Here is Vanessa Traina, an It Girl I’ve only just discovered thanks to a magazine editorial on her grotesque and pretentious crib, which features a large quantity of fur and a stuffed zebra. I was going to devote a full rant to the tragic awfulness of this person (whose mom is Louboutin-hoarder and hack writer Danielle Steele) until I came upon a video of her at a party with It Girl Jen Brill.
They are living big lives, with all that fur! Their combined shoe collections could probably buy the Taj Mahal if turned back into money, but they take their work as Chanel ambassadors very seriously.
Should we hate them, love them, or pity them?
Let me put it another way: Ms. Brill has had to submit to boyfriend Terry Richardson‘s everpresent gargantuan appendage in order to cement her status. Ms. Traina has had to endure the shame of her mother’s celebrated shopping mania, publicity seeking and poor grammar, along with who knows what else.
Share a couple of minutes with these Style Icons here! Go on, it’s worth it. My favorite part is the way Vanessa pronounces “Balmain.” (I’m saying it right now in my head.) Then look at your own shabby shoe collection and give thanks.
P.S. If I wanted to be mean, I’d say that Vanessa looks like a horse and Jen’s legs are chunky, but as a newly minted feminist, I don’t engage in Body Shaming.
interesting fact: i took ballet with vanessa at sfb. her mother came to parent’s day, when all the parents watched a dance class. she wore fur and answered a cell phone call during the class.
Oh yes, my wanker alarm would be going off left right & centre if i were at that art party! I also loved the woman who proclaimed that she *used* to be a fashion victim when she was younger.
Oh and also, i cringe when i hear someone saying “this is my ironic look”. I really don’t think it is something that ought to be said aloud in any sort of company.
If those legs are chunky, I’d love (hate) to hear your opinion on mine. You’re right, you shouldn’t engage in body shaming and the fact that you then did leaves quite a bitter taste. Probably in your mouth rather than mine.
I usually enjoy your blog but I have found that sometimes you add extra insult to injury, where it really isn’t required. Yes, these women are excessive consumption personified and could do with a prod to let them know how shallow they are. But the fact that they (don’t) have chunky legs or resemble a horse is neither here nor there; it doesn’t strengthen your argument and it makes you look almost as shallow as them.
it sounded like she had a stroke halfway through trying to say balmain and lost the function of the left side of her face.
I now have the Balmain pronunciation in my head, it hurts but how funny is that little video clip, it is the gift that keeps on giving. Pilgrim dress, ironic dressing, counteracting revealing dressing and grown up fashion victim – I actually liked the designer woman, I sensed humour and self deprecation.
It had all the best how to wear fashion, personal style, mixing high and low cliches which are rampant. But my favourite was the Jane Birkin ‘used’ to have good style, mawh!
ahh, that vanessa trainwreck really is something, isn’t she?
she’s always wearing everything right off the runway, one nanosecond after the defilé is over. she wears everything head to toe. pradapradaprada. balmainbalmain…err… balmain. plus, she’s a racist hipster who decorates her space with herds of dead animals and an effin’ war bonnet. i can’t find anything positive to say about her. maybe this: she’s not friends with parasite hilton.
alittlelux – Oooh that IS interesting.
Liberty Lady -HA, a good wanker alarm is esssential!
Helen – I’m shallow, it’s a character flaw. Sorry.
elle – Hahahahahahahahaha!
Make DO – yes, the designer had genuine sophistication and a sense of humor, it was a real contrast!
Stella Mayfair – Racist hipster is an unfortunate package. I wonder what she will pose as next?
Ooh, you hit me right where it hurts – my legs make hers look good. But on the other hand I do have a great pair of norks to distract everyone with.
I like Ms. Traina’s drink cabinet but am secretly hoping that the many stuffed/skinned/pinned animals in her flat come back to life and trash the place while she’s out shopping.
What the fuck is Vanessa wearing in that picture? A lace nappy? Fucking hell.
I had to switch of the video about halfway through. It was bringing on a full body cringe.
I tried to watch the video, but sans headphones it was slightly pointless. Plus, my train of thought went thusly:
“Ugh, gross hair. Doesn’t she own a hairbrush? It’s so gross. Why are they doing a panning shot of the gross hair? Ok, stop wobbling your hair, don’t draw attention to it. Argh, and now a close up panning shot of it! Gross.” I last 55 seconds.
I have hair issues. Lest I am accused of mysognistic hair issues, I should point out that I hate gross, too-long, unbrushed tendril hair on men too.
Two little dickheads.
i don’t hate anyone i don’t know personally; however, i can say with certainty that everyone involved in the fashion industry promotes a twisted sense of what is beautiful, which results in women insulting each other’s bodies or feeling incredibly self conscious of their own.
that’s why the fashion industry doesn’t fit with my feminism.
that Jen Brill is a fucking piece of work. read an interview with her in iD ages ago. it’s amazing how growing up spoiled and rich New York can carry you through life, get you jobs such as “master of mischief” in fancy hotels (that’s true– it was her job, see the iD magazine interview!). though you may have to suck some famous cock to keep the momentum going.
as for Traina, jesus. sad. she looks hungry. but not completely shallow and stupid like Brill. i find people with that melancholy air harder to hate because i know they already suffer.
see this article about celebrity DJs: http://www.observer.com/2007/trust-fund-d-j-s?page=1
(Brill is in it too! She’s a DJ as well, omg, like, so talented)
Balmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Now I have it in my head as if being pronounced by a sheep bah mah, bah mah!
It’s so funny, just yesterday I spent 20 minutes googling “Who is Jen Brill” because I kept wondering why she was showing up on Terry Richardson’s Tumblr. So her main personality trait is being his girlfriend? What a depressing way to live.
Until now I had no idea who Ms. Brill was, and just as well. Her legs are not chunky, but her Ginormous Platform Shoes are awful. “Master of Mischief”? In which hotel, just so I can make sure that I never stay there?
That lacy piece of something Vanessa is wearing is really odd. What about Victoria (or whatever her name is)? American Vogue used to gush and gush about both of them ad nauseam.
so now I know. If I have a givenchy shoe and a topshop dress I can go anywhere. ANYWHERE? Well why don’t you just fuck off to the moon and never come back you patronizing smug bitch.
haha i appreciate your turn in social ideals. And yea, why hate on them? They don’t effect anything they just exist.
I looked at the “eclectic apartment”. Ms. Traina must be a sworn enemy of the wildlife. And how about, like, this girl in the video who’s like an assistant in, like, a museum, and like, wears Ji-van-chy, like shoes and then you can, like, go anywhere?
Joy D. – I do hate you for mangling English language. Yea.
Gross.
While watching that Style.com video i started to think about the way i would describe my typical outfit: “I got this jacket for $2 at my favorite hospital thrift (so cheap due to the bloodstains), i got the shoes at a friend’s clothes exchange, and i found this shirt in a dirty wet pile next to the dumpster where i was ditching my dog’s poop bag. . . . true story.” I then shuddered when i realized that i sounded almost just like “Jeffertitti” who’s StyleLikeU video i made the mistake of watching: http://stylelikeu.com/closets/danielle-jeffertitti/ I can’t even handle how much “Jeffertitti” loves himself.
Wow! You’re really curating a fine collection of hate-worthy cretins, Sister Wolf! Baaalmaaaaa,
I second Ann. Really just gross. Aside from the poor dead animals who are thanking heaven they are dead so they wouldn’t have to hear her annoying voice and thoughts for the rest of their existence, her apartment looks quite boring and not at all creative. How was that museum assistant’s hair? Did she just roll out of a sarcophagus?
Some kind of pant?
She sounds like a paint huffer, but only when pronouncing a French or Spanish name.
Now I’m off to watch the man who calls himself Jeffertiti….because that can’t be anything other than awesome.
The lace thing is Marc Jacobs underpants – they are $800. I saw them a few days ago and wondered who would pay that much for them. now I know.
I know someone whose has a friend who works for Danielle Steel. When Vanessa moved to NY, Mommy had her assistants pack her up, unpack her, and set up her apt in the Village, dead animals and all. Nice to be rich, huh?
I keep wondering if everyone is hating on these people because they run in a “rarefied” (not my view, but it seems style.com’s view) NY circle that we could never run in or join (and I am not impressed with them, they are shallow and all that, but I am just noting that.) I personally think Vanessa is pretty and I wish that I didn’t have to wear makeup to look effortless (that said, I am old enough to be her mother and did have my days long ago when I could get away with no makeup). Maria Cornejo is a really good designer and a nice person too. She’s a mom and she has a woman’s body and designs for one. I have a lot of her pieces and they always make my size 8 body look great.
stupid little brats. so rich, yet so poor.
“My mother always told me never show too much. Like if I’m baring arms I cover my legs…”
i dont think she looks like a horse…but she certainly bays like a donkey. blamaaaa
saying “pant” is another instance of accented english mimicry
i love the way anna wintour says “fashion” for that reason.
Lezzies – Surely you make an exception for Sarah Palin?
@Don’t Forget the Y – she’s exercising her right to bare arms. =P
I’ll be here all week, folks.
Yikes. Well, they certainly aren’t the kinds of ladies I’d want to go out for a beer with.
For a second I felt like a loser after the thrift-store-sweater-outfit-post I did today, but it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to walk into BlahBlah (that’s how I say Balmain now) & spend $10,000 for the outfit on the rack.
Also Styling ASSISTANT? Pfft!
‘Jane Birkin had great style.’ Kill me now
Holy shit. I SWEAR TO GOD watching that video just made me want to quit my blog.
I’m not exaggerating or being dramatic. I am so tempted to quit it all. Holy fuck. I HATE everything about those people.
I’m depressed
TheSHoeGirl – I hear you loud and clear. It’s the existential nausea that video invokes. You just want to join the Peace Corps or become Amish or something.
yes. My husband is talking me off the ledge right now.
I don’t know what it was about this particular video but holy crap. I’m down for the count. TKO.
Good lawd … Bravo could start a new TeeVee show with these goofs! $$$$
TheSHoeGirl – SO SORRY, I should have used a warning on that post. xoxo
Rackk and Ruin, that video of “Jeffertitti” is… wow. I made the mistake of watching that a few weeks ago, but I needed to be reminded of it. Thank you.
SW, I saw this and thought of you. Jezebel stole your post!
http://jezebel.com/5708530/the-terrible-rise-of-the-lara-stone-lookalikes/gallery/
“This is my ironic look”
“The only thing I’m wearing that isn’t mine is my underwear”
OMG WHOSE UNDERWEAR IS IT THEN? GROSSSSS.
They all look like they’re wearing shitbags. They really do take themselves seriously. Thank fuck I was born poor and humble.
You know, maybe I’m just tired and worn out from my holiday job . . . but I think there are people that are far easier to dislike in fashion.
. . . but the phrase IT girl does make me want to pull my hair out. Truthfully speaking, these ladies didn’t give themselves that title, so maybe we should blame the world we live in for pointless glorification?
The great thing about having seen that video is that I now know how to pronounce Chloe Sevigny’s last name.
BethUK: I love your comment! Ha. Ha.
Srenna – SAME HERE! I thought it was Suh-vigg-knee!