Japan is a weird place. From its movies to its festivals to its dining habits, the country has a long history of giving birth to some truly bizarre sh*t, then sending it overseas to our eagerly awaiting, comparatively bland Western hands.

The most recent weirdo Eastern trend to show up on American shores is the fashion movement known as Lolita. Despite the fact that is sounds like some filthy daddy-daughter fetish scene, Lolita, according to most enthusiasts, has nothing at all to do with sexuality and everything to do with embracing your inner well-behaved Victorian-era prepubescent girl.

Ladies who practice Lolita do so by dressing themselves like the porcelain doll that your got for your eighth birthday, then going online to connect with other girls who dress like the porcelain doll that you got for your eighth birthday, then getting together to do things like sing karaoke, drink tea, and attend animae conventions.

Huh.

According to one Lolita site, the movement originated in the 1980s when Japanese teens would kick it every weekend in downtown Tokyo jamming to rock bands and getting all gussied up for each other. A small faction of girls on this scene, for one reason or another, started sporting Little-Bo-Peep-esque ensembles; a few key trendmakers picked up on the look and started companies like Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille that specialized in producing the frilly, old-fashioned clothing, some Japanese rock bands embraced the trend, and thus the Lolita subculture was born. Read More »

Seeing as I have to work almost every night of the week and I don’t have cable…or a TV…I don’t get the shear joy of watching Gossip Girl as it airs.

But what I do get is sharing the joy of Gossip Girl after it airs. This week, I’ve decided to pseudo live blog. Because with an episode name like Poison Ivy, you know this sh*t is going to be good!

And if you missed the episode? Consider this your cheat sheet so when your girls ask if you watched tonight at dinner…you’ll be able to join the convo.

What will happen with Dan and Serena? Will he ever forgive her? What will happen with Serena and Blair? Will she ever forgive her? And what, pray tell, happened between Dan’s dad and Serena’s mom??

I’m so excited. And now that I’m settled in my bed with my ice cold can of Budweiser and my YouTubed episode of Gossip Girl, let the drama begin…

Part One

How cute is Dan with all the knicks on his face from shaving? Endearing.

HAHA. The choir is singing Glamorous. AHAHA.

Wait, they’re only Juniors… yesss. This insures at least one more fabulous year of Gossip.

I love Jenny, she just talked like a Latina girl while making fun of Dan’s inability to shave.

I love that vest Serena’s throwing on. Tres cute. Grey knit is big for fall. Oooh and I love the grey suede boots. They look like knee socks, BUT NO! Adorable. Read More »

It’s hot, it’s cold, oh wait! It’s hot again.

When the weather won’t make up its mind between fall and summer, summer and fall, getting dressed in the morning can be quite problematic. Luckily, trends for the in between have been popping up all over Manhattan, which as we ALL know, is pretty much the center of the universe.

While it may appear that combining the fall and summer trends could be tricky, it’s really quite easy. Layer it on so it’s easy to take off.

Basically, the seasonal transition time is a fashion free for all where most anything goes.

Here are a few street trends to try when its not too hot but not too cold: Read More »