Westward Leaning Sunglasses Are The Only Sunglasses I Want On My Face

Ohai, I'm wearing Westward \\ Leaning sunglasses. ALSO I'm on Instagram at Yisthisisdog.

Yep, this is GPOY, and yes, those are Westward \\ Leaning sunglasses, and yes, they're OBSCENELY flattering, and yes, they're the only sunglasses I'll ever put on my face-ness. Hashem forbid there were a fire in my place, I'd save these. Except I wouldn't have to because they'd probably either already be on my face. 

Westward \\ Leaning's Robert Denning and Karlygash Burkibayeva are based out of San Francisco, and each of the 11 variations on Wayfarers pay tribute to a person, place, social or movement or natural resource -- serious melty hearts over the Castros, named for Harvey Milk. And, even better, $10 from each pair goes to an educational charity. AND they'll replace your sunglasses for free if you're unhappy with them or something happens to them. (Like, if your sunglasses happen to become unhappy.)

I'm wearing the No. 5s, AKA Love Thy Neighbor, created in honor of the people and culture of Mexico. The TDF beading detail is created with tiny Chaquira beads inspired by the beaded mosaics made by the Huichol people of western central Mexico. Ten bucks from each sale of this style goes to Love Thy Neighbor Mexico, a small non-profit -profit campaign that uses social media, education and art to spread awareness about the connection between the demand for illicit drugs in the US and the drug war in Mexico.  Seriously, when was the last time sunglasses made you think so hard... or LOOK SO GOOD. (Various famous folks have worn them, but I ASSURE YOU it's the design of these glasses, and not, say Kate Bosworth's genetic design that's responsible for making said celebs look so good.) I am LEGIT fine with saying these look like they were made for my face. The cat-eye-meets-Wayfarer style is WHERE I NEED TO BE. Cheek to cheek.

$275, Westward \\ Leaning

* Disclaimer: I was gifted these sunglasses... and THANK YOU!

Watch It: May 28th Watches Come In A Milli Different Styles AND They're Only $38!

No offense, Swatch, but I kinda just fell rill hard for a different plastic watch. How YOU doin', May 28? Oh, you've got all kindsa floral textile print watches? AND also like 1 billion other styles? AND I can mix and match straps? AND each watch is named for a different time, AND AND AND you're just $38 each? Okay, great! I'll take one of each, please. Kthxbai.

Oh, PS, they're on sale at Fab.com.

YOLO Rings By Wendy Brandes? Because, Why Not?

$415 for the set, Wendy Brandes

The hilarious and talented Wendy Brandes, jeweler and blogger in one, made YOLO rings. (Google it.) Because someone had to.They're $415 for the set. Get 'em. Because really... # YOLO. (Or, as I like to say, YOLOL.)


Also, in related news, Zac Efron has a YOLO tattoo. I'm pretty sure that's all you need to officially cement your douche status for all eternity.

Credit: Zap2it.com

Also, sorry, Drake, but I'm giving YOLO to the Strokes.

Get Mocium's Black Cut Diamond Earrings Before They're Gone Forever And You're Stuck With Regret

Mocium's quietly asymmetrical black diamond earrings are the best smaller-than-a-dime objects I've seen all week. Get 'em while you still can since there are only 20 pairs at Of A Kind. 

$260, Mocium x OfAKind.com

And by the way, if you haven't heard of Of A Kind, you need to devote the rest of your day and bank account to it immediately. It's all perfectly curated clothing and accessories created in teeny, tiny batches by designers you wish were your IRL friends (like Sarah Francis Kahn -- I profiled her about her cool SFK camera straps for Of A Kind). I also like to call Of A Kind "Oh Fuck," because every time I scroll through the site I'm all "Oh fuck. I want that. Oh fuck. I want that too. FUCK." You've been warned.

These 3 Pairs Of Sunglasses Need To Find Their Way Onto My Face

So many excellent new sunglasses for summer. Let's begin with these three pairs, which need to report for duty on face immediately. All three, on my face, all at once (which coincidentally sounds like a line from a Terry Richardson deposition -- and if that hasn't happened yet it's just a matter of time). 

$128, Kate Spade, Nordstrom

The relief I'd feel pulling the trigger on these Kate Spade Aviators that I don't need probably far outweighs the guilt I'd feel buying a pair of sunglasses I clearly don't need.

$280, Karen Walker, Shopbop

Ugh. I can't with these cream Karen Walker sunglasses with ARROW DETAILING on the arms. Can you? No! You can't! No one can! It's a problem.

$389, Agent Provocateur 

Agent Provocateur's purple "Poke Me" sunglasses (hee!) are the platonic ideal of old-lady chic. And if you're concerned that $389 is expensive for sunglasses, consider this: they're a buck less than Agent Provocateur's crystal whip! Is that a deal, or is that a deal, nu?

