Harness The Power of the Gays Discount Shopping Sites!

Long time blah blah blah.

So recently my bitches at my favorite afternoon addiction The Cut: New York Magazine's Fashion Blog wrote a posting about why the discount luxury fashion websites namely Gilt.com, Ruelala.com, and Hautelook.com are so heavily favored towards women's shopping experience rather then men's.  The opined the fact that the websites male to female percentages ranged from 70-85% women.  They asked the obvious questions, why aren't men shopping here?  What is it about this experience that appeals so much more heavily to women?  Yet I think they missed a key answer to this question.  GAYS.

Do straight men simply not shop?  No.  That is obviously a gross misunderstanding.  Straight men obviously are still going to stores and buying things, but their first priority is not and will never be clothing. While the world still produces the latest electronic gadget, high powered grill, and various car crap straight men will not be shopping at a site called "Rue La La."

So what is the answer to this question?  Heavy heavy research into what gay men are wearing, what they buy, and how you can cater to that in an online shopping atmosphere.  At this very moment Rue La La is featuring Valentino (fucking Valentino) for their women's sale and on the men's side Johnston and Murphy dress shoes.

Now I must admit Gilt does pay a certain level of attention to what gay men are actually wearing (at least in New York).  Y3 is a current fixture on high top stomping, loose short, tank topped gays of New York these days and it's also one of Gilt's most common brands.  Without having actual sales information in front of me and from a purely customer perspective the brand sells immensely well for Gilt.

The moral of this rant is simple.  Gays love to spend money on clothes--utilize it.

Father Karl Forgive Me for I Have Sinned

So far be it from to question papa Karl in all his amazing black and white Baptiste loving glory, but I was simply wholly unimpressed by Cruise 2011.  The show was obviously inspired by flowing wispy looks of the flower child era.  The palette was a mix of ambers, browns, creams, and some flower child florals.  In reality nobody really expects to be blown away by the design aspects of Cruise/Resort collections, but what one does expect especially from the big guns is a barrage of clothes that are simply and utterly wearable.  You expect a long march of flouncy pretty dresses that will keep wealthy trophy wives looking their best and most stylish.  In reality the collection underwhelmed even that expectation.   The clothes looked more fit for a trip to some muddy lake front beach than the 5 star resorts the price tags align with.   Of course there was plenty of Baptiste but even the clothes the few men walked in was atrocious and lacked any clear direction.  

So my second point of this post... Crystal Renn.  We LOVE her.  She's everywhere.  She is the face of the industry's push towards more use of plus size models in actual normal shows/shoots.  Before I begin I must say I find her incredibly inspirational.  Her face is beyond stunning.  It is evokes both a beautiful country girl tending to her small Italian farm and an aristocratic strength.  BUT while her specs list her as a size 12 I have to ask is she REALLY still a size 12?  I mean she looks mighty small in both her recent Glamor cover and more importantly in the pictures from the unretouched Chanel Cruise show.  Please girl keep those curves.  Your career is once again exploding and we'd all hate to see those bodacious hips we saw walk the Gaultier runway disappear.  

Late I Know: Kitty Kitty Miu Miu!

I cannot express how much I love the Miu Miu slinky kitty print!

Seriously if they made a shirt for men in this print I would buy it.  Hell if I could find this fabric I would have a shirt custom made.


Look at it!  It brings together one of my favorite kitsch (slightly weird girl) loves of cats and makes them ultra cool but definitely not too cool for school ;-).

Which brings me to my point.  Why can't more men's clothes be so adventurous and thoughtful?  I would love to see something that is kitsch and chic as the glorious slinky kitty print!

p.s. Sarah posted this photo on my facebook wall and I'm trying to convince her to buy them so I can live vicariously through her and by vicariously I mean steal them when she's not looking and stomp off to live in kitty dreamland!

Why We Suck

Although I know nobody is exactly hanging on our every word I figured I would write an explanation about why Sarah and I haven't written in a while and how we do plan on continuing, for ourselves so we don't disappoint future Sarah and Sam.

