Fashion for the Regular Folk.

Do you want to know why I love Marcus Wainwright and David Neville of Rag and Bone? First, because they are nice, ordinary married guys with tots in tow. Not drama queens. Not sunglassed, gloved vampires. Second, because they’re not prone to such vitriol as that of Dior’s most famous former Musketeer, John Galliano (yes – you’ll remember him as the man who said, “I love Hitler.”) In fact, they are reputed to be on a friendly, first-name basis with all their employees, and have blessed us Yanks with their good taste and growing industry by coming across the Pond and establishing a home base in New York.

But also, I love Marcus and David and the simplistic, but edgy designs of Rag & Bone because their clothes are infinitely wearable. They make fashion make sense. They reflect the reality of our everyday lives – how we look (or aspire to) on the weekend, at the office, at a party. They cite American Ralph Lauren as a brilliant designer (an excellent choice, and one far different from those kooky avant-garde types so often hailing from England) – a designer who is also committed to beautiful, livable fashion.

In the January edition of Vogue, Neville said, “There has always been a solid realism, and a credibility, to what we do.” And with no formal fashion training (and roots in the burgeoning designer-denim craze of the early 2000’s where they were based in Kentucky), the pair has taken to creating things like chunky sweaters, bomber jackets and plaid skirts, interspersed with menswear tailoring, flowing tanks and crisp, pleated shorts. “Normal” clothes. Clothes that just about anyone can wear. Think J. Crew. But smarter. With a whole lotta fashion street cred.

There is of course, the occasional electric blue legging thrown in for flair. But let’s face it people, this is fashion. Not investment banking.

There are no gold tuxedos, no feather headdresses, no face paint or mirrored masks or rotating gyroscopes (I think you all know who I’m talking about).

(Some looks from the FW’11 collection).

It’s nice to know there are designers who take the reality of our lives into account when hitting the drafting board.

So to Marcus and David, I say, “Cheers.” Visit their e-commerce site here.

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Top it Off

You’ve seen that Target commercial, right?  A harried mother stares dreamily at a cap and is suddenly transported to some bucolic fall scene with a stand of apple trees, cable sweaters and falling leaves. The motto? “You totally wear hats.”

I am myself, a “hat” person. I have quite the collection, in fact – from newsboys to fedoras,  cowboy hats to bucket hats and everything in between. In fact, I just snagged this fur trapper number from Michael Kors at Bluefly.com:

Hats are not only the consummate statement-making accessory, they’re the perfect accompaniment to this season’s frigid temps.  Take for example, the:

1. Fedora – Menswear is the thing right now. Pair it with something feminine and don’t skimp on the eye makeup – the brim is just right for keeping other people’s peepers on yours. Just make sure to keep hair trailing around your face or you’re liable to look more K.D. Lang than Carmen Kass.

2. The Knit Cap – Seasonally appropriate, cozy, and tomboyish, it works best pulled back on your head, particularly for those of you with bangs. Any lower, and you’re going to look like you’re about to rob the Rutters.

3. The Wide-Brim – Twelve thousand photos of Rachel Zoe can’t be wrong. Go for big hair and big sunglasses to match the hat’s volume. Keep everything else scaled down.

Best sites for affordable hats?  WWW.Jcrew.com, www.Urbanoutfitters.com, and www.asos.com.

So go on. You totally wear hats.

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Rachel Zoe for QVC.

 

Normally, I associate QVC with the likes of “Quacker Factory” or Hummel figurines, but my favorite Hollywood stylist has gone Ba-Nah-Nahs with her new collection for QVC. Rachel Zoe has entered the 2nd year of her merchandise line, with a collection launched this year and last during New York fashion week. My top pick from the current collection was the faux-fur vest which – aside from being totally on trend (70’s styling+ fur pieces = an A+ in trend assimilation) – won’t break the bank at $79. It’s also a great alternative to your traditional fall coat and will LIT-RALLY go with everything (if this lingo confuses you, tune in to the Rachel Zoe project on Bravo to get yourself up to speed).

Another favorite of mine was her pebble leather fringe bag, seen here in a candid (or, IMO totally staged) street shot. It’s available for $179 and in 3 colors at QVC.com. 

The collection also includes a black wool floppy hat that looks pulled from RZ’s own closet, plus coats, scarves, jewelry and handbags ranging from the deletable (see: hammered horseshoe necklace) to the detestable (see: sequined beret). But be forewarned, if you’re looking for closet staples, look elsewhere. This is an accessories-only line that promises big, trendy impact. Wardrobe basics are in short supply.

Take a look at her entire collection on QVC.com here.

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Fear of Failure

(From Marc Jacobs’ 2010 Ready-to-Wear collection)

It’s been awhile, I know.

Sometimes, there’s just too much weight to dig out from under and some of the plates inevitably spin off their spires and hit the ground with more than just a little force. This is especially taxing for someone with a fear of failure.  A deep-rooted, longstanding, impenetrable fear of failure. Not palatable for such a someone who always seems to do second-best. Or worse. Which is, I suppose, God’s way of teaching me it doesn’t really matter after all. We aren’t saved by works, and all of us are God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:8-10), which brings us all inherent value, regardless of how we perform.

So all that huffing and puffing and worth-by-doing garbage shouldn’t really matter at all (though for me, regrettably, it sometimes does).

(Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Prada and Dries Van Noten mixing it up).

Coincidentally (or not), this season’s fashion coincides nicely with a “fear of failure is futile” theory. Why, look at model Karlie Kloss in Marc Jacobs, above. She looks like she just stepped out of Whoville, oversized polka-dots, giant bow and all. And while we’ll probably look back on this image years from now and smirk, “Oh, those ridiculous ’10’s fashions!,” today, the newstand glossies are begging us to mix patterns, colors and textures to our heart’s content.  There’s no “wrong” way to dress – ever, really, but particularly so right now. Prada tells me so.

Which means I have the perfect palette against which to re-evaluate my philosophies on failure – a palette that’s impossible to screw up.

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