Where the streets have no name.

At four a.m., my obsession with postmodernism continues...

Street fashion: Pull out your grandma's shawls and your uncle's oxfords because it seems the uglier, older, and grungier you look, the better style you have. Personally, I think I find this trend quite lovely. The reinvention of what has sat buried in attics from days long ago needed to come out and play with all the hedonists of our day. Part of me is thrilled I can now wear my obscenely colored hi-tops with a carefully misbuttoned silk blouse bunched under suspenders and still be all the rage! (I will also admit having my photo snapped by a street fashion photographer while (unsuccessfully) attempting to sneak into Sao Paulo Fashion Week was probably one of the prouder moments of my life thus far.) Seeing Comme des Garcons in H&M aisles last season made it official for me: when a fashion designer as innovative as Rei Kawakubo has reached the masses, permanent change is on its way...but should we look forward to it?

My verdict on street fashion is a little murky for a few reasons. First of all, it kills me to see these kids try to sneak over into the hipster world. Don't think I didn't notice your plaid square scarf and Chuck's Mister I'm too Good for Fashion Trends. With everyone jumping on the street fashion boat, it seems people attempt zealously to look effortless, an oxymoron I simply cannot ignore. If you can't rock it, please do us all a favor and either beg some hipsters to lend you some of their cool, or just stick to your mass produced, prestyled, thoughtless clothes. Thanks.

Secondly, I recently had a discussion with some friends on the difference between dressing for you gender and dressing for the opposite sex. Can women sport street fashion and still flatter their best assets? I may have to conduct an experiment on this...from my general experience, keeping with this trend requires sacrificing sex appeal for both genders. Ladies, you may think you like it, but eventually won't you question why those boys wear tighter pants then you? And won't you swear you have a haircut identical to that bass player you saw onstage last night? Gentlemen, the general agreement says women look sexy in your white button down when lounging around the house...but does she look as good if she only wears bizarre silhouettes ballooning out around her figure? How long can we bear to wear thick rimmed glasses when our eyesight is perfectly fine? When will we embrace sleek electronic devices and remember why we stopped carrying around boomboxes on our shoulders in the first place? Is fashion on its way to eliminating the differences between genders for good? If so, I definately just overpayed for that push-up bra...


I am confident that I along with half the girls I know own these shades.
"You'd be surprised at how much it costs to look this cheap!" Ms. Parton herself. -Caroline