Cheryl Shops

In my last post, I wrote about love, lust, and shopping. To continue with that theme, think about the first month or two in a relationship. Not that is-he-into-me-or-not uncertain period, but that giddy, euphoric, holding-hands, making-out-everywhere, butterflies-in-your-stomach, barely-coming-up-for-air phase. That is how I feel about San Francisco. I wake up to an amazing, sunny view of the city and that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of my day. I feel lucky to be here. That and whenever I fill out an address form, I think, "Oh yeah, I live in California now!" and giggle.

Speaking of addresses, my apartment is right on the edge of Lower Pacific Heights, which I've quickly concluded is the best neighborhood of the city in which to shop. Key in this conclusion is my proximity to the Fillmore Street branch of Steven Alan; I will admit, it reminds me a little bit of home, and I do find that comforting (hey, you never forget your first love, right?). I recently stopped by the store after a few hours of day drinking outside in the sunshine, and I promptly locked eyes on Clare Vivier's Duffle Petit bag. This was no case of beer goggles; it was more like I walked into the bar, er, store and spotted the man, er, bag of my dreams. It's a classic shape with the option of double handles or a longer, adjustable shoulder strap; the size is big enough to hold all the essentials but not so big that you feel the need to overload it with crap. (Ahem, like I used to.) Vivier has also started lining her bags, which is key--I'd been deterred from buying one in the past for that reason alone. What really sold me, however, is that it is monogrammable. In my old age, I'm becoming very vain, and thus I like to see my initials slapped on everything. Sheets? Sure! Stationery? Of course! But those are so practical. Monogramming a bag says, "I'm SO not going to sell this purse on The Real Real six months from now!"

I almost pulled the trigger--after all, I owe myself a bag, which is my traditional present to myself when I get a raise or a new job. However, I have a more immediate concern: furnishing my apartment, which happens to be significantly bigger than my apartment in New York. (That's right, I said BIGGER. First World problems, I know.) So I am on a clothes-and-accessory-shopping diet*, but as soon as I'm ready to binge, I'm marching myself four blocks up the street and slapping down my Amex. After all, once you find The One, you don't want to let it slip away, do you?

*Okay, so I am human. I cheated and bought this garment-dyed hemp T-shirt by Jungmaven and it was the best $30 I've spent in awhile. It. Is. So. Soft. Seriously, new favorite T-shirt. It's for men, so size down; I think I'm seriously going to buy one in every color. Once my shopping diet is over, of course. Of course.  

After exhausting myself over the weekend* ("What's a weekend?" indeed!), I found myself, gladly, with a much lighter schedule for the final few days of Fashion Week. (I also had to skip quite a few shows due to work, but that's another story.) Here's what I was up to Monday and Tuesday.

Alice and Olivia

While I've rediscovered the joy of avant-garde this season, I certainly haven't lost my ability to shop a show, which is what I found myself doing at Stacey Bendet's Alice and Olivia presentation Monday evening. Granted, I am already an enthusiastic Alice and Olivia fan, but with a theme of Parisian "Fantasy Street Style," the fall collection might as well have been called "Stuff Cheryl Wants to Buy." There were flirty flared skirts, buttery leather motorcycle jackets, patchwork furs (a big trend this season), and lace, lace, lace. And then there were bags and shoes from the label's fairly recent expansion into accessories, and the boots were so fabulous, I found myself mentally clearing room in my closet for them: over-the-knee gray suede, quilted black pointy-toe with gold studs, pointy black haircalf, a black leather spat style...so many boots, so little time. And just when I thought things couldn't get any better, waiters waltzed by with trays of pink champagne and cake pops. Stacey, will you be my best friend?


