4.18.2009

fashionisto of the month: magic cyclops


okay, so we made up the word "fashionisto," but we are thrilled to have our favorite denver/fort collins dj magic cyclops as our april fashion interviewee! AND we admit its high time we included some dudes in our estrogen-driven blog. as you can see from the above pic, he has that creative, low-budg style that we love. take it away, magic....

1. why do you think you're so fashionable? wal-mart

2. what's the least fashionable thing about you? my socks

3. what's a secret fashion vice of yours? a custom headband with my name on it

4. what current trend or trends do you hate right now? z cavaricci and tight-rolled jean pants.

5. who or what is a fashion inspiration to you? basically my budget. if my band was better i could afford to dress for success.

APRIL BONUS QUESTION:
what fashion advice do you have for denver's male population?
the magic cyclops t- shirt! what a  great way to tell people you're
"with it"  and display great fashion sense all at the same time! this 4-color print shirt is professionally silk screened on a black gildan shirt to compliment any ensemble. available on my myspace page (address below), plus for a limited time get my first compact disc  free w/ purchase !(while supplies last) $10 includes postage.
simply visit : 
www.myspace.com/themilehighmadman and look for the
magic shop widget.


short. sweet. to the point. :)
until next week...cheers!

4.14.2009

on hiatus until the weekend of 4/18

el has been really sick and kendall had to jet off to san fran so this week we are without fashion advise to spare. we had a plan for this post but it fell through yesterday, so please check back next weekend when we will be back in action!

4.04.2009

top trends to watch out for this spring...and we mean that in a good way (mostly)

as denver residents, we realize that we may be anywhere from 6 months to 2 years behind the rest of the world where fashion is concerned, but even from our somewhat fashionless island in middle america we can from time to time glimpse what's coming around the bend. this week we wanted to give our beloved VOTS readers our thoughts about what you might see on the streets or in magazines (more likely) this spring. enjoy the 6 top trends of spring 2009!

1. embellished boho 


this season is full of bohemian looks like this anna sui number with a modern, slightly blinged-out twist (looking poor AND rich at the same time!). what's popular is mixed prints and patterns paired with shiny or embellished fabrics, metallics, jewels or sequins.

classic looks can be enhanced with funky jewels and prints like this fabulous matthew williamson dress.

even though sequins are a more modern touch, this sexy number still includes soft bohemian colors and a classic flowy boho style. personal thoughts: el is dubious about this look. kendall of course loves sequins so she's excited for this trend.

 2. colorful, over-sized statement jewelry 

amy adams' fabulous necklace she wore at the oscars has already made an appearance on this blog, but as it is such an fantastic example of statement jewels we couldn't help but feature it again.

...and the same goes for angie jo. the jewels aren't huge but the color is over the top and therefore fits perfectly into the statement jewelry category.

3. ugly is the new black: a salute to the 80s

we are aware these harem (hammer?) pants were heavy on the 2008 runway but they just started making their way into our everyday lives, and they make us throw up in our mouths a little.

carrot pants (or pants with ankle zippers???) are the slightly less ugly cousin of harem pants. we are sad to see the trend in ill-fitting pants continue full steam ahead into 2009.

believe it or not, folks, you are looking at an image from fashion week 2009. we had to double check. balenciaga saluted the worst of the 80s with big shoulders and ugly, unflattering draping. avoid looking like this at all costs.  

4. ultra-feminine: nudes, pastels and sheer fabrics 

with the exception of herman munster there on the end, these pieces look feminine and delicate with very floral touches and a light, flesh-colored palate.

we love these pieces from the erdem spring 2009 collection: very soft with a hint of the 1920's--especially the long lacy piece on the end (minus the queen elizabeth jacket).

5. boyfriend jeans

check out vicki in her non-skin tight jeans! she makes the baggier jeans femme with a sleek, well-fitted jacket. we are happy to see this trend arise, as it is more accomodating to all body types (although i guess victoria beckham is technically a bad rep for "all body types").

katie holmes caught a lot of shit when she debuted this look last summer but now we are suddenly seeing it pop up all over. ever-popular with bike hipsters, it gives older jeans that may be a little too long or short (but still fit well in the waist/thighs) a second shot at life.

