Pink Rock Candy-Blog

I’ve only been in Hollister a hand full of times, and have never purchased anything from there or had anything purchased for me from Hollister. I have however applied for a position there when I went around the mall last summer applying at every store which I might even potentially shop. Though the last two times I went in Hollister, these visits were spaced about 6 months apart, my sister saw something fairly cute on the mannequin and both times we were informed, much to our surprise and annoyance, that the item isn’t sold “there.”

The first time, when we inquired as to where we could get the item, we were told the sweater we liked was only sold online and not in stores. The second time however we were informed that the tank top, that was most certainly over-priced, may be in the sale room “which is really dirty, but you can go search for it if you want.” Just for kicks we did go search for the top, and it wasn’t anywhere in the store. Actually, it was in the store and could be seen on at least 5 mannequins, I kid you not, but they couldn’t take the top off the mannequin because they were “stretched out and dirty.”

For those of you who do shop at Hollister, does this happen to you often? I happen to find it quite annoying, being drawn into a store I would normally never shop in by a cute garment, only to find out I can’t buy it in that store anyway. If the item is only sold online, why would they advertise it on one of the IN STORE mannequins? That’s like my local Forever 21 putting items from TwelvebyTwelve on the mannequins and then saying, “Oh, we don’t sell that here!”

I also only slightly understand not selling the clothes on the mannequins. I’m just going to sum it up to the fact that I think they have one regional merchandiser who comes in and dress the mannequins every season, and no one at that store is adept enough to throw another white tank top over the blue tank top to create the same effect.

Congratulations Hollister, you’ve successfully lost at the very least 2 potential customers forever!

There is just something about the bass that gets into the very depths of my soul and makes me want to move in the most erotic way possible. I don’t care what type of bass your talking about, stand up, acoustic, jazz, electric, as long as it’s string and has a deep melodious sound I’m there. Death Cab For Cutie’s new song from their upcoming album Narrow Stairs (May 13th), “I Will Possess Your Heart”, has one of those bass lines that takes over.

I first heard the song on Sirius satellite radio, Alt. Nation 21, while driving to school. The song is sort of haunting as Ben Gibbard (with his ultra-cool glasses) eerily sings, “How I wish you could see the potential, the potential of you and me / It’s like a book elegantly bound, but in a language that you can’t read - just yet” and as he breathely warns “I will possess your heart” , but by the time the second verse comes around, the seed is already planted, and you’ll be humming the song all day.

I just watched the 8-minute-long video for the song, and though 4 minutes of watching a girl travel the world is fairly painful to someone stuck in the US but yearning to travel, the video is beautiful and you really get the full effect of the tantalizing bass line. My only question is why are the guys in an ice box freezing their asses off? Guitarist, Chris Walla, looks like he was turning into a popsicle the entire video.

Are you a Death Cab fan, and if not, who are you listening to?

For more information on Death Cab For Cutie visit deathcabforcutie.com or myspace.com/deathcabforcutie

I know I’m probably going to get quite a bit of flack for my upcoming thoughts, but I have to say it considering it does pertain not only to fashion, but to our society in general. So, here it comes, I’m very conflicted when it comes to all of this fashion encouraging eating disorders/”unhealthy eating habits” hullabaloo. To an extent I understand people’s concerns of sickly looking public figures including, but not limited to, models and most of Young Hollywood, influencing the impressionable youth and their not so impressionable elders, but in all honesty how many times does one have to see some waif’s sternum for us to say, “ew, that’s gross,” and move on with our lives?

Being able to count someones ribs doesn’t encourage me to stick my finger down my throat, it makes me want a cheeseburger because I’m afraid those ribs I see when I suck in might start to rear their ugly heads some other time. I do however realize my feelings aren’t the norm and that is disappointing to me.

I’m also slightly conflicted as to whether I think it is a good idea for the French national government or, any government for that matter, to be able to censure the fashion industry. I understand they are passing a bill to outlaw anything that encourages “excessive thinness,” but I thought that was more directed toward websites and other mediums that encourage eating disorders. I happen to think everyone should start doing their part to thwart all of the pro-eating disorder websites that have been popping up, but I think it might be a waste of time trying to prove the fashion industry actually encourages “excessive thinness.”

Though the fashion industry is quite obviously smitten with the very thin, very pale model, never have I heard a magazine, designer, publicist, or model blatantly say “to be fashionable, you need to starve yourself.” Actually, Janice Dickinson said she wishes some of her models would catch an eating disorder, and received loads of well-deserved flack for it. I know, by having very skinny models in ads, editorials, and on runways there is the subliminal element to the fashion industry, but not being an expert on the social effect the thin trend has had, makes me wonder if people are putting a little too much blame on the fashion industry. There are obviously going to be the casting agents/designers who favor thin models above “healthy looking” models, but will that ever change? Stealing is illegal, but people still do it (is this a cop out?).

