i've finally pinned down my personal style of late:

Mork & Mindy by day... (yes, both of them)...




...Diane Keaton circa 19woodyallen by night:






hell, probably the both of them, too.

-a.

Robot Rock

My friend, Pat, directed me to this Japanese line of street/urban wear, Phenomenon. Most of it I could do without ... general insane-o patterns and bold color combos. A few things stood out, though ... And I really don't know what's going on with their models. They freaked me out a bit. Some of them looked like the humanoid robots from the anime, Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. Pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.

- s.

Pretty, Dark Things

Another scan from PS. Jewelry these days, like most things, is not subtle or delicate. Jangly gold heavy things with humongous faux gems that dangle like baubles just do not appeal to me. I grow increasingly tired of Alex & Chloe, as well. Their new collection sucks and reeks of blatant francophilic hipster exploitation.

In any case, here are a few pretty pieces by Yoshiko Creation Paris -- I'm generally not fond of skulls in jewelry, but I love the charm below. These understated pieces sort of remind me of the terrible black velveteen ribbons and dresses I would wear to my piano recitals as a kid. Sort of pretty Addams Familyesque.

- s.

The Modern Tomboy

I've always been a tomboy, partly due to the fact that I grew up with two older male cousins for most of my childhood, and partly due to my longstanding dislike of all things stereotypically floofy and feminine. It's only recently that I've come to realize that femininity can be utilized tastefully, but nevertheless, I'm still attracted to styles that harken back to my love of all things tomboyish.

These scans are from a Japanese fashion magazine called "PS (Pretty Style)."


Here, I love the overall English prep school boy look. Good Fall colors: dark green, browns, burgundy. Slightly disheveled but still very clean. Love the key detail of the fleur de lys on the tie.


Perfectly casual and the clothes have just the right amount of looseness. I love the vest and how it complements the long button down. Olive green slacks that are rolled up not too obsessively at the bottom.

What I particularly love about these outfits is that though they are distinctly tomboyish or masculine, they exude soft femininity without pushing the overt womanly envelope of, say, revealing cleavage, buttz, or even legs. These models are covered head to toe in clothing but still manage to look very much like women. Ignore whatever gender dichotomizing connotations those statements may have carried.

G-girl in me says, "Additionally, these half-asian models are really hot."

- s.