I'm so not letting this no-fear, showing myself, ensemble photo series slide! Oh no. I just have delays. And laziness (I even have bangs since I took these, sorry!). And major major lack-of-photographer issues /frustrations. But it'll come more and more often. I now have plans to take pictures of clothes sans moi, so that I may do it a lot more frequently. (I'll try to include more of myself though, too.) This was my second fairly successful attempt at a personal photo shoot. Part 1 has photos so different from part 2, that well that's why there will be two parts. If I do have time to keep practicing, I may be able to actually have more photos of myself eventually. Sigh. On shoot day, it was a very frustrating afternoon! On to the photos, credits below.

OK, first of all, yeah I accidentally cropped my feet out of all these photos. Timer photography needs major work. Also I look fatter in a belt-looped / under shirt belt. *whine* Not sure what I can do while I'm not perfectly a full lower pants size.

I'm almost shocked I could get a lot of pictures of my face. Goodbye Ella in shades? Nah, course not. ;-)

OK, goofy giggle. Whatcha gonna do? It's still fun & cute. And here they are, it's the piece de resistance...

My new(ish) Bandolino pumps. Hello?! Don't they look like they cost $1,402 and not on sale for $42??? More photos to come of these (they're not online).

Credits:

Cropped jacket: Perameter (Bluefly.com find)
T-shirt: Really old Delia's??? *update* Old Navy???
(Getting less) Skinny jeans: Mossimo for Target
Bag: Hollywood Intuition @ Target w/ crafty strap
Jewelry: Indie/handcraft designer, local to South Florida. Don't shoot me if I'm wrong, but I think it's GMS Jewelry Co. I need to take close photos; great stuff!
And of course the shoes: Bandolino

Lady GaGa, with her plainer hair that makes her look more like Sarah Michelle Gellar than artsy performer or freakshow, graffitied some more Japanese (and perhaps other scribbles) on her infamous Hermès Birkin bag.

Message coming in loud and clear? No. More fuzzy and more "eff" you than "love you". And we don't like to receive that!

Were there any taste in her original "artwork" - a simplistic message, it's all trash now and it has us needing to stuff our mouths with cookies to get the poor taste out of our mouths. What will save our eyes? We're almost angry, but it's just GaGa. What she does to fashion is harmless, for although she has amazing influence over die-hard fans, she doesn't hold much crossover power to normal fashion or accessorizing. Will Posh follow suit? Over her deathly-thin body, we think! By the way, is it difficult to read, like we imagine it might be? Does anyone have a new translation? Photo: The Superficial [NSFW site]

Good news for budgetistas, this $75 Zac Posen for Target dress seems to be worth the price. The fabric is thick brocade, and it shimmers. Reviewers tell us the zippers are of poorer quality however.

Beyond that, I think the visuals of this design speak for themselves: figure-enhancing tie detail, oh so feminine, and so on and so forth. Add the florals and the frock is not only trendy, but with the dressiness of the fabric, perfect for any of your upcoming Summer weddings.

You need to budget this one in fast. Target.com is sold out and I'm sure all the chicest cities have sold their stock as well. Get on this!

'Tis a new holiday, but it roots from ancient beliefs ... in a way. The story starts with religion, actually, but this is more of an atheistic holiday, while still remaining inviting to more open-minded religious persons as well. The tale opens with an Iranian cleric promoting the idea that not only does God/a god punishes humans for evil, but our promiscous modern times have resulted in earth quakes*.

All those bouncing boobs, apparently, have got a whole lotta other shakin' goin' on.

