Have it your way.. but don't get crazy.

Okay, so, everyone is always on the DIY train, and usually I'm no train hopper, but I'm starting to get more into it lately.

My plan right now is to pump out my own Do-it-yourselfers. Haha maybe, I put my mind to something and then I seem to get distracted by life. But some things to come.. more chained accessories sold at www.wildcatratatat.etsy.com, and some things in a new realm.. clothing! I sell vintage from PeaceBone Vintage (www.myspace.com/peacebonevintage), but now I'm wanting to branch out to some customized clothing. Taking inspiration and molding it into some really cool pieces with my own edge.

I'm thinking bras with chains, A. Wang inspired cutout pieces, and who knows what else.

I couldn't hold my spirit anymore.

Forget the goth kids in the corner, hot topic ain't got shit on this season's new wave of "goth" jewelry and accessories. This type of jewelry used to have the stigma of being creepy, weird, and goth, but recently chains, skulls, and religious symbolism is taking on a whole new audience.. high fashion. It started with the skull.. a raven skull, then moved to other bones, organs, and animal paraphernalia. Indie jewelry designers, like Pamela Love, Digby & Iona, and Chrishabana do it best, and each piece is specially done. Also coming in, chains. Body chains and chain webbed bracelets are making their way through the editorials as well, like my personal favorite, Bliss Lau.. whom miss wasson ripped off for her Luv Low line. A[r]mor does amazing body chains as well. Here are some of my favorite pieces:

Chrishabana Raven Skull Necklace $248

Bliss Lau
Riot Bracelet $378


A[r]mor
Toro Body Chain $95

Clover
Web Bracelet $50

Digby & Iona
Raccoon Skull with Gold Teeth $140

Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons [From Left] The Golden Jaw $2400 Golden Cotton Mouth w/ Scarf $545

Pamela Love
[From Left] Talon Cuff $1150
Deer Tooth Necklace

These pieces, and more like them, are available at stores such as Oaknyc.com, Bonadrag.com, and sometimes the designer's personal website has an online shop. Don't have a big enough credit limit for most of the these ? Well happy day, because some, such as the clover bracelet and body chains, are easily made at home. Grab some old necklaces, a pare of pliers, and you're good to go ! eBay.com and even more so, Etsy.com are also great sources for jewelry similar to this style, many are handmade and quite a bit cheaper. Pieces like these are meant to be worn with simple clothing, best worn with baggy/ oversized simple tanks that show off the jewelry and how they lay on your body. Wear with caution.

Rrrrip-it-up !

Remember the days in high school when you begged your parents to buy you those $50 Hollister jeans with holes and rips galore ? Yeah, well, those days are back, but thankfully in far better style. Ripped, Bleached, Destroyed.. those are the keys words this season. Now I'm not just talkin' a couple worn in tears, man made or not, no, I'm talkin' full on demolished. Brilliant, this trend isn't just limited to denim either. Destroy your tanks, shorts, skirts, vests, jackets, jeans, and of course, leggings !

I'm certain you've all seen this new wave of demolition by now, and I know you're dying to get your hands on the perfect pieces. Well, here are a few of my favorite things:

LNA ripped leather leggings

Urban Outfitters Bleached Jeans

Bleach and Destroy Jeans- Shopnastygal.com

Siwy Bleached Hotpants

These are just a handful of the thousands of examples of torn. tattered, bleached, and destroyed items. I mean I could really go on forever about this, but to wrap it up, here are some ways to wear your tattered treasures. Remember, simplicity is key ! These items scream for attention all on their own, so why make them complete for the spotlight ? Pair items with basic, and not so basic, but simple pieces. If you want to wear more than just destruction, make sure to wear attention pieces apart from each other. Example: Extreme jacket, and sequined shoes. Two statement pieces, but not worn close to each other.

Take a peek:

My kids came outta me... leatha.

