Hammer Pants - the grown up view

As a young girl, when I saw Hammer Pants, they appeared to me to be nothing more than ultra silly pajama pants.

Now I'm all adult, thank you, and you know what I see in this 2008 version? Inhumanly, mutantly large penis pants. I mean the wearer's member mustn't be able to fit into your regular pair of jeans or trousers.

Wait - are these for women?

Man, that is so hot. I love a loose, slouchy crotch on a woman. Who wouldn't want a piece of that?

Source

Plus size vintage - it's out there

Plus size vintage clothing can be hard to find, especially on the web. Sizing is different today than it was in the past, due to something called "vanity sizing". People today are fatter than ever, but they want to feel skinnier. So Marilyn Monroe, who has been touted as a size 12-14, may have been a size 8 today, for example. When buying vintage clothing online, never buy from a site that list things by dress size - instead look for bust, waist and hip measurements. Either measure yourself with a tape measure to see if you'll fit, or cross reference against my Size Chart for help.

One of the sites I recommend is Ballyhoo Vintage. You click on Curvy Dresses to see their plus size items. I like this dress:

1950s Fit and Flare Dress with Full Circle Skirt
Bust 40" - 42"
Waist to 35"
Shoulder to waist 16"
Waist to hem 29"
$85 at BallyhooVintage.com










The items below items are from RustyZipper.com. I found them by filtering their results by size, and I entered Women, Clothing, XXL, which turned up plenty of different large size items.



(L)1980's Hippie Shirt, 46" Bust 46" Waist 47" Hip, $24
(R)1970's Jacket, up to 46" Bust, $23.80

There are a few other plus size vintage stores in the Vintage section of the BPP shopping directory, but to be honest, Vintage isn't one of our biggest categories. So if you know any other hip stores online to find plus size vintage, make sure to let me know!!!

I want Tsumori!

Once in a while, I come across a designer whose bags transcend fashion into the realm of wearable art. Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato is one of those designers.
Apparently well known in Asia, as a designer in her own right and a former protege of Issey Miyake. I had never heard of her or seen her work (which is extensive, she creates a full collection of clothing and accessories backed by A-Net, sister company to her former employer Issey Miyake's) until I happened on this wallet.


It may not seem like much, until you realise the amount of work that went into the intricate details all of which are appliqued or embroidered onto the leather with different fabrics and small details like pearls. Something like this goes beyond trends, and really becomes a signature piece of it's owner.


Other views, though teeny tiny, show that the work is not one sided, and is elaborate on back side, and the interior is not forgotten either, with it's own small shell and pearl detail. There are also plenty of card slots, as well as a large zipper compartment for change or bills.
This sort of thing doesn't come cheap. The wallet as shown is $434 from Bird, though there are less intricate styles available from $215.

That wallet, however, piqued my interest, so I decided to look for more things from Tsumori Chisato, figuring I was in for more elaborately embroidered things, but I was wrong. What i found was extremely cool, and fresh looking.


The Round and Round the Bag is made from a treated glazed leather. It has a pair of zippers sewn into a swirl at the center creating a rose like effect. The zippers actually do work, and open to reveal secret pockets. The inside has less secretive storage areas like a traditional bag. I am not crazy for the color, though, but the style is really superb. I only found it on a Japanese site, and converted the price, so it may be inaccurate, but it's an estimated $675.



This clutch looks like it came from the sea. It has an organic look to it, and resembles a conch shell, or even a snail, which is no accident. It is made from thornback which is some sort of a stingray (even babblefish had trouble translating this one) and the adornments are crafted to resemble sea urchins. The Thornback Clutch comes in at about $500 (50,400 Yen).





A bit more on the conventional side, is the Shirring Bag. This looks very similar to recent bags by Miu Miu and Fendi but the texturing is more unique, with the shirring pattern done in different sized stripes, and even receding back into the bag in the middle.
The lining is also noteworthy, done in an octopus print in keeping with the whole "under the sea" theme that permeates the collection.

The Shirring Bag would cost about $550 (55,650 yen) about half of what a similar high end European designer bag would.
Unfortunately, I can't vouch for the quality first hand, and I cobbled the information I have together using the Babel Fish translator, and a currency converter because the site with the most styles, is Humor, which I think is run by the umbrella company A-Net (sort of a Japanese version of what eLuxury is to LVMH, I suppose).
I wish her clothes and accessories were better represented in the states. I may take a trip to Brooklyn to the Bird store where they stock clothes as well just to see it in person. meanwhile, the most informative article I could find about Tsumori Chisato is on Metropolis, a Japanese English language webzine.

