Filed under: fall/winter 2009, shopping | Tags: fall/winter 2009, h&m, shopping
I am VERY pleased by the Fall shows this season.
Who knew the recession could actually have some benefits? The tight restrictions on spending seems to have hit even the designers living in their bubbles. As I browsed through stills of each show online, I came to the realization that – gasp! – the clothes were actually somewhat wearable.
I love the wackiness of runway shows, don’t get me wrong – but sometimes I felt like the designers were playing a big prank on us. Who remembers black lipstick last fall? Really, Yves? Really? And I even thought that EVEN THOUGH it was YSL and EVEN THOUGH he’s a legend, people wouldn’t be stupid enough to buy into the trend.
They. Did. Once more, my faith in humanity was shattered.
Black lipstick taking the stage at YSL's Paris show. Props to Kirk McCoy.
Black lipstick was everywhere! Sephora came out with limited edition shades, articles were entitled “How to Wear Black Lipstick and Not Look Like Marilyn Manson.” They even had waitlists for Lancome’s glittery black gloss. The YSL original was there with its own waitlist, users comparing it to “latex for your lips.” To make a long story short, the fashion world ATE IT UP.
Messy makeup at Alexander McQueen. Props to Sweetcat.
But when Alexander McQueen tried to pull the same stunt by smearing red lipstick on the faces of all his models for his show, people gawked. They stared. They tweeted their friends.
Please, Alexander. You must know clown makeup hasn’t been in style since.. well, never. Unless you’re the Joker, who is totally badass.
Only the Joker can pull this off.
There is a point to all of this, however. I just wanted to say I’m glad the overly bright, overly unrealistic designs of the past are finally showing up less and less. I used to find myself buying into the hype and purchasing something, such as a silver lame top blinged out with sequins, feathers, and rhinestones, just because the media said it was hip, only to find that it had gone out of style the next week.
Being in a recession, however, is forcing designers to think straight and put more thought into their collections. In order to keep selling, they have to put out clothes that allow a little more wear during uncertain times.
That said, there’s no need to wear all black. Muted shades of yellow, purple, and red are fine additions to any fashion-conscious individual’s wardrobe, as well as olives, khaki, and cream tones.
Warm olive, American beauty, and purple heart. Props to Pantone.
In other news, my mom treated me to a shopping spree in honor of my fifteenth this Friday! We hit the local H&M and I put on my best snobby attitude for the bitchclerks. (FYI: Unless you’re like me and know a bit of Swedish, the link will be, well, Swedish to you. Pretty pictures are a universal language, however!) I couldn’t help it.
After traipsing in and out of Emporio and Neiman Marcus and Saks in the city (you see what I did there? SAKS in the city? Get it? Oh, why do I bother..) like a queen, the shabby H&M seemed just that – shabby. And ridiculously undersupplied to boot.
About 5 percent of the merch at the Post St. H&M (my heaven – I know everyone in there by name!) in the city was available at this H&M. Where was the DAA line? Where was the extensive line of print skirts?
That aside, there WERE a few cute things I picked up. Two organic tees – one of them featuring Alice on a chessboard (DEF wearing that to Tim Burton’s new flick) and the other adorned with twirling ballet dancers, a gorgeous purple skirt made of some velvety/felt material, a slouchy purple cardigan, a navy blue flapper dress with fringe, a light blue denim-y shirtdress, and two umbrellas – purple and black, both with large white polka dots. All under $150! Rebecca Bloomwood would be proud.
I love these. I LOVE THEM. If I could marry a piece of clothing, I would be in a polygamous relationship with my closet.
Still on my shopping high, I walked around the Row, basking in the wonderful mix of warm SoCal sun and barely-there breeze that San Francisco never quite receives. Hearing the opening strains of “Billie Jean,” I went into Diesel, where it was being played at full blast.
As I flipped through racks and racks of discounted denim, I sang along to the words of the song. The lone salesgirl came by and asked if I needed any help just as the song was coming to an end. I smiled in reply, gave a curt “No,” and left the store, still humming to myself.
