Advent Season: Day Three

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Pfft, forget forward planning what to wear on Christmas Day. All you really need is an elasticated waistband, and you're good to go.

Instead, think about New Years Eve. Whether you're hitting the town or sprawling like a cool kid in front of Jools Holland's Hootenamy with a load of drunken oldies (this idea is becoming more and more appealing..), face up to it, the last day of the year is always something of an anti climax. So you may as well ensure that you'll feel good about what you're wearing.

Sure, you could wear plaid this New Years, like everyone else (and his great uncle's wife's next door neighbour), but why not branch out a little and release your inner Hiawatha. Grab the face paint, blusher, hell, even the tomato sauce, let go and paint yourself happy.

[this image has gone on holliday and will be back shortly..]

Advent Season: Day Two

The Return of Cool Like Chloe!

I can't tell you how excited I am. May I introduce to you my inaugral and alas, the best guest of the advent season. I managed to tempt Cool Like Chloe out of hiding a share a bit of her amusing sarcasm and fashion wisdom for one last, weep, time.

"I'll Keep This One, I Promise..."

To start off this post let me introduce myself: I am Cool Like Chloe (not a real name, it's an alias. Only one person has been smart enough to figure out my real name) of the now defunct Cool Like Chloe blog. Now what made me come out of hiding and decide to do a post for Discotheque Confusion? I figured it's the least I could do for one of my first blogging friends and to all the people that I left behind at my blog...

Enough about me though - on to the post. With the holiday season coming around I've been thinking ahead. And I mean way ahead. Please, I made my wishlist in September. SO now I'm thinking of resolutions - you know the promises that you always make to yourself but always break. This year though my resolution is to help other people - particularly the ones who've been in rehab, shaved off their hair, lost a stylist or taken it a little too far with the fake tan.

1. Britney Spears

Basically Britney in herself is a resolution. Admit, y'all. Like deep down inside y'all, like right at the very bottom you still love her. And don't try to tell me that you still don't sing Oops, I Did It Again in the shower... We need to group together and help this poor lost soul.

See, there is room for improvement. Homegirl got herself a new weave! And even though the makeup looks like its from a 2 for 1 at least she's got some on, right? Right?

2. Fix People's Notions of Gossip Girl

Oh god Josh Shwartz. What have you done to Manhattan? Just to make it clear, people in the Upper East Side do not dress like Harajuku girls. We don't wear headbands 24/7, colour-coordinate with our friends and we don't look like Scotland threw up on us. I'm sorry but I don't remember being inspired by Waldo, Christmas tree's or the smurfs when picking out outfits. And we elitists certainly don't carry around zebra print fendi's (unless your the kind of socialite who wears clothing that screams "Daddy's credit-card!".

And we do have dress codes at school (meaning no knee high boots). And we're more inspired by the likes of Peter Som and Oscar de la Renta, then we are by the zoo...

3. Fix up those Mug Shots


The world should have probably ended by now - since when does Paris Hilton end up looking like the sober one in mug shots? Paris, good job on the playfully tousled "I'm-so-bad-I-can't-bother-with-a-brush" hair, and the coy glance. Lindsay and Nicole... Better luck next time. Cause we know there'll be a next time.

So when the police pull you over and ask you to step out of the car, make sure you look in your handbag first.

4. Get Lindsay the Help She Needs

With skin care we mean. The rehab routes already been done and I think the shrink is next but until then I'll make it my goal to help this girl with the skin. Remember, pale skin is your friend. And if you'r not for the pasty route, then there's always Jergens Natural Glow.

See Lindsay, we don't want to end up looking like this guy, do we?

5. Rehire Rachel Zoe

Let's face it Lindsay and Nicole aren't the trend setters they were before. Today it looks like they had a bit too many shopping sprees in the pree-teen section of Forever 21. Let's keep those clothes buried in the ground, shall we? So I vote we all grab the wrinkly-foreheaded-no-more stylist to the stars Rachel Zoe(Did you hear? Someone got botoxed!) and drag her emaciated Halston dressed body to these former best dressed starlets.



Sure their current outfits aren't the worst in the earth but we're all lacking the inspiration we got from looking at their pictures from before. Richie will be having her baby soon and I hope she'll be going for an image overhaul. And now that Lindsay's out of rehab, she'll need someone to guide her little lost soul to the Fendi section in Henri Bendel's.
So that's it. I hope you all loved the post. God, it was long. My poor little fingers are so unnaccustomed to typing this much. So ciao babies and read it up, because it's the last you'll probably be reading from me.

Advent Season, Day One.

Once again, December is upon us, and this morning, December 1st will no doubt be a date of panic for many people, believing that this year (although they promised themselves they wouldn't) they have left the present shopping too late.

Chh! Chill! There really are more important things going on in the world, you have nearly a month left.

