Politically Charged

Attending a house party for some debate watching Friday evening seems to have set the theme for this weekend. On Saturday we stopped by Wertz Contemporary in the Castleberry Hill district for the temporary Go Tell Mama! exhibit.


Go Tell Mama! is artist CRO's unique approach to campaigning for Obama. The traveling exhibit (Atlanta is CRO's last stop before returning to Chicago) features artwork inspired by the candidate. Check out Go Tell Mama! website for artwork, posters, shirts and a free download.

Pictured below l to r: Obama artists OBEY and CRO.

Image courtesy of www.gotellmama.org.

This morning I watched the latest Tina Fey/Sarah Palin SNL skit on Stephanie's blog. It's hilarious and scarily accurate.

I also had the chance to look through the October Vogue. Page 172 features a number of items from Runway to Change. Big name fashion designers like Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez and Alexander Wang have created t-shirts and accessories available on Obama's campaign website in exchange for contributions.

Personally, I'm not crazy about the designs. I think I might go for the old school look and just wear a button.


Images courtesy of style.com and barackobama.com.

1. A look from the Nicole Farhi runway.
2. Alexander Wang tank.
3. Albertus Swanepoel hat.
4. Rachel Roy Be the Change scarf.
5. Derek Lam tote bag.

CL

More Kate Moss at TopShop

The latest Kate Moss collection for Topshop is now available online. I don't own anything from this collaboration, but that's mostly because of the ridiculously weak dollar and not my indifference towards the clothes. In fact, I like how the clothes really do look like they've come directly from Kate's closet.

The same can't be said for other celebrity lines out there. Sarah Jessica Parker's Bitten line is wonderfully cheap, but doesn't represent her daring fashion sense. With $350 leggings Mary Kate and Ashley's line seems to reflect their wallets more than their homeless-chic look. And Mandy Moore's Mblem line is not memorable since the singer/actor isn't known for her personal style.

Cocaine snorting videos aside, Kate Moss can hold her head up high. Her Topshop collaboration achieves its goal of capturing that special Kate Mossiness. Below are a few examples.

Button-up tank

On Kate:


Topshop's Strappy Vest (about $12):
Hot Pants

On Kate:

Topshop's Denim Hotpant (about $50)
Little Black Dress (with embellishments)

On Kate:


Topshop's Lace Dress (about $240):
Sequins

On Kate:


Topshop's Metallic Beaded Top (about $130):

Fitted Jacket

On Kate:

Topshop's Embroidered Pinstripe Jacket (about $130):
Ethnic Patterns

On Kate:

Topshop's Mirror Hotpants (about $120):
Hopefully Kate Moss will still be designing for Topshop in 50-100 years when the US will no longer have a $9 trillion deficit and super low interests rates that make the dollar weaker than Zach Braff's chin!

Photos from www.people.com and www.topshop.com

CL

Gap Modern

It really should be Lauren blogging about this (she graduated with a major in Art History), but she's out of town and I think this is the best thing since sliced bread.

In conjunction with the Whitney Biennial, Gap is selling limited edition t-shirts designed by well-known and soon-to-be-well-known artists featured in the Whitney Museum's famous exhibition.

The list of artists:
My absolute favorite design is by Barbara Kruger. I've been a huge fan of Kruger since learning about her in my one and only modern art history class (I unfortunately majored in business and economics).

I love this shirt. I want to buy this shirt. There are two reasons why I haven't already punched in my credit card number at gap.com. First, it only comes in mens sizes, which means it might just look incredibly boxy and ridiculous on me. Secondly, the message of the shirt is anti-consumerism, so I'd feel like a big fat hypocrite if I bought it.

Any thoughts? Should I overcome my shame of being a hypocrite and not worry about the size? Or should I just buy a poster of Kruger's artwork and be done with it?
CL

British Invasion

Textile/fashion designer Celia Birtwell has finally crossed the pond thanks to a collaboration with Express. I rarely shop at Express. The clothes always seem expensive and outdated, but I'd be willing to take a trip to the mall to check out Birtwell's items. They're not inexpensive either ($79 for a shirt and $128 for the dresses), but I think it's worth a look and a nice change from Express' unimaginative pieces.

This shirt is one of my favorites from the collection. I'm not sure if I can pull it off - it might be too much for my short frame. Of course it never hurts to try...

I wish the Express collection had a few more pieces like the ones she created for TopShop - especially this dress below. If you get a chance, check out the Topshop Celia Birtwell site. The clothes are no longer available, but it's a fun site and shows off more of Birthwell's style.

Still haven't had enough of Cecil Birtwell style? Check out her website. I love all of the fabrics and wallpaper. Her designs are like a mix between Anthropologie, a Wes Anderson set and Bloomsbury.
CL

WTF?

Some of you fashion bloggers might have already known this, but it's news to me: Zac Posen is debuting a line for Australian Target in April. Zac Posen!!! Don't get me wrong, I love Libertine, Jovovich-Hawk and Erin Fetherston from the U.S. Target's Go International line, but Zac Posen is on a completely different level of fashion designer-ism. So how did Target in Australia manage to rope him in?

If you non-Australian fashionistas really want to torture yourselves, check out the whole collection here. Everything looks amazing. My only consolation is that most pieces are over $100, so even if they were available in the U.S. I wouldn't be able to afford much. I'm sure they'll be available on ebay soon for nearly twice as much *sigh*.


CL

Stella!

I've been a big fan of Stella McCartney's Adidas line since the collaboration began in 2004. She always seems to find the perfect mix of femininity and athleticism with her designs. This season she's expanded her line to include more workout categories like gym dance, gym yoga and gym studio. These new categories are more my speed compared to the others (golf, swim, running and tennis). I'm not really into sports, but, hell, I'd play rugby if it meant I could wear Stella McCartney-designed jersey and shorts.

Dance Tee, Dance Cover Up Legging and Tenram dance shoe:

Yoga Cover Up Tunic and Yoga Tight Legging:

Clockwise from top left: Yoga Layer Tee with Yoga Short, Tennis Dress with Tennis Hot Pant, Yoga Sock with Yanga flat, and Run Cover Up Tank with Running Bag.

Studio Cover Up All-in-One Tight with Ganlen trainers.
See the whole 2008 collection here.

CL

Safari Chic on the Cheap

A lot of fashion bloggers have been writing about Old Navy's new Urban Explorer line. Most of the items are Safari-inspired. Safari-themed fashion seems have become more of classic style than a trend and the clean lines of Old Navy's clothing reflects that.

My safari inspiration board:

Images from Style.com, background fabric from Lewis & Sheron Textile Co.

I think we can thank Todd Oldham for this great turnaround at Old Navy. Apparently in March the store will release its Palm Beach themed line. I can't wait.

Safari Romper and Printed Belted Dress both $29.50:



Canvas Wedges and Platform Sandals both $34.50:
CL

Subkoff + Bebe, Who Knew?

I feel like I've been living under a rock for the past few months. It wasn't until I was doing a little online window shopping yesterday that I stumbled upon this:


Did anyone else hear about Tara Subcoff designing for Bebe? I'm so confused. Usually something like this would have been in all the fashion magazines months ago and Bebe normally has print ads everywhere. I have not seen one add or mention of this, but maybe I somehow overlooked it? A much bigger deal was made about Subcoff's collaboration with Easy Spirit. Go figure.

The collection is a little expensive for me, but there are some nice pieces - like the cinched-waist trench coat and mini pleated skirt. None of the items really bring to mind Subcoff's Imitation of Christ collections - the pieces seem more French than reconstructed vintage.

Overall, I'm really excited about the collaboration and hope there's more to come, but I'm still confused by the lack of advertising...

CL

Jovovich-Hawk for Target

The Jovovich-Hawk Go International line comes out March 2. So far my experience has been that the Go lines always look better in photos than in person, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up about this collection.

My favorite items are the chiffon wrap on the left and the high-waisted denim skirt. I was kind of disappointed to learn that chevron halter is actually a one-piece bathing suit - March is still a little too early for me to start thinking about swim suits - but there's a cap-sleeve beige and black chevron top that's really lovely.

Have a look for yourself. See the collection here.

Background wallpaper from Graham & Brown.

CL