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. My mom decided to do some shopping herself, which pretty much always equals sheer boredom. We divided our time between browsing kitchenware at Sur La Table and haggling with the frazzled salesladies at Gucci. Well, my mom haggled. I stood in the corner trying to pretend I was vastly interested in a depressingly ugly hangbag emblazoned with hordes of tiny G’s.
Typical aznmom. Even in upscale boutiques, she still has to try to be the cheapest person in the store.
She did treat me to Pinkberry, though. The prices were ridick. $2.00 for plain frozen yogurt?! The container they served it to me in was smaller than a monkey’s balls on a cold day! And with toppings, it cost $3.50.
Still, I was hungry, and the call of cold froyo was irresistible. And when I bit into the pineapple-and-kiwi delight, I found I would have gladly forked over a tenner for the absolute deliciousness.
All in all, not a bad day, hm? Here’s hoping tomorrow will be even better! Chinatown photoshoot FTW!
- CG
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: aids walk, designers against aids, fashion for a cause, h&m
Five years ago when Vaijayanti Duraphe first heard about AIDS, she and her classmates had questions which often went unanswered in class. She soon grew tired of the monologue and uninformative classroom dialogue, staying blind to the problem of AIDS.
These kids were at a stage in life before they became sexually active, and needed to be properly educated on proper preventative care and how to stay healthy. The education system tended to skirt the issue of AIDS, often only providing minimal information and skipping over many of the problems at hand. As a result, the issue of AIDS was often ignored by children.
Fast forward to the present. H&M, a popular retailer with teenyboppers and older teens alike, announces their involvement with Designers Against AIDS, an organization dedicated to increasing AIDS awareness among impressionable teens.
After hearing about H&M’s cause, Duraphe’s interest in the cause was renewed. “I think that [Designers Against AIDS] is beneficial and a good cause,” she says, even citing suggestions to improve the message teens are recieving. “I think that preventative education should be targeted at poor communities or areas with high birth counts. I’m more aware of AIDS [now].”
Many more teens are also getting with the program after seeing many pop culture icons supporting the cause with their own line of celeb-designed t-shirts, available at H&M. It’s the typical move that advertisers use when they have celebrities and athletes promote their products, only in this case, the celebs in question actually care about AIDS.
“It’s an honor to be asked to take part in this brilliant project. Every little thing that we do as individuals can add up to something that makes a major impact in the fight against HIV. With the purchase of these stylish t-shirts, you can be a part of something that makes a huge difference in this pandemic, while looking super-chic!” said Dita Von Teese in a statement.
Others like Anouck Lepère stress the importance of knowing your status on the AIDS front.”If everybody would get themselves tested once in a while, there wouldn’t be a problem anymore and then everybody can have free sex with each other again – so get yourself tested!” she said for Models Against Aids.
Still others believe H&M is all about reaching out to teens and promote the idea of being safe.
“H&M and Fashion Against AIDS are so important to us because we could never reach so many young people on our own. AIDS is still very much a subject that’s vitally important today. People build their attitude towards their sex lives when they’re very young, so it’s important for them to realize that safe sex is a vital part of that as early as possible,” adds Ninette Murk, the founder of Designers Against AIDS.
For those who want to do more than simply strutting around with a T-shirt, you’re in luck. The city of San Francisco is hosting the 23rd annual AIDS walk July 19. Last year’s AIDS walk was the second-largest and most successful ever, raising nearly $4.5 million, reported Craig Miller, founder and producer of AIDS Walk San Francisco.
So far, an estimated $1.5 million has been raised for AIDS Walk 2009. Those who wish to help are encouraged to sign up as a walker, sponsor a walker, volunteer at the event, and make general donations. Internships and job opportunities are also available through signing up on their site.
AIDS is a big deal. In the US alone, an estimated one million cope with AIDS, 21% going undiagnosed and unaware of their condition. California ranks as the state with the highest amount of new cases each year, totaling at around 4,000. Many of these new cases are caused by “condom fatigue,” an overall ignorance of safe sex messages.
“[AIDS] is dangerous,” concluded Duraphe. “I’m more aware of the cause now, and I hope others will be too.”
For more information on how you can help with AIDS Walk 2009, click here. To learn more about Designers Against AIDS, click here.
- CG
