LET'S PARTY LIKE IT'S 2009!

HAPPY NEW DECADE!!

Missing in Action

So here's the real deal. (Deep Breathes; Long Sighs)

About three weeks ago someone broke into the Cocolah headquarters. OK fine; my home and took basically all the essential tools I've used to build and maintain the business.

After a long week of extreme paranoia I've settled into what I'm calling a funk slump. A state of pissedoffness and unusual laziness. Can't seem to get my flow back but what I am getting is that unsettling feeling that something has to change drastically.

I feel some of my old bitchiness coming back after years of being in the zone of positivity, love, peace, light and all that good shit that has rubbed off on me from hanging in the holistic parts of Brooklyn. It's like I'm turning into the incredible hulk in slow motion.

For 2010 my aim is to merge my two selves and just be a sweet bitch to the best of my abilities.

I'm happy to say I finally got a new computer but still need the essential software to get down to business. Also, I'm hoping to soon build the same bond that I had with my beloved laptop. It's like a new lover who's good in bed but they just haven't gotten to know what gets you like the old lovah did. Takes time.

Also, I'll be offering all the discounts and sales I meant to offer for the Holidays so stay tuned for that!

BTW I have a killer new haircut and as soon as I get a new camera I'll bore you once again with pics and stories about little ol me, me, me. Which is actually quite popular around these parts.

Oh the downtime has also gotten me working out again with a passion so my body is taking shape and making me want me more and more everyday and giving me a wider range of the things I allow myself to wear for show and tell.  AY! I'm looking at this body as a business investment cus I figure it might help me replace all that was lost faster. By any means necessary to live the life you dream?

Pull up to my bumper baby!

Express Yourself Don't Repress Yourself

What does your style say about you?

Dream for a Living

I've loved Viktor & Rolf from the second I saw the DREAM ON coat on Naomi a few seasons ago. I was not only tickled but inspired.

They continue to push the envelope creating pieces that boggle the mind. Are they pieces of fashion, art or architecture?

When you're able to step outside of your mind's box and look at fashion as art you can appreciate how ultra fantastical these pieces are. I LOVE!

Cus if nothing else...I'm a dreamer!

It would be interesting to see a world where folks wore their heart on their sleeves and outfits were mini art projects. With no rules on right and wrong...Ok wait...I'm already starting to regret this fantasy...but moving forward nonetheless.

We've all been programmed to dress according to the rules of American society but what if we all created an avatar of ourselves and dressed in character sorta like a real life anime movie...oh wait...that's the kids in Japan. Scratch that.

SCAAAARRRRY!!!



On the other hand Viktor & Rolf's last collection...scary but in a good way.



It's amazing what the mind can create when you give it freedom of expression. That's what Cocolah.com is all about. Expressing yourself through fashion as art with individuality and confidence.

GROUP HUG!!!!

This Summer 2010 collection is out of a girl's twisted fantasy! Sorta like disney gone right. They're like giving you a nauseating, cavity inducing dose of SWEETS (like the amount that I ate on Halloween, ugh). Sorta like giving you wicked fairy princess in an upside down world where everything is in excess. Oh wait. We're living in it. Wicked Pretty or Pretty Wicked.

The silhouettes defy gravity. AMAZING!!!

Never put limits on your imagination. DREAM ON!

INSANE!

Let's Say Grace.....Amen.

TADA!!!

With all the androgynous, fetish, robotic warrior, retro-futurist fashion on the streets, runways and print I couldn't help but think of Zula from Conan the Barbarian. Grace Jones herself to be exact.

As the poster child for androgynous, fearless, female, sexual power she has inspired not only fashion, music but the arts. Andy Warhol painted her portrait and Keith Haring painted her body for a 1985 performance at Paradise Garage. Her influence is powerful but as silent as deadly. She's often overlooked as a musician but her style is undeniable. Her style is recognized by those who don't know her music.


Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Naomi and Amber Rose all women perceived as fearless, outspoken and dare I say BITCHes! as in WORK BIIIIIIIIIITCH (with index finger wagggin' 2 inches from your face) have been "showcased" to personify Grace in some way or the other.

Then we have everything Madonna has done, many of Janet's look, fetishes and antics, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and many others.

All pretending to be unapologetic. They're not doing it justice if you ask me...cus even now in her 60s Grace still puts a little fear in your heart. Cus she's that fierce.

Caged Amber Rose as Grace

Naomi as Grace
Rhianna as Grace

My favorite picture of all!!! My fantasy parents Grace and Andre Leon Talley. (I switch out my fantasy mother between Grace Jones and Anna Wintour.

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself...

Touched for the very first time

So I'm still on the fence as to what I'm going to be for Halloween...which is what happens year after year...then the day of I hop outta bed and head straight to my closet to pile on random clothes and accessories and make a DIY costume that I have to explain....cus it only makes sense to me.

Soooooo! This year I've decided to go as Madonna Like a Virgin on the MTV Awards cus I'm feeling a little flirty...a tad bit slutty. yup.




So I Youtube(d) to figure out how to make a tutu...cus I live on the planet of DIY as in Do you it your damn self cus it is a recession after all.



See how easy that is...alls I gotta do is find myself a white corset, white shoes and some pearls and the burst of energy that I require to leave the house even doh I spent hours prepping and getting dressed. Having to always dismiss the thought that getting dressed WAS the fun part and that I will probably travel for another hour only to be bored in half the time because I don't really drink and I hate small talk.

I Cocolah vow to leave the house and leave the computer and stop claiming I have too much work to do because I will ALWAYS have too much work to do and I will go out and have FUN with other humans in the flesh and not via the computer screen. I Cocolah will take part in this Halloween because getting dressed, being in character and creating a fantasy is what I LOVE to do best and this is the one day a year that I have an excuse to go ALL out and not hold back and be in the company of other freaks who like to play dress up. YES!

To be continued...

I see the future

What do you think folks will be wearing in the year 3000?

Press On

Um. Yeah.

I cant remember where I found this. I found it this morning in my inspiration folder. It's by an underground designer who has a great sense of humor. If you find these kinds of things funny.

As a child of the 80s I grew up in the Lee Press On Nail era. Many o' nights I would wake up with a nail stuck to my forehead and/or cheek. (Those things didn't stay on no matter how much glue you used and they definitely with the glue provided by the package.)

That said, this piece freaks me out a bite. Just had a flashback of having (on average) 6 out of 10 nails on at any given time. Somehow that was ok back in the day.

So was having a chest sprinkled with baby powder. (um...I'll never understand that one)

Your Favorite Nightmare

When I was a young girl I was never into dolls, I was never really into pretty things. Partly because no one was calling me their little princess. Or perhaps cus there was about 12 of us in a 3 bedroom apartment so there wasn't time or space to try to be pretty....I'm working through that in therapy so I'll keep my childhood issues outside this blog. Ahem. Moving right along. Thank you!

Someway, somehow the new Alexander McQueen collection has made me envision myself in hues of pink, dusty blues and smelling of lavender. Lace gloves, pretty hats and fans like a southern belle in the year 3010.

Flash to a scene of an old lady with the spare room full of those scary porcelain dolls with the creepy eyes that follow you around the room except my room would be filled with these beautiful space age, Alice in Wonderland dresses and shoes.

I'd invite my friends and have tea parties sipping tea real, real slow in antique sterling silver tea cups served by my butler with our pinkies way, way up!

Ooooh this collection is a bit scary and oh so purty!!!! The dresses seem out of a modern day fairy tale if you're an alien such as myself. Did I just say that...um I was kidding. NO need to be hasty and call the Men in Black. Thanks!




I took the liberty of remixing the music and choosing a more appropriate song. The tempo is perfect for the girl's walk and the lyrics seem fitting. Keep it on repeat.

