Selfie Sundays, Part One

Allow me to introduce our newest regular posting to the blog: Selfie Sundays! Check out the first installment. 

Hester wears a Huf varsity jacket, vintage Calvin Klein overalls, Akris Turleneck borrowed from Mom, Top-Shop sunnies, and Zara leopard flats. 

I'm wearing a Top Shop slip, Jenni Kayne blazer, vintage Kenneth Jay Lane necklace, and Nine West x Kirna Zabete feather heels. 

Oh, Elvis

Last Saturday, I had nothing but time. When I woke up it was raining in LA: What was the point of getting out of bed? I flipped through the channels and came across an Elvis movie marathon on HBO. People had been buzzing about the "the King" a lot recently, so I decided to to keep watching and see what all the hype was about.  My father has always loved Elvis, but I had never really understood the obsession. 

An hour in and I had fallen head over heels for the Big Hunk o' Love and his guitar. Totally smitten. There's no need to explain his greatness, but finally I could relate to all of the Elvis inspiration around me! 

Everywhere I turned this year, Elvis was providing inspiration for my favorite designers. For Spring 2013, Isabel Marant's collection paid homage to his Hawaiian movies with big floral prints. She also pulled in inspiration from the late part of his career in Vegas with jewel-studded leather. At Opening Ceremony's collection for Pre-Fall 2013, inspiration came from Elvis's other half- Priscilla Presley. They their own version of her wedding dress, (which Hester so kindly photo-shopped me into.) 

So, after my Elvis marathon ended (and the sun was shining and thus I was obligated to get out of bed), I went straight for the big floral print dress from Isabel Marant and my white studded pumps. Just call me the Queen of Rock.

Thank You For Coming

So are you sick of Met Ball pics yet? Red carpets aren't the kind of thing that usually get us going, generally they're either sad or a total snooze fest. However, when it comes to the Met Ball, we have to give a hand to the ladies who play ball, and actually put some effort and thought into DRESSING UP-or dressing down-I love you Madonna! There is nothing we love more than a total look: dress, shoes, jewelry, hair, and makeup. With so many elements to choose from it can often be a train wreck, but when the girl gets it right: ah chills! 

And with so many beauties in  couture creations from our favorite designers we can't help but pay attention. We're giving our opinions and our top picks here.

H&L Badass Bitch Award: ROONEY! We both agree, this girl killed it in Givenchy. Clearly the winner of the night... Not only the host for the ball, but the best dressed hands down- and perfectly appropriate for the occasion. The contrast of the detailed lace with razor sharp tailoring and the zipper hardware is the epitome of subversive glamour. White lace has never look tougher!  And Rooney ROCKED the hair and make up: dark lip with a strong brow: again subversive glamour. I will definitely be copying her segmented pony tail style soon. If this look doesn't give you the chills you need to get your pulse checked.

Lucia's Picks:

GAIA REPOSSI: THIS WAS FANTASTIC! Gaia Repossi always has a knack of choosing very modern, chic and effortless pieces. She hit it out of the park at the Met in this Raf Simmons Dior couture look, all the way down to her choice of shoes. This is definitely furthering my obsession with dresses over pants right now.

TAYLOR TOMASI HILL: LOOOOVED this dress!!! And I Love seeing the designers get their much deserved red-carpet moment. It is a ball honoring design, of course. TTH kept Thom Browne on her arm all night long, they were so darling. He made her a beautiful dress and that spike detail was PERFECT for the night. She really interpreted punk fashion as it should have been interpreted. 

ALEXA CHUNG: ERDEM, ERDEM, ERDEM. This is such a perfect marriage between the dark side of punk with the glamour of fashion. And of course, who doesn't love a midriff panel, sheer sleeves, and see through skirt? This was such a great homage to his Fall 2013 collection, too, and Alexa Chung pulled the look off perfectly.

Hester's Picks:

CARA DELEVINGNE: We're used to seeing Cara in trainers, Bart Simpson T-shirts and beanies, which isn't exactly punk but it's definitely punk-y. This girl was born in 1992. She missed punk music and fashion by a long shot, but she got the look perfectly and she was smokin'. The studded Burberry dress was a good, and appropriate choice that could've been a bit boring if it wasn't for the spot-on styling. The hair, the jewelry, the smoky-eye. She looked liked the cool, young, model that she is.

SJP: All hail the queen. No one loves dressing up and taking risks as much as this met ball vet, and this isn't even the first time she's graced the red carpet in a sky-high headdress. The dress alone isn't exactly punk but the outfit is mix-match and that makes it punk-it's also beautiful. Listen to what Marc Jacobs says about punk fashion coming from wearing mis-matching thrift store finds. And just look at that smile on her face! She's such a star. 

MILEY: A suprise win for me, from the former disney star. I've been feeling this girl recently (just found out Pharrell produced her album!?)She seems to be coming into her own and I think she knows a bit about rebellion. This look shows off her two newest and most fought for assets: Hair and Body. BODY! How bangin' is she in this slinky MJ number!? go her. She's already been on a punk tear and this was her night. (she was one of the only celebs who could answer the "what is your favorite punk song" question on vogue's livestream) she was having a ball and it shows. While I personally would've done the hair in a more directional mohawk, she still pulled it off. She's just being Miley y'all.  

