Dear Ethers,

I can’t believe that I missed a week of my beloved “Fashion Fridays!”  I must admit, when the end of the week comes, I do get quite nervous about what ensemble I will pick from the disaster zone that is my room. But when it all comes together on the page, it’s always a bit off fun to share a frock with friends.  

This week is very simple.  I thought I’d ease back into things with something very orignal that stands on its own without any baubles or accessories that you can just appreciate for being unique.  I found this dress at a very small boutique on Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles (a main drag in L.A. with lots of hip restaurants and shops etc…) and sadly can’t recall its name!  I know if I pass it again, I will pop back in for some more juicy goods (though the place is super overpriced).  The shop is a vintage store but everything they sell is in pristine condition.  But, they really hike their prices up in a nutty way.  I looked at a cute top that should have MAX been $50 and it was $150!!!  It has things that would make you drool, but the prices, alas, are too cruel………except for this one little rack in the corner. Now, Ethers you should know me by now.  Am I not the queen bee of bargaining and finding a sale even when not advertised!?!  Indeed!  So, the deal with this rack is that anything that’s been sitting in the store for over 6 months that hasn’t sold, they mark down like mad.  I liked a lot of things, but either the sizes were off, or they were still very expensive because they started off with high ticket tags–and really, you can only mark something down so much.  But then……I found MY dress!  It was the type of thing that I knew no one would like.  The colors were kinda weird and the shape was odd.  It was heavily pleated.  But it looked so much like an Issey Miyake Pleats Please piece and I really was curious how it would look on.  And it had originally been $200 and was now $20.  Oh, and I loved that the label said made in London  As soon as I slipped it on, I fell in love.  I think the women in the store were shocked and thought I was bonkers, but were happy to be rid of it and I walked away a happy camper.  I think it looks designer, cutting-edge and it must have looked futuristic when it was designed all those years ago.  You can dress it up or wear it casually.  It’s definitely a lighter-weather dress, but living in L.A.–I think I can get away with it for a few extra months out of the year.  

As for the shoes.  Bought at my favorite palace o’prices, Loehmann’s.  I love how they are a unique putty color with a semi-gladiator wedge that remind me so much of what women wore in old Italian films.  I can just see a lovely bella walking with a basket, a full skirt and these shoes on a cobbled street where a outdoor market is being held and she’s perusing the goods.  They are comfy and they match the dress well.  They were a bargain….$30!  So, this whole ensemble cost $50!!  Not too shabby.  This is why I love hunting for deals and one-off’s.  You look original and you save a bundle.  So, let’s welcome back “Fashion Fridays!” and I will try not to miss another week…….well, until another catastrophe hits…….oy vay!

I think the color combo is so unique, the pleating is original and the cut (especially at the chest) is like nothing I've seen before. I think it's very fun, and something I could see a groovy 70's chica wearing to stand out from the boring crowd and making a little fashion statement to the world--especially in Blighty! I look tres curvy in this ensemble, no? Well, this might be my new sex-bomb outfit! As mentioned, I can't remember the name of the shop. But it was made in England, bought in L.A. and I spent a bargain price of $20 for it!

These have been great summer shoes. They are a versatile shade so they look lovely with browns and whites and they happen to match this dress perfectly! I like the semi-gladiator aspect to them, but that they don't look like the typical, boring sandals everyone else can get. The wedge gives a nice height and they are super comfy. I also love the ties. These just remind me of Rome or somewhere hot and European. As mentioned, these were purchased from the palace of prices, Loehmann's for $30 in Los Angeles

Awww, isn't it lovely? Nutty to charge $200 smackaroos for it, but I'm sure glad that I scored it and that it was dangling on the "nobody wants me rack." Guys, that is often the BEST place to find the awesome deals. It's in perfect condition, it stretches to your body so if you eat a heavy lunch...well, you get my drift. I think it is a classic and the pleating is brilliant. I'm ashamed I can't remember the name of the shop it is from, but if I do, I will update the post.

This may look like a cartoon, but this is no joke. I mean business. I'm sick of people out in the world thinking they can abuse bloggers and THINK they can get away with it. Read on....and see that your "mouse" is gonna be trapped starting NOW.

Dear Ethers, 

My good friend Wildernesschic has a brilliant blog that I enjoy reading tremendously.  I like it because it’s written from the heart.  You never feel like she has a thesaurus sitting on her lap while she’s writing, her stories never cease to fascinate, and she writes with humor and wit that are honest and organic.  She’s also extremely supportive of other bloggers, never failing to visit sites leaving well thought out comments and taking an interest in the world of the blogosphere.   She’s a reliable source, in my opinion, on blogging.  