Iosselliani's Rhinestone Bracelet Is Affecting My Soul

$550, Iosselliani, Bonadrag.com

The yearning I feel in my soul for this Iosselliani rhinestone bracelet can only be described as primitive and all-consuming. Is this what wanting a baby feels like? I don't want a baby, though. I only want this.

Yo, Anthropologie Has Some Seriously Cute Stuff Right Now

Usually I don't conduct too many dealings within Anthropologie. And by "dealings," I mean I don't usually wander in, try on a bunch of stuff, hem and haw and then leave. Usually that's because I find the price points to induce no small amount of pants-shitting (though I don't know why because Anthropolgie's prices are barely different than half the shit at Bloomingdale's and I don't get the howling fantods over their prices). The other reason is that sometimes Anthropologie feels a little too art teacher/ garden party/ lady in her late '30s to me. SO many cheery brights and not enough bitchy blacks. However, I wandered into the Chelsea Market Anthropologie tonight, and DUDES, there were some seriously cute pieces.

$39.95, Odille, Anthropologie

Trust me, this orange polka dot top is approximately 40% cuter in person.

$298, Marion Vidal, Anthropologie.com

It's rare that I see a horse necklace I love as much as my Pade Vavre horse necklace, which I wear so much it might as well be a tattoo. But this Marion Vidal horse necklace is a close runner-up.

$498, Marion Vidal, Anthropologie.com

A double-headed horse necklace that looks TOTALLY deco? GAME RECOGNIZE GAME.

$498, Kron By Kronkron, Anthropologie.com

There's something Balenciaga-Miu Miu-y about these ruffled heels.

$168, Schuler & Sons, Anthropologie.com

 Speaking of Miu Miu, if you can't afford those Miu Miu glitter pumps everyone's creaming over, then perhaps you can afford these silver sparkly heels instead.

$298, Leifsdotter, Anthropologie.com

These bass-ackward Gaga heels aren't really me, but I'm totally shocked that they're Anthropologie! Anthro! You have a smoking-in-the-bathroom-between-classes side to you after all! I'm impressed!

$498, Leifsdotter, Anthropologie.com

A fitted, quilted black leather Leifsdotter jacket? I'll drink to that. I'll drink in that, actually.

$268, Leifsdotter, Anthropologie.com

Who's got TWO thumbs and LOVES photo prints? THIS FASHION BLOGGER!

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO EARN YOUR VARSITY LETTER... IN SWAG.

Ok ok, so maybe I wasn't the most athletic person in high-school. And chances are if you're reading this blog, you weren't either... But FEAR NOT! You can still impress your parents and friends by earning your Varsity Letter in: Swag from The Queen of Accessory design herself, Melody Ehsani. These Varsity Letters are part of the M.E.N.S. line and come in your choice of two colors.

At $48 for a custom piece, you can't really go wrong. I ordered my "R" in turquoise with a metallic gold back plate (Official colors of the School of Rockmore, naturally) and it's amazing. It takes about two weeks to make/ship and clearly it's worth the wait.

I Bought It Files: Nicole Miller Indego Africa Fabric Bracelets

I hardly need an excuse to purchase anything under $50.

HowEVER.

Proceeds of these perfect-for-me fabric wrap bracelets, co-designed by Nicole Miller and Indego Africa, go right back to the female-run co-ops of Indego, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fair trade social enterprise that sells accessories and home décor products handmade by Rwandan artisans. Indego Africa sells the co-op's goods at more than 40 retailers in the U.S. and online.

$25, Indego Africa x Nicole Miller

Another selling point, if I've not yet sold you: the bracelets are $25.00 for a set of three. Free shipping too!

Check out the Indego store. All of the proceeds from the goods sold in their store go back to the artisans who made them.

EYE Love These Swatch Rankin Watches

GET IT? EYE?

Swatch's collaboration with London photographer and "Dazed and Confused" founder Rankin netted a breathtakingly surreal, almost spooky collection of five Gent Original watches whose faces feature extreme closeups of the human iris in brilliant, bursting shades.

You can purchase Brownscape, Aquascape or Greenscape (I think I love Greenscape the most for its transparent band) for the highly reasonable price of $60. Or, if you're super hardcore, get a very limited edition, individually numbered five-watch black-band set. Eye want them all.

Joyrich x LeSportsac + WELCOME FashionBinge's New GUY Blogger, RORY!

