Tuesday, October 27, 2009

:(

i am very upset at the moment.
my laptop has a virus. so most likely i will not be posting the 2nd part of my coverage of paris fashion week as all of my infor for that i son my infected laptop. i don't know how frequently i'll be posting, if at all. i'll try my best, but it's looking bad. between school, family life, and other general frustrations i don't really know how this will all turn out. we'll see.
- me

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

my fake interview with...hilary swank



like me, hilary is a july baby (hollaaa!). she was born july 30, 1974 in bellingham, washington, USA. her full name is hilary ann swank and showed an interest in acting at a young age, acting as mowgli in the play "the jungle book" at age nine. her breakout role was the next karate kid (1994) and she won her first oscar for boys don't cry and the second oscar for "million dollar baby". not only is she an amazing actress, but she's also a skilled athlete. she is a superb swimmer, gymnast and she loves all things outdoorsy. the list doesn't stop there, she has amazing red carpet style. this faux interview with the lovely hilary swank is merely a fiment of my imagination that i've decided to share with you all. these are questions i would ask hilary if i had the chance, and the answers that she "gives" are what i think she might say. i could be totally wrong about how she would reply, but this is all for fun. :)


me: hi hilary, it's so nice to meet you! i admire your style and your acting ability.



hilary: [smiles] thank you!


me: alright, so into the questions we go: i read that you were once a vegetarian. is that true, and why are you not a vegetarian anymore?


hilary: yes it is is true that i was once a vegetarian, i tried it because i wanted to eat healthier and i thought that having a stricter diet would rid my bodies of toxins and all that. and eating mainly veggies is a great ting, vegetables hhave so many vitamins, minerals and nutrients and a great stand in for meat are nuts. however, i soon found out that being a vegetarian made my breath stink so badly, and i missed the taste of meat. i can still keep lean and eat meat, but i do still eat more vegetables than i did before i was a vegetarian.


me: i don't think i could ever be a vegetarian...but it's cool that you tried it. alright, as i said before i truly admire your acting ability. to be a great actress you really have to throw yourself into the role , and that's not always an easy thing to do. you've been rewarded for your geat work with an oscar for boys don't cry and million dollar baby. with all of these accolades, do you think you could be the next great actress, a la meryl streep?


hilary: thanks for the comment but....comparing me to meryl streep...wow! that's huge. i don't think i'm at her standard yet and if i will ever be at her standard, but being as great as she is is definitely a goal and i absolutely adore her.


me: how was it working on your new film about amelia earhart?


hilary: it was fantastic, i loved working with mira nair (the director) and richard gere. i felt right at home with this role for some reason and i love the story of amelia earhart. she is such a great icon of female strength and wit.



me: would you do another biographical film again?



hilary: i don't know, it depends on who the story is about and what their message was. i wanted to play this role because i loved amelia's gutsiness. she was determined to take a trip around the world, and she was a female pilot in times when females were defined as strictly dainty creatures. in the world we live in now, there is a clearer understanding of what women want and what women are like. we want adventure and fun in life just as men do, we're not just satisfied with staying at home and having children, even though children are great. there are so many different aspects to life that women want to experience and amelia took her life into her own hands and was successful. she is remembered for her determinedness.


me: ok, you look great on the red carpet pretty much every time i see you. i'm going to pick some of my favorite looks i've seen you in and tell me how you were feeling at that moment. ok?



hilary: alright [smiles], i'm excited for this!



me: hilary, you were absolutely divine in this herve leroux for guy laroche gown. you looked so sexy and elegant all at the same time. this is one of my favorite red carpet looks of all time. absolutely amazing. simply sublime! *spazzes*


hilary: [laughs] thank you so much. i do get a lot of compliments on that look! i was so excited to be at the oscars and i felt great in the dress.


swank


1st look from the left


me: this is a more recent look that you wore to the premiere of your movie 'amelia'. you look so elegant, did you pick out this dress yourself?

hilary: thanks again, i really love this dress. i've never worn anything from vionnet, but when my stylist showed me this gorgeous gown i knew i had to wear it. i really love the draping and the color. it's like a dark, rich teal.


