Our new shopping blog is packed with goods from all over that are coveted by the Omiru editorial team and readers such as you. We’ve launched it just in time for the holidays so that shopping for gifts can be as convenient and enjoyable as ever!
We hope you enjoy our choices as much as we enjoy raving about them. Want to add something? Send your shopping hints to tips@omiru.com. We love hearing from you.
December 15th, 2005
Just wanted to point out something cool that Anthropologie recently started doing: merchandising their clothes not only by item, but by outfit!
Under an "Ensembles" category, They’ve put together eighteen outfits in total, nine categorized under "High Art" and the other nine listed under "Contemporary Art.
We think it’s a cool idea at it’s core. We’re very pro-ensembles, especially since we try not to buy garments without knowing they’ll work with at least three different outfit combos. It’s this spirit that’s behind our Ready Made Outfits: Women | Men).
What do you think about Anthropologie’s ensemble feature? What do you like? What could they have done better?
December 14th, 2005
It’s always been a struggle, finding chic yet comfortable shoes that fit perfectly (pun intended) with an on-the-go lifestyle. To make matters worse for us, the Bay Area’s torrential rains can be entirely unrelenting around this time of year.
So what’s a girl to do? Go on a shopping hunt! We searched high and low and found some wedge pumps, luxurious ballet slippers, streamlined waterproof flats and even a pair of cozy shearling slip-ons that are all suitable for work.
Give us your two cents: Where do you shop for comfortable work shoes?
Ennis by Tara Subkoff | $295 at Easy Spirit
Meribel Shearling Clog in Camel Suede | $135 at Cole Haan
Serafina Velvet Ballet Flat in Velvet Merlot | $98 at Banana Republic
Sigerson Morrison Rubber Skimmers | $135 at Vivre
December 7th, 2005
Considering how impressed we were with Susan Hengst’s collection at the Gen Art Fresh Faces fashion show, imagine our excitement when we discovered that one can now buy Hengst online!
Nymph top in Golden Peach | $210 at Style.com
November 25th, 2005
One of the things
that makes fashion particularly interesting is its position at the
intersection of art and commerce. With one foot in the art world and
the other solidly in the business world, there exists an inherent
tension.
Unsurprisingly,
the fear among the fashion community is that fashion is moving too far
towards the side of commerce. Indeed, the last decade has seen the
close of a number of haute couture houses, perhaps most notably that of
Yves St. Laurent in 2002. But it’s not just couture houses that are in
danger. Teri Agins of the Wall Street Journal wrote in September:
"Mr.
Lam has built a $4.8 million-a-year business but it has yet to reach
the critical mass necessary to operate profitably and efficiently.
Derek Lam Co. will lose money this year, as it has every year since it
was formed in 2002, although Mr. Schlottmann declines to say how much.Mr.
Lam is part of a new generation of rising fashion stars struggling to
follow the path to financial success blazed by American fashion icons
such as Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, and Bill Blass.
Handicapped by broad changes in retailing and manufacturing, these
young designers are finding it difficult to capitalize on industry
acclaim and turn a healthy profit."
Agins
is right on the mark when she identifies the financial difficulties
faced by designer ready to wear designers like Derek Lam. Lam’s
contemporaries–Zac Posen, Peter Som, and Behnaz Sarafpour, to name a
few–are also feeling the tension between fashion as art and the need
to make a buck.
Today’s fashion marketplace is especially unfriendly to such designer ready to wear manufacturers. But why is this?
At
the top of the fashion totem pole sits haute couture, where fashion as
art reigns. With a steadily declining number of customers as patrons,
couture is often "subsidized" by other divisions of a luxury
house–fragrances, handbags, perhaps even ready to wear apparel. While
couture isn’t a great revenue generator, it can generate favorable PR,
which intangibly helps other parts of a design house.
On
the other edge of the market sits mass market fashion. Think of
H&M, the Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch. Mall stores and the like that
make their money on volume. However stylish their goods may be, they’re
primarily driven by commerce. At their core, they’re not about a
designer’s artistic vision–they’re about what will increase sales.
Between
these two extremes lies designer ready to wear, the province of the
up-and-coming fashion elite like Lam and Posen. Such designers are
faced to walk the tightrope between art and commerce, and the end
result all too often is failure. In the same WSJ article, Silas Chou,
the former financial backer of Tommy Hilfiger who now backs Michael
Kors, was quoted, "Out of all the 15 or so young designers, there will
probably be just one that will make it and become a big name."
We
don’t pretend to have the answers here, and there are no established
paths for upstart designers to follow, short of giving up (some)
control of the company in exchange for outside money, which is in and
of itself difficult to obtain.
