My Trip To The Mall + Mary-Kate Olsen's Orange Wayfarers

A few weekends ago, I traveled down to my half-hometown of Virginia Beach. While down there, I stopped into Lynnhaven Mall with my sister, who wanted to check out the new Wii games. (My parents and I got her a Wii for Chanukkah and her birthday because we are collectively awesome.)

First of all, I must congratulate Lynnhaven Mall on doing an excellent job keeping up with the forward-march of time and integrating itself seamlessly into the 21st century. (For excellent stories and photos of abandoned malls, check out one of my favorite blogs, Labelscar, which tracks malls into their obsolescence, which is nostalgic and creepy and fascinating to me.)

Anyway, mid-mall, Easter Bunny photos were in full effect (some things never change -- as long as there are suburban shopping malls, there will be opportunities to sit on the laps of the Easter Bunny and/or Santa for an overpriced photo), and while we considered doing the stupid high-school-level ironic photo, we opted for an even more juvenile approach: standing in front of the Easter Bunny photo area and aiming for a photo. (Again, some things never change.)

The half-assed result, featuring my sister:

This all leads me to the fact that Lynnhaven Mall has a For Love 21, brought to you by the makers of Forever 21, except it's accessories-only, like a Claire's or Icing or whatever store you're probably a bit too old to shop at but you do anyway, like me.

So, I popped in and picked up these fun orange wayfarer-style sunglasses:

($5.80, Forever 21)

And then, lo and behold, who should I see traipsing and tramping about gay Paree but little ol' Mary-Kate Olsen herself, wearing a startling similar pair of orange sunnies!

(Credit: JustJared.com)

Ugh. If I had a Euro for every time MK tried to waste my flavor!

Apparently hers are Benjamin Eyewear (more on that at FabSugar), by Benjamin Montoya, whose new line was featured in FOMK (friend of Mary-Kate) Jenni Kayne's S/S '08 Fashion Week show in New York and can run you up to $500, so looks like I saved a cool $494.50! How you like me now?

Should you indulge in a pair of Benjamins, might I suggest these great pair of clear ones, named after Jenni Kayne. They'll set you back about three and a half Benjamins:

($325, Benjamin, LeeLeeLunettes.com)

More cute retro sunglasses:

($85, Sabre Vision, AntiApparel.com)

More of my wayfarer obsession:
+ Love Lily Allen's
+ Love Sienna Miller's
+ No love Paris Hilton's

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French Connection Does Marni

(Credit: Style.com)

First Forever 21 knocked off mix-and-mismatch Marni's link necklaces combining elements of their 2006 and 2007 designs. And I can hardly blame them -- even if I needed a new kidney I'd probably put a Marni necklace higher up on my list of priorities.


Now French Connection is following up with their wood and resin version:

($43, French Connection, Asos.com)

My lust for Consuelo Castiglioni's amazing mixed-media statement pieces continues.

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Jeweled Embellishments OR Animal Prints BUT Both? NAY, I Say!

($28.99, Forever 21)

I really like TheBudgetBabe.com, but EEeeeee, seriously no me gusta this Twelve By Twelve animal print minidress WITH jeweled embellishments AND Velour belt. One or the other, but PLEASE not both! While I love BudgetBabe's suggestion of classening the joint up a bit with a skinny black leather belt, I can't deal with the very "meat-on-meat" (my boyfriend's term for too much) trend orgy going on here. Less is always more with animal prints, peeps! I would, however, certainly go for this dress without the jeweled embellishments and a nice leather belt. Very Little Shop of Horrors!

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Global-Warming-Induced Seasonal Ambiguity = Jacket Attack

Inches MATTER, people! And I'm not talking about the fleshy kind. I'm talking Weather Channel. Where's the snow, yo? Anyway, since I've woken up excited to find piles of the white stuff (not THAT kind of white stuff) outside my window and have pulled back the curtain to instead find dry sidewalk or general wetness (wow, the innuendos are totally unintentional, I swear), let's take a look at some lighter jackets -- trench coats and the like -- some of which are ridiculous, shall we?

($1,970, Chloe, Net-a-porter.com)

One of the fun things about brightly colored rain slickers is that they're bright and they're colored. One of the less fun things about them is that often, when they're vinyl or satin, they look like graduation gowns, church choir robes or those things you wear at the hair salon. A not-fun thing about this one is that it's $1,970. Oh well.

($2,740, Versace, Saks)

Here's another one where it's like, okay, great idea, IN THEORY. Or... I could buy a wedding dress. Or three.

($1,658, Yves Saint Laurent, Neiman Marcus)

Extra-large leopard print is another example of things that should be left to theory and not practice.

($595, Diane Von Furstenberg, Net-a-porter.com)

As compared to the jackets above, $595's a freaking steal. I'm normally not really into the idea of beige trenches -- yes, they're a total wardrobe staple as anyone with a modicum of fashion sense will remind you, but, a.) beige is so.... beige; b.) they get dirty really easily. That said, I might bend for this because while the color's sorta expected, the cut is nice and edgy -- yay for the asymmetrical buttons and big front pockets.

($58, Delias)

Again, beige = sorta boring sometimes, but this is a fun variation. I like it in their grass-green version, but then again, I had a green duster/ trench, and I got really sick of it, so I guess I'm a hypocrite.

($27, Forever21.com)

I saw this in grey at the store, and while I was attracted to it from afar, I was dubious up close, because it sorta felt like weird, gauzy post-consumer-recyclable material that they make shopping bags out of and that you're glad exists for the Earth's sake, but you'd never really want to wear. It felt like something you'd wear to go white-water rafting, not that I ever would. But it's got sort of a fun retro feel.

($370, Distilled)

Refinery29 did a little piece on the Distilled's flak jacket, and while it's green (though olive here) AND for dudes, I think it'd do quite nicely for ladies, if the fit's right.

($79, Avenue)

I'm not personally into florals much, but this gardenia trench is really darling, and florals ARE back this spring.

($78, Flying Tomato, Styleviolet.com)

So cute! So cheap! So yours!

($265, APC, Creaturesofcomfort.com)

APC's putting it down, I'm picking it up.

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