Mossimo1

Above is Target's $34.99 Mossimo bag; Below is Proenza Schouler's $1,995 PS1

If you've been to Target lately, you may have noticed a nice buttery looking faux-leather satchel placed near the accessories and clothing. Looked familiar, didn't it? Maybe you'd seen it before, right? Well yeah, you probably have. The bag is a strikingly similar replica of Proenza Schouler's PS1 satchel, the schoolboy bag that's had everyone talking. While the brand has worked with Target on a GO International collection before, this was definitely not a collaboration piece, and Jack and Lazaro are not happy about Target's producing it.

After reading The Cut's article about the  knock-off bag, I starting thinking two things:

1. I want that Target bag.

2. Is it ethical of me, as a knowledgable consumer, to buy it?

As someone who doesn't have the lifestyle that allows me to buy a $2,000 purse (let alone one that's $100) every time a new trendy it bag comes out, I usually feel grateful when lower-priced brands like Target and Forever 21 release similar models. I buy them knowing well that they're poorly made and not as good as the real thing, but also knowing that they'll satisfy my urge for a product that will always be out of my reach. Plus, I don't expect to trick anyone in to thinking that my knock-off Target bag is really the super expensive designer original; anyone who knows the difference would recognize that it's not the same bag and anyone who would think the bag is designer-made probably has no clue who Proenza Schouler is anyway. Still, I feel a pang of guilt when considering the purchase of a knock-off item. On one hand, it's not like the products I buy have fake labels plastered all over them (think fake Louis Vuitton), but on the other, they do look similar enough to the original product that I can make the connection.

My conclusion is that I'll probably continue to buy designer look-a-like clothes until I can afford the real thing. Until brands like Proenza Schouler start losing money, and more importantly, customers to lower priced brands like Target, I can't feel all that bad for toting around a Mossimo1.

You can read The Cut's article detailing how hurt and betrayed the designers of Proenza Schouler feel here. 

Image from The Cut

Jerome Dreyfuss

Meet my new favorite purse designer, Jerome Dreyfuss.  And his site's tagline is almost as good as his accessories: Treat yourself to a new French lover!  I'm going to be obsessing over these until I can somehow afford to attain my own, which may not be until like, ten years from now.  Images and availability at Dreyfuss's e-shop.

Capulet London

Constantly being introduced to things that I don't need on Bleach Black.  The latest are these laptop clutches from Capulet London.  I've never used a laptop case and have never felt the need for one... until now.  At first glance, I believed these to have been made by Celine and I almost dismissed them as something that I would never be able to afford.  At around $300 per clutch, they still aren't exactly a bargain, but when they're made from European leather and lined in suede, at least you're getting what you pay for.  Unlike a certain pair of shoes that I mentioned recently.

Images and availability at Capulet London

Think 90210

Vena Cava's e-commerce portion of their site launched yesterday; and while I was hoping to find more of their lower priced Viva line available for purchase, the selection is depressingly slim.  I did, however, find one gem for sale: the 90s Leather Baby Backpack.  I'm kind of on a backpack kick right now anyway, but you have to admit that this version is pretty much perfect.  It's the exact same style that two of my older cousins had when I was about four or five, and I was insanely jealous of both of them for it.  Fifteen years later, and I'm still pining for my own.

Pamela Love Skull

Are we tired of skulls yet?  I thought I was, but Pamela Love's Howlite Skull Pendant is making me rethink my stance.  The turquoise version is especially good.  Shown here with the Silver Triangle Ring.

Image and availability at Bona Drag

Mara Hoffman Resort 2011

Loving the eye motifs and patterns in Mara Hoffman's resort 2011 collection.

Image via Mara Hoffman.

Sunny Winter

Last weekend here in Tennessee the temperatures were in the high 60s. The sun was shining,  birds were chirping, and everyone was outside. It was the perfect glimpse of what springtime is like in the small city where I attend college. The high is only 50 today, but the sun is shining and I think I can hear a bird somewhere outside, so that's enough for me to start preparing a dream wardrobe for a traditional southern late winter. 

What, our northern/western/foreign readers may ask, is a southern late winter? Well, it basically entails one or two sunny days with temperatures in the 70s followed by 30 degree, dismal snowy/rainy weather. You never really know what to expect from a southern late winter, so your wardrobe must be able to accommodate the warmest of warms and the coldest of colds all at once.

The collection up top is a perfect blend of winter warmths and colors along with some lighter summery pieces. While some of the pieces are a tish bit unrealistic (like the $2,000 Alexander McQueen clutch that I would most certainly be using as a camera case), it's always fun to plan for the things I will one day buy with my Vogue/J. Crew stylist/casting director salary.

Item information and image credit at my Polyvore

Metal Embellished Sandals

          

For this coming spring, there's nothing I want more than metal embellished sandals.  Above are a pair from Lanvin's spring 2011 collection, and a more reasonable option from Zara's spring line.

Be Mine

With Valentine's Day less than two weeks away, a lot of fashion websites have posted features about what to get your significant other for the Hallmark holiday.  A lot of them feature items with hearts, unnecessary frills, etc. (How old are we, anyway?)  Thus, I've compiled wish list for that special day, with an acceptable gift option for each cliched category that I can think of.  They are as follows: fragrance, lingerie, wine & spirits, jewelry, candy, and flowers.  Because even if we don't get many male readers, at least they're good ideas for things to buy yourself after your boyfriend gets you a king sized Reese's thinking that it's an appropriate V-Day present.

