Lanvin. Dolls. Chrismas.

expensive wishlist items

We're done playing the "if you exist" game with santa, of course, but there's something about dolls that automatically places them in the gift category for me. That "add to cart" button is a little disturbing. Anyway... these darlings are by Italian doll manufacturer Monte Dragone. There's more of them on the official website, where the pictures are from.

Then again, the right and ability to use the "add to cart" button is a privilege of autonomy. The disenchanted world is there to be enjoyed. How symptomatic that I forget, again, that being an adult is supposed to be an advantage, not a handicap.






















Traumas aside, there's a bit of an issue with those three figure prices. I might be persuaded to settle for a Doll Collector magazine, which is only six dollars. I'm pretty good at living vicariously anyway.

Junya Watanabe. Fall 2011

Menswear collections are usually the most endearing. I want to live in those clothes. Is it the lack of intimidating high heels? I love fantasy and escapism in fashion, but how good it is to see a wholesome, practical, sometimes humorous collection like this one.

Menswear. Yamamoto Fall 2011

Noblesse trickles down as the suit is refashioned to feel as cozy as as a pair of sweats.

H&M Mens Fall/Winter 2011

The pants!









And I think the time is ripe for M to get a tuxedo. I've been wanting one ever since I saw one in Zara back in 2003. That one had a sharper, Victorian cut, and staring at the showcase I let slip something to the effect of 'Oh...I wanna be buried in this outfit!...", which was understood too literally by my mother. Um, anyway, I think this one would look alright with a whole bunch of stuff, including a backpack and a long, stuffy, fringed scarf.



Of course, the usual rub with H&M is the poor quality. Yet for all that, I've had things from H&M that have kept up with my reckless wearing habits for as long as five years. From my experience, their expensive stuff (expensive by their standards) tends to be decent and wears pretty well with due care. It's still good value compared to similar styles in classier shops.

This is a squee post.

So, Chanel's Fall 2011 rtw. Cormack McCarthy's "The Road" and the works of Kaspar David Friedrich keep coming up in runway reviews as the inspiration for this collection, and while that accounts for the color palette, I don't see 'post-cataclysmic world' written all over these clothes. I mean, those low-heeled pumps and rolled up trousers are way too perky to connote struggle with natural and hobbesian calamities. Yes, combat boots...but seriously, they look cozy rather than fierce. No, that's not quite right: you could battle dragons dressed like that, but you'd feel very cozy while you're at it, and even look elegant, to boot.

Last year I was complaining the Channel collection wasn't weird enough. This one isn't weird at all, and I like it because it's the opposite of weird. It reminds me of Sigur Ros videos. It makes me want to climb into the picture and live there. Warm fuzzy wearable Chanel:
























So, just for statistics: is there anyone who finds these guys' outfits gladiatorial? As far as I'm concerned, they look like very huggable creatures. In fact all those pockets make me think these guys would make wonderful fathers. No, I don't think I can explain that connection:




Now look what's become of the rigid Chanel skirt suit. It has a pouch!




"Look, Karl, I hate dressing up. Can you to design me some pyjamas that I could wear to the Oscars?"

"Oh sure, there you go."