fashionforwarddd: for the everyday fashionista

Be a lady!

2011