stylecunt

MAKE DO AND MEND

It was good enough for grandma, so it’s good enough for us. If something breaks,fix it. Buying simple supplies from your local fabric store is substantially cheaper than replacing garments altogether. It’s easier than you think, most repair jobs do not necessitate the use of a sewing machine. 

MODIFY

I can’t tell you how many different garments you can make from a simple t-shirt. When an item of clothing becomes stodgy, consider simple alterations in lieu of the rubbish bin. Sometimes, scissors can be your best friend. Turn those pants into capris, rip off the sleeves of that shirt, distress that dress, etc etc etc. Also, familiarize yourself with the world of fabric dyes.

FLEAS

Flea markets are true gold mines. They’re an oasis of folks who don’t know the true value of their wares. Clothing can be lacking at these emporiums, what you really need to scavenge for is accessories. Gloves, hats, and jewelry are always rampant at fleas. Antique kid leather gloves are easy to find, and through creative cutting, can be transformed into haute ornaments Julius would be proud of. Also, with some resourceful pinning, shawls become two second skirts. The possibilities are endless, keep you eyes open. Craigslist is an excellent source to find local garage sales and estate auctions. 

LAYAWAY

Can’t afford it now? Pay it off over time! Many boutiques offer this kind service, and I urge you to take advantage of it. 

DECONTAMINATE

For the love of Pete, clean out your closets. If you have a pile of clothes that you a) Don’t want to alter, b) Are too lazy to sell, and c) Don’t fit any more, give them away! Clothing swaps are how I acquired nearly one fourth of my wardrobe. Your friends need your help in this time of fashion crisis, lend them a hand. 

EBAY

There are some labels that most of us will never be able to afford, so buy it secondhand. I can reveal to you that all of my pieces from designer All Saints were gained through this medium. 

GOODWILL

Racks of tops that are all under $8, what more do I have to say?

BUDGET SITES

There are scores of websites out there with loads of cheap shoes and clothes.

Cutesygirl

GoJane

Forever 21

AmiClubwear

Electrique Boutique 

I do indeed hope that this post was helpful to those of you feeling your belts tighten.

For the first time, I will be taking submissions. Send me your make do and mend’s, your own penny pinching ideas, fashion you believe should be killed with fire, and the like. I want you to send me photos of your outfits. The most ‘fashion forward’ outfit of August shall obtain a special prize from Stylecunt.

Please send all submissions to stylesnatch@gmail.com.

And with that, I leave you with some visual eye candy. Ignore the makeup, adore the accessories.



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I am entranced.

The prodigious doll lamps of the Russian sisters Lena and Katya Popova have sent my head spinning. Every element of the design is worth note, as the intense detail is nothing short of breathtaking.  I am aware that these Rococo geishas have made their rounds on the online blogscape, but I am surprised that the effect of these images has not lingered. This is true, raw fashion inspiration. It is imperative that these dresses be brought to full size scale. 

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LOST VELVET EMPIRE

Velvet empire, methinks you should have stayed lost. After fashion broke up with you in the late 70's, we really never expected you to surface again. But if we ever need an outfit for a 'Little Lord Faulteroy Gone Wrong' party, we'll let you know. 

Also, circular cameo on the back? Where have I seen that before......

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In an attempt to make fashion fail drones feel special, Lip Service has recently started offering a 'pre-order' service. This allows you to stake your claim on the upcoming season before it hits the stores. The fail, I mean Fall line is already up, and it seems that black credit cards everywhere are melting from overuse (some styles have already sold out it seems). 

I'm sure that on the first day of school, your little friends Spooky and Sider will clutch their lunchbox purses tightly to their chests and gasp as you stroll by in your latest Lip Service duds. 

So what has Lip Service cooked up for us this time? I'm sure that the flurry of new silhouettes and fabrics will knock the snark right out of my mouth. I, for sure, am going to be told. 

RETURN OF THE THUNDERDOME

Hey look! It some sort of burner/gypsy/circus/goth fashion fusion. I have certainly never seen anything like that before. 

