This Luella Elsie Schoolgirl Dress Is Summertime In The Form Of A Dress

($226, Luella, Lagarconne.com)

I want to LIVE in this cheery little purple and orange gingham Luella day dress. How can I make that happen?

Also, it's the dress equivalent of The Sundays' song, "Summertime" and Jane's Addiction's "Summertime Rolls."

Redonukulous Beacon's Closet Scores!

While waiting about 14 bajillion hours the other day at the Park Slope Beacon's Closet for the girls to go through my potential sales (can't blame them -- economy sucks, everyone be sellin' their shit!), I poked around and then I FUCKING! SCORED!

First, I nearly asphyxiated on the spot when I unearthed this Hayden-Harnett black cardigan with leather epaulets (I guess you'd call 'em that?) and leather tipped belt tie. Wait wait... let me repeat that... It's a black Hayden-Harnett cardigan with leather epaulets and leather tipped belt tie. For... $24. AMERICAN dollars. Yes. I did. I did that. I really did. I did that.

Now it's got a little bit of pilling on the sides, to be sure, and it's got a few errant fuzz balls, but a trip to the cleaners (where it's currently residing), should clear that up, and soon it'll be living a brand-new life, just like this vintage Sasoon jacket, which is the happiest little jacket (except I got Red Mango on it, so it's currently at the cleaners too). Otherwise the cardi's in TIPPY TOP shape and fits like a glove. Actually, it's a TEENSY bit tight, but hopefully some desperately needed better eating habits will avail me of that distress in general. Anyway, I'm happy as a pig in shet. The leather epaulets look especially sick.


THEN I found this super fun Luella top:

$14 for a fun, Pink Ladies-style button-down with a weird print of skulls that look like a bizarre amalgam of jockeys and hot air balloons. It doesn't close over my ample-chestedness, but I can easily wear it with a black shirt underneath for almost-maxium cuteness. Yay!

So between those and the $9 pair of turquoise wayfarers I picked up, everything was about $47, which was about what my traded-in clothes came to, and they ended up paying me like 14 cents or something. Wee! Of course, it'll all be for naught if that amazing Hayden-Harnett cardi has bed bugs or something. Then I'll really be fucked, y'awl.

Fall Trends: What To Wear With Booties & The Like

Okay. The other day, FashionBinge reader JP remarked:

"Those shoes... with what would you wear those? Skirt? Dress? Pants? Jeans? Please enlighten the unfashionable."

The shoes to which she was referring are these Salvador Sapenas from Asos.com:

Now, first, JP, there's no possible WAY you could be unfashionable because YOU READ FASHIONBINGE! But, I understand that naked feeling that comes with loving a shoe but having NO idea what to wear with it and just ruing your fucking abs for not being tight enough to allow you to wear JUST the shoes alone.

So... my take on what to wear with booties (and bootie-alikes, because the aforeblogged aren't technically booties, but whatever...)

1.) Skinny jeans or slim, fitted cigarette-style pants.

2.) A black skirt between mini- and pencil-length with thick black tights: NOT pantyhose, please, God, no. Not pantyhose. Unless you are well over 5'9". Nothing makes one look shorter than "stumpifying" oneself by wearing a dark mini, exposing lotsa flesh via pantyhose and then sealing the deal with some ankle-swallowing booties. GAH!

3.) Slightly baggy pants, i.e: menswear trousers that we're seeing a lotta. PLEASE don't mistake wide-legged pants (which so often suck) for BAGGY menswear trousers.


For instance...

OBNOXIOUSLY WIDE-LEGGED:

Lovely on Katie, maybe not on you...

UNDERSTANDABLY WIDE-LEGGED:

($285, Diane von Furstenberg, Nordstrom)

There's some flare here, but you're not swimming. I definitely wouldn't go any wider than these with a bootie.

($59, Gap)

As boring as the Gap can be, this is what I'm talking about. Roomy, but not so wide that you can sneak someone into the movies with you.

($325, Diane von Furstenberg, Nordstrom)

Now, DVF's "Gavin" pants are theoretically great, but are they bootie-friendly? No. See, I threw that in there just to see if you were paying attention...

($178, Diane von Furstenberg, Dianiboutique.com)

JUST the right amount of slouch! LOVE these! And the cummerbund is perfect for the tucking in of a button-down, or hiding a Bordeaux belly.

($135, J.Crew)

First of all, NOOOOOOO to the navy shade shown here (the black isn't bad though) and DOUBLE no to the cuff. I'm just posting these to point out that the overall shape is nice. The fact that these are available in red makes me wanna stick my head under my pillow and cry all season.


Okay... next... skirts....

($555, Herve Leger, Intermix)

Granted, this skirt is gorgeous, the only way Herve Leger should justify charging this much is if he held the patent on pencil skirt, which I'm fairly certain he does not. Regardless, this is a beautiful staple for every season, especially Menswear Mania of Fall 2007, and it ain't hard to find a lookalike for a tenth of the price. Anyway, the bootie is parFAIT with such a skirt, y'all, though you can't deny the hawtness of a stiletto or a solid-colored pump with a 2"+ heel, dig?

($264, Robert Rodriguez, eLuxury)

Just a few inches higher, and this skirt would be practically perfs.

($78, Gap)

Dudes, high-waisted black skirt + BLACK tights, and your legs are SOOOOOOO long it's practically wrong!

($15, American Apparel, Yque.com)

Okay, the fact that this is described as cotton and "spandex" and "skorts" IS slightly scary, but the cut's the thing here -- yes, this piece is super short, but you automatically de-sluttify when you pair your booties with covered-up black tights. It sorta says "Yes, I can be slutty... but not right now. No... never that. Not now at least. But I'll call you."



SKINNIES!
You can never been too skinny, right? Hellloooo... we're called Fashion BINGE, so we oughta know... seriously though... I'm curvy and have found I can pull off skinny jeans -- all about the comfy low-rise... And with a tunic, you can totes hide your unfavorite "prob areas," even though they're probably not really much of a problem at all. Anyway, let's look at some top skinny pants to wear with booties, kay? The rule of thumb is... the darker and longer the better...

($325, Ralph Lauren Black Label)

Love the scrunch and the monochromage here. Makes the booty super sexy and the star of the show, y'all. Don't love the price, but you KNOWS I found the good shit for you...

($59, DKNY, Macys)

Deliciously dark!



($69, Dereon, Macys)

Tina Knowles has given us PLENTY of reasons to NOT take her seriously as a designer, but these skinny jeans are fantastic. The contrast stitching on the seams: very smart.

($29, Forever 21)

I can't even get into how awkward these feet and sandals are making me feel, but I do love these jeans.

($36, Wet Seal)

I'd have to see this so-called "coating" in person, but from here, these look nice, especially for that price.


Finally...

($387, Luella, Net-a-porter.com)

I think much more than a body, you gotta have balls to wear leather pants. No... wait... yeah... mainly, you just have to have huge balls to wear leather pants. While I usually have a strong pair, I don't know if leather pants-wearing is in my wheelhouse, but if I had to wear a pair, I'd make 'em these. And see??? GREY BOOTIES!

Byeskies!