Glove Survives

Michael Jackson's very public passing over the last week has only begun to really affect me. Like, I am SO fucking sad. I had absolutely no idea his death would hit me as hard as it has, especially when someone who's SUCH a big deal is around for your whole life and, out of the blue, he's just gone. I never saw it coming and I think about it pretty much every five minutes.
All around the world, people are paying tribute, whether it's through wearing one glove, like Lily Allen at Glastonbury; or cassette-only owners of the classics rediscovering their love for Thriller via iTunes. Whatever the show of affection may be, it's an important one to show, because I believe every performer out there, especially today, owes something to him-- I'm not even a performer, and I know I do. Some of my strongest childhood memories were soundtracked by him, and I wouldn't have been the same otherwise-- but time and exposure changes things. Celebrities become so deeply entangled in the media that it's easy to forget about their accomplishments and, especially in this case, their mortality. It was probably only a month ago that I had reminded myself of the fun in "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", and in mere weeks, he was gone.

I'm completely shocked, and I want to let everyone know how important he was to me, too. I knew it would be hard to find a sequined glove, so that was out of the picture. I remembered a very simple design (at right) by Alex Aranovich that I'd fallen in love with on 2K six or so years ago. It was in the style of the classic "I (heart) NY" shirt, but the heart was replaced with a sparkly glove, and the NY with the initials MJ. I wanted it so bad, but never really brought myself around to buying it, as I was a highly self-conscious middle schooler afraid of facing criticism for showing public support of someone who, at the time, so many had accused of such awful crimes (of which I, to this day, believe he is innocent, and I'll fight you on it). I never actually thought 2K would get rid of the design, but they did only recently, and will not bring it back, in spite of my incessant e-mails trying to encourage otherwise (which really makes you have to respect them-- a greedier company would instantly try to capitalize on a retired artist's suddenly relevant design). I started to get a little sad and think, "Damn, I guess I'll never get to rock the clever shirt I'd wanted for so long."
Fortunately, that's not the case-- Aranovich himself has told me that he plans to reissue his design independently on Etsy with all its original color choices (blue, pink and heather grey) available, along with a brand new commemorative red-on-black design that is very Thriller. I'm saving up so I can buy one when they come out and finally wear it with pride. (Hell, I may even track down that elusive costume glove to really get my point across.)

And you know what? I think it completely sums up my feelings for the icon.

Visit Alex Aranovich's under-construction Etsy site here, and if you'd like to know when he re-releases his design, e-mail Alex at rockwithyou@aranovich.com so that, when the time comes, you can pay a stylish tribute too!

You Should Know, You Should Know Better

Hey kids! Guess what it is today? Really hot? No! (Okay, yeah, it is, but still.) Today is the nineteenth birthday of a very special lady out there who you all probably know named Erika. If you don't know her, hell, why don't you two get introduced?
Within only months of starting her blog Do It at the Disco, Erika gained a sizable fanbase with her unique, earnest musings about sex, pop culture, and whatever was making her tick. When I stumbled upon it almost a year ago exactly, I was immensely surprised with how magnetic her writing was. It was honest, funny, and full of an intimacy that made it hard to not empathize with her. Her work wasn't going unnoticed, either! She was getting acclaim from left and right, and I have to say I was SUPER jealous-- but it was hard to hate when she was just so nice to me. I started talking to her in July of last year, and in no time at all, I found one of my, hands down, favorite people I've ever had the pleasure of discussing anything with. This lady, this WOMAN (19!) is so amazing and continues to knock me down with her creativity.
Erika went on to become a well-loved blogger at Missbehave for the second half of 2008 and now writes for Los Angeles-based news source Buzzine. She is certainly going places, and I'm so glad to be able to call her my friend. She's an inspiration and a great person, and (sound the drama alarm) I might not be writing here today if it weren't for her.

So join me in giving this girl some PROPS! (I mean buy her stuff. It's her birthday, you shouldn't be so insensitive.)

I love you, Erika. Have a WONDERFUL 19th!
Y Sarah

And as an added bonus, just for you, a young Paul Dano in his underwear.

You'll have to excuse his shyness. He's not used to girls of your hotness seeing him in such a state.

Shh! Party at Journelle!

