Escapist: A person who escapes into a world of fantasy

Photos by Tim Walker. I love him.

I love you Ralph Lauren...

Ralph Lauren: I adore him. I appreciate him. The equestrian chic vibe of his jackets is something that no designer has ever and will ever replicate. That look, is by far my favorite. A few days ago, I purchased the purchase to end all purchases. A pay check, and my non existant first born child perhaps went into getting this jacket. It's a blazer: a simple striped blazer with the ralph lauren shielded armour emblem on the upper pocket. The stripes are black and the emblem black, white, blue and red. When I wear it I don't feel like anything: I am royal. There are no real words to describe how an article of clothing changes your life. But I can tell you that this is an important part of my wardrobe and will go with almost everything this fall.

BUT NOW, I HAVE MY SIGHTS SET ON THIS... MY JACKET'S COUSIN.

MANGO: Penélope Cruz

I love Penélope. She's such a devoted artist in so many ways. The girl can act! I've never seen a more relatable tantrum thrown than the several ones thrown in Vicky Crisina Barcelona. She nailed the Spanish temper. No matter who is on the screen with Penélope , they stand no chance of out shining her. Scarlet Jo. might be the more obvious beauty, but when put together in the same scene there was no comparison. There's nothing risky about Scarlet's face. Besides celebrating Penelope's unique beauty, I have to write about her clothing line: MANGO which she co-owns with her sister Monica. (The two look so similar!) I first started shopping at MANGO about two years ago. The jeans are what convinced me. They fit like a glove. Finally somebody who understood my body, my frame and my attitude! The colors are vibrant, the beauty of the clothes is effortless and there is an underlying toughness for every ounce of femininity. That's the way I like an outfit.

THIS is Monica! Or Penélope #2

http://www.mango.com/

Flare it out!

I've been a devoted fan of the skinny jean since it's reincarnation into the 21st century. I live in my skinnies. Recently though, I was thinking about the 1960's and 70's. Specifically, the era of Jesus Christ Superstar. I know, I know. But, if you really take the time to disect the fashion in that movie, I can't see how you wouldn't be inspired. The closest thing that anyone can get to a bellbottom (whitout really wearing a bellbottom) is a great pair of flared jeans.

They're not so disco-licious as to say "Let's go to studio 54 and inject heroin into our veins." They're more of a wink, a silent ode to the groovy generation. A flare jean can go two ways: The free flowing flowery business or the anime hooded video game bandit. If you're not careful, a flare jean can make you look at the oldest, fourteen years old. There are a few things you can do to avoid this: Please...please please please DO NOT FLIP FLOP IT. Also, avoid the hoodie and the sneaker or anything too casual on top. (you're already in denim!) To make the look grown up, and pay tribute to the best generation of all time: Pair the jeans with a heal. Espadrilles would rock it out, or any other kind of platformed shoe. Want to be "comfortable"? Alright fine, work it out with the gladiator sandal I mentioned above or any other flat strappy number. Now if you think about what kind of tops look really great with skinnies, you might think of flowy, generally loose fitting blouses. Well now think of the flare. You've got the flow at the bottom of the ensemble now, so nip it in at the top; not too much though. Avoid tight t-shirts. Button downs would work, basically anything that isn't a tent. You can still do flowy on top, depending on how much of Janis Joplin you want to channel but to keep the look modern stick to somewhere in the middle.

I want to mention that I don't think skinnies are going anywhere anytime soon. They're amazing and will be eternally sexy (depending on who wears them!) But let's work with the flare and give it back it's dignity!

Valentino: The Last Emperor

A few weeks ago, I spontaneously decided to see this documentary about Valentino. It was it's first weekend in Chicago, and the turn out was very good. With that said, we huddled into the front of the theater to watch the film. To our great surprise, the director came out to introduce his film! Matt Tyrnauer, a journalist from New York (Vanity Fair) had spent two years with a camera crew following the legendary designer while capturing every tantrum, tear, beautiful gown etc...

The movie itself was made for people like me. It glorified fashion. It made it important. So often, people put people in the fashion industry at the top of the pyramid but fail to give them respect because what they do isn't "important." Even the most fashion challenged person out there as a favorite pair of shoes, or a dress that makes them feel good. You breathe it and don't even know it.

I knew the movie would make me cry, because it's all about the end of The Fashion House's classic empire. For the last 45 years Valentino has been the ultimate designer: untouched and ranked as the best. Now he's retired, and the fashion industry will never be the same. Who knows if that's necessarily bad. It could just mean that the fashion market is evolving once again.

One thing you'll notice is that he adores women. Everything about a woman: From head to toe. He appreciates beauty and most importantly respects it. If all straight men could move past the "hot" adjective and learn to describe a beautiful woman as a gay man does, than I'm sure they'd have better luck with a certain kind of lady. I see that quality, celebrating and empowering women, in a few designers today: Zac Posen and Marc Jacobs especially.

What do women want? "They want to be beautiful."

Long Live Valentino!

CROCS: Don't walk this way!

Okay, so I havn't written in this blog for a long time! Life got in the way. But, now I'm on my Spring Break and have time to reflect on some things. I was inspired to write this blog while watching What Not To Wear. I saw a woman wearing these... NO! I hate when people play the "They're comfortable!" card. Please, I'd rather you go barefoot than wear Barney's footwear. Forget the plethora of ultra violet colors to choose from, these shoes are ridiculous. There are only two kinds of people who can wear these: Clowns and the occasional chef, like the great Mario Batali.