Concert goers everywhere rejoice – Dr Martens has released their Festival boot.

A nifty hybrid of a wellington and the traditional design of the Dr Marten boot, this is one piece of footwear that is hardier than the traditional rain boot and definitely constructed with love.

Though they’re priced at $135US per pair, I’m sure seasoned outdoor music muckers will agree it’s a proper investment.

After all, one cannot enjoy any type of music with squishy, cold feet!

Literally.

CK’s new “One” is being sold with a mini ipod speaker under the bottle of fragrance.  I tried this little baby out, and it worked fairly well for being such a small speaker.  It takes two double A batteries, and the volume is controlled by your ipod.

As for the fragrance itself, it is a unisex scent designed for wear on both genders.  It’s nicely subtle when worn in moderation and is curiously a mix between a bit of musk and a dash of floral…methinks I’ll actually be wearing this one!

This is the item in question; Forever 21′s new zippered ruffle tank, priced at a recessionista $13.  As we arrive closer to springlike temperatures, we will be [of course] baring our arms in various sturdy wardrobe basics like embellished tanks.

This tank appeals to me for a number of reasons; the zipper detail, the ruffles are reminiscent of a pirate seafaring look (but is just subtle enough to be worn with multiple outfits) and white can always be easily layered upon.

Let’s take a peek at a few styling possibilities below.

There are many routes you can go style wise.  To avoid looking akin to a Jerry Seinfeld-esque pirate, avoid layering with stripes, tall boots and most long jackets.  Basically, anything that invokes the mental image of a swashbuckling rampage in your head, style in the opposite manner.

Play with your pieces and identify which ones work with the fluffy ruffling of the tank until you find your winners.  Below I’ve put together two looks; the left being causal and the right being more formal.  When putting together a look with an embellished tank, it’s best to avoid most neck jewelry unless it is quite simplistic.  Instead, work with embellished layers such as the Balmain vest on the left look.

In the thick of this apparent recession, $3,000 dresses designed by Victoria Beckham are actually selling out!

Can you believe this? I can’t imagine anyone paying three grand for any of her creations; let alone a collection that features the same silhouette for every dress.

I suppose if there is a market for these types of pieces, good for her, though it’s silly that more design effort isn’t put into any of her collections.

Topman has once again proven its ability to take the best essences of young men’s looks and hybridize with patterns and fabrics to create mature styling that is wearable across any generation (mind the skinny slacks, though!)

Working within traditional layering (button downs, blazers and sweaters or cardis), it is the juxtaposing fabric patterns and color choices that create a stand out look from what potentially could become a dull look. The country air of this collection reminds me of a more streamlined and controlled version of D&G’s menswear during FW08; though this clearly has less emphasis on volume and a sleek silhouette.

The beauty of these looks is they are effortless to re-create; spend an afternoon thrifting and you [and your wallet] will be coming up roses. Invest in professional tailoring for your more often worn, classic pieces (such as blazers and oxford shirts) while allow sweaters and cardis to keep their oversizing.

In addition to all of this, I would suggest accentuating jackets and even blazers with fur and leathers; this creates a strong, cohesive visual with earth tones and is practical within winter climates.

I don’t usually cross link without having some sort of related discussion, but Capitol Hill Style completely covers everything in their exposé of ChickDowntown‘s shady business practices.

By all appearances, this looks and smells a lot like credit fraud, so read up and beware.

Read the entire article here

Quiet, polite Baylor has been given the PRC2 boot.

As has been floating around the internets, it may have been Kim’s sass that kept her on the show after an admittedly awful dress, though that’s the nature of the ‘reality’ TV beast.  It’s been made painfully clear by the producers of this show that being talented doesn’t cut it here; you’ve got to stir the pot and piss some people off.  Baylor wasn’t playing the reality TV game, and that is the bottom line.

It’s hilarious how seriously commenters on the official PRC2 blogs are taking these challenges; Kim’s been getting some intense hate from viewers.  If people don’t realize there are factors to excite and aggravate the contestants to create this kind of drama, you people are damn fools.

If you have an opinion on matters, toss in on the official PRC2 blogs, but don’t spend too much time reading that word fodder.

I wonder if this will catch on? (hah!)

Two of my favorite musical eccentrics and personal style loves have now gone the route of the feather adorned jacket.  P-Wolf did this back in ’07, while Brandon has seemed to have caught up to him in the last half year or so.

Though I concede it’s not saying much that I would wear one of these pieces during any day of the week, but would you?

With its stacked buckles, cone heel and slight platform, the Lex-3 is one gladiator design I can handle.

They are futuristic without the cheese and take the best design qualities of the glad (buckles, please!) without giving the illusion that you just bounced from the Coliseum.

The Lex-3 runs at $145 and also comes in spacetastic metallic bronze or taupe leather.

Holy shazbot, guys…these shoes are amazing. They’re the perfect glamazon footwear with a couture look and an affordable price point! The blue booties really evoke Balenciaga’s FW06 collection.

I can hardly type, I’m so stoked.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Victoria Beckham’s FW09 collection was plainly designed and impeccably tailored. That being said, I was also bored to the point of tears. While these pieces were strong and had character, there was not one piece that stood out as exceptional. It all seemed too classic, too safe and too overdone.

I feel like I’ve already seen most of these pieces before, and I definitely wasn’t moved by a particular piece. The three outfits below capture the best of the collection; nothing too intense, but wearable nonetheless (could you not see Angelina Jolie in the black floor length?)

