Fashion Pulse Daily

March 20, 2012

Cardie at the Market

A Saturday afternoon at the market – Chelsea Market that is, is great for strolling, eating, and people-watching. It’s also still a bit chilly outside, so layers are a must, but who says you can’t do them in spring colors? Courtesy of the brand, the center piece of my look is the Lands’ End Supima Fine Gauge Cardigan, priced from $49-$54, available in 12 colors, and comes in regular, petite, or plus sizing. The color I am rocking is “Glacier Blue” (in petite sizing), which perfectly matches my Missoni for Target blouse and adds a great contrast to my 7 For All Mankind skinny jeans (courtesy of 7 For All Mankind).

The cardie itself is super soft thanks to the Supima cotton fibers with an ultra smooth finish that looks perfectly polished and ready for all-occasion wear. Plus, the sleeves offer enough room that layering more than a shell underneath is certainly welcome. I look forward to making this piece a staple of my spring/summer wardrobe, and am already thinking about the spirited color combinations that will appear in future outfit pairings. What other colors do you think “Glacier Blue” will look great with?

–Julia DiNardo

March 19, 2012

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones

by Julia DiNardo

[All Images via the Bard Graduate Center]

Back in February I mentioned the exhibit, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, which is currently on view at The Bard Graduate Center (but only for just another few weeks; the exhibit ends April 15th, 2012). Courtesy of the Center, I finally paid a visit this past weekend, and was absolutely in awe by what can only be described as artwork for the head. The exhibition, which first had it’s home at the Victoria & Albert Museum, includes over 250 hats curated by master milliner Stephen Jones that span hundreds of years and many countries of origin.

Spanning several floors of the gallery and broken into several sections, including inspiration, creation, the salon, and the client, the hats lent themselves to even further sub-categories which led me to re-imagine headpieces in a way I had never thought of before. Some of my favorite groupings included knit, embellishment, and shoe hats! As the centerpiece was one of Elsa Schiaparelli’s famous shoe hats, which I spent a solid five minutes starring it’s unique perfection. Other marvels on display included an original Darth Vader head piece from Star Wars in the ‘status’ sub-category (seen below), Andy Warhol’s wig, a shoe hat by Bill Cunningham (before he was a famed New York Times photographer, he was a milliner!), Candice Bergen’s bunny mask from Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball, as well as numerous runway pieces designer by Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy.

This exhibit is not for those who love hats-it’s for everyone with a reverence for history and art, and a fascination with the significance of dress and style in society. I for one was not a “hat” person, but after this exhibit…I have certainly changed my appreciation and respect for millinery!

The Bard Graduate Center is located at 18 West 86th Street, with the gallery open from 11am-5pm, Tuesday-Sunday. bgc.bard.edu

Also of mention is the Staging Fashion: 1880-1920 Jane Hading, Lily Elsie, and Billie Burke (at the Bard Graduate Center until April 8th, 2012) which looks at the role of actresses on society and their use of fashion at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibition features images, accessories, and articles of clothing that emphasize the sway of celebrity culture and the press materials and ephemera that went hand in hand with the rise of the prominence of icons.

-Julia DiNardo

March 19, 2012

Fashion Pulse Daily’s nicole by Nicole Miller Top Picks for Spring 2012

by Julia DiNardo

For spring/summer 2012, I couldn’t help but notice a very strong blouse story emerge from the nicole by Nicole Miller collection for JCPenney. Paired with black or deep khaki pants, cargoes, or denim, these tops will easily take care of the fashion quotient of your wardrobe in one fell swoop. Plus the newly revamped JCPenney modus operandi of low low prices every day make it easy to look great immediately, as there’s no longer a need to wait for coupon codes, promotional offers, or holidays to occur to save a buck or two. Here’s the top four blouses from the collection that I will certainly be adding into my online shopping cart, stat, all at $20-$25!

nicole by Nicole Miller Ombre Blouse, $25

nicole by Nicole Miller Drape Tank Top, $20

nicole by Nicole Miller Print Chiffon Blouse, $25

nicole by Nicole Miller Drawstring Blouse, Dolman, $25

March 19, 2012

A Week of R.J. Graziano

by Julia DiNardo

It’s amazing to thin about all the different ways one can wear and pair jewelry, and how the pieces really become full of life when they are on a body. To demonstrate this, as well as to showcase some of jewelry industry vet R.J. Graziano’s fabulous new pieces, I wore several items to work every day this week to display the versatility, individuality, and overall oomph these pieces can make to any outfit. (All jewelry was given courtesy of the brand).

Day 1: I lent some shine and organic shapes via the necklace and bracelet to more casual dressing via cargo pants and sneaker wedges. I like to keep metals in the same family, so the gold tones of the jewelry matched the hardware on my bag.

Day 2: I had a big meeting, and had to get quite a bit dressed up, in austere black from head to toe. After work, I wet to MOMA for the Cindy Sherman exhibit, so wanted to display some contemporary shapes, as well as a bit of personality via jewelry. I selected the tiered, tear-drop shaped burnished silver tone earrings by R.J, Graziano to do the job!

Day 3: The look for today was playful, light, and a bit nostalgic, as I revisited the 1920s very my dress and cap toe shoe selections. I wanted to keep jewelry more classic, and wore an art deco-inspired symmetrical square bracelet, ad layered on two long necklaces in order to elongate the shape of my overall look.

Day 4: For an overcast day, I wanted to keep the jewelry look clean but with some punchy, statement details. I paired a cut-out over sized cuff with my rain jacket, and some large hoop earrings that had the slighrest of angular etching designs on them.

Day 5: I took a black and white dress to the next level with a strong shoulder statement blazer, tie-dye tights, and of course, some shiny R.J. Graziano jewelry! I paired an open circle necklace to open the pixelated design on the dress up, gold hoops with a top layer of gold tone, crystallized embellishment, and an enameled, lacquered bracelet in shades of purple that I matched with a zipper bracelet from my own jewelry collection, and painted my nails a pastel purple with Zoya’s “Megan” to match! Keep an eye out for these pieces to soon appear at R.J. Graziano retailers, including Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor, Henri Bendel, and online sites such as Gilt.com and ideeli.com.