To celebrate the festive season, I at Discotheque Confusion am presenting you with your very own tooth decay free (eye) candy over the next 25 days in the lead up to Christmas. A couple of exciting guests, lots of outfits to analyse and a nice dose of seasonal sparkle, so remember to check back each day and have a peek at what's going on.

It's all very well opening up the latest issue of X glossy magazine and being greeted by a 20 page gift guide, but when it features custom made perfume and dover st market goodies that cost more than a deposit on a small flat it's not all that helpful. If you're hoping for some inspiration and funnil enough don't have the budget of Carine Roitfeld (highly likely) I have compiled four mini guides of stocking fillers and presents for your girlfriends that not only have a friendly price tag but are genuinely nice and are from places that are easy to get hold of them (if you live in the UK, mostly..)

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pic credits
all shops stated and googleimages

The Origin of Species

and the evolution of Mr Marc Jacobs

I'm all for a feelgood makeover. Who doesn't secretly enjoy a good old hair-dying, wardrobe spring cleaning movie montage scene resulting in a well deserved ego boost for the slightly self pitying protagonist?

There are cases when this "ugly ducking" sequence should be left quite alone. Ugly Betty is a good example of knowing where the boundries are, she has a refreshingly geniune dis-interest of the fashion world and you certainly wouldn't find her attempting to wriggle into a rubber rollneck dress ala Amanda. This is why viewers have been so drawn to a Queens girl who didn't lose herself in the big city.

I used to think that it seemed that Marc Jacobs didn't quite get the memo about this "ugly betty balance", and that instead he indulged himself in the ultimate transformation, selling out to the LA image of perfection and leaving more than few people a little baffled.

Out shuffled Marc, the uncool bespectacled librarian-alike who along with Wes Anderson (and more recently Adam Brody's Seth Cohen) made women realise that it wasn't a gay best friend or Hans the buff Euromodel that we want, but a charming nerd who donns a bow tie and knows how to please us in the wardrobe department.

In countless interviews, Jacobs has described himself as being terribly insecure; ("The thing is, I do base a lot of my self-worth on the opinion of other people. I’m not only what I do for a living, but it is a huge part of my life, so the opinion of others, whether critics, customers, or friends, does really affect me, and that is a huge breeding ground for insecurity.") he used to hate looking at his own reflection in the mirror and he used his own clothes as something to hide behind.

Well, "unfortunately" for us, uncool bespectacled librarian-alike Marc did turn into that buff, sunned model guy, and he went a step further and got Spongebob tattooed on this arm.

The transformation didn't stop here. Oh no. A spring clean of his muses went underway too. While Sofia is still a best friend, Victoria Beckham is now on speed dial, and the weird girls he proclaimed as cool in his adverts have now had to make way for his glossier ladies.

Although I want to hold onto that image of Jacobs the Geek, for my own selfish fairytale reasons, take a look at the Marc Jacobs of 2007, and you'll notice the confidence he seems to radiate. Instead of the shy blue-shirted Marc who reluctantly waved down the runway five years ago, these days Mr Muscle zooms down the catwalk, showing off his abs and more to the point his grin!

"The funny thing is.. [with] blogs, there’s a bunch of people who’ve said, “Oh, we liked the way he used to look, when he was grungy, and now he just looks like every Chelsea queen, blah blah blah,” and I just think, You know what, I’m just going to do what makes me happy. And I’m the same exact person, so if my haircut is too Chelsea for somebody, and if I’ve changed from funny awkward ’70s reading glasses to contact lenses, and if I’m tan now and in slightly better shape, well, it’s too bad. My behavior and my likes and dislikes are the same."

"You can stand over there and think about what you've done."

Last week's visual frenzy at the Seventh on Sale Gala and Dinner, where the likes of Kate Bosworth, Julia Restoin Roitfeld and the Olsens showed just how well they can scrub up, was highly satisfying, so I was rather disappointed this week when the most memorable outfits were Debra Messing's awful kaftan and some simple successes by the Gossip Girl team.

So celebrities, socialites, and members of the fash pack alike, as your punishment, the Best Dressed post will be M.I.A this week, because quite frankly, none of you truly deserved any recognition for the past seven days. This should teach you to come up with something more inspiring during next week, damn it!

I leave you with this snap. No justification needed.

I hate to leave things on a negative note, so lets be optimistic and heres to next week.

Sitting on the Fence?

This month, the blog has been somewhat of an Olsen extravaganza, and that isn't intentional, but they seem to be everywhere at the moment, more so than usual.

Mary Kate has bagged herself the cover of the Nylon January issue (eek, don't say 2008), though I think the shoot is generally pleasing, there are rather a few similarities with Ashley's shoot back in August 2006 (Nylon clearly love a wire fench; like, so edgy!) and I can't help but feel that Mary Kate is looking, well, rather Mary Kate.

I want to see her frolicking in the sand at the beach in a metallic American Apparel bikiki, looking polished and all 90's supermodel.