Tokyo Milk Rose with Bees Bubble Bath no. 12

Okay, I'll be frank: I've never actually smelled Tokyo Milk's bubble bath.  But with bottles like this, who really cares what it smells like?  If I ever received a batch, I would more than likely never open it, but rather, I would leave it to sit on my vanity for decoration.  And that way, I could enjoy it forever.

Brown Diamond Blanket by A.OK

I was looking at Native American-inspired throws for a while, but Pendleton's can be kind of pricey.  Behold, the Brown Diamond Blanket for a mere $23.50.  Image and availability OAKNYC.

Leggings: The Beginning of an Addiction

I'd kept it a secret for a while now, but despite my strong-willed distaste for leggings as pants in the past, I've given in. I've crossed over to the dark side. That said, if I'm going to wear leggings as pants, I'm going to do it right. I'll only wear leggings with dresses or tunics that cover my "bathing suit parts" (sorry for my 4th-grader-at-summer-camp language). And none of that transparent $5.00 Forever 21 crap. Since I've embraced this new found love I've been essentially living in my old pair of black Under Armour athletic leggings. They're thick enough to be worn in the unusually frigid Southern winter weather. They're also thick enough to be completely opaque, even when stretched thin. One thing they aren't, however, is matte. They've got a very sportsy sheen to them, which is nice, but I'm really on the hunt for a pair of nice matte leggings at this point, and I'm ready to lay down the cash for them. I've done my fair share of research and so far my favorite semi-reasonably priced pairs are the following:

 Left: Matte Black Leggings - Black Milk - $40

Right: Wunder Under Pant - Lululemon Athletica - $78

Both sets of leggings have pretty good reviews, but I've found more rave reviews on the Lululemon pair, which are designed for everything from yoga to the gym to real life (because exercise is not real). They're kind of costly, but about as costly as an averagely priced pair of jeans. Lululemon recently restocked their leggings in my size, so I think I'm going to go for it.

Of course, I could always just skip black matte and go with these Galaxy leggings from Black Milk:

 

It's just a thought. I do, after all, need something to wear to Lady Gaga in Nashville come April.

Katie

(Images from Black Milk and Lululemon)

J. Crew Sale On Sale

Check it out:

J. Crew is offering 40% off sale items through tomorrow with the code "MUSTHAVE". I've been flipping through their sale section this morning and there's a lot of good stuff marked down pretty cheap already. If I hadn't recently adopted the unfortunate resolution to stop dropping so much cash on clothing, these would be just a few of the items on a priority shipping route to my dorm:

 From left to right:

Bonfire Cardigan - $118  $99.99

Weatherby Short Boots - $250  $199.99

Ultra-Knit Pant - $45  $29.99

And those prices above are without the extra 40% off.

I know I've sworn off impulse buys, but those Weatherby boots are almost too good to resist. Plus, I've had my eye on them for a few months now. Ugh, stupid resolutions...

Skulls and Antlers in Cast Resin

I'm not one for hunting or animal cruelty in the least, but I'm really loving the rustic vibes from these faux antlers and skulls.  I feel like even though they're definitely statement pieces, they can work in many different types of interiors.  On the one hand they remind me of this editorial that Katie posted a while back, but on the other, they would also really fit in with the desert vibes in Erin Wasson's room.  And of course they look perfect in the sunlit study below.  All images and availability at Restoration Hardware.

Cuff 'Em

I found these Mr. Kate ear cuffs after seeing Jony's snake ear cuff over at Shout-Out To You. Super intense.

They're a feasible $28 without shipping and look killer in the gallery pictures. If I do throw out some cash for these, I haven't decided which color to get. Above are the antiqued gold and oxidized silver and below Rumi of FashionToast wears yellow gold and white gold.

Opinions?

(Images from Mr. Kate)

Katie

Our Ballet Obsession Continues

If you keep up with Katie and me here at Les Deux, then you know that one of our recent inspirations has been ballet, largely due to our love for the movie Black Swan.  We've both been trying to incorporate ballerina-esque style into our wardrobes for the past month or so, and these would be the ultimate in helping us to perfect the look.  I've had practice ballet shoes for a few years now (you know, the super soft, flexible ones with the elastic strap across the top), and had momentarily considered buying pointe shoes because I think that they're so wonderful.  Alas, these J. Crew flats would probably be better alternatives; they're more practical and less costume-y, I suppose.

Jax

Fashionable Picnic

Like the spawn of closing looks from Spring 2011 Rodarte and Christopher Kane's Spring 2010 collection.  Meet the Gingham Cut Out Dress by Shakuhachi, on sale at Need Supply.

Jax

Current Lust

Kat Wooden Wedge from TENOVERSIX, Equipment's Hard Feelings shirt from Net-a-Porter, and a random geode lamp from Artemis London, just because I'm dying for a version of one.

Jax

Copper Clad

Ever searching for the perfect nightstand...  I haven't found one nearly as good as the Copper Clad from Anthropologie yet.  Just not willing to drop $700 right now.

Jax

Gypsy Woman

I might be ready to wear big, gold hoop earrings again.  These are Low Luv x Erin Wasson from Shop Bop.

Jax

Cat's Meow

Went shopping with the BF for my Christmas present today since neither of us knew what I wanted.  This is not what I ended up getting, but how great is it?  We came across it at Kate Spade and I almost had to buy it, but alas, it was a little too impractical for it's hefty $230 price tag.

Jax