DIY makeup

It was bound to happen. 3D printers are poised to move into the makeup counter:

This is MINK, a gadget with the following tantalizing tagline:

Turns any camera, phone or laptop into an endless beauty aisle

THE MAKEUP PRINTER

Mink is a desktop printer that prints makeup. It can take any image and instantly transform it into a wearable color cosmetic, turning any camera, phone or laptop into an endless beauty aisle. We are working super hard to bring you only the best possible product but in the meantime we hope you'll join us in the revolution! Please click on the link below to sign up as a software developer or to be notified when the Mink will be for sale.

Can you imagine the possibilities ladies?

Jeans of the moment

For years I've focused on black jeans (skinny, faded skinny, super skinny, trouser) but this summer the jean of the moment is not black, nor color, nor is it actually even dark blue - a washed-out denim rules the day.

Much of what is out there is supplemented by slashes and cuts, but I am nor sure that I like artificially distressed  and torn denim for ladies of a certain age (and that age is really anywhere north of 35).

What I want in my new pair of washed out jeans is this:

- a perfect pale clue color, not too white
- a slim but not too skinny (as in jegging) leg
- some stretch  (I would want to do the boyfriend cut but I'm too hippy for that)
- a fairly high rise to keep my muffin top under control
- a fairly cropped length, because the best way to wear washed-out jeans is with flats
- and absolutely no rips

Can it be done?

It wasn't easy. The amount of distressing out there is, well, distressing. But here is what I found:

DREAM:
Stella (a good cut, but a touch too dark):

WISH (the sweet spot for 99% of jeans):

Rag &Bone, Dre Boyfriend:

True Religion, Serena:

Frame denim, Le Garcon:

High Kai, Nudie (these might be contenders):

As are these: Acquaverde, Gretta:

Mother, The Looker:

WANT:

Gap, Curvy Skinny High Rise:

Ann Taylor Loft:

ASOS:

The next few items are from Bluefly, a good place for designer on discount, if they have your size:

Notify, Hellebora:

AG, Piper: If these were a shade lighter I'd be all over them - slouch but with stretch!

A little gross, a little fab?

Chinese actress and super-dresser Fan Bingbing at the NY premiere of a superhero movie, X Men: Days of the Future Past, in a Georges Chakra dress:

The feathers at the shoulders are a bit spooky - but kind of in a good way? 

And, since we're into feathers. here is Vicktoria Beckham in a peignoir-like frock, presumably her own, and one I, at least, do not covet:

Douze pointe: Thoughts on the Eurovision Song Contest

No, I did not watch the Eurovision. Haven't sat through one since I moved to the USA. But that does not mean I don't fondly remember tuning in year after year to listen to terrible songs and watch the even worse costumes. Nor does it mean that just because I'm out here, in the wilderness, that I am a cultural ignoramus. I still follow the significant developments in continental culture - and what is more cultured than the Eurovision??

Indeed, the Eurovision puts a fairly accurate mirror to the cultural trends that shake the continent - and this year it was the double whammy of sexual and political freedom. In one corner we have the winner, an Austrian drag queen by the name of Conchita Wurst (what can be wittier than a be-sausaged lady?). In corner two are the Russian Tolmachevy identical twins.   So a woman+ against two women. The + won.
Here are the two performances:

What I found interesting (thank you JV!) are the differences in approach to both femininity and 'normalcy'. The drag queen, a role traditionally defined as extreme performance of femininity, chose to punctuate her look with a beard, a symbol of masculinity. Unlike the bearded ladies of circuses and freak shows of yore, however, her freakdom is studied, carefully calibrated, calculated, and packaged marketing conceit.  She knows that more than an implied angry inch is necessary to shock an audience habituated by now in transvestites (Dana International, Israel's claim to dame) and drag queens - you need something visible. A beard.

Her dress, on the other hand, in all its bedazzled glory fully conforms to drag queen rules, as does her rail thin figure. She is all femme - until, right where it matters, around her pouty lips, she isn't.

The politics of her performance, while supposedly a transgressive call for personal, sexual freedom took as many risks as needed to play completely safe and despite the bombastic free-speech hype they said, sadly, very little new or true about conditions of un-freedom.

The Russian twins took the opposite approach, fully in line, again, with the political climate in their home country. There was no display of scintillating flesh, no porno glimmers celebrating twin fantasies. Their dresses were virginally white and puritanically demure. The only sexual hint was in the crystal rods they held. The only freaky aspect was their twin-ness, the fact that they began their performance joined at the hair as well as the hip, and their mirror-image movements. Their performance, like Conchita's, was political - but its politics were different. There was not even the smallest attempt to shock and instead every attempt to mollify the powers that be. Were they supposed to represent the twin nations of Russia and Ukraine that should be unified under one wise father-leader? Quite possibly.

