Edited by Jennine Jacob

Do you get spring fever? Oh man… the itch to run around outside in flowery prints and frilly laces gets greater and greater each passing day. To heck with chunky sweaters! This week we have a load of great spring style posts, Holier Than Now checks out cape coats, if you’re strapped for cash Out of Order gives the perfect 45min spring skirt tutorial, so cute! And girly clothes not your thing? The Demoiselles has a great homage to gender-bending unisex looks. I’ve been thinking of doing a couple of days in menswear myself. Well, as soon as I learn how to tie the half Windsor knot.

There were so, so many great links this week, it really was hard to narrow it down to 20. Check out the full listing of Links à la Mode here.

Links à la Mode : March 11th

• 39th and Broadway – Death By Over-Scheduling
• Agent Lover – Mad Crushin’ on Pebelle
• Bobbins and Bombshells – Shop News…Hand Recovery Sale AND Give-Away!!
• Denim Debutante – Denim Advice: Why Should I Buy Premium Denim?
• Diary Of A Girl Left Behind – Sorry We Don’t Have Your (Shoe) Size
• Fashion Pulse Daily – London Fashion Week: Vivienne Westwood, Mark Fast & Burberry Prorsum
• Fete a Fete – The Frye Company SS 2010
• Glossary – Sipping tea with Sandra Beijer
• Grechen Blogs – Isabel Marant, the Internet & Social Media
• grit and glamour – Return to pretty, please!
• Hello Beauty! – Shu Uemura Spring 2010 Égérie Collection: Sparkling, rock star chic (with makeup lesson video)
• Holier Than Now – Spring (Transition) Shopping : Caped Crusaders
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – What does your ideal workspace look like?
• M.I.S.S. – Women Making History: Elisa Palomino
• Oranges and Apples – Sustainable fashion part 1: conceptualising the issues
• Out Of Order – DIY Tutorial – Spring Skirt
• Previously Owned – a PREVIEW of Private ARTS la shooting for MINT mag!
• Retro Chick – Vintage Hair Video Tutorial
• SF Indie Fashion – Good Looks: Moody Winter-Almost-Spring
• Shrimp Salad Circus – how to rock orange lips
• Smiles Go With Everything – How to Search Effectively on Etsy
• The Demoiselles – Gender-Bending: Menswear

I always look forward to what THEE GODDESS Rossella Jardini has in store for us each season, especially for Moschino Cheap and Chic. Their 2010 Fall collection was centered around the different types of women who would visit a hotel, to promote the beautiful Maison Moschino which recently opened this month in Milan. I don’t know about you but when I arrive at my own four-star resort destination (Motel 6), my top is already halfway off, my tights are ripped and I have the inevitable red lipstick-smeared clownface, so I can only DREAM of looking this classy. Aiiii! JUST PLAYINGS MOM.

Photo via style.com

I usually don’t go for cat-eared types of things..reminds me of Hot Topic hoodies from 2001, but THIS kind of look is too cute for words…(even if that big jungle neck bush scares me, but just a tad.)

Photo via coutorture

Photo via coutorture

I obviously love french maid anything and everything!!!

Photo via style.com

Photo via style.com

These were actually looks from the Pre-Fall collection. I love this multi-tiered ruffle coat!

Poof!

Now onto the Maison Moschino!!! Each room was based on a fairy tale, so the decor took on the highest level of whimsy possible. Before I’d fall asleep in this gorgeous velvet (belbet) bed, I’d try to jump inside of that dress and do some sort of Lily Tomlin,“Edith Ann”-style skit for you…

Photo via truth.travel

Lay me down on a bed of roses! Would you choose Christian Slater or Jon Bon Jovi? Take your pick ple and report back to me.

Photo via apartment therapy

I want to go to the sweet room! Should I make a Cake Hat chandelier?

Photo via truth.travel

SWEET DREAMS INDEED

Photo via truth.travel

Susie Bubble was invited to visit the hotel during Milan Fashion Week and she has some great photos including this one of the heart-shaped door lock…

Photo via Style Bubble

Okay if you know me well you know I am fainting over that. I want everything like this, Tia Rossella. HEART-SHAPE MY LIFE. I’ll take a heart-shaped lightbulb, heart-shaped toilet seat, heart-shaped Q-tip, heart-shaped bottle of water and some heart-shaped contact lenses so you can literally see the hearts flying out of my eyes. It’s those cute little details that always make me swoon over Moschino. Check out Susie’s post for more photos of the tour she took at Maison Moschino.

80’s faux fur coat - gift from Emi,Tracy Feith for Target dress, pink and white flocked Docs, sunglasses from wild planet

This is my casual and comfortable outfit of choice for a Sunday spent dog-walking, thrifting and avocado sangwich-eating. I’m attempting to get out of my winter wear which consists of black, black and black, motorcycle jackets and suede boots. Because it’s still chilly and a little rainy, I can’t forgo the tights just yet, but I’m vowing to get all my spring gear out now to help coax the warm weather out of hiding. It’s time to get femme up in here. My winter butch phase must be put on PAUSE!!! Sorry if that is upsetting, but here’s a picture of me wearing a motorcycle helmet to turn you on in the meantime.

In addition to changing up my wardrobe to welcome SPRING, I must also trade my dark winter music for some sweet spring-y tunes. Sorry Danzig, you have gotsta go. I will miss you my Dark Master, but it’s about that time of the season to increase my intake of Blondie, Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura. And a LOT of yeye and 60’s girl groups. Expect a good spring mix soon! And after that…a Freestyle Summer sequel! LUV EWE.

I’ve been listening to this song over and over. You recognize it from Wu-Tang? So good but so sad. It’s ok if you cry. I will hold chu.

Wendy Rene - After Laughter (Comes Tears)

Model: Yasmina Bounab. Photo by Michele Pauty

Sometimes a girl’s gotta think outside the norm if she wants to explore her talents. If Petra Isabelle followed the rules she wouldn’t have discovered her remarkable flair for tie-dye. Through her company Pebelle, Petra creates legwear in a rainbow of hues, producing a world of color combinations and patterns never before seen even in my wildest Pantone dreams. I first saw her work in Emma Bell’s S/S 2010 collection, and was later pleased to find some photos of Dandi Wind from Fan Death sporting some purple Pebelle on her gams. See how everything is connected?

Dandi Wind in Pebelle, Photo by Richard Kelly

First, let me confess to you something. I never thought I would like tie-dye. An ex boyf once told me he wanted to buy a tie-dye shirt and Phish and Grateful Dead flashed before my horrified eyes so I told him I would break up with him. (Another confession: it actually pained me to have even typed the words ‘Phish and Grateful Dead’ on this blog right now. NO OFFENSE.)

Flash forward a decade and much like my taste buds, my style buds have also evolved. I am into wasabi, cilantro AND tie-dye now, people. Especially if the tie-dye is the gorgeous handiwork of Pebelle. Here is an exclusive lowdown on this lovely lady!

How did you get started designing legwear?

I have studied textile arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. We had dyeing classes once a week and one day we developed the idea of dyeing hosiery. we loved it so much that we had a full weekend workshop. I was the only one that immediately fell in love with it, but the time wasn’t right. I tried placing them on the market years ago (2002) but no one was really interested, but I never gave up.
In 2004 I finally found my label name Pebelle and in 2008 I totally relaunched it and since then I try to set a foot on the market.

Where did you grow up? Did it influence your design aesthetic at all?

I grew up in the suburbs of Vienna, Austria. It’s a town full of beautiful architecture from the monarchy, lots of green but also very modern buildings. I think my aesthetic perception was surely formed through living in such a wonderful town. I was a typical girl growing up the 80’s at the time of the german new wave movement in music plus in style, so Punk wasn’t far away from me. I can’t tell if it influenced me a lot though, I suppose it has in some kind of way. I have a huge interest in contemporary and street art, so every little walk around an area can have an immense result on me. I do take a lot of pics if I see something that’s giving me the impulse to keep it. I am very alert to visual stimulation so I do love to go to exhibitions, movie-theaters, plays, gigs or just stand. Whatever catches my eye.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Everywhere, it surrounds me wherever I am, I inhale natural phenomenas like the way the light is shining on buildings on late afternoons waiting for the blue hour to arrive ( I love it) , the times in fall where all the trees/plants turn in an explosion of yellow and red tones, the grey in grey winter days with sunlight reflecting on surfaces of snow or after a long time of waiting for spring you hold your breath when you suddenly realize that everything is blooming around you. Colours define my life, I think i live in the right city for it.

Apart from this I love watching people, I just sit in a cafe ( a very Viennese thing to do) at a big square and watch people going by, street scenes and street style draw a lot of my attention.

Models: Karl-Maria Diwisch and Hanna Moessner. Photo by Wolfgang Steiner

What is your design process?

My design process is in a changing process right now. So far I have worked very impulsive: If I was impressed by the last visit to the forrest I was totally going all greens, browns, natural colours, I remember one day standing in the garden of my friend’s house in LA where leaves suddenly caught my eye, the thin yellow lines within the green leaves. Once back in Vienna I tried this design on leggings. Sometimes I just see a print of a car tire on the road and it inspires me to try it on a pair of tights.

The dyeing process is always a big matter of coincidence too so you aren’t allowed to try to be too much of a perfectionist. The reason why my dyes often look different from typical tie dyes is that I do not follow any dyeing rules, the men I’m buying my dyes from is a master of its kind; he often goes a bit pale when I tell him what I’m doing but he also admitted that he would have never had this effects with sticking to the rules.

Right now I try to work more and more with fix colour schemes. I do more than hosiery now, I started with a line of tops, t-shirts, scarfs and am working on a collection of bikinis.The more I start working with whole outfits, the more I try to avoid this feeling of being overwhelmed. I want it to be possible to wear more of my pieces together in a matching ensemble.

Pebelle’s collaboration with Emma Bell for S/S 2010. Models: Harriet Crosby and Elisabeth Resch/ Photo by Wolfgang Steiner

What other artists, clothing designers or otherwise, do you admire?

This could be a never-ending list, it is easier for me to say whose work I do NOT like at all but I won’t do that out of respect.
Designer equals artists in my opinion, I find it hard to draw a line. I think every designer has at least one thing in their collection that I totally love there are thousands of great talents out there and I do not wanna start picking them out. If I have to name one I’d say I love Gareth Pugh, I haven’t seen his graduate collection for Central St. Martin’s but RIGHT AT THE SAME TIME I had a period of two weeks where the thought stuck me that a Pierrot-inspired collection should be done and even I started drawing some sketches, and PENG!: there it was, he did it. For that I love him.

If you could describe your personal style as the love child of any two people/things, who or what would they be?

I probably could imagine I’m a love child of Amélie ( as in the movie Amélie) and Iggy Pop…..yeah, that would be it….

What are your wardrobe staples?

Short dresses in every style, my diesel cowboy boots, necklaces

Do you collect anything?

Oh, dear, yes I do: necklaces, tights (seriously not my own ones), little picture frames from the flea-market - and soon I wanna start on orchidaceous ( i have recently recognized that I do have a hand for them. Once I am old I want to start breeding them…..) My friend works high up in a huge lingerie company, so I do often get little goodies like utterly great 80’s sample tights which never went into production.

Is there a particular decade in history you feel an affinity for?

Yeah, the roaring twenties for their open-mindness and style. My intellectual affinity is more around the changing end of the 19th century, as I do love literature from that time. I once did a series of bags called the 20th-century bags - a trip bag into time - every bag had the same shape but with the choice of fabric, the printed image and the little details each one was matched to once decade of that century. Loved it.

Models: Karl-Maria Diwisch and Hanna Moessner. Photo by Wolfgang Steiner

What are your other interests and hobbies?

I have a 5.5 years old son, he’s hard work and joy at the same time, so I kind of see his upbringing as a hobby. I love visiting foreign countries, discovering cities on my own is a great friend of mine, this hobby is just difficult to organize around my other responsibilities. I love doing yoga, reading and grabbing bargains on flea markets or all kinds of sales.

What’s next for Pebelle?

World domination.

You can find Pebelle at the following!

Pebelle on Facebook

Pebelle on ETSY: pebelle.etsy.com

Pebelle on DAWANDA: pebelle.dawanda.com

VIENNA
1010 Vienna- Bauernmarkt 8 -  ART UP
www.artup.at
1050 Vienna – Margaretenplatz 3 - PEPITA (just Children’s and very small selection of
Tights)
www.pepita.at
1060 Vienna -  Hofmühlgasse 6 - POLYKLAMOTT
www.polyklamott.at
1070 Vienna-  Kirchengasse 24  - AT FIRST SIGHT
www.atfirstsight.at
Germany - BERLIN
10245 Berlin- Grünbergerstrasse 83 - EPPO Fashion Concept Store
www.myspace.com/eppodekker
Wrexham, North Wales- GB
LI11 2 NP  Wrexham 80 Rhosddu Road – Coloured Earth Fashion Store
Barcelona – SPAIN
08002 Barcelona Banys Nous, 22 – GLINT SHOP

USA
Norwood, NJ 07648 - 463 Livingston St, #103 – DAHL COLLECTION

UK designer Binbin Mcniven’s clothing line, TBA aka To Be Adored should be called TBO because I’m more obsessed about it than anything. I am drooling over it from afar for now since it’s only available through the UK Urban Outfitters and ASOS. Her designs are playfully chic and ultra feminine. GORGEOUS! The S/S 2010 collection is inspired by Mia Farrow movies, with my favorites most likely being the ones paying tribute to one of the best horror movies ever made, Rosemary’s Baby.

screencaps via clothesonfilm.com

When I look at these dresses, cartoon hearts form in my eyes and a little cloud pops up over my head showing images of me sashaying around in them. You got me DRESS DAYDREAMIN’ over here, Binbin!

GIMME THE GOLD

I love this studded leather skirt. It’s so hard to find good a-line skirts lately. Everything I’ve been finding lately is pencil.

Tangerine dream! This color is toooo sweet. A healthy dress dosage of Vitamin C.

Whatchu think bew bews?

And here’s a little Stone Roses for you to listen to while we daydream of TBA…
+ Stone Roses “I Wanna Be Adored”

Question, menz. If I was your girlfriend, would you let me dress you? I mean, help you pick out your clothes before we go out? If so, I’d like for you to own this Frankenstein knit jacket from Sibling London. Now it might be chilly one night while we are out on the town, and I would need something to warm my cleavage (besides your hands.) You’d probably lend this to me, being the gentleman you are and all, right? Then…the next day you would receive a telegram or maybe even a third-party telegram TWEET (sidebar: do they have something like that? @TelegramTweets? IMAGINE) telling you your sweet Marie has unfortunately left the country…FOREVER. Yes, I left you for your Sibling London Scary Fairisle Handknit Jacket. I’m sorry in advance, but I was the Julia Roberts to your Kiefer Sutherland and your jacket was the alluring Jason Patric convincing me to run away with him. SAY WUT?! I swear if this was the late 80’s-early 90’s instead, this would be a gossip blog ’cause my Rainman-esque memory for the National Enquirer is OUTTA CONTROL! N-E-WAYZ…

Menswear designers Sibling London have come up with a horror-themed “knitmare” for their fourth collection and much to my squealing delight. Look how badass these pieces are. Menz why you gotsta have all the fun?

Another favorite is the Beware Hairy Hands sweater on the above left, a collaboration with artist Will Broome who has worked with Marc for Marc Jacobs and who also did a capsule collection for Topshop a couple of years ago. I love pixelated everything so I obviously approve of the Pixelated Frankenstein Crew on the above right.

They also updated their Noah skull Breton with a hoodie and darker colors.

Check out the cute pulp-style horror movie they did for the collection too!

Don’t forget, there’s the head-to-toe Fairilse knit with a mohawk and a mask. Would you make out with it? You know I would.

I just can’t help…

I first met the devastatingly handsome and hilarious hunk known as Rory when he wanted to interview YOURS TRULY for his blog Awesome All Day! Since then we have remained in touch like E.T. and Elliott. He became one of my favorite people ever so it was only natural to put him under the bright lights of my interrogation lamp and question him on all his MENZerisms. Meet our newest Dear Menz confidante…Rory of Awesome All Day!

+ What hurts a man’s ego more, faking a laugh or faking an orgasm?

You’re speaking hypothetically right? right?!

I’d be more worried that a girl would confuse the two. Can you imagine the awkwardness of faking a laugh when you were supposed to be fake orgasming? OR VICE VERSA?!

I also think the fake orgasm can be really misleading. Your physical reactions are like the roadmap to your lady gardens. If when my Harry meets your Sally, you fake it convincingly I’m going to try and make you have more fake orgasms in the same way. Do yourself a favor and just be honest about what is working and what isn’t because grrl we wanna get there with you.

+ Can straight guys genuinely just be friends with girls or are they all eventually just trying to hit it?

As the self-appointed representative of straight guys everywhere I’d just  like to make this simple statement:

Attention: All BFFs/Buddies/and girls who see themselves as “one of the guys”

We are all secretly in love with you. We have been since you’ve known us and you totally know it. You make us laugh, you’re there when we need you, and we like that you make our girlfriends/wives/significant others jealous. We may never try to make a touch down in the bone zone but that doesn’t mean it has not crossed our minds. We are your friends but don’t sell yourself short! Who wouldn’t want you?

Best Wishes,
Straight Guys Everywhere

+ What’s the sexiest thing that a girl can do to turn you on?

Polaroid Camera and love notes.

+ Would you ever dress like a mariachi and serenade a Prince song to a girl that you really liked?

I try to always dress like a charro. I live close to Alcala’s in Chicago which is one of the best western supply stores around. Every time I throw on the black and silver grrls can’t help but wonder about 23 positions in a one night stand.

also

“This is gonna b a long night
A little bit longer afternoon
Girl, if we get this thing right
Oh, U gonna get satisfied real soon
Can’t U see eye’m just tryin’ 2 get U satisfied yea”

+ What is something you’ve always wanted to do with a significant other but haven’t had the chance to yet?

Meet and fall in love in Chicago. Seriously.

+ Tell me a time when you experienced an ultimate boner killer from an internet crush. Was it a lame facebook status update? An alcohol-fueled drunken tweet?

I’m not sure? Can you set your relationship status to “home wrecker” on Facebook? I actually would love to go on a date and have the lucky lady live tweet the whole thing:

Lucky Lady409: Dude doesn’t have a car. This is going to be swell.

Lucky Lady409: Olive Garden really?! Well the breadsticks are pretty good…

Lucky Lady409: Hmm I wonder if he knows he laughs at his own jokes? In a non-endearing way. Off to the movies!

Lucky Lady409: God I love Amy Adams <3

Lucky Lady409: He invited me up to his place. At least he has a place! I assumed “pro-blogger” meant “Lives with parents”

Lucky Lady409: I’ve seen chimpanzees string a needle easier than he is getting my bra off.

+ What kind of creative date would you take a girl on that doesn’t require much money?

Contestant #3 Answers: I love a girl who knows her way around a bicycle. I’d love to pack up some food/beer then ride out to the lake and hang tough like longshoremen. Emphasis on the long.

Contestant #2 Answers: I’d take you on a midday happy-hour bar crawl. We could eat wings and drunk dial your friends to make them hate their crappy office jobs.

Contestant #1 Answers: These other loser contestants think way too small! Lets just move to Thailand and live high on the hog for dollars a day. Who needs America when we’ve got each other?

+ You have a penchant for writing Missed Connections. Will you fulfill one of my Internet fantasies and write one for ME?

Done and done.

http://www.awesomeallday.com/?p=1899

+ What’s the sexiest 80’s movie makeout scene you would want to recreate?

I have been and always will be in love Meredith Salenger from Dream a Little Dream. I’ve talked about my love hate relationship with both of the Coreys. I’m pretty sure sweet Meredith is where it all started.

+ Any last words of advice?

When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like that: “Have ya paid your dues, Jack?”

“Yessir, the check is in the mail.”

And with that Jack Burton panty-soaking quote, let’s thank Rory for this penetrating interview!!! You can add more Rory to your life by lurking Awesomeallday.com and his Twitter! And ladies…don’t forget to download the large version of Rory’s centerfold to print out and scotch-tape to your headboard!

P.S. Past Dear Menz can be found here!

Can we talk about how I suddenly have an obsession for black tie-dye? ‘Cause I DEW SON. This $10 tee is so perfect in my life right now.

♥ Black Tie-dye t-shirt and belt from Target, H&M skirt, Forever 21 jacket, Dollhouse heels, rosary, hatchet necklace ♥

I’m extra Asian here. Must be dem lashes and smokey eyeshadow. Here’s an accessory closeup and my new sparkly blue OPI nail polish, which I hadn’t realize was part of that new Alice in Wonderland collection when I bought it…

HALLOW

This polish caught my eye because it reminded me of ~the starry sky~. Bad news though… I am OVER IT ALREADY. And we can all blame the movie AVATAR!! UGH I know. I hate to even say that word on this blog but this is serious you guys. I am afraid to report Avatar may have ruined my love for cobalt blue. I didn’t realize it until I was listening to some Luda and staring at my nails resting on the steering wheel in traffic and my mind exclaimed, “OH NO GIRL THESE ARE NA’VI NAILS!!” First of all, let’s make things clear. I neither hated the movie or became Avatarded. I thought it was quite sexy actually. I’m just angry that this beautiful blue made me think of it almost automatically! And now I’ve ruined it for you so you’ll think of it anytime you see that blue!! AHHHH this cycle must stop!!! Since I am drinking from a glass half-full, I realized that this nail polish will be nice for future nailz did themes and will be fine “in small doses” to slowly erase the Avatar correlation from my memory. So we will be okay. I hope…

The higher the hair, the closer to heaven was never truer at the show for Jeremy Scott’s church-themed Fall 2010 collection. I LOVE THESE HAIRDOS!!! They reminded me that I have been lagging on the personal hair goal I made after writing the slutty Madonna post…a high ponytail with a braided wraparound. I recently acquired a *vintage* Montgomery Ward cone bra so I’m extra ready for some Blonde Ambition. But.. are YOU ready for this hairdew ladies? Can we bring back junior-high ponytails wound so tight it would make anybody look slightly Asian? We can even go crazy like I Dream of Jeannie and add our own little twist to it (NPI-NO PUN INTENDED) COME ON LADEEZ!

I also loved the intense eye makeup. A little Siouxsie-esque, no? Anyway, once you decide if you want to try this new ‘do with me you let me know. I have to warn you though.. I might already be on expert level by then and possessing a blackbelt in a ponytail magic.

GULP.

If you want to read more about my thoughts on the Jeremy Scott show, please take a lurk at The Lipstick Diaries!

JS photos via Elle.com

Does anybody else feel me on this too? It conjures up a particular scene from…

MONSTER SQUAD!!!!!!

Well maybe that’s just me. Hallow. Needless to say that was my favorite part of the Rodarte show. How bout chu?