I try to limit my time spent on Facebook. Though I like using the network to keep up with faraway friends and family, I find the content and culture of the app to be generally toxic. Not the kind of noxious that knocks you out with one whiff, but the kind that seeps in through the guise of casual pastime and keeps you coming back for more until your hooked.

Today I signed on and managed to (mostly) dodge temptations to get caught up this indignation or that righteousness. The key is to speed past wordy posts full of all caps, snarky memes, or links to sites whose names contain words like viral or patriot or Turks. In pursuit of cute summertime photos of nieces and nephews, I even resisted the urge to stop and coo over a Facebook memory, which depicted a slimmer, happier-looking me from 7 years ago.

In my midday work lull, I just wanted to feel that little bump I get from seeing images of my favorite people, nothing more. But then a post from one of my oldest friends caught my attention: she was lamenting having read about or witnessed a series of scary events that’d taken place this week in the town where she lives. It’s the town I grew up in. The one I remember as being the sort where you could leave your doors unlocked and your children outside past dusk without worry. It’s the Smalltown, USA that I keep in my memory as being clean and kind and free of big city problems like homelessness. Now, despite my efforts to block out gnarly news in my feed, I was faced with a report that there is a substantial and growing population of homeless people in my hometown. When asked about what’s happened to cause the shift, her response, in a word: Opioids.

In this prescription-soaked culture, opioids are the hottest trend.

So hot, in fact, that some reports credit the class of drugs with the deaths of 33,000 Americans in 2015. And while, these deaths include overdoses from illegal drugs, like heroin, the wildfire spread of opioid abuse can be attributed to legal prescription drugs.

Rx meds are so ubiquitous, so ingrained in popular culture, that the image of those puke orange pill bottles has found it’s way onto the fashion racks. What you see above is not something from a medicine cabinet, but a phone case from the Spring Summer 2017 collection by Moschino. I was engaged in a different addictive pastime – browsing the Net-a-porter.com sale – when I spotted it in all of it’s disgrace. And the timing couldn’t be worse. I’d just learned that my innocent hometown was being stained by fallout of pill-popping addictions when I saw this garish display of everything I hate about fashion: tasteless, wasteful, and self-destructive consumerism.

The design, from a creative director whose a known thief and proponent of throwaway culture, even features a cheeky expiration date, reminding any consumer with a conscious of the planned obsolesence found in too many seasonal collections. The trouble is the culture (via social media, medication, and shopping) has so many of us walking around unconscious – numb, dumb, and stumbling about looking for the next fix – that we’re not readily aware of how damaging it can be to participate in these dopamine-inducing habits.

Net-a-porter describes this phone case as “playful.”

Skeletal themes are trending in fashion categories from mass market to the so-called “high end.” I can’t help but see a correlation between the fad and the fashion zeitgeist’s perverse preference for boney bodies.

And beyond the beauty tyranny, there’s a mood brewing in pop culture that glamorizes death and destruction. Kids are “born to die” and they revel in life before annihilation. Live fast | die young | be wild | have fun.

Show Your Bones by eightyjane on polyvore.com

The painting is part of a current exhibit “Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis,” which features paintings from the golden age of Dutch influence in art and culture. The highlight of the exhibition for me included a pair of wedding portraits featuring the most exquisitely represented 17th century fashion. The jacquard fabrics, especially caught my eye, as the fabric style is very relevant to current fashion.

This painting, by Pieter Jacobsz Codde (Dutch, 1599-1678), has a similar style and shows an example of jacquard fabric with a similar floral pattern. The manner of juxtaposing extreme detail with impressionist-like strokes is really effective at portraying texture. In person, that is. Also of note in this period of fashion are the gigantic lace collars, which, though terribly impractical, were worn as status symbols.

From her clothes it is clear that this woman (above) is a woman of considerable status. She is well-to-do and fashionable: her dress is richly ornamented, around her neck is a Millstone ruffs. The millstone ruff is a round collar made of pleated white linen. It was fashionable in Holland from the late 16th century to about 1625. They began small, but became increasing broad until finally resembling millstones. Manufacturing such large ruffs was a complicated and time-consuming task for the specialists who made them – mostly Flemish or Dutch women. A ruff like this required a great deal of material, sometimes as much as 15 meters. Usually cambric was used, a fine linen often decorated with bobbin lace. After washing and starching, it was gathered or pleated and set on a collar and then ironed into circular shapes with ‘pipe’ irons. These costly collars or ruffs were worn by the well-to-do, both men and women.

