From the harmless online stalking of a sold out item to wearing bare legs and open-toed shoes in dangerous sub zero weather, we’ve all done some pretty crazy stuff for the sake of fashion. But what’s the most ridiculous, outrageous, and even painful thing you’ve ever done? We asked everyone from on-air fashion experts to wardrobe stylists and regular gals to find out. Read on to hear what secrets they divulge.
YOU WORE WHAT!?!?
Sometimes channeling your inner Lady Gaga doesn’t go over so well with the critics—hmm, who knew? Unfortunately, on-air fashion correspondent, contributor, and author of The Bra Book, Jené Luciani, had to find this out the hard way. “Usually I’m seen in magazines making fun of some of the horrible fashion choices celebrities make,” says Luciani, “but recently I found myself on the other side of things when I wore a dress made out of 200 bras for the Bravo TV show Mad Fashion. Chris March is known for his outrageous designs, and I wanted to make a splash for my Manhattan book launch party,” says Jené. “Needless to say, I was photographed in his creation and poked fun of for weeks after. My episode is finally airing November 29 though, so people will get to see the ‘story’ behind the bra dress and the creation come to life!”
SHOP TIL YOU DROP
There are certain times in a girl’s life when shopping literally trumps all. Just ask 29-year-old Jenny Wu of goodbadandfab.com. “One year my friends and I went on a marathon Black Friday shopping spree. We got to the mall at 7 AM and didn’t leave until 10 PM. Solely focused on our shopping mission, we didn’t have ANYTHING to eat or drink during the entire 13 hours! Towards the end of the trip, I started feeling a little light-headed and out of breath but decided not to tell my friends as I couldn’t bear the thought of interrupting our shop-a-thon.” Wow, now that’s some commitment!
BLIZZARD BEAUTY
Since when has a little snow (okay, A LOT of snow) ever stopped a fashionista from dressing up? San Antonio-based Urban Darling Wardrobe Stylist Becky Witte claims she almost froze her toes off once wearing heels in a Wisconsin blizzard just to be fashionable! Yikes, we’re very happy to report she still has all ten toes though.
BUT I WANT IT!
What a fashionista wants, a fashionista gets! Well, except in the case of Nancy (Hollandersky) Butler from Waterford, CT. Nancy wanted a “tennis sweater” so badly as a teen that she saved up several months’ worth of babysitting money just to purchase one. When her mom told her she couldn’t take the bus downtown to buy it, Nancy was so devastated that she blew all her cash on a 90-minute bus ride to Hartford to see her boyfriend instead! “I was 15 years old at the time and was sure I knew exactly what I was doing,” says Nancy. But when she called her boyfriend to pick her up, he was having dinner and told her to take the next bus back home. “I was so upset,” she says. “But when I got to the New London station my mother was there to get me because he had called her.” To this day still, Nancy has never owned a tennis sweater.
Can’t find the costume you crave? Well, when you’re a fashion designer, sometimes you just gotta create one yourself. “This year for Halloween I really wanted to be a cheetah,” says designer Karen Kane. “But when I went to the costume store, I was totally let down by all the choices they had.” With only one week left until Halloween, Kane decided to take a few pieces from her fall line and reconstruct them into the perfect costume. “I used some of our tops to make a quick pair of leggings, tracked down some trim for a set of ears and grabbed a little faux fur left over from our fall coats to make a neck, mane and paws.” Total time spent on costume? Oh, only about seven days!
HAMMERTIME
Fashion trends come and go. And then there are some that just never catch on at all. 34-year-old Maureen Dunn knows all about that. “I started a fair trade fashion company called Mata Traders,” she says. “We import from India and early on I fell for one fashion trend there: MC Hammer pants! I brought back about 30 pairs, and although I was wearing my pair diligently, the trend was just not catching on here in the States, and I couldn’t sell them. I ended up having to have them all made into long skirts!” Eek, guess it wasn’t Hammertime after all.
AGGRESSIVE BARGAIN HUNTING 101
Ever seen the movie Jingle All The Way? Well, RED PR girl Rachel Cooper can definitely relate. “I once dove under a table for the last pair of adorable Peter Pan ankle boots at the new H&M on Prince & Broadway,” says Rachel. “Beyond that, I’m an aggressive budget shopper to the core,” she notes. And hey, we don’t blame her!