People always say: I just got so busy.  That isn't our excuse.  Neither Sarah or I have gotten ridiculously more busy.  The real reason we haven't written is pretty simple.

Both Sarah and I are pretty, well, obsessive.  We've always been this way ever since we were little kids.  When we find a subject we love we obsess over it and pour over it.  That is the case with our love of fashion.  We constantly think about what we like, what we like on other people, what is happening in fashion, and our future in fashion.

BUT--our obsessive nature is exactly what brought us away from our dear beloved infant blog.  Both Sarah and I have moved recently.  Sarah moved (I think) about a month ago and I moved about a week later to a bigger better NYC apt.  When Sarah and I move we become absolutely obsessed with home design.  Literally we have been talking on the phone about 4 nights a week and the conversation ALWAYS goes to home decor, our ideas, our purchases, the color schemes we're deciding on, and of course Sarah's "white trash" Anthropologie tapestry.

So that is our excuse.  We'll be back on fashion soon.  For now I think for us to continue this blog, even though it is mostly just for us, we'll probably be writing about what is in our mind and wallet right now and most likely will be for the next few months--apartments.

We wish wish wish you tons of beautiful paint, sofas, and Horchow furniture ;-).

The Grand Finale of Lee Alexander McQueen

Today the images were released from yesterday's memorial show for Alexander McQueen's final collection.  The collection was not open to the press and was shown in a small old fashioned couture style with each outfit being announced.  Even as I write this I feel corny and perhaps that I come off as disingenuous, but then again maybe this post is just for me so I will remember how I felt.  I didn't know him, I never met him, I was not his friend, I have no connection to him--but I feel a loss over the last weeks that hits me at odd moments.  He was my, our, Beatles, our Picasso, our Da Vinci, our Twain, our Fitzgerald, our artist.  The loss that I feel is personal because to me Mcqueen exemplified all that is right with fashion.

As I look over this collection I can't help but think in some way as Mcqueen put pencil to paper he knew he must put his heart, his soul, and all his artistic ability into these works.  The exemplification of his aesthetic and his abilities is so abundantly apparent.  I try to take in these beautiful works of art and I just can't.  I simply have to feel the love and care Mcqueen put into each piece he created. To him nothing was impossible.  Take a look back through his archives and you will see the evolution of an artistic mind that never ever told himself no, it just cannot be.  Never did details come off as contrived or messy.  Despite the fact that he only showed a RTW collection under his eponymous label, the collections far surpassed even the most advanced classic couture shows.  Perhaps it was his years spent with Givenchy surrounded by couture hands ready to make the dreams of an fashion prodigy become reality.

The above look is shows all that was the McQueen aesthetic.  He has always been called "gothic" but to me (though far from an experience critic) he was simply a culmination of a thousand years of British fashion.  The above outfit is so obviously inspired by styles and techniques of hundreds of years of British Monarchs, yet it is far from costumey or period with thigh high leather waders and a short hemline, the look is distinctly fresh and current.

So that's that.  Maybe I've said these things before or I'm rambling but I know if I don't write down how this all has made me feel, right now, I will be letting pass a moment in my life that deeply affected me and the world I care so much about.

Color Me Fall: A/W 2010 Features--COLORS!

While a great majority of fashion's great designers still showed an aggregate majority of grays and blacks, standout collections from Proenza Schouler, Peter Som, and Phillip Lim showed color is the word for autumn/winter 2010.

Proenza Schouler continued in moderation the bold prints they showed for Spring 2010, but with a winter update.  The collection began with a barrage of somber looking models painted with scarlet lips, pale foundation, and sheathed in dark plaids, blacks, greens, and fur.  Perhaps one of the most impressive parts of the beginning of the collection was the excess of wearable well designed outwear.  From updated toggle coats to a line of peacoats lined in dark black, navy, and green fur ending in a cheeky update of a fur trimmed letter jacket.  The collection moved into black and white prints splashed with bold splashes of blue , royal purple, and green.  Standount babydoll dresses bring to mind a dark moody tragically chic schoolgirl at University PS.  In total the collection was a continuing evolution of Jack and Lazaro's distinct aesthetic that has shot them to stardom.

