Rainy Day Reds

Rumor has it (as does the SF Gate Weather Forecast), that Friday will usher back in the wind and rain, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In my neighborhood there may even be lightening (!)

check out that ominous question mark.

Days like these remind me of one of the foremost items on a never-ending fashion wish-list, these bright red Hunter Wellies:

Ever since Emily, author of cupcakes and cashmere, one of my very favorite fashion blogs and sources of inspiration, sported them in the rainy-day post above I've become more and more convinced that they are the missing piece my (almost ridiculously large) shoe collection requires.

They are on the expensive side (around $115), but they are built to last, comfortable, and the look is classic so they won't fall out of fashion after a season.

Geez I sound like I'm up-selling, right! I don't work for the company, I swear, I'm just totally smitten. I also think I may be so used to writing academic papers that require a strong argument that I start sounding persuasive with out really meaning to.

So, I digress... they are just so versatile! So cute paired here with knee-highs and a spring dress, and so hot on Kate Moss in the previous post. She's paired the classic black with short-shorts at a summer music festival.

So why, you may wonder, don't I, apparently the boot's biggest fan, own a pair yet? Well, herein lies the tragedy, I have searched (the internet), high and low, and it seems a size 8 in the red does not exist. Yes, the style does come in a million colors, but I am most enamored with the red, and I try to make it a point not to compromise anything on pieces like these which are, a bit of an investment, not only due to their price, but because they would probably be the only boots of their kind I would own for quite a while, and I know I would always be a little disappointed if I didn't wait for the red to come around.

In any case, you can peruse all the different styles, colors, etc., and where to find them, here, on the Hunter Website. I do also love the yellow, and the navy is pretty and very versatile. Yes, if I were the type of person easily able to buy 3 of the same style at a time those would be my picks... also the orange glossies...

Anyways, lets hope today's weather isn't too yucky,
and I'll leave you with this assortment of Wellie wearing ladies (plus one bf).
Click image to view full-screen.

clockwise from the top: Nicole Richie, Rachel Bilson, Ashley Olsen, nameless fashionable ladies whose pics turned up in a google image search, Kate Moss and Jamie Hince, St. Angie (as Mrs. Smith), and Anne Hathaway, all rockin the Wellies in real life ("Celebs, they're just like us!").


Bonne journée Mesdemoiselles (et peut-être un bf)!

Note: while rummaging through the tons and tons of images and information relevent to my topic, I learned that the up until 2005, Wellies' popularity was pretty much solely designated to fisherman and WWII soldiers. Then Kate showed up at Glastonbury (a notoriously wet and muddy musical festival) in a pair and almost overnight their desirability skyrocketed; retailers couldn't even keep them in stock. Her choice of pairing them with short-shorts had such a profound effect on popular trends, the outfit itself is considered a phenomenon part of a greater "Kate Moss Effect", which is clearly still going strong 5 years later. See: Wellies and Short Short at Glastonbury: The Kate Moss Effect Lives On.

 

A Blog is Born

It's true there's no shortage of fashion blogs spanning the web, and, while the addition of another may seem unnecessary, I aspire for mine to make a unique contribution, and to convey the inspiration I find through my own constant fashion scavenger hunts to my readers.

Obviously I still have a lot of work ahead of me before this endeavor is fully up-and-running. Still, this is my first post and should convey my objective. I’ll conclude with the stunning and always inspiring Kate Moss: my absolute favorite contemporary fashion model, and maven in her own right.

Fashionable
in the tub

Fashionable
in the car
(and only a beret!)

Stunning in the mid-nineties when she emerged in these
provocative and controversial Calvin Klein
ads (I definitely had this picture, an ad for CK Obsession, torn out of a magazine and up on my bedroom wall for most of my middle school years).

Stunning, and just as relevant, now 15 years later. Here, Kate is featured in the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar, marking her 8th cover for the publication spanning her iconic career. (Harper's Bazaar, March 2010)

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In my mind, what really sets Kate apart, and cements her style-icon status, is her own exciting, innovative, always ahead of the trends, inspiring personal style. Looking at the way Kate styles herself, and puts certain pieces together inspires me, personally, to experiment, to take more risks when putting together my own outfits, and to be more creative with what is already in my closet.

In jeans: Making skinny and wide-leg look good

Running around London: I love this mini-dress, opaque tights, leather jacket look. The patent leather shoes are glam and girly, the shape of the dress keeps the outfit playful, and the jacket gives it an edge, the juxtaposition making the outfit all the more interesting and personal. One wouldn't need Kate's body type or financial freedom to mimic the ensemble either.

At the Glastonbury Musical Festival: This short-shorts, Hunter boots, low-slung belt are combination classic Kate. So effortless! So cool!

"Model is not really enough of a word to describe Kate Moss. Even supermodel is similarly wrong, in spite of the fact that she is one of the few with legitimate claim to the title. When it comes to cool, Kate Moss is simply on a different plane than everyone else."
-New York Magazine

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Anyway, that concludes blog entry #1, which seems to have turned into less of an introduction, and more of a tribute to Ms. Moss, which, in a way is fitting: Seeing the outfits and style choices of someone like her can make fashion so exciting, and even though she's a supermodel there are ways to interpret and then translate and the concepts and ideas of the outfit as a whole, really making the look more accessible than it might seem.

It's also a great way to discover individual pieces that can refresh your whole wardrobe, and deal with those dreadful 'ihavenothingtowear', 'ihateallmyclothes' feelings. Seriously, I know. I often decide that I hate all my clothes, but then I'll start putting things together differently and buy a new belt or something, and suddenly I feel amazing and stylish and proud... See, studying supermodels can actually do wonders for ones self-esteem!

Anyway, it seems blog entry #1 is in fact a novel.

à la prochaine fois mes bébés! xoxoxo