Source

Not long after my visit to the de Young, I walked past this floral jacquard jacket in the window of a Zara store in the Financial District of San Francisco. Not long ago fabric like this was considered best left to grandma’s curtains. Now, however, jacquard, brocade, and damask fabric is common to trendy, contemporary fashion.

My eyes are lately caught by wooden accessories. Glasses, rings, and things like little box clutches have a humble luxe appeal that vibes with my current aesthetic. I do steer clear of wooden earrings, though, since they have a way of further pushing me down that “earthy girl” pigeon hole that I avoid like plague & polyester.

It’s the unexpected items that are especially exciting – like the wooden iPhone case I recently purchased from Root Cases. The wood isn’t as stately IRL as it is in the pictures, but the unplanned rustic charm as grown on me. Unfortunately, I’m not that confident in the durability of the case, considering that it chipped within days of first use. The limited utility of the case, however, probably matches the length of life I can expect from my Apple product’s diabolical built-in obsolescence. Both are definitely a blip in my attempts to follow the Manifesto. The Root Cases website says the brand plants a tree for every product sold.

I also love the look of these earbuds by The House of Marley. The brand was nice enough to gift me a pair of “People Get Ready” earphones in Midnight. They look great with my phone case and fit the jack perfectly (this review points out that this case isn’t always so accommodating).

The brand has many other styles, including on- and over-ear models and audio systems. All categories utilized wood that, according to The House of Marley website, is FSC certified.

ITEMS FROM TOP COLLAGE are detailed below:

So what might the trend mean? Elephants have been connected with wisdom, long memory, power, and royalty among other symbolism. Elephants are revered in some Eastern cultures, figuring largely (no pun) in the history and culture of countries like India. In fact, Indian people and culture are increasingly visible in Western popular culture, which plays such a big part of forming fads. Yet trends are more than fashion fad. A real trend is a vibration that can be felt throughout. In fashion, music, cuisine, design, politics, social structures, everywhere… What does the image of an elephant mean to you?

Pictured, clockwise from top left:
Topshop pendant necklace, Tarina Tarantino earrings, Sevan Bicakci amethyst ring, Dannijo Necklace, Hermes Charm, Alkemie cuff bracelet, Sakdidet Road ring

Shop more elephant jewelry items below.

Elephant Cornelian Cameo Pendant / Pin Del Gatto’s highly skilled master artisans select and hand-carve every shell using century old techniques. This beautiful cameo with an 18K gold frame can be worn as a pendant or pin and is part of the Corniola collection which uses South East African sea shells. Made in Naples, Italy

TARINA TARANTINO ” Tilt-A-Whirl” Blue Elephant Drop Earrings Slip the TARINA TARANTINO “Tilt-A-Whirl” Blue Elephant Drop Earrings into your ears for a fashion statement no one will forget! Each rhodium-plated silver post with a friction back holds a sparkling light-blue crystal. A bright turquoise blue Lucite elephant charm dangles below from a single chain link for a whimsical touch. Measuring more than 2-1/2 inches long, these charming earrings will add a fun and colorful element to any outfit. Pair these earrings with crisp white shorts, a loose patterned top, and strappy wedge sandals for an outdoor lunch or garden party.

Vanessa Mooney Brass Elephant Charm on Tube And Ball Bead Bracelet Vanessa Mooney jewelry is hand made in Los Angeles, CA. The pieces are created to feel unique and one of a kind.

DOMINIQUE LUCAS – ELEPHANT NECKLACE Yellow gold plated sterling silver. Made in the U.K.

Elephant Charm Bracelet This style worthy elephant charm bracelet is a bold and beautiful piece ready for any occasion. Day or night, easy or elegant, the gold large open chain links make a rich statement as the gold and black enamel elephant hangs charmingly for a playful touch. Bracelet fastens with a simple toggle clasp.Metal: Gold platedMeasurement: 7 ¾ inches longPendant dimensions: 1 ¼ inch wide, 1 ¼ inch long

Elephant Pendant Necklace The elephant pendant necklace lets you have fun with your accessories. The abstract black elephant hangs at the bottom of the long chain and pops with 18k yellow-gold plate details. Layer this irresistible piece with your other fashion jewelry necklaces for a bohemian chic look.

