June 23, 2011
Dressing for a wedding is just like dressing up for any other special occasion, but there are a few rules to wedding fashion. The first and most important of these: don’t upstage the bride. This means no white, of course, but also nothing too flashy or revealing. And if the ceremony is in a house of worship, keep your shoulders and cleavage covered up out of respect. But that doesn’t mean what you wear has to be boring!
June 23, 2011
From our friends at thefind.com:
Despite my affinity for scouting out the latest trends, I’m admittedly not too adventurous when it comes to my own expression of style. In other words, I’m definitely not the Lady GaGa of the group when it comes to my circle of friends. However, I do have an appreciation for trends that do the unexpected, like help change a preconceived notion or reverse a stigma associated with a fad. Take crochet for example — with this summer’s reworking of the trend in dresses, tanks, swimwear, and shoes, it’s no longer your grandmother’s heinous hand-me-downs or reserved for bundling up in by the fire. Forget fancy embellishments, gems, and stones — crochet sandals are this summer’s hottest form of textured footwear, adding visual detail in a way that’s not showy, and never clashes with this season’s bright, bold patterns and fanciful floral dresses. Sure, rocking this reworked trend doesn’t involve taking much of a fashion risk, but it sure does change everything you thought you knew about crochet!
Pictured above: Report Avoca Crochet Sandal, Stuart Weitzman Alex Espadrille, Mia Petal Crochet Wedges, and Nine West Crochet Mini-Wedge Sandal.
– Alex Gambardella
June 23, 2011
[Images via Club Monaco]
While previewing Club Monaco’s Fall 2 collection for 2011, I felt as though I walked into the closet of a glamorous-boho-chic woman of the 70’s, who is obsessed with rock ‘n’ roll, while at the same time is the ideal example of class and sophistication.
Not only was I enamored with the prints, sourced from vintage wallpaper found in London bookstores, but also the tasteful textures of velvet burnouts, faux fur, Mongolian lamb vests, and an ombre poncho. Patterned sweaters compliment well with the palette of black-tinted mulberries, rusts, and plums shades that are subtle but still quite rich.
And the details! The design team paid very close attention to the collection by adding fringe and leather flare making the collection elude an edgy appeal. The floral and feather prints in whimsical and flowy fabrics mixed with the combination of flared pants and wide brimmed hats achieved a fresh look and truly illustrate the dramatic inspiration. The mix of accessories seemed timeless, like they were taken them from a stylish grandmother’s closet.
The Fall 2 collection is also chock full with layers, which will give you a fall look without having the feeling of the winter blues. Each option is better than the next from the colors, to the textures to endless inspirations. I’ll take one of everything, please.
– Ambika Makin
June 22, 2011
While prepping for my fall 2011 course at NYU, Style & Society, last week, I came across a cardstock thick, cornstarch yellow hued piece of paper that I had photocopied and saved, I think from two years ago, to share with my students so that they could analyze an example of a designer interview. I’m so glad I did, as it is like finding a time capsule, and even more ironic that it is one of my designer icons, McQueen, paired with the fact that when it comes to hard copies, I literally save nothing. I’ve made it a jpeg so that you can also have a retrospective glance at Lee Alexander McQueen, the person, in this circa 2009 ELLE Magazine q&a.
