This morning, I set out on a Google quest. Objective: To attain a general understanding of vintage price points in order to calculate the extent to which NYC-metro-based vintage rips off those who purchase it. This lead to a ‘wholesale vintage’ search, which affirmed my suspicions. More on that later, for the ‘wholesale’ component yielded [...]

I’m a Zoe Report subscriber for amusement purposes only, and yesterday’s ass-kissing homage to Derek Lam’s $3950 Tie-Dye bag did not disappoint. It also contained an ad for Rachel’s “basically fabulous” list of wardrobe essentials. Let’s see what the maharajah of self-promotion’s latest Must-Haves are, shall we?
Firstly: “Essential” and “basic” are synonyms, so the title [...]

Yesterday afternoon, in the spirit of amping up my knowledge of all-things-secondhand, I did a walking tour of the Lower East Side’s vintage shops. To say I was nonplussed would be putting it lightly – appalled is more like it. The excursion was so infuriating, it actually made me want to go to yoga. I [...]

Fashionista released the first images of Zac Posen for Target last week. Here’s my knee-jerk reaction to a selection of the JPEGs.

The Raincoat – dig the color, cut looks reasonably flattering. The Ruched Skirt – meh overall, demerits for an in-between length that makes 90% of legs look stumpy. The hat – why?

The Snap Tape [...]

Okay, so say you’re a company that deals in material goodies. If you want to make a quick buck imitating designs already being sold, you obvs adhere to the Cardinal Rule of Rip-Offs, which goes like this:
When imitating a given designer, don’t name the copycat after its inspiration.
It appears Rag & Bone didn’t get the [...]

Mmkay, it’s been weeks since the launch of Commes des Garcons x The Beatles, so maybe this isn’t the most timely of reactions. Whatever. I’m not throwing in my nine cents now to bitch about Commes des PouPou’s elitist perversion of the best band ever. That would be stating the obvious. No, what concerns me [...]

Target announced an upcoming collabs with Zac Posen today, and everyone’s flipping their respective nuts. This bean-spillage on behalf of the big box is a highly strategic move: It’s almost enough to distract me from the ‘collection’ slated to launch in a few weeks. Almost.
I read somewhere that Rodarte for Target was inspired in part [...]

Is it just me, or does the “limited edition” (oooh, now I’m intrigued) FitFlop Anna Sui Shakoha Boot look like it’s been beaten with an ugly stick? It’s like a moccasin and a sneaker got together, ate some fur, and collectively shit out a studded star.
I don’t care if the MoccaPoo uses revolutionary Microwobbleboard [...]

Before discussing the individual offerings of Jimmy Choo for H&M, I’m going to attempt to rationalize the pricing scheme behind the line. The designer from whence said line comes is Tamara Mellon, the brand’s founder and president. Her Wikipedia page bears the cautionary warning: This article or section reads like a news release, or is [...]

Fast fashion merch is made quickly and cheaply, and pitched to we-the-consumers as a means to a material fix that won’t break our respective banks. This is, of course, horseshit. If fast fashion were about consumer convenience and accessibility, H&M’s How-To Guide for shopping the store tomorrow – Jimmy Choo Day, duh – wouldn’t read [...]

I’ve got nothing against occasionally splurging on athletic-inspired apparel; if it’s comfy enough to wear to the gym and cute enough to double as weekend attire, you’re probs going to wear it 24/7. I haven’t tried on anything Alexander McQueen for Puma, so I can’t honestly speak to how it fits or feels. I can, [...]

I’ve been stewing over Kate Moss for Topshop’s Oriental Kimono (non-PC alert) ever since The Cut reported its No Longer In Stock status.

At $160, it’s a rip off of the heinously offensive ilk. I obvs wasn’t peeved because I planned on buying it; I was tweaking because so many others had, once again, drunk the [...]

Dearest Alexander Wangface -
Wanna know what happens when you charge $200 for glorified athletic shorts? PEOPLE DON’T BUY THEM. Then, you have to rip off one of your old khaki styles and re-design it in cheap, easily outsourced material for the GAP. Tres drag, but hey, collabs like that keep you in business. Us fashion [...]

Until yesterday, I’d never seen Simply Vera Vera Wang up close. That’s because until yesterday, I’d never before set foot in a Kohl’s. There’s still a JAP in Cheap JAP, after all . Some field research resulted in multiple surprises – some good, some bad, some reallyfuckingugly.
Overall, Simply Vera’s a line of decent quality [...]

Now lookee here, I’m all about beauteous designer shoes – they’re pretty, I like to look at them. I appreciate the craftsmanship that undoubtedly substantiates their $1000 price tags. I’m just not about to pay for it, and neither are you, and that’s precisely why Jimmy Choo for H&M and Pierre Hardy for GAP exist.
Let’s [...]

It’s Monday, and I’m nursing a hangover of the worst kind: A destination wedding hangover. The festivities were glorious; the drive to and from Vermont was not. My body’s still vibrating, I look and feel about as alive as a mutilated squirrel. I can’t think of a better time for a rant. Shopbop: This one’s [...]

I pass by Hamlet’s Vintage on Bleecker multiple times a day, as it’s a hop, skip and a jump away from my apartment. The store pimps itself out to locals and tourists alike via a $15 T-Shirt Rack on the sidewalk. The tees are standard secondhand fare i.e. something Urban Outfitters would copy and sell [...]

I’ve been known to take issue with Marc Jacobs’s warped view of a woman’s body. These shorts exemplify my position.

I found them at Buff Exchange, and concede that they’re only marginally awful on the hanger. But on the body…

…they are, hands down, the most heinous excuse for designer apparel I have EVER seen. I [...]

Let’s talk about the power of buzz, specifically its ability to amp up subpar designer collabs as all kinds of awesome. Charlotte Ronson might very well be a cool chick, but a designer’s ability to surround herself with stylish celebutards doesn’t necessarily mean she knows jack about making clothes. To be fair, Ronson’s high-end stuff’s [...]

The below email gave me a nice little chuckle yesterday afternoon:
so i was doing my daily shopbop.com browsing and i clicked on my favorite designer, alexander wang. his new runway stuff apparently JUST CAME OUT, so i checked it out. always one to be disgusted by these outrageous prices, i came across the alexander [...]