Burberry Shows How to Wear Socks With Heels

I am loving wearing socks with heels. You have seen the look in lots of Ads and such, but it was Burberry Prorsum’s spring Ads as well as their catwalk that really burned it into my mind.

How do you pull it off? Well, I like doing the black heel with the matching black socks, but you can use shoes with color as well. Now you can use open-toe or closed-toe heels, but when you do the open-toe make sure it has an ankle strap, other wise it will look unattractive and your socked foot won’t stay in your heel anyways.

When you do the closed-toe or peep-toe, I think the most stylish way to go is with a heeled bootie or the modern version of the grandma heel. Gucci has a fab pink and black grandma shoe that I would love to pair with some black socks. It’s a good way to use color too.

Now the type of sock to wear is available at any department store and resembles a man’s dress sock. It has to be thin enough to fit in your heel, but thick enough to NOT be see-thru. Make sure it is a quality sock. It should stop on your leg about four inches above your anklebone.

Lastly, wear it with a short dress or some fancy shorts. Burberry did a pretty good job with half the outfits they sent down the runway. I just wish they didn't ruin them with those sunglasses.

Birthday Wishlist

Now that Halloween is over and (almost) out of mind, it has occurred to me that my birthday is only a week away. While I frequently (more like constantly) say aloud "I want that," I'm currently drawing a blank when asked the question "What do you want for your birthday?". So it's time to narrow down the mighty and vast list of what I'm lusting after.

1. A low-key birthday party with my closest friends, thrown by someone other than myself. I've always wanted someone to throw me a party and nobody ever has. It would be so glorious to just be able to kick back and have fun on my birthday without the stress of planning a party for myself.

2. A Flickr pro account.

3. Vintage dresses in fall tones.





4. A subscription to NYLON magazine.



5. A manicure.



6. Slouchy berets and beanies.





7. A gift card to Best Buy.

8. An ice cream cake.



9. A bottle of Yago Sant'gria.



10. As long as I'm being completely unrealistic, I'll take one of these too.

Exercising: Some Options

Although I often declare that I am not athletic, the evidence probably wouldn't acquit me of that charge. Since junior high I have committed the following sports and/or exercise activities: cross-country running (very slowly), throwing the discus and shotput (ineptly), playing soccer, both high-school indoor (hello, knee damage!) and college outdoor (position: benchwarmer), step aerobics (lots of fun but requires suspension of natural sense of the ridiculous), yoga (Iyengar, most fun ever, but really only with one specific teacher [YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE]), treadmill walking [only supportable by viewing of Dr. Who and Torchwood]. Oh, and weightlifting, either intermittently or concurrently with any or all of the above.

And, of course, roller-skating, although anything done in a venue where you can also buy a corn dog is automatically suspect as exercise.

My biggest problem with exercise, of course, has always been the general crappitude of exercise WEAR. Tight pants? Tighter tops? After a certain age, a "Don't Mess With Texas" t-shirt and raggedy soccer shorts just don't cut it.

And then came these folks. They sent me an email and I grudgingly took a look at their site, but the grudging turned to grudging admiration. This skirt is GREEN! It has workout shorts under it! It has TWO pockets. It has something called "tummy-tuck" technology. And the best part? The style name is "Rollergirl."

I don't like the logo (I don't like ANY logos) but hey, nothing's PERFECT.

I'm seriously tempted to get one of these; the weather's getting better, I could use more exercise, my outdoor roller skates have just been gathering dust ... and this would solve my "what can I wear skating in the Skokie Sculpture Park and not feel like a very conspicuous idiot in the grocery store on the way home?" problem.

And if I got the black one maybe I'd even feel up to skating in Central Park. Certainly more up to it than skating in street clothes or in the ubiquitous (and too-tight) black lycra capri pants. You never know ...

The skirt's $56, click on the image to visit their site. Their size chart goes up to XXL (22), but it looks like this skirt is only up to XL (about an 18).

faces in the alley

A few Saturdays ago, I took a stroll through the alleys south of Queen St. West in Toronto. I try to find street art in every city, and Toronto has some compelling alleys- virtual galleries of artwork showing a wide range of expression and styles. This time through, I related to the faces and characters, so I have named this tour Faces in the Alley. I hope you enjoy walking where I did. With my thanks to the talented street artists who created this world of characters...


Continue the tour here.