Friday, March 29, 2013

NET FORCE

Have you noticed that sporting knockoff versions of designer logos is even trendier than sporting the original logo this season? I found this imitation Céline sweatshirt - with the C substituted for an S - on Yes Style, and figured that the graphic was a well-executed representation of the most prevailing fast fashion trend this year. 2013 (and late 2012, too) loves a good graphic parody. It's clever. It's eye-catching. It's exempt from copyright infringement laws. It appropriates the prevalence of the original logo's look and creates competition out of it. Irony! Imitation! Postmodern juxtaposition!! Fashion is sooo crazy and meta these days!!!! Maybe I'll start wearing black head to toe next week. All this aesthetic analysis is hurting my brain... I just want to lay in my bed wearing sweat pants and NOT THINK for once. Maybe. 

Imitation logo aside, this sweatshirt features cut-out sleeves which are ideal for layering with unexpected textures like mesh. I knew I'd need some sort of black netting to pair underneath the sweater as soon as I realized my arms would be exposed. My next must-have: real mesh. Jersey mesh. More athletic than cybergoth. And "fitness friendly". My shorts are another seasonal staple: quilted leather is a classic design with futuristic appeal. Love the way they paired with suede wedges and minimal accessories. One chain this time -- I'm getting good at the whole 'less is more' mantra.



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Chain necklace - Forever 21
Rouge lip - Lime Crime
Séline sweatshirt / Mesh netting top / Quilted leather shorts / Black wedges - YES STYLE

^^^^ I hope there's some appreciation for my tiny braid going on right now. Seems transhuman. H+ very chic in 2014... prepare for a prosthetic arm fad. 

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

Monday, March 25, 2013

SUB ROSA

Hello! Back after a weekend so relaxing it actually got kind of boring. There's only so many naps you can take with the balcony door open, so many minutes you can spend in the steam room before dying of heat stroke, so many facials you can give yourself before exfoliating your skin into a raw oblivion... luxury problems. Anyway, today is the first day of Passover, so Chag Sameach to all of my Jewish readers who are celebrating! I'll be at a seder this evening hoping a slightly more conservative version of this leather-on-leather look is appropriate. Wish me luck. Heh.



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Sunglasses - RETRO CITY
Jacket - Member's Only
"Faux Leather Crop Top" - DAILY LOOK
Scarf - Armani
Skirt - Sachin & Babi
Heels - ROMWE
Clutch - Doctor Couture

I've gotten really, really, dangerously lax about accessorizing lately. Last year this time, I wore pounds of bracelets, chains, and chokers to bulk up my look. In fact, dripping necklaces and chunky rings became my look. Nowadays I compensate for a minimalist ensemble in other ways - like oversize sunglasses or a statement scarf. Big is better and less is more: learning the difference between size and quantity is one of my favorite fashion discoveries this year. 

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

ON THE PROWL

It's kind of gross how unapologetically "diva" this outfit is. The Carrie Bradshaw curls and beret, oversized sunglasses, and baroque satin, leopard print, and fuchsia suede triple threat are almost too much. No, actually, this print crazy hodgepodge is genuinely "too much". Fortunately we here at FTBH Corp. don't respect socially constructed fashion boundaries and take much pleasure out of crossing lines conventional style referees label off limits. And we do it in literal stride - one platform pump in front of the other. "We" being me, myself, and I, of course. Even fiercely independent girls need a posse!



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
:

Cap - An old standby
Oversize cat-eye sunglasses - RETRO CITY
Vintage satin jacket - TUNNEL VISION
"Leopard leisure suit" - NATURAL COLOUR
Fuchsia pumps - Pink & Pepper
Bag - Rebecca Minkoff

Only four people deserve my love today. Brit and Madeline, the rock n' roll amazons behind Tunnel Vision, and "Pink" and "Pepper", the BFF cartoon chicks who represent the shoe company they're named after. Even though they're only illustrations (don't discriminate - even drawings can dress top-notch) they're somehow WAY more stylish than me in all their two-dimensional glory. I'm thanking the boos behind these brands (or 'vintage stockists' in the case of Tunnel Vision) because not only did they hook me up with some sweet Spring goodies, they pretty much do the entire world a service by offering such rad merch. 

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

SPACE ROYALTY

One of the coolest things I learned in elementary school art class is that purple signifies royalty. I'm not wearing a crown (although I'd argue that this spiked snapback is like a swagged out princess version of a tiara) but there's something nonetheless... commanding about my look today. I guess that lush indigo hue has me on my high horse. Paired with a galaxy print bomber jacket and straight up chrome disco pants, I've got an insanely future space vibe going and I doubt I'll ever be able to top it. NOT. I've got many a trick up these galaxy print sleeves. Expect no less from a bitch whose kingdom doesn't even reign from this passe solar system.



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Snapback - YES STYLE
Galaxy print jacket - ROMWE
Cage collar - ROMWE
Royal tank - Forever 21
Chrome pants - BOOHOO
"Space Wedge sneakers" - DAILY LOOK
Backpack - YES STYLE

I've owned this Romwe cage collar for a solid six months and it STILL gives me butterflies when I put it on. Something about a crisp, black and white harness with symmetrical straps really does it to me... maybe I'm just in love with the fact that it serves no purpose at all. I debuted it for the first time over a black and white geometric print top at Skrillex's birthday party a couple months ago (lol, first FTBH name drop? I hope someone's counting). And I paired it with a leatherette bodice shift dress last week. Safe to say the cage collar is my 2013 secret weapon.

I know galaxy print is played out to the max and I think that's why I've been so into it lately. It's become too easy to hate on... an inside joke among the fast fashion lot. Mocking the print is a clever way for trend biters to poke fun at fads they bought into last season and in doing so exact a distance between their current style and the trends they abandoned out of commercial necessity. But making fun of galaxy print doesn't make you better than galaxy print. Chances are, you're wearing another print right now that's just as trendy, but not yet "over." Give me your space duds. I shall do them cosmic justice my friend.

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

Monday, March 18, 2013

HOMEBODY

If someone who didn't know anything about me were to observe my life from the outside for one week, they'd assume that I'm an introvert. I don't socialize very often and spend most of my time in one room, doing anything that doesn't involve the interaction or attention with/of another person. Reading, writing, listening to music -- solo tasks, personalized thrills. But, strangely, my lifestyle isn't a reflection of my preferences. It's a reflection of my circumstances. I can't find any reason not to keep to myself, even though I would so so so much rather be out and about. What conversations are even worth having? What event is even worth the time and effort of leaving the house to attend? And what party is - well, actually, there are no parties. Maybe these are just the pitfalls of living in a city built for indulgent tourists, not artists or academics or real human beings in general. People who aren't here to shove money down the throat of a machine and sleep in a hotel. The Myers-Briggs test renders inaccurate results every time I take it to figure out my personality type, probably because it asks questions about what I'm *actually* doing instead of what I WANT to be doing. Just because I'm 'most likely' to be home alone on a Friday night doesn't mean that's my preference... it just means I wasn't invited anywhere. Whichever personality type is the one that whines the most is definitely mine. I'm neither introverted nor extroverted, I'm just "brat"!!!!!! ;~)



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Fur cap - My Belle Fare
Batwing top - Zara
"Daria hi-low skirt" - GYPSY WARRIOR
Bag - CHICWISH
Boots - YES STYLE

Took these photos in my bedroom while the afternoon light streamed through a window. Looks very peaceful and warm here. I'm wearing another piece from Gypsy Warrior - this time it's a hi-low leopard skirt. When I first saw it, I was intimidated by how trendy it looked. It's cut in that asymmetrical shape I've seen on so many maxis these past two years. And it's printed! But it turned out to be an insanely practical piece. I pair it with all black and it becomes my statement. Tights or leggings underneath give it a more calculated, layered, almost 'brooding' vibe. It's perfect. A good look for actually leaving the house... or just lounging. All day.

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva

Sunday, March 17, 2013

PANEL YOUR ENERGY

For nearly three months, black and gray menswear (and by that I mean sweatshirts, snapbacks, and sneakers) monopolized the section of my wardrobe that I was actually willing to wear out in public. I felt like bright prints, form-fitting dresses, and skirts were too happy, too revealing, and subsequently too dishonest to sport in front of people who knew that the garments I chose to wear were reflections of I how I felt. So I wore dark clothes, a nod to my brooding. Studs and spikes, a nod to my hard edge and aggression. Sneakers, a nod to my sudden interest in function over fashion (though function technically is fashion, but that's a discussion for another time). The whole look was ominous, angry, tense. And that's what I was for a while. Some say my style evolved into something insincere because they couldn't recognize where I was coming from in my desires to don colorless sports apparel. I agreed for a while, that I changed myself, and that my three-month menswear look was contrived. But in retrospect... I was doing what I had to do to feel like I was still capable of self-expression. And there's nothing wrong with that.



FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Spiked cap - ROMWE
Sunglasses - Daisy Potion
Leather sweatshirt - ROMWE
Leather panel pants - YES STYLE
Vinyl sneakers - YES STYLE

S/o to all the near-death experiences these pants have seen me in and out of. What does not kill me makes me stronger. 

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva