APR
2011
25

Xtina is First Gay Walk of Fame Inductee

Christina Aguilera got Dirrty last week as she was the first inductee for West Hollywood’s new Gay Walk of Fame. Forget her hands and feet, what should be covered in mud is this ensemble. Corsets and feathers and pleather, oh my! It’s like a 1920’s prostitute meets trashy 90’s lingerie (other stars who have tried this look include Rose Mcgowen and Dita Von Teese…thus this can be dubbed the “Marilyn Manson bait” look). I know Christina has always pushed the class-less boundaries with her fashion sense (just Google “assless chaps”, you’ll find her) and therefore I shouldn’t even raise an…

MAR
2011
10

Dov Charney is a Classy Businessman

American Apparel founder and CEO Dov Charney is apparently facing a $260 million dollar lawsuit this week alleging that he pressured a former teenage employee to engage in lewd sexual acts with him in order to keep her job at the fashion retailer. It’s gotta be the shocker of the year that the man who markets his business by taking back alley photographs of sex starved teenagers in spread eagle positions while wearing nothing but underwear in order to sell his products would turn out to be a creep. Is it just me, or should the mustache have been the…

JAN
2011
13

The Question is Not How…

Manolo says, our friend, the inimitable Miss Plumcake, gives us the lesson in how to wear the jeggings. I have never been a fan of the skinny jean on big girls because it’s such a tricky look to deploy. Big girls, like Tolstoy’s unhappy families are all big (or unhappy) in different ways. Yet back in October my bff Meghan, who was also a plus-size model and is even more beautiful than I am (if you can imagine such a thing), was not just wearing but actively rocking jeggings. My tiny world was turned upside down.

DEC
2010
14

Shoes for the Non-Retro Girl Wearing the Retro Dress

Manolo says, one of the Manolo internet friends has asked the Manolo the question. Dear Manolo, I have been in a bit of a style rut as of late. My style is not unfashionable, but it is very…safe. Good-fitting jeans. Nice sweaters. Simple dresses in the summer, like a wrap dress or a ruched-waist sheath — nothing objectionable, but I have really not been setting the world on fire. So, I have decided to branch out a bit by dipping my toe into retro waters. Visiting a friend’s shop over the weekend, I tried on this dress, from Heartbreaker Fashion,…

JUN
2010
13

The Destroyed Cotton Balmain T-Shirt

Manolo says, $1624!! Ayyyyy! Who knew that Army surplus clothing could be so costly? P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo’s internet friend Margot for alerting the Manolo to this.

JUN
2010
08

Undergarments

Manolo says, Mr. Henry considers underclothing. Underpants – a comic masterpiece of a word. Just try maintaining a serious tone when saying the word “underpants.” In Britain you can’t even say “pants” without getting a clever-clever rejoinder. For them, pants are garments worn under trousers. The German word for panties is “panties,” which when pronounced with a German accent sounds very, very naughty. It’s difficult to know how to frame the argument about underpants. Boxers or briefs? Surely this is a false dichotomy. And now you must go read the whole thing.

APR
2010
28

The Maxi-Dress Moment, Pt 2

Manolo says, it is the summer of the Maxi-Dress! Here is the Regan Maxi-Dress from Lilly Pulitzer, the white strapless maxi with the so-called “burnout” tropical leaf pattern. And now, we must need some colorful shoes to add interest and flavor to the dish. The Manolo recommends pink! On the left is the Metro T-Strap Wedge Sandals from Kate Spade. On the right is the Dolce & Gabanna Estelle Wedge Sandal (which you may recognize as having been recommended by the Manolo in the green color the couple months ago). Of the course, you are not limited to pink with…

APR
2010
27

The Maxi-Dress Moment

Manolo says, unless you are perhaps living in the cave in the Hindu Kush, you will be aware that one of the better trends of this season is the maxi-dress. Here is the single shoulder, beautifully draped, Theo Maxi-Dress from Joie that will have you looking like the Pallas Athena! And, for the shoes, pay no attention to what the model is wearing, you, of the course, will require sandals of great simplicity and unusual beauty. Sandals such as the Blaze from Elizabeth and James, which have imbibed the spirit of classical antiquity, and yet suggest not the placid classicism…