New York Fashion | Frivolous Universe

Candy Apple Red for Christmas

By: Kelly Lynae Robinson

19-12-2011

K: Dressing for a Christmas party is always a conundrum. Chances are the event will be photographically remembered, which creates the need to look festive but most-of-all fabulous (and only a tad foolish). The outfit I conjured up for Charmagne’s white elephant gift exchange was as follows: sweater I found on a bench and candy apple red palazzo pants.

N: You look cold.

K: I am. These vintage palazzo pants are made of the thinnest, cheapest polyester around. They came in a set with a matching turtleneck/tunic and tie belt for four bucks. I bought them in a rush of glee over the dramatic volume and color, but they will not stay in my wardrobe long. Too cheap and poorly constructed. Turns out even in the 70s JCPenney was shit. Someday, I’ll hunt down a quality vintage pair , preferably in a print.

K: This loosely knit sweater doesn’t do much to keep out the breeze either.

K: I first put a red coral necklace with this outfit, but it was too heavy. These earrings my sister made keep the neckline clean.

K: My winter topper of choice: 60s men’s Pendleton wool coat plus wool wrap.

K: I love how these pants move.

N: At the beginning of the month, my better-paying, second job offered me some prime weekend shifts, so I quit my slightly-more-fun first job, allowing me to have more free time and more money! My now former-manager still invited me to his Christmas Party, though. I said “fuck it” to the ugly sweater theme and hauled my butt to Harlem in style in this 70’s Mr. Topper of California turtleneck and olive pleated skirt. My outfit was a big hit with the other party guests, who were pleasantly surprised to find out it was entirely thrifted and cost me about the same amount as their Cosby sweaters.

N: Nothing says Christmas like vintage polyester. Also, you may remember this skirt from our Autumn themed post last month. It’s ridiculous number of pleats and heavy material make it a great skirt for the colder months…so. much. fabric!

K: Oh, my! I love your little Christmas tree.

N: When in doubt, match your earrings to your belt. These gold squares have the tiniest little diamond* on the bottom corner, but it was too hard to get it to show up in a photo.

(*may-or-may-not be a real diamond)

N: Ok, I lied before. My zig-zag tights are the only non-thrifted part of my outfit, I got them from American Apparel last winter. The t-strap shoes are though! They may potentially be vintage dance/character shoes, which is one of the reasons I love them. That and the the fact that they are the exact same color as my belt.

K: Repeating motif! The rectangles on your shoes, belt and earrings all work together. A pro always styles down to the details.

K: I got an early xmas/late birthday present in the mail this week. This print:

K: Eeek! Isn’t it spectacular? I love the color choices, the stippling, the suit. I love that her skeletal hand looks like it’s grabbing her crotch. And I LOVE that the artist titled it “Lovely Couple”. *Sigh* Seriously, I would wear that suit. Check out more of Matthew Wade’s work here, here, and here.

Alas, this is our last Monday before Christmas, so we leave you with our blessing:

May your Christmas be rich in love and cheap in cost.

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What’s Mine is Yours… Is Mine Again!

By: Kelly Lynae Robinson

12-12-2011

Kelly, Kelly and Nicole, Nicole

K: My mom bought me this skirt six years ago at – get this – Coldwater Creek. I was supposed to be helping her shop when I spied black lace and gunmetal gray taffeta. I’m not sure if my peals of ecstatic praise convinced her to buy it for me, or if I came right out and asked for it. Either way, I wore it once. It was to a wedding with a cream sweater and black tights and shoes. How predictable.

Anywho, having never properly worn it, and having recently acquired a black silk, tiered, ruffled number of similar proportion, and having no money with my boo’s birthday around the corner…
It’s boo’s.

N: After picking out the skirt to wear to a friends play, I decided I needed to pair it with the least-fancy thing I could find…enter crew-neck wool sweater! I got this 100% merino wool sweater for a couple bucks at a thrift store last winter, it’s supa cozy and looks & feels much more expensive than it actually was.

K: Now you’ve done what I could not, dress it down and make it minimalistic and chic. I love a color palette of interesting neutrals.

K: Did you pick these earrings first thing, or did you try several?

N: You know me too well. I tried several earrings on before settling on these gold tear-drop earrings from Lucky. I picked them to match the gold in the belt.