Phillip Lim was one of a handful of designers who took the first tentative step out of the 80s and back into a more sophisticated decade--the late 70s.  Yet, unlike many of his compatriots Lim, as he usually does, was careful to make sure his designs were reinterpretations and inspirations of that great decade when disco rose and fell.  Lim's collection featured roomy pants very reminiscent of a Lauren Hutton in her prime.  The collection ended in a flourish of purple dresses that would fit right in on the floors of Studio 54.

Peter Som, how to begin.  Over the last decade Peter Som was a part of the young crop of designers that took the industry by storm.  Yet, it must be admitted that perhaps in the last few years Som's name has been overshadowed if only ever so slightly by other phenoms like Wang, Lim, and Wu--not anymore.  Som's A/W 2010 collection was the toast of New York.  The collection was a psychedelic trip through a winter that is nothing if not incredibly fun.  Som came out of the gate very cautiously with a fur coat showing signs of what the collection was to contain--the coat was lined with a wild green print while the blouse, skirt prints were incredibly complimentary.

On a side note, I apologize for me 2 week late posting on fashion week.  I recently started my first two internships both in fashion.  I'm not going to class and working internships 5 days a week.  I'm absolutely loving both!



All images copyright New York Magazine

Have: Rose-Gold Acessories

J Crew Scarf, Anthropologie Bracelet, Andrew Marc Bag

I find comfort in the beauty of little things. From a sweet note left by a friend, to a brand new notebook in your favorite color, little things can bring so much joy. And so in the darkest, coldest days of this Texas winter, I stumbled across a collection of joy-inducing accessories in a shimmering shade of rose.

It all began with the scarf. My mom gave it to me for Christmas, noting its slight metallic thread and complexion-enhancing hue. Next came the jeweled bracelet with its beautiful blush jewels that catch the light with every movement. After a week or so of obsessing over the combination, I stumbled across the bag. Buttery black leather with rose-gold hardware! How could I resist?

Though these items are just little things, material possessions at that, they have cheered me on throughout the last few weeks. And when the big things in life seem even larger than usual, I say there's not a thing wrong with turning to the little things for some simple joy.

Alexander McQueen 1969-2010

McQueen and Isabella Blow 1997

I don't quite think there is there is there is anything to say.  I won't talk about how much he will be missed or about his short but spectacular history from Isabella to Givenchy to the McQueen decade.  Instead I will just say what McQueen meant to me.

As a young person trying to absorb live breath and justify the art of fashion McQueen has always felt like a true artisan of this generation.  Yes others have become stars and darlings but I always felt McQueen exemplified why I wanted and always will want to live fashion.  Looking at McQueen for Givenchy I remember being awed at the world he had the ability to create.  Many designers shock you with their textures and their designs but McQueen drew you in to a world that he created in his mind on paper and then right in the photographs of his runways.  Designers usually have a point of design, an idea, a theme but McQueen did not need to tell us his theme.  When dark debonaire men walked down the runway a year ago dapper and masculine in 1800s suits and fur we all felt the dark streets of London stalking Jack the Ripper.  Fashion is aspirational, it is a mantra I live by.  I am always aspiring to taste and live the artistic minds of fashion, and to this little gay boy from a small mountain town in California McQueen will always be the aspirational point to which I reach for.  Thirty years from now when another hot young designer has taken the helm of the House of McQueen and revived it I will tell the fresh faced interns of McQueen's Victorian collection,  alien shoes, and where I was and how the breath left my chest the moment I found out we'd lost him forever.

So my tribute to McQueen is to continue to live by my mantra and reach and aspire to lift and uphold the creativity that he and so many before him bore.

-Sam Kraus

Come One Come All See: The Incredible Shrinking Magazine!

As any young fashion lover can attest one of our first memories of the fashion world is begging our mother to buy us an issue of Vogue in the grocery line, finding a copy of Bazaar in our sister's junk pile, or simply sitting in the magazine section of a store letting the glossy pages with other worldly clothing slip through our fingers.  For future fashion mavens all over the world the fashion magazine is often the very first dipping of the toe in the fashion world lake. The pages of Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, W, and Marie Claire have held the far off hopes and dreams of girls and gay boys everywhere.  So imagine today how painful it is to witness an entire generation forsaking our sacred glossies.  


The true sign of a magazines current success is advertisement sales.  The advertisers show that there is a significant enough audience to start, continue, or stop advertising.  Vogue, W, and Harpers have hemorreged ad sales dating all the way back to 2009 while Elle has been more of a success story in the the current economic climate.  Looking at Vogue and Elle as the two top American fashion magazines what is it that separates the two titans?  Vogue has long been the inequivocal leader in terms of legitimacy and clout in the fashion magazine world, so why has Elle suddenly surged while Vogue has fallen?

Studying the Vogue v. Elle battle it is difficult to determine the formula that has made Elle so successful as of late.  It is painfully evident to fashion junkies that celebrity culture has taken stranglehold of the fashion industry from shows to magazines to parties to advertisements.  Yet this cannot be an explanation in Elle's success because both Vogue and Elle have bought full well into the idea of placing the same actresses on the cover year after year.  Elle on one hand has specifically targed their design, stories, advertisements, and even outfits to a much younger audience.  Vogue still banks on the fact that women of a certain age still have subscriptions.  On one hand Vogue features quirky, interesting, groundbreaking Grace Coddington produced editorials while Elle features editorials of Sarah Jessica Parker in clothes that would have been too young for even Carrie Bradshaw circa 1999.  While both Vogue and Elle have both become lifestyle magazines rather than fashion, Vogue is the stuffy Upper East Side society wife to Elle's reality television starlet.  Neither is ideal to a fashion lover, but Elle on a newsstand now has the flash and sparkle to draw in a teenager while Vogue's cover's simply look in perfect consort growing dusty next to O Magazine and Ladies Home Journal.

So now, in the time of their greatest peril the world of fashion magazines have switched gears to defense.  In the last few years the explosion of fashion blogs have made the flow of fashion information instant.  There are more deft opinions coming from more voices and faster.  Recently 13 year old stylerookie Tavi Gevinson has gained great fame for her blog and with it great consternation and criticsm from magazine editors themselves.  Editors dismiss Gevinson and others as amateur, childish, and gimmicky.  Yet what these magazine editors fail to recognize is the possibility of fashion blogs.  Bloggers advertise for free theirfavorite buys.  Bloggers review their favorite magazine editorials.  Bloggers are a gold mine of advertisements to go out and buy the full fashion articles.  At the heart of it, bloggers are the core base customers of fashion magazines.  


Fashion magazines have become overwrought with boring celebrities telling the same bland story about their first breakup and their favorite designer buy.  Magazine editors think it is good business to write the same stale articles about something entirely unrelated to fashion.  What editors need is a high dose injection of fashion into their magazines.  People look at fashion and particularly fashion magazines as aspirational.  To flip through a glossy and see an amazing outfit is to daydream at your cubicle.  To flip through a glossy and see a story about a divorcee who opened up a horse farm in Colorado is neither aspirational nor fashionable.  Editors must wake up and realize their lifestyle efforts have failed and to take a lesson from bloggers success--fashion magazines must make a return to fashion.

Give: Valentine's Day

I really love buying gifts. Like, seriously. Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite gifting holidays—but not for the promise of roses and chocolates. In fact, my boyfriend and I don't really celebrate the holiday, opting to enjoy a gift-less dinner together.

Instead, I love Valentine's because it's a great chance to show everyone you love how you feel—with sweet, sparkly tokens of appreciation. So in the spirit of appreciation, I've picked out some great Valentine's gifts for the many loves of your life.

1. Chanel Spring Nail Color: For the best friend, sister, or mother, a fresh spring polish in a soft color. The entire Chanel makeup collection for spring is delicious—leave it to Chanel to create products that are nearly too pretty to use. Any one of these shades would be sweet and surprising for the DIY manicurist and salon devotee alike.

