this is IT!

check out the reLAUNCH of LADYPANTS by clicking here...I've got a new pair that I think you'll like...

this is the reLAUNCH!

LADYPANTS has a brand new pair: see how they fit tomorrow...new site...new address...it's all forthcoming.

arts x leisure section: ignoring the throne

LADYPANTS Top 100 (no judgement)

What's on your rotation?? #ignoringthethrone

the bare ESSENTIALS : look 4

Let's talk facts:

FAQ 1 : I am Southern. We have central air.

FAQ 2 : This is New York. We do not. 

FAQ 3: FAQ 1 deals with FAQ 2 by donning sheaths and threadbare garments in the city on 100+ days.

FAQ 4: FAQ 1 shot these pics in an un-air conditioned hallway and was sweating balls. Easy, breezy, cover girl? Ha! Hardly.

FAQ 5: Cleon Grey is such an amazing photographer FAQ 1 forgets FAQ 2 and focuses on FAQ 3.

Mmmm, yes, by this time the sun had vanished, and a summer night was upon us. We retreated to my home to gather the last shots, and nestled ourselves in the wooden crooks and crannies of my hallway and apartment entrance.

Like "Zoom in with that camera lense, much?!" nestled...like "Carlos, you can't be insecure NOW!" nestled. Perhaps this made me sweat more.

I wasn't interested in wearing heels any longer, nor were my feet, so I figured barefoot would do. It would complement the look, anyhow : a look I chose to wear on one of the hottest days of the summer a few weeks back.

Remember that disastrous heat wave that sucked the dear life and marrow out of this fair city?!

Yes, I decided that day that wearing dookie shorts simply wouldn't cut it. Yes, sometimes you want to look half-way decent in a heat wave. In fact, I visualized myself as a big rush of wind coming down the street, the fabric being picked up by the breeze, my Chinatown fan a twitchin' to and fro. 

It's oddly romantic to me, like, "I'm in a rush! I simply can't be bothered with this weather right now. I'm just too fly. Oh! I have a fan too, which also makes me a genius!"

I also trapped myself in a cold, dark movie theater for three hours and bought a Slurpee: other examples of my off-the-charts smarts and street style.

You must be terribly jealous at this point, so I will explain that to weather a heat wave or any hot enclosed space (stylishly, of course), you need thin material that is subtly sexy without giving away too much. A slit up the thigh...a see-through tank...a bra strap that won't stay up...perhaps no bra at all (if you can manage it)...a skirt of a dramatic length...a top of epic scarcity...a low neckline...a backless frock...a slither of skin.

Try a light color palette: gray...pale pink...whites...mint...peach...light blue, then slip on a light sandal. Leave all chunky, troublesome heels at home because you will be moving with the ease and dexterity of the supernatural. You cannot be bothered with the pain of a three-inch platform.

Take a small satchel with you, which is replete with your keys, cell phone (your lover is going to be calling annnnnnnny second now), your Chinatown fan, cash for a Slurpee and/or mojitos (though, those will naturally be on the house), chapstick (the pout drys easily in this weather), and your iPod (play an upbeat song that will remind you of the pace and magnitude of the city). If you're really smart, you'll fold up the newspaper and get some reading done on the air conditioned train.

But don't try to avoid the heat by staying in side all day: everyone should be so lucky to get a gust of your very cool look.

All photos courtesy of Cleon Grey of Aveder Outfit

Tank by Kain
Maxi skirt by Helmut Lang

chasing the SUN : look 3

Look 3: trotting down the block in vintage after the boys...my curls bouncing...the sun sinking into the horizon...Cleon nervous we were losing light...Stuyvesant Avenue coming to a screeching halt at our mere presence...my icy melting.

"This is the whorehouse on Boardwalk Empire!" I proudly exalted, beckoning to a near abandoned, sprawling mansion down the block. Cleon tried to break in...Can Boardwalk Empire do for men's fashion what Mad Men achieved?, Joshua ponders...Steve Buscemi is no Jon Hamm...

Whoop! Whoop! goes the firetruck barreling down this fair stretch of brownstones, shady trees : the block is hot.

