Dear Ethers,

A very excellent Friday to you!  For some Ethers, your work-week is ending and “Fashion Fridays!” will be a nice little treat to end your day.  For others, you’re dragging yourself to your 5th (and thank fuck FINAL) day of work and this perky post might help get you started (with a large cup of coffee, of course).  

And speaking of coffee, this is where I got my Friday inspiration from.  I met a lovely girl from Elle magazine in Los Angeles who works in the fashion department and thought I’d get a little funked-out to meet her since she is a young fashionista.  Since we were meeting at a great coffee chain here in Los Angeles called “The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf” (famous for its Frappa-craziness in a million varieties) in a trendy part of town, I wanted to look casual/cool.  I always feel when you initially get together with another girl in the “biz” you always should wear heels.  It’s like men wearing ties to a meeting.  I think it’s just the done thing in the magazine world.  So, I picked out my favorite sky high KG’s that you’ll see a LOT of because they go with EVERYTHING, and put them with something I thought was unique and flavorful.  BE WARNED!  Unfortunately, the camera-woman (my sweet mom—my dad wasn’t around for this photo op) isn’t Mario Testino and couldn’t figure out the ways of the beast that is a ”point and shoot.”  By the time I taught her its “crazy” ways, my battery was low, we couldn’t re-shoot and the pics weren’t very flattering.  Trust me, it looks SO much cuter in person.  The skirt fits me better in the waist and for some reason my legs appear funny.  Please keep that in mind—and besides, who am I kidding, it’s not like I’m Amber Valetta.  Right-o, shall we begin “Fashion Fridays!”?

PS: I decided to put the poll at the top of the page as no one was voting  I want to see if this changes anything.  Truthfully, I don’t like how it looks as much and don’t think it works as well, but, I’m curious to see if more people vote if they see a poll right-away.  

Let’s break down the look from top to bottom:

My black and white panther T-shirt is from a brand called “PRIMP,” a label launched in 2004 by Wells Butler whose belief is that clothes should be “comfortable AND stylish.” PRIMP patterns are easily spotted by their unique silhouettes and bold prints.  These can range from animals to anchors, or for more chilled-out chicks who wanna make a fashion statement, Wells has a really cute peace-sign that will bring out the hippie in everyone.  The patterns can be found on everything from thermal leggings and sweatshirts to shorts and tank tops.  The clothes all manage to be whimsical, fashion-forward and unique.  The color palettes range from simple blacks and whites to sizzling reds and heart-stopping pinks.  Often the patterns will have a little rhinestone randomly placed on the fabric so when a bit of light hits, you glitter!  Worn by celebs Rachel Bilson, Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, Mischa Barton, Hayden Panitierre and even the Obama girls, PRIMP is a brand the cool gals like to kick-back in style with.

Next up is my lilac-gray high-waisted skirt with embroidered straps (in the States it can also be called a jumper–but that’s a really old fashioned term and in the UK that refers to a sweater!).  This piece is an absolute fave of mine!  I bought it at the Sunday Up Market in London just off Brick Lane  (one of my top markets in London that I recommend visiting) from a student who makes her own clothes.  Now, I’m sure she didn’t embroider the straps herself, but the design is amazing, the color is unusual and I loved that she only made 3 of them (1 in my color, 1 in black and 1 in cream).  She probably has reproduced more since, but it was such a cool feeling that you were helping a budding designer, getting a one-off-piece that was really unusual, and you felt you found a “find” (which I think is the whole point of  market culture in the first place).  I get compliments on it often and I adore that it has pockets–very fun.