Nevertheless,
we do have hope for the future of fashion art, in spite of luxury
conglomeration, regardless of the travails faced by developing
designers, and in the face of the almighty dollar (or euro, RMB, or
yen). Though intangible artistic merit is difficult to justify on a
balance sheet, its value exists nonetheless…even if it’s only in the
hearts and minds of style philes like us.
November 25th, 2005
In our own biased opinion, we
consider fashion to be the ultimate visual expression of one’s self.
Consciously or unconsciously, your fashion (or anti-fashion) choices
determine how you present yourself to the world…and therefore
contributes to how the world sees you.
We believe that your individuality comes through in three ways:
The
first of the three is the most obvious and shouldn’t require much
explanation. If you favor glamour, you might consciously pick a
dramatic top or a slinky skirt. Or if you favor conservatism, on the
other hand, you might choose a high-necked top and/or neutral colors.
How
you choose to combine garments gets a little more interesting. You
might, for example, make a statement by combining a flirty, feminine
skirt with a masculine, military-inspired jacket. Or combining flip
flops with a jet black suit. How you combine garments sheds more
insight into who you are, but at a less conscious level.
But
how you wear that garment combination is perhaps the most telling of
all. You might wear the flip flops + black suit combination with a side
of confidence. Or you might wear it with a sense of indifference. We
believe your attitude is your most important accessory, and it beats a
status handbag, a bewitching pair of pumps, and a sparkly diamond
necklace any day of the week. But to our point, because it is the most
unconscious of your fashion choices, the attitude with which you wear
your outfit offers the most genuine view into who you are.
2 comments November 23rd, 2005
On a superficial level (pun intended), dressing chic might appear entirely self-serving. However, I believe fashion has made a greater impact on us as well.
I believe that dressing well indirectly makes me a better person. Clothes make me feel beautiful, while my sense of style allows me to feel unique. When fashionably dressed, I am reassured, more confident, and overall more likely to put forth my best that day. Even when I feel my worst, I can show self-respect by dressing myself well.
While I would like to say that I dress solely for myself, I also know I am judged and categorized by what I wear, and I use this to my advantage. I love that in the same week I can play vixen, bookworm, elegant sophisticate or trendsetter. I love the fact that my quirky selections may keep me from being stereotyped into one category. I love that my outfits reveal other facets of my personality that would otherwise go unnoticed. The exciting transformations that I get to make are what living for fashion is all about.
Susannah
1 comment November 22nd, 2005
On the most basic level, fashion is important to me because it makes me happy.
Among
my interests are design and aesthetics, and fashion feeds both of
these. I love line, silhouette, color, fabric, and construction. I love
the look of a well-fitted garment. And I love combining garments to
make a statement.
Fashion
is my way of expressing to the world that I am me. I love that one day,
I can "be" preppy, the next day sophisticated, the next day plain, and
the next day glamourous. It’s the easiest thing to change about your
appearance. Plus it’s non-invasive…a double plus on my list.
I find it intrinsically pleasing to dress up–and I dress for myself, first and foremost.
An added benefit, however, is the visual first impression that you give
to others. It’s been said that first impressions are mainly
visual–that is, they depend less on what you say and more on how you
visually present yourself. While I don’t like this, my experience has
shown this to be all too accurate.
Even when I’m shopping, for
instance, I get radically different treatment from salespeople. If I’m
dressed in flip flops, jeans, and a t-shirt, I often have to hunt
salespeople down in order to make a purchase. If, on the other hand,
I’m dressed in heels, a slim pencil skirt, and a nice top, I often
can’t shop in peace, receiving multiple offers for help.
Your thoughts? How does fashion make an impression on your life?
Trisha
3 comments November 21st, 2005
We hunted through our archives for relevant articles on fashion,
consumption, individuality, and the importance of fashion in our
lives. For your reading pleasure, we present:
Enjoy!
November 20th, 2005
Ever since she was old enough to dress herself, Susannah Chen has been obsessed with fashion.
As Style Intelligence Report’s newest writer, Susannah has been able to combine her love of style with her background in journalism. A graduate of Northwestern’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism, Susannah has written commentary for Business Week and worked at Top 5 PR agency Edelman.
Her personal style, best described as feminine, with a preppy flair, is often inspired by the many places she has called home — Texas, New York, Chicago and now San Francisco.
While she’s not uncovering the latest styles for Style Intelligence Report, you can find her touring wine country and spending time with her friends and family.
Check back tomorrow to read about Susannah’s love of nautical style!
2 comments June 29th, 2005
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