Last Post of 2010: How to dress for a New Years Eve Party

I am not going to a party myself because frankly I'm not old enough to attend any New Years Party worth going to. Think champange. But it doesn't mean my readers can't! I hope all of you have fabulous plans for tonight and here are a few last minute suggestions in case you are still unsure of what to wear.

The Traditional Route:
SPARKLY
This metallic dress from Forever 21 is perfect for a New Years cocktail party. Pair with tights to keep you warm and you'll be set. Plus it's only $18 so if you just want to wear it once you won't be super extravagant.



I would pair it with these $54 shoes from Bakers becuase they're sparkly, but still black so it's not over the top. These shoes would be a great investment to sparkle up any LBD for evening later on in the year.



Not so Traditional
STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF

I can't think of a better way to start off the New Year than just by being yourself. If you're not a sparkly girl then go for just a solid color dress or if you're a hippie at heart embrace flower print. Nothing makes a statement like standing out from a crowd of look-a-likes. Make it your New Year's resolution to find your style and develop it so it's uniquely you.

If I was going out tonight this is the dress I'd pick becuase I'm all about lace. It's so feminine and so me. But since I'm all about contrasts I'd pair it with a more "manly" shoes. And I'll admit I've never worn oxfords (outside of my private school uniform back in the day) but it's another of my resolutions to try new things in fashion and that's one of them!
Dress: Forever 21 $25



Shoes: Aldo $28



If you are going out somewhere tonight be safe and if you're not still have fun! Thanks for a great year readers and I'll see you in 2011!

Remembering those who passed away this year: A Fashion Obituary

The fashion world has lost so many this year and I want to honor them. Some I didn't even know existed until now. But it's never too late for geniuses to get recognition so I first want to introduce you to the works of Fausto Sarli if you haven't been acquainted with him already.

A true Italian designer Sarli dressed many in his hand-crafted pieces. True to the real meaning of haute couture Sarli was the one to drape the fabric on the models to make the dresses that would grace the likes of Carla Bruni. I am sad to have just discovered him, but I'm glad I did. His pieces are marvelous down-to-earth couture.

Read his obituary by the Guardian here. He passed away December 16 of this year.

Here are some pieces from his fall winter 2010 collection:



Catherine Walker is another designer who passed away this year. She was the personal couturier of Princess Diana. Almost all of the dresses Diana wore in public to look royal were made by Walker. The designer grew up in France and learned the way of the Paris couturier and kept designing that way even when many fashion houses went down a different road. She had long lasting relationships with her clients. She dressed the likes of Lucy Liu for the red carpet.

Here she is with Princess Diana (picture from here):


And of course we lost the great Lee Alexander McQueen this year. I still haven't gotten over his death. There are so many articles about him I still need to read in order to get a fuller picture of his life. Two of them can be found here.

Thanks to the Gaurdian.co.uk for keeping me informed about the late greats of the fashion world. There are many on the site that I haven't mentioned so I encourage you to click on the link above for more information about them.

Keep an eye out for more McQeen retrospectives.

Black Swan and its effect on Fashion

I watched the movie "The Black Swan" with a friend of mine from college. We were both excited to watch it being girls in the know. It's been hyped everywhere and we knew we had to see it. Pending its release many fashion websites compared the outfits from the film to current trends on the runway. It seems designers where also very influenced by it. Well it's nothing new really. Girls have been wearing tulle and ballet flats for years, but some of the dresses on the runway went a little bit more literal in their interpretation of the trend. Not that that's a bad thing. I happen to love this Spring/Summer 2011 dress by Collette Dinnigan. Quite a few of her dresses were ballet inspired.



There have been several editorials in the top fashion magazines inspired by the world of dance as well. My favorite, one that I had on my wall for a while, was Caroline Trentini's "Flights of Fancy" in the September 2008 issue of Vogue.


