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Our first item is a
simply cut, sleeveless tweed dress, with a v-neck. The fabric is a
pink/orange/red mix that is more specifically 63% silk, 26%
rayon, and 11% linen. It's one eye-catching little number. $138.00. |
There is this fantastic
gray-brown color that has been appearing lately. It goes perfect with
orange, pink, blue, and black. I sense in it great potential, its
reading is higher than I've ever seen before. Could it be the one
to fulfill the prophecy? Could it be the season's "new
black"? I think so! And this particular skirt in the
aforementioned color is a perfect specimen. It's made of a textured
fabric -- 70% rayon and 30% wool. It ends at about
knee-length, and has two pockets in front that are very well
hidden. $78.00. |
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My next pick is this
100% silk dress in a crazy patterned fabric of beige dots creating crazy patterns of swirls. The dress itself is soft and light, but
the dots give a certain mathematical or scientific quality that
balances out the organic nature of the cut and the texture of the
fabric. $138.00. |
| Ah yes, now we have the
bag. Yet another one from Ann Taylor, who just keeps coming
out with great bags. This one in particular has shorter
straps. It's a great outlet for the possessive streak in everyone
(my "better a bag than a boyfriend" theory) because you automatically
hug it close to your body. It's made of black leather with a
scrunchie drawstring thing that echoes the sporty-chic wave of last
year. The fact that it's made of leather, however, leaves a lot of
the extreme sportyness behind. $78.00. |
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Lastly from Ann Taylor
is what I like to call the ugly shoe. Like Saabs and bulldogs,
they're so ugly that they are just so cool. It's an inexplicable
thing. I mean, they are obviously styled in reference to old lady
sandals, but revamped for hot young ladies (or hot old ladies, or
hot in-the-middle ladies -- I don't wish to limit anyone). I've been
searching for shoes like these, and now they're here! In an odd
color no less (it's a black/sliver/gray color). There are teeny
holes all over, a la Dr. Scholl's, and have cute ankle straps too.
Just be prepared for all the "Did you steal those from your
GRANDMA??" remarks. $88.00. |
| BANANA
REPUBLIC |
My first pick from BR
is this butter- colored raincoat. And it's the softest raincoat I've
ever felt. Wanna know why it's so soft? Because it's 100% cotton,
but with a polyurethane coating. All hail the wonders of
technology! It does look a bit "lab technician" in that it
stops below the
knee and zips up all nice and neat. No mess, no stress, I guess.
$188.00.
With them are these pants from
BR's Stretch collection (they're made of 51% cotton, 41% nylon , and
8% polyester). They have a front zip, no pockets, and are shorter in
length, bordering the clam digger length. In the back, there are
zippers to open up to mid calf (a great way to show off cool boots).
Comes in black, navy, gray-brown, stone, and khaki. $78.00. |
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This next piece is also
showing echoes of the utility trend, but does it so
quietly. It's a black mesh, long-sleeved top with a deep
v-neck, and those drawstring thingies on the sides. Now, since
the mesh fabric is made of 88% rayon, and 17% nylon, it looks pretty
slick and very un-athletic. The drawstring serves to add some
draping effect, circa 1970's. I would personify this top as
the girl in gym glass who walked that mile we were all required to
run, smoking a cigarette the entire time. $115.00.
I have coupled the smoking top above with a silk skirt, in that
gray-brown color I was talking about earlier (see what I mean,
it does look good with black. And it'll look good with
blue, pink, green....). The skirt has an elastic waist
and is cut on the bias, therefore creating a very light and
delicate silhouette. $78.00. |
| OK, now the raincoat I
mentioned before may be butter-colored, but this gray leather jacket
right here IS pure butter! This is one jacket to save your pennies
for! The shape is great; designed neatly and simply, with
pockets built into the seams, and cuffs with zippers that zip up to
the ELBOWS! The ELBOWS! How cool is that?? $350.00. |
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| GAP
Being that I haven't seen any new
Gap ads to poke fun at, I'm gonna pass Go, collect $200, and go
directly into the 5 picks: |
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First up is the dark
red leather jacket. It's cut like a traditional classic denim
jacket, and looks a bit beat up, which is essential in detracting
from the ostentatious quality that I feel inherently comes with red
leather. It's kind of like the foxy wolf meets Little Red Riding
Hood, but without the hood. $198.00.
Next, we've got stretch pants with
a tab front, pockets on the sides, and a slit pocket on the
back. It's made of 98% cotton, 2% lycra, and comes in medium
gray, black, or khaki. Pretty, plain, and simple. $48.00. |
| The next item, this
white, cotton/lycra/spandex sweater with mock turtleneck, was chosen
for the fact that it doesn't look dowdy. I have encountered a
few white sweaters in my day, but most of them always looked dowdy,
and I don't know why. This one is very fitted and zips up.
