Boulder and the Beautiful

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Yankee Doodle went to the 2012 men’s fashion show in Paris,

Riding on a horse

Stuck a feather in his hat

And called it the next fashion force.

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When I was a freshman in college, I borrowed my sorority big sis’s fancy black dress to wear to Formal.

On the bus on the way to the dance, I accidentally sat on someone’s gum, and smeared white globs of gummy goosh all over the rump of her expensive gown.

I spent the entire event freaking out in the hallway of the hotel, crying while my date tried to pick and freeze the gum off my buttocks with ice from the hotel ice vending machine.

It was the worst formal ever.

So I have a lot of compassion for this poor model at the recent Seventh-Annual Hose Cup China Swimwear Design contest. Poor lady, sat on a huge disgusting spider and smushed it all over her designer swimming suit.

That’s why you should never wear a white swimming suit. Or borrow clothes that you can’t afford to replace.

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I’m not going to deny that I have some pretty hideous vintage clothing in my closet, usually made out of polyester-blends and sea-foam green.

I also am not going to deny that four days out of five, my outfits could land me on a segment of “What not to wear: Retro classics that make you go hmm.”

But sometimes, even I draw the line.

Maybe it’s the dueling bows (head and neck). Maybe it’s the pants; everything about them, starting with the pleats, which should not appear on any clothing item other than cheerleading skirts or Halloween costumes. Maybe it’s the fact that none of these colors work together, or heck, maybe it is the flesh-colored pantyhose bracelets wrapped around the wrists.

But if my sea-foam green geriatric pencil skirt belongs on “Retro classics that make you go hmm,” this Flickr photo from a rooftop fashion show belongs on “Retro classics that make you go ‘No!’ and then get physically ill and rock yourself in the corner.”

Photo by Flickr user TPWP.

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As if anything you put on a kid doesn’t look adorable, some high-fashion designers are making unique creations especially for the munchkins.

This little guy is wearing a Sport Obermeyer navy jacket, orange bib and the cutest blue Mohawk knit beanie ever created, at the SIA Snow Fashion and Trends Show at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

When selecting your Mini Me’s winter attire, according to the show, look for lively, colorful patterns for girls and bold and simpler designs for boys.

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I am super inspired by the unique color combos at the Gucci fall/winter 2011 fashion show in Milan, Italy, this week.

Forget navy and brown. Yawn. Multiple shade of purple, multiple shades of brown and red are a completely new twist on fall shades. Throw in some burnt yellow (if that is a color) and you have the perfect palette for the fall. Three seasons in advance.  

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This is what happens when you combine a corset with houndstooth print.

Designer Colcci, you are brilliant.

Corsets in wintery prints, colors and fabrics is a great way to transition the style into the winter. Featured Sunday at the Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Question: Can a Mohawk be glamorous? High fashion and elegant, appropriate to wear to a ball or wedding or tea with the Queen?

Answer: See photo and allow your opinion of the hawk to be forever changed. This get-up, by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier for his spring/summer 2011 Haute Couture fashion collection in Paris today, is one of the most elegant outfits I’ve ever seen. Yes, even with all of that exposed flesh.

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I’ve written about Tom’s Shoes before (www.toms.com), because it’s a great cause. For every pair of shoes you buy, the company donates a pair to a child in need. They sell Tom’s Shoes at Savvy on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder.

Yet I’ve never bought a pair.

Guilt, guilt. The truth is, they weren’t my style. The original Tom’s Shoes looked like this:

$44 per pair(s)

Not that they are ugly. They’re fine. Just not. My. Thang.

Then, I learned that Tom’s came in all kinds of fun colors, and then I got older and my legs and hips and knees started hating me for wearing prostitute-pumps. I grew ever closer to purchasing my own pair of Tom’s for me and someone in need.

$54 per pair(s)

And THEN, in its apparent ever-fervent quest to shoe everyone on Earth, Tom’s went and came out with shoe styles that I absolutely cannot resist.

$69 per pair(s)

Not only do I love these wedges, but I simply cannot contain my excitement for all of the women in Third World Countries to get a truckload of these gorgeous heels. I can see it now. Wedges, up and down the Argentinian countryside.

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Fashion vow for winter 2010: I shall wear a scarf every single day. Scarves are probably the only style trend in history that no only improve any outfit, but they also are practical. Finally, fashion meets function, in a wearable noose!

This scarf is from Talbots.

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