i'm starsky, he's margiela

my friend jason is coveting this huggy bear of a martin margiela pullover. (and by "coveting," i mean he wants me to knit it for him.) seems vaguely reminiscent of starsky's cowichan, sans the cowichan, of course. and sans starsky. (yo, check the perm.)



which got me to thinking about the whole cowichan thing...maybe it was the sweater...maybe it was the jack and tab. in any event, there is a great writeup on the history of the craft here. and i seem to recall seeing an article recently in IK, as well.



starsky was hardly the first sex symbol to rock the look.



then i remembered this twinkle design from fall 2007. how now cowichan!



my now OCD-fueled quest for the cowichan also turned up this other semi-fug, semi-cool faux-co ski dress. there's something about this dress that makes me want to go put a big fur hat on my head. maybe starsky was onto something after all.



of course, none of this puts me any closer to finding the actual pattern (or reasonable facisimile thereof) for the MM pullover. any ideas where i can find one? i'm not sure i have the strength to figure this one out on my own.

xoxo cowichan

who cares about the purple shoes? get a load of that cowichan wannabe that v's rockin. sent in by "anonymous" (really? anonymous? c'mon, will ya just go ahead and delurk already? ;) anon. asks if the cowichan trend is coming or going. i honestly don't know. and i'm not sure i care. if it's good enough for marilyn, it's good enough for me!

casual friday: time for sequins?

3.1 phillip lim fall 09

in case you haven't noticed, i'm a bit of a trend whore. maybe it's the fact that i work in a creative biz and it's my job to stay open to new stuff. maybe it's the fact that i was raised by a mother with an extensive feather boa collection. either way, i am all over this sequins-for-daytime thing.

i'm not just talking daytime-at-the-mall or daytime-at-the-music-festival. hell, phillip lim (i wonder if he'd mind me calling him phil) in his fall 09 collection managed to make them look like they'd pass the dress code for daytime-at-the-IRS.

and the dressed-down sequins trend continues for spring 10 at ralph lauren.

how can i not be inspired? so inspired in fact, that, as i toil away in my sunlit studio, alone save for my norwich terrier mac, i am adorned in a fab vintage top that's completely encrusted in sequins and beads. ode to carrie bradshaw, i suppose.

the key to mixing sequins with your cheerios seems to be keep it simple and juxtapose it. in other words, resist the temptation to strap on a pair of tranny shoes or thigh-high loubies. step away from the statement necklace and leopard tights. instead, pull on your sequin top over your fave pair of skinnies and understated flats. or wear your sparkly dress with a cozy grandpa cardigan and rugged frye boots.



rooting around for just the right piece to wipe the smartass grin off my own sequin top, i came across this cowichan-inspired cardi designed by cecily glowik. on loan from knitscene for my stylespotting gig, the casual cardigan is the perfect foil to my glitzy vintage top. paired with a rocker tee, skinny jeans and tobacco suede flat boots, i'm feeling very haute hippie. mac can barely contain his excitement. perhaps a sequin collar is in order?