Not to make light of earthquakes, no, just this archaic school of thought. Sadly, though, Kazem Sedighi doesn't just blame people today, he blames women,

"Many women ... do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes"

He advises all to follow Islam to stop the havoc wreaked on the Earth by, what we know to be, natural disasters. However any normal person realizes that the earthquakes are likely caused by climate change and, as they say, women's hemlines go up when the economy goes down - so yes these things are happening more currently. It's a sort of correlation, but of course exclusive of each other, as there is no related causation to be found in rational thinking.So part two of the story of Boobquake begins when people react to this publication, or rather, one feminist blogger. She had a "modest proposal":

Sedighi claims that not dressing modestly causes earthquakes. If so, we should be able to test this claim scientifically. You all remember the homeopathy overdose? Time for a Boobquake. On Monday, April 26th, I will wear the most cleavage-showing shirt I own. Yes, the one usually reserved for a night on the town. I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts. Or short shorts, if that's your preferred form of immodesty. With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I'm sure Sedighi can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn't rumble. ... So, who's with me? I may be a D cup, but that will probably only produce a slight tremor on its own. If you'll be joining me on twitter, use the tag #boobquake! Or join the facebook event! (Confused? Angry? Think my science is [carp]? Read a serious explanation of boobquake here)

Worried about participating? Don't be unless you belief in that sort of fundamentalist or die-hard religious thinking. Perhaps angry about women putting their bodies on display for objectification? I say for a special occasion, we can do what we want with our bodies. At least we're not actually being promiscuous today - it's about just the sex appeal and mere fun.

And it's in the name of scientific experimentation!

As put by Bitch Buzz's Cate Sevilla,

If you want to get your feminist panties in a twist because of all the cleavage and, erm, objectification involved in Boobquake, you can. But personally I think you should just laugh and take this as over 41,000 people (give or take a few due to the perverts) agreeing that women being blamed for earthquakes and adultery because of our immodest dress is ... ridiculous.  (Also, the word BOOBQUAKE is just fun.) Plus, McCreight also encourages people to “help out the victims of inevitable natural disasters” noting that “[dressing] modestly won’t end earthquakes”. So, if you’re not down with cleavage but still agree that Sedighi’s comments are ridiculous, why not give to the Red Cross or the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Foundation?

In case you were wondering whether I'm participating - oh yes!

I plan to celebrate with not only my breasts, but legs and these Louboutins:

(or perhaps these ones, because they're easier to wear:)

*It must be noted that the disaster of earth quakes was probably chosen because Iran suffers a lot of them. How clever of the man, eh?

You take a girl's credit card, threaten her with having to move back in with the parents. And maybe actually give her the hope of happiness in love - but just be good, girl! Also needed are good teachers and lessons. And then well, she can grow. But you give that girl a new stable home, the hope of more credit and wahoo, slowly-increasing 0s on her paychecks ... and well.

Hey, I'm Ella. And I have a problem.

But that's OK! I have it mostly under control. I know I can't stop any time, and I can admit I have this problem. And that means I can shop ... Yes, I wrote "can't stop". No, I didn't say "I can stop", that's "shop". Gosh I could almost fill a blog with gushy stories of how I just wantwantwant COACH, Miu Mius, Louboutins, Calvin Kleins, Badgely Mischkas, Manolos ... as if those were to truly save my life and not just make my day. But just like how it's not just "stuff" - don't say that! It's, well, not just *about* the stuff.

It's the rush. And it's how shopping is a powerfully-healing drug. Addiction.

I don't want to stop, just slow down. Care to take a ride with me?

Plaid Doctrine is the love child (more literal in the love, less in the child, perhaps) of a former Microsoft employee, Susanne Park.

She decided she'd rather fill a void in the work bag / laptop case / travel bag industry than, well, we guess be another drone in an office? As for that void-filling, she wanted style, green (eco) and ... plaid.

A long-butt time of hard work after this new journey began, and Plaid Doctrine has its soft launch ... today! I suspect no one is having a better Earth Day than Ms. Park, except for perhaps the trees if we're doing our job well!

How do these bags help save the Earth? Well don't go thinking these fabulous totes (and note the iPad case) are made of PU/pleather! Oh no, instead Susanne wanted vegetable-tanned leather, which is absolutely kinder to our Earth's skies than manufactured plastic. The fabrics (mostly plaids) are constructed from recycled bottles. Great news for all you soda and purified water fans.

The opening collection is a small preview of 4 pieces, and prices currently range from $79 to $479. Yes, we'll count spending your money on these as helping the environment, but don't forget to replenish the fabric supply and recycle!

