sid Vicious made them cool). I also opted for my go-to black Acne boots instead of the Doc Martens. Even though I wear Docs from time to time, I just felt over the top. Like I was trying too hard. Which is probably what a lot of people think about punks. But that’s also what I kind of love about them. Here are these grungy, angsty kids with an I don’t give a hoot attitude, when actually it takes a really really long time to do a perfectly spiked mohawk. It’s also a serious DIY project to put safety pins all over your jacket — something I started and never finished doing in high school. So really, they give a lot of hoots. More than your average owl.
When I decided on a look that didn’t feel more appropriate for Halloween party than a jaunt around my neighborhood, I met up with Emily to take pics (duh) and she told me I looked pissed off in the photos. That’s the point, I replied. I was getting into character! Upon looking through them later however, I couldn’t help but notice that me looking pissed off also looks like I might throw up on you. But who knows, throwing up on fans could have been a party trick back in the day of hardcore garage bands where bloody noses were souvenirs because you weren’t afraid of a mosh pit.
So really, along with emulating the punk style aesthetic — with maybe too few safety pins — I also could be mimicking an artist’s signature performance trick and I didn’t even have to think about it! I feel so badass. Maybe I’ll go take a walk down St. Mark’s Place.
Schott jacket | Vintage t-shirt | Rag & Bone jeans | Acne boots | Alexander Wang bag | BaubleBar x Honestly WTF, Tom Binns, Pamela Love jewelry | Knockaround sunglasses
// photos by Emily Malan
Albino Canadian Tuxedo
Ok, so we’ve seen the all white look. We’ve seen the all denim look. But put this in your pipe and smoke it ya’ll — an all white denim look with a splash of bleached chambray! Are you freaking out? Cause I’m bursting at the seams and it’s not from fried food intake.
Some of you may be thinking this is complete overkill. Maybe you’re starting to question me as a a source of style inspiration. Or maybe you never regarded me as such in the first place. That’s fine. I hate you. Just kidding. I love you. But let’s get back to deciding whether or not this outfit combination is awesome or flawsome.
First of all, it is a lot of white, I’ll admit that. It’s also a lot of denim, I’ll admit that as well. But with both white and denim being so high on the trend-o-sphere these days, why not combine them as we do so many other of-the-moment things? Like mismatched prints. And computer glasses. And Labradoodles. We’re living in a world of meta, so why not embrace it?
When mixed together, an all white denim look is actually quite liberating — even with the high risk potential of food and/or monthly cycle stains. While you’re getting the crisp chicness of the all white look (like this classy broad), you’re also getting the comfortable durability of denim (like Cool Hand Luke). Can’t you just hear Levi Strauss jumping up and down for joy in his grave?
Is this something I’ll reach for as frequently as I do the standard Canadian tuxedo? Probably not. Mainly because the albino Canadian tuxedo just doesn’t come in as many shades. But that’s neither here nor there. What’s here is that this outfit is refreshing in the way that freshly squeezed orange juice is refreshing after you’ve been drinking Tropicana for several months. What’s there is that I’m dubbing the albino Canadian tuxedo awesome, and that’s worth doing a jig over.
Boom.
Gap jacket | J.Crew shirt | Rag & Bone jeans | JW Anderson heels
// photos by Emily Malan
All in the Coat
I remember when an old friend of mine first moved to New York City. It was the beginning of summer and she couldn’t believe that she could walk around at night without a jacket or sweater. Having lived in New York for four years at that point I’d never really thought of it that way, but yeah…she was right. Though at times unbearably hot throughout the day, there’s something really wonderful about being able to drink frozen margaritas outside at 11pm wearing only a sundress.
Having said all that, there’s also something really horrible about it. Along with the constant sweat, a good portion of my wardrobe has to be stowed away for four to six months. As someone who accumulates jackets like a squirrel collects nuts for winter, it’s slightly heartbreaking to hang up some of my favorite pieces knowing that we won’t be together again for a solid amount of time. And it’s not like we can be pen pals. I mean, the coats are hanging in my closet staring at me. And I’m staring at them. But that’s about as far as the relationship goes between May and September. Now I know what you’re thinking, is she really personifying her coats? And yes, ladies and gentlebeans, yes I am.
I only just acquired this statement making Beetlejuice coat and I hate knowing we have only a few more weeks together before we part ways for the summer. The thing is that I don’t miss coats in the summer – I love not having to worry about lugging around a bulky piece of clothing or hiding it in a bar somewhere while I get my drink on – it’s that a coat, like this one, can turn even the most boring outfits into something totally polished. But this is what I signed up for when I left San Francisco’s static 58 degrees for a city that celebrates all four seasons to their fullest potential. So with that let us prepare to bid au revoir to our outerwear and give a big high five to the season of bare legs and barbecue stain blues.
Asos coat | Vince shirt | Rag & Bone jeans | Manolo Blahnik heels | Vince Camuto clutch
// photos by Emily Malan
The Iconic Trench (and a Giveaway!)
The trench coat is such an iconic piece of clothing. From Audrey Hepburn kissing George Peppard in the rain in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to the flasher most likely getting arrested for his indecency, the trench coat is as important to one’s wardrobe as the little black dress (another Breakfast at Tiffany’s staple) or the white button down (not a flasher’s staple). What is perhaps the best part about trench coats is that they are seasonless. Wear one over a cozy cashmere sweater and a light biker jacket in the winter or atop your floral sundress in the spring and no one is going to second guess your choice of outerwear — including you.
How do I know this? Because trench coats are one of the only options of outerwear that’s sold year round. Unless you’re hitting up places like The Outnet or Yoox you’re likely not going to find a trench on sale, though it’s very easy to find one that’s reasonably priced (like the one I’m wearing right herrrrrr).
But enough about the trench. Let’s discuss what’s really going to get you twinkling on this fine Tuesday. These burgundy Denimocracy jeans are about as comfortable as they come (read: there’s a ton of stretch), and I want you to experience their comfort as well. So, I’m giving away a pair of these butt cupping stretchy lovers to one of your fine specimens. Here’s what you have to do to enter bo benter:
1. Like Denimocracy on Facebook (here)
2. Tell me you liked their Facebook page in the comment section below.
3. Also tell me the superpower you wish you had in the comment section below.
I will announce the winner on Friday! GOOD LUCK CHUCK!
The giveaway is now closed. Thank you all for entering!
Congratulations to Emily! An email is coming your way! Stay tuned for more giveaways soon!
Madewell trench | Ralph Lauren sweater | C. Wonder shirt | Denimocracy jeans | Sperry shoes | Rag & Bone hat | Kenneth Cole clutch
