Photo courtesy of Coutureture.com

If you haven’t had a chance yet to see any pictures of Gareth Pugh’s show at Paris Fashion Week, you should take a look – the weird and psychedelic reigned supreme in his monochromatic collection. I loved the Elizabethan and obelisk-style collars. Most of the models chosen were tall even by model standards and were kitted out with equally futuristic bleached lashes and brows, so the ultimate effect was nothing quite so much as Wells’ Eloi walking down the runway. Eerie and pretty fantastic!

Do you like out there collections like this, or do you prefer seeing things that are a bit more wearable? (I mean, I don’t mean to suggest this is not eminently wearable.)

If you’re a fan of handbags, but don’t have room in your apartment and/or enough scratch in your wallet to collect the latest and greatest, get excited for the retooled Bag, Borrow or Steal. The site has ingeniously rented accessories like bags and sunglasses for far lower than purchase price for several years; now, partnered with Avelle, smart renters can enjoy a wider variety of items and designers.

Rentals can be kept out for days, months, or even years – return your items when you’re sick of them to check out brand new ones. Chose between a la carte rental options or various membership plans.

If there were more sites like this online (I’d personally like one for special event dresses, which cost a mint and get worn once or twice) would you utilize them?

Maybe everyone’s got “chest brain” thanks to Breast Cancer Awareness month, but this little invention knows no season: a bra that doubles as two gas masks.

The bra’s inventor, Dr. Elena Bodnar, explains that she was inspired by tragedies like Chernobyl (she began her career studying the effects of the nuclear disaster) and 9/11. She envisioned a portable protective device that would be available when it was needed – Dr. Bodnar estimated that most women wear bras nearly every day, so a device that doubled as an undergarment would be the most accessible in case of an emergency. Dr. Bodnar’s invention was honored at the 2009 Ig Nobel awards, a ceremony that singles out scientific work that “first make[s] people laugh, and then make[s] them think.”

What about you? Are you going to trade in your La Perla (which absolutely will not save your life one day, I feel compelled to point out) for Dr. Bodnar’s brainchild? As a fairly notorious worrywart, I might laugh at this in public, but in secret I’d definitely wear one. I’d wear 10. And, if you laughed at me, I wouldn’t share in the case of an emergency.

Photo courtesy of posta-bella.com

Whether it’s a vintage steal or a well-chosen investment, it can feel like a shame to tuck away your most beautiful clothes in the closet between wearings. Apartment Therapy NY recently featured a gallery of clothes doubling as home decor.

One look at these well-designed rooms makes it clear that your pile of dirty clothes on the floor won’t qualify as art. Some serious effort was clearly put into the design here; the rooms range from dramatic high concept (a bed with a bodice for a headboard) to sweetly simple. I love the look of the retro dresses hanging outside of the wardrobe in the third image, but I’m less sure about whether or not I like the framed items. What do you think about them? Have you used clothes as decoration in your home?

Swimwear designer Lisa Curran has just released a limited edition summer kit with Lavanila Laboratories. The Summer Essential pack is a lavender-themed pouch of warm weather essentials fit for any bathing beauty. Each kit includes a swimsuit (there are three styles to choose from), Lavanila Vanilla Lavender Healthy Lip Shine, an anti-oxidant rich lip conditioner, and Vanilla Lavender Healthy Body, which is great for quenching dry skin post-sun.

Beachgoers that purchase the kit will be happy to know a portion of the proceeds go towards The Ocean Project, a non-profit organization that builds relationships with aquariums and zoos around the world to protect the ocean.

Summer Essentials Kit | $175