Good morning, Thursday and happy Fourth of July weekend. I'm going to keep things very low fi this weekend- it's been a bear of a couple of weeks and I'll be celebrating our independence by being lazy. That's my right as an American and I'm gonna use it.
So last night's miraculously scary thunder storm and rain drench had me tucked into the sofa with my little Khan man, catching up on some "housekeeping" aka keeping up with the magazines that pile up every month on my coffee table. I'm hoping the birthday fairies are kind to me this year and grant me with a mini IPad, because I like the idea of commutes spent reviewing all of my favorite reads. I've given up on reading books on the train. I think I just want to look at pretty pictures.
And as I paged through July's Vogue, I couldn't help but notice how modern it felt. With Lupita on the cover and a slew of lesser known but super great photographers on the inside- this old fashion war horse was feeling super fresh and I found myself really enjoying the issue. And David Sims is hardly an emerging talent (more like a fashion household name), but his story for July's Vogue felt so exciting. Karlie Kloss is looking divine, the makeup and hair is just enough, and the clothes- THOSE CLOTHES. The splash of red with the black and white felt super Japanese, the shapes modern and architectural and strong. I loved the framing of the story and the art direction of the pages- just felt like a bit of a departure for Vogue and very much into what's going on over there. Well done. (Scroll through the story above and you'll see what I mean).
And David also did the campaign for the new Marc by Marc Jacobs campaign, the first with Luella Bartley at the helm. The talent was chosen via Instagram and shot by Sims himself- simple and graphic and fantastic. This feels like a very cool new world for Marc to play in, and you just have to admire his constant reinvention and amazing ability to seize cultural trends and not only make them his own, but create some new ones in the process. Look for fashion advertising to follow suit. This is the next gen of "real" people photography and fashion photography altogether.
But lest you think high fashion is going to be inclusive, don't worry- there's plenty of out of touch ridiculousness still happening. Vogue posted this photo of Karlie Kloss (I have Karlie on the brain), riding through the city on a Citi Bike and acted like it was some kind of fashion revelation that she was wearing possibly the most basic of any outfit- a white button down and jeans. It's true that Karlie makes it look like a million dollar outfit, but do you need to spend anywhere close to that to get it? No. No you don't.
To get Karlie's look, here's what Vogue recommended you buy:
I mean, really? $1500 sunglasses, a $550 white button down, and $230 jeans? Oh and the Repetto flat for $265?
Here's the break down if you can't see it in the screen shot:
Charvet slim-fit white cotton shirt, $515
The Row for Linda Farrow Gallery The Row 54 sunglasses, $1,504
farfetch.com
Frame Denim Le Skinny distressed jeans, $230
modaoperandi.com
Repetto Cendrillon ballet flats, $265
net-a-porter.com
Comme des Garçons Rose Bakery bag, $62
shop.doverstreetmarket.com
Ridiculous. Here's the look for less, courtesy of your favorite fashion editor- me. You're welcome.
Go for an American Eagle skinny jean for $44.95, a modern Oxford from the men's department at the Gap for $49.99, some flats from Nine West for just under $60 that are super Repetto like, and some Ray Bans with any color lense you want for under 200 bucks. And clearly, you don't need to buy a tote bag. You know you have canvas bags all the heck over your flat, so just use one of those. There you have it- the whole look for under $500, with the sunglasses being the big splurge. You can definitely get those for cheaper, so as much as I love Vogue's new look, I'm still gonna break off the look for less. Way, way less.
And that's what's up this red, white, and blue kind of Thursday in the 212. Yours, in fiscal responsibility and star spangled banners. XO