Reem Acra

It's always interesting to see where I'm seated at a fashion show; usually it's toward the end of the runway with the press, so we have a longer look at each exit, but at Reem Acra, I was seated at the beginning of the runway—so close that I could see the models backstage before they came out onto the glossy black runway. I was also close enough to appreciate the intricate detail and craftsmanship in Acra's work (in fact, close enough that my zoom lens was too long, hence the less-than-stellar quality of my photography here), which for fall 2013 was inspired by travels to Japan and the photography of Daido Moriyama. Acra stuck to a simple palette of black, white, and red, the better to showcase her sexy fishnet-backed cutouts, which curved around the body in a very sensual way. That thought was echoed in her day dresses and coats, which draped low and gracefully across the hips to soft, flattering effect. But Acra's gowns stole the show as always, from embroidered second-skin illusion gowns to embroidered, frothy tulle confections. Look for them on the red carpet; stars would be remiss not to wear one.


Steven Alan

Runway shows are fabulous and exciting, but presentations have their place at Fashion Week, especially for designers like Steven Alan, whose quietly cool clothes would get lost under the lights and drama. Also, presentations are wonderful because you can be in and out in 10 minutes. That said, I wanted to linger over the fall collection, which had a very appealing tomboyish feel. You could say menswear is a trend for fall (although if you ask me, it's too much of a staple to be considered a trend), which puts Alan in the thick of things, but his take is subtle and even a bit androgynous—a boxy windowpane-plaid suit, oversized boyfriend shirts, cropped stovepipe pants, and updates on classics like cable-knit sweaters and chambray shirtdresses. I also found myself shopping this collection, but in a different way than Alice and Olivia above—that one is "I have to have that right now" while Steven Alan is "I will have this forever."


*A post on the rest of Sunday's shows is still forthcoming!

So much has happened in the world of masstige since my last update! This is going to be a long post, so let's jump right in.

Target has released images of all the Go International Designer Collective dresses (otherwise known as Go International greatest hits) due to hit stores March 13th. Racked National posted the entire lookbook for all 34 dresses, so you can make a plan of attack. Going through it was a fun trip down memory lane for me; I will definitely be ordering the Thakoon dress at right (I already have the batik-print one that's also part of the collection) and the Rogan leopard-print dress--those were two of my absolute favorite collections ever, and who doesn't love a second chance in life? And even better, all dresses will retail for $50 or less!

And speaking of Target, their spring collaboration with Dolce Vita is already live--there are 20 or so styles (some are left over from winter and are on clearance), many of which are very similar to DV's main line. I have my eye on this nude wedge espadrille ($29.99!).

Forever 21 has also gone masstige-crazy recently; a Rollergirl-themed Petro Zillia collection debuted last month, and as of today, Rory Beca's collection is live on their website. Both lines are reportedly available in all 250 Forever 21 stores, but as you know, finding something specific at that store is, to paraphrase Clueless, like searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie. Regardless, I find the Rory Beca line to be more on the wearable side; I might just order this romper--not bad for $28.

Also available now, but of a slightly elevated masstige level is Steven Alan's collaboration with Dockers. There are three pants and a skirt for women, and three pants styles, one short, and one shirt for men; prices range from $128-$148--higher than usual for Dockers, but much lower than Steven Alan's usual prices. Everything is pretty basic but sure to please Steven Alan's many devotees.

If you missed out on voting for the upcoming crowd-sourced Derek Lam for eBay collection during Fashion Week, here are the 5 looks that will be produced. Prices range from $175 for the black sheath (one of my favorites) to $295 for the floral-print maxi dress (my other favorite), all styles come in sizes 0-16, and all will be available for purchase staring May 10.

Finally, apparently Vena Cava let slip at a Fashionista-sponsored panel that they're collaborating with Uniqlo. No details are available yet, but based on Vena Cava's numerous past collabs (Gap, Bloomingdale's, Via Spiga) and Uniqlo's, I have a feeling it will be pretty awesome. Of course, I will provide more information when I have it, so check back soon!

MasstigeWatch!
Chalk one (or, like a million) up for Uniqlo: uber-iconic designer Jil Sander will oversee the men's and women's lines, as well as design a special collection for fall [subscription required]. All I have to say about that is: wow. And, also: I will be shopping at Uniqlo a lot more.

