2:43 PM • Sep 27th, 2008
By cheapjap
Sexy Time
When I tried this BCBG Outlet Score of a dress on post-purchase, I felt like it was missing something. Yet nothing I paired with it - knee-high boots, thick belts or colorful camis - really worked. It just crapped it up.
The ah ha! moment occurred with an application of red lipstick.
Simplicity - that’s what was missing!
This beauteous thang is so Old Hollywood that dressing it down doesn’t make it understated; it makes it ridiculous.
Gold stiletto-sandals, red lips and a faux Van Cleef and Arpels chain (courtesy of Canal Street) keep the dress the star of the show.
WARNING: Dress has been known to result in wearer’s thinking she is a star and can subsequently do star-like things like blow kisses to an imaginary paparazzi.
I couldn’t help it. The dress made me do it. 
4:24 PM • Jun 18th, 2008
By cheapjap
Sexy Time
I’ve never been one of those girls who needs a matching, lacy bra and thong set to feel hot. While I admit that a great bra is occasionally a worthy splurge, I just can’t rationalize spending $40 on one pair of Hanky Panky Boyshorts, cute as they might be. But when I realized I’d been wearing Old Navy Thongs for the better part of a year, I figured it was time for some new, slightly more grown-up underthings.
Now, I like Cosabella and OnGossamer as much as the next girl.
I like these brands even more at Loehmanns’ seriously slashed prices.
My biggest scores were an On Gossamer bra ($42 reduced to $16.99) and a pair of Hanky Pankys ($36 reduced to $10.97). I also snagged two On Gossamer thongs and some boyshorts (Rene Rofe and Honeydew). If I’d paid full price, my haul might have cost me $136 - not cool. At Loehmann’s, five pairs of undies and one bra cost me a grand total of $52.91.
Now that’s what I call sexy.
5:30 AM • Apr 10th, 2008
By cheapjap
Sexy Time
The very idea of dressing to impress someone other than myself is fairly new to me. It’s also effing annoying, because you can’t wear electric blue tights (Foot Traffic, $7 at Beacon’s Closet) if you’re worried about what other people think. So - as an alternative to the T&A method of dressing universally approved by men - I wore this tight/heel combo with a navy American Apparel minidress out on a date. I’m not into metrosexuals, so I don’t expect the guys I date to praise my outfits. But - as committed as I am to fashion - I’m not above wanting to be told I look hot.
Wow. Those tights are really…blue.
Blue. Not hot, not sexy, just…blue. Fine, maybe a second date isn’t the best time to break out the crazy (stylistically and otherwise). As my legs looked rather Smurf-like, I can’t really blame the guy. Continue reading →
11:48 AM • Feb 21st, 2008
By cheapjap
Sexy Time
A few months ago, I bought a ridiculously low-cut top from H&M. I stupidly tried it on over a camisole and concluded that, with the right bra, I could pull it off without looking like a total hussie. A few at-home outfit attempts affirmed the error of my purchase. With a regular bra, the top looked grossly suggestive; It was as though I’d either forgotten to - or worse, couldn’t afford to - fully dress myself. I tried it on again with a cami; this diminished the slut-factor significantly, but rendered the top utterly unexciting.
American Apparel answered my style query in the form of this $18 bandeau. While I’m totally with the idea the company puts out there via its naughty, young, scruffy, dewy/greasy models - that being in your twenties means occasionally slutting it out and getting away with it - I’m not one to prance around in a bandeau and call it a strapless top. As an undergarment, however, it’s beyond sexy.
12:09 PM • Feb 7th, 2008
By cheapjap
Sexy Time
FYI, I hate my boobs (maybe it’s the third nipple…kidding!). Being in between a B and C cup is annoying enough, but my boobs are also set so far apart that they’re closer to my armpits than to my chest. This makes both achieving cleavage and shopping for bras effing impossible.
No one wants to spend money on anything related to their least favorite body part, but when your cotton Calvin Klein bras are more gray than white from constant wear, it’s time for some new underwire. I enlisted the help of my friend Lucy, who’s lingerie collection probably rivals that of Dita Von Teese. I struck out at Victoria’s Secret, as per usual; a boutique was the only solution to my weird shaped boob woes.
We hit Journelle, a new Flatiron lingerie boutique - the first bra I saw was $90. I obvs snorted in disgust and turned to leave. Then this, from Lucy:
“What would you say if I found the perfect pair of jeans?” Continue reading →
1:20 PM • Dec 17th, 2007
By cheapjap
Sexy Time
Today is a good day because I bought a fresh batch of Hanes Tagless ComfortSoft Tanks, a.k.a. wifebeaters. Yes, the term’s derogatory, but that doesn’t count if it’s used for the practical purpose of discussing style. “White tank top” can mean 90 different things; if I say “wifebeater,” you immediately know what I’m talking about. You feminists will have your day on Cheap JAP, but it is not this day.
I wear wifebeaters under almost everything I own. I buy the men’s version because they’re long enough to cover my butt - this means that, in addition to elongating my torso, they can be worn with leggings 24/7. The men’s tanks are also more fitted up top, as dudes don’t have boobs (unless they’re manboobs, but that’s neither here nor there).
Wifebeaters give almost any outfit a more interesting and slightly badass edge. Say you’ve got a pretty cardigan, jeans and some flats. Don a wifebeater under that cardie, wrap a cool scarf around your neck and bam! you’ve gone from ho-hum prep to badass JAP in mere moments.
Wifebeaters look even better when you take your clothes off. Continue reading →