2nd look from the left


me: you always bring an elegance to the red carpet everytime i see you. you're not exactly on a red carpet here though, you were front row at the tommy hilfiger spring 2009 show. i love this look. it could work for dinner, for work, even for a red carpet event.

hilary: i love shirtdresses. they are so classic and so easy to wear. and i like how professional i look, yet at the same time i still have that mysterious look going on because of the beautiful deep navy color of this dress.


3rd look from the left


me: i'm noticing something about you, you like blues, greens and purples. and you look great in them. if you still have this dress in your wardrobe can i borrow it for...say...forever?

hilary: unfortunately i had to return this dress [makes sad face], but if i had it i would let you borrow it.

me: yippee!

hilary: i didn't notice that i wore so many cool colors on the red carpet.

me: if it ain't broke, don't fix it!


hopefully you all enjoyed reading this, tell me if you love the red carpet looks that i pulled up. :)
and yes, i know i'm taking forever to post the 2nd and last part of paris fashion week. i am so unbelievably busy. being a student is difficult, and i have so much work i have to take care of. i'm surprised i had time to make this post, but i'll be trying to post again as soon as possible. thanks to the people who comment me and take the time to visit my blog. i do appreciate it.



images from google images and wire image and W magazine


Monday, October 12, 2009

Paris Fashion Week: Spring 2010 Part I

I know this entry is late as paris fashion week has been done for a bit of time now, but this entry is still going to be as good as if i had posted it earlier. paris fashion week seemed to start off slow and got better as it went on. it wasn't my fave fashion week, i prefered milan fashion week and new york fashion week the best i think, but all of the fashion weeks were so entertaining and showcased the true talent of the designers and their staff.
♥ me


p17


isabel marant- marant's rock chick girls turn into "boho pirates" for spring 2010 according to style.com. i liked the slight irreverence of this show, it wasn't overly fashiony or serious and the slouchy boots and flouncy dresses are things i can see a lot of girls wearing.


p16


hussein chalayan- this collection showed off a more wearable, streamlined design from chalayan than i have seen. i am much more used to his abstract, out of this world designs. the closing look, which is the white one shouldered dress to the far right is so cool because it has a white fist closing around the single shoulder strap.


p15


givenchy- the cone hats were super weird and super ugly, but some of the clothes were actually nice. did you love this collection as much as every fashionista seems to?


p14


giles- giles deacon really is a genius. he combined colors and fabrics that i would never think went together and made it all chic. the show was very kitschy with some dresses and other clothes featuring tarantula print. there were a lot of frills, short hemlines and outrageous accessories, but a fashionista with a more classic style sensibility could still find great pieces in this collection.


p13


giambattista valli- i absolutely loved this show. it seemed more pared down from the usual valli shows (and it was), but as the show went on, the glamour, the structure and the beauty of his designs were apparent. featured were confetti like ruffles, feathers, huge ruffles around the neck, beaded embellishment, animal print and sheer bodices.


p12


gareth pugh- woohoo for gareth pugh! although his shows always have a gothic overtone and i am by no means a goth, his clothes are so well made that you can't help but love his collections. these are versatile clothes that you can buy and put in your wardrobe and adapt to your style. that is the genius of gareth pugh.


p11


emanuel ungaro- style.com is so judgmental. just because lindsay lohan's name was attached to the ungaro show it was deemed a failure. first of all, the house of ungaro got rid of it's creative director estaban cortazar and hired estrella archs and had lindsay lohan as an artistic director. for their first hand at a collection for emanuel ungaro, they did a good job. they delivered on great party dresses that a lot of young hollywood could wear. yes, the sequin heart pasties were strange, but they were few. style.com said the harem pants were absolutely atrocious, but honestly...no designer has won me over in the harem pant department, not even the loved givenchy. picking on lindsay lohan, just because she is lindsay lohan is pretty low. kudos to estrella archs and lohan for a good debut collection.