Rory Rockmore. Credit: Nicky Digital

Meet the gorgeous, hilarious and talented Rory Rockmore. He's a graphic designer and cares more about style than most people care about their third-born child. We share a love of the lowest lows of pop culture, neon, animal print and fly, oversized accessories. He just went to the Joyrich x LeSportsac launch here in New York. You'll love him. Guarantees it. -- Tamar

Soooo... last night after a little location mishap and a cab ride with a stranger, I hit up the Lovecat Magazine (Tamar was sad to discover that it's not a magazine about cats, it's about models) launch party, presented by Joyrich & LeSportsac at The Darby NYC, and it was MAY-JORRRR.

Party was dope. Bags are... doper.

I've noticed a recent increase in collaborations lately, and I can't say I'm mad about it, especially with two brands like this (seriously, ever since Tamar showed up to work in her oversized Joyrich grey sweatshirt with the Warhol-esque perfume bottle, Joyrich has become a major foundation in our relations) nd I talk about Joyrich NONstop.  Collabos are great because it's like getting a two-for-one, a "fashion happy hour" if you will. And I WILL.

Joyrich's most recent collaboration with Lesportsac (or as my friend Kelly likes to pronounce it, "Lee-sports-sack") comes just in time for summer, and let me tell you, this collection is ferrrrse. It's inspired and inspiring. These bags are perfect to take to the beach, on a plane, or to accessorize a wild night out. Although the collection is geared more toward women, any dude with an edge could rock the Large Weekender or the Backpack... Who am I kidding? If you're a dude and you want to rock the Heart Pouch WHO AM I to tell you no?

The best part of this little Joyrich x Lesportsac love fest is that it's not over. I'm excited to see what next season brings, but in the meantime my top picks from this season are...

As you prolly know, LeSportsacs come in mix-and-match styles, sizes, patterns and prints. Sooo, for the collection, for myself (obviously!), I'm into the large weekender in the chain sateen, a little bougey carry-on for my trip to LA, and the backpack in the shiny number print, which would be just perfect to tote my kickball clothes to work. (Yes, I play kickball.) For all my ladies: the cosmetic case in pink leopard adds a little flave to your travels, the Erika tote is perfect for to carry your towel and magazines to lay out in the park, and I think every girl should have the Trislet -- it's a little bit of everything, and that's EVERYTHING.

Me (Rory), with David Melgar, Creative Director at Joyrich LA

Two Pieces Of Jewelry I Won't Be Buying

($695, Haute Hippie, Shopbop.com)

This is some Mad Max ish that looks like someone attached some chains to road kill. And I'm uncomfortable with it.

($21.95, Neivz, Amazon.com)

Though not as uncomfortable as I am with this boobs ring! It's fine to have boobs, and fine to have rings, but I'm uncomfortable standing having arrived at the intersection of both. It's an intersection that just doesn't need to exist.

This Necklace Perfectly Captures The Essence Of New York's Nightly Dilemma

($26.95, Steven Shein, Karmaloop.com)

Good question, because they ain't gonna pay for themselves. RIGHT, ladies?

Snowpocalypse Shopping!

My neighborhood. That MIGHT be a car in the bottom left corner.

I don't know if you heard, but New York City basically turned itself inside out after it snowed here. What? You didn't hear that it snowed in New York? Well it did. You could bury bodies in my three-foot snowbanks in my backyard. (Note: PLEASE don't.)

Anyway, here are the things I contemplated buying:

($259, Elly Clay, Stantonjames.com)

I'm really not a clutch girl myself, but if I were this zippery animal print clutch. Oh wait? There's a chain strap? Hm. Considering moving this from "maybe" to "very possibly."

($129, Aryn K, Babelfair.com)

For YEARS I avoided tie-dye for fear of any and all associations with Birkenstocks, dirty toenails, baggy corduroy pants, and the band Phish. (I will admit a BRIEF dalliance with Phish my sophomore year of high school, but in my defense, everyone was doing it, and it was short-lived. I admit that they do possess a certain level of musical proficiency, but if I wanted to listen to the sounds of a vacuum cleaner, I'd plug in my Dyson, feed it an electric violin, and lay on the couch.) Anyway, I've slowly realized that a black or grey tie-dyed garment, and not, say, a rainbow swirl, can be mysteriously cool. I really love Helmut Lang's shadowy, smoky prints. Anyway, the point is, a DARK tie-dye -- like this great asymmetrical jacket -- can be so appealing. Any combination of red, green, yellow and blue = Ben & Jerry's. Don't do that.

Let's Try To Make Turbans Happen, 'Kay?

I can count on zero hands the number of times I've worn a turban. But the other day I made a very spurious decision to get my hair trimmed at Mizu Salon -- FANTASTIC decision, by the way, so look for a GLOWING review on Naag.com post haste! -- and HI! They wrap your hair in a perfect towel turban. I'm being halfway serious when I say I kind of want to make turbans work. Don't I look so relaxed and at ease? It's totally the turban talking.

