Streetwalker: Forever 21 Meets Morocco

Jul 15, 2008 @ 2:34pm

karen and joanna 2.jpg Joanna, landscape designer and Karen, casting agent.

Got them: Heading to our favorite bagel place on Prince for lunch, we had to chase them down.

Stalked them: Because it's seriously hot outside and this duo managed to stay cool and cute in breezy dresses.

Shot them: Because we love a good sailor dress and Karen's definitely hit the mark - the bow added just enough girliness to a very nautical look. Meanwhile, Joanna's dress looked impossibly breezy and comfortable. We appreciated the crisp blue while her eclectic necklace brought the right amount of interest.

They say:

Karen: "I actually got this dress at Forever 21!"

Joanna: "And my necklace is from Morocco..."

We say: Where were we when Forever 21 was selling such a cute sailor dress? And where can we buy a ticket to Morocco?

-- HAYLEY PHELAN

Karen and Joanna.jpg

posted by brett_kane

Jul 15, 2008 2:40PM

its faux-catherine holstein. remember the Mischa issue of teen vogue where everyone was wearing catherine holstein dresses?

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 2:43PM

soooo cute!
but then you look down at karens feet and see she is wearing flip flops. totally ruins the outfit.

posted by Holly

Jul 15, 2008 2:52PM

I love Joanna's sandals. Anyone know where I can find them?

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 3:15PM

i happened to be shopping for a cheap&chic summer dress the day the sailor dresses arrived in f21 (may 2007). i wore it quite often, never with flip flops, but with red flats and navy flats.

of course, i thought it was original until i saw it on mischa barton labeled 'catherine holstein sailor dress'.
( here she is in it: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/122/303492116_9b90d24dc1.jpg?v=0 )

i stopped wearing it. not because it was a fake, but because it was featured in people magazine, obvs.

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 3:21PM

Anyone know where Karen's sunglasses are from? Love that shape and the color of the frames.

Also, I love how relaxed and comfortable both of them seem to be. The flip flops are a no-go though.

posted by coutureforbreakfast

Jul 15, 2008 3:22PM

i totally remember that teen vogue issue.
that's exactly what i was going to say. another adorable dress ripped off by Forever 21.

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 3:24PM

fashionista!
no. no. no. don't support knock-offs! especially when the knock off is of a young emerging designer (cate holstein)!

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/06/08/fashion/holstein.190.1.jpg

posted by BunnyB

Jul 15, 2008 3:33PM

I totally agree with you guest at 2:43! They kinda killed it for me.

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 3:59PM

they both look great! stylish and comfy... who cares about the flip flops!

posted by romantics

Jul 15, 2008 4:43PM

Soooo in love with the sailor inspired dress.

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 6:39PM

I've seen a dress like that f21 sailor one on Asos.

posted by Fassion

Jul 15, 2008 6:48PM

The leather sandals are sooooo cute!

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 6:58PM

i guess its ok for f21 to rip off catherine holstein but not marc jacobs :P

and the original dress was in vogue, teen vogue and worn everywhere by mischa barton when it came out. i think it was even in a mischa+keds ad but i am not 100% sure.

posted by Britt Aboutaleb

Jul 15, 2008 7:05PM

brett and commenters, i love you. but there's hardly an original nautical design out there. we don't endorse rip-offs, obviously, and we love cat holstein - but the girl looked cute, we took her picture, and she turned out to be wearing forever 21. some of you guys will find the negative in anything. cheer up.

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 7:13PM

i think people are more pointing out the hypocrisy of posting constantly about ripoffs, and then loving one. honestly i don't think most of the fashionista readers have as much of a problem with the cheap-versions of designer wares as you guys do.

posted by guest

Jul 15, 2008 7:27PM

i think her sunnies are ksubi..

posted by gentilhomme

Jul 15, 2008 8:30PM

i think i actually have joanna's sandals. or if not, very similar ones.

http://www.natashascafe.com/html/sandals.html

hers, and mine, are of the "tan" variety. they're virtually identical, just laced differently on the site model.

posted by guest

Jul 16, 2008 6:58AM

honestly, most people wouldn't ever notice the flip flops, because they don't stand out against the dress. We notice it here, because we're staring at a photo in a post that demands that we analyze ever detail of her body.

So, really, they're no big deal.

Also, she wears it a hell of a lot better than Mischa Barton.

Also, are we sure that Joanna's "dress" isn't actually a tunic? It looks like it.

posted by guest

Jul 16, 2008 9:18AM

Love her sunglasses! What are those?

posted by micaela

Jul 16, 2008 11:52AM

guests at 3:21 & 9:18 -- they look like the giant "wayfarers" by grey ant. you can buy them at circa now on east 6th street off of 2nd avenue.

posted by guest

Jul 16, 2008 12:31PM

i commented earlier about the dress being a knockoff. I wasn't being negative, I was stating a fact. I have nothing against the girl wearing F21, I wear it myself. Both ladies look great.

I was just pointing out something that the site feels strongly about since there are frequent 'adventures in copyright' posts. And if you liked this dress, maybe you would like other knockoffs if they were actually on people?

posted by guest

Jul 16, 2008 2:22PM

The sailor dress looks way cuter on her than it does on Mischa.

As far as knock-off or not--sometimes I think you commentators are ridiculously uptight. So it's a knock-off, so fashionista hates knock-offs. Did they appear to know that this one was a knock-off? No. No one, no matter how fashion obsessed, can keep track of every outfit ever designed. Chill out.

Although as a side note and being poor myself, I have no problem with knock-offs. I'd never get anything cute otherwise.

posted by guest

Jul 16, 2008 2:57PM

I think everyone knows it's wrong to rip off designer clothing, but a lot of us out there can't always afford it, and sometimes knock-offs are cute. I think the issue is that Fashionista can be soo judgmental and self-righteous at times, and then when it's convenient they approve of certain pieces. Loyal readers are aware of these inconsistencies,and obviously fashionista's writers arent perfect, but there is no need to get defensive. and come on, britt, i've seen all kinds of sailor dresses out there adn this one really is almost an exact copy.

posted by guest

Jul 16, 2008 3:25PM

pretty sure the sunglasses are these....

http://www.oaknyc.com/women/accessories/sunglasses/grey-ant-blk-sunglasses

They're out of stock on Oak, but I've seen them at Opening Ceremony too.

posted by MissRocks

Jul 18, 2008 1:40AM

The sailor dress is cute! love those pockets! =] The other dress is plane and also pretty shapeless. =/ I'm not sure if adding a sash or something around the waist would do more harm than good really. Haha =] Overall cute outfits! And a great way to stay cool as well!
Also the whole knock-off thing... I don't see the harm in it really. Yeah, it does take away from the original and the designer but, I think everyone will be guilty of a blaitant steal at some point in their life! =]