$48.00.
The black stretch skirt is
one I know I would use all the time. It's in the length I love:
mid-calf, the fabric is soft and comfortable (cotton and lycra), the
slit in back makes it easier to walk, and two slit pockets
don't add any bulk. $48.00. |
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The last Gap pick is an
underwear tube-top made of nylon, polyester, spandex, and
elastine. It's so soft and supple, plus is available in yellow-green
with little stripes, pink with little stripes, lavender with little
stripes, and blue with little stripes. $18.00. |
| GUESS?
Like, Ohmigod! This season, the
folks at Guess? have totally, totally been hit
with 80's nostalgia, totally! |
| Like, this top right
here, is sooo bitchin'! It has capped sleeves that are mesh
and a strip of mesh across the chest area. It has Valley Girl
(that movie with Nicolas Cage as a rebellious new wave-punk
type from the San Fernando Valley who falls in love with a popular,
preppy girl) written all over it. I personally like the white one
the best, but the red one is pretty darn cute too. And it also
comes in black and in hot pink. $58.00. |
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The second item we have
is this long-sleeved shirt that gradates from white to
light pink to HOT pink. The material itself is see-through, made of
100% nylon, and looks like a plastic cobweb. And under that is a
white mesh layer, to keep things decent. Together they make a pretty
snazzy combination. $68.00.
Next is this little skirt with a
side slit and cute darts in the back. It's made of nylon with a
touch of spandex to keep the booty in check. I think that with all
the longer lengths that have been popularized the last few years,
I'm finding the mini-skirt rather refreshing again. $78.00. |
| Now we have the
bi-layered tank top. One layer is a solid black tank with a set of
straps similar to bra straps (you know, with the adjustable
thingies). The other layer is a pale pink mesh, which creates a
rather interesting juxtaposition of sheerness and opaqueness,
softness and harshness. The neckline is kind of curved, so it has a
slight 1950's feel to it. However, one look at the tag reminds us
that we are very much in the future, as this top is made of
pollearmidica and elastine, fibers that I doubt existed in the
1950's. $88.00. |
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The last Guess? item
we've got seems to be in the middle of sleeve puberty. Its
sleeves are still developing! It's not quite a tank top, yet I can't
even call what it's got "cap sleeves." It also has a
stripe across the chest that matches the trim of the collar and the
sleeves. Available in blue with a black stripe, black with a
white stripe, pink with a black stripe, and yellow with a black
stripe. And it's made of 70% nylon and 30% rayon, so it's soft and
stretchy too. $78.00. |
| OLD
NAVY
Okay, Okay, although the Old Navy
ads are pretty darn irritating, and I wonder how they can get
away with selling things so cheap, I do find myself
in Old Navy sometimes not being able to help but like the stuff
there. Despite their mission to be mainstream, they do manage to
sneak in items that are pretty inventive and quirky, albeit in a
mainstream kind of way. |
| Take for example, this
nylon, gray, hooded rain poncho with orange mesh lining. Basically,
it's a large square piece of fabric folded in half with a hole for
the head and snap buttons on the edge to close it, but that's what
makes it great -- it IS just a square piece of fabric folded in half
with a hole for the head and snap buttons on the edge to close it.
The extra fabric just drapes really nicely. It also has a zip pocket
in the middle for keeping things readily available. $48.00. |
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The next pick is this
roll turtleneck sweater. It's 100% cotton, a very, very soft cotton
may I add, and comes in a great aqua blue color, as well as in pink,
and navy. $30.00.
Now we have the "dirty"
Boarder Jeans that would give Calvin Klein a run for his money. They
are flared and have cool stitching at the knees. I
know they look muddy and dirty, but I think the idea is kind of
cool. They're clean, but look dirty, and when they look dirty, they
won't look as dirty, and you won't feel as bad getting
them dirty, so you won't hesitate getting them dirty,
which advocates running around, playing, and getting dirty.
I'm obviously putting in way too much time thinking about this.
Ouch, I
think I hurt myself. $36.00. |
| Here is Old Navy's
offering in the dark denim department: a dark denim jacket
with three-quarter length sleeves. I admit to not having seen
a three-quarter length sleeved denim jacket before, and I'm a
bit surprised to see it here (I know, I'm such a snob! But I'm
impressed). $32.00.
The last item I found at Old Navy
is this very bohemian, girly, fuschia pink polyester skirt in floral
print. It's a nice shade of pink, and the print is not too flowery;
I'd say it's a serious flower print. $26.00. |
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| Well,
that's it for February. Enjoy the flowers and the chocolates, and
all the smooches, n' all that good stuff, and the rest of the month
too. Until next month! |
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