wishpot wednesday: if i were a rich girl...

I'm not by nature particularly starry-eyed when it comes to fashion; I'm a full-blown Maxxinista, to be sure, but I attribute that to my old-fashioned love of quality rather than a desire for designer brands. I have my favorites, of course, and there is a thrill to happening across an Anna Sui top or a BCBG dress, but I'm just as happy finding something by a label I don't know. However. I'm not immune to the luxe draw of high fashion, and there are a few icon pieces I've fallen rather ardently in love with...


Mulberry Alexa Leather Bag, $1,150; net-a-porter
This bag. Oh, this bag. It's not traditionally my style, and I don't even consider its namesake (English It-Girl Alexa Chung) to be a particular style icon of mine, but there is just something about this bag! It's somehow vintage and bohemian simultaneously. It's at once structured and slouchy. I love the shape, I love the accents. I just can't get enough of it, and I can't help but be my traditional self and desire the most iconic version of it, which is of course the oak shade. I wear mostly black and shades of gray, but the Alexa just looks like it was made for this color, doesn't it? I've seen a few people who have found the bag for a steal on eBay, but I'm not a particularly experienced eBayer and I don't have the easiest time telling the real ones from the replicas. Sigh.


Christian Louboutin Décolleté 100 Jazz Pumps $595; net-a-porter
Call me a hopeless romantic (because I am), but my life somehow won't be complete until I've worn a pair of black Louboutin pumps. This shoe, in my very Carrie Bradshaw-esque opinion, is a completely relevant investment of almost six hundred dollars. If you're the sort of person who has six hundred dollars to invest. In shoes. But really, I don't have a singular interest in being Rachel Zoe or Victoria Beckham and having a collection of Birkin bags (VB apparently has over 100 - Posh Spice indeed). I simply want one pair of classic Louboutins that I can have forever. I think that's a pretty healthy viewpoint as shoe fetishes go. Realistic, for an unemployed, unpublished novelista? Of course not. But it could certainly be worse!



A Fabulous Fantasy Lip Kit $22.50; MAC Cosmetics
Dashing Lassie Eye Shadows $36; MAC Cosmetics
Readers of SHE will already know of my love for these palettes from MAC's Tartan Tale holiday collection.  I'm a big fan of MAC (though I do think I've been spoiled by the baked eye shadows from Urban Decay; can nothing be more perfect?) and the holiday collections are the best time to get great sets at comparatively decent prices. I'm craving the fabulous smokey eye that would come from that second palette and the either nude or dramatic lips from the first. Gimme!

I hope you've all enjoyed this foray into my fashion daydreams. What have you been wishing for lately?

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Wishpot.com is an easy-to-use site that lets you create an online wishlist from products you find all over the web. A button added on to your browser lets you add to your Wishpot as you shop. Check it out, and feel free to add me as a friend!

style profile: audrey hepburn

Welcome to a new series here at The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower! Style Profile is my small attempt to capture the style of artists, celebrities, icons, historians and other people of the world whose looks inspire me. I thought it was only appropriate to start the series off with my most beloved icon, the indisputably lovely Audrey Hepburn. Everyone knows Audrey for everything from the little-black-dress to cigarette pants, but as watching some of her lesser known films will show you, our dear Audrey was not afraid to take risks in fashion. Of all her years of statement-making style, I've selected the two decades in which she inspires me the most: the 1950s and 1960s.


Behind the scenes of Sabrina, 1954.
I think Sabrina was the film in which she found her style. It was here that she began her lifelong friendship and collaboration with Hubert de Givenchy. The Cinderella story of Sabrina really seems to reflect her off-camera style at the time. She went from being the fresh-faced sweetheart who swept the Oscars off their feet in 1953 to the sophisticated European with the mysterious je ne sais quoi. Even her hairstyle went from the cute cropped cut of Roman Holiday to something much more chic and mature.


On the set of Funny Face with Fred Astaire, 1957.
For a lot of women, Audrey is the quintessential fashionista. Everyone knows the image of Holly Golightly outside Tiffany's dripping in jewels and munching on a danish. Audrey was a bit more subdued in her own style, I think. She didn't create her look for the purpose of drawing attention to herself. Her instant style icon status seemed to happen just by the simple act of being herself. Even her most streamlined minimalist looks were quietly romantic, as she was.


How to Steal a Million, 1966.
Her style is iconic, and yet she changed drastically throughout her film career. Comparing her look in productions like Roman Holiday next to her later films such as Two for the Road will give you two amazingly different Audreys. I think her off-screen style was represented quite accurately through her on-screen style and the changes she went through on camera were similar to the fashion risks she took in real life. The 1960s, which were kick-started with her unforgettable turn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, launched a whole new style for Audrey. I think she grew out of the classic, timelessly chic look after that. She started experimenting with bold make-up and modern hairstyles. Her clothes maintained a classic silhouette, but she was vibrant and colorful as the years went on.


Shot by Howell Conant, 1967.
By all accounts, her style was a reflection of her personality. At the beginning of her Hollywood stardom in 1953 she was timid, demure and anxious. As she grew accustomed to her status and as her personal life took her through many hardships and joys she grew more understanding of the world and more confident in herself. In the '50s, with her romance and marriage to her first husband, Mel Ferrer, she believed in fairy tales and relished the timelessness of true love. That was her quietly romantic period. After two divorces, multiple miscarriages and the harsh realities of Hollywood attempted to take her down she realized that fairy tales are what you make them and that life isn't always black-and-white. She never married the man she called the love of her life, Rob Wolders, because she no longer believed in the institution. I think it was then, later in her life, that she was at her most independent and artistic and I think the 1960s were the years that started shaping that vision.


I hope you've all enjoyed this peek into the icon and simultaneously rather unpredictable style of Audrey Hepburn. It's difficult to capture the entirety of Audrey in just one post, but I wanted to at least touch on some of the ways she has inspired me. I'll be featuring Audrey again in a secondary upcoming series with a focus less on style and more on character. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

all walks beyond the catwalk

I'm so excited to share with you all an organization I came across the other day through one of my favorite blogs, Some Kind of Style. (If you aren't following, be sure to do so!) The lovely Camilla posted about supermodel Erin O'Connor and the year-young organization, All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.


All Walks Beyond the Catwalk is an organization that recognizes the power the fashion industry has to communicate positive messages to women and men about their bodies and acts.
Small steps, big ideas.
All Walks Beyond the Catwalk

Founded by O'Connor, Caryn Franklins and Debra Bourne and endorsed by the British Fashion Council, All Walks Beyond the Catwalk is about embracing individuality in all forms - whether by race, color, shape or size - and has seen contributions and support from some of the leading names in the industry, including photographer Rankin and designers such as Antonio Berardi, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and my favorite fresh face, William Tempest! He is quoted on the All Walks web site for saying, "Individuality gives people style and charisma and is what keeps life fresh and interesting. It’s really refreshing to be making and seeing fashion on a variety of different shapes and sizes."

It's so wonderful to see more people tackling the issue of the fashion industry's narrow view on beauty. Take a moment to check out this inspiring video in which contributors talk about the organization and what it stands for...



There's also another great video interview over here with the marvelous Erin O'Connor. Be sure to check out more from Erin O'Connor in Cam's Erin O'Connor is 'Revealed'!

All Walks Beyond the Catwalk on Facebook
All Walks Beyond the Catwalk on Twitter

mike, molly and marie claire

I often wonder at the identity of my blog. Sometimes I think I haven't found it, other times I think it's not something that needs to be found. A blog - or at least this blog - is an extension of its author. If the author wants to take a break from being an author and create visually-inspiring entries with less emphasis on text before turning around and publishing an editorial-style entry, that's her prerogative, isn't it? That's why I feel comfortable brandishing my diversity with posts like Miu Miu by Kris Atomic and Friend Friday: Shapes and Sizes. That's also why I'm here with a few words about the now-infamous blog entry by Maura Kelly for Marie Claire, Should "Fatties" Get a Room? (Even on TV?). If you've missed this bit of weight-centric drama, I'll explain: Kelly was asked by her editor to write a post on the subject of plus-size actors on television. What resulted could be considered an attack on obese people by a woman suffering from anorexia and a blatant obsession with being thin. Kelly targeted CBS's new hit comedy Mike and Molly, which stars Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as overweight Chicagoans who meet and fall in love at Overeater's Anonymous. My mom and I watched the pilot, both ecstatic about seeing our dear Melissa McCarthy in a starring role after such hilarious and charming pursuits as Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls and Dena on Samantha Who?. Neither of us could get invested in the comedic tone of Mike and Molly, but it was certainly not for lack of trying on the part of the leads.



In regard to Kelly's article, Sharon Osbourne has spoken out about it, along with a legion of angry readers via Twitter, Facebook, the blogging world and in comments on the original post which have built up to almost 3,000. Kelly has since issued an apology - you can read that at the end of her original post. In my opinion, however, no apology will ever be sufficient for things like this:

Yes, anorexia is sick, but at least some slim models are simply naturally skinny. No one who is as fat as Mike and Molly can be healthy. And obesity is costing our country far more in terms of all the related health problems we are paying for, by way of our insurance, than any other health problem, even cancer.

So anyway, yes, I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I'd find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair.

...I think obesity is something that most people have a ton of control over. It's something they can change, if only they put their minds to it.

The average reader of Marie Claire is thirty years old (source), but it's still Maura Kelly's job as an author to evaluate her writing and thoroughly understand the influence it will have on its audience. Let's face it, there's no age-limit on being impressionable. Even adults can be swayed into believing one thing or another by the media. The first paragraph could easily influence a woman into believing that Kelly thinks being anorexic is okay because it's less expensive, or that there's no such thing as a naturally heavy person. Wording like this, whatever her intention, is very badly done. As to the second paragraph, the fact that anyone could possibly form those words in their mind, translate them to print and not for a moment entertain that they could be in any way offensive is perfect proof of how insensitive our society has become. Again, I fault Kelly as a writer for having such flippant regard for the way her words will be interpreted. My own personal interpretation of them was grossly negative and I was left wondering how someone with such little regard for language - nevermind someone who freely expresses such unhelpful opinions as these - could possibly have a career as a writer. Her obvious disgust at the idea of obese people "kissing", waking across a room or simply "doing anything" reeks of unhealthy body image issues and encourages the reader to notice and judge the appearance of others. I'm of the opinion that a person's weight is their own business and if an obese person makes a decision to be healthier there are specialists to help and discuss that. Our business ought to be to accept the people we share this world with. Publications like Maura Kelly's are throwing the acceptance process into complete reverse and society is impressionable enough to follow their trend. There may be a high obesity rate in this country, but low self-esteem is an epidemic.

While I'm disappointed in the author of the offending article, I also need to express my outright anger at the editor who first presented this topic to a woman with pre-established weight issues and who allowed its publication online.


Regardless of your opinions on weight-related issues, just look at those faces! Melissa is without question one of the perkiest, sweetest, most dazzling women on television right now. I don't understand how anyone could not enjoy watching her.
Mike and Molly co-star Swoosie Kurtz said of the show, "I think it will help people to feel not so alone. We all kind of build these little self-imposed prisons of loneliness for ourselves because of our feelings of inadequacy and insecurity." I agree wholeheartedly with this, and I applaud Melissa, Billy, the cast, crew and the CBS execs for giving this approach a chance.

This brings me to a few other posts I'd like to share which cover subjects relating in some ways to the ones above...


Beautifully Invisible: Can't we all just be Fashionistas?
The stimulating and anonymous Beautifully Invisible approaches the many words that stereotype fashion bloggers - "Plus size", "Curvy", "Fatshionista" - and voices her own opinion on the size issue in the fashion blogging world.



Grit and Glamour: Why I'm Not on Weardrobe, Chictopia, Lookbook or Hypeed
V of Grit and Glamour is the author of many inspiring posts (as are all the ladies I'm mentioning here - with the exception, perhaps, of the very first: Miss Kelly). In this particular piece V boldly acknowledges the favoritism and stereotyping issues of social fashion Web sites. The opinions she gives voice to in this post are some that I share in quite passionately.


ArtFashion: Friday Parade: The Fashion blogosphere - Is hate the new trend?
On a slightly different topic, Bere of ArtFashion has started a revolution to end the hate that has long gone uncontested in the fashion blogging world. She speaks out against those who create blogs for the sole purpose of "bashing" fashion bloggers and encourages everyone reading to embrace kindness. A must-read, as these all are.

I hope this post has been in some way beneficial to you, dear reader. If you're still with me, thank you very much for devoting a bit of your time to such prominent and challenging issues. I hope we can all work to change the negative perspectives that manage to suffocate the creative, unique and independent artists online.

Friend Friday: Shapes and Sizes

Katy at ModlyChic hosts a bloggy questionnaire every week called Friend Friday, and while a lot of the blogs I follow have answered the questions before, this is my first time giving it a shot. I think my blog is initially a visual thing - I post a lot of pictures - but my original purpose for starting it was to take the step to writing a bit more publicly. The questions in this week's Friend Friday inspired me to post some writing, because it happens to be a subject I'm quite passionate about: weight and overall size in the fashion world.

1. Should someone's size stop them from fashion blogging or having a voice in the community?
In no way should someone's size dictate their place in the "blogosphere". No certain body type or size has any more entitlement to fashion than another. Fashion just is. No one is responsible for it, no one is in charge of it. You don't go around saying that someone is "good at fashion". To me, fashion blogging is opinions and creativity and influence (in a positive way). It's about sharing things, discovering things and finding your own style that vibes with you. You don't have to be a certain size to be qualified to share in those things.

2. In your opinion, can the term "curvy" and "plus-sized" be used interchangeably when it comes to fashion?
Not at all. Unfortunately I think it happens in the fashion world, but I don't think it's right. The fashion world seems far too close-minded, in my opinion, when it comes to body type. If you go to a store like Kohls you'll find "petites", "misses" and "women's" sizes. I think that appeals to a lot of different body types and that's one of the reasons why I would be inclined to shop there; but when you're looking at high-end retailers the variety seems to dissipate. It seems to me that the average (according to designers) body type is quite skinny. Women who aren't "skinny" tend to have curves, right? So if you're saying that curvy is plus-size it would seem that the only body types that exist are "skinny" and "plus-size". That just doesn't seem healthy - and it's also rather uninteresting. Where's the uniqueness?


This gorgeous lady is the superbly talented singer/dancer/actress Ann Miller. You might know her from such films as Easter Parade (with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland) or Kiss Me Kate (with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson). This is one of my favorite pictures of any classic actress because, aside from her sheer and unstoppable beauty, I was fascinated by the realness of her shape. I wouldn't say she's bombastically curvaceous, but she isn't what I would call skinny either. She has a very natural, a sort of earthy shape - and not only that, but this photo is from a time when this look was it. There wasn't much of a difference between model-size and reality-size. That is a healthy way to be. In my very humble opinion.

3. Many people make the argument that catering to plus sized women would promote being overweight as "okay". What do you think? Should more designers be catering to plus size women?
I think that argument is severely flawed. Let's say a plus size woman has made the decision to lose weight and "get healthier". Bodies don't change overnight. What's she supposed to wear in the meantime?! Definitely, designers should be catering to plus size women. I just don't think size is a matter which designers have any say in whatsoever. I also think it's unfair for plus size women to be excluded from anything because of their size. I spent my teenage years wearing the same thing over and over, never wanting to buy anything because I thought that in some way being bigger meant you weren't entitled to shop, or that I had to lose weight before I could have the luxury of establishing a wardrobe. I finally realized that I didn't want to "wait" anymore. I had a right to embrace my own style; I could wear clothes, new clothes, pretty clothes. I can still be seen clinging to a clearance rack when my self-esteem takes a hit, but I'm certainly making progress.

4. Should the mainstream fashion industry be showcasing more plus size models?
Absolutely. I think it's all rather bleak, to be honest. A lot of people see the words "plus size" and think "obese", but I don't think that's a fair assessment at all. Especially considering how clothing sizes seem to be getting smaller and smaller. I remember a time when a size 6 was desirable. Now that's only a step or two away from plus size. And it goes with my answer above: I think it's important to showcase plus size models because even if women decide they want to lose weight, this is how they look now and I think that's what women should be embracing. Life's too short.


"We have to deal with what we’ve got, appreciate it and move swiftly on. We all spend far too much time focusing on what we don’t have and undermining what we do in the process."
Sophie Dahl is one of my heroes. She's an author, a cook and - once upon a time - a plus size model. She's also the granddaughter of Roald Dahl. Her recent (and tragically short-lived) cooking show, The Delicious Miss Dahl, showcased her stellar personality as well as her cooking; she has a truly realistic view of what's healthy (and also great taste in music, poetry, fashion - but that's for another post entirely). Her article How Food Has Shaped My Life tells the story of her life in food and fashion.