A few days ago she posted an entry called “What Is A Blog?”  It fascinated me.  Again, she wrote straight from the soul and really begged the question about what we bloggers are doing every time we hit that very scary publish button.  She mentions that her blog is her “…own Hyde Park Corner.  Where I can express my freedom of speech.”  I agree completely.  She, unlike myself, is NOT an anonymous blogger.  Every single time she puts out a post she is risking her neck.  Her friends and family read everything she writes—her name is completely exposed to the public. 

Recently, she received a barrage of E-mails that were abusive and hurtful about her writing.  Obviously I don’t know the intimate details, but I do know that she has taken down a certain post that she feels might have hurt someone’s feelings and feels more guarded with her special part of her “Hyde Park Corner.”  I think this is completely unacceptable.  I too have received hurtful E-mails and comments from people about my blog.  I’m not going to indulge these abusers by telling you the details, but they attack below the belt and use ones own words to be vicious and malicious.  I have since blocked them from access to my website, but I wonder, why do people feel the need to be so angry with a blogger when all we are doing is expressing our experience and our memories?  I can understand disagreeing with a point of view, but I cannot understand abuse.  If you have an issue, it is perfectly acceptable to leave a comment asking questions about the post and, indeed disagreeing with the bloggers point of view.  But to hurl abuse and to ensue fear into someone’s life is abhorrent. 

I don’t see the blogosphere’s manners as any different than the normal manners of society.  Just as you cannot harass someone or verbally abuse them or stalk them on the streets, you cannot do so on their blog.  There are ways of finding out who you are, for those of you who DO take advantage of the vulnerability of bloggers.  You are easy to track and it is illegal to leave a torrent of insults.  You can be arrested.  You are no different than a stalker.  You have to remember there is a huge difference between freedom of speech and threatening people.  Tread carefully.  Is it really worth it?  At the end of the day we are just people who take the time to write about our lives, our interests and our views.  If you disagree or have any gripes—-either leave a calm mannered comment that will allow a fair debate or walk away if you don’t think you can control yourself.  Think of it as hitting someone.  You wouldn’t just beat someone up if they said the wrong thing would you?  You’d take a deep breath and either walk or talk. Well, at least one would hope. 

I will be seeking anyone out who hurls abuse at me, WILL trace you through your internet provider and WILL call the authorities.  I have spoken to the police and they have said that this IS a crime and people HAVE been arrested.  I will not be censored or threatened.  I will write what I want without fear.  And so should every blogger.  I warn you again, tread lightly, because you will be caught and you’ll be eating YOUR words hopefully without ever hurting anyone else again.   

Dedicatedly yours,

—One of 365

What a HUNK! Notice me Charles....me...the girl through the screen...c'mon...you're staring right at me. UGH! You just missed me and caught sight of that Camilla woman. Shame. Now I'm doomed to be a nobody for the rest of my life and you get to play polo and have servants while I get to look for work and earn a pittance but pay 30% taxes so you can travel in a Bentley! BRILLIANT! Oh Charlie. It could have been us.

Dear Ethers,

Tonight I am going to an event where I’m meeting a Prince.  I can’t tell you anything about the red carpet itself (ARGHHH) but that’s not really what the post is about anyway.  It’s about the idea of royalty and a girl who just doesn’t understand the significance of its importance.

For days I’ve been receiving details about security, how to present myself to him when we meet.  Oh and his biography (AKA: a dissertation).  Ethers, you have to remember that I am going to be also interviewing celebrities that would be considered Hollywood royalty—people much more famous and significant than this blue blooded gentleman.  And you know what—all I’ve had to do is IMDB for research–easy.

Growing up as an American I’ve never understood monarchies.  I suppose I understood the tradition, but I never understood the money that they cost and the opulence that they lived in just to do…………what exactly?  I know there are a lot of royalists.  Though having lived in England, it tends to be the older generation that likes the tradition rather than the younger folks.  We just don’t get Liz and Charlie and Hot Ginge and Wills.  Yes, they bring a lot of money in for tourism and that’s great.  But, does that really compensate for the money they cost the taxpayer?  I want to go to China White’s for free and have my Chanel bag stuffed full of 50 pound notes from the taxes of the cleaner on Piccadilly Circus buying me Grey Goose on the rocks all night.  I want my face on porcelain sold in shops around tourist attractions so that people can admire me.  Why…because……well……..why?

