MOVED

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO:

www.holierthannow.com

Please update your bookmarks. If you follow me on google friend connect, try following me on Bloglovin instead as I am moving off of blogger (google) and over to squarespace.

XO Holier

Change I can believe in

Take a look at the link below and let me know what you think of the new (maybe) Holier than Now. It's a work in progress, so don't update your favorites or anything! I really want to create a new template for the entries so they're more consistent and the images really pop. I think I would post more frequently if I didn't have to upload individual images and resize them in this boring Blogger world ... if you have a blog on Blogger you know what I mean ... it's tedious.

I want to create richer text and photo layouts and I think this might be the way to go.

http://holierthannowblog.squarespace.com/

Let me know your thoughts!

Xo

B.I.Y. Boot Chains

Boots are expensive. Earlier this season, I decided to dress up my loves of my life, still rocking like new after being worn every day last Fall/Winter, with some chains, so as to quench my desire for new boots.

The chains cost me $9.95 each or something from Forever 21 - they had a hideous cameo on them that will never see the light of day. Living in NYC, you would have thought I could find some nice chain at M&J Trimming or the other garment district places, but no such luck. Those chains felt like gold-painted plastic, so I headed over to F21 and rummaged around successfully.

Anyway, it took some time and some pliers, and I know most people don't care for that type of craftiness. But at the same time, do you have $300 for new chained-up boots that are just like your other expensive boots from last season only ... jangly? Thought not.

So I was so pleased to find The 2 Bandits and their boot chains and other pretty fixings, which enable you to B.I.Y. (buy it yourself), which is only one step further from the saintly frugality of DOING it.

I think the fabric bands would be amazing around the cuffs of a black blazer, too, or as armbands in the summer. The bottom line is: your accessories need to remember who they're working for, and work harder. It's a recession and they're lucky they have a closet.

New News for the New Year

Couple of things:

Remember when I took a break in the summer from this blog to think about monetization (of other people's blogs)? Well, I finally brought that thought to fruition: I'm launching an ad network called Cliquesound with my longtime mentor in life and music industry personage, Dan Wise.

I just did a piece for Style Sample about Cliquesound and ad networks in general, so if you've ever wanted to advertise on your blog, check it out here.

Here's a sneak preview of the look, feel and sound of Cliquesound. Our ads run in a module that gives your readers a free song download daily, no strings attached - it's all about curating and supporting emerging indie music while providing advertisers with targeted ad space on fashion and beauty blogs ... and making those blogs money of course!.

Stream some of the music we offer right here. I literally listen to this playlist every day lately. I'm really into Doorway by Jennings ... where has she been all my life?

If you have a fashion, beauty or lifestyle blog (design, interiors etc.) and you're interested in being part of the Cliquesound network, please email us at beta@cliquesound.com to sign up.

I'm going away until Jan 8th to catch some snow and then some rays so HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone. Thanks for making Holier's first year so inspiring and productive.

XO

P.S. I also have a little feature coming up in the print edition of Style Sample so check that out in January.

White Christmas

How to wear diamonds ...

Photo credits (left to right from top): Knightcat, Fashion Canvas, Olsens Anonymous, Sincerely Jules, Unknown, Vogue Paris.

A Holiday Gift to You - CONTEST

So the kind ladies at Snow Jane Vintage, whose boots I featured a few posts back, offered me a $25 gift certificate (which goes A LONG WAY at their amazing Etsy store) as a thank you. Since I don't do this blog to profit from posting about people, I suggested we give it away as a prize to a reader. They loved the idea!

To win $25 off any of their items, just go to their site, then come back to Holier than Now and leave a comment here about what you'd buy with your $25, and I will pick a winner at random on Wednesday. Don't forget to leave your email address. Shipping will be free for the winner.

This will leave you time to buy something in time to arrive (in the US) by Xmas.

Here are some amazing items you could get for virtually nothing with your $25:

Two amazing vintage sequined tunics for $39.99 or $14.99 each if you win!

This one-of-a-kind vintage bag that reminds me of MK's obsession this summer. $19.99 or free to you with a $5.01 credit if you win!

Beautiful vintage things Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters would like to copy, yours for $49.99 (set of 4 jars) or $24.99 if you win; soup bowls (awesome gift idea) $23.99 or free with a $1.01 credit if you win.

Impossible-to-find vintage fringe leather vest (back is even more amazing) for $39.99 or $14.99 if you win, and the most PERFECTLY worn cowboy boots in size 7.5 for $45.00 or $20.00 if you win.

Love these girls. I almost wish I had kept my $25 to myself, but 'tis the season!

