Àli Mode: My Shoe Problem

This post is reblogged from today's On This Day In Fashion.

The Charles James sandals that made the cut.

Don't let the title mislead you: I'm not a shoe addict, or even a "shoe person." A bag junkie? Sometimes. Jewelry hoarder? Sure. But although I dream of wearing these and these and these, it’s probably never going to happen. Reason being I wear a size 11-wide heels (size 10½ sneaker) and there is nothing fun about shoe shopping—let alone shoe wearing—when you have oversize feet. (I’m about one more back spasm away from investing in these.) So when Oprah starts praising Jesus over her fabulous Louboutins and how shoes are a woman’s greatest fashion investment because everyone looks good in them no matter what their weight, I just want to throw my Bjorn clog at the TV screen. (Okay, I don’t own any Bjorn clogs. But I’m too lazy to go upstairs and read the labels of the ugly clunkers I do own, because either of us probably wouldn’t recognize the brand anyway). The point is, finding a really hot pair of shoes that are also made well in my size is a depressing challenge. Most stores stock one—one—pair of size 11s, absolutely no 10 1/2s and maybe two pairs of 10s. Forget about ordering online: Too many “11s” are 10s in disguise. At least there’s a Nordstrom Rack near my house—several, actually—with aisle after aisle of marked-down size 11s through 13s where I, along with a small group of cross-dressers, can usually find a few good scores. From there I’ve unearthed a pretty pair of black Louboutin pumps that fit terribly and four or five pairs of Taryn Rose

The Musician and the Designer: Bjork and Alexander McQueen Create Magic

The following post is reblogged from the September 22 edition of
On This Day In Fashion.
What defines the relationship between artist and muse? And how are those boundaries altered when the roles are interchangeable, when the artist becomes muse and vice versa? Observing the longtime collaboration between musician Björk and designer Alexander McQueen, it’s hard to say who influenced the other more often and at what times. But the conversation began on the subject when Björk released her fourth record, Homogenic, on this day in 1997, and her image on the album cover received nearly as much attention as the songs inside. The elfin chanteuse fans loved was obliterated, replaced by a fierce snow queen styled in a nebulous blend of intergalactic references and historical costuming. With her insect-like contacts, Leia-on-steroids hair and geisha gown of armor, Björk crossed over into a new genre, a league of otherworldly, high-fashion aliens that sanctioned the very few: David Bowie, Grace Jones, Siouxie Sioux, Klaus Nomi, Laurie Anderson, Marilyn Mason and some others. (Comparisons of Bjork to Lady Gaga are moot: Gaga’s outrageous

Fashion Week Here and There

This editor's note post is reblogged from the September 15 edition of On This Day In Fashion.


As we roll into our third month parked here on the www, you may have noticed a few recent changes and updates to On This Day In Fashion. If not, allow me to give you the dime tour: A long overdue project—masthead bios and photos—have been posted on the About Us page so stop on by and pay us a visit. Cinemode, one of the most-read features on the site, got its own page yesterday, so you can skip on over there and more easily read through our fashion-in-film movie reviews. (Coming up soon: Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina!) Also, in honor of New York’s 67th annual fashion week taking place as I write and you read, all this week we have been running a “7th Avenue Special!” series, reruns of New York–centric stories from OTDIF that highlight the history and achievements of the city’s Garment District and Seventh Avenue. I am especially fond of today’s story written by Cody Bay, about how plucky New York girls and women bandied together, stood up to their mob bosses and formed the very first garment worker’s union. I really enjoy all of the 7th Avenue Specials, but today's is a definite must-read.

As far as Fashion Week goes, you’ve probably noticed that we are Twittering things we see and like, and delivering Daily Fashion Alerts on the day’s goings-on. I think when

Thrifty!

This post was reblogged from the September 5 edition of On This Day In Fashion.

Confession: I love shopping at Goodwill. I'm not just talking about the fact that I like how the money I spend there goes to a great cause, or how you can find cheap deals on pretty much anything that goes in a person's home. My love is more serious: I get a goosebump-inducing, pulse-racing thrill from shopping there, and I'll tell you why: When you score at Goodwill, the score can be epic.


For instance, as I write this, there's a mint-condition powder pink vintage Chanel suit up for auction at ShopGoodwill.com, and right now it's going for $601 with 50 minutes left on the clock. That same suit—in that condition, of that style and color, would sell for more than $1,000 on eBay. Now that is the kind of score that gets my pulse racing! (And, yes, I love that the $601 will go toward a great cause. How can you not?)

Seen in Seattle magazine!

This post is reblogged from "Àli Mode," my editor's note from the September 1 edition of On This Day In Fashion.



I’ve been trying to think of better titles for a weekly editor’s note than, um, “Editor’s Note” and I’m toying with the idea of Àli Mode. Get it? It’s me, but “of the style or fashion.” What do you think? Too silly, or kind of cute? Maybe I need to sit on it for a week and see how it looks.

I guess I’m not entirely trusting my own instincts on much of anything this week because I have been feeling a little too silly and cute lately, and I’m not normally an overly silly or cute kind of gal. But as has already been relayed in this space several times, I got married