Serena Van der Woodsen for Chanel
March 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
“Will you be the new face of Chanel?”
“OMG. Totes!”
xoxo
My girlcrush on Blake Lively is borderline embarrassing. With her seemingly down-to-earth personality, perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect skin…oh, and flawless style, I’m pretty smitten. And her Chanel ad is pretty cool too. I guess.
little red carpet ride
March 2nd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
This year my participation in the Oscars was a far cry from a decade (plus!) ago when I would beg my mom to let me sit in front of the television to stare, jaw dropped, at the ladies parading down the red carpet. Instead, I was left to my own twittering devices at work
(#atworkssuckswhile@OSCARSareon)!!
pathetically hiding in the corner, desperately refreshing my iPhone to catch all the buzz.This was not nearly as romantic and life-changing as in 1995, when Jodi Foster wore a beaded, high-necked gown by Armani, and my 13 year old mind nearly exploded-one of several pivotal moments that turned me into a fashion nerd. I remember loving everything about it- the dress, her bobbed hair, her rusty red lips- it all just SPOKE to me. This dress may be ripped to shreds by the likes of Joan Rivers or the eager blogging community now, but it was one of my first loves. In fact, it is slightly reminiscent of the bod-con glitter bomb by Roberto Cavalli that Glee’s Lea Michele donned this year.
But, just as Jodi’s was fashion ferocity in the mid-90′s, shifting taste and zeitgeist gave Lea’s similar sheath luke warm reviews. It was certainly not one of my favorites. Instead, the winner of my new sartorial hearthrob award goes to: Cate Blanchett. 
Are you kidding me? This is couture madness. I can’t say enough about this Givenchy pleated silk chiffon dress with pearl and crystal embroidered details and chartreuse accents from the S/S 11 collection. Riccardo Tisci’s design is absolutely breathtaking and it looks stunning on her. Not only do the soft lavender and chartreuse colors compliment her skin tone, but her short hair and makeup are minimal and only accentuate her pretty face and neck. (13 year old girl inside me explodes again!)
Kate the Great
March 2nd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Kate Lanphear is one of my favorite fashion females out there. She’s a fearless dresser with her own take on an edgy punk princess. She’s badass in boyfriend blazers, metal details, platform boots, leather and all black, yet somehow completely feminine and she dresses the way I wish I could. Not to mention that there is something about a lady who can pull off that shock white hair. She’s rockstar meets intellectual fashion tigress. Here’s her pictured with another one of my heroes: @theTonyWang.
youngGuns
February 23rd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I am going to say it right now. I loved Academy of Art’s graduate fall 2011 collection. It is always a bit difficult for me to critique student work because I am one and because I know that these shows are no joke and involve blood, sweat, no sleep, Red Bulls and many tears. For me, it is incredibly difficult to be objective; to say that I thought their work was less than “great!” because I feel a sense of loyalty and camaraderie toward them. These students have all undoubtedly had no lives for the last several months, have slaved painstaking hours over an evil machine spitting sharp needles at them and all in the hope that maybefingerscrossedifthereisagod they are one of the few selected to show at New York’s Fashion Week. Fashochism* at its very finest.
These collections showed maturity, a mastery of their skill, vivid, focused direction and fantastic structural and silhouette play. If I had to pick my favorites, I would choose Aura Taylor’s heat-fused cream and black futuristic creations, Jonathan David Baker’s amazing Geisha-meets-Japanese-street-goth and Stephanie Gelot’s print splattered, larger than life chunky knits. Taylor used minimal sewing in her collection (atta girl!) and experimented with wool and leather in a black and off-white color palette. Her piping details were a dream and I could see the final look, a cream jacket with amazing black piping, worn by Miss Posh Spice herself.
Baker, a former intern at Rodarte, brought his insane knitting abilities to his funky, fresh, Gothic collection. It was clear that his inspiration was gleaned from his Japanese street girl muse, and his experience at Rodarte shone through. His proportions and textural play were strongly feminine but juxtaposed with his somber color palette, he showed something subtle: a sinister conflict within oneself. Finally, Gelot’s humongous knit creations conjured up a snowbound nomad. Her mix and match jacquard prints could have been overdone, but the softer color palette kept it in check. The only thing I wish I’d seen in the show was a bit more color. Considering Pantone came out with Fall’s top 10 colors and they included teal, bamboo and the much discussed honeysuckle, I am surprised by the dreary colors of the student’s collections. However, I guess I can’t blame them. Sleepless nights, caffeine rage and an abusive school schedule wouldn’t put me in a honeysuckle mood either.
*fash.och.ism: the tendency to derive pleasure from one’s own pain or humiliation in the name of fashion.
All photos courtesy of www.wwd.com