5. For you personally, how do you view your size, the struggle with it through the years, your ideal size, etc...
I've never actually confronted this "online", but I'm inspired to embrace it now. I come from the Christina Hendricks House of Curve. Unfortunately I'm not in as great of shape as Christina, but that's something I aspire to and I think that's healthier than thinking "I want to be skinny, I want to lose weight". There's so much more to our bodies, so much more beneath the surface than simply fat or no-fat. There's bone structure and body type, etc. And the curvy thing really works for me. Actually, it fits me perfectly. I was told many times that I was sixteen going on thirty-five; I blew right on past teenagerdom into full-blown womanhood, both in body and spirit. I didn't wear juniors clothes for very long at all. It is frustrating that my body type can't wear every style. Chances are that I couldn't do much effective shopping at Forever 21 because the clothes aren't shaped for a mature body type. (Although they do have Faith 21, a selection of larger sizes.) As for my struggle, it is and always has been difficult. I recently saw pictures of myself and was so disheartened. When I look in the mirror I don't see a "big girl", I see me. Perfectly average me. But these recent pictures made me stop and think that I'm perhaps a little more than average. It was a difficult time, and I'm disappointed in myself for over-thinking the matter of size. I made the decision that I'd like to work on my shape, fine-tuning it rather than making it smaller.

As I begin closing out this rather gratuitous post I'd like to say that when I first dove into the world of blogging I was a little nervous about how my sensitive personality would be affected by all the skinny Lookbookers, etc. I was afraid my confidence would waver, but I've been absolutely blessed to find the company of all of you who've left me comments and followed my little blog. You are all the most genuinely open-minded, kind-hearted, honestly lovely people I could ever be fortunate enough to know, and I so appreciate the beauty of each and every one of you!

Thanks to all who took the time to read all of this, and be sure to check out the original post on ModlyChic here which has Katy's answers and links to the posts of everyone else who took part. Cheers!

remembering norma jeane

"I used to think as I looked at the Hollywood night, 'There must be thousands
of girls sitting alone like me, dreaming of becoming a movie star. But I'm
not going to worry about them. I'm dreaming the hardest.'"
48 years ago today the world lost Marilyn Monroe. It's so tragic to think that she's been gone longer than she was alive, but I don't like to dwell on sad things. Life's too short to be anything but happy, so I'd like to remember her today for all of her goodness, gentility and femininity. I don't know much of the real Marilyn, just the character I've conjured from pictures and quotes of her, but I've always thought of her as a ceaseless dreamer with the ultimate courage and sensitivity. I feel like she reached out to everything that existed around her, and she touched it from somewhere deep inside. She had this tremendous joie de vivre that I find exquisitely beautiful. I think she'd be proud to be remembered like that, right?


I can only really confess to having seen two of her films: Some Like It Hot and The Misfits. So if anyone has recommendations for their favorite Marilyn performances, feel free to share them!

OH and check this out, The Girl Who Stole The Eiffel Tower was mentioned at the BonBonRoseGirls blog! I was so excited. If you aren't a Rosebud yet, you should really check it out. Such a wonderful community of lovely and stylish ladies!

pretty little bird and weekend wishes

I was flipping through the latest issue of InStyle this morning and saw the most beautiful spread of photographs from Robin Tunney's home in LA! Unfortunately I couldn't find any pictures besides this one online - maybe I'll scan them myself someday - but that's okay because this was one of my favorites. I love her vintage dress and her cute little smile and her hair! I've always wanted to do that with my hair, but never really knew how. I do a makeshift version when I get up in the mornings, just twisting the sides round and pinning them, but I always end up putting the back into a ponytail because I don't know what else to do with it. Maybe I'll make that a project for the weekend? Does anyone happen to know of any video tutorials, etc? I'd also like to reorganize my tags on the blog over the weekend! They've gotten so out of control.

My evening has been consumed with reading other lovely blogs and watching Pride and Prejudice (2005) for the zillionth time. Such a fun way to spend my Friday night. (: Hope you all have a lovely weekend, whatever your plans are!

on the sunny side of the street

Some black eyeliner and red lipstick cure the Monday blues. Glam it up!
(Yes, I've been playing with my camera's burst setting again. Also, pardon the frizz. Ick.)