Now, this all kind of begs the question, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WEAR A TURBAN WITH, fashionably speaking. I haven't actually tried it (yet), but I'd opt for some super casual jeans, a blazer, and an easy t-shirt in a weekend-wear way. Like, the key is to basically MAKE IT SEEM LIKE YOU'RE NOT WEARING A TURBAN, you know? Like it was a cool, casual afterthought. Like, please don't go all Aladdin and do harem pants, gladiator sandals and everything. Because then it's like HEY Y'ALL! LOOK AT ME! I'M DARING TO WEAR A TURBAN! Just pretend you're not!

Anyway, my all-time classic turban inspiration is the photo of the beautiful Marisa Berenson. Think, more that, less this:

 

And check out Camilla And Marc's Spring/  Summer 2011 collection, because turbans are very much happening there.

Bing Bang, It's Almost My Birthday!

($72, Bing Bang By Anna Sheffield, Oaknyc.com)

My next birthday was exactly eight months ago this past Tuesday! And this charming little lacquered Bing Bang arrowhead bracelet (I'd probably refashion it into a necklace using my pidgin jewelry-making skills) is the PERFECT gift for if you want to celebrate my eighth month of this year, you know? It'd be the perfect companion piece to my hot pink metal Alexis Bittar pendant. We don't want that to get lonely, do we?

Temperley's Holy Trinity

Just when I think I couldn't possibly love Temperley London any more than I do, I realize I actually could love Temperley even more.

I've impulse-purchased far too many gifts for myself (though, lest you think I'm a selfish asshole, I've bought some pretty ruling presents for my friends and family... HURRY UP, USPS!), so this Temperley Trinity bracelet isn't even an option, but if I were still in the market for some me-presents, this would make the cut:

($145, Temperley London, Temperleylondon.com)

It matches the Temperley Trinity Messenger Bag, which appears to be highly sold out.

($950, Temperley, Temperleylondon.com)

... But lust begets lust, so feel free to channel your unrequited love of Temperley's Trinity bag into the Royal Messenger bag:

($895, Temperley, TemperleyLondon.com)

WISH LISTED: Studded Acrylic Burberry Bracelets!

Ooh! Burberry is getting EDGY! Like how when someone classy and buttoned-up blows your mind with a naughty side you didn't know they had in them. But in bracelet form.

($225, Burberry)

Burberry, coming soon.

I Can Has Ray-Ban Wayfarers?

Ray-Ban Wayfarers are the trench coat of sunglasses -- they're timeless, they look good on everyone, and everyone should own at least one. Or several pairs, if you're me.

The nice folks at ShadesDaddy asked if I'd like to review a pair of sunglasses, and since I'm becoming somewhat of a Wayfarer hoarder, they kindly sent me a pair of Ray-Ban's Button Pins - Summer Special Series #4 Wayfarers, which have fun, hazy badges and little peace signs printed all over them.

($125, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)

It's like someone took Kevin Arnold's big sister Karen's political ethic and printed them on a pair of sunglasses.

What I love about Wayfarers is that the style is instantly identifiable, but Ray-Ban keeps renewing a tried-and-true product with unexpected new prints, patterns and colorways (impossible to resist for a collector like myself) without altering the signature Wayfarer shape.

I'm especially into the whimsical pink-striped take on these tortoiseshell Wayfarers:

($125, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)

And as a New Yorker of 10 years, I have to endorse the Rare Print Subway Series. (I own them in orange with the Subway print on the inside).

($120, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)

Oh, and sidenote: these aren't Ray-Bans, but it's worth mentioning that these plastic black sunglasses, hand-beaded with seed beads by jewelry designer Jenny Dayco, just moved to the top of my very very long covet list. Available at Oliver Peoples.

Thief & Bandit Makes My Very Favorite T-Shirt

($40, Thief & Bandit, Etsy)

My little sister lives in Richmond, Virginia, and she has tons of friends who are making cool things that I always want to buy. Often I'm super lucky and she buys them for me! Such as my very favorite t-shirt made by her friend Amie Cunningham who created Thief & Bandit -- it's all handmade, and it's all fun, craftsy shirts with fun, tribal-inspired squiggles and designs, and fabric accessories in bright colors. JUST LOOK at that t-shirt and TELL me it doesn't remind you of all things Tom Tom Club!

($48, Thief & Bandit, Etsy)

I hope you like this fabric necklace, but I hope you don't like it as much as I do, because I really want it. So I can wear it with a white t and a blazer. Or maybe even a busy t-shirt, because busy is the new black.

Check out Thief & Bandit's site, their blog, and Thief & Bandit on Etsy and get to buying cute stuff!!

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