Mean Celine

celine dress, celine bag, black socks, zara leopard loafers, phillip lim coat

Lucy was really the Celine fanatic to begin with. It took me a little longer to get into it. I was loving life in my world of power-clashing, head-to-toe prints, and accessories galore until one day clean lines, strong shapes and the less is more approach, came knocking at my door. Or, perhaps the desire for that kind of minimalism had been growing inside me all along. Hard to say.

My mom and I got this dress at a sample sale and I'm obsessed. I felt immediately chic when I put it on, despite the fact I was standing in a janky-make shift dressing room with terrible light. This dress has become my secret weapon, when I need to look chic. I just put it on, no styling required. I'm not even wearing rings! I guess that's the Celine effect: simplified, so clean, powerful-a little mean.   

photos by the lovely landon : )

oh make me feel good, rock and roll band, I'm your biggest fan, CALIFORNIA

This is an editorial of one of my favorite models,Julia Nobis, shot by Benny Horne for Russh magazine, and I couldn't have come across it at a more perfect time. In exactly one month's time, two of my lifetime dreams are coinciding: FLEETWOOD MAC. CALIFORNIA. with LUCIA! 
California is my dreamland. The promise of singing along with Stevie and the warm Los Angeles sun are basically the only things keeping me alive right now (It's still freezing here.)Fleetwood and California, to me are synonymous. As a kid, I listened to a their music and imagined them in a van driving down the PCH at night on the way to their next show, partying at beach houses and sleeping under the stars. I watched their "Behind the Music" on VH1 everyday after school. I thought, 'One day I will live in California.'    

Since then my gold dust woman way has been eclipsed by my wanna-be punk persona more suited to my gritty NYC lifestyle but it hasn't disappeared. This is how I imagine myself in one month's time, channeling Stevie, and wearing those jewel encrusted Celine berkenstocks- back to they gypsy...that I was. Don't you think so Luc?  

 

Luc, I know you're signing off on this last look. I can't wait to see you ! XOXO

J.Creep

Pants J.Crew, Dieppa Restrepo creepers, madewell blouse, RL cable-knit, silver hermes necklace from my mama that I wear basically every day, and a gold necklace from my dear friend Brandy, the good ole Phillip Lim Coat. 

Do I shop at J.Crew? well umm, yeah, I mean... Not really, but I have about 5 pairs of their "Cafe Capris." The name of that style alone disgusts me, but people are often surprised when I reveal to them that I even go in there. It gives me supreme satisfaction, because it means whatever I'm wearing looks like nothing you see in the store window. It's as if my goal in life is to take an item that was designed and styled to be worn one way-which in the case of these capris would likely be with a pointy pump, aquamarine sweater, a neon belt- and style it in a way that reads as the opposite. I didn't stray far from the J.Crew formula however, in fact I embraced the Jenna Lyons' method with a plaid blouse, collar necklaces and an RL cable-knit. The look is serious and buttoned up but with flair that reminds me of the fabulous men I see strutting in flamboyant 3 pieces suits with brightly colored pocket squares-a little creepy....(kinda like the Prada AW13 psychedelic dandy look, I was so obsessed with) The creepers and the oversize coat are really what toughen it up and completely confuse it. That being said, all the pieces are re-imagined menswear staples: trousers,  brogues, collared shirt, sweater etc. I like the juxtaposition between the layered decadence of the outfit with the gritty grayness of the photos-but to me this was a tough street look.

Also in case you hadn't noticed my mermaid dreads are gone. My new blondie 'do took almost 7 hours to achieve and the process was nerve-racking, but I love it and am so glad I did it-with a ponytail I kinda look like Karl Lagerfeld. It has, however, completely changed my outlook on eyebrows. Never before have I been so concerned with the shape and color of my brows- I darken them like crazy- It's definitely a new look. What do you think?  

Repulse

Palm Equipment shirt, sweater J.Crew, Phillip Lim Coat, Madewell Skirt, Jeffrey Campbell boots, vintage necklace

Sometimes, when getting dressed in the morning, I challenge myself to wear the least worn item in my closet-within reason of course. With the temp still below 50 my palm tree shirt was the clear winner, selected to make its spring debut way in advance. Winterizing a palm tree shirt is like the ultimate oxymoron, a faux-pas and a challenge that tickled me completely and one I could secretly contemplate for the rest of the day. While the obvious winterizing choice would have been all black- jeans and a sweater*- I reached for the most wooly new-england-y item I could find to accompany my silky miami inspired shirt-aka my tan grandma shirt. 

The pairing was repulsive. The two clashed on every level. What really killed me was the mismatched moods of the two: black and white rigid-ness of the bottom with the loosey-goosey flamboyance of the top. Of course I loved it. I couldn't stop staring at the combo in the mirror. In the back of my head I saw modern design spaces that were minimalistic and graphic, and yet wild and gay- a juxtaposition one rarely sees but would never forget. I kept on the crazy train trying to channel these spaces with my look  and added hard edged, borderline leather-daddy shoes and necklace. I told myself it was "Lynchian" and for the whole day I was happy; but then I was obsessed then with finding photos that reflected the weird mix I had envisioned and enlisted help from a friend. It took some digging but I think we found some good ones. 

While I'll probably never wear this outfit again, the palm / grid combination is definitely one I will seek out. I'm dreaming about the shower bottom left...if i can't renovate my bathroom I can at least put plants in it right? My roommates will be thrilled, I'm sure.

Have you tried anything repulsive recently? What do you think of the mix?   
* My other winterizing technique was pinning my collar together to make it a turtleneck. I just started doing it and now I'm obsessed. 

pics by Landon