*Update: 4/26/10* The first day their payment system was not working, but now you can finally place your orders! ;-)

I believe I put in more preparation and sacrifice than anyone to score at The Outnet sale, and although some people sadly lost out, and others somehow lucked out, seeing that I got exactly what I wanted (Christian Louboutins), I feel like I won the whole race, and deservedly.

So here's my score! As of right now, they still haven't shipped. Yes, I'm watching. ;-)

[caption id="attachment_3058" align="alignnone" width="230" caption="Swarovski crystals!"][/caption]

Some blogs' "of the days" must meet when truly influential - and today's dress of the day from The Fashion Police, by Red Valentino - is oozing with genius design, so here it is for this Wednesday.

More RED Valentino...

What is clearly so cunning is the bow continues from the knot, cascading like ribbon tails down the frock over the left leg, with an equally clever slit that's still demure due to smart tailoring.

Adding fit is the bust seaming that also appears as though it flows into the knot. So gorgeous, with just that subtle touch of sexy.

It's near absolute perfection, and relatively affordable for it's luxeness, at $508.

Lady GaGa in a Charles Youssef suit

Lady GaGa was just seen in an airport sporting long, plainer hair, a sneer, and looking generally roughed-up showing off her arm tattoo and ominous scratches. With quite hideous triangular-shaped pant legs (Charles Youssef), insanely high platform boots, and really cool/edgy Chanel gloves----she was, much more importantly, also boasting a white Birkin bag with Japanese lettering.

Lady Gaga fierce fashion: roughed up, including her Birkin Bag

If you were to wonder whether or not Hermès sold the purse that way, or whether she butchered the most remarked symbol of fashion, the answer will likely upset you. Lady GaGa did graffiti the Japanese characters, and they actually match the writing on her arm. According to The UK's Daily Mail, it's a message to her fans, reading, "I love little monster, Tokyo love". My first reaction was fear for the poor purse, but I'm not shocked GaGa would make such a stunt. It's GaGa! She wants spectacle, and this is quite the way to get it. She wanted the attention she's getting from this scheme, and it is one, even more than she cares for fashion. So she defaced an iconic and beloved symbol worth roughly $4,600, also according to the Daily Mail -- if she were to auction it, it would be worth even more, if only to the fashionista/GaGa fangirl demographic. Even if not, this chick can afford it. The girl sure has balls, and those balls bought her that Birkin. I just wish I could get a piece of that fame's fortune. I'm also a bit saddened that GaGa cares not that she slapped her much poorer but fashion-loving fan sector in the face like this. Don't you kind of agree? Oh, I promise you Hermès, I'd baby my own Birkin!

But what do you think? OOAK IT or Trashed $h!t?

Photos from Just Jared, obvs, read the post.

P.S. The new version of Gaga's scribbles.

Usually this might be a "style steal" bargain post on your typical blog, but while I love shopping, this is no shopping blog. We focus on design, and we hate celebrity "designers" who don't follow through with unique design when they place their names on lines.

Valentino   VS   Paris Hilton

Sure, I don't mind some bargain-priced couture trends. I love Easy Spirit's "E Collection" because it's stylish and even the heels have some comfort built-in. While not super cheap (shoes usually run in the $80's) they do borrow some designer stylish details du jour. (However they're quality-made and a comfort brand, but that argument is irrelevant to this particular rant.)

Now Paris Hilton, on the other hand

... well she wears some cute shoes*, so I might have loved to support "her designs" - but she really has none. Just her own brand name on simpler, cheaper rip-offs.

But while Paris surely wears expensive designer shoes, her own line consists of neither. The 2nd issue is a problem.

Here she, or they -- her company or whatnot, have attempted to quench the public's thirst for Valentino's (and possibly Vivienne Westwood's) exaggerated bows with their high-reaching top loops. Of course nothing quite has the charm of those original Valentinos, n'est pas?

This doesn't mean it's a crime for you to buy these Paris pumps, or shoes like 'em. I just prefer to dream of the real thing. I'm an idealist like that.

Do you like this style of post? We want to feature it somewhat regularly, and you can help us. If you see some identity theft, send it to us via our contact form!

*Unfortunately, the comments to that article (and many others) were lost.