Posts tagged ‘vintage’
Love At First Sight
A lot of people don’t believe in love at first sight. I am not one of these people. Though never with a human (I didn’t even look twice at the boy who wound up being my first boyfriend), I have fallen in love at first sight many times. My heart flutters in virginal excitement almost every time I see a slice of pizza, and I have fallen into deep, immediate love with more pieces of clothing than I can keep track of. However, unlike pizza and even humans, the unstoppable heartbreaking emotion that comes when I see a piece of clothing can almost never be immediately satisfied. More often than not this new love interest is walking down the runway, thus a season ahead of my acquiring schedule, or labeled at a price that would require a loan from the bank in order to obtain (see everything Chanel). But thanks to the beauty of sites like eBay and Copious, and consignment or thrift shops scattered about, finding “the one that got away” (or the one you just couldn’t afford when it was staring you in the face) is actually possible.
One of my favorite ways to kill time between meetings, appointments, or just to avoid doing the thing I’m supposed to be doing, is by dipping my nose into random consignment shops throughout NYC. Not only is such an adventure time consuming (you just can’t go into a thrift store and sift — it’s an archaeological digging process), but the gems you can find are just unbeatable — like that time I scored this Bottega Veneta bag for $25.
While in between a teeth cleaning and my own dermatological stripshow, I decided to lift my spirits (I loathe doctors appointments) with a jaunt through a consignment shop on the Upper East Side. I didn’t go in with the intention of purchasing anything — I get as much thrill from looking at clothes as I do with buying them — until my eyes bulged and my body B-lined like Frankenstein on Speed toward this Dolce & Gabbana tomato skirt.
The skirt is from the designer’s Spring 2012 collection and was originally the cost of a nice studio apartment. When I first saw it on Style.com, I twitched and drooled like I’d just been tasered (my normal “love at first sight” reaction). Joseph’s beard and Veronica’s eyebrows! This skirt wasn’t just for me and my love of vibrant prints! It spoke to my tastebuds and stomach as well! I could hear both my mouth salivating and my stomach grumbling, “Is that an heirloom!?”. But one glance at the hefty price tag not only left me with the reality of never owning such a beauty, but also considering a DIY where I would glue tomatoes onto a white trash bag and dub it couture. We do desperate things when it comes to love, don’t we?
But the stars aligned for me that day, and my beloved tomato skirt wrapped itself around my waist for $150. Some of you may consider this “meant to be”, but I like to think of it as a reward for getting an A+ on flossing from my dentist. Let this be a lesson in never neglecting your gums again, because you just never know when the love of your life will show up.
Malika sweater | Dolce & Gabbana skirt | Proenza Schouler heels | Bottega Veneta bag | Vintage sunglasses
// photos by Emily Malan
Gauchos, Another Sartorial Breakthrough
OK, you’re probably thinking, “Great, here’s Sonia wearing a mish-mosh of prints again. Bring on the lecture on how to mix-and-match.” And perhaps you’re right; maybe my style has become predictable in that I’ve run out of new ways to wear the pieces in my wardrobe, but I’m not ready to surrender to that assessment. So hear me out. Unlike previous posts of me playing textile mixologist (in this exact same shirt no less), I am here to tell you about the Gaucho pant.
Much like Tevas and Mom Jeans (I swear, I’m almost done referring to them on a daily basis), Gaucho pants were one of my favorite pieces to make fun of as a teenager. I don’t know if any of you have seen Never Been Kissed, but Josie Grossie (played by Drew Barrymore) wears the most awkward pair of spandex Gaucho pants that only fueled the ridicule fire from me and my friends.
Much like sporks or skorts, Gaucho pants are basically a cross between capris and matronly, ankle-length skirts. They billow like a flag in a wind storm and will forever receive curious comments like, “Are those pants or a skirt?” — a direct quote from Never Been Kissed and a man at the engagement party I wore them to earlier this year.
The old me would have hated such questioning comments, convinced that someone or everyone was making fun of me. But as it goes with every coming-of-age story involving a lesson learned, my hatred toward Gaucho pants was quickly swayed when I saw this pair of printed silk Tibi pants many moons ago (I got them for Christmas). I first tried wearing them the night of New Year’s Eve, but my friends told me they wouldn’t be seen with me in public and that I’d never get laid in them, let alone get a midnight kiss. (For the record, I wore something slightly revealing and still went home by myself to a bowl of pasta). I have since worn them to almost every festive cocktail party in the past few months — the aforementioned engagement party, my mom’s birthday, and a 7-course dinner party — and know they’re not going to be retired any time soon. These billow babies may not be timeless, but they are certainly seasonless.
You see, not only do they allow for the breathing room of a skirt, but they provide the comfort of pants — very clutch for those of us who have a tendency to sit with our legs apart (I blame this habit on the all girls school education I had through senior year of high school). So basically what I’m saying is that since I’ve now adopted Mom Jeans and Gaucho pants into my wardrobe, I guess Tevas are the next step in my sartorial, coming-of-age breakthrough. Are you with me!? If not then just watch me look like an idiot in the gif below.
Zara blazer | Topshop shirt | Tibi pants | Gucci heels | Vintage earrings | BaubleBar, Vintage & Hermes bracelets | Gorjana rings
// photos by Emily Malan
In the Buff
If we were to play a word association game with the word “nude” a few years ago, I would have immediately jumped to Italian Renaissance and/or grandmas in retirement homes who wear squeaky nude reeboks, are savvy at Bridge, and dye their puff puff hair a lovely shade of lavender grey. Ask me to play the word association game today and I would respond with Tobias Fünke and/or Spring 2013.