6. the 1920's flapper returns (and we couldn't be happier): fringe and feathers

these roberto cavalli fringe sandals for spring are totally hot. we like the modern take on fringe with the chunky jewels added. 

these beautiful pieces are reminiscent of daisy from the great gatsby updated to 2009. el would totally give a toe (or something) for the dress on the left. wouldn't you?

the look is complete with a jaunty feather in your hair! via hat or hair clip it all looks amazing.

we hope you've enjoyed our look at ladies' fashion for spring 2009, we'll try to get something up here for the gentleman soon! 

cheers!
k&e



3.30.2009

expensive shit you can actually just make yourself, vol. 1

this edition of "expensive shit you can actually just make yourself" is all about our favorite piece: the scarf. while perusing the free people website one day we came across the plaid scarf pictured below. its a decent scarf. plaid is pretty awesome most of the time and these colors are interesting. but in the end, the truth is that this is a tiny scrap of flannel that you will be paying $32 to own when you can easily DIY. we thought we could do better! turns out, we did...

the free people menswear stripe skinny scarf


step 1. we found an xl men's flannel at a thrift store for $2.99. note: it has to be flannel! any synthetic fabrics won't rip the right way.

step 2: make a tiny cut at the bottom and rip straight up the grain of the fabric. we made three equal-length sections to put together, and even included a pocket on one.

step 3: sew pieces together with contrast zig-zag stitching to complete the well-worn/rough edges effect. we used a bright turquoise thread.

the end result is a soft, funky, hip plaid scarf that cost $2.99 and took a total of fifteen minutes to make. the best part is that by DingIY you can choose the fabric, width and length you like. 

all-in-all, making this was literally easier than going to the store and paying money for the free people scarf, even if we would've been okay with spending the $32 (which we wouldn't have been). happy sewing!

cheers!

3.21.2009

rockin' the suburbs










although at valentine on the side we love to be thrifty, we recognize that sometimes you need to spend money on quality products. we also know that, as much as you may dislike it, you may sometimes need to go to the suburbs (like, maybe that's where your dentist is or something). if these two events happen to collide, the best place to go is compostion at belmar. belmar is a city within a city type of weird alien shopping complex located in lakewood, about a 15 minute drive from downtown denver.

composition is a design heavy boutique, with books, paper products, organizational supplies, bags, laptop accessories and jewelry. they also carry the more kooky items on the high style spectrum like baby sea turtle onesies and earrings made from recycled skateboards. they try to carry as many green products as possible which is why it's a pricer store. it's the type of store you wouldn't blink at to find in new york or berlin or london but it's shocking to find such a place located in denver. composition is also very travel friendly so they have an amazing selection of travel books (including the incredible color-blocked phadon travel series) and books about foreign cities, inciting your travel lust even further while visting this oasis of high style.

it was a delight to visit and here are our favorite bits:

















walls and tables abound filled with everything from graphic design and archetecture books, super cool smart magazines for creative thinkers, travel guides, crafting and general hip hilarity. 



















composition is maybe best known for having the coolest bags in the denver area. they run pretty pricy but they're high quality and the staff is super helpful when it comes to finding the right one for you.




















el's favorite bag is a sleek japaneese design, the allen foldover by RO. ken's favorite bag is an oversized felt number by Carga.
























and here we are, at the baby gorilla pillow at last. how amazing is that? we also have featured above the incredible not quite edible egg pants (don't you just have to have them?) and the two thing el couldn't leave behind at the store, a lovely deer card and a new toothbrush holder.



if you dare venture into the suburbs, you have to stop by composition. we love it so much here is all their contact info (they have an online store for those of you not in colorado):

composition 
7180 w. alaska drive
lakewood, co 80226
www.shopcomposition.com


cheers!