Yep. Today I was thinking about how I wish I had a pair of high waisted trousers with a good fit. These green wide leg trousers are by Biba, from Browns. £195.

Click here to see more styles, different prices.  

Beginning today I’m going to use Sundays to post my favorite Etsy sellers, particular those with a Street Style sense.  Featured today are Moop and Wildewear, two Massachusetts-based designers.

Moop specializes in made-to-order bags. Simple, modern, hand-crafted, and a bit-understated.  Moop designer (photographer, model, etc), Wendy, works out of a converted mill building in Western Massachusetts. Be sure to check out Moop’s shop, website, and blog.

My favorite is The Fraulein Tote (shown above). It’s made with a deep brown canvas and is lined in burnt orange ripstop. The outside has two deep pockets. The inside has five pockets of varying sizes, perfect for carrying phones and ipods. There’s also two pencil slips and a d-ring for clipping keys and smaller pouches.  Ordering information available here.

Wildewear features the eco-friendly work of Tricia Wilde. Tricia grew up in Ireland but now lives in the Boston area with her three sons.  She’s a single mom and created her home based business so she could stay home with her kids.  Tricia also takes vintage clothes and reworks and embellishes them to create a new modern look.

The skirt shown above, is her Ginger Berry Skirt. This skirt is very comfy with stretch jersey knit roll over top and tie around belt. You can play with how much to roll over the top and can even wear it as a dress if it fits. Fits size small to medium fits waist up to 32 inches and is 28 inches long. All handmade original wildewear design. Cotton jersey knit. Totally washable, very loveable. Ordering information is available here.

You’ve probably noticed the big promotion for KMart’s Style Showoff contest. The entrants  (1) upload a photo of themselves showcasing their “style”, (2) make a style statement explaining the secrets of their style success, and (3) show it off for the judges. Four style show-offs are featured as samples meant to inspire the contest entrants.

Caroline R is one of the “show offs” and her style statement goes like this:

My sense of style is very All-American: clean and classic but with a twist! I’m not afraid of bright, fun colors or prints–I especially love pink. Usually, I put an outfit together around whatever shoe I’m wearing.

I love wearing high heels, a cute skirt or some capris pants, and a fitted top. I just add the finishing touch of a colorful purse…and voila! And don’t be surprised if that purse matches my shoes. I rock my style by adding a headband or a unique piece of jewelry that to me has special meaning.

Fashion is all about making yourself feel good. I say if you feel good wearing it, then ‘You work it!’

Maybe it’s just me, but don’t you think they could have come up with something a little more creative? Any of the hundreds of folks who’ve already put themselves out there on a street fashion photo site like Tricia Royal’s wardrobe_remix, or the Flickr Fruits site, or the new Stylemob can do much better than that.

(And, by the way, All Chic has just launched its own Community. Click on the link to the upper left to join the All Chic Closet. Post photos of what’s in your closet and what’s on your wish list. Buy sell and trade with other members. Let’s get this community off the ground. Email me with any suggestions…. cath at allchic.com….)

 I love the dropped-waist/skirt ruffle on these Betsy Johnson tops from her Alley Cat days. I always thought it was called a peblem waistline, but now I’m not sure.

 Scarlett’s Closet has a terrific reference page for fashion newbies.  Listed under “Waistline” are -

Antebellum - Dress has natural waistline that dips two inches to a point in the center front.

Basque (Bosk) - Waistline of dress is two inches below the natural waist; dipas to a point in the center front and back.

Curved Basque - Similar to Basque, though rounded at the center front. Also known as Antebellum.

Empire (Om Peer) - High waisted with short bodice. Skirt begins two or more inches above natural waist.

Peblum - Short flounce or overskirt attached at waistline.

Shirred (sherd) - Fabric is gathered to make a horizontal panel.

So I guess the Betsy Johnson waistline would be Curved Basque with a peblum.

But what I didn’t know is that the word peblum has an entirely different meaning. According to RocketJones -

Peblum, literally, is the short skirt worn by ancient gladiators, but it’s also used to describe a genre of movies. Although generically it refers to any heroic fantasy movie set in ancient times (Hercules, Atlas, Jason, etc.), specifically the term applies to the movies made in Italy during the 50’s and 60’s.

(Gladiator photo from IMDB)

(photo from AmericanIdol.com)

Rocker Amanda managed to escape elimination this week, even though Simon (and the “guys”) all agreed it was definitely not her best performance. No one cared for her outfit, hair, makeup, or song choice this week. But I did notice her jacket. I guess it’s the buttons.

I checked out my favorite site sponsors and found two double breasted jackets along the same lines.

 The Me Jane Plaid Jacket from Buckle is a steal at $37.12. This plaid canvas jacket is fitted, double-breasted, and even has epaulet shoulders.

Another one I like is this Cassette Bomber Jacket from National Jean Company. This cropped wool jacket is retro fitted, double-breasted with oversized buttons. It also has epaulets on the shoulder, and high neck collar. A little pricier at $325.00 but, nevertheless, very cool.

Today I was looking around for a jacket for my son (14 yo and 6′5″). So far I haven’t had much luck finding youthful styles. Most sites seem to feature 50ish men with good jobs.

So, as usual, I ended up searching for myself. Like my son, I’ve always had an issue with sleeve length and pants length. I was so happy to find LongLegs a Canadian (Toronto) shop for tall women. Nancy Pehar and Heather Dotchison have a great selection of chic clothes for tall women including jeans with inseams up to 38″ and shoe sizes to 13.

Eighteen years ago if you would have told us we would be owners of a clothing store dedicated to providing quality apparel and shoes for tall women we both would have said ‘impossible’. But years of friendship and countless hours of frustrating shopping experiences have led us down a different path. What was once a dream, to find a store where we could find stylish clothing with longer sleeve lengths and inseams is now a reality.  (the Spirit of our Company)

Don’t you just love the coat shown above? It’s on sale…. and I bet the sleeves are long enough.

The latest All Chic messenger bag just posted on Etsy. I love the long straps that can be worn across the chest and the bead trim on the flap.  

And speaking of messenger bags, I’ve been exploring this wonderful site from Prague, my favorite city that I haven’t been to… yet.

BabaStudioPrague features bags decorated with wonderful artwork. Victoriana, Steampunk (see above), Bohemian, Gothic, Fairies and Flowers…and if you’re a cat person, you’ve got to check out their Bohemian Cats.

For inspiration….

• Baba Store
• Events in Prague
• Prague Cafes
• Prague Photo Tour

Everywhere I look I find creative bags. This one from Peruvian Connection is lined with a zipper closing.