Reiss sweater | Armani skirt | J.Crew heels
Speaking to the latter, the naked color made several appearances on the runways last season. In the literal sense, Marc Jacobs stripped his models of pants for his spring runway parade and Pucci’s Peter Dundas was all about visible lady parts. Kimberly Ovitz nixed the whole idea of footwear and had her models doing the barefoot thing on a runway made of clay, however something tells me barefoot in a metropolitan city will only lead to foot fungi that’s just not worth the style statement. And then there were the likes of Jill Stuart, Reed Krakoff, and Katie Gallagher who put the nude hue onto actual garments of clothing, while other designers stuck to nude finger tips and heels.
Pulling inspiration from these runways — as we do — I put together a head-to-toe nude look that sparked a couple of thoughts: 1) I don’t hate it, in fact I feel quite sophisticated. 2) I especially like how each piece blends in with my skin and could really throw people off in a game of strip poker.
Schott jacket | Reiss sweater | Armani skirt | Zara heels
However, should such an excessively monochromatic naked outfit not be your cup of Earl Grey, allow me to introduce the biker jacket — a faithful friend who has only further proven her loyalty in these last few months as she just seems to make every outfit that much better. With a switch into black pumps and a bulky black leather number thrown upon my shoulders, you can’t deny that the previous outfit worthy of an afternoon tea is now more fit for a Happy Hour martini.
Reiss sweater | H&M shorts | J.Crew heels
And if the thought of too much nude in one look still sends you to Heebie Jeebie-ville, then let me just say that my strip poker team and I fully support Never Nudes. Cheers to the season of denim cut offs in public and the new season of Arrested Development on May 26th!
Full disclosure: I don’t know how to play poker, I am not on a strip poker team, and the one time I tried playing that game at a sleepover in 6th grade I called my mom crying and asked her to come pick me up.
// photos by Emily Malan
The Maxi Wins Again
Well isn’t this curious. Back in October when the weather was transitioning from summer to fall, I wrote about the maxi dress being a great transition piece. And now, as the weather switches from winter to spring, I am here again promoting the skirts of a longer length. Only this time, instead of a dress, I’ve hiked up my maxi skirt so that it functions as a moomoo tube dress of sorts.
Now, a couple of things about wearing a maxi skirt as a dress. Unless you are a twigster, this type of silhouette can be uber unflattering. So to combat looking like a tree trunk, I stress the importance of a structured, hip length jacket. This not only adds some dimension to your look and says “hey I actually do have some shape I just chose to wear this snakeskin potato sack,” but also adds to the whole notion that we are in a climatic transition here and certain limbs must still be covered.
And while we’re on the subject of covered limbs, let’s take a moment here to appreciate how maxi length dresses and skirts allow us to go tightsless while still covering the deathly pale color of our legs. I’m honestly shocked you can’t see the brick wall through my kneecaps.
So, while you’re busy covering up your gradually tanning limbs, let your mini-limbs (aka fingers and wrists) take the spotlight with extra bulky accoutrements that allow you to track your tan as the day progresses. Ring tans are the accessory of spring/summer 2013. You heard it here first.
Maje jacket | Michael Kors skirt worn as a dress (on sale!) | Rag & Bone boots | Coach bag | Vintage rings
// photos by Emily Malan
Productive Procrastination
I have a habit of slipping into books. Be it a trash novel, a collection of essays, or a book filled with pretty pictures, I tend to procrastinate on things by telling myself I’m being productive with a book in my hand. Sometimes this “productive procrastination” does nothing for me; see the two weeks I spent reading all four Twilight books. Other times however, this welcomed idle time inspires me, and we all know that inspiration can only lead to productivity.
I’ve been in a bit of a rut with my wardrobe lately. I hate being repetitive, but the comfort of the same pair of jeans, boots, and sweater were starting to become all too appealing. On one of those more frustrating mornings where I stand in a towel with wet hair staring at my closet ready to burst into tears because I have “nothing to wear,” I flopped onto my bed and picked up a book stashed in a pile on my bedside table. The book was Gypset Style, a gift I received a few years ago but hadn’t flipped through since the first time I opened it. An hour later, not only was my hair dry, but I felt like I was as cool as Jade Jagger in all her kaftan and embroidered jacket glory. Reality check: I am nowhere near as cool as her, I was still in my towel, and my closet is a joke in comparison, but the idea lightbulb was there.
With a little help from my relatively new moroccan-inspired jacket, a new light was shed on my closet and I slipped into a pair of old palazzo pants as if they were the latest addition to my wardrobe. It’s not that I hadn’t thought of wearing them, it’s just that I couldn’t get previous palazzo pant outfits out of my head. Just like a chef looks through different cookbooks for new ways to prepare chicken, I look to picture-filled books for new ways to style my palazzos (among other things).
This is me having fun in my pants that are too long.
I can be serious too.
Chin dimples are also a great source of inspiration, just ask Rubens.
And I’m done.
Zara jacket | Vintage camisole | Elizabeth & James pants (these are also awesome) | Coach bag (she’s pretty too) | Proenza Schouler heelz | Ray-Ban sunglasses
