Tag: Calvin Klein

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the jumpsuit, the topknot

           I love to be well dress’d Sir: and think it 

No scandal to my understanding.

                                           – George Etherege, Man of Mode. 1676.

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IMG_6625There are bugs on the ground.

I gathered my hair into a topknot when I was messing around with different turban styles and liked it so much I decided to try it officially. I like it, though I think I liked the really (incredibly, horribly, could-not-be-worn-in-public) messy version better.

Oh, this is the bag I usually carry around, these days. A great thrift find that looks like a still-slightly-grubby re-purposed vintage leather football. I don’t necessarily like a bag to look pristine (then it doesn’t look casual), and I don’t want my daily bag to be something I have to suspend in a bubble of anxiety to keep it like new. Better for me to have something that, when it does incur wear, grows in character and interest.

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IMG_6639At which point it begins to rain, and I am unimpressed.

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Calvin Klein silk jumpsuit, Steve Madden realove heels, Zara scarf, Skagen watch, vintage LuckyBrand hobo bag. On the nails: OPI polish in Mermaid’s Tears.

These heels make me about 5’11”, and I feel that I take on Amazon-like proportions in them. The pale blush color extends this illusion further still. I like this very much.

I’ve mentioned before that I take heels with a grain of salt, valuing the absence of pain as I do*, but it cannot be denied that they create new lines and angles. When only a bit of standing or sitting is required, I can quite enjoy those lines, those angles.

*The amount of discomfort I’m willing to tolerate seems to depend on many factors.

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bikini of the day: simplicity in black and white

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Here we have a white Victoria’s Secret Triangle Top paired with the simplest pair of black bikini bottoms from Calvin Klein. These bottoms are so basic as to look really like underwear, which definitely has its own appeal.

The triangle top is a somewhat flexible piece (so many adjustable parts, and the difference of a few square centimeters surprisingly significant, moving between sizes) and one that I particularly like. I can’t quite tell if it is because I think it is most flattering on me…or because I think it is the most abstractly flattering in my store of cultural images. Who cares? Bring them on in all patterns and colors. This is the silhouette most represented in my little swimsuit drawer area. The white top in particular goes with so many things, not only swimsuits but…anything, really. Very nearly anything. Usually I take out whatever padding is involved, if any, but I can like the look of it, too. Just another option.

There is something of classic American sportswear in this kind of look; sleek, pared down solids that fit and flatter. Ralph Lauren. Michael Kors. This is my favorite aspect of American designers. It creates, in the best circumstances, an understated elegance and quiet luxury that is in line with my own aesthetic, or maybe more accurately with the aesthetic to which I aspire.