I’m not just picking on England.  I just know the monarchy best there.  I really think it’s ALL so ridiculous globally.  I mean, look at the royal families in Saudi Arabia.  They literally have dolphins brought in for parties to be a novelty in their pools where they die afterwards from the chlorine.  They live so opulently, while most of the country is so poor that they wear boiler suits in 100 degree weather fixing roads for $1 an hour.   There are people living in such horrible conditions–in slums and Council Estates.  People who need rehab and don’t have the money.  But, the queen has a “Diamond as Big As The Ritz” that could probably pay for hundreds of her subjects to seek the help they need.  Yet it sits in a vault getting steamed every so often by a royal gem cleaner (another expense) amongst the other masses of jewels she probably doesn’t even know she has.

Monarchies are not today what they were once were.  Elizabeth the 2^nd ain’t no Elizabeth the 1^st and we know it.  So why the hell do we back out of rooms and bow to these old birds?  Why do lords and ladies get estates and benefits that hard-working folks don’t?

So I’ve been instructed that I must curtsy and when introduced say “It is a pleasure to meet you, your Highness.”  I’ve had to practice this several times with a straight face and then without stuttering because I just can’t spit it out.  Classy, right?  It’s wrong of me not to embrace that this is the way this country operates and I have to accept this man for who he is.  I guess running through my veins is the blood of an American with the history of men who signed the Declaration of Independence—a veritable death warrant for a democracy so they could break free from the reigns of a king or a queen.

I know I should be looking at tonight as novel and fun.  And I will—it will all be looked at with a grain of salt.  But in that moment when he comes to me, and I have to curtsy—it will be very serious.  That’s when it becomes real and that’s why this idea came to my mind for a post.

I’m sure a lot of you are going to defend royalty or maybe agree with me about the foolishness of kings and queens.  There are many people who would kill to be in my shoes tonight and would see it as an absolute honor to even touch this mans hands.  I’m just looking at the bigger picture.  The idea of whether or not royalty is a rotting appendage of society.  I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts about this topic.

LOL.  I’m just imagining him showing up in ermine, a crown and shoes with a diamond buckles.  I’m sure he’ll probably be wearing Armani.  Anyway….until then…..I must practice……..so………..how does this sound………….. “It is a pleasure to meet you, your (eeeeeeeeeeek) Highness?”  Not too bad, right?  I hope he doesn’t notice my chewed fingernails.  I have been going through a lot lately.  But I’m only human—and you know what, at the end of the day, DNA-wise, so is he.

Dedicatedly yours,

—One of 365

Dear Ethers,

Thank goodness I can actually post today.  Usually my “Wish List” is posted as a happy Monday greeting for all of you fashionistas out there who are hating the fact that it is a whole new week and my page might act as a slight distraction from your snooze-fest of a job.  But, I guess Tuesday sucks as much as Monday, so let’s hope my dreamy delights will keep your eyes from slamming shut in front of your computer for at least 5 minutes while you check out this week’s garb.  

When I worked on the lovely, yet unaffordable Old Bond Street, I used to peruse the shops right before the boutiques would open always armed with a hot Starbucks in hand (boy Starbucks has been there for every important moment of my life except my Bat Mitzvah!).  The street cleaners washed down the pavement, the window cleaners used their squeegees to make the windows glisten and I would dream of one day being able to afford to stroll in to one of these glittering havens and buy…..a 300 pound key chain.  I remember when the whole Alexander McQueen skull-scarf rage was en-fuego and the shop girls would tell me people we’re trying to bribe them to get them ahead of the queue on the waiting list!  Now you see copies everywhere—but when that scarf was hot—man was it untouchable.  

I’ve always been very 50/50 about Squire McQueen.  His stuff has either been so avant garde that it is just too nuts and unwearable or so imaginative that you wish you had the 5 grand to buy the dress and be stared at when you stole the room.  I like that he is all about the badass woman.  That’s why I’ve called this “Wish List” the “Futuristic Dominatrix” because I think he empowers the female form with cuts that are really severe and strong, but also so out of this world that you might imagine it to be something from 3009 not 2009.  I love his studding, I love his sharp shoulders and even though his skulls are now a bit passe, if you’ve got the real deal, you still feel kinda smug that you have an original McQueen skull piece.

I also like that he is pure London.  He is from the East End of London and his dad was a cabbie.  He was an apprentice on Savile Row (it breaks my heart that will be a dead tradition one day) and was a product of Central Saint Martins–where else, right?  His runway shows are famous (remember the human chess game catwalk?) and he was head of Givenchy for 5 years and then broke free to become who he is today.  He has perfumes, had a special line made with MAC cosmetics and launched online in 2008 allowing people like us to buy his ready-to-wear with a click of a button.  