Double Elephant Pendant Necklace Double elephant pendant necklace is a perfect gift for your best friend. A stylish 14k yellow gold disc is engraved with the image of two elephants with their trunks interlocked with one another. Because the trunks of the elephants are linked, they symbolize friendship. The pendant measure 5/8 inch in diameter as it dangles from a lovely 16 inch chain that is also crafted of 14k yellow gold. Necklace fastens with a lobster claw clasp.

The Paris Uniform by eighty jane

A few days back from my trip to the fashion capital of the world, I’ve had a bit of time to reflect a bit on my experience. I was surprised (and maybe a little disappointed) to find that Parisian fashion didn’t seem to stand apart from the global crowd. It might be a result of the nature of fashion these days: We all read the same magazines (the same publisher, at least) and, perhaps more importantly, we read many of the same blogs.

My trip consisted of days in New York City, Paris, and Amsterdam – and each seemed to be a mosh of the same H&M-informed style palettes. To be fair, each of these cities has more than their share of tourists, and each is a “Western” city. Perhaps if my international jaunt had included Merida or Calabar or Jakarta I might have gotten a bit more variety.

Above, see a Polyvore representation of the most common look I saw on the streets of Paris. I wish I could say that the striped shirt was characteristic of the classic Paris style we all think of, but I think it’s just a reflection of a global trend toward horizontal stripes. The look lost it’s jazz after seeing it for the 88th time, but it’s made up of good foundation-like pieces, so I’m not mad at it. Click here to shop the look.

I’m always first in line to defend fashion against assumptions that it’s a frivolous enterprise with no intellectual or cultural content. I cannot, however, ignore that the mainstream – or pop fashion – is extremely guilty of promoting glamour over health. The weight issue has been beaten to near death, but another thing I’ve noticed recently is the pervasiveness of cigarettes. So many fashion editorials these days show the model holding a lit cigarettes as she would a handbag or some other expensive accessory. With heaping amounts of non-chalance, of course. It’s impossible to avoid the fact that these images will make people (especially youngsters trying to keep their weight down) want to smoke. In this case, though, the expense is much greater than a lump of cash. This fashion status symbol will cost you your health.

Photos: style.com, Fashion Gone Rogue, williamyan.com, Fashionologie, northerndrops.wordpress.com, & Tumblrs @ thereisnotme, myblackeverything, blackblonde, cross-stained, thefashionreblog, and deipnophobia

Katie Lee, Selena Gomez, Nancy O’dell, January Jones, Kyra Sedgwick

Black:

Jayma Mays, Piper Perabo, Giuliana Rancic, Julianne Hough, Jane Lynch

Eva Longoria, Kelly Osbourne, Halle Berry

Green:

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Elizabeth Moss, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis

Orangey Pink:

Rhea Durham, Emma Stone, Lea Michelle, Natalie Portman, Claire Danes

photos: zimbio.com

The irresistible ball of cuteness you see above is from a holiday gift guide list presented by Style.com. The site asked a number of fashion industry insiders what gifts they’d like to give and get this year and Christopher Kane CEO, Tammy Kane, listed a French bulldog puppy as one of her big wishes. This was a blatant confirmation of a trend that I’ve seen brewing for a while.

The craze is one that’s especially near and dear to my heart because an awesome Frenchie named Marilyn (she was “blond”) was a part of my family for 13+ years. As a result, part of me is repulsed by the fad – taking a bit of offense to what looks like it might turn into what we saw a few years back when every other celeb and fashionista was toting around a little Chihuahua. I’d rather not even say her name in this space, but at the height of that trend a certain hotel heiress was known for changing her little pooches like she changed handbags. Disgusting. Dogs aren’t accessories; they are living souls and, hopefully, this trend won’t lead to any breeding exploitations. Trust me, these dogs are just as cute and even greater companions as adults. Check out the French Bulldog Rescue Network for info on how to adopt a dog that needs a home.

As all true trends do, French bulldogs have invaded many facets of popular culture. Below: a fashion editorial; Martha Stewart and her dogs do a Pet Smart commercial; and the movie poster for “Due Date” which features a Frenchie in a starring role.

Right: An embellished gown and cape from Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2010-2011

	Mcq Alexander Mcqueen Tiger Stripe Sweater
	McQ – Alexander McQueen Fair Isle Sweater
	McQ – Alexander McQueen Short Tweed Coat
	Alexander McQueen – McQ Tromp L’Oiel T-Shirt
	Alexander McQueen – McQ Grey Flannel Jacket
	Mcq Alexander Mcqueen Bat Sheer Dress