Will leather jackets ever be uncool again ? Probably. But that day won't be here for quite awhile. The days where leather jackets symbolized motorcycle gangs like Hell's Angels are over, but we're still using that badass stigma to punch up our girly/ simple outfits. Personally, I love the biker style jackets with the chains and zippers galore, but there are tons of other styles out there as well, such as blazer-esque types and the infamous bomber jacket. 

 

My absolute favorite: 

Balmain Leather Jacket

Approximately a trillion dollars over my budget. :(

A.P.C. leather jacket

Available at lagarconne.com

For a cheaper version, go for the Urban Outfitters leather biker at $128

Not real leather, but still pretty awesome. 

Since the rise of the leather jacket, we're starting to see the biker styles appearing in non-leather fabrics such as fleece and suede. It's also sparked everything else in the world to be made of leather, like my favorite, leather leggings.. not leather pants, we aren't heading to the Roxy, but leather leggings. Urban Outfitters, the wonderful bandwagon store that they are, even has a lovely leather T-shirt. Yes.. I'm dying to have it, but it's dead of summer and I think I'd melt. 

Urban Outfitters Fleece Biker Jacket- $58

Anthracite Gill Cropped Suede Biker Jacket

So as always, here are some ways to wear your leather jacket:

Howdy, Denim Dan !

Alas, the 90's have returned to us. Remember when everything you owned was denim ? You had the overalls, the dresses, the jackets, the vests, the shorts, the skirts, and duh, the jeans.. and you wore them with everything ? Well now's the time to rummage through the closet and bring them out of hiding. 

Denim is making it's debut in fashion again, seen on many runways, including my favourite,  Alexander Wang. It's not just about actual denim pieces, but also about the denim look with items such as:

Alexander Wang

Suede/ Leather jacket

Members Only Denim Leggings

Being such an advocator for the leggings as pants movement, I especially love the denim effect leggings that are showing up, of course with American Apparel being the first to pave the way, many have followed and improved them by making them even more jean like with buttons and a zip fly. 

Another part of the denim trend happening right now is ripped/ torn/ completely destroyed denim look, especially in vintage levi cut offs. These are best worn with baggy Ts or oversized tops, even cropped Ts, which I love. 

Here are some ways to wear your denim: 

Looking for more unique denim pieces ? Well here are a few of my favourites:

Lanvin Denim Sneakers

Meadham Kirchhoff Reconstructed Denim Jacket

Balmain Sgt. Pepper Jacket

Alexander Wang bags

The best way to be unique in the way you show off your denim is to DIY ! Take any pair of jeans, or jacket, or whatever your heart desired and make it your own by destroying it, make jeans into ripped cut offs, make jackets into vests, or just add or rip them as well. Endless possibilities !

Party on Wayne ! Party on Garth !

Funny thing, in school wearing a backpack seems so dreadfully uncool, but in the past few months it's seemed to become the new fashion staple.. fancy that. 

Here are some of the ones I love:

Sophie Hulme Sequined Backpack

Alexander Wang Leather Backpack

A cheaper version with the same type of eclectic look would be Urban Outfitters copycat backpack. I actually really like it, and it's only $68 !

Deux Lux Messenger Backpack

God I loathed backpacks in highschool.. Although now, I want one really bad. Amazing how fashion can influence a person's view on certain things.

Where there's a will, there's a whalebone.

As of lately, I am all about simplicity in fashion, but always with a hint of quirk and that sort of "What the fuck ?" factor being involved in every outfit. 

Although it's not terribly new, Alexander Wang's Spring 09 collection and his line T by Alexander Wang are still my biggest inspirations at the moment. It's effortless and messy, but it's still so goddamn fashionable it kills me. I can't get enough of it. Of course many other designers and new labels have taken the same direction, such as Kain's sheer tanks and tees making their way into everyone's closets and similar styles trickling down into the Urban Outfitters and Forever21s all over the world, I still come back to the great Alexander Wang. 

I love the oversized and shredded pieces. 

So easily paired with jeans, or my favorite look, leggings as pants. Leather and tattered ones in particular. But also casually dressed up with a great blazer and taken to the next level with an amazing pair of shoes. My favourites being open toed/ open heeled boots and sandals. 

How I used it: