Friday, October 15, 2010

Appalling Accouterments

Sometimes it's important to walk in front of the gilded full-length mirror, take an honest look at yourself, meditate on what your looking at...and then sob and sob, long and hard.  There, there, feel better?  No?!  Good, because you look like a homeless person.


Gone are the days when I used to drop my money at Costume National, APC, and Alexander McQueen like I could afford it.  When the economy tanked, I realized I was just as broke as I've always been! So these past few years (time flies!), combined with paying of debt and shopping for things for the homestead, my days of glamorous rags have taken an unfortunate turn. 


With the debt recently deceased (HOORAY!) it's time for me to start looking a little more civilized; maybe not the Saville Row bespoke suit, but something without holes in the crotch, shoulders, knees and toes.

(Dries Van Noten Fall Collection)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats! Debt free is wonderful.

(eyes and ears and mouth and nose)

I've got a pair of boots I've been drooling over, but I'm beginning to fear they may be too green...

DM said...

HUBBA HUBBA...those boots are keepers, Anzie!

Christina @ Fashion's Most Wanted said...

Dear Daniel, you have wonderful taste. Why not look on Ebay for those labels. I have found some marvellous pieces for next to nothing. Thank you for your comments. You must come over and dress up if ever you are in London! xx

Nick Heywood said...

I will never forget the moment I first touched Dries Van Noten, in the most incredible little old-fashioned shop in the mountain town of Perugia, near Assisi. Pure heaven. The first floor was straight Dries, all mens. I nearly fainted with sensory overload at the waste of perfection filling the shop around me. It was painful.

I wisely came with one of my most ravishingly beautiful friends, and the shopkeepers were so enchanted that they spent the afternoon playing dress up with us (it turned out they had an exquisite selection of Dries for women in ... wait for it ... the basement! For once, walking through mens to get to womens!). It was obvious they knew we had no money, but delighted in dressing us (well, mostly Anna) in ever more elaborate and perfect garments.

I dream of going back and buying everything in that store. It was the weirdest thing -- this tiny shop in a remote mountain university town. Nothing was priced, and most of it was brought out to us for approval from a dark back room, and they were immediately able to gauge our sizes and preferences in color. Uncanny.

Do you think it was a mirage?

DM said...

Christina, thank you! Last night I spent scouring the archives of ebay and found some great finds!! And you better believe I'll take you up on your offer.

That comment literally left my mouth ajar, Nick. It sounds like an experience straight out of a Carlos Ruiz Zafon novel. Dries Van Noten really is one of my favorites (all the Belgians are). If I'm ever in Perugia that's the first place I'm heading, right before the chocolate festival. His shop in Antwerp is an Art Nouveau dream come true. My friends took me the day the collection is unveiled in-house and the Belgian fashionistas were out in full armored force!

The Down East Dilettante said...

welcome to my world....the expensive clothes of my youth---and the slender but broad shouldered frame that wore them well---are but memories, in favor of more practical things...TJ Maxx seems to have become my principle tailor...

DM said...

haha! I heard Mr Maxx is good, although is atelier has some heinous lighting. its hard for clothes to fit my tiny irish frame and stature without making me appear less than savory. the search continues!

Anonymous said...

top shelf fleamarket this sunday in boston! i'm going to be working one of the booths. this guy was there last year and had a lot of great men's clothes: http://anaffordablewardrobe.blogspot.com/2010/10/coming-soon.html oh, and there's a bar. ;)

DM said...

sarah! i'm gonna try my bestest to meet you for a sidecar! (got a q.b in the morning)

Jay said...

DH, hooray for you for killing that mean ol' debt!

I too remember the salad days when I shopped full retail. It got to the point where a bunch of SoHo shopgirls not only knew me by sight, but always remembered to ask how my mama (who did pick up quite a few extravagant shopping bills) was...

Laurent said...

His shortened 'british warmer' strikes me as a stroke of genius. Save those holes for when the fashion returns, and chop down what you already have, for free. Dan, just because debt's available again, is no reason to resume its tiresome courtship.

Now, do save those holes.