Scout scout scout it all out.

Well, Wildcats, it's about that time again. The dog days of summer are drawing to a close, and those of us ill-fated to the quarter system are resigned to watch our home friends trot happily back to a world devoid of curfews, gas money and eight-hour retail shifts. Before you start wishing these sunny days away, however, consider the silver lining: while they're busy slaving away over research papers and bone-dry textbook chapters, we retain the precious gift of free time...time I, personally, plan to fill with Sex and the City, a boudoir overhaul, and - of course - window shopping for fall must-haves.

Digging on lately?



Gold nail varnish (and the entire Chanel ad campaign).



!iT jeans.



Faux nerd glasses.



This Brighton koi fish necklace, inspired by the 2008 Beijing Olympics.





Plum and cobalt skinny jeans.



Shrunken blazers.





Anything zebra or peacock.









Blair Waldorf frocks, tights and headbands.



Sam Edelman moccasin boots.

Kiss kiss bang bang, Northwestern. See you in two weeks!

Informal Non-Poll Poll

The new Ugg?



It's strange, and new and kind of exciting, but weren't Uggs back in the day? Before everyone got sick of them?

Respond in the comments.

(I don't know why I'm on the TOMS beat all of a sudden, I just get their emails.)

CHICAGO PRINTER'S BALL

STITCH is going to the ball!

The Printer's Ball, actually.

Hosted by excellent POETRY magazine of the Poetry Foundation, among other fine local publications, the Ball is a 21+ free party-party-time at the Museum of Contemporary Art. You wonder around looking at really great publications (like STITCH!), dancing, drinking, being merry.

Go! Enjoy.

Friday, Aug 22, 5:30pm-10pm, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave; FREE; printersball.org

Proud Parent of a Male Model

(Very few) belated highlights from men's Spring 2009 runway.

- Number (N)ine
Steampunk, anyone? Wiggy.

Ann Demeulemeester decided to do her collection entirely in the vein of a certain pirate in a certain Disney movie about pirates. Cool, Ann. Really super (although, she alleges she was inspired by German intellectual and man-of-cultural-import Hermann Hesse. Whatevs.).
On a positive note, LOVE those strappy man-sandals.





More Ann D. Look, it's Keith Richards.



Also, I have a huge crush on Henrik Vibskov:

- C

Summer Sole

I've recently spent a lot of time looking for a good summer shoe. One that is office-appropriate, but also cool with plenty of air flow and also allows for sockless wearing.

I've found it! A friend who lives in Santa Cruz tipped me off (in Santa Cruz it is always summer so I had no doubt she'd know), they're called Toms Shoes (above) and they are wonderful. Breathable, light, attractive, easy to slip on and a good replacement for you people out there in Internet land, male and female, who are tired of sneakers and/or ballet flats (aren't we all!).

Mine are white, and I have a feeling they'll get dirty fast, but it's worth it. Dirty shoes are sexy.

Big plus: for every pair sold they'll give a pair to a child in need.

- C

The 80s Will Never Die

... or cease to be amazing.

Check this really killer vintage e-shop Nasty Gal. There are some seriously sweet cyborg sunglasses, killer must-have hooded rain emergency ponchos, and, obvs, the dress above.

Hurry though, the stuff tends to sell out VERY FAST. Because, sorry, you aren't the only one who is cool enough to go vintage shopping. :(

In Vogue?

Fashion magazines are pretty much evil. Fabulously evil (or something).

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of editrix Anna Wintour's reign at fashion mag Vogue, and apparently she's done a whole great deal of good for the image of the publication, according to obsequious Robin Givhan, who penned in-case-you-weren't-aware-Vogue-is-really-great for the Washington Post.

Givhan spends the majority of the piece talking about how Vogue has become a cultural icon in its pure fantasy glamor and the fetishization of skinny bitches, celebrity obsession and luxury goods.

[Vogue] taps into that core desire to be gorgeous and declares it righteous and worthy and, most important, smart. [It] validates the modern careerist's fantasy, that she can run the world and look fabulous doing it.

Is that really all we ask from a fashion magazine? That it validate a consumerist cultural stereotype of the power female who not only wants to make a lot of money but spend it too? I mean, is this really celebrating, or even covering in a journalistic sense, the art of fashion? Sure it gives more attention to the few mega brands (CHANEL! PRADA!), maybe even fewer "up and coming" names who are already mostly well-known (Givhan reports that Vogue helped "two promising young designers" by paying for trainers and nutritionists so they could lose weight -- my money is on the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte who DON'T NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT and have pretty much made it in the industry) but does that provide a cultural service? Or a consumerist one?

I don't know if we could really call Vogue, or Ms. Wintour for that matter, a cultural icon. I think it's more of a capitalist icon. Congrats to you Anna on 20 years of shelling out shit to the uber-rich! Here's to 20 more.

- C