Monkey Moda

Spring Mental Cleaning

2010-04-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day today - went for a walk and decided to pick the camera back up after a long break. Today is still spring break and a day off from work. It feels like a very special treat. The tree outside my balcony is blossoming. The bees seem delighted.

Also, a good day to organize the closet.

Really excited about these (the cloggy looking Donald J Pliners). I have been searching for them since the death of my beloved no-name look-alikes in 1995. Is it just me, or were the shoes just better in the 1990's?

Also coming up is the rant on the SS10 Miu Miu shoe insanity. With cats. Those things are making me crazy.

Not Quite Givenchy.., but..

2009-06-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

Having seen the insane boots on Judy's awesome blog, Atlantis Home, I became obsessed. I was not sure if these boots would look high fashion, or Puss in Boots from Shrek on someone of my meager stature, but they were driving me crazy anyway. I set out in search of them, or something similar. Sadly, I think at times the whole world is reading the same blogs I do, and run out and buy up all the things I start craving before I get around to buying them :) I searched high and low, having exhausted every online shoe vendor known to me, until the light bulb went on - Amazon! A few clicks, and I found surprisingly similar-looking boots made by Pleaser USA - figures - a stripper shop! They claimed even to be made from leather - $98. Hmmm... Now that they arrived, I'm not completely convinced they are leather, but I'll take the label's word for it. They look and feel surprisingly good. Stripper shoes strike again.

Top - Judy's Givenchys; bottom - Pleaser USA

Obsession - Ray-Ban Aviators

2009-05-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Ray-Ban is a manufacturer of sunglasses, founded in 1937 by Bausch & Lomb. They were introduced for the United States Army Air Corps. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported 1.2 billion dollars.

Ray-Bans were initially created in 1937 after Lieutenant John MacCready had returned from a balloon flying adventure in 1920. He complained that the sun had done permanent damage to his eyes. He contacted Bausch & Lomb asking them to create a type of sunglasses that would not only provide superb protection, but also look elegant. On May 7, 1937, Bausch & Lomb officially took out the patent. The prototype, known as Anti-Glare, consisted of an extremely light frame weighing 150 grams. They were made of gold-plated metal with two green lenses made of mineral glass to filter out infrared and ultraviolet rays. Pilots in the United States Army Air Corps immediately adopted the sunglasses. The Ray-Ban Aviator became a well-known style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War II, and photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them.

Quoted from Wikipedia

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here's to lazying in the sun on a nice afternoon and fresh grilled meat :)

The Virtue of Lingerie

2009-05-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of male counterparts and myself were debating whether lingerie is worth the trouble. What else can make you feel like Angelina Jolie and Catherine Deneuve rolled into one?

Corset - Victoria's Secret

British Vogue - 2004

2009-05-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite editorials

Milk Maid

2009-05-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

This dress makes me feel a bit like a milk maid. I know it isn't the most fashion-forward thing to wear, but when the temperatures inch past 80, my desire to be comfortable trumps my desire to be uber-stylish.

Dress - Fang; Pendant - Tiffany

Inspiration - Kate Moss

2009-05-22T08:03:00.001-07:00

Being a product of the 80's, I find I share some tastes with Ms. Moss with whom we are close in age and who always gets it right.

Shirt & Pants - Express; Belt - Calvin Klein; Scarf - vintage YSL; Shoes - Corso Como; Sunnies - RayBan; Amber Ring - Ebay

The Death of Glitter

2009-05-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

From an old photoshoot..
To commemorate Adam Lambert's defeat on American Idol last night (as much as I hate to admit watching this past season), here's a little playlist, all from the soundtrack of Velvet Goldmine minus a few songs:

Brian Eno: "Needle In The Camel's Eye"
Shudder To Think: "Hot One"
Placebo: "20th Century Boy"
Shudder To Think: "Ballad of Maxwell Demon"
Grant Lee Buffalo: "The Whole Shebang"
Pulp: "We Are The Boys"
Roxy Music: "Virginia Plain"
Teenage Fanclub & Donna Matthews: "Personality Crisis"
Lou Reed: "Satellite Of Love" (Lou Reed)
T.Rex: "Diamond Meadows" (Marc Bolan)
Paul Kimble & Andy Mackay: "Bitter's End"
Iggy Pop (vocals by Ewan McGregor): "Gimme Danger"
Venus in Furs (vocals by Thom Yorke): "Bitter-Sweet"
Venus in Furs (vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers): "Tumbling Down"

Lagerfeld going back to the 18th centrury

2009-05-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Looking at the Chanel Resort 2010 (?) reminded me of a childhood favorite TV flick from the 80s set in mid-18th century Russia. Coincidence?? Perhaps not considering Mademoiselle's own influences..

Girl on the Bridge

2009-05-19T15:32:00.001-07:00

Cardigan - Montage; Pants - Dickies; Cami - James Perse; Shoes - Clarks; Pendant - Tina Tang

Dress - Balenciaga; Shoes - Browns; Watch - Police; Pendant - Tina Tang

Sweater - Forever21; Skirt - YIMG; Shoes - Clarks; Watch - Police

Cannes Outfit Ideas :)

2009-05-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Dress - Roberto Cavalli; Shoes - Guiseppe Zanotti; Clutch - Peeptoe Shoes; Earrings - Forever21

Dress - Alberta Ferretti; Shoes - Jimmy Choo; Clutch - Judith Leiber; Earrings - Forever21

Dress - mytheresa.com; Shoes - Louboutin, Clutch - Celestina; Earrings - David Yurman

Dress - Halston; Shoes - Jimmy Choo; Clutch - Judith Leiber; Earrings & Ring - jewelry.1stdibs.com

Awesomely Bad Outfit Photo

2009-05-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

While I pull myself together to take some outfit photos, here's one from a recent party we attended. Not sure why the photo is so crappy. Loved my dress and how short it was, which obviously cannot be seen here.

Express Silk Dress (Me in the Middle). D in a random T, Chris in a random silk shirt

Also, just for the fun of it - Siberian cat is the best cat in the world. I have one. So should everyone else :)

Frenchitude - Yummy 60s Stars

2009-05-15T09:39:00.001-07:00

Grand Opening

2009-05-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

After a continuously spammed pathetic attempt at fashion blogging, I'm willing to give it another go. Maybe even try a little harder this time. In honor of that, I am starting with a photo of where my life started, sort of. As kids my friends and I would frequently play at the old Minsk-1 Airport. It had much to offer in the way of souvenir kiosks, snack vendors, and arcades - the only place with arcades in the city, all in walking distance from our building. Bliss :) Yes, I'm a geek :) Anyway, one could also grab a taxi, or public transport into the city from the bus stop to the left of the building pictured for nearly free. Ahh, childhood :)

Minsk-1 Aiport