IHazABag’s Skulls Wine & Roses Kiss Lock Purse

image source ihazabag.etsy.com

This bag does it all. This bag can be casual or dressy, could fit for many looks from pinup to steampunk to Victorian, it can be spring with its floral print or winter with its muted tones, girly with its roses or tough with its skulls. This bag will blend nicely into your wardrobe and being black and grey tones, it will work with most any outfit. Purses by IHazABag always have great detailing, love the closure and the spider bow and chains on the side, too cute! (but sophisticated at the same time too).

The Skulls Wine & Roses Kiss Lock Purse is available for $70 at www.ihazabag.etsy.com.

- Jennifer

Diesel’s Black Gold fall 2011 collection shown at NY fashion week, was nice and dark and gritty.  Layers, leather, textures, and laced-up.  There are some hints at a steampunk aesthetic here.  But I’d rather see it as vagabond troubled artist strolling the streets of a dirty crumbling city or militaristic survivalist cowboy making it in a post-apocalyptic scared world.  At first I wasn’t sure on all the lacing, but once I saw the asymmetrical laced-up leather vest I was sold.  I’m loving the color pallet of black, navy, slate blue, brown, mauve, olive, and ivory.  Maybe it’s because I just rewatched the Matrix after a few years, but I had forgotten the nice styling details in that movie, and this collection is right in tune with that (yet nicely updated), right down to the men’s flapping leather trench coat and the women’s tight long black leather ensemble.

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Steam Trunk’s Mens Holster Pants

image source fiveanddiamond.com

What can I say that isn’t obvious about the Mens Holster Pants by Steam Trunk? These pants have everything a guy needs in a sleek, antique-looking piece to add to his wardrobe. Pair these pants with a waistcoat, spats, and a top hat, and even Voltaire (the singer) would be jealous! Make sure to check out Five and Diamond when you’re in the San Francisco area, as it has some of the most amazing designers including Steam Trunk designs.

The Mens Holster Pants by Steam Trunk are available online at www.fiveanddiamond.com.

- Meagan

Clockwork Couture’s Bewitched, Bothered, and Beruffled Jacket

image source clockworkcouture.com

I’m a serious sucker for ruffles, put them on a jacket and that equals major drool factor. I’ve been seeing ruffled jackets everywhere from Macy’s to Forever 21 and I’m giddy that I can leisurely find them in all different colors and materials. The Bewitched, Bothered, and Beruffled jacket from Clockwork Couture got my attention, the ruffle on the bust is a fun, flirty way to infuse some femininity into a jacket. I’m a big fan of the contoured button pattern that follows the shape of the ruffle and the contrasting colors. Purchasing an item like this might be trendy now, but this style is very classic and would be a nice staple piece to add to your closet.

The Bewitched, Bothered, and Beruffled jacket is available online at www.clockworkcouture.com.

- Meagan

Baltimore MD, July 30 to August 1 – Anyone who has entered the world of con-going knows that it can and should be an intense experience.  Otakon is a 3-day Japanese subculture convention with a 22,000 person attendance.  At any hour between 8 AM Friday to 3 PM Sunday there are 5-8 possible events one could attend, in addition to football-field-sized dealers’, artists’, and gaming floors open throughout, not to mention unofficial events, meetups, and photoshoots going on in and around the convention center.  Official entertainment includes raves, fashion shows, screenings, educational and humor panels, concerts, and burlesque acts.  The accommodations themselves were plush.  It took place in the Baltimore Convention Center, a beautiful, gargantuan tribute to glass-and-cement architecture with everything from rooftop gardens to a Starbucks, in addition to all those staples for hardcore con-goers: plenty of clean bathrooms, comfortable seating, free water available everywhere you go.  These are necessities because if you want to really get the experience of an affair of this magnitude, you have treat it like a marathon.  There’s not a single mile of this you can sit out.

h.Naoto booth at Otakon

h.Naoto’s 2010 collection . image source s-inc.com

And that doesn’t mean for a moment you can skip on style.  Especially at an event like Otakon, seeing and being seen is imperative. Dressing up, people-watching, and taking photos of the best-dressed is all part of the fun.  Adaptations of not just the Japanese looks, but all strains of subculture were on parade.  This year, the convention had brought in h.Naoto, the prolific Japanese designer of all sorts of dark and decayed wearables.  He made a number of appearances, one in which young designers brought in portfolios and samples for him to critique, one in which he gave a Q&A and short fashion show, and several at his booth in the dealer’s room, where one could purchase his wares.  At the Q&A, Mr. Naoto was asked about the relationship between his designs and street fashion.  He replied, via translator, that while he knew all about goth, punk, Lolita, etc. and appreciated all of them, he wasn’t interested in designing in any one of those genres, but in taking what he likes from each and what he see in his own mind and creating something completely new.  He emphasized that you needed creativity, to bring something new into the look.

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