2. Sweet Suds Cupcake Soap: Another great gift for friends and family when you've got to do multiples. Scents and colors are customizable, which mean you can give them a personalized touch. I did a round of these at Christmas, and they were a hit. And if you're not into cupcakes, there are many sweet soap alternatives—from popcorn to donuts. (AJSweetSoap on Esty)

3. 3-D "I F-ing Love You" Card: Through many holidays, I've discovered something about buying for my guy: he actually appreciates meaningful gifts. The Jesus and Mary key caps from Christmas before last? Still in the package. All my handmade/handwritten cards? Proudly displayed on his bookshelf. My advice is to make it from the heart. Forget candy, diamonds, or clothes. Create something that commemorates your relationship. Steer clear of flowery greeting cards. Make your own. If you're short on time, money, or talent, buy something comical (to offset sappiness) with a blank inside. (Urban Outfitters)

4. Heart N Soul Clutch: This blog is called The Wish List. It's only fitting that I choose one wish item for Valentine's Day, right? On this made-up commercial holiday, what could be better than indulging in the ultimate luxury gift? Yes, it's under 5 inches and costs more than $2,000. What's your point? It's beautiful—and sparkly. (Net-A-Porter)

Have: Rag and Bone Jeans and Heutchy Boots!

So where is my life these days.  I recently moved to New York and started classes but needed a job.  I surprised myself by landing a job serving at a nice West Village restaurant.  I patted myself on the back on my way back to my apartment with a stop in at Rag and Bone.  I have professed my undying love of Rag and Bone and their effortlessly casual and English/New York fusion design.

While I was buying new jeans I came across a beautiful pair of Rag and Bone boots.  They were a simple leather boot with a black canvas strap up the side of the boot.  It was a stunning turn on the stable black boot.  I looked for the price tag but the lack of one said to me that it was sure to be out of my price range.

IMAGINE my surprise when not two days later I signed on to Gilt for a Heutchy sale (a wondreful shoe company sold at Oak and the likes) with a pair of boots that looked like my Rag and Bone cover to a T.  I quickly snapped up the boots for just $158.

Ah it has been a good week for shopping.

I Know What Boys Want! FUR at Milan/Paris Menswear A/W 2010

Is it just me or have we all fallen through the rabbit hole to feudal Russia?  Fur was everywhere on the Autumn Winter Milan Menswear runways for 2010.  Gone are the gloomy shunning if of all things luxury of AW 2009.  Come next fall the world's most sartorial minded men will be warm and toasty whether they prefer the slouchy darkness of Rick Owens or the tailored more classic Italian Gianfranco Ferre.



The king of the goths Rick Owens was true to form for winter.  Owens showed slouchy yet structured pieces with touches of leather and fur.  Interestingly the collection had touches of Owen's S/S 2010 RTW Women's line--especially in the long triangular pieces of cloth hanging languidly from the front of outfits.  The standout pieces came in the middle and the end.  The fur pieces were well layered and luxurious while still remaining distinctly Rick Owens.  The truly spectacular pieces came at the end of the show in the form of beautifully crafted cloud-like scarves hung long around the necks demanding complete attention.

 Gianfranco Ferre gave a furry outlook that was quite different.  The house of impeccable Italian tailoring showed fur in a much sexier luxurious light.  The Italian house took a step away from their very typical classic Italian dapper sexy look and more towards a more dangerous (yet still highly sexualized) futuristic street wear.  The collection featured stunning leather chest plates that truly made a statement against light grey checked suits.  Fur was placed almost secretly in places in shawls under longer coats, a vest under a suit, or in full floor sweeping view as a jacket liner.  Ferre continued the 2009 trend of belting men's coats as a good half of the jackets in the show featured casually tied leather straps.  The trend which really took root last season is best done has been done here and by Kris Van at Dior Homme where it is still presented as highly masculine and not as a waist cinching instrument (as it is in womenswear).  Overall the collection is a step in a far more innovative direction from many of the houses' previous attempts, especially following Ferre's 2007 death.

V The Size Issue: Revolutionary or Reactionary?

Fashion is the extension of our fantasies.  Other worldly fabrics, backdrops, dresses, and of course models that look as if they've just been beamed down from the planet of doe eyed nymphs.

