Back in Time

This year I only did a cursory check on the S/S 2013 collections. Mostly, it was to see which trends would last beyond the F/W 2012 season: bright color blocking or mono-color (check); pointy toe high heels (check); feminine silhouettes a la Dior New Look (check); sixties revival (check).

This way, I can take advantage of end-of-season sales  knowing I will still be able to wear those pieces next spring and summer without looking (gasp!) demode. I think I’ve said this before but the trick is to pick ”classic” pieces in terms of cut and silhouette. An A line skirt is an A line skirt whether it’s mint green, oxblood or plain black.  For vintage revival clothing, shop in your mother/grandmother’s closet or sites like ebay or etsy to find items that are back in fashion.

A quick scroll through etsy for example, yielded a lot of pieces reminiscent of the latest S/S 2013 Louis Vuitton collection. Maybe a little too “reminiscent”, ahem. Designers “inspire” themselves from past decades all the time so why not us mortals as well!

See for yourselves.

Louis Vuitton S/S 2013:

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And the things I found on Etsy: 

 

 

Sum of the parts

Tags

Double-breasted, Jacket, Richard Gere, Sartorialist

I saw this recently on The Sartorialist.

It reminded me of a color combo (white & navy) that I liked in this post. But somehow the men’s version is not working for me. Let’s break it down:

1) The Jacket – right color and button detail, not the right cut IMHO. I am not a fan of double-breasted jackets, too “mafioso-fabuloso”. Paired with the thin, white pants, all he is missing are the fisherman sweater and anchor cap to look like he’s auditioning for Moby Dick.

2) Sweater - fine on its’ own but too matchy with the jacket. It’s almost like he is one of those Lego pieces: one blue square and one white. I would remove the jacket and just pair the sweater with a different one or go without.

3) Bag – from what I can tell it’s big and worn brown leather which is about as manly as you can get with a bag (not a “murse”!). I’m curious about the shoes as white pants can be tricky in terms of footwear. I am hoping the pants weren’t cuffed, too cliché.

4) Accesories- looks like a friendship bracelet which it’s been done to death but the watch is nice.

5) Neckwear – laughable! Unless you want to look like a gondolier or ageing playboy.

6) Grooming – ok. He can pull off the Richard Gere in American Gigolo hair.

Wow, it seems I had quite few things to bitch about! Let it not be said I am not opinionated.

New York Fashion Week (NYFW)

Tags

Clothing, Design, DKNY, fashion, Fashion week, New York Fashion Week, Runway

 Every year I swear I won’t care but here I go again … NYFW. Sooo many shows and pictures to go through! And so many trends: which one is a fad, which one is a new classic, which one is just crazy enough to work and which one is plain crazy? (Bare midriff, really???)

A few rules I like to use as a guide:

1) Appearances can be deceiving. The runway styling can be ridiculous and distract from the actual clothes (see March Jacobs!). Try viewing the collections in the showroom. It will give you a better idea of what the collection is composed of and allow you to create pairings that are closer to your aesthetic.

2) The morning after effect. The staging, decor, music etc. are designed to create an atmosphere, enhance the runway presentation and influence your judgment. Better wait until the morning after before making statements like: Skin tight red leather pants are the new black! Adult diaper short shorts – Genius! Ankle jewelry – so fetch!

3) Go back in the closet. Fashion is cyclical so what goes around comes around with some variations. Don’t spend a fortune on straight-off-the runway stuff (not that you could: those items won’t be in stores for months if ever!). Try your closet first: items you stored away could be back in style. This is why you should always buy quality items so they store well and look fresh.

As an aside – I read this book ” Fashion Babylon” by Imogen Edwards-Jones and I can’t recommend it enough. It provides a sobering yet funny look behind the glossy facade put up by the fashion industry.

 Cheers! (Here’s hoping my next post won’t be in 2013!)

Highs and Lows

Tags

Animal print, heels, hobbit, office attire, printed shoes, zhuzh

I’ve been struggling lately with a sudden weight gain (stress-related) and putting together office-appropriate outfits that still excite me fashion-wise. My usual slim pants were starting to look a bit “strained” so I started introducing more skirts into the rotation. This led to wearing heels more often and all was well until my chiro recommended giving my feet a break from time to time.:-(

For me, that is like a one-way ticket to Dumpyville. My lower region is made for A-line and full skirts but with my short legs, flats make me look like a female hobbit.(Love how happy these women look walking the red carpet with 6 months worth of leg hair on display. I guess skipping the waxing torture would make me euphoric as well.)

Meanwhile, I have learned to embrace the sensible heel (for me that means between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 inches) and it actually works! Here’s a sampling:

I do lapse on particularly depressing days when I need an extra lift. Looking down on people (literally) helps boost my morale!

When I must wear flats I try to zhuzh them up with some prints and color, like so:

And when all else fails I load up on accessories:

 

I figure that all that extra weight on my arms should help with shedding pounds. It’s a win-win!

Wish I Was There

Tags

fashion photography, Florence, Milan, Sartorialist, Scott Schuman

This image captures my idea of the ideal Spring look: classic elegance with a bit of sportiness and of course swag! I love the pairing of white and navy; they are the quintessential spring/summer colors. This whole outfit punctuated by the simple gold accessories is perfect for sitting at a cafe enjoying a good espresso and people-watching.

(image via the Sartorialist)

Ironically, as I am writing this, we are preparing for a snow storm. Ugh!

Happy Happy

Tags

Christmas, holiday, Humor, winter sun

So this is … winter huh? It seems somebody forgot to switch off the heater.. Oh well, I am not complaining. After last year’s s**tload of snow I am more than happy to bask in the sun for as long as it will last. Waiter, mimosa please!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Pin It

Tags

diy, fashion, Nail polish, neon color, sparkly pins

Bought this sparkly crystal pin from a thrift store the other day because it reminds me of a snowflake.

After a few swipes of bright nail polish it became a neon snowflake. I think it looks much better now.

I’m liking this different kind of DIY so I am on the lookout for other pretty baubles to spruce up. Any ideas?

Missing You

Tags

Fall, fur vest, golden leaves, haiku, poetry

I’m missing you Fall

The golden leaves have blown away

Can we play again?

Any color – so long as it’s black

Tags

fashion, Jewelry, madonna, Shopping

So let’s say something happened that requires you to wear conservative, black clothing. Sounds like a Project Runway challenge in an extremist Middle-Eastern country, right? After experimenting with various combinations here’s what I discovered so far. I would call this “Black on Black: A Primer”:

- Wearing black does not make for very exciting blog photos b/c black doesn’t photograph well so try posing against contrasting backdrops (this is a tip for blogging mostly but it also works if you have to take photos for events);

- Playing with volume and textures can help add interest to your outfit;

- However some textures are more difficult depending on the season i.e. wool or leather.  Thank goodness for silk, black on black patterns and lace!

- Be careful of using too much black lace so you don’t end up looking like Madonna in the ’80s, unless that’s your thing, in which case go for it!

- Jewelry (gold or silver) is your best friend and can zhuzz up an all-black outfit instantly.Think bold, geometric necklaces, anything sparkly and layers of bangles;

- If you can - add splashes of color with your accessories like I did here. You can either keep the pallette muted: forrest green, burgundy, eggplant etc. or go bold with neons in primary colors: ORANGE! ELECTRIC BLUE! FUCHSIA!

- Animal print (leopard in particular) looks AH-MAH-ZING with black so mix in a shoe, belt or bag in that print but don’t do all three at once.

That’s what I have so far but I’d love to hear your tips on wearing black on black.

Toodles!

Halloween Costume (Work in Progress)

Tags

Bad Romance, black for Halloween, Costume, fashion, goth girl, Halloween, Lady Gaga, Photoshop, Rick Owens

For this first Halloween look I drew inspiration from Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh and Lady Gaga in her Bad Romance video (I KNOW right??). I created this baroque goth princess which I kinda love. Her name is Ravelle. Why? I don’t know, it seemed just pretentious enough.

She will not be the final character though. I’d like something that’s more humorous and ironic.

No, you’re not seeing triple. It’s me playing around with Photoshop. Pretty cool, huh?

I’m wearing my highest shoes- which you can’t see because of the skirt. I made the “dress” by combining a maxi skirt with one of my body-con dresses. I added a DIY body chain and mask. The bracellet is from Luxirare.

 The poses were inspired by Achraf Amiri’s portraits of twisty and deformed models.

The ghoul behind the mask …

Booo!