Cooperate and No One Gets Hurt

Listen lady I hate to do this to you but not really. You're gonna to have to come up outta them clothes, shoes, and jewels....quick fast.

DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT ME!!! TURN AROUND and move faster! FASTER!!!!

Keep the t shirt, phone and the purse. I don't want your money. I'm a lady, I'm no petty thief.

I'll even put you in a cab so you don't have to walk the streets barefoot in your undies.

Hold up...lemme hail one for ya...that's the least I can do.... (ten minutes later)

Well....er....you might have a better chance getting a yellow cab out here. You know how it is right. NO actually you don't.

You can handle that right?

Cool.

I'm out.

PEeeeeeACE!~ Call me if you wanna get rid of anything else in your closet! Tootles!!

While riding the train home Valentina Valentine can't help but talk to herself out loud. She just can't contain her excitement New Yorkers on the train don't pay her no never mind.

"ooooh eeeeee my very own Balmain leather cape and Zanotti boots!!" (She caresses the leather and holds it up to her nose and inhales deeply. She closes her eyes and says 3 hail Marys and crosses herself.)

"Right in time for xmas! YAY!!!!!! Alls I gotta do now is lose about 15 pounds to fit in these pants and Ima be wearing this outfit all day EVERYDAY you hears me!?!!! ALL DAY. EVERY. DAY. YEESSSSS darlin!!!" (she snaps her fingers in Z formation)

"Wearing these leather pants even in my sleep, these are FIYAH!!! you hear me!!!! Oh yes huney...yeeeeeesssssssss!!" (wagging index finger in front of her own face)

"I don't care if I wake up with a sweaty bum....these ain't comin off me no way, no how! Suzie Q wasn't doing it justice any ol way. "

Valentina gets up and talks to the folks on the train that have been giving her sideway glances.

"Listen don't you go feeling sorry for her!!!! Cus if she can afford a $8,000 cape I'm pretty sure she'll be quite alright. Shooooooo. Hmph. You folks are so judgmental."

Valentina gets up and storms out the train, stops and turns around and gives FACE, FACE, FACE before the train doors close and the train rolls away.

FADE TO BLACK.

You Should Know Pugh

It's truly breathtaking to see successful designers making art the essence of their collections.

Newcomer Gareth Pugh has already been compared to Alexander McQueeen, John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood not only because of his dark, punk, futuristic, avant garde esthetics but because so few designers dare to go to the dark side.


The video crosses fashion, art and a dark dreamlike state just like my life. Enjoy.

P.S. I'm so behind in pop culture that I had to refer to the Youtube reference library to go check out Beyonce's Sweet Dreams video. Beyonce says it was inspired by Pugh and that Sasha Fierce (not Beyonce) is a huge fan of Pugh and has worn his designs.

I repeat Sasha Fierce (not Beyonce) has worn Pugh.

Sidenote: Valentina Valentine would DIE, DIE, DIE for everything Pugh. siiiiiigh.







His earlier stuff was waaaay out of control. Hopefully it won't become too safe as he becomes more famous.

Work it thru the pain

Leslie Hall is exactly what I needed after the suffering I endured this Fashion Week season. Watching the shows and wanting pieces that cost more than I make a year was like a stab through my cold, cold heart.

Nothing warms my heart more than making something, anything. Even if it's cutting up a tshirt. Creating is therapeutic especially if you can wear it after and make yourself up, put on your FACE and take a picture to post on Facebook. YUP!

Leslie Hall is right on; poking fun at fashion and pop culture all while giving you the business. She's getting in your FACE unapologetically with her style and brand of humor. She's definitely on to something if you ask me.

Leslie is doing the "uncool" cool thing. I get her. I truly get her. I get her humor and to be honest I wish she was my BFF in a strange way I don't understand but do.

Apparently she's obsessed with Gem Sweaters and has started a museum in her hometown of um Iowa. Check out her gallery of gem sweaters which is truly impressive to say the least. If you're into that sorta thing and why wouldn't you be?

I remember rocking my vintage gem sweater sometime last year and it's always a blast from the past, conversation piece and always sparks a smile, laugh or confused raised eyebrow. Hey make a statement by any means necessary. Right Leslie!?

That's what makes her most phuckin rad. (yeah I said rad, that's my Iowanian? accent.) She's expressing herself her way.

Beep the video...keep an open mind and laugh a little.




Fashion will make you do some crazy, crazy things.

Like plotting to rob your elderly neighbor for Gucci thigh high boots. I mean...not that I would EVER consider such a horrendous thing.... NOPE!

I mean I was planning to pay her back except she recently complained about living expenses and how it wasn't easy living Social Security check to SS check. So I scrapped that plan. I mean...um. Do you know how many SS checks it would take to raise enough to get these babies?!??! TOO MANY! I don't got time for that!! That's why I played the Mega Million tonight! whoooop!

yeah. but look at them..really look at them. Do you blame me for having such thoughts?!

oooh! baby baby! Baby BABY!

STOP IT!!!! MY WEAK HEART CAN'T TAKE SUCH WICKEDNESS.

BTW I don't plan on wearing these...I just want to lay them in the empty space in my bed and fondle them and whisper sweet nothings to the heel.

Sigh.

Oh yeah...Leslie Hall. DIY. No really Do It Yourself and leave me alone I need a moment.

This entry is dedicated to underground and overground (as in Heaven) fashion.

Inspiration Board

Say ahhh!

Happy Birthday to me!! From the talented designer Briian Dragon of BSixtee6.

Here's a man that gets me! I adore this necklace.

yup!

A Life Lesson. Suit To Fit.

What’s the price?

“Is the price of living a dream much higher than the price of living without daring to dream?” asked the disciple.

The master took him to a clothes store. There, he asked him to try on a suit in exactly his size. The disciple obeyed, and was very amazed at the quality of the clothes.

Then the master asked him to try on the same suit – but this time a size much bigger than his own. The disciple did as he was asked.

“This one is no use. It’s too big.”

“How much are these suits?” the master asked the shop attendant.

“They both cost the same price. It’s just the size that is different.”

When leaving the store, the master told his disciple, “Living your dream or giving it up costs the same price, which is usually very high.

But the first lets us share the miracle of life, and the second is of no use to us.”

- Paulo Coelho

DREAMs ARE FREE NO MATTER WHAT SIZE

SAY AHHH!

Cocolah fall 09 color forecast

FUN with Stardoll.com

My new mini obsession.... :) Stardoll.com

It could either be one of six reasons...you tell me.

1. I'm thoroughly obsessed with fashion and anything fashion related
2. I am a narcissist and love seeing myself, dressing myself, talking about myself and filling this blog with me, me, mes
3. I'm missing the days of splurge post-permanent job so this is recession proof internet monitor shopping.
4. Cheaper than thrift
5. Easy blog content
6. All of the above

Introducing Valentina Valentine

Introducing the real Valentina Valentine.

A ma ma terial girl

blazer $3
tshirt 99 cents
jeans $19.99
boots $12
bracelets free (gift)
ring dimpled smiled, pearly whites, and 45 minutes of batting eyelashes plus $25
earrings - made with own hands
haircut - bartered for jewels

she's of the slanted persuasion.

That's all for now. Follow her adventures here on Cocolah.com Blog and say oooh!

MATH. ART. FASHION.

To be honest with you...math is not my forte...I know it's hard to believe cus you see my brilliance here, there, everywhere but on the reals...

MATH MAKES MY HEAD HURT.

Geometry For Your Body.

I'm totally impressed by Irina Shaposhnikova's collection called ‘Crystallographica’ it's basically genius type shit. Check it.

The video is a perfect example of ART MEETS FASHION

Irina Shaposhnikova 09 from pierre debusschere on Vimeo.

Um...thems is um polygons right?