In 2009 seventeen year old Karlie Kloss ruled the runways and the pages of Vogue.  The slim midwestern native with a face that looks straight out of a 1940s mystery was the model.  Yet, perhaps it was not Kloss or Coco Rochas or Raquel Zimmermann that truly captivated the public, but rather the epic mistakes of over photoshopped models at Ralph Lauren and other fashion heavyweights.

Although the 2000s were almost entirely enveloped in the debate of how thin is too thin for models, 2009 seemed a boiling point.

Therefore V Magazine took it upon themselves to start a revolution in the form of a "Size Issue."  The magazine known for its epic avant garde photo spreads began leaking photos from their February 2010 plus size issue.

As the spreads continued to leak questions arose in the fashion industry about the merits of the issue.  Was the issue simply a publicity ploy (a la Beth Ditto shot by Karl Lagerfeld)?  Why were the models at least half naked in almost every spread?  Was it condescending to have a spread where a thin model and a plus size model wore the same outfits side by side?  Does the cover say it all, with one showing breakout Precious star Gabourey Sidibe and the other showing, the now very grown up child star, Dakota Fanning?

The fashion world is torn about the V Size Issue with many calling it a gimmick to up readership.  The reality of the debate is that the spreads are, largely just as stunning and interesting as normal V spreads.  One particular spread pits plus size star model Crystal Renn posing in similar ways and wearing the same outfit as new runway standout Jacquelyn Jablonski.  It must be noted that Renn appears vivacious, sultry,  and truly like a seasoned model in Proenza Schouler.  Yet despite Renn's obvious advantage the spread still comes off as condescending and gimmicky.

Is the image the fashion world wants' to return to the voluptuous images of human perfection we saw in Christy Brinkley in the 1980s and Naomi Cambell in the 1990s?  For young girls flipping through a fashion magazine is it any better to see a busty Victoria Secret model than a quirky seventeen year old from the midwest?

Perhaps the debate the fashion world is embroiled in should focus more on the fact that today's model's by classic facial standards are far outside the norm.  The new look each season seems to go beyond classic standards of beauty to redefine what is interesting and stunning.  In the mid 2000s we saw a sweep of doe eyed angelic almost alien like girls in the Prada invasion (think Sasha Pivovarova).  Is it not the job of parents to look at these images and decide what is truly acceptable for their daughters and then frame it in a way that helps girls love themselves?  Looking at todays models parents should be encouraging that their daughters that the women are interesting and unique--a characteristic that all women possess.

With their heavy handed message the V Magazine Size Issue suggests that today fashion is not simply about beauty in the traditional sense, but rather in the most stunning and interesting way we can find it.  So if this is the aim, women of more varied sizes can be used for true fashion spreads.  Renn and Burlesque dancer Miss Dirty Martini prove the idea that perhaps thin models do not need to be banished, but rather placed next to equally stunning Botticelli beauties.

All images copyright V Magazine

Have: Wish List Realities

Considering our blog's name, I feel that we here at The Wish List missed some crucial blogging opportunities during the holidays. After all, during what other time of the year is a good part of the world meticulously compiling their own wish lists? And no matter what holiday you celebrate, it's hard to ignore the emergence of new exciting gadgets and shiny, happy retail commercials.

Luckily, one of my resolutions this year is to be more positive, so I've found the silver lining in the situation: a heap of new "haves" to post about.

Here are my top three Christmas additions:

1. Garmin Nuvi® 1300 — I have an awful sense of direction so this is a godsend (by way of my parents).

2. Free People Scandalous Lace Top — Sexy, edgy, and sweet all at once, this layering piece has already debut at work and on the weekend. And rest assured, I am not wearing it alone.

3. Lush Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser — Finally, I used some of my Christmas cash to try out some Lush products. (Sam did a little holiday-help work there, heehee). My skin feels softer and looks brighter than ever after using this cleanser. And considering the amount of chemicals we slather on ourselves daily, it feels great to move toward more natural choices.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and got to cross a few wants and wishes off.

New year, new wishes, wants, and haves—we look forward to carrying out our resolution to share more of them all!