oui oui mon cherie

Sofia Coppola's commercial for Miss Dior Cherie debuted last night during Gossip Girl, but I still have yet to find a clip online. Until then, these images from the campaign will have to do.

michelle, my belle

It isn't exactly groundbreaking to mention how well-dressed Michelle Obama has been throughout the campaign season, However, I was pleased to see her iconic status further celebrated at Elizabeth Peyton's retrospective at New Museum in New York City. After her husband's win last week, Michelle and Sasha Obama Listening to Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention August 2008 (that is a mouthful) was added to the exhibition. I've never found Elizabeth Peyton to be the most groundbreaking artist (though I do own a beach towel featuring one of her Sid Vicious sketches), but her pictures sure are pretty. And Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton will be coming to the Walker Art Center next February. So hopefully we Minnesotans will be able to check out the artist's rendering of Michelle Obama's famous Thakoon shift in person.

And on a slight tangent, I recently had a conversation with a friend who wanted to understand why I love fashion so much. She raised a lot of good points about why the fashion industry is something to be feared or scorned. It preys on our insecurities. It promotes unrealistic standards of beauty, not to mention label snobbery. It can be the most acute example of rampant materialism and consumerism. And considering that the majority of us wear clothing every day, it's not exactly the easiest thing to avoid. It's universal. But that's actually kind of why I love fashion. It can be universal in such a positive way.

A wealthy celebrity can assemble an expensive outfit, carry the it-est bag, and employ an entourage devoted solely to maintaining her hair extensions. And yeah, she probably looks good. But there are also high school girls in small towns who shop at consignment and thrift shops, and their style is often just as interesting, if not more so. I mention this because I really appreciate that for every Thakoon or Narcisco Rodriguez dress that Michelle Obama wears, there's also a Gap or H&M sundress that she's worn during public appearances. She can take something that is available at the mall (like that White House/Black Market dress that she wore on The View), and make it look like a thousand bucks. It's inspiring and a great reminder that fashion and style can be accessible to everyone, whether you're carrying a Balenciaga motorcycle bag or your mom's old purse from the 1970s.

ta da!

A not-so-great camera phone photo of my Halloween Starbuck tattoo.

halloweentown

Cindy Sherman, Starbuck (me!) and Veronica Sawyer

Am going to try and find a picture of the Starbuck tattoo I drew on my arm. It was a pretty good likeness.

good show, gwyneth

Gwyneth Platrow in Antonio Gerardi

and Giles Deacon

obama is beautiful world

so. effing. cute.

And my Disney fetish continues. This Paul & Joe for Disney collection was released in Japan last spring, and due to overwhelming demand, made its way to Europe, and is now finally available in the United States. Though it's only being carried in the beauty department of Bergdorf Goodman, it can also be picked up online at the beauty closet.

i heart diffusion lines

Holy crap. After months of rumors and speculation, it's been announced that Alexander McQueen will be designing a capsule collection for Target. This won't be an addition to the discount chain's successful Go International line (Target intends to keep that line focused on smaller labels and up-and-comers. Thakoon, Luella Bartley, Richard Chai, Paul & Joe, etc.), but will instead be the first installment of Designer Collaborations, a series of capsule collections featuring more established designers.

It should be noted that McQueen's collection for Target will be a version of his lower-priced McQ line, as opposed to an interpretation of his high fashion looks. McQueen's line will launch in March, so Thakoon will have to satisfy our discount designer cravings for now.

Additionally, the first pictures of I Heart Ronson, Charlotte Ronson's new line for JCPenney, have been trickling onto the internet. The looks are definitely in step with Ronson's rock girl sensibility, and that floral one-piece paired with shiny black leggings has me rethinking my stance on rompers. By the time the collection is released in February, the Minnesota winter will have me desperate for these flirty floral numbers.

at last! the mystery is solved.

I'm a pretty well-versed K-Horror fan. Not really an expert on the whole of South Korean cinema by any means, but I can talk for days about The Vengeance Trilogy, The Quiet Family, and The Host. So when I heard that Elizabeth Banks (star of Slither, which is possibly the best movie of all time) and Emily Browning (who played the resourceful Violet Beaudelaire in the Lemony Snicket film) were starring in The Uninvited, a K-Horror remake, I was pretty excited.

I'd never seen the original film, which was released in Korea in 2003, though I'd always heard that it was one of the genre's classics. So when I saw the trailer for the American film, I was pretty confused that I found the storyline and imagery extremely familiar. I was certain that I'd never seen the original, unless I watched it on Ambien.

This inconsequential little thing lingered in my mind, burrowing into my brain like some sort of weird alien movie knowledge parasite. I know that with the internet, questions like these can be addressed within seconds. But my weird sense of K-Horror pride insisted that I figure out the mystery for myself. And I rolled it over and over in my brain for days, people. Eventually I realized that although I'd never seen the Korean film The Uninvited, I had certainly seen the classic A Tale of Two Sisters, also released in 2003. And folks, the American film is a remake of the latter. I don't know why they insisted on changing the name, especially giving it a title associated with a different Korean film. But I can finally give my brain a rest.

Of course, now I can obsess about how the American The Uninvited will pale in comparison to A Tale of Two Sisters. I'll never be satisfied.

trailer for the American version of The Uninvited


trailer for the Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters


and for the original and unrelated Korean film The Uninvited (sorry, no subtitles)

excuse me while i drool

Images from Thakoon's Go International collection for Target have been officially released. Making the most of the designer's unique ability with prints, the line is feminine and flirtatious, without being overly saccharine. Using some of his most successful shapes and timeless cuts, these pretty prints will definitely help satisfy the Thakoon craving that's been ravaging women ever since Michelle Obama wore one of his ladylike shifts during the DNC.

It's quite summery for a collection that's being released on Christmas Day, but just take that as an excuse to take that long-delayed trip to Jamaica. Or, more reasonably, have some fun with layering. Especially if you're in Minnesota, where it is currently snowing. Layers, ladies. Many many layers.

And a quick flashback to Michelle Obama at the DNC: