'And we can't stop. And we won't stop'

Out of the 68 million ... 50% disliked. 'What happened to Hannah Montanna?' 'She's changed so much' they all say. Personally, I quite like this new Miley, she's got a lot of character which I didn't care for previously. That is another topic altogether.

What I couldn't help noticing was the complete change of personal style and self expression; the most obvious being her edgy pixie cut. (I was also wondering how heavy that massive teddy bear was ... any takers?) Throughout the video, we see her in various outfits consisting of
1. An all-white-crop-with-leggings
2. A skimpy spaghetti strap overalls ... with a crop
3. An oversized fur coat
4. A barely-there swimsuit with palm trees to cover her parts

It doesn't take someone with 20/20 vision to realise that she wasn't exactly 'clothed'. But (and here's the big BUT), it also doesn't take a fashion editor to realize that what she wore is considered 'on trend' and is the epitome of youth fashion in the 21st century.

Lets dissect!

Outfit 1 fits in the category of 'sports luxe' popularised by Isabel Marant, Phillip Lim 3.1 and Alexander Wang. Styled with some gold accessories and reflective shades, it was on the dot ... street style.
Outfit 2 could literally be bought in any accessible high street or chain store, see Topshop for the crop maybe Solestruck for the shoes.
Outfit 3, well that's what the fuss with thrift shops are all about.
And finally that swimsuit by Minimale Animale in Outfit 4 which could be bought on Nastygal, one of the greatest online shopping sites known to my bookmarked list. True fact: I actually contemplated getting that swimsuit (then decided I couldn't pull it off as well as Miley did).

What I'm saying is that what she wore is essentially what pop culture glorifies and is marketed to average teenagers. For crying out loud, she didn't get her clothes from an adult shop selling stripper wear!

So here's the key question:
Is it her attitude and sexual writhing and ass shaking which is garnering so much hate? Or is it because of her style? Because if it is her style that is supposedly making her a 'slut', then that's a comment on fast fashion itself.

Although I have one criticism Miley ... please don't twerk again.


Shop her style 

1. Minimale Animale Golden Triangle Swimsuit 
2. Stampd LA West Coast Crop Top 
3. EOS lipbalm 
4. Prada Metallic Platform Sandal
5. Stampd LA DOPE swimsuit 

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Abercrombie's a Bitch

Abercrombie's CEO Mike Jeffries recently stated that he wants to 'market to cool, good-looking' people adopting an 'exclusionary' policy to fulfill that ridiculous wish. They have decided to cut all XL and XXL sizes with the largest women's pant size being a 10. Reason: Mike doesn't want so called fat women from wearing his brand because Abercrombie should only target the 'cool kids'. This is what he says,

'We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong, and they can't belong.' 

This is no playground 'you're too ugly to hang out with us' antic. I understand that there are differing opinions about body size and appearance which affects your day to day personal life. However this is imposed by a highly influential and global company, elevating it to another scale of wrong. 

For years, the fashion industry has been receiving backlash for over emphasizing that being skinny and Caucasian equates beauty. More recently, focus has been shifted to feature a wider cross-section of body types and skin types in order to reflect 'real women'. Initiatives such as the Vogue Italia Plus Size editorial spread and the rise of ethnic models (Jessica Gomes, Liu Wen, Chanel Iman) has helped to push a new perception.
However, the above is only portrayal but this issue goes deeper ... this is about policy. You can place a magazine in front of someone's face. They have a CHOICE whether to pay it any attention. But when you put up constraints and rules ... that choice is gone. It's bad enough that Abercrombie only 'hires good looking people' but now Mr Jeffries is taking the option away from people larger than size 10 to shop there. Isn't exclusion what society is trying to deviate from? Racial exclusion ... sexual exclusion ... body image & appearance exclusion. With this controversy, it seems like we progress one step forward only to be pushed 3 strides back.

What makes it worse is this regulation comes from a male. You see it would be easier in calling him a misogynist. We can dismiss all his claims because he's just a frustrated hater. Simple. But he doesn't hate women, in fact he likes them, but only of the skinny and 'beautiful' types. This is a prime example of shaping society on the views of influential men. Men who voice their ridiculous and outdated views (in this case, to exclude those not considered 'cool') and actually getting their wish.

The good thing is, we all have a choice. Many have made the point to ignore, humiliate or criticise. Mine is to laugh at Abercrombie. Because Abercrombie is that bitch in high school with her exclusive 'pretty' club who ends up falling from her high horse and smashing her head along the way. As their deteriorating sales stats show, that's exactly whats happening.

End rant

Say what Mr Scott?

Probably THE most peculiar look out of all of the New York autumn/winter 2013/14 shows. Might even be written down in history ... or maybe never topped again in the future.

I imagine the blue furry monster from Monsters Inc had a baby with a Yo Gabba Gabba creature and that love child is being reincarnated in human form and now roaming the runways of New York (how delightful).
This is open to endless amounts of interpretations so please leave your reactions or thoughts in the comment section. I would really love some clarity as to this 'outfit'.

Although, props to Jeremy Scott for being this daring. I admire your bravery and would be greatly interested to know your concept.

Stay tuned for this coming week. I'll be posting some NYFW highlights (yes, Mr Scott included).

Picture Courtesy: http://www.vogue.co.uk/ 

$300 Paper Bag? Only Jil Sander

I think the first sign of temporary financial insanity is when you realise that your account has been debited $285 because of a brown paper bag. To be fair, it is Jil Sander, and it's COATED paper with STITCHED seams, but at the end of the day, it's still paper (for the price of nearly $300). 

Now I'm not being a massive cynic and shooting down this idea completely. It's different, and entirely wacky in a YOLO sort of way. Unless you're an avid collector of weird fashion paraphernalia or a stylist constantly snapped by street style photographers or just Anna Della Russo, lets just examine the practicality of this 'clutch' first. 

Jil Sander Paper Bag on Menswear F/W 2011/12 Runway

Consider these circumstances

a) You come home with your chic 'clutch' (sans lunch) and after a long day you place it on your kitchen table. You go away for a while and come back to find that your mum/housekeeper/husband/boyfriend has scrunched up the Jil Sander and chucked it in the bin mistaking it for rubbish (can you blame him/her? It is paper after all). $300 covered in moldy rubbish! 

b) You give your little 5 yr old child the 'clutch' to take to school as a lunch box (God forbid). Being young and immature, she doesn't care about the fact that it cost an arm, so upon finishing her lunch she goes to dispose of it in the school playground bin. $300 now covered in moldy communal rubbish that isn't even yours... 

It doesn't take someone with a vivid imagination to visualise those scenarios. So, I've come up with a lightbulb idea. How about we buy a packet of 100 paper lunch bags from the supermarket, master the art of the Jil Sander font and just inscribe it on our 'clutches' everyday!! No one will ever know and you've now developed a talent for designer font handwriting. 

Now if you're still not persuaded to give this trend a miss, HERE is the link to the paper bag. Totally not stopping you from clicking it but judging you inside... just a little.

Picture Source 

http://apair-andaspare.blogspot.com.au

http://www.zarridlife.com