Imaginary Shopping Spree: Camilla Norrback, J. Crew, Skeem Candles

Camilla Norrback flounce top, kaightshop.com

In New York I'm constantly popping into Ekovaruhuset and Castor & Pollux to gaze longingly at stuff by Camilla Norrback -- I have such a clothes-crush on her line. This top by Swedish eco-designer satisfies my craving for all things perfectly simple yet gently feminine. Lately I appreciate things that have a certain gracefulness to them and this is what that feels like for me. I'd totally wear this with a beautifully dark, simple skinny jean and gold gladiator sandals (so it doesn't get too gentle, you know.) Throw on a sharp little jacket and it's perfect and easy, and man, do I ever need things to be easy these days. (Kat)

It's J.Crew time! Laura's picks for summer '08, jcrew.com

J.Crew is the best store in the world. As far as I'm concerned, it's cooler than Opening Ceremony, Colette, A.P.C, and Keith Richards put together. I don't even want to imagine how boring and bad my style would be if J.Crew didn't deal in surprisingly well-tailored Kennedy Compound basics, all waiting patiently for me to swoop in and J.Crack up their haughty good taste.

Here are my six most J.Crucial picks of the season:

(clockwise from top left):

1) I've recently fallen in love with sherbet-y pastel color palettes, so this little boys' paneled Oxford sportcoat really strikes the right chord (F sharp) in me. Good masc/fem balance.

2) The surf-scene mini would in most cases come across as stupid in a Hollister/Abercrombie way, but the appeal of J.Crew is that they always get it: the beachy-bie illustration reads as way more "milkshakes at the drive-in while listening to Jan & Dean" than "SoCal 16-year-old drinking keg beer out of a red plastic cup and grinding to Chris Brown."

3) Wouldn't the world be a perfect place if men weren't afraid to wear paisley batik-print trousers? Yes, but I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that this will never happen. Instead, I'll have to make do with wearing them myself, paired with Beatle boots, a grey wifebeater, and...

4) A hand-painted enamel lobster bangle: this is what Ariel from The Little Mermaid would wear if she and Eric retired to Greenpoint and opened up a contemporary design shoppe. Clearly a look I'm always trying to cultivate.

5) This full-zip fleece hoody looks like the best-fitting hoody there ever was: it's hard to find the exact perfect balance of laziness and not-total-laziness in a hoody; I think this one hits it nicely.

6) If I had this whisper silk button-down to class up cut-off jean shorts and flip-flops, I'd be all set for the rest of my life. If you don't feel ready to take on the world in a metallic silver Oxford, you never will. Look how happy the model looks! It's not a pose. It's how anybody would feel wearing this shirt. Thank the Lord for June birthdays! Silver Oxford, we will be together soon, I promise. (Laura)


Skeem's Lantern Candles

I'm kind of obsessed with scented candles, which is a really cliched and dumb thing for a girl to be obsessed with, but there it is. Because I'm cheap sometimes, I usually end up buying less-than-gorgeous pillars at Target or wherever, but what I really want is every last candle from Skeem's lantern collection. They're nice and big (32 ounces), made from soy wax and packaged in beautiful silk-screened jars that are reusable as drinking glasses once the candle's burned down (just stick it in the freezer to get rid of the leftover wax). If you live in L.A. you can buy Skeem at lovely Le Pink; if not, get thee to Nooks & Niches. (Liz)

Imaginary Shopping Spree: Rick Owens DRKSHDW, A treehome of my own, ridiculous Roxy boardshorts

