Pink Rock Candy – Top fashion trends, news and shopping of 2010

“Oh My God!” Yup, it was one of those moments. Actually, it was almost a giant billboard OMFG-worthy moment. As I’m walking back to my job after lunch, trying hard to ignore the catcalls, I hear a familiar tune. Its the type of song that makes you trip over yourself while trying to keep from bouncing around like a crazy person, but luckily I raced back to my desk without incident and promptly IMed my sister to inform her that she’d “never guess what song I’d just heard.” I didn’t even give her time to guess the song and promptly followed my first statement with, “Jordan Knight’s ‘Give It To You’!”

WHAT? Were you expecting something else?

When I was younger and this song was actually new, that’s 1999 for those not in the know, it was my favorite song ever. What isn’t there to love? Jordan Knight was cute-ish, the beat was and still is totally legit, and the dance moves, oh the dance moves. Why don’t they make music videos like that anymore? I mean, when was the last time you saw a music video where every word/beat had a dance move to go along with it?

Speaking of words, when I first fell in love with this song, I made it my mission to learn all the lyrics so I could sing along with Mr. Knight while watching the video on MTV back when TRL was still cool, and live for that matter. Boy, was I naive! After giving the song a good listen, or eight, I realized this is much filthier than I remembered or ever recognized considering I was just a wee sprout when this song first came out. I mean, I definitely had no idea what Jordan meant when he sang, “Anything goes when I give it to you/Without a doubt I’ll turn you out” or “Anyone can make you sweat/ But I can keep you wet”, but after hearing the song now, my jaw dropped.

Aside from the newly realized over-sexed lyrics, I still love this song as much as I did when I first heard it. Jordan may be trying to come back once again with his New Kids On The Block bandmates, but he will forever be the faux-wholesome, cable knit sweater wearing guy with the craziest, impregnate-you-through-the-screen, pelvic thrust I’ve ever witnessed (around 3:00).

Its late, and I still have to go download this song off iTunes so I can listen to it on repeat tomorrow. Good Knight…ahem, Night Lovlies!

The interweb is chock full of pictures featuring, the perfectly coiffed uber-stylish guys fashion fairy tales are made of. Some of them may be businessmen in the perfectly tailored Tom Ford suit, and others are those ultra-hip indie hotties who can make the neon, acid washed skinny jeans look good (*cough* Gabe Saporta *cough*). Unfortunately, its a rarity to actually meet one of these amazingly dressed men, but as a big sister I know its my job to help my younger brother find his inner fashion whore.

My little brother’s been my little pet project for the last few months. I like to take him shopping, and then make him wear things he would never think of wearing. Sometimes he puts on the clothes I picked, and he looks at me like I’m crazy— but, most of the time he’s surprised by the things that actually look awesome on him. He isn’t quite Kanye or Pharrell, but maybe one day he’ll be that oddly cool guy found in NYC by The Sartorialist.

Yesterday, we went to the mall, and while in Charlotte Russe (why aren’t there any good clothes at that store), he saw some fakey shutter shades. We both thought they were beyond hilarious and since they were only $5 with the purchase of another pair, I decided to buy them for him and some over-sized wayfarers for me. Jokingly, he decided to wear his new shades as we walked around the mall, and almost everyone looked at him like he was crazy. As the older sister, I diligently informed him that the whole point of crazy trends is to make people notice you, so just have fun with it!

When we got home, he wanted facebook pictures so we had a sibling photoshoot in our backyard. It was really hot, and I almost stepped in poison ivy, but overall, it was so much fun!

What are your favorite styles for guys, and do you help guide your younger siblings on the path of stylishness?

Rumors, rumors everywhere. Is Marc married? No one cares! For the past week-ish all I’ve been hearing on the fashion gossip side is Marc Jacobs is getting married to new beau Lorenzo Martone. Everyone’s surprised because they’ve only been together for a few months and were supposed to have been getting “hitched” in Paris last weekend, but no one really knows if they did or didn’t— and, now there’s some sort of giant, mysterious scandal that can only be solved by Nancy Drew or a well dressed Sherlock Holmes.

But in all honesty, I could care less who Marc marries, and if he ever marries. He could be in love with a different guy ever 3 months, stay with the same game for the rest of his life, swear off love, swear off men and go straight, the list could go on, but none of it matters, as long as he:

• Keeps pissing off the fashion elite with his extreme tardiness, because their front-row complaints are very amusing to us little people who get to see the photos the next morning on Style.com no matter what time the show starts.
• Keeps making those same spurned fashion elite bite their tongues after seeing his collections.
• Stops making fuzzy halos that Mary-Kate will consistently wear around her bobble-sized head— she doesn’t need an excuse to look even more extraterrestrial.
• Keeps throwing crazy costume parties and dressing up as things like Pigeons and Camel Toes.
• Keeps shocking people with kooky ad campaigns.
• Stops making t-shirts with Hillary Clinton’s ugly mug on it, she’s not worthy— I promise!
• Hires me in some position other than store clerk sometime in the future, hopefully near future. (Just thought I’d throw this on in there for good measure. I have to look out for number 1!)

