Latina.com Blog

I’m a slave to my elastic ponytail holders. Because when I don’t want to blow out my hair (which is always because I’m a lazy pig), a ponytail is so easy. But I’m just so sick of it! And because I have extremely thick and wavy hair, a ponytail can give me outrageous headaches. So you have no idea how thrilled I was when my girl Heather Palmer hooked me up with this new hair accessory called the Knothead (knotheads.com). It kind of reminds me of those pipe cleaners that we used in elementary school for arts and crafts, but much stronger. It’s essentially a bendable wire covered in satin in various colors that you can weave through your hair to create updos, braids and, yes, ponytails. It’s invisible, fun to play with and innovative. Think of it as a scrunchie for the Obama generation. Makes you wonder why somebody didn’t think of it sooner. —Serena

When I first started writing this column last summer, I limited myself to a $50/week clothing budget, which for me, as a fashion writer, was incredibly restrictive and unreasonable. Yet it was good prudent fun to see how I could make that meager amount stretch to accommodate my shopping whims.

Then, an economic downturn so beastly that it still doesn’t have a name happened in a big way. Now, I simply don’t buy clothes. And I haven’t bought anything in a very long time. I know I’m not the only one, because all the economic reports are saying that retail sales have essentially collapsed. Sure, people say that there’s a “lipstick index,” which means that women are willing to go out and buy makeup when times are tough because it’s a cheap thrill. But have you seen makeup prices lately?

I think I’ve found my own cheap thrill, thank you very much: some nice new socks. I know they’re not as sexy as lipstick, but we all need them when it gets cold. And in this frosty economic climate, I think I’ll allow myself that small luxury.

—Serena

Andrew Christian, this really cute Mexican American designer, has been making super fab underwear for guys since 1997. Trendy boutiques like Fred Segal and Kitson stock Andrew Christian boxers and briefs because of their eye-popping color ways and graphics, ie. skulls and crossbones, gothic lions and words like “Espana” and “Italia”.

Now ladies no longer have a reason to be jealous of these fundies, because Andrew Christian has focused his efforts in 2008 into making butt-boosting panties—he calls ‘em Wonderwear ($43.00, andrewchristianshop.com)—for the ladies!

“I had so many women say they wanted the same effect with solely underwear,” says Christian. “So I took the initial design of the Flashback (the men’s butt-boosting brief) and changed the look, design and feel of it, so when a women puts it on she feels comfortable enough to go to work, hot enough to go out and sexy enough to conquer the world.” No pads or implant surgery needed; just cleverly placed support seams that lift and shape your bum into a nice round boot-ay.

—Serena

Danny Koch, the fourth generation owner of Town Shop (townshop.com), an upscale lingerie boutique in NYC, tells me that his customers rarely come in knowing their correct bra size. So precisely how do you figure out what size you really are? Vehemently rejecting the measuring tape, Koch says you should trust the gut of a professional lingerie professional. “In this store, we don’t measure anyone, we fit you. If someone comes at you with a tape measure, run!” says Koch. “All of us can look at a person and in two seconds figure out what size they are. We can even tell under a fur coat!”

Koch went on to give lots of pointers about bra care, like handwashing. “We have a sign on the counter that says, ‘We can’t wipe away the tears if you wash your bra in the washing machine,” he says. “There are over 40 moving parts on a bra. People sew these pieces together slowly. They are very fragile.” He adds that you should always let a bra rest between wears to let it allow the elastic to get its shape back.

Surprisingly, he’s certain that wearing old bras promotes sagging. Don’t hang on to your favorite for bra for years, because after 90 wears it’s no longer capable of doing its job. “Women are very interesting creatures,” muses Koch. “They fall in love with the wrong things: wrong men, wrong lingerie. But there’s no reason to fall in love with a bra!”