Speaking of which, Uniqlo's latest designer collaborations--from Steven Alan and Opening Ceremony--hit the store on Thursday. I will try to make it there on my lunch break and report back. If I don't have time for a full post, however, there's always my Twitter feed, so please stay tuned!

MasstigeWatch!
As was leaked last month, Uniqlo has a very downtown coterie of designer collaborations lined up for spring [subscription required]: Steven Alan for women and Opening Ceremony for men hit stores in March; Shipley & Halmos for women and Gilded Age for men bow in May. Price ranges for all four lines will be a very wallet-friendly $19-$79. So while none of these lines are really anything to go crazy about, I'm sure they will be well made and quietly cool, as the previous Uniqlo designer collaborations have been.

If you're more excited about the McQ for Target collection, Target already has a microsite up and running; it helpfully counts down the days until the March 4th launch, and you can also preview a few looks and listen to a song by The Duke Spirit (singer Leila Moss was McQueen's inspiration for the line). But if you're like me and realized--oh, shit!--you're going to be on vacation when the collection hits stores, you're in luck: Racked reports that Target will open a pop-up shop, called the Target McQ Market, 2/14-15 from noon to 10 p.m., at 330 West Street, in the far West Village, a block north of Houston. Yep, it will be packed with all the fashionistas in town for Fashion Week (I'll have to strategically time my visit during one of the big shows that I'm not invited to), but, damnit, I must have that jumpsuit!

MasstigeWatch!
H&M might get the big names and Target is all about frequency, but when it comes to designer–mass market collaborations, Uniqlo gets the coolest designers. Case in point: The Fashion Informer, in this interview with Steven Alan himself, casually let drop that Alan is launching a collaboration with Uniqlo in spring 2009. (Note: This is not to be confused with Lark & Wolff, Alan's somewhat underwhelming line for Urban Outfitters.) Racked investigated, and according to the Uniqlo rep, who could neither confirm nor deny that Alan is on board, the designers will be announced at the end of January. In the meantime, Refinery 29 reports that Opening Ceremony will be another one of the designers. Now all we need is for Oak to get in on the action for a perfect uber-hip downtown boutique trifecta.

MasstigeWatch!
New York Magazine's excellent The Cut blog reports today that Steven Alan is doing a lower-priced line for Urban Outfitters, and it will hit stores as soon as July 4th. This is excellent news for those of us who love Steven Alan's neo-preppy rumpled shirts but not their three-digit price tags, as the line, called Lark & Wolff, will retail for a mere $50-$128. Urban Outfitters has stepped up their game recently with Geren Ford's lower-priced line, Hawks; coming up, the retailer will be debuting special collections from Paul & Joe Sister, Bing Bang jewelry, and Charlotte Ronson. So yay for all of that.

Also, sorry for not having written about Alexander Wang for Uniqlo sooner, but my parents were in town last weekend and so I got a little sidetracked. Anyway, I hightailed it to Uniqlo after work on Friday (I have summer Fridays, thank god) and was happy to find all five dresses in my size (they had plenty of all sizes at the time). The funny thing was, though, that the dresses I thought I'd like the most--the vest babydoll dress and the pleated drop-waist dress--were the ones that looked the worst on me. The colorblocked dress was not terribly flattering either. In order to pull off Wang's slouchy, boyish silhouette, it helps to not have boobs, and, well, yeah. I ended up with the shirtdress and the sleeveless black dress, both of which are cut incredibly well. The shirtdress is a cotton blend and the sleeveless dress (as well as all the other dresses) is polyester, but it's actually a pretty nice poly, and it at least fooled me into thinking it was silk. I have no idea if anything is left (rumor was that Uniqlo was restocking today), but this is one of the best masstige collections I've seen in awhile, so I highly suggest checking it out (or surfing eBay, where there are already multiple pieces listed). Here's where I could make a joke about getting so much Wang for so little, but I'll refrain.