At the end of July, I always start to get a bit antsy. I know my summer is coming to an end, and it makes me really sad, but at the same time, I get beyond excited for what new styles I will see at Fashion Week in September. I also start dreaming of layering. What newly purchased articles of clothing can I still wear in the fall? What should I be buying for the fall? What will be my layering staple this year? Luckily, I’ve already figured out the answer to the last question. Cardigans!

I know, the word cardigan just screams prep school, know-it-all, bitch who doesn’t truly wear the sweater but merely ties it around her shoulders, but when I say cardigans, I’m sheerly using it as a technical term. I’m all for people wearing what they want, so if you like your cardies fitted and demure, then go for it, but I’m planning on going the way of the grandpa/boyfriend cardigan— over-sized, slouchy, and maybe even with leather patches on the elbows!

Just the word slouchy would make my mom cringe, I don’t plan on my entire outfit to be ill-fitting. That’s the beauty of it all. The grandpa cardigan is like a hoodie (which was my layering staple last fall), except without the hood, by layering it on top of most outfits, you’re able to look casual without wearing the unofficial school uniform of jeans/pajama pants and a t-shirt/sweatshirt.

Tips on Acquiring and Wearing the Grandpa Cardigan:

• Be economical – “borrow” your boyfriend’s/male friend’s cardigans.
• Shop in the men’s section – the cardigans are usually thicker and the cut isn’t as form-fitting as the grandpa sweaters that are made for women.
• Visit You Local Hipster Hangout – I hate to say it, but the hipster somehow find all the coolest cardigans—maybe one day we’ll learn their cardigan shopping secrets…
• Don’t wear this over-sized cardie with wide-leg pants - you know when they say don’t show too much skin at the same time, well don’t cover too much either!
• Do pair the cardigan with your favorite dress or skirt – the masculine/feminine mix is very ‘in’.
• Sex it up a bit – pick a grandpa cardigan with a shallow V-neck and wear it with nothing under it, pair with skinny jeans and go.

Though I’m really obsessing over the grandpa cardigan, I fear if I try wearing them now I might risk getting a heat stroke, so in the interest of my health I’ll wait until the temperatures drop just a little bit.

What will be you ‘Layering Staple’ this fall?

Get the cardigans:

• Triple Five Soul T.A. Cardigan – $105.00
• Sullivan Sweater Cardigan- $22.80
• BDG Variegated Stripe Cardigan – $54.00
• 3.1 Phillip Lim, Merino wool cardigan- $450.00

Its a commonly know fact that without inspiration its hard to even string a couple words together to make a sentence, much less an entire post. This is usually referred to as writer’s block and the cure is unknown. I guess I could have caught a case of what the guys from Gym Class Heroes call “biter’s block,” but that’s just no fun, so I waited and waited and shopped— then, suddenly, I knew what I had to write about. I bought a pair of new shoes that my mom and apparently, everyone in the New Haven area, hate.

They’re cute, in my opinion, gray, crinkled leather oxfords from Michael by Michael Kors called the ‘Panama’ Oxfords. I saw them at DSW a couple weeks ago, but decided if I still wanted them in a few weeks, which I did, I’d by them— so, now they’re mine! I wasn’t sure they’d still have the shoes in my size, but I think I’m the only person around me that bought these oxfords, leading me to believe that A) I’m completely crazy for liking these shoes, or B) everyone in the New Haven, CT area have a boring taste in shoes.

Even though answer ‘A’ isn’t really my favorite answer, my entire family seems to think it’s the correct one. My mom thinks they’re ugly and too butch. After showing my dad, he raises his eyebrows and says, “You like these… OOKKAAYY!” and my sister has decided they may “have to grow on her.” Thanks for the love and support family!

I get it! The shoes are super chunky, and really hard to pull off with a bare leg, but let’s think to the future. I only paid $48 for the shoes, though I could have paid only $37 at Nordstrom.com (though I guess shipping would have evened the tally. They’re super comfortable, even though they’re a bit high. Not to mention, I could wear these all fall with pants, tights, the black thigh high socks I plan to buy from American Apparel, the options are limitless, and I personally think they don’t look terrible with this outfit (notice the bare legs), though I’m slightly biased.

So I’m going to throw it to you dear readers, am I crazy for liking these oxfords? Should I take them back ASAP? Or, am I just a misunderstood shoe fanatic in a little, suburban Connecticut town?