So, may I present my choice of what I think encapsulates Alexander?  I might have chosen other things for myself on his site—but I thought, if I could pick a comprehensive outfit that fit his attitude….well, this would be it.  Hail to the McQueen!

Our first up to bat in the beautiful beatings from our lovely dominatrix! I actually thought this looked very Westwood when I first saw it, but then I could see in the shoulders and the corseting around the hips and knew that this had our gents staple all over it. I love how it's a gunmetal silver. Imagine walking into a dimly lit-room and the fabric glowing. Or, even a brightly lit room making it come alive and sparkle. Metallics seem to have never wavered from being in style each season and I think this is one killer dress that has demure potential, but that we are going to adorn with badass accessories--well, everything but the whip! Silver Lame Drape Front Dress, $1,515, alexandermcqueen.com

Have you read "The Story of O?" I don't know, this reminds me of something they'd have in that house! It's got leather, spikes, hoops and chains. I think buckled around the dress would be so unconventional and unexpected that people would be shocked and then smirk with delight. It's also going to begin the leading theme with our accessories. Pyramid Chain Belt, $2,175, alexandermcqueen.com

This is such a killer bag--no literally. I'd hate to back-up into somebody who had this on the tube--those things look sharp! But I like how it looks ready for street battle and you can throw anything in it. It goes perfectly with the belt above and the silver metallic dress compliments it well because of the textures of the two pieces. Studded Faithful Tote, $3,995, alexandermcqueen.com

I had to throw a skull scarf in there. This one is cool because the skulls are covered by a dogtooth/houndstooth pattern. The colors mesh with the scheme we are looking for and I thought tied around the handles of the bag, this could look really groovy. I think it's a different take on the slightly overdone staple and you could even use it in your hair as a wrap if you really wanted to go all out and futuristic. Silk Dogtooth Skull Scarf, $315, alexandermcqueen.com

I adore fingerless gloves. They seem so biker babe and hardcore. They also show off a lovely red manicure beautifully! Great for smoking a cig, but keeping the rest of the hand cozy and the leather works well with the theme. Oh, and it is also easier to wield a whip with fingerless gloves, don't you think Black Motorcycle Glove, $470, alexandermcqueen.com

And finally, the shoes. Don't tell me these don't look like something Madonna has stashed away in her wardrobe for special occasions! Do I even need to explain? The leather, the heel-height, the studs, the buckles---wear these with tights and that dress and imagine all the accessories together. Throw on a red lip, a sexy perfume---you are unstoppable. Studded Buckle Bootie, $1,395, alexandermcqueen.com

Welcome to the Vintage Valentino catwalk in L.A.! I promised you if I could take pics I would and so I'm here to deliver. I'm usually under a tight-lipped contract so I can't share anything glam with you guys, but because I went as a civilian and not a reporter, I could spill all. Enjoy the show

Dear Ethers,

When I go to any ritzy event it always has a catch—I have to work.  I hope one day to be able to attend a glam party or a wonderful opening based on the generosity of creative friends or because I have the money to afford to buy a ticket.  But as it stands, the only way I get into things is by covering them as a journalist.  It was much better in London when I was a beauty writer.  I didn’t have to deal with celebs at parties ever and when there was an actual party, not just a small tea, it was really contained and lovely. In L.A. it’s not like that.  The events I go to are like mad, “Girls Gone Wild” parties.  Often there can be sweaty, drunk dancing involved and celeb groupies.

On Thursday evening I was given a VIP front row seat to the Vintage Valentino show that was being held at Downtown Los Angeles Fashion Week.  Here in the States, L.A. Fashion Week is considered a joke (sad).  So I wasn’t asked to cover anything anyway.  But this lovely person had bought this ticket and at the last minute couldn’t go and I was the lucky tush that got her seat.  I love Valentino.  I own “The Last Emperor” on DVD and haven’t watched it yet.  But I think his clothes are spectacular and I felt honored to attend.  It was also going to be great seeing the red carpet from afar and lovely not to have to rush home and be up until 5am transcribing my interviews.

I didn’t have anything even close to couture, let alone Valentino couture, and I was sitting in the front row!  But, I had a hunch that this being L.A. and not the hottest of fashion meccas, that if I looked snazzy enough, I’d be okay.  So, I put on a really fab All Saints top that is very Westwood, did my eyes up in fab colors going with my Russian Revolution trend (Read Russian Revolution post for the hottest beauty trend this fall!) and did my hair so I could put in a peacock feather headband that went with my trend alert for hair adornments (Read “Tress-Chic” post for the hottest trends for hair this fall!).  This old set of digits didn’t look half bad

I’m not in the best state at the moment due to work anxiety and was really nervous about showing up to a party without anyone.  A lot of these folks knew each other or were in the biz and so I sort of wandered around aimlessly (though some people were very kind and stopped to chat with me about my top!).  L.A. is such a weird place when it comes to getting dressed.  I arrived looking very London I suppose, and they came looking like—I dunno—I hate to say it—but very…errrmmm…seductive.  The girls were either really blinged out or wearing skin-tight, short dresses with their business hanging out.  And the make-up—oh my god!  Talk about caked on!  It’s just a different beast out here.