If I were only in New York, I'd be all up on Journelle more frequently than dudes on a girl wearing their products. With their marked emphasis on quality products and customer comfort, Journelle is the creme de la creme of east coast lingerie retail. Those ladies definitely know how it's done, and when they get the community involved, they up their ante even further. What they've got planned this evening has my name written all over it:
But alas, my being thousands of miles away renders my attendance impossible (I like my language as fancy as my lingerie). If you're around, why not use this get-together as an excuse to buy yourself something and subsequently blame it on the (free) alcohol? Hell, it's better than buying it sober and getting in trouble for it. Summer sales, man.

Journelle, 3 E 17th St, 7-9 PM
RSVP@journelle.com (Quick, children! And buy me a present to thank me for filling you in!)

All the Real Girls

In what has so long been a culture busying itself on the necessity of physical perfection, especially that of a woman, it's so refreshing to come across gorgeous fashion that embraces real women. Such a phenomenon is visible in Studio City lingerie boutique Faire Frou Frou's recent photo shoot, which includes close friends of photographer Krista Mason. The following photos show women draped in some of the most high quality lingerie available-- women who are real, sexy and confident in their own skin, and Mason captures that beautifully.See the rest of the shoot here, then score the pieces you like at the Faire Frou Frou summer sale!

Hellz Bellz gets me

After the ugly demise of Missbehave, it would be very easy for me to say that I've outgrown streetwear, and with the absence of the magazine that turned me onto it in the first place, I thought I had. However, I'm finding it hard as ever to turn away from always stunning Hellz Bellz-- a brand I've always felt was made for the girl who never thought she could pull off streetwear (i.e., me)-- especially with new pieces like the one below that are pretty much shouting directly at me (I mean, come ON, it's from a collection called "Lolita").
Recognize that picture/caption? It's from last summer's gorgeously anarchist bridal campaign for Agent Provocateur, and what with its explosive politics, Hellz Bellz's drawing inspiration from it makes sense. It's an inspired choice, which I not only say because of my strong love for both brands, but because of how much it works. Brands like Hellz Bellz pride themselves on having an aesthetic that is, in the words of Married to the MOB's Leah McSweeney, "tough and sexy at the same time", and the "Let Them Eat Kate" campaign (the video for which can be seen below) was definitely that.

Needless to say, I'm totally sold. Get the shirt here and Kate's bra right here.

Because someone out there is ALWAYS weirder than you...

Speaking of writer's block and boredom, dear GOD, what engrossing camp DON'T those crazy Spanish soap operas have? Seriously, every time I eat at Las Tres Fronteras, as I did two nights ago, I have to sit facing the television so I can see the insane soap operas that are always on. That night, it was the ridiculous El Rostro de Analia that was on. I only needed to see the theme for my interest to invested. (Hint: There is reggaeton involved. REGGAETON!)

I must. Know. Where I can watch this.

Florence Welch: Cure for Cultural Boredom

Summer is an important time for self-exploration, so it's essential to find a good source of introspection or inspiration. Last spring, I rediscovered Florence and the Machine per "Dog Days Are Over" (which has a knack of making me cry, and did tonight out of NOWHERE as I watched the Maida Vale performance of it, which I highly recommend and is viewable here), and re-rediscovered her just the other day after stumbling upon her picture in the May issue of ELLE UK. Starting that day, I have submerged myself into Florence and the Machine, reading old interviews, watching old videos, anything and everything I can, and its provided me with a bounty of inspiration.

A good story is necessary in the summer, a time that can get so dreadfully boring that you want to do something extreme. I've read some of my best books in the summer, and year after year, the pressure is on to find worthy contenders to beat the greats of years past. I think that, perhaps, via Florence, I may have found even a SERIES of contenders for this year's dive into reading. Captivated as I was by her disarming ability to tell a story, I've Googled pretty much everything name-dropped in her bloggings and interviews, etc., to come upon some serious gold in the "magical feminist" author that is, the apparently classic one I'd never heard of, Angela Carter. Tonight, I've been drowning in works like The Bloody Chamber and The Magic Toyshop (neither of which I even own... yet), even their chapter names so full of strange poetry that the connections Welch draws from her work is immediately visible to a Florence fan. You don't even have to go in with a clear plot in your mind, and it's still interesting as hell.

It's almost enough to get ME writing again. Hopefully, you'll get the idea too from the Alice in Wonderland-inspired video for her wonderful upcoming single, "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)":