Friday, April 12, 2013

It's Fashion Friday!: Perspicacious Perspex?

I want to eat it. Looks like candy.

           It’s just plastic, folks, it doesn’t know more than you do – well, maybe some people. What on earth is Perspex? While it sounds like it could be a fancy underarm anti stink tactic or fancy glasses for Norwegians, it’s just a trademarked acrylic. I wondered what the difference was between Perspex and Lucite… I figured there must be some intricate scientific detail. In dull fact, Perspex and Lucite are the same. Perspex was once the UK version of the fantastic plastic, and Lucite was the American, but they are now both owned by Lucite International and are used for such a wide variety of things, it’s hard to even guess what doesn’t contain these acrylics. Depending on your age, you might already be wearing a Lucite International product in your hip joint, so why not put one where people can see? (At least, I hope you’re not showing off your hip joint. It’s a little early for the Zombie Apocalypse isn’t it?) The fashion world has latched on to plastics (again) as a hit construction material. The practicalities are endless, really. Perspex isn’t water soluble, it’s fairly scratch resistant, its color is UV resistant, it’s more resilient than glass. It’s fairly non-biodegradable so you can just give it to a friend or a child or a pet to play with instead of throwing it out.     
           The Gucci Aristographic Clutch is the piece de resistance that inspired me to write about Perspex this week. Of course, I waited long enough to write this blog (at heart, I am a true procrastinator and I have actually been planning the Perspex blog for about three weeks) that this clutch is no longer available. I suppose that means I have done you all a favor. You don’t have to worry about liking this enough to try and purchase it at $1150. I’m not usually into pink, but something about this hunk of geometric textural methyl methacrylate woke up the 6 year old imagination in my brain. I was whisked away to a land of princesses, crystal shoes, and fairy tales. It’s an awfully sophisticated plaything, but then the little girl grows up and she wants RED.
Red.
            Devilishly rouge, and appropriately titled this Charlotte Olympia Pandora clutch is not for children. It comes in some other colors and styles, but all I can see is this one. It makes me think of a bordello, and I like that about it. There’s a gold pouch inside and the clasp is a glitzy spider. I think Alexander McQueen would have turned a grin at this one. It’s certainly not at his level of brilliance, but I think he would have appreciated the novelty of it. The only thing I don’t appreciate about this one is the $975 tag – looks like it won’t be joining my collection unless I win Powerball.
This is almost a winner.
            I did find one that I like quite a lot with a much more palatable cost. Reiss created this boxy clutch in “Tortoise Shell.” To me, it is more like ruined film. (Remember? Before digital cameras?) It’s still that nice dark, aged color, without being quite as trashy as the red one. I do not like the chain strap, however. Something about long gold chain straps on purses makes me think of teenage girls in NYC with skirts too short, or Taylor Swift, or 1992. I don’t like any of those things. I guess that’s what you get for cutting costs and picking the cheap (ha) accessory at $240. 
            Okay, one more. I don’t know how much this one is. And I have no idea where you can purchase one, even after some pretty in depth searching. Luckily, this is a non-issue for me, as I probably couldn’t

afford one anyway! A glowing tote from Simone Rocha

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