-First
Michael, now Marilyn: A selection of Ms. Monroe's clothes and personal effects will be auctioned next month in L.A. Which begs the question: Is it morbid to buy items of the dead? I know I'd be interested in MM's umbrella (left), but not so much
the robe she wore when she died.
-We're just going to say it: We heart her style, but we
fundamentally DISAGREE with Ms. Chloe "vintage footwear can be a little funky-in a bad way" Sevigny's vintage shopping habits. (
Fashion Tribes)
-Magenta is the hot new color for fall! Woot! How girly and lovely! Seriously, think of the many eBay searches to come! (
WSJ)
-And, last, Will Ferrell has launched a sunscreen line. It is being sold
on eBay. All of this is very confusing.
Clignancourt, the enormous Paris flea market (also known as Les Puces, featured in Lucky's
Paris shopping guide) is one of the most amazing places I've ever seen. Instead of a huge parking lot with a zillion cluttered tables--the way we often experience flea markets in the U.S.--it is actually an entire thrift VILLAGE of lanes and alleys filled with tiny shacks, each decorated by the purveyor according to the shop's theme. It's like vintage shopping heaven. It's also completely overwhelming, especially if you're jet lagged and/or A.D.D. There were so many things my husband and I wanted, ranging from sleek mid-century luggage to antler chandeliers to the most awesomely large clock from an old French barbershop. My biggest regret, however, is that I did not buy the
Chanel bag I saw at a stall run by a glamorous-but-cranky old woman who scoffed at my flat sandals (and perhaps my whole outfit) when I walked in. The purse--a classic quilted style with a chain strap, priced at 210 Euros--is usually not my thing, but subsequent to our flea market day, I saw hordes of beautiful French girls rocking it messenger-style with skinny jeans, fitted blazers and worn-in flats and realized it is the most perfect bag of all time. I seriously must
own one, from eBay, though it looks like I'll pay
a heckuva lot more than 210 Euro. C'est la vie...
Normally today would be the Friday web roundup, but...I'm, well...I'm in
Paris. (I know! Thanks
national holiday, frequent flier miles and cheapo apartment rental!) Anyway, instead of tidbits from around the Interwebs, here is the outfit I wish I was wearing right now (I am so not wearing this outfit): Vintage
Rachel Comey platforms, a frilly (but not prissy)
Karen Walker dress, and this cool
Express blazer. And here is
the 
book I wish I was reading, because this book looks rad, doesn't it? It makes me want to go on a crazy retro-designer reading binge (I've been interested in
Ossie Clark's diaries for
about 1,000 years). OK, that's a future blog post. Have a great weekend everybody!
It’s strange how, no matter how savvy we are, the clothing
lines of celebrities still seem a little bit special and exciting (!) and
suggest a life that’s
ever-so-slightly more fabulous than we can imagine. I am drawn to Kate Moss’s
Topshop line not only because the clothes are cute, but because I've seen Kate
wearing some of them and, well, the
lady is cool. I recently bought this adorable-hippie-ish KM for Topshop top on eBay for next to nothing and now I'm hungry for more pieces like perhaps this sexy dress, saucy shift, and an offbeat sailor cardigan. All of which are interesting and totally affordable, which is pretty much as fabulous as it gets.
What can I say? Even though I thought the finale was kind of
subpar (the actual Gossip Girl is somehow following them to college? Chuck Bass became a mushy romantic? That does not compute!), I still love
Gossip Girl. And today I realized I can love and own its clothes, too. If you search "Gossip Girl" on eBay, you find an array of fascinating goods (
Chace Crawford, dog tags, a
Blair and Serena pillow case, this thing), but you also unearth tons of dress styles worn by the characters of GG. Consider this Marc by Marc Jacobs frock modeled by Blair, an Anthropologie style donned by one of the high school mean girls (starting bid: 99 cents, no kidding), and the sequined Tory Burch piece that (for me) started it all.
- On Wednesday, a Paris court ruled that eBay is not responsible for the sale of counterfeit L'Oreal products, which
A will probably open the floodgates forA people selling fake goods all over the Web ...(
WWD)
- This week blogger
Molly Cake introduced me to a fun little Etsy store called
Instant Vintage. I'm especially loving this snake bracelet ($16!).
- Last, I'm going to kick off the weekend by sharing with you perhaps my favorite blog of all time.
No Good For Me is an awesomely good site that talks aboutA
many things I love: puppies, freakyA retro-style-icons and, of course, vintage clothes. They currently have a fab roundup of stuff from an eBay store called Noir Ohio Vintage. These women are unstoppable.A
Has anyone ever read the book
The Paradox of Choice? In it, writer Barry Schwartz theorizes that modern consumers have too many options and these options are turning us into fearful, confused, crazy stress freaks. To be honest,A
my current hunt for a new bag is making me agree with Mr. Schwartz very much indeed. I just can't decide: Now I kind of want something woven,
retro and
summery like
this,
this,
thisA or
this. But among this kind of style, I can't decide on a color, and among the colors, I can't decide on a size. I feel like a whiny eight-year-old who seriously just needs someone to pick a bag for me--like my mom used to do with back-to-school clothes. Sigh.