View the entire VB FW09 collection here

Without a shadow of a doubt, Justin Gaston the world some of its worst male model content.

His poses are always juvenile, amateur and it’s painfully obvious the only reason he is booking is because he’s schtupping Miley Cyrus.

Have you seen anyone do a worse job than Justin? Share!

Images via VMAN

The Richard Nicoll collection for Topshop is all together some of the dullest designs I’ve seen for SS09.

Beach/summer lounge wear doesn’t have to be a heinous bore, and I’m personally against white main pieces at any time. They make your skin look off, get dirty so easily and they’re plain boring.

If you’re one for lighter fabrics, go for antique whites or taupes that will blend more fluidly with other colors.

These are qualities you would usually pass by when looking for a new piece of clothing, but SS09 is showing us the return of the grungy damaged look.

Anything with strategically placed rips or tears seems to be a hot tamale at the moment and thankfully this is an easy trend to DIY, though for shredded denim I still recommend buying from a store.

I’ve tried to created the shred, and either you end up cutting too cleanly for proper fiber shredding and tearing or you spend too much time trying to duplicate the look.  Since shredded boyfriend jeans are being mass produced, you’ll be able to find affordable pairs that will save you some time.

From left to right: Marios Schwab slashed top ($110; Topshop), Slit leggings ($44; American Apparel), Indigo Saints ripped boyfriend jeans ($43; Alloy)

For all us Marcello fans, Fluevog appears to have made us a spacetastic version.

I’m assuming the price will hover around $269 (this is historically what the Marcellos have been priced at), though I figure since this one is all metallic the price point will be a shade higher.

These Marcellos are set to be released in March.

Alright, eager shoppers…the location of the new Forever 21 has been confirmed to be in Burnaby’s Metrotown by this spring if construction completes on time. The store location within the mall will be on the ground floor across from Buffalo.

That’s not quite Vancouver (which sucks), though Metrotown is a short Skytrain hop away. It’s a bummer we’ll have to dog the mall rats in order to get sweet F21 gear, though.

Perhaps they’re playing the same game as H&M and planning the mall location as a brand test to see if there’s enough interest? Let’s hope so…Pacific Center needs a Forever 21 of its own!

Marbling is appearing more and more often in SS09, though with the resurgence of acid wash treatments for denim nobody should be surprised.

The latest gem in the fabric marbling world is Forever 21′s marbled sock.  For the nearly nothing price of $6, you can add a lovely layering look to your wardrobe that will pass seamlessly from SS09 to FW09.

These socks also come in fuchsia/white and blue/white, though these are very day-glo esque colors and may be too garish for the rest of the fashion world’s color trending for SS09.

Would you venture into the realm of the marbles? Would you pick up these socks? It seems for $6 it would be worth the risk.

Styling multiple patterns together is one of the more difficult challenges of dressing creatively. We are told all our life not to mix contrasting patterns, but let me make this clear: that is not a concrete rule that must be observed, only one to be treated with caution.

As we saw with the recent Diane Von Furstenberg FW09 runway showing during NYFW, contrasting patterns that have absolutely no rhyme or reason for their pairings can take you from civilly dressed to styling master with hardly any effort whatsoever.

When pairing contrasting patterns, always choose to have one pattern dominate over the other. Either one will be busier or brighter/intense. If you have two equally strong patterns competing with one another, your look will be visually uncomfortable and won’t look well blended or styled.

Experiment with colors and shapes as well; don’t be afraid to try something that you have doubts may work together…you will never know until you put the pieces together. Just be sure to give yourself a few final looks before you decide to leave the house in an experimental outfit!

Outfit breakdown:

Left: Merino scarf (£35; All Saints), D&G striped tank ($125; Net-A-Porter), Bodycon skirt ($50; Topshop), Pointelle knee sock ($7; American Eagle), Loeffler Randall cutout Yvette bootie ($345; eLuxury)

Center: YSL gold animal print necklace (£320; Browns), See by Chloé flower print dress ($485; Net-A-Porter), Balenciaga latticed city bag (£1,245; Browns), Garcelle tights ($7; Forever 21), Amelie boot (Topshop)

Right: Tom Binns safety pin necklace (€1218; Luisa Viaroma), Tsumori Chisato dress ($826; La Garçonne), Diesel leather studded cuff ($110; 80s Purple), Striped tights ($10; Forever 21), Christian Louboutin studded ankle boots ($863; Net-A-Porter)

Some of these auctions have less than five hours left, and they’re still at very reasonable prices.  The lowest at the moment is the Vicente Villarin (shown on the bottom, second from right) for $200 with 6 hours and 14 minutes left before the auction closes.

All of these one of a kind dresses have been designed in collaboration with various fashion designers and cosmetic house M.A.C. to benefit the Museum at FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology).  For a completely unique piece, $200 isn’t all that bad!

Check out all of the dresses here

From left to right: Designed by Elie Saab (currently $230), Designed by Hervé Léger for Max Azria (currently $405), Designed by Vicente Villarin (currently $200), Designed by Miro (currently $205)

Not only was Katy Perry’s one of a kind Hello Kitty adorned corset covered in M.A.C. accessories, but the piece was created by The Blonds.

The Blonds have created some of the craziest pieces celebs have worn; corsets and dresses by them have been worn by everyone from Dita Von Tesse to Britney Spears.

Apparently blonds do have more fun, if we’re only judging by their runway shows at least.