K: Very unexpected. *Polite smattering of applause*

N: At first I tucked the sweater into the skirt before adding this thrifted leather skinny belt. It was too bulky and the elastic waist-band of the skirt looked cheap. Keeping it un-tucked also made it more casual.

K: Kitty dish.

N: The tights actually have a nice cable-knit texture that you can’t really pick up in the photo. I thought the chunky-ness of them set off the formal-ness of the skirt much better than an opaque tight.

These Kenzie mary janes I’ve had forever, but they are still some of my favorites. I seriously re-glued the soles on about 3 times before paying to have them re-soled.

N: In the days before my big move, Kelly and I spent many hours going through my clothes to decide which ones would make the trip with me. Since space was limited, I left a box or two behind with her to send to me once the weather changed and she got a good wear out of them. (hint-hint, nudge-nudge)

K: I wore this sheer purple blouse, sheer black hooded tunic and sheer sparkly tights (and a pair of lace-trimmed bike shorts for my modesty) to Story Story Night and Bethany snapped pictures at the Red Feather after party.

N: This blouse features some of my favorite traits that I look for in clothing: it’s sheer, has poofy sleeves, and cinches in at juuust the right spot on the natural waist, so naturally it’s one of our favorite thrifted finds. I decided to pack a black blouse in a similar silhouette, so boo got to hang on to this one for a while.

K: I got one query that night about why I was wearing my hood indoors. Kim jumped in and said, “It just doesn’t work without the hood.” Why? It just doesn’t.

N: I’ve always paired this blouse with something high waisted, be it tapered pants, hot shorts or a skirt. Though I’ve had some great outfits with that combo, I love how you layer it over the tunic here!

K: Chandelier earrings, platform sandals and socks – my favorite evening accessories… for now.

When we share, we sing the song What’s Mine is Yours from All Dogs Go to Heaven while passing rubbery-looking slices of pepperoni pizza.

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Suitable for Separates

By: Kelly Lynae Robinson

21-11-2011

Kelly, Kelly and Nicole, Nicole

Kelly: ~~I am in a sick suit.~~ I am sick. This is the most enthusiasm I could muster to show you this navy two-piece I got second-hand for $6.00. The fabric is a stiff silk/wool blend and is tailored like death. When I bought it, I thought it looked like a Hillary Clinton power-suit. When I tried it on at home, Jason told me I looked like a martial artist.

K: Martial artist turns to old lady fortune-teller when I pair the long suit coat with a silk turban and tulip-print dress.

K: Remember when we used to go to the Banana Republic in the mall and hunt through the sale jewelry? That’s where I got these earrings five years ago. I probably thought they were a bargain at $10.00-15.00. Now I buy a whole outfit for that much.

N: Yes, yes. Not that these aren’t a great pair of earrings, but we get better treasures for better prices these days!

K: A belt is essential to define the waistline, even under a jacket.

K: The union label in this dress tells me it was made between 1974 and 1995. I’m guessing early 90s. I love the two-tier ruffled hem.

K: I traded some dresses that didn’t fit anymore for these vintage purple suede heels at Lux Fashion Lounge.

N: These pumps make me pee my pants a little. Your freakishly tiny feet mean you always get the best vintage shoes!

K: The blue coat, green bag, and purple heels all work together as dark jewel tones. A pop of orange is always a good idea.

Nicole: I picked this suit up on our very first thrift store fashion expedition! It’s orange tweed, satin lined, and oh-so perfectly tailored. While absolutely beautiful, it’s a little costume-y when worn all together.

K: Ah, yes. The thrifting trip that revolutionized the way we dressed and shopped. No big deal, you guys, it was just the beginning of a whole new perspective on fashion for us.

N: Pair the suit jacket with high-waisted cropped pants and silk shell for the Equestrian in the City look

K: Looking at this picture, one would never know what a reluctant model you were at first. You are working the shit out of that outfit!

N: This jacket has awesome jewel buttons. And like Kelly mentioned earlier, a belt is a must for tying any outfit together, especially if you’re wearing anything high-waisted.

N: My entire outfit was thrifted, except the suede riding boots. Another throwback from our days when we worshiped Banana Republic.

K: We repent our misplaced praise.

N: I chose this silk Liz Claiborne scarf (birthday gift from my boo!) because the blue/grey hues matched my pants. These vintage slacks from Koret of California are cropped, but when tucked into boots they look just like riding breeches, dontcha think?