A couple fights publicly and loudly...I explain this happens more than you would think...Joshua's eyebrow arches at the idea...Joshua is not from Brooklyn, obviously...

Kids scream and scoot their tricycles around the corner, whizzing past us...cars slow as I crouch low on the curb to get a shot : "Men!," I think and laugh to myself...however, Zsa Zsa Gabor did say that a woman should only worry when men STOP looking: touche.

Best compliment paid to me in 5...4...3...2...1:
-"You could be Ethiopian."
-"Oh, shucks, you say that to all the girls!"

Cleon: "Put your arms up!"... ::channelling Tracee Ellis Ross:: ...Is it working?...Tracee can you hear me?...

Must visit Edith + Machinist soon to re-fill closet and check in with the ladies...I'm such a sucker for a "throw-on" piece like this frock, but then what girl isn't in 90-degree weather...vintage frocks, rompers, jumpsuits : these are the things that a summer wardrobe is made of...as little fabric as possible...

Red is my power color...I'm attracted to the warmth of this brazen shade : it brings out my innate fire...as an Aries, I stoke that fire each day...as an Aries, I have a temper tantrum at least once a day...

Cleon dodges oncoming traffic to shoot me walking across the street...I think I subconsciously sabotage the shot because I'm afraid he'll be hit...

The sun is quickly saying good-bye...we must retreat...

-"I like your dress...." I blush...
-"This old thing?"

All photos courtesy of Cleon Grey of Aveder Outfit

Dress by vintage (Edith + Machinist)
Shoes by Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony

INSPIRATION board

frances bean cobain x hedi slimane: grunge progeny

frances got the best of her parents

annie as catwoman: meow! get that cat some milk!

make-up ideas for the final days of summer

rosie's easy minimalist chic: love the color palette

with a beer, no less: that's how it's done

love solo's journey thus far

ombre for fall? kate inspires my look yet again

back to BLACK (the LBD) : look 2

So, where were we? Ah, yes, Look 2. Me in my closet, rummaging about, fighting with my internal wallflower who was hesitating in showing off her figure--in fact, my inner id is always yelling at me about being too overtly sexy and maintaining that fine balance of fashion versus sensuality. She's often concerned how we'll get from my apartment to the train station in one piece. This time I had to just quiet her down.

I mean truthfully, I believe there is a decision that every stylish woman has to make for herself at any given turn of any given ensemble: whether she will be dressing for fashion (albeit herself and other women) or for the viewing pleasure of men. Will she be drumming up a complex silhouette or flaunting her best assets in the most obvious of ways? Is she dressing for the trained eye or the one that continues to gawk? But even more, can she do both?

It's an old wives tale that such a vortex of style and sensuality can meet up in one look, mingle, and get along swimmingly. On a random off-shoot, I've been able to achieve both, but it takes a little finesse.

Take my Alexander Wang LBD here for example: it's a wardrobe essential for a reason. Slip it on and blushes quickly follow. The ribbed nature of the fabric and it's laser cutting leave very little to the imagination, so to control the piece I take power vinyasa classes and add a serious boot. Even though my Rick Owens "creepers" are a touch awkward, I feel the boot helps ground the dress in its innate edge and makes me the height I was always supposed to be: at least 5'10".

Coupled with this otherwise slinky dress, the boots also pose an unexpected twist against a natural choice of say, a pump--still evoking a sexiness, nonetheless. You get a whiff of my S curves, but you don't get 'em all. It reveals and hides all the same.

Now the piece is great on its own, but layering it can guide the look to an even less obvious place. A moto jacket, an oversized sweater, or a drapey cardigan can offer what stylists like to call, "texture"--which in laymen terms just means "depth." By throwing on my leather vest with this piece, I'm telling a cohesive story: the look is offering up different elements, and ultimately working to redefine what can be considered sexy.

I think that's a look both myself and my inner id can finally agree upon.

Photographs courtesy of Cleon Grey of Aveder Outfit


Dress by Alexander Wang
Boots by Rick Owens
Vest by TopShop