Longing

This would have been a shopping post but it's impossible to find a decently priced long dress appropriate for winter (unless by winter you mean a choral recital). Hello? American Apparel? Isn't a cotton stretch piece of cloth with only 2 seams and the potential to cost $98 right up your alley?

But, next year (starting in Spring), ya'll know we are all going to be tripping over ourselves because long is the new oops that guy just saw my whole a** when I bent over.

I think this could work now though, because a) boots are flat this season b) you need an excuse to wear that leather jacket you bought a month ago when it was warmer out. Bundle up people! At least your legs will be warm:

Credits left to right from top: Styleclicker, Natalie Suarez, Brook&lyn, Unknown Kate Moss, Hanneli.

Everybody wins

Seriously, if you are living in a large city and not doing the majority of your vintage shopping on Etsy, you might be crazy. I have really fallen in love with this marketplace because the prices are sane. In NYC especially, I'm sure L.A. too, vintage prices are just silly these days. As a former vintage seller, it really turns my stomach to pay $89 for an old sweater that I know in my heart came from the Salvation Army.

Anyway, on a positive note, remember this post? Well, I have fulfilled my dream:

For only $34! I love this seller, there's a lot of other beautiful stuff here. But just in case you think I am gloating, I found some things for ya'll. Please, I beg you, somebody, snatch these up. They are vintage, but so NOW:

$45! Perfect detail. Size 6, buy them here.

And these remind me a lot of what Fashion Toast has been doing lately. $85, size 8. That's not super cheap, but you'll be the only person wearing them (= priceless). See them here.

Feast

I am so tired from cooking and eating! People are drinking mimosas around me and all I can think of is my pillow.

Yesterday I made a beautiful Fall vegetable hash with red and yellow beets, squash, yams, potatoes, and beet greens. The palette was gorgeous. Fall makes me want to EAT color! Hopefully I'll be less lazy and start WEARING it too.


Image sources (left to right from top): Numero via Le Fashion, unknown, W Magazine, via The Glamourai (both), Bon Appetit magazine.

The Cycle

You know when people ask designers and other fashionables: "What is your earliest fashion memory?" And inevitably they say, "My mom doing x wearing y." Well, that's not the case for me. I only have one fashion memory, and it is really creeping me out lately.

When I was some-young-age, I was obsessed with Madonna. I remember when her Time cover came out; I was so satisfied. Finally my world collided with my dad's world (he was a journalist). If Madonna was on Time, then I wasn't just a stupid kid forcing my little sister to do dance routines with me in the basement. Adults were finally getting hip to something I had known all along. I was a seer. Maybe now they'd listen up.

I remember sitting in my backyard looking at my hand literally PRAYING that I would have some kind of transcendental moment and her black rubber bracelets and lace gloves would appear on my wrists. It seemed to me that if I wanted something THAT BADLY, I should be able to will it into existence. I snapped out of it a few minutes later, got up off the lawn, and resigned myself to bare-armed dorkdom.

People talk about the "freedom" of being a child. But unless your mom is on crack, you are not free. There is no way I was putting those hooker accouterments on my person and wearing them to school, even if Madonna or her baby Jesus made them appear.

But with adulthood, and a little bit of money, the closet is your oyster. And now I have reached a point in the time-trend continuum where the dreams of my youth can be realized at Claire's Accessories.

Too bad I don't want this crap anymore!

Cheers to being old and over it.
Image credits: Pani magazine October 2009, vintage Madonna via The Art of Smoking.

Hahaha hats

First for the serious part: I think this hat is essential for Winter 09/10. Not just in an ears-covered way, but in a outfit-complete way. I have one that my husband got in Russia fifteen years ago or something. I don't know who he got it for, but her head was definitely not as small as this tiny hat. Anyway, you see my point:




It's a little creepy that this girl's hair is indistinguishable from the hat, but aside from that - very simple, very chic.

Now for the LOLZ. I was looking around for a place to send ya'll to buy a hat like this at a regular (non-fashion) price, and in the process I discovered only the WORST BEST MALE MODEL EVER.


Hats off to him for expressing the entire range of human emotion in a shoot for an e-commerce hat company. Now go get one (please, not with the dangly ears).

Photo credits: Igor Termenón, Garance Doré, Copenhagen Street Style.

Living and laving

I am obsessed with the voiceover artist in this ad. Can I please learn to talk like that? "Thanks for taking this meeting. I will be tahhlking and you will be bahying."

Beautiful DIY

It might seem the height of laziness to just be posting someone else's pictures, but this is such a great "DIY"-ish combo ... a feather cape over a leather jacket.

From Le Blog de Betty.

Capsule Wardrobe Pt 3: The Black Album

When I first moved to New York back in 1862, I lived in a dorm at NYU. There was another freshmen girl I used to see in the elevator ALL THE TIME and she would say the same thing to me, in a way that made it clear that she did not remember that she had seen me or said this thing to me before!