—Serena 

At Latina.com, we love to celebrate the gorgeous women of Latin descent who grace red carpets at movie premieres. They are the chosen few who have the privilege of wearing the best fashion designers both from here and abroad.The sad truth, however, is that the real Latinas in fashion are actually employed in exploitative garment factories. L.A. is home to 40,000 garment factory workers, and I can tell you that I’ve seen with my own eyes that the vast, vast majority of them are Latinas and Latinos.

Which is why I am excited about this new documentary film called No Sweat, directed by Amie Williams and produced by Tony Silver (of Style Wars fame, yeah!). Full disclosure: I traveled to South Africa with Amie to work on a film about youth and apartheid in 1991.

No Sweat takes a good, hard look at the so-called progressive policies of American Apparel, your favorite T-shirt maker and mine. During a two year span, Amie and Tony challenge the charismatic American Apparel CEO/sleazebag Dov Charney on the alleged sexual harassment of three female employees, the exploitation of women in his ad campaigns and the competitive team system that rushes the seamstresses to produce faster and faster, at risk to their mind and bodies (balmaidenfilms.com). Dov Charney says some pretty ridiculous and hilarious things in his interviews. Too bad, the consequences are serious.

—Serena

As a little girl, I had some bitter fights with my mother, who wanted me to wear tights with my dresses to church. I couldn’t stand the way the elastic cut into my waist and the suffocating feeling on my legs. We all thought that I would eventually outgrow my powerful dislike of tights, but even at this advanced age, I still hate them with a passion. Except for Wolford Fatal 50 Tights.

This venerable old Austrian hosiery maker has tons of amazing styles, but I’m loyal to the Fatal 50 because they are opaque, seamless and buttery soft. That’s right, they are completely seamless. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s so comfortable.

The downside is that they cost roughly $50 depending on the exchange rate and I have only been able to find them at wolfordboutiquelondon.com, where the price is listed in English pounds. The upside is that if you invest in a pair, they will last you for a decade, which is long enough to see the opaque tights trend come and go and come back again.

—Serena

A couple weeks ago, the busy little fashion elves at Latina.com put together “Message Control,” a slideshow of cute political T-shirts. Now we have another one to add: Marc by Marc Jacobs’ “Time for a Change.” If you recall, Jacobs issued a limited edition Hillary Clinton T-shirt back during the primaries, but I guess he’s come to his senses now and produced this limited edition one-off in black with Barack Obama’s slogan written in a bold Jacobsean font. Drew Barrymore rocked it proudly in a recent Harper’s Bazaar interview, though she actually wore something different for the cover. You can buy yours now at any Marc by Marc Jacobs store for $18, which isn’t a whole lot more expensive than the silk-screened ones you can buy on the side of the highway from some guy in a van.

—Serena

Have you been to the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox web site yet? I have been clicking through and viewing the various fashion shows for each designer, and I can’t figure out why L.A. Fashion Week remains such a backwater event. It wasn’t all bad. Whitley Kros was totally rad. And there were some other bright spots. In case you were wondering what happened out West last week, here is my rundown on each of the designers who showed and a brief opinion:

Amelia Toro: She’s a Brazilian designer, so you know, that means she’s a Latina—woohoo! Though I love the bright reds and blues, she kinda overdid it with the ruffles. (photos)

Christian Audigier: He had two shows, American Lord and Street Fame. I categorically loathe anything from Christian Audigier, or Ed Hardy for that matter. It’s the blight of Melrose. (photos)

Crispin & Basilo: This stuff was really cute. Great ideas in terms of subdued shapes. The thematic idea was about transparency. (photos)

Debra Davenport: I don’t know what age group this is for, but it’s really middle-aged looking… and wack. (photos)

Eco-Ganik: Good for the earthy, crunchy, granola-loving types. It’s nice to find cute clothes that are also conscious of the environment. Not edgy enough for me though. But I like the styling with the belts. (photos)

Elmer Ave: Total rocker mania to the max. This is strictly for musicians and entertainers trying to make a splash with image. A lot of the women’s looks were shown with fishnet tights. And all the dudes wore tons of eyeliner. (photos)