And so Europe becomes once again a continent divided. By Eurovision?

Oh, and the songs were of course complete crap.

Is short better blond? - another take

Looking at the pics of Kate Lanphear's wonderful haircut I started to wonder again. Her pixie bob is severe, gamine, perfect. And at first I thought that color is what makes it so fantastic.  But then Jessica Seinfeld cut her hair. And then she died it. Like so:

Yeah, that's her with the black pixie in the rondo.  And the two women flanking her are responsible for the blond.

Which can also look like this:

If I were her I'd divorce her stylist rather than celebrate her.

Do we agree that it is an unmitigated disaster? I mean I love the short pixie. Hell, the only reason I'm posting all this is BECAUSE I love the short pixie, which is, of course, what I have - this is all about self-vindication for the hairdo that the girl-child is still, continuously!, angry about. But Seinfeld's blond ambition misfired horribly. Much worse than on Maggie Gyllenhaal. It is just bad. It is bad on its own and it is even worse on her. Not everyone looks good blond.

And then it occurred to me that Kate Lanphear's do would look just fine if it was black. It works not because of its color, but because of its cut and her pretty little features. It would have, in fact, looked great on Jessica Seinfeld. Just not blond. I guess that settles it, then.

Pearl Earrings?

No, I'm not aspiring to look like the Queen of England. Just the opposite. Attending the latest Dior Cruise show Rihanna sported a fantastic departure from the solitaire pearl stud that surely exists in each and every one of our jewelry boxes. Like so:

My parents gave me a pair of stud pearl earrings when I enlisted and I wear them often still. But these made me want to upgrade for a fun, punky take on a classic staple.  So I looked around. And found them in a store front on Etsy. Enjoy ladies:

I think they will pair beautifully with that pearl choker I posted about a month or so ago...

Style Covet - Kate Lanphear

A signature look is perhaps the most covetable concept for most of us peons. Women (or men, for that matter) who have a look that is distinctly, uniquely, theirs, immediately recognizable. As with anything that becomes a major commitment there is a danger there, it is much too easy to traverse into a caricature, an exaggerated version of your style that has morphed into a brand, or worse, a joke. But if you can sustain a solid, continuous engagement with a single look - well then, you're a master dresser.

I'm not interested in a signature look if said style was questionable to begin with, or overtly theatrical. For example, Helena Bohnam Carter is no style icon over here  at Vestments although she does dress within consistent style parameters - a Victorian street walker on opium. The look works for her, but it does not a great style make, you know? Gwen Stephani, on the other hand, is - her look is her own, you can't miss-identify her, and she owns it, and while theatrical to a degree it is also something that a civilian might be able to copy (which is of course the whole premise of her fashion line, L.A.M.B, which is quite good).

Today's style covet is Kate Lanphear. Why is she the first, ye may ask? Over the past few years I've found her style to be the one I covet the most, and it was not because of the Princeton sweatshirt (he brother's).  I don't have access to her closet full of perfectly tailored designer clothing but many of her looks can be pulled off through lower end fashion retailers such as Zara or Theory. Finally, she's my first, inaugural style covet because the woman swims with the biggest sartorial sharks around and yet managed to look distinct pretty much from the start.  A signature look to be envious of.

Kate Lanphear is the former long-time Style Director at the American Elle, which she left in the fall of 2012, and now is the Style Editor for T, the NYTimes style magazine. Her look, ye ask? Couture punk. Platinum white sharp super cropped asymmetrical bob, minimal makeup, strong jewelry, super high heels. And the clothes? Mostly monochrome (black-gray-white); lots of leather; strong shoulder lines; some punk staples like tears and pins. Lanphear has a knack for making 80s items look fresh (case in point: she should be credited with bringing animal sweaters back). Like so:

Lanphear's style is highly consistent - here is a selection of photos from the last 4 years and other than a minor differences in hair length you can't pin the year down:

Copying her style exactly would not work for 99% of us. She is too thin, her features too perfectly small and lovely, her legs too fantastic, her heels too tall, and finally her punk too emphasized for most ordinary women leading ordinary lives. That said, if you are into harder edges then borrowing elements from her look will absolutely work.

Which, ye may ask?

1) masculine edge even in feminine outfits (blazers, belts, button down shirts, something chunky)
2) crisp tailoring over frilly and ruffly
3) monochromatic or nearly monochromatic dressing helps with keeping a clean line

None of these three simple principles are sole property of designer wear. Walk your fingers over to Zara.com and you will find much to work with. Maybe that's the reason why Zara has replaced JCrew in my heart.