SICKA THAN AVERAGE

Pin-Up Girl Beach Style — Rachel Comey Goes Retro And Prim With Her Swim 2012 Collection

These days, when most bathing suits feature plunging, to-the-belly-button necklines, revealing cut-outs, and thong bottoms, designer Rachel Comey is striking back against the hypersexual swimwear arena, releasing a collection consisting of modest and conservative pieces that feel elegant in their retro chic appeal rather than seeming dated or matronly.

The Midge Suit ($299 at RachelComey.com) pictured at top, for instance, offer full coverage along the bottom, so that the sides won’t reveal too much of your hips or upper thighs while the bustier-style top is high enough to cover your entire bosom, making nip-slips practically impossible. Made of 92% polyester and 8% spandex, the Midge Suit is available in a classic black color or in an emerald green trompe l’oeil cable print with white trim along the bust and the removable shoulder straps. The best part: the suit includes a small pocket along the left hip so you can stash your cash or ID.

Similarly, the Duke Suit ($276 at RachelComey.com) shown second from top represents a more discreet take on the traditional halter one-piece swimsuit, with a markedly higher neckline and a high-waisted brief with lower-cut leg openings for greater coverage. Though the overall silhouette reads as 1940s-inspired, the open back and the cheeky triangular cut-out above the waist add a hint of mischief to the swimsuit, which is available in black with a chocolate brown graphic print.

If you’re more of a two-piece suit girl, you’ll appreciate the Beach Set ($322 at RachelComey.com) bikini, perhaps the most pin-up worthy offering in the collection with its high-waisted briefs and its halter top, with wrap-around ties that can be knotted into a bow at the front. The Betty Grable-flavored Beach Set features a similarly nostalgic nautical-feeling, diagonal stripe print print, which Comey created by hand-dying, sun drying, and block printing the textile.

Tap into your inner Yvonne De Carlo, Jeanne Crain, or Carole Landis and hit the beach like a true 1940s Vargas Girl. Victory rolls optional.

Posted at 01:45 PM in Fashion | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 18, 2012

K2O by Karen Ko K2POP Collection — Rock Candy Chic

Remember the days when you twirled wooden rock candy sticks in your hand, running your tongue over the sweet, brightly colored sugar crystals encrusted along the stick’s surface, delighting in every bump and every crevice, which somehow made the experience feel way more adventurous than eating an ordinary lollipop? With its glistening, quartz-like appearance and its bright colors, rock candy was hard to resist — and so is jewelry designer Karen Ko‘s new K2o by Karen Ko K2POP Collection, which features elements that reference these classic confections.

When creating the K2POP Collection, Ko focused on one unifying element: hand-woven orbs made of resin and Swarovski Crystallized Elements, their exterior luminous and slightly translucent for a crystal-like effect but deliberately hilly and scraggy for that unrefined, rock candy-esque quality. Using colors like lime green, sunshine yellow, sky blue, lavender, and pale pink, Ko infused a kid-in-a-candy-store exuberance and a sense of wide-eyed excitement into the collection, making it feel all the more ebullient and fun.

Pictured above, you’ll find images of some of the collection’s offerings.

At top, you can see the K2POP Silver Spike Earrings ($135 at MMixShop.com), which measure 3.25″ in length and feature siver-plated resin spikes dangling beneath the ball charms, which themselves measure 0.75″ in diameter. By incorporating these spikes, Ko plays with the “naughty and nice” trope, taking the cutesy quality of the ball charms and subverting it via the juxtaposition of seemingly contradictory element associated with danger and rebellion.

Other rule-breaking pieces include the K2POP Silver Spike Necklace ($140 at MMixShop.com), pictured fourth from top in sky blue, which features a 36″-long, silver-plated necklace with a 2.75″-long resin spike and a spheric charm measuring 0.75″ in diameter; and the K2oPOP Gold Spike Earrings ($140 at MMixShop.com), shown sixth from top in lime green, which boast the same dimensions as their silver-toned counterpart but feature gold-plated spikes instead of silver ones.

If you like to steer clear of all things naughty, you can keep it nice with spike-free pieces like the K2POP Mini Necklace ($115 at MMixShop.com), pictured second from top in yellow, which features a 0.75″ ball charm made of Swarovski Crystallized Elements angling from a silver-plated 18″ necklace, or opt for the K2o POP Ring ($145at MMixShop.com), shown third from top in pink, a statement-making, Mod-flavored piece with a ball accent measuring 1″ in diameter. And, on the earring front, you can select dainty pieces like the K2POP Mini Earrings ($130 at MMixShop.com), shown fifth from top in lavender, or the K2POP Drop Earrings ($135 at MMixShop.com), pictured last in sky blue.

Like rock candy, these jewelry pieces can send you into a sugary high. Best of all, until May 25th, you can catch some of these baubles for as much as 50% off at Fab.com (use this invite link to become a member: Fab.com/1qhncd).

Rock on!

Posted at 10:22 AM in Fashion, Jewelry | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 17, 2012

Wrap It Up with Indego Africa for JCrew Cloth Wrap Bracelets

You might remember us mentioning Indego Africa in one of our Holiday Gift Guide installments catered to the “Haue Hippies” in your lives. At the time, we raved about Indego Africa’s capsule collection for Nicole Miller, which consisted of totes, fabric-wrapped bracelets, skirts, turbans and shorts, all handcrafted by the network of Rwanda-based female artisans under the Indego Africa umbrella, women who the non-profit organization seeks to empower via the creation of strategic global business partnerships and the creation of new marketplaces through which these up-and coming entrepreneurs can sell their wares. On the heels of its partnership with Nicole Miller, Indego Africa has teamed up with J.Crew for Spring 2012, collaborating on a limited-edition of tribal-flavored wrap bracelets.

The Indego Africa for J. Crew Cloth Wrap Bracelets ($22.50 each at JCrew.com and Shop.IndegoAfrica.org) feature Dutch wax cloth twisted and sewn into wrap-around pieces by the women in the Rwanda-based cooperatives Cocoki and Abasangiye. Each bracelet measures 30″ in length an features 2″ tabs on either end, which can be tied into a haphazard knot or tucked in for a sleeker look. Each bracelet should wrap around the wrist about 3 times for a tribal-meets-Boho-meets-beach-babe look. Ad, of course, you can stack the bracelets up should you wish to make a bolder statement.

The braided cloth wrap bracelets are available in a patterned green, yellow, and blue cloth with black scale-like accents; an abstract purple and indigo pattern with dots and tie-dye elements galore; and a pink, yellow, and navy color scheme with white stripe accents.

Not only will the Indego Africa for J. Crew Cloth Wrap Bracelets add a globe-trotting, multi-ethnic, culturally savvy vibe to your ensemble, but their sale will help to improve the standard of like of the Rwandan women responsible for their creation.

Posted at 12:51 AM in Fashion, Jewelry | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

May 16, 2012

Converse x Gorillaz Spring 2012 Collection — Feel Good Footwear

In 2006, Noodle, Murdoc, 2D, and Russell Hobbs of the Gorillaz accomplished what such musical greats as Bjork and PJ Harvey have yet to achieve — the animated rock band earned a Grammy Award (in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals) for “Feel Good Inc.,” their single with jazzy hip-hop pioneers De La Soul. Sure, we can debate the rationale between the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences snubbing such innovative, sonic masterminds as Björk, but let’s first consider how surreal it is that a virtual band managed to sell over 15 million albums, its members amassing a loyal following and even earning accolades from the crotchety award-granting community.

After a hiatus from the music scene, the Gorillaz reunited for the February release of their single “DoYaThing,” featuring Outkast‘s Andre 3000 and LCD Soundsystem‘s James Murphy, a new cut produced as part of Converse‘s “Three Artists, One Song” campaign and a promotional tool for the launch of the limited-edition Gorillaz x Converse Spring 2012 sneaker collection.

