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

On Friday, there was a article published on The Guardian entitled, “Why I hate fashion,” in which the writer, Tanya Gold, speaks about her journey from being fashionably absorbed to leading a fashion-free existence.

As I read the article I could hear Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly spit, “This… stuff?” before she launches into her rant about Andy Sachs’ “lumpy blue sweater.”

It wasn’t the linking of a sixteen-year-old girl’s unfortunate death to her high heels or Gold’s insinuation that the industry I love is oppressive that infuriated me. It was her reasoning for escaping what she remarks is “one of the ultimate evils in the universe.”

“The oddest thing rescued me from fashion. It was that I got fat,” says Gold.

Not only, is there an entire article bashing an industry that is inescapable to those who choose to live in modern society— Mark Twain once said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society”— but she insinuated that those who aren’t skinny and are in turn, “fat,” cannot participate in “fashion,” or more precisely, be fashionable.

Are there as many high fashion designers who cater to the size-10-and-up crowd as there are who cater to their smaller counter parts? Most definitely, not. That, however, doesn’t mean larger women, and men, for that matter, are completely excluded from the cycle and can’t be fashionable. Quite frankly, I think the argument that her weight played a part in her escape from this strange meta-world called Fashion is idiotic, even knowing how high fashion designers cater to the lithe. If you truly think about it, there are more people in the world who can’t afford to purchase from high fashion designers than there are people who are “fat,” and when it comes to mass retailers and fast fashion, the scales are infinitely more balanced (no pun intended).

So, Miss Gold, I must channel Miranda Priestly again when I say, though you may view yourself as “fat,” you, I’m assuming, have yet to joined a nudist community and still wear and buy, from time to time, clothes/beauty products/home goods— all things that are influenced by fashion trends— making it “sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry.”

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Over the weekend, I had a mini adventure with my cerebral-twin, whom I’ve lovingly and ironically dubbed Smiles. We went to Park Slope, Brooklyn— a place, though quite cool, is forever away from Manhattan and a hell of a pain to get to when in 4 1/2-inch heels— to see another friend’s band called Cedric Needs Us.

When we arrived, there was what I can only described as a faux-Chaplin, cowboy hipster who sang songs that were unequivocally ordinary. In fact, there was one song about how he had two shoes. His southern twang was as false as his Charlie Chaplin-esque stache, but there was something entertaining about the entire situation.

Finally after about 45 minutes of the hipster Johnny Cash, Cedric Needs Us, a 5-piece band including a clarinetist and a pianist— that’s a clarinet player and a piano player— squeezed onto the 5×7-foot stage and wowed.

I’d only heard one song, “Silvi,” which can be heard on their MySpace page, and was hoping I didn’t have to grin an bare it as I tried to be a nice person, but I can officially say I’m a Cedric Needs Us fan and will hopefully be at their next concert on February 13, 2010 at Kenny’s Castaways (157 Bleecker Street, NYC). If you’re in the tri-state area, you should totally come too!

p.s. Cedric Needs Us is on Facebook too!

Yesterday, blogger, Yuli Ziv said “I’m so over high/low Target collabs. Sorry, Jean Paul…” via Twitter, and honestly, I kind of agree.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Target for their great prices, forward thinking, and ability to purchase clothes, make-up, tampons, green tea, Pop-Tarts, and a toaster to heat the snacks up, all under the same roof, but the Go International collaborations have simply, and constantly, let me down.

They’re like a crush-worthy celebrity. In theory, he’s perfect, hot and successful. He even looks amazing in pictures, but if you do manage to ever meet this hottie— because generally they’re off the market or unavailable for some other reason— he totally let’s you down. That perfectly groomed five o’clock shadow is more of a five past five o’clock mountain man beard, and those chiseled abs you saw in a photoshoot last week were definitely airbrushed, though his modest beer belly does prove impressive because they were begotten on during his accent to beer pong champ at his local drinking hole. If you can manage to overlook his slight imperfections— hey, nobody’s perfect— after the first couple of date’s you realize you only liked him because of his name and the relationship falls to pieces.

Generally, you end up disappointed and angry, but even this doesn’t stop you for crushing on the next hot thing to grace the silver screen.

As much as I adore most of the designers, the collections generally aren’t cohesive, the fabric selection is terrible, and though the prices are remarkable compared to the normal price of one of the designer’s duds, the piece of clothing is bound to fall apart. “Why buy a designer dress only to know I won’t have it in 2 or 3 years?” I always ask myself. However, with every collection, I get excited and head to Target the day it’s released in hopes of finding that jewel. The one piece that is as great in theory as it is in actuality.

Jean Paul Gaultier, Zac Posen, and Tucker are up next, and part of me is tired of the disappointment, but I can’t help but be a little excited.

Photo Credit: Fashionista

Thank you to everyone who entered the Filthy Magic Giveway. You ladies are great, and I’m glad I was able to introduce some of you to the amazingness that is FilthyMagic. I would also like to thank, Ria, for working with PRC and for creating a refreshingly cool webstore.

Now, without further ado, the randomly chosen winner of the Filthy Magic Giveaway is:

Cynthia Richardson

Congratulations, I hope you get tones of wear out of your new ‘Marble Zipper Tee’!

Head to the Filthy Magic Blog to stay up to date on new products, trends and styling tips.