p10


elie saab- elie saab can do no wrong. this season he took some inspiration from balmain and made an edgier collection with a darker color palette and emphasized shoulders and tight dresses. his show still had his signature stamp of class though.


p9


collette dinnigan- lovely. my favorite piece is the aquamarine ombre sequined dress.


p8


christian dior- amazing, as usual! :) this collection was based on 40s film noir and wartime fashion as well as playing around with the look of lingerie that john galliano explored in detail for his recent collection for christian dior.


p7


chanel- this was a fun show that centered aroung all things country and farm based. models had wheat in their hair, walked out of a hay filled stall and walked flirtily around the chanel set with clogs and remixes of the chanel suit. a lot of great, fun, young, stylish clothes were featured that i know celebs will be jostling for. the show featured 72 beautiful looks, and all of the models looked genuinely happy to be there.


p6


celine- phoebe philo does it again. watching this show made me feel clean, happy and bubbly. the design aesthetic was sharp and clean, the color palette for spring was great and i loved the model's clean faces and gently pulled back hair. the clothes were simple, but not boring.


p5


ann demeulemeester- i like it. i like it. long skirts are love, especially when made this well.


p4


andrew gn- andrew gn delivered with more stunning jewel embellishments, bright colors and modern girly cuts of clothing. i am so in love with the second dress from the left. it's purple print is divine and this dress would pair perfectly with my purple gem ring that i have yet to wear.


p3


alexander mcqueen- this show started off with a bunch of out of this world, abstract, weird, unwearable looks and then eased back into wearable pieces with amazing prints. this show was absolutely insane. the work that went into making these prints and these intricate clothes, and the model's makeup and sculpted hair was immense! and the shoes were so high. this collection was based on the sea creatures that humans are supposed to turn into when our polar ice caps melt. >.>


p2


akris- akris's shows are always perfect. they make perfect clothes. perfect lines, perfect fabrics, perfect colors that can benefit any warddrobe. this brand should have long been on my list of favorites, and now that they are there, they will probably be there forever. the color palette consisted of white, cream, powder blue, pale beigey grey, black, pumpkin orange, brick red and chocolate brown. the big, pillowy yet structured white bags they featured were heavenly.


p1


a.f. vandevorst- sheer garments paired with thick and skinny leather belts. with this show, it was all about presentation. i wasn't expecting to like this show, but the show had a clear, cohesive message and that always attracts me.


fashion week notes


rochas- i did like this collection, but as with many other good collections, i needed it to be great. women are always on the search for great pieces, not just good.


limi feu- the model's didn't even look good in the clothes and limi yamamoto (the designer) didn't look happy after the presentation...so....why should i be excited about this?


anne valerie hash- i fell in love with one look, a metallic top and skirt combo with a ruffle going down the midline of the skirt but a lot of the other pieces weren't wearable and did not excite me.


rick owens- this collection got interesting at the end with some metallic pieces and cropped jackets with high collars...but by then i had lost interest.


nina ricci- all of the red carpet dresses from this collection were absolutely stunning, but peter copping (the new guy at nina ricci) has taken the house in a way different direction than olivier theyskens did, so it was kind of discombobulating...but i'm sure i'll be in love with this new direction for nina ricci next season.


bruno pieters- didn't excite me.


balmain- the show was good, and interesting, but i couldn't find enough pieces that i liked. i know, i know...it's balmain...but i just couldn't like enough pieces. all of the models looked like glammed up cavewomen or old army vets in model's bodies...and some of the looks were great, and others can only be worn by models.


balenciaga- straight hair, prints, architectural draping, blah, blah, blah....whatever.


azzaro- i loved the cute dresses and jackets azzaro presented, but i was expecting more, especially since i loved their fall 2009 collection so much. the closing dress was absolutely beautiful and simple. i'm sure we'll see it somewhere other than the runway.


maison martin margiela- this wasn't the best show but it wasn't death dealingly horrible as style.com lamented. still...it does seem like margiela has lost a bit of its touch.


issey miyake- dai fujiwara, the head of issey miyake at the moment, tried to cover a bunch of themes in his show and it didn't work to the show's betterment.