Anyway, I was led to my seat which was in a prime location, and it had a goodie bag sitting on it (always fun).  There were Coca-Cola girls in red-sequined dresses walking around with trays of soda for our comfort and it was really laid back.  The opening act for the show was a Brit named Matt Goss.  He has a show in Vegas and he is like a funky Frank Sinatra.  He was amazing!  His music rocked and he had showgirls that danced around him—he gave 100% and it was brilliant.

Our lovely Coke girl and you can see the front row and the goodie bags!!!

I have never heard of him, but evidently he's #13 in the UK charts and has a big show at the Palms in Las Vegas. Anyway, the guy was great and his dancers were very sexy!

Then the catwalk show began.  I was so let down.  You’ll see by the pics what I mean.  Valentino must have a conservatory of clothes that would make any fashionista’s heart stop.  The woman who threw the fashion show actually had collected and owned all the pieces so I understand that Valentino hadn’t leant or chosen the clothes himself.  But my god, the choices were atrocious.  The theme was red and black (never a good move) and the era’s were a mess.  Some of the dresses looked like bad 80’s disasters that I’m sure Maestro Valentino wished never resurfaced.  And the way they were styled!  The girls looked like they were Christmas tress with ornaments on them. The models were so second rate.  They had bad skin, they walked poorly, their faces were “whatever.”  And whoever did their make-up—I could have done better!  It looked like they had grease paint smeared on as foundation with heavy red lips and heavy black eyes.  That’s so dated! The hair looked oily and matted—it was bad.  I saw all of the faces in the front row and everyone was in shock!!!   The show had 2 dresses that I would have liked—but not pined for—and in a fashion show—you should be drooling.  I’ll show you the dresses that burnt my eyeballs out of their sockets they were so ugly first and at the end of my post, I’ll show you the two dresses I liked.  Here goes:

I wouldn't have been caught dead in this when it was created! And the model--seriously?

I don't know if this was Valentino's take on a Spanish-style dress gone-80's but OMG! It looks like it is a costume. And so tacky!!!

I think if they threw some tinsel and some candy canes on her it would have been perfect! Ugh and look at her make-up.

I had to include this because I was wondering if Valentino was even trying when he created this and also whomever picked the model to wear this---did they not see it didn't fit her well? Oh, and I'm sorry again to be cruel, but does SHE have the face of a model to you?

The end of the show--thank god! Look how Goth and scary they look. This would have Valentino crying off all of that orange paint he has on his face!

Afterwards, I had a cocktail, spoke to a few people, had a person I knew from the media take a photo of ME on the red carpet with my camera (very funny) and I drove home pleased as punch that I got out and could kick off my heels—but gave the night a fair go.  I wish evenings like that were more common for me…just nice and chilled out.

If you’re wondering what was in the goodie bag, it was very disappointing.  The goodie bags in L.A. are so second rate compared to Blighty! Let’s see, there was a brand of skincare I never heard of that gave a night serum, wipes for your pet, a sample size of Paul Mitchell hair cream, foot petals for your heels and a CD from Matt Goss that I got him to sign for my brother.  I think they could have AT LEAST put SOMETHING Valentino in there!

Anywhooo….I’m thrilled to be able to actually share what a night out for me is like in L.A.  Leave me a comment to let me know what you thought about the show and that you agree the models are DIRE!  Enjoy and I’ll see you tomorrow with my own bit of fashion with a brand new “Wish List.”

PS: Here are the 2 dresses I liked:

I really liked this because of the layering, the material and the adorable cape. Do I think it is pure genius? No. But it is pretty damned cute and I'd dig it if someone bought it for me But really, it's the cape that makes it.

This is the only dress that said "Valentino" to me. It was his classic red. It was perfectly cut. It was feminine and elegant and wait till you see the back. This is a dress that would blow a man away when he opened the front door to pick you up for a black-tie affair.

You make a great entrance, but man, look at that exit. Your ass looks like heaven and your shoulders and back are stellar. This is an A+ and I'm not surprised they ended the show with this. Perfection.

Dedicatedly yours,

—One of 365