"You always wear black - that is, like, so New York to me! I mean when I think of New York, that is what I think of. Someone like you dressed in black. Hahaha [weird nervous laugh]."

... Or some variation of this. I could have prevented this embarrassing mini-monologue if I had worn ONE COLOR my whole freshmen year. But alas.

Later on, right after I graduated, I got really into clothes and shoes in a more "outfit" kind of way, and got into color. Of course, there was an older guy that I liked and he gave me an obnoxious lecture about how I dressed too young (um, I was 23) and how I should wear more black. I stopped liking him.

Anyway, the truth is, I am going back to my dark days. It's so much easier! I could start a whole blog just about black outfits. I think they're inspiring because most people already have pieces they can put to work in recreating a similar look.

If you have any black outfit images (of you or from the web), send them on over to holierthannowblog at gee mail! I will put them up with a link to you - and probably totally copy them in my daily wardrobe.





Image credits (from top): Wayne Tippets, Stockholm Street Style, Stylesightings, Olsens Anonymous.

Ssssssuper late to the party on this one

I know this is old news first reported by the Olsens, but I don't care. First of all, I think theirs is kind of ugly and sperm-tastic.

The only reason I would actually buy into this is because the actual rings are each so different. These could be perceived as unique, whereas no matter how you slice it, a pyramid stud accessory is a pyramid stud accessory. You know what I mean.

Also, they are available at so many different price points.

In case you wondered, the snake is a symbol of wisdom, protection, and life/everlasting life.

My parents live in Cyprus and I'm really into the evil eye as my protective accessory (when the eye has done its job protecting you from the evil thoughts directed at you by jealous bitches people, it breaks - unfortunately for my parents, because they have to buy me a new one at least every year). So, I'm thinking with this snake business, I will really be doubling up on my protection.

But not like PROTECTION protection, given that I'll be wearing a sperm on my finger that represents LIFE.

Anywho...

Above from left to right:

Gold snake $48
Silver with ruby eyes $58
Gold with sapphire colored eyes $55
Antique garnet double $285
Silver two finger $64
Black enamel and ruby colored stone $58
Black and ruby colored stones on gold (similar one, not black, here)

P.S. I know I haven't done a shopping post for so long! But I've been busy. Don't forget about my Ebay sales and go listen to fun music (my hard drive with my whole iTunes library died so this is literally how I rock out all day). You can play the whole playlist here.

Annoucements: Ebay Sale & New Tumblr for your Ears

I am selling some great stuff (mostly shoes, boots and jewelry) on Ebay. More stuff coming today (capes, fur vest and some other accessories).

Items include a huge citrine cocktail ring that I had custom made, Top Shop over the knee boots, Michael Kors shearling cocktail boots, some perfect round toe black heels, etc.!

EBAY SALE!

I started a tumblr to share my secretly terrible taste in music (that is supposedly "just for my workout mix.") . Now, you don't have to listen to pop radio on the sly, just come here and I'll give you what you need on the down low ; ) If it has a hook, it's here:

GUILTY LEISURES

Money where Mouth is

So I've been going on about this capsule wardrobe thing, but I swear guys, I am building it. Pretty soon I'm going to be alerting the media that my son has floated off ... latte-colored essentials aloft.

Ok not funny. But here's something that will make you laugh: how much money is still in your bank account after you buy these pieces, and where you can buy them:


This is not some kind of online illusion. Also I have no connection to this retailer, except that I bought clothes there today. If I could give you a money back guarantee that you will be happy when these show up on your doorstep, I would. The fabric, the details, the color, and the cut are all RIGHT ON. Even that sweater - I know it appears sketchy, but trust! And the puffer jacket- I am shocked to report that the color is WAY NICER IN PERSON.

OLD NAVY (!!)- $69.50 pea coat, $59.50 puffer, $35 sweater.

You can thank "the economy" for creating an environment where you actually have to restrain yourself in this store because the stuff is SO NICE.

Surely some people were fired from their Maxmara/Zara/Club Monaco jobs and had no choice but to enlist in the Navy and make these beauties. God Bless America.

Co/incident

I swear this is just a coincidence that both of these are Daria, although I did have the first one on my wall for six months while I was pregnant. When you have a growing basketball on your midsection, you really can hardly believe you will ever just wear a gray sweater with tight pants again.

Anyway, I love both of these. Look at the white tee in the second ... perfection (hate the fringe on the vest, but I can overlook that). Also, what is that sequined bib business (technically a Balmain "beaded suede sash")? That is the type of thing that I put on and I go running to my husband like: Hey, isn't this cool? And he looks at me like:

I'm not trying to be cute, that's really as close to the expression as I can get without taking a picture of him. This was his reaction when I showed him the feather ring. And he always says: "That's ridiculous." But in a nice way.

