Three Weeks Till Spring And I'm Buying Snow Boots!

Would any one besides myself buy snow boots at the end of the Winter season? Well ladies, and any gents that may read this, yours truly has just made the purchase. 

With it being the last day of February and Spring in a few weeks, the snow is still falling, I am still cold and this weather continues to be annoying for probably 3/4 of the U.S. 

After scrolling through many a website for that lucky pair, a brand that I've recently heard about, Sorel, kept popping into my head….and onto my google search. With many sizes sold out in styles that I actually liked (don't ever have a small foot if you can help it), I finally came across a pair that suited my budget and my style. Ta-Da!!

Thanks, Bob for the boots! 

Now let's just hope they fit…..

www.bobwards.com

The Fashion/Cool Girl Stigma - Why Can't You Be Interested In Fashion And Smart?

Anna Wintour said it best when she stated just because you want to wear a beautiful Carolina Herrera dress or a pair of J Brand blue jeans doesn't mean you're a dumb person.

This type of logic is what hinders the fashion industry from growing. Is this why we've resorted to celebrities to pump up and ignite the fire?

Whenever you read a magazine from cover to cover, it doesn't mean your vocabulary or thought process isn't established. In fact, many magazine articles relate back to real world issues, whether they be health or politics.
Whenever you're reading a book on Christian Louboutin or Chanel, you're studying real world history and educating yourself. Just because many of these books are coffee table reads that educate with many pictures as well as words, does not mean that you can't read. 
When your out shopping and choosing to buy a silk top from Saks Fifth Avenue rather than a cotton one from a fast fashion retailer, maybe it's because of the real world factory issues in other countries and/or where the design is truly coming from. 
The industry is lucky to have extremely intelligent people in the form of designers, product development, retailers, manufacturers, editors, etc. I mean who else could have created a multi billion dollar business.
If you go to a fashion school for a merchandising or design degree, you're getting involved in something that everyone partakes in and wears everyday: clothing/shoes/accessories.
Without that, we'd all be walking around in our birthday suits and how ordinary and boring that would be.

Hedi Slimane Taking It Back Old School

Back when Hedi Slimane took over for Yves Saint Laurent, I remember much anticipation followed by mixed reviews.

These reviews have ceased to exist after retailers have come out and stated trouble keeping the brand in stock.

Now while I'm expanding my library as well as my wardrobe, I recently bought the Yves Saint Laurent book, Yves Saint Laurent Style Style Style and was interested to find that Hedi is just rejuvenating the past. 

In actuality, the people who were giving the mixed reviews were forgetting about how Yves got his start and the designs that revolutionized the industry.

I'll let the past and present pictures below speak for themselves.

Now since, he's only a few shows into his career at Saint Laurent, stay tuned on some more!

Pictures on left are from Yves Saint Laurent Style Style Style

Pictures on right are from www.style.com

Mellow Yellow And The Pink Lady

With all the black in my wardrobe, I never thought I'd say this, but I am gravitating toward two colors, yellow and pink.

Now while I suggest not wearing these two colors together, wearing them apart can we quite enjoyable. 

I've recently purchased these colors in some knit sweaters. Somewhat of a summons for Summer to come early while still in the midst of Winter and all the treacherous snow storms we've experience recently.

Now while the obvious way to wear them is on your person, some not so obvious ways can be used while the weather slowly warms up.

1. Wrapped around your waist. 

Follow the plaid movement and switch out a shirt for a sweater. It's very handy incase your top doesn't keep you warm enough. Why not carry some extra clothes without being obvious?

2. Around your shoulders. 

Follow the prep movement and drape your sweater on top of your coat with the arms wrapped around your neck. Again, you can replace your top if not warm enough or just looking put together can make a world of difference even if you don't feel so on the inside. 

Sidebar - I don't think anyone in the industry feels put together on the inside.

3. Wear it as a turban.

Now while this option seems a little out there for many people, it's very realistic in this cold weather. Just be sure to tuck the sleeves in, you wouldn't want it unraveling while your running down the street. 

**Hint: Go after number 3, outrageous always beats normal

In conclusion, follow the movement of Spring and bring some color into your wardrobe. Although as the Mean Girls rules state to wear pink everyday, black will still be #1 in my life.

Both sweaters are www.zara.com

Is Footwear Becoming Ugly?

With Birkenstocks and Jesus sandals around us, is fashion going in a new direction - the ugly direction?

Let's go back to the beginning.
Summer 2012.
This is when I started seeing the infamous Birkenstock sandal come out again. I believe it was introduced to me again by Ashley Olsen. Walking around New York with the comfort sandal and mixing with their infamous label, The Row. 

http://www.fabsugar.com

www.saksfifthavenue.com

Now Birkenstocks started many years ago with my friends and me going out to get the clog style. They were worn with more of a comfort/trendy-in-the-7th-grade kind of look. 
Now with the brand being resurrected in the industry, it's even had designers going after similar constructions with a twist. 
Givenchy had the Arizona style made with a flower camouflage print all over. 
Celine had their furry version that the likes of Miley Cyrus has been sporting.
Other designers have taken similar approaches to the ugly footwear phenomenon. 
Marni is one to make styles that scream function, not fashion. And let's not forget Prada who has their versions year after year.
With this trend going on since 2012, how much longer do you think it will last? All I know is, no matter how long it lasts, I'll still be sporting my Gizeh version come Summer 2014.

The Mainstream Effect

Is anyone else getting sick of mainstream fashion?

How many times are we going to see crop tops? Back six months ago when people started wearing it, the trend was killed instantly and I don't mean in the good kind of way. Now it's trickled down to the fast fashion retailers and us "regular people" to finish the trend off. Sidebar: We started seeing the crop tops this time last year.

When leather was popular in the summer time, how many years has it continued in the collections?
Remember when Givenchy made the rottweiler shirt? It took on a life of it's own.

Celebrities don't help the effect with the tons of exposure they deal with on a daily basis. With all of the attention they get, they could single handedly take a trend and finish it off all in a day's work. And while a lot of celebrities tend to have stylists, they normally hit trends when they are peaking and not starting them in the first place.

After looking through many of the street styles on Vogue.com and Style.com, you can see the typical people in the industry wearing the typical things. Things straight off the runway that reflects the designer aesthetic. However many of those pieces are borrowed and showed off for publicity. 

Maybe I'm the weird one in this mix, but I generally gravitate toward the original looks, not the ordinary. And when those looks could be seen as "weird"or "out there", it produces a calming effect for me. Almost like, "Ok there is someone that likes to lead."

With this fashion runway season almost at a close, I think it's a good time to reflect on a few things.
1. Take your style and make it your own. 
2. Less is always more. 
3. Don't be afraid to look like a complete goof ball. Original always beats ordinary.
Who knows, you may be the one starting the next trend...

Is It Worth It? Let Me Work It.

Proenza Schouler's fashion show seemed appropriate with the amount of the snow that was about to be dumped on the Northeast. 

Models came out with layers, coats and the ever evolving prints that the Parson's graduates are best known for doing. After a few models, it started to look like Jackson Pollock, himself, had painted all over the runway.

Structured jackets with calf length skirts added a sophisticated touch to the cool downtown look that the boys have created in the past. 

Along with the trend that has been happening over the past week, oxfords were added to the outfits.

The clutches looked like an evolution from the lunch bag with the opening completely covered in fur and available for pre-order on their website immediately following the show!

Animal prints such as giraffe and zebra were printed on skirts and tops with a sophisticated twist. And the now infamous crop top with skirt ensemble made an appearance.

With 12 years under their belt, they've matured into designers that can certainly hold their own.

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2014RTW-PSCHOULER/