undercover- this show was sporty and futuristic, with dark ambient prints, anorak blouses, slim and short trousers, models with slicked back hair and orange lines drawn under their eyes and brown leather detail on some of the clothes.


sophia kokolasaki- the show was good, but i was expecting more. some of the shoes were absolutely fab though.


jean paul gaultier- his inspoiration: madonna's cone bra that he designed, gang girls, cornrows and afro puff ponytails, overalls....he played with very interesting concepts and let pregnant jourdan dunn walk the runway but he still couldn't win me over.


haider ackermann- lots of draping and shiny fabrics, and one model walked the runway holding half of her chest.


commes des garcons- this show had a few coherent looks such as looks 17 and 28. and this was one of the better commes des garcons shows i have seen but it was not collage worthy....sorry :/


kris van assche- nothing special. black, leather, and greased down hair.


dries van noten- lots of ethnic prints and slouchy cuts. this collection was't as fun and inspiring as his past two.


costume national- ennio capasa was looking to make a really intrigueing collection, but it didn't work for me. the models looked great in the super, super short shorts...but who else would? most of the gowns were shapeless and looked half tattered so costume national isn't getting my vote for the spring 2010 season. although i loved the bag karmen pedaru walked out in for the first look.


yves saint laurent- i don't know what's going on with ysl, but this collection was sloppy, random and a bit too on the minimalistic side for me.


vanessa bruno- an improvement from past shows.


tim hamilton- a very severe look of black lips, slicked back hair, monochrome super tailored outfits and nipples exposed through sheer blouses. i liked some of it though...not the nipple exposure part.


chloe- this show was sooo boring. the simplicity didn't look chic at all. what was up with the monogrammed pieces? i wonder how the ad campaign will look for this collection.


wunderkind- this was weird. sheerness, body stockings based off of medical wrapping, arrows....??


hermes- i absolutely loved the sporty clean preppiness of this show. the theme was tennis, and jean paul gaultier made beautiful use of the theme. i fell in love with his tennis infused classic hermes bags the instant i saw them, and i loved that the models' hair look so clean. however the looks weren't standout...they were nice though.


miu miu- i did like this collection, but i couldn't find enough pieces that i absolutely loved. it was a great show though, with cute cat, dog and tree prints, colored shirts and above the knee office skirts and long braided ponytails on the models.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

chepa makeup advocate: mark juice gems and covergirl lashblast

i love finding cheap makeup and having it work beautifully for me. a while ago i received mark juice gems in the color juicy fig, a beautiful sparkling neutral lip color, the hue of light brown wheat. i love the fact that it has a thick consistency but is not unbearably sticky, and it has a great scent. at $6.00 for .5 fl oz of a great lipgloss formula, mark juice gems are a great product.

mark juicy gems picture from http://www.meetmark.com/


last week i got covergirl lashblast for $5. usually you see it in stores for upwards of $7.99 and only occasionally can you see it for buy one get one free. since i had cash on me, and i'd heard such great things about covergirl lashblast i had to try it, and i was pleased. i got the waterproof formula which looked nice on my lashes. i think it gave me good volume. i'm not sure if it gave me as much length as i wanted it to, but it is a great mascara. it really brings attention to the eye.



covergirl lashblast picture from google images

i also love the cool rubbery wand!


i'm hoping to get some more makeup to try out...mainly eyeshadows from a great site i've just found. i don't know when i'll have the time to try them out but i can't wait until i do so that i can tell you about them.


look forward to the last entries for fashion week spring 2010 from paris.
♥ me


carine roitfeld
michelle obama
selita ebanks
kerry washington
annalynne mccord
thandie newton
evan rachel wood
emanuelle alt
dree hemingway

About Me

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I am an immigrant. I was born in the caribbean and wish i was there rather than having to deal with the sporadic weather of chicago. I love fashion. My family is crazy, and blogging is a hobby that keeps me sane. I also strongly believe that it doesn't take money to look good, it just takes innate style.

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thanks couturecarrie!<3