Though I’m NOT, I REPEAT NOT, saying girls should aspire to look like the models in magazines, I do think the world should back off the fashion industry a bit. Saying a girl who willingly becomes a model, someone who uses their thin, hanger-like body for income, shouldn’t maintain a thin form is unreasonable— its like saying a politician shouldn’t lie, because the all do. On the other hand I think it was rude for the Parisian casting directors to shun Ail Michaels for normal weight gain. I think everyone should try as hard as possible to maintain a HEALTHY weight, but I realize there will always be people who are either simply not comfortable with the weight they are or have a psychologically skewed body image which hinders them from being comfortable with a healthy weight, and in that case making the fashion industry change won’t truly help much. There will always be a lower weight, and there will always be a fad diet, what we can do is try to instill and promote healthy eating habits and weight loss/gain at a young age for both boys and girls, whether it will help anything, I have no idea.

So, the weight debate rages on, not only in my head but around the world.

I truly want to hear what you guys think, even if you feel like ripping my head off. I started thinking about this after I read this article about the topic on NYMag.com. Though I pretty much agree with the fashion insiders, their nonchalance and insinuation that every single model maintains her waif-like form in a healthy manner does bother me.

Photo Credit: The Fashion Spot

Note to self, never try to hide clothes in H&M on 42nd and 5th. Why? Because people, like me, disregard any form of covert shopper etiquette and will gladly rifle through your barely hidden finds and take the t-shirt I’ve been dreaming of right from under your nose. It’s not my fault. You have to be ruthless when shopping in the city— at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. My prize however, I’m totally willing to tell you about. It was the freshest t-shirt I’ve seen in a while and part of H&M’s ART BY collection.

The ART BY collection was H&M doing their good deed toward aspiring artists and putting their awesome designs on t-shirts for simple American girls to wear with pride. The tee I hijacked from some poor unwitting customer was designed by Anna Fredriksson, and I first lusted over it in the April issue of Nylon. Anna is a graffiti artist/illustrator and draws these really cute, awkward looking doll-girls. Something about the over-sized glasses and necklace reminds me of myself, and my family members are convinced the girl looks a bit inebriated, which makes me chuckle every time I see it.

In terms of sizing, the shirt I found, and now own, is a US size 8, but totally fits how a medium would on me, a bit baggy and long. I didn’t have the chance to try on any other sizes because this was the only one I saw in the entire store.

p.s. Please tell me I’m not the only one who goes for what she wants when shopping, NO MATTER WHAT!

UNDER THE CUT is a video I found of the super-cute Anna Fredriksson talking about her designs for H&M and how she was tagged to be one of the ART BY designers. The other designers are Lina Boden and Jo Ratcliffe. (more…)

Lately, I’ve been annoyed. Annoyed with the ever vacillating East Coast weather, can I get a steady temperature? I’m annoyed with the typical press-addicted celebrities that are constantly being placed on the covers of my favorite fashion magazines, and I’m almost ready to pull my hair out hearing about a new celeb fashion line everyday. And, I’m definitely tired of hearing about the same old designers. As much as I love Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Christopher Bailey, and Phillip Lim, there’s only so much I can take. Oddly, or not, I’m not disenchanted with the past, yet, and Heidi Handler, designer of Lovenia definitely agrees with me.

According to Ms. Handler, Lovenia’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection’s inspiration was “the Jazz age re-imagined,” think “Jean Harlow and Edie Sedgwick are having tea at Tamara de Lempicka’s before catching a Josephine Baker show in Paris.” The clothes are light and airy, but exhibit a splash of unexpected structure. When I first laid eyes on the dress to the left, it lighted my extremely vexed mood. Though indigo and navy aren’t the typical “spring colors,” (Miranda would be proud, no florals) but the draped fit, lace detail, and oversized-bow sash, makes the dress fun and fresh. This dress mixes the dreary weather outside with the sunny, spring weather in my head.

Also, for all us still dealing with sub par weather, Lovenia has a beautifully dove gray silk and cotton coat. The ruffle at the bottom really makes the dress girlie and fun, while the scrunched turtle neck will keep you warm during those cold spring gusts.

The Lovenia collection is price from $500-$2200 and is sold at Gail Rothwell and Début in New York and Inago in California. Visit Lovenia.com for more information on the collection.

p.s. 10 points for anyone who knows what song the title is from. God, I love that band!