Boutiques.com

Google meets online shopping meets social networking..

Its so brilliant I wonder how the genius minds at Google didn't think of this sooner. Boutiques.com is a bit of the answer to the decline in retailing and rise in free online social and creative expression, ala Facebook and Blogspot (among others). I'm not much of an online shopper (maybe because at the moment I have about 36 cents to my name?) but I'm still very much into the idea of this website. Even if I did spend my clothing money at online stores, it probably wouldn't be through this site. I like the idea that it connects you in a personal way to the people who's style you admire, but I really hope this doesn't become the demise of personal style. It could easily become the porthole to help the masses "plagiarize" or adapt to other people's approach to dress, becoming the annihilation of individuality.
What I do like about boutiques.com, however, is that it is kind of like the GoogSpace (Google and Myspace's baby?) of the fashion world, where search is unlimited and tailored to the individual. I've just recently started to accept that search engines like Google know me better than I do, so Boutiques has come at a great time... even though it is really a trip to me that it can put together a more comprehensive idea of my style and likes than I can. I also love that you can view all your fashion faves- from bloggers' picks to the items you loved this season- all in a few clicks.. no memory required! (Which is really convenient for someone like myself, who can't remember ANYTHING, let alone a piece of clothing I drooled over on one of the hundreds of sites I visited that week). And just like everything else in the realm of technology, it makes me so anxiously excited for the future!

And yes, when I say future, I'm talking Jetson's-esque hovercrafts. I love imagining all that I will see in my lifetime... Oh, the possibilities!! And I'm speaking now of not only the future, but of the present reality that is the Googs and its Boutiques. I was born and raised in this technological age and I still can't believe how far it has all come and where it is going.

So exciting!

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

It was announced a few days ago that the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will be celebrating the life and work of Alexander "Lee" McQueen next year. The retrospective will launch at the annual Met Ball in May of 2011 and will run until July 31.

Its pretty much a given to say that I am dying to see this exhibit- along with the rest of the fashion world. I'm very curious to see how the Met will showcase McQueen's legendary theatricality and emotional provocation. Its so sad to know that I will never be able to see a show put on by the late designer, as I can't imagine a more wondrous fashion event to experience in person, so I'll be damned if I miss this exhibition- even if I have to hitchhike coast to coast. The thing that compels me most is to see pieces from his graduate collection of which I have never seen photos.

It would be an understatement to call McQueen a trendsetter- I blame him for my love handles formed by almost a decade of sporting hip-huggers. And it was never his intention to see his concepts worn by the masses- that's just what happens when you are one of the most creative minds of a generation. He will always be one of my favorite artists and I'm still in awe when I see his creations after previously viewing them multiple times.

Here are some looks that I would love to see in person.

These photos are in no particular order at all-- but it is interesting to see how they all flow regardless. Any one of his designs, had we never seen them before, could be presented to us tomorrow and be considered visionary and futuristic, even (or especially?) the ones from 2001.

And its pretty safe to say that I would be kicked out of the museum and asked never to return again due to my need to touch and feel all these garments. Sometimes just looking isn't enough, especially when it comes to clothes covered in feathers and metal. How the garment feels is just as important as how it makes you feel. And Alexander McQueen understood better than anyone the importance of having his clothes make you feel something.

My Alter Ego

My Parisian Alter Ego by stylesmiles

Meet my alter ego. She travels the world collecting unique treasures and beautiful experiences. Today she may be in Antwerp and tomorrow she could be flying to Tokyo. She may have left her heart in San Francisco but she finds love in all corners of the globe, from the delicious little chocolate that comes with her espresso in Belgium to the happy face of the child feeding the pigeons in Paris. She smiles at life's irony and finds inspiration in the beauty of ugliness. She is not afraid or intimidated by anything. She is the woman I wish to be.

Lanvin for H&M

I'm giving up food and coffee for the next 2 weeks to save up- and starting to pitch a tent outside my local H&M- to get my hands on these clothes. This is probably the most anticipated collaboration that ANY low-priced retailer has put out yet, and I would say its one of the smartest moves Mr. Elbaz has made.

And this seductive video's not-so-subliminal messages are working.

I WANT LANVIN!