On Studded Collars & The Bags Under My Eyes

Dear lifemates,
Today, I'd like to introduce you to my brand spankin' new column on Refinery 29, "Repeller or Propeller." There, I will test drive loads o'fashion trends and decide whether they repel the men or propel the women and their mothers. For the first installment yesterday, I looked to none other than my controversial collar a la Eleven Objects. Peep the story on Refinery or stay here and dance the Flamenco.

And break.

In life, there will come a time when you are confronted with millennial concerns and problems that will beg immediate care and solutions. Questions like, how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Which did come first: the chicken or the egg? Was God there when Margaret called? Are we human? Or are we dancer? And, of course, do detachable collars fall into the category of man repelling or runway propelling?

collar: Eleven Objects

While I may not be able to offer extensive answers to all the pending questions that will shape the outcome of the rest of your life, I can show you pictures that deal exclusively with the most important of the aforementioned selection: the detachable collar. Is it a repeller? Is it a propeller? The world may never know.

necklaces: Lucid New York, left rights: TOMTOM, Dannijo, Lucid, right rings: TOMTOM, Dominic Jones

Here's the thing about a collar with no shirt attached...there's no shirt attached. Hooray for versatility!

Wear it with:

1. A dress that tricks masses into thinking it is attached to said dress.

 

dress: Topshop, shoes: Valentino. 

Someone named Dona in the comments on Refinery 29 said "this girl's face is a Man Repeller," to that I say, it was windy. Sue me. Wind blows. My eyes close. I try to keep them open, it isn't easy.

1b. A dress that tricks the massed into thinking it is attached to said dress, which tricks the masses into thinking it is a blouse.

suede shorts: Dallin Chase. 

Another anonymous commenter was too distracted by the bags underneath my eyes to absorb the content. To that I say, they are hereditary. I'm not going to get to plastic surgery to erase my family heirlooms. I think they give me character.

2. As a layering piece

jacket: Charlotte Ronson, crochet tank: Anarchy Street (Deal o'the day! Only $42!), highwaist jeans: Seven for All Mankind

shoes: Proenza Schouler

rings: TOMTOM, Dannijo, Lucid, Dominic Jones

3. As a necklace

dress: Rag & Bone skirt worn as dress, shoes: Marni.  

What good is a strapless dress if not to pair with a collar? No good at all, is the answer.

So you see, repellows, the collar was dubbed repeller because in each of these instances, while the outfits may lose an inherent sense of tza tza tzu without the collar, they also become far more comprehensible to those pesky Y-chromosome carriers.

This doesn't mean you should stop wearing the collar though, quite the contrary. Order yours here.

All photos by Naomi Shon
Read le full feature, anonymous comments et al on Refinery 29 here.