The movie was, well it wasn't a let down because I really didn't know what to expect. It was pretty weird that's for sure. I was a ballerina for seven years and I used to want to go professional. It's a tough world out their for a dancer and I'm pretty glad I didn't. I saw a bit of myself in the way Nina danced. I always wanted to be perfect and I concetrated so hard it wasn't any fun. My teachers always told me to loosen up, not in the way the company director told Nina, but I still feel for her. It was definitely a movie I'm glad I saw, but won't watch it again because parts were really painful.
I know all the fashion blogs have been talking about it, but that doesn't make it a fashion movie. Her costumes were beautiful, but the clothes she wore offstage were normal. I really wasn't inspired like I was when I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's again last night, but it's not that kind of movie so I really can't complain.
As for whether you should see it or not... if you're old enough to buy the ticket by yourself then well that's fine, but don't see it with your parents! I'm glad I didn't.

If I were a Disney Princess I'd Wear...

I got back from Disney World last week (that explains the gap in posting) and I don't know if you've ever been, but I've been more times than I can count. It always gets me in this way of thinking; that I would make a great fairytale princess. Don't get me wrong being a real princess would be nice too (are you listening Prince Harry?), but I've always thought it would be more fun to be a princess in a fairytale with dragons and fairy godmothers and what not. So I've said all that to set this up. Here's a list of fairytale worthy dresses of all price ranges.
I suppose this post could also double as a fashionable prom dress post. Being a rebel however I must say I loathe the event so don't think I'm condoning it.

For the princess on a budget this Aqua dress at Bloomingdales is a lovely option. It's only $188 which is a bargin price for your prince charming to pay.



For the princess for a bit more cash to burn I'd choose this Carmen Marc Valvo dress on sale for about $400 at Bergdorf Goodman.


Of course most princesses don't have to deal with silly peasant things like budgets so here are a few haute couture choices for her:
This Dior fall 2010 couture dress is prefect if her prince decides to throw her a flower themed ball.


If she wants to be cutting edge at say a parade or other outside event. I would say choose this Valentino Fall 2010 dress. But if she simply couldn't decide she might take the whole collection. It's enchanting.


For her wedding there would absolutely be no other choice than this Elie Saab Couture Fall 2010 piece. Jaws will drop all around the kingdom.


thanks to style.com and of course Disney for keeping my little girl dreams alive.

1920s Style

I just finished Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson and am currently reading Vixen: a Flappers novel by Jillian Larkin both of which I recommend. This has led me to develop a bit of a flapper fetish so let's take a look of some of the highlights of that era shall we?

Madeleine Vionnet. Queen of the Bias Cut and that's what it was all about in those days. If you are in the market for a good vintage 1920s piece then make sure it has her name on the tag.
You can even get the twenties look today from the fashion house's dresses and not look like you are wearing a costume. Just look at Carey Mulligan and Emma Watson. They look so of this century while still channeling that classic glamour.




Jeanne Lanvin. It's becoming quite apparent to me that France and women ruled the 20's fashion scene. Madame Lanvin was responisble for starting my favorite line ever. This picture from the Chicago History Museum's Flickr page shows you what style was to be had back then.


Coco Chanel. There is no other name in fashion today and it was the same back then. Only in that era they were graced with Madame Chanel's unfailing beauty and personal style.


Clara Bow. There is no face that says flapper quite like Clara Bow. The actress was a star of the silent screen and one of the first American It-girls.

Merry Christmas Readers!

I hope you all got exactly what you wanted this year, or something like it.

I finally got my Lanvin hearts H&M t-shirt which according to this site has been sold for $1500 on Ebay. Oh Em Gee. That is something else. I won't be selling mine, but I might have to get it insured.....


I got lots of other lovely clothes from my favorite Kohls line LC by Lauren Conrad. I love all of her clothes. And I may or may not have been an obsessive fan of hers since her Laguna Beach days.

I also got season three of Gossip Girl and other little items. Nothing too fancy, but it was a great haul if I do say so myself.

My Own Alexander McQueen Retrospective Part Two

Continuing with my retrospective of McQueen I am posting A/W 1994-1995 collection which had the famous bumster pants.

It's hard to imagine anyone wearing these in real life and not getting arrested for indecent exposure. I certainly don't remember the fashion times back then so I can't really say for sure if its a comment on the times, but I'm sure it is.

Look at the beauty of the construction of that jacket! This would definitely be a staple in my wardrobe if I was lucky enough to find it at a vintage store.


McQueen was certainly ahead of the times. He used a pregnant model which is something I've certainly never seen before. This dress is so lovely and medieval.


This hat is so Isabella Blow. I think he had her in mind when he designed it.