I would really, really love to know how exactly this is Thunderdome? Is it meant to mean that the old Lip Service Thunderdome line has 'returned' from rehab? Usually, I would complain if they just recycled an old line, but if this the best they could come up with, give me the old stuff any day. At least it had a neat little flight cap, it went perfectly with my biplane. 

I know that when I'm fighting to the death on a bungee cord, goth gypsy school girl is definitely the look to strike fear into the heart of one's opponent. The hide-the-belly zipper top is key. 

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As a result, I have well over sixty pairs of various footwear, all of which have a little of something likable, but are basically flawed. Flawed enough that I must keep searching for their successor. It's torture.

Spats are a good compromise. They fit over your current shoes, giving you a whole new set of possibilities. I own several pairs of WWII-era gaiters, and a clutch of legwarmers besides. They're the hats of feet, serving the same purpose as a nice coverup trilby over inches of grown-out roots.

This collection of fine leather spats (and cute little gauntlets) from Ashes and Empires is stunningly well-composed, but prohibitively expensive. Looking at it as an investment, and a multiplier of all your current footwear, the price seems more palatable, but only just.

Here's for spreading the fruitless longing around:











Ashes and Empires [Smashing Darling]

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Burningman. 

Y'know what's not fun?

Burner fashion. 

Neon colors, fuzzy fabric, polyurethane, and cheap spandex are just a few examples of the eyesore that is burner garb. It wouldn't be so terrible if the monstrosities just emerged on the playa, and then went back into the shed for the rest of the year, but alas, I can hardly remember a night out that wasn't tarnished by encountering a neon fashion mess. 

It's a fashion plot worthy of an evil genius. Convincing thousands of hippies to cover themselves head to toe with fibers that are the exact opposite of eco-friendly. It's hardly a surprising conspiracy. I mean, how hard can it be to convince people, who believe that partying will save the world, to dress like The Electric Mayhem? 

Normally I try to ignore this particular mania, out of sight, out of mind. Then, I came across this. From shoddy home-sewn projects to a full on assembly line of tragedy. 

Please.

Make it stop.

 One such soldier of fortune is The Viridi-Anne, the Japanese -born label created by Tomoaki Okaniwa. 

If there's one thing the world needs, it's fashion forward zombie hunters. 











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They shriek of of ancient discomfort caused by leather medical exoskeletons. 


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Unknown, possibly Rick Owens.

"Goth", for the monochrome palette, overall gloom, Victorian and Edwardian inspiration,tattered edges, and super-tight, bordering-on-fetishistic fits.  "Ninja", for the obscured face, seaweed-like sweeps, and sense of sneakening.

The primary designers are Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, and Ann Demuelemeester, the latter unpronounceable lady I just want to murder in her spooky bed for giving birth to these boots:

As it is not financially feasible to have these boots AND a college education, I suggest you youngins sit down for a good hard think about where your priorities lie.

Like asphalt Bedouins, the gothninja tribe wraps, drapes, and jangles. The look is prohibitive: only the extremely svelte (or starved) can really pull it off.  The silhouette is stick legs and swooping shoulders, making this one of the very few nearly-non-unisex fashion statements. Lookbook superstar Biz C. pulls off some gothninja garb with applomb, but the lady is far from voluptuous.

Luckily (I guess), the signature drop-crotch harem pants sported by so many gothninja have appeared in outlets as accessible as H&M, where hipster scum are already pairing them with Wayfarers for the ultimate in street-level purgative effect.  Just the other day I saw a group of them standing in a circle, affecting disaffection while playing some sort of hackysack/lacrosse mashup, cradling the 'sack in their sagging trousers while rolling their eyes.  I had to have a lie down.

This cunt remains ambivalent about the ol' drop-crotch, but the rest of gothninja speaks to me on a spiritual, sexual level.  I find myself wearing too many scarves, cinching here and draping there, and generally refusing to give it a rest. I am told regularly that I "look like a crazy person" and I just cannot bring myself to care.

And it's not all black holes and revelations; a few rebel cels have splintered off to form new flocks.

Cloudninja. (Rick Owens Fall '09)

And of course, Steamninja. (Ann Demeulemeester Fall/Winter 09, image from Fashion Flux)

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