Rick Owens DRKSHDW sleeveless fleece vest, oaknyc.com

Rick Owens kind of owns me at this point in my life, simply because it all just works. It's like he's encapsulated all my main fashion tendencies -- grunge, European high modernism and a goth-romantic broodiness -- into a singular collection. I was way psyched when his DRKSHDW line came out a few years back, but even though it's "denim" and "casual," it's still way out of reach for me. Considering his main line sells in the high thousands, well, I suppose it's all relative. Still, it's worth it to dream, considering the high quality of his textiles, the way his pieces tend to last for years upon years, and the thoughtful artiness he brings to such humble staples as hoodies and jeans. I mean, look at this sleeveless sweatshirt vest -- he's blown out the hood and done that beautiful drapiness he does so well, and it's turned a skater-boy classic into something poetic and striking. It's like you should bring your skateboard to the English moors or something. (Kat)

A Treehouse, Blue Forest or otherwise

I like to play a game with myself where I wish for one thing, and then I wish for another, bigger thing to supplement the first, now meager wish, and keep on going and going with my wishes until I have defined my dream-wish life to a weirdly high degree of specificity. What I mean is, what's the point of wishing for a vintage Missoni minidress if you don't have a Pulitzer Prize reception lunch to wear it to? And why would I be at a Pulitzer Prize reception lunch if I hadn't written a novel to get me there? And if I've written a novel, what's its deal? Where and when did I write it, and what hot dude or dog was it inspired by? And how could I ever be motivated to do anything if I didn't live in a treehouse?

As of late, I've been feeling pretty uncomfortable with the excessive marketing and advertisement of enviromentalism; it seems so obviously counter-productive. A lot of buzzwords and propaganda, but very little education and explanation. My point being: if eco-friendliness is something you strive for, you should probably live in a goddamn treehouse, not watch some dumb NBC variety show extravaganza about the importance of I'm Not A Plastic Bags. That's what I'm planning on: you know, after I do my laundry, bake banana bread, plug a Fender Rhodes into a wah-wah pedal, sit under a waterfall, make a killing in T-bonds, invent time travel, and marry Adrien Grenier. (Laura)

Roxy Polka Party Boardshorts, Pacsun.com

The other day while driving to Nature Mart to get my fresh-pressed apple juice and Wild Ginger Harvest trail mix, I spotted a boy walking up Hillhurst wearing really short black-and-neon-green boardshorts, some sort of batik t-shirt with lots of elephants all over it, and a pair of red flip-flops. He had hair like the curly-haired bloke from !!!, who miraculously just came onto my iTunes shuffle as soon as I started typing this sentence (seriously - how bananas is that???). Anyway, if I were going out with the dude from Hillhurst, I'd totally wear these shorts all the time, maybe even with a baja hoodie. (Liz)

Imaginary Shopping Spree: Society for Rational Dress, The Perfect Flat, Vintage Celtics Love (In Tee Form)

Society for Rational Dress top, scoutla.com

I'm kind of into the whole skewed secretary thing from one of my favorite left-of-center fashion labels, Society for Rational Dress. Even though it's "on sale" for $208, sadly, this top is still in the realm of the imaginary for me. A girl can dream, though, can't she? (Kat)

Christian Louboutin patent flats, Net-a-porter (and probably a thousand other places)

While I do love Gwyneth Paltrow irrationally and unconditionally, her recent Vogue interview was sort of annoying, largely because of her inability to acknowledge the fact that she's insanely privileged and isn't just your everyday "working Mommy" as she so insists. Especially her claim of "I'm so busy, I don't even have time to shop! I just go on nightly Net-a-porter shopping sprees!" as if this was somehow going to communicate her normalcy to the world. Anyway, last night I treated myself to a fantasy Net-a-porter shopping spree of my own, you know, to prove how down-to-earth I am. Money may not be able to buy you love, but it sure can buy you convenience. I am constantly buying pairs of cheapie ballet flats, wearing them until they've got holes in the soles (literally!) and have turned brown, or at least brownish. There are no better flats in this world than these Louboutin red patent beauties; I'm assuming they'd last longer than six months, too. It would probably be intelligent of me to grab them next time it's Christmas or my birthday or I win the lottery or whatever, but I'm sure I'll just buy 300 t-shirts instead. (Laura)