I already talked about his Highland Rape Collection but I wanted to show these two new pictures I found. I love the bird jacket I would so wear it. And the other jacket so well constructed! McQeen's apprenticeship on Saville Row definitely shows in his impeccable tailoring,

On my way to a vacation in Florida that means Resort Wear

I the morning I'm leaving for a vacation in first Orlando and then Palm Beach to see my family. This means limited internet access so expect not that many posts till right before Christmas when I get back. So here's a look at my top picks for resort wear.

It's funny because the first issue of Elle magazine I bought was a December issue with Natalie Portman on the cover. She was wearing a swimsuit and I was very confused. It's the middle of winter why are they showing bikinis? But it makes sense because many of us head south for the winter.

Balenciaga's Resort 2011 collection is full of crazy prints. I couldn't pick just one to show case because I'd wear all of these! These outfits would be perfect for Florida because it's cool there, not hot.





The Moschino collection is so very me because I'm more of a black and white girl than crazy colored patterns.



Polka Dots are very in this resort season just look at Miu Miu:


All photos from Style.com

Fashionable Reading

So if there's such a thing as a clotheshorse I'm one and there also must be such a thing as a bookhorse. I am that as well. Currently I'm reading three books and I bought more. I thought I'd share what I'm reading that goes along with fashion.

I started Bill Blass's autobiography awhile ago, but I admit since I don't know that much about his clothes, other than he did revolutionize American Sportswear, I'm not all that into the book. I'll pick it back up one day I'm sure.

I just bought D.V. Diana Vreeland's autobiography, a first edition paperback oolala, at the used bookstore. I couldn't be more thrilled! I love Vreeland's life and her style. I wrote a paper on her a while back because she is really my role model in the world of fashion magazines. Apparently I got a steal because a new copy of the newer edition costs $50! Lucky me!



I Love Your Style by Amanda Brooks, a Vogue contributor, is what I'm in the midst of reading now. It's so addicting and I love her tips. It's well written and is laid out like a magazine with tons of inspriational pictrues. It has also made me add a few more books to my wishlist like this next one.



Infinite Variety by Scot D. Ryersson and Michael Orlando Yaccarino is an account of the life and times of the world's most fabulous 20th century muse Marchesa Casti. She wore live snakes as jewelry and her exotic pets inspired Cartier's famous panther jewelry. She lived in the most fashionable era in history the late teens and early twenties. I'm ordering this book as soon as I finish all the rest.
Picture of the book, Tilda Swinton as Marchesa Casti for Acne Magazine (she's a deadringer for the late muse), and two pictures of Casti herself (none of which are mine):

My Own McQueen Retrospective Part One of Many

I almost spent way too much money on books yesterday when I was very close to purchasing a $30 McQueen Retropective. My mom wisely told me, "You can look up all that stuff online." How true how true. So I decided to make my own retrospective of his collections a little bit at a time. Two websites were invaluable in this endeavor:
Hapsical
And The Fashion Spot

I'm going to start with his earliest collection and his most controversial.

Isabella Blow discovered McQueen in 1995 after he graduated from design school and she famously bought his graduate collection. Soon after he went on to be the creative director of Givenchy. Which is a time period I will address in a later post becuase I want to compare it with Riccardo Tisci's collections there and of course with the orginal Hubert de Givenchy.

From what I gathered this collection from Spring of 1994 was from when he was in school still and boy is it something! He is already using his name as a brand because I think he knew what a genius he was.
(some of these are orginally from contemporaryfashion.net)





In this collection we see the beginnings of themes that will pop up in later McQueen collections. His love of birds and feathers being one. Also just the overall dark feel. His clothes, more than any other designer's I feel, put fashion as an art first then as wearable later. That might not sound like a complement, but I assure you it is. He thought so highly of the women who would wear his clothes that he entrusted them with being the showcases of his artist vision.

The Highland Rape collection of Fall/Winter 1995 was definitely his most controversial becuase many thought that it was a glorification of abuse against women. I don't know why anyone would think that of McQueen, but they did. Being the history nerd that I am I thought first of all the trouble that England caused Scotland in their past together and this is what McQueen was thinking of as well. Throughout a lot of his shows plaids have popped up because it is apart of his heritage. This is just another way of him paying homage to that past.


