Curb it, Marc

Look, like every girl in the United States, I have had my love affair with Marc Jacobs. I doted over his bespectacled, long haired identity, feverishly searched the sale racks for anything Marc by Marc for years, basked in the glory of my first Marc Jacobs Collection find at a Neiman Marcus outlet (a lovely black chiffon draped skirt with simple copper colored beads at the bottom). I have adored Marc from the beginning.

But this relationship is getting strained. I always thought my fashion lover was a giver. He gave me so many beautiful prints and brightly colored and a reason to go into department stores. Now I find that he's a taker. The newly tattooed and tanned (well, the makeover is hardly new) Marc seems more like a real estate mogul than a fashion designer. His takeover of Bleecker street on the west side at first was a laughable little New York trend piece. Now it's getting personal.

Biography bookshop, the bookstore on the corner of Bleecker before the park has been a staple for many book lovers, especially because of their sale tables outside, perfect for browsing on a walk home from brunch at Westville. The store is now moving so Marc Jacobs can open another outpost (since he's the only person that can afford that real estate). The store owners are moving a few blocks away and rebranding as Book Book, a far less adorable name. Now I'm all for boutiques full of cute clothes, but there are already 3-4 Marc stores on Bleecker, including the cheap accessories line (think canvas totes for $10 and fake leather wallets with his name emblazoned on everything) that has a line around the corner that rivals Magnolia bakery on a Saturday afternoon (blech to both).

So Marc, please, help me help our relationship. It seems you've got your runway shows and store collections back on track design-wise, and you've cleaned up your life and have a great relationship with your gorgeous Brazilian boyfriend (husband?). Now just leave my beloved independent stores alone. There is so much retail space in Manhattan, why not branch out? You can make it up to me by saving Left Bank Books.

Linkzies

Let's face it, I can't read and write about everything fashion and shopping related. Some folks are just better because, well, they're organizations and professional websites instead of one crazed shopaholic on the upper west side with a full time job and a part time polyvore obsession. So here are some links form around the web this week that, if you read this site (meaning you're part of my immediate family or close friends) you might enjoy.

A Cup of Jo's first holiday gift guide (worth following along as she write more, her guide are great).

Sephora's Morning After make-up bag

Outlandishly priced fashion gifts (hint: I want the Hermes Camera or the Rick Owens bunny)

The Cut loves Ruffian, and so should you

The LA Conservancy celebrates the 1960s

Enjoy!

My Real Gift List

Refinery29 has published their holiday gift list that features 30 items under $100. The price is right, and some things are desirable (the A.P.C. striped tee, the glass tumblers). I, however, have compiled my own list of fantastic gifts to give, but frankly, they're even better to receive. They are also all under $100 because, well, we can't all be millionaires.

Latte Bowls, Brook Farm General Store, $24 for set of 4
Eating out of bowls satisfies this bizarre nostalgia for childhood. Lots of kid foods are eaten out of bowls: cereal, macaroni and cheese, ice cream. And while our tastes may have changed since elementary school, there is still something that feels homey and nourishing when you eat out of a bowl. I absolutely love these from Brook Farm General Store, they look like they belong in an ice cream parlour...or my cabinets.

Notecards by Krisblues, Etsy, $20 for set of six
This Etsy seller has utterly adorable prints for sale but also sells notecards. Now, I love buying and owning stationary. Having good go-to blank cards for quick thank yous or acknowledgments is a very adult thing to do, and being 25, coming across those 'adult things' is always an exciting discovery and just one step closer towards feeling like a real person. Anyway, these are really cute (the elephants at the party!) and the right price.

Glitter Magic Wallet, J. Crew, $16.50
Everyone. Loves. Glitter. J Crew has been aware of this fact for some time and usually capitalizing on it through ballet flats or cardigans. A little glitter goes a long way, and usually outside of the months of November and December there isn't much room for glitter in the average person's wardrobe. Yet this reliable magic wallet is perfect for carrying around your taxi cash and credit cards during the holiday season, pulling it out to get your money to buy gifts will make you feel in the holiday spirit. However, I think this carries the risk of filling the bottom of your purse/coat pocket with loose glitter.

Rhino Necklace by M.E. Moore, Creatures of Comfort, $82.50 (sale price)
Okay, it's just really cute. Delicate jewelry with unexpected details are always good gifts. I still wear my Marc by Marc Jacobs clock necklace that is shaped like an enamel yellow pear. And now I want to give (ahem, WEAR) this nice gold necklace with a tiny rhino on it. Is that so much to ask??

Any Book, find a local store on indiebound.org, $worth the price
Books make great gifts. Not everyone will absolutely fall in love with Lorrie Moore (her newest novel, A Gate at the Stairs is pictured above and is a stellar read, currently available in hardcover). Anything from a fantastic thriller for a little more than the cost of a holiday latte to fabulous and expensive photographic coffee table books will do. There are lots of great cookbooks out this year: David Chang's Momofuku cookbooks is loaded with anecdotes of opening restaurants amid his famous recipes, or you could buy the classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Whatever it is, buy a book this season, for you or for someone else. Find a local independent bookstore if possible on IndieBound.

Simon Doonan to the White House!

It looks like Lanvin dresses and Michael Kors blazers won't be the only things coming to the White House from Barneys New York this Christmas. The New York Times reports that the store's creative director Simon Doonan will be decorating the White House for the holiday season.
He's reliably dishy as a New York Observer columnist, unbelievably stylish as he is always dressed in well-fit clothing with bold prints, and absolutely adorable as half of what might be the world's most amazing design couple (his partner is home decor and potter extraordinaire Jonathan Adler). But above all, he is extremely talented. The Barneys New York window displays are some of the most exciting in all of Manhattan with themes ranging from kids' art to Andy Warhol. With the most stylish administration since the Kennedys (and perhaps the most obsessive attention to the first lady's wardrobe in history), this year's holiday decorations should be absolutely spectacular.

Zac Attack at Target!

As if every other fashion news story these days isn't related to fast fashion, here comes another one. On the heels of new images of the Sonia Rykiel for H&M lingerie (more details here at the Cut) we learn of the next designer doing a capsule line for American suburban staple, Target: Zac Posen! Remember his spring/summer 2010 collection:
Zac has proved he can do anything from a chic little dress to a full on, red carpet gown and everything in between. His edgy take on American sportswear has made him a fashion prodigy winning a CFDA award in 2004 for womenswear at the astonishingly young age of 24. At 24 most people are roughly a year into a miserable desk job with no idea what they want to do and searching coat pockets for forgotten cash in order to go out that night. Not Zac Posen. He was a giant success already.

April 25th the collection hits US stores and I'm sure that most of the fashion world is eagerly awaiting its arrival (I specify US stores because he already created a capsule line for Target stores in Australia). This announcement followed an earlier statement from Posen that he would be starting a diffusion line at a lower price point than his collection. Lots of affordable Zac Posen to come--2010 is looking to be a fantastic year.

More Almodovar!

Pedro Almodovar's latest film Broken Embraces is finally out (at least in New York). It's been several years since Volver, and we're owed a dose of his cinematic genius. I'm eagerly awaiting the styling of his leading ladies, especially Penelope Cruz (the film takes place in both current time as well as the 1990s--which could make for some incredible costume decisions).

Excuse me?

These are, from what I can tell from the shopbop page, shoes. After reading the description I'm still perplexed. I know what flip flops are. I can usually understand what an "ankle cuff" would look like. Somehow even with those identifying features I cannot wrap my head around what is going on here. Is that upright piece stretchy like a sock? Is there a closure in the back? Are there even two straps to create a proper flip-flop? I'm so confused and scared.