Those metal gauntlets you see on my wrists are a gift from my English gents Mum.  The Eg’s family lived in Saudi Arabia because his father taught English to Saudi’s (that’s why my lovely bloke went to boarding school and has become anal about things like my eating in bed read: http://bit.ly/45qbdv and folding ties refer to: http://bit.ly/i50Eb).  The good thing about the Eg’s folks being in Saudi were the goodies they got (though his poor folks really hated being abroad).  You have to remember, a lot of the fashion they get in S.A. that’s “new” is actually from the 70’s and 80’s.  So, my Eg’s mum would get amazing brand-new designer clothing (and we’re talking like, catwalk quality) that we would consider vintage/retro with tags!  Hermes scarves, Dior sweaters, Lanvin shirts…and here’s the killer, it’s cheap as chips!  They also encourage you to haggle in Saudi, so almost everything is a bargain.  The modern stuff is more on the normal side of the price line, but even those duds are much more affordable–and when it goes on sale–forget it!  Again, bargain central.  If that place was safe to visit, screw oil, it could make a fortune just from shoppers.  

Anyway, I digress.  Right, so those gauntlets are actually from Yemen and are antiques.  They aren’t supposed to leave Yemen (shhhh….) and were smuggled into Saudi Arabia where his mom bought them as part of a jewellery lot at an auction (oh man, you should see some of the stuff she has—drool worthy).  When I left for the States she gave me 3 of these bracelets (the 3rd one is much bigger and isn’t part of any pair hence me owning a trio–it is stunning though).  I love these because I can wear them as matching bracelets on each wrist or double them up on one hand to make them look like one large bangle.  It’s also a great safety device if anyone tries to steal my purse–some people have brass knuckles, I have my antique studded gauntlet bangles!

Finally, the feet!  I’m one of the many girls out there who always dreamed of being taller.  I’ve told you before I’m by no means short (I’m 5′6). However, I’ve thought that 5′9+ would be awesome–like being an Amazon lady.  These suede, platform KG’s with their 4+ inch patent heels give me that uber model height.  When I first tried them on I was skeptical that I would be able to even stand in the stilts let alone walk a foot in them. Here’s the shocker, not only are they pretty comfy, but I can strut my stuff  without having a Naomi Campbell Vivienne Westwood catwalk incident (I can’t move terribly quickly…but they’re swagger shoes anyway).  They go great with SO many things: jeans, trousers, dresses and skirts. What a great investment.  I love wearing them with tights in the colder seasons–a good tip if you wanna wear open toed heels when it’s chilly.  

So, there’s the story behind my outfit.  I always love knowing what made someone buy something, where they got it and if they got a fab deal.  As a lover of fashion, it’s just so much fun to share your “war”drobe stories (trust me, I’ve had to fight for some items with nutty women at sales—don’t get me started with a fight at Selfridge’s circa 2004 and a pair of Prada trousers…I’ll write to you about that one in another entry).

Okay guys, happiest of Fridays and clink a cocktail to your health and happiness for me, okay?  Have a great weekend and I’ll speak to you tomorrow.  

Dedicatedly yours,

—One of 365

My coffee inspired casual-funk look (with heels, of course!).

My PRIMP shirt (hey, take out the R in PRIMP and what do you get, yeah that's right, the kinda bad-ass super star you are when you don this, baby!). Notice the black crystals on the panthers. Meow! Bought from T.K. MAXX (yes, America, same chain as T.J. MAXX they just changed 1 letter--dunno why) for 5 pounds sterling on sale! These T-shirts normally retail for $60! Always check those clearance racks.

Original, cute, versatile and hand-made. I love this piece. I'm wearing it with a casual T-shirt, but I've also dressed this up with a lovely flowing blouse, black tights and I'm ready for a night out. Go from cute to beaut'! Purchased from Sunday Up Market, London 30 pounds sterling

Ahhh....respect them. Honor their immense patent heel height and platform madness. Respect the tassels! These puppies are dead sexy and can make those gams go from sausage legs to rocket launchers! KG heels bought from Harrods in London for 50 pounds sterling on sale from 100 pounds sterling.

They don't make them like they used to, eh? These are so beautifully handcrafted and delicate (even though they look like they can take your eye out with one fatal swoop). I treasure all antique jewellery, but love these because they are a gift from my English gent's mum and also from a place so exotic. Priceless.

Pssssst: I know the poll is at the top, but don’t forget to VOTE! X