Joseph Domingo: Pretty, aquatic inspired swim and beachwear. I appreciate the cleanliness in the styling. The menswear was questionable. (photos)

Julia Clancy: She got a bit carried away with this flap motif throughout the whole collection. Thematically cohesive, but not that innovative or daring as far as ideas go. (photos)

Kevan Hall: Total black-tie wear for special events. I could envision a telenovela star wearing one of these looks to the Latin Grammy’s. Extravagant, but not my cup of tea. (photos)

Lana Fuchs: More sweeping evening gowns. Bleh. (photos)

Lauren Conrad Collection: Please. This is like if a 14-year-old girl designed a collection and put it out. It can’t even be considered in the tableau of fashion. So many trite ideas, I can’t even begin. (photos)

Leila Hafzi: A lot of floaty and ethereal dresses in beautiful saturated colors. (photos)

Nonja McKenzie: One of my friends totally loved this. I can see why. There were a lot of ideas that translate well for real women, like sexy jumpers and rompers in leopard prints. But it wasn’t conceptual, it was just about sexiness. (photos)

Samora: More ruffles. L.A. is obsessed with ruffles. (photos)

Sheiki Collections: All denim all the time; inspired by a kind of dangerous motorcycle chick. Too many studs and ripped jeans for my taste. (photos)

Suh-Tahn: Very creative ideas with denim. This collection kind of elevated the durable fabric into something more conceptual and rareified like cerebral cut-out dresses and dramatic floating hoods. (photos)

Tulle & Cloth Logic: I love Marc Jacobs, but this is even too Marc Jacobs-y for me. Though they had the cutest models (I like the nerdy looking models, sue me!), the ideas were cliche. It was too much of a deliberate imitation of both vintage and MJ. (photos)

Virdis Luxe: This is all about the skimpy, sultry tops with big baggy jeans. Hey, that works for some people! (photos)

Whitley Kros: This collection was so dope and styled so well, I wondered what it was doing in the company of these other designers. Their ripped jeans were ironic. I loved the little animal print shifts, the paper bag waisted shorts, and the silky white jumper. The whole thing had a devil-may-care, California beach girl insouciance that was very cute. (photos)

And I’m out.

—Serena

The funny thing about Halloween is that it allows young women to dress like straight-up hoochies all in the name of a costume. The Halloween parties around here in Hollywood, where I live, are filled with girls dressed like strippers, barmaids, cats and vixens of every stripe. Personally, I’m not that crazy about trooping around in clear shoes and a skimpy outfit, freezing to death. So I tend to be more attracted to warm and fuzzy costumes. This year, I’ve decided to be a dog. I like dogs. I know it’s not the sexiest or most imaginative thing, but I want to be comfortable. Also, it’s my 21-month-old daughter’s first real Halloween where she’ll get to dress up (as a little hula girl, thanks to a get-up that her abuela brought back from Hawaii). So, what about you, chicas? Have you decided what you’re going to wear for Halloween yet? Or do you even believe in dressing up?

-Serena

(Photo: Left, a typical Halloween hoochie costume; Right, me in two weeks.)

You know how when you were a little kid, you loved to dig around in your mami’s closet and play dress up? Now you can do so on a more institutional scale, because the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute has made its vast collection available online at metmuseum.org. Granted, the site is impossible to navigate. The search button for the Costume Institute is buried somewhere deep in the interface. But once you do locate it, you can type in Balenciaga and turn up over 20 pages of vintage looks and accessories dating back to the 1960s. You’ll also find treasures from Oscar De la Renta and Carolina Herrera, among so many others. What a wonderful place for fledgling fashion designers to source looks without coughing up cash for magazines, art books or the actual priceless garments themselves. It’s a veritable wardrobe of wonder.

—Serena

(Photo: An Oscar De La Renta coat dress, circa 1970.)