Currently available at Converse.com for $60 each, the collection consists of four Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers — three high-tops (a green camo print with a digital twist thanks to the juxtaposition of geometric shades in varying tones of green; a brown pair with a military-style insignia recalling the patches on Murdoc’s Army jackets and the Pazuzu statue directly above it; and a white pair with pencil-like illustrations of the various characters in the Gorillaz universe) and one low-top (a white sneaker with multi-colored character outlines). All of the artwork printed on these canvas sneakers was created by British comic book artist Jamie Hewlett, who developed the concept behind the Gorillaz alongside his former roommate, music producer and singer-songwriter Damon Albarn, back in 1997.

The dog days may be over, as Florence Welch put it, but the Demon Dayz are here again.

Posted at 04:38 PM in Fashion | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

May 14, 2012

Win a Rebecca Minkoff for mark. Delight Bag!

Blair Waldorf-like socialites, wealthy pearl-loving matrons, and ladies who lunch as a virtual career (in between planning some extravagant fête for their charity du jour) may still prefer to swing their Nancy Gonzalez, Judith Leiber, and Kate Spade purses while frolicking uptown, but the savvy, trend-setting, streetwise divas downtown believe New York City is ruled by another handbag designer: Rebecca Minkoff. Since launching her eponymous handbag line with the release of her now iconic Morning After Bag in 2005, Minkoff has emerged as one of the Big Apple’s most beloved and respected designers, treasured for her unique ability to marry whimsy and sophistication, edge and elegance, attitude and poise in all her pieces. Neon quilted leather, multiple zipper embellishments, hammered or pyramid stud accents, and animal print details all surface in her collections, and yet they do so in a manner that never feels abrasive or garish; instead, they channel just the right amount of audacity and bravado.

Hopinh to make her designs more accessible to everyday women, Minkoff joined forces with mark. to design the limited-edition Rebecca Minkoff Delight Bag (shown above), available for $60 exclusively at Shop.Meetmark.com. The rocker-flavored faux leather Delight Bag is roomy enough for every day use — it measures 11 3/8″ in length, 8″ in height, and 1 7/8″ in width, so you can fit your wallet, keys, makeup bag, phone, and any other essentials inside — but the embellishments along the top flap make it feel way more special than any ordinary black purse. Equipped with a hidden magnetic closure, the top flap features a silver-toned buckle and strap detail at the center for a Sons of Anarchy-esque effect, while the entire surface features silver-toned square pyramid studs encased by square-like shapes made of hammered round metal studs. Three interior pockets (a large zippered pocket and 2 smaller slip pockets), along with a detachable shoulder strap, complete the design.

Can’t wait to get your hands on this dapper delight? Well, now is your chance! One lucky STA winner will add this Minkoff for mark. original to her wardrobe. Read on for the details!

REBECCA MINKOFF DELIGHT BAG GIVEAWAY

Contestants must be 18 years or older and reside within the continental United States to be eligible. To vie for a chance to win your very own Rebecca Minkoff purse, you must complete all of the following steps.

1. Follow @sickathanavg and @markgirl on Twitter.

2. Tweet about the giveaway, making sure to @reply both @sickathanavg and @markgirl and to include the hashtag #minkoff4mark in your message. The more retweets your message gets, the more entries you’ll have (and the more chances to win)!

Sample tweet: “I just entered to win a Rebecca Minkoff for @markgirl bag from @sickathanavg RT for your chance to enter! #minkoff4mark”

3. Leave a comment below once you’ve tweeted about the giveaway and make sure to include your Twitter handle and to leave an e-mail address where we can contact you should you win the sweeps.

The deadline to enter the giveaway is May 27th at 11:59 p.m. EST. One winner will be selected and announced both here and on Twitter by May 29th.

Good luck!

Posted at 10:36 PM in Fashion, Giveaway | Permalink | Favorite This | Comments (46) | TrackBack (0)