Weighty Issues

American Vogue is notorious for being blah. But somehow Grace Coddington snuck this little gem into the April Issue as the title photo of the "Can you Raise your Metabolism?" story. I'm not sure what conclusion the article came to, but the photo is amazing. It brings fat suits to a whole new level.

White Trash: Don't it Look Fun?

White trash. Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Let's try. Hillbilly, Redneck, Cracker?

Trash. The others don't quite work. This is the name for the discarded, or for those who simply got passed on by. It's a mean slur but a slur that our society doesn't seem to mind and in fact perpetuates as a running joke.

And I'm not immune because when I think of white trash I think NRA. Rick Santorum. Pleather Coaches. Methamphetamine. I think of awkward encounters in rest stops and confederate flags. So I am trying to understand why the idea of 'white trash' fascinates the fashion world, and more importantly why it is a legitimate source of inspiration.

White trash fashion is essentially the glamorization of poverty, where trailers suddenly become home to La Vie Boheme, a life of smoking cigarettes on plastic patio furniture in a tube top and push up bra. The girls are blonde, skinny, with big boobs and a look like they just got felt up. And they always always look like they got stuck in the 80s.

The truth of it is, most girls don't look so good in tube tops, that push up bra isn't doing nearly enough, and the cigarette she's smoking is starting to look more sad more than sexy. But by making white trash look good we can brush over what it means to be poor. Because being poor in America, no matter what color you are, now that ain't sexy. And maybe we need to start to think about what that actually means.


Photographs by
Mark Kean for Wonderland Magazine
Jason Lee Parry for Oyster Magazine
Angelo Pannetta for Doing Bird
Hugh Lippe for Russh #42

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Mama's Day Picks from Etsy

Everybody's got a mama. And most people love their mamas, which explains why on May 13th more people will buy flowers than any other day of the year. Flowers are great, but if you want to mix it up, I've created a selection of picks from Etsy that are sure to please that special lady.

The card says it all

Mother of Pearl Inlay Box

Silk Flower Hydrangeas

1950s Scarf

Art Deco Brooch

1920s Enamel Necklace

Banana Republic: A Love Story

"How did she find herself here of all places? Sure it had been great at first, there was late night drinking and flirting that met its inevitable end. But now he was distant. She had figured things were over because he had begun to ignore her and she had begun to compose a breakup monologue. But something was off and it frightened her.

Despite being two bus rides and four plane trips away from home she hadn't felt lonely until now. Lonely is what she felt back in New York, where "friends" were the people who texted her on a Saturday night. And while she hadn't actually known the island residents very long, they were good to her. But then, here it was again, that lingering sense of unease"

 I absolutely loved this photoshoot, it reminds me of a set of stills from a film noir. Pretty little rich girl gets unwittingly involved in an assasination coverup in a Banana Republic (hence the preview of my future in Romance novels) or something like that. The photographs seem to imply a narrative and a dangerous one at that, like why is she wandering into a forest in a fur coat. And why is she always so alone?

Sean & Seng for Numero

Via FGR

More More More after The Jump

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