Still, you can't hate that green skater skirt, stoner's sweater and burberry heel look. The mask also features in the spring issue of POP (in their signiture nakeed shoot).

Preferences to a cover star? MK ou Ashley?

photographer is Jason Nocito.

New Blood

LA gets Cory, Paris gets Poesy and New York gets Leigh. Although Alexa may not have quite the same cult status as these ladies, she has certainly has the right wardrobe credentials and friends*, and lets face it, she's a much better prospect than her mate Peaches Geldof in the party girl stakes, so she may be in the running for the London cool girl title.

If there is anyone that can turn the phrase "model turned presenter" into a semi attractive notion, it's Chung, who after years of modeling and popping up in unashamedly cool ELLEgirl editorials has over the past year become more of a familiar face scoring exciting gigs like presenting this years NME awards and well as Miquita Oliver's replacement on channel 4's hangover TV show Popworld.

If her wardrobe of Zooey Deschanel a-like knee sock and shift combos and the often grungey indie girl tendancies don't make your knees weaken a little, then let me tell you a few things that will.

If you care.. No, I don't either, ahem.

1.) She is currently dating Alex Turner.*

2.) Klaxons' James Righton and cool photographer David Titlow are exes.*

3.) She's hung out and been snapped by the Cobrasnake crew many a time.*

4.) She's mates with Dev Hynes (Lightspeed Champion y'all) and The Like.*

5.) She genuinely knows her music stuff, no blagging here.

6.) For ironally value, she snogged Holly Valance (where did she go?) in a music vid.

7.) She has goofy moments.

*All of this sounds like she is cool supposedly because of who she hangs out with. Usually, the more uncool and nerdy someones friends, the cooler they are, but come on, Dev Hynes!

Best dressed of the week: Battle of Bosworth, Kate Conquers All

This week was a huge improvement style-wise from last week which was rather quiet and with fewer parties and little to report on.

This week however, has pretty much been all about Kate Bosworth who was out three nights in a row at various parties and dinners.

On thursday, she attended the Seventh on Sale Gala Dinner, as did Mary Kate, and wore one of the dresses from the SS08 Proenza Schouler collection, which made me very happy indeed. Naturally she carried it off with perfect grace and looked completely at ease, and made merealise just how perfect the piece is for her.

Kirsten Dunst made a return to the street this week, after what feels like months of being MIA with filming schedules. Wearing a girly sheer dress, Kiki looked as casual and street cool as ever, hopefully she's around to stay for a bit, as this issue of Lula Magazine hasmade me realise how much I "miss her".

Rachel Bilson wore a dress reminisent of that Brian Reyes dress that she wore last year, and verged on chav with oversize bling, but in a refreshing way.

Two people, who I was surprised by, and who I hesitated about featuring, purely because I've never talked about on Discotheque Confusion before are Keri Russell and Jessica "Yawn" Alba. Keri, kept things simple for her TRL appearance and went minimal and black. She looked radiant and ultra feminine in a wool black dress paired with dark tights and was very season-aware in PVC oxford booties. Julianne Moore also went to for a similar idea, though she was more adventurous in a frilled and pleated top, whichshe thankfully managed to pull off.

The reason for Alba? Though I find her hard to like, I thought the pairing of the Steve McQueen tee with the grey tulip skirt was very clever, and well, rather un-Albalike, and like Keri she opted for wooly tights and booties, a winning combination this winter.

Into the Mix

Mary Kate Olsen is a great example of a celebrity who is constantly mixing up their look whilst in keeping with their trademark look. Ms MK can always be relied on for a good fashion analysis, and she's never afraid to be disected (er, so to speak) by wardrobe critics, self declared or "professional".

So to say that seeing that Mary Kate has once again switched up her style pleasantly surprised me, would be a contradition...

Dressed in white, Mary Kate looked all the better for ditching the strict-black wardrobe that she seemed to have confined herself to of late, when she rocked up with Ashley to the Seventh on Sale Dinner in New York on Thursday evening. Dressed to kill in a supershort romantic dress and neon pink Giambattista Valli stripper shoes (or if you want to be proper about it, his "Victoria shoes", she gave Ashley, who opted for a Jil Sander a-like gown, a run for her money.

I suspect that her new dye job was because of a beach wedding that she attended last weekend, where she and Ashley were bridemaids. Despite the wedding's boho beach mood, she no doubt felt the need to smarten up a little and go more glam. Funnily enough, both Ashley and Mary Kate's bridesmaid looks were very similar to the dresses that they wore on Thursday; Ashley in something simple, well cut and very 1990s, while Mary Kate opted for something a little more experimental and romantic.

Let's have a look at the Mary Kate Hairstyle Timeline.

After that Harpers Bazaar editorial back in September, many people, including myself and deexdeexdreamer (of Pistol Whipped) have been left intrigued by the carrot wig that she wore and wondering how she would look as a fiery redhead.