Faux-vintage Celtics shirt, amazing amazon.com

This is the least glamorous "Imaginary Shopping Spree" item ever, but hey: I make no apologies. I bought a faux-vintage Lakers shirt the other day and there's the slightest twinge of Boston guilt that's making me long to balance things out by snagging a Celtics shirt next. Plus, it's Marathon Day today, so my Beantown love is really shining strong. And for the record: I'm basically over feeling any shame about wearing faux-vintage tees. Life's too short, you know? It's actually quite liberating. (Liz)

Imaginary Shopping Spree: Moroccomania, Mociun, Royal Elastics

These are the goods that are trying to seduce the dollars right out of our wallets this week!

A bunch of Moroccan fineries, Moroccan Caravan and Just Morocco

These April days, my heart of hearts has moved to Marrakech. If I lived in a fantasy world where I could afford to buy whatever the hell I wanted always, I think this week I'd forgo I Heart and APC shopping binges in favor of taking a life-defining vacation to Morocco. What I wouldn't give to drop thousands at the Djemaa el Fna; these goodies I scoured from various "Authentic Moroccan Garments!" websites probably ain't got nothing on the gems I'd inevitably fall head-over-heels for once exposed to the Real Deal. Not that these treasures don't all totally rule- they do. That necklace is a showstopper and a half, born to be paired with skintight All Black. I'd cut the earth-toned kaftan into a mini and belt it. The orange dress is perfect as is, and those Berber sandals? Are you kidding me?? I'd pair those with teeny shorts and a t-shirt; Anita Pallenberg would die of jealousy. (Laura)

Mociun dress, kaightshop.com

For once believe the hype: I've seen this dress on many ladies, and nearly everyone's looked amazing in it. Based in Brooklyn and using organic and sustainable materials, Mociun makes these beautifully artful clothes, and the prints are really kind of amazing. The frock flows in just the right places, and the shape is unexpectedly versatile. I want to wear this as I sip cocktails on a rooftop in Brooklyn this summer, know what I'm sayin'? (Kat)

The snakeprint Flonica from Royal Elastics

Last week when Kat posted about finding her summer shoe I was all, "I wanna find my summer shoe, too!" And then I walked past the Royal Elastics store in Santa Monica the other day and had what I guess you'd call an "a-ha! moment." These are perfect for me cuz I've got an intense fear of open-toed shoes: I hate my toes and believe them to look like E.T. heads. Plus, the faux snakeskin makes me think of Slash, which is always a good thing. (Liz)

Imaginary Shopping Spree: Myth & Ritual, Mama Stone Vintage, Rag & Bone

In the world of our dreams, the following items would be had, instant gratification-style. Instead, we merely just online-stalk them -- at least till they go on sale.

Myth & Ritual tribal print dress, beklina.com
"Arty" prints are big this season, but this is one of the first that I flat-out love, mostly because of the liberal yet discerning usage of pink in the design. I love Myth & Ritual in general; they combine a charming, vintage-tinged indie vibe with well-placed touches of Victoriana, and the fact that they are sweatshop-free is a plus as well. (Kat)

Vintage leopard print mini dress, Mama Stone Vintage
I've been stalking Mama Stone's eBay store for the past few months - they've always got these superfoxy dresses, each one beamed in from some vastly more glamorous era. I don't know that I could ever pull off this crazy little frock, but hey, we're being imaginary, right? I've got exactly the right go-go boots for it at least. (Liz)

Rag & Bone cotton twill jumper, Barneys Co-op

I tried this cute little bugger on at the Wooster Street Barneys Co-op this very morning- I'm visiting New York this week, so my life is basically one giant and never-ending fantasy shopping spree. In a perfect world, this jumper would be an integral part of my wardrobe for summer 2008- collar popped, top three buttons open, gobs of jewelry, headscarf, battered flip-flops, and a suntan. In real life, I felt sorry for myself and bought a t-shirt at Uniqlo. (Laura)