Image credits (from top): Paris Vogue, via Knightcat, Dog Time.

Le Boo

I feel like skull jewelry is straight out of Paris Vogue. French people (or French fashion people) seem to really love le rock and roll viy-bah et stuff comme ça. Alors, I am loving these:

They are here and here (well, the latter is sold now but I'm sure they would make another).

The thing is, I have a kid now and I feel like I can't wear a skull ring. I can just see people looking at me like Why is she grasping that baby with her fingers of death? So, one less thing for me to spend my money on. Maybe I could get away with this tiny baby.

Capsule Wardrobe - Cont'd

Everything in this picture:
Except the open toe boots (I can't get into that - the joys of winter are few, and one of them is not having to maintain a perfect pedicure).

DIY Friday

This is by far one of my favorite DIYs.

If you would like one, I am going to sell them for $25 each, in a limited edition of 10. It's not real gold, needless to say. Send me your ring size which you can calculate here (I recommend pinky).

Shipping $3.95 Priority US, $7.00 foreign. Just email me and I'll give you my Paypal. Order processing time will be about one week, since that's how long it will take me to get your band size and make your awesome 10 of a kind ring.

Def.: Trying Too Hard

I get what this girl is trying to do, I like the rings a lot, but seriously: this multiple watch trend is idiotic. Why are you busting out your ugly-a** watches? I try not to say negative things about people's looks but I hate "easy" trends like this. Oh, what's new this week? Oh, 5039 watches? Ok lemme go over my Aunt Ruth's and get busy in her jewelry box ... DUH-HU-UMB.

I realize the first image is actually fake tats from the Chanel show - so I should be so offended and say this is totally unoriginal, from a brand, and you got it free at a show, and get a life - but actually I love it. I have been trying to get a "bracelet" tattoo for years. I was told by a few artists that I wouldn't be happy with it because the circle wouldn't be straight all the way around (I still don't understand this). I also saw a person from my past with a new bracelet tattoo and that freaked me out a little.

The second look: I had a men's watch like this and I took it to trade in for a Cartier tank and the guy literally stole it, said I never left it there, is a total crook ... etc. Don't ever go here for any reason. I wish I had it back now.

ALAS. He is probably rocking 20 watches for Fall, mine being one.

Obsession - Elation - Depression

So I know it's Fall but I still really want these dumb shoes!


I hunted them down this summer and here they are in reality:

They were $770. SEVEN SEVEN-TEE! How insane. Anyway, if you are a size 10, here they are for $307.53 (that 53 cents'll kill ya).

Today I found these on Etsy.

They are $29! They are vintage Cherokee. Don't you think some Henry Cuir intern must have found them and brought them to his attention? I almost bought them before I remembered that shoes have a size and 9 is not mine.

Anyway the good news is there are more things like this (here) and I have faith that a size 7 will materialize... probably next Spring at Aldo when I will be over them.

7 things I like OK about you, Fall 2009

Fashion week is pretty much over (did it ever really begin?). I saw some fools today at Bryant Park just wearing WAYWAYWAY too much stuff ... like I could have started a new blog called Tryin2Hard and had two months of posts from what I saw. MY EYES! The layering of 100 ridiculous items in a "haphazard" way must stop.

Anyway, this pretty much sums up what I will be wearing this fall:

1. Some kind of riding-inspired black jodhpurs - leather in the form of the pants or the half-chaps mentioned in a previous post.

2, 3. Black blazer, black or dark grey cotton clingy skirt.

4. Army jacket over black. ** NEVER THE FLANNEL. I have a short cotton and a long waterproof version of this whole scene.

5. New silhouette pea coat - looking to find an 80's coat with shoulder pads, then will tailor in the waist.

6. Short black leather gloves.

7. Fur vest over black long-sleeve. [Oh Zoe she di'int!]

It's busy around here. Soon we are moving to an apartment with three huge closets** from an apartment with ONE microscopic one so you can only imagine how much shopping-in-the-closet will happen when I start organizing everything.

A few other things I am glad about for Fall:

*Wearing black with white - you always felt like you were Hannah or her sisters catering an event, until now.

*Erin Wesson hibernating in one of Alexander Wang's orifices.

*Retailers finally coming out with items I loved 100 posts ago and am now over.

** It is cheaper than our current apartment and kinda in the middle of nowhere - just in case you think I am getting too big for my half chaps over here.

Credits (top to bottom): Altamira, Stockholm Street Style, Charlotte Ronson, Sincerely Jules, Steven Meisel, Olsens Anon.