I'm going to stop here, but rest assured I will be back on this theme soon. I intend to do my Givenchy comparision next.

Thanks for reading my blog you guys you don't know how much it means to me to be able to share my passions with people.

Best Trip to the Mall Ever (Lenox Square to be exact)

So I just got back from the most inspiring trip to the mall! I usually have a love/hate relationship with shopping because I'm so competitve when it comes to it. But I truely peaked today! I got a Vena Cava for Aqua at Bloomingdales dress for only $40! I was blown away because I didn't even know they did a collection for the store!
It looks almost exactly like this (I'm not gonna lie and say it fits perfectly, but oh well it was a bargin)


Another thing I discovered is that they are selling All Saints Clothes at Bloomingdales! Oh the discoveries I made today. I love All Saints stuff even before they shipped to the US and now I can drive to Atlanta and buy something from them?! Dream come true!
Apparently this new addition is on the downlow becuase you can't purchase All Saints stuff on the Bloomingdales site and there's no promotion for it. Oh well It's there.

Another inspiring thing was this girl I saw at Bloomingdales wearing the most incrediable outfit I had ever seen. Pink tights, navy blue vintage flats, a floral dress and a grey fur jacket that had bits of pink in it. She informed me most of her stuff was Tibi which is very chic.

Of course every trip is filled with disappointments. Madewell was not all that it was cracked up to be at least in the cheap range. And I saw no sign of the Alexa Chung line.

Oh the weather outside it frightful (as I type this it's snowing)

So I live in Georgia (not the country I'm not that exciting) so hell yes I am a wuss when it comes to winter weather. This poses a huge problem for my abilty to live up North. Thank goodness New York City isn't in Maine or we'd have some issues. I really only own one wool coat and my snow boots are really rainboots. So I decided to look towards the Satorialist for some inspiration on how New Yorkers cope with this kind of weather.

It seems fur coats are the way to go. I am a friend of the animals so I say no to real fur, but is faux just as warm as the real thing? I've never tried one on because, honestly me walking around in a fur coat where I go to school is just not feasable. Not because of the animal rights activists, but becuase it's too hot. But it seems like an investment in the future:


(picture credit: the Satorialist)

Boots and hats are also something my winter wardrobe lacks.
Baker's always has pretty shoes and they are pretty affordable, too.
Here are some boots that are on my NYC wishlist:


they're only $80

Now for the hats. I'm not a hat person and really it takes a special kind of head to pull one off. But if the rumors are true and you loose most of your body heat from up there I guess one is required.
This kind of goes along with the menswear theme I was talking about yesterday. These types of hats are super warm so who cares if you have to look in the men's department to find one? This hat is from JC Penney's and is only $20.



So keep warm readers and if you have any tips please share!

Menswear as Womenswear: Thanks Diane Keaton!

It's getting chillier as it gets father into the month of December and really the thought of wearing a skirt is a daunting one with these howling winds. That's why I thank my lucky stars that women have been able to wear pants as long as they have. My grandmother would tell me of when she was in school and she wasn't allowed to wear pants even on the coldest days. It's something we take for granted when we put our comfy pants on. That's why this post is a shout out to all the women who've been daring enough to go all out with this trend and wear suits. It's truly admirable.

I read an interview with Fran Lebowitz in the BUST magazine I was talking about yesterday. She really is something else and now I want to read her work. Her style is really forward thinking because she wore menswear before it was cool.
This picture is of her currently along side Diane von Furstenburg also displaying the trend by wearing a blazer.


We really have the movie "Annie Hall" to thank for giving us and designers years later the inspiration to feature this idea on the runway. She really dresses like an empowered female and even though I wasn't an empowered woman when I watched it(I rented it because it was my crush in high school's favorite movie. Oh I also have him to thank for my love of Burberry since he wore that cologne, but that's another story) it still gives me the courage to wear my suits proudly!


Girly-girls are giving it a try as well. Look at how lovely Leighton Meester looks here, but you all know how biased I am.


You don't have to go all out for your first foray into menswear. Just a vest or a blazer will do. If you get brave add a tie!
Trust me, men find this very attractive. The first time I was told I looked sexy was when I was wearing a rugby shirt that looked like I stole it from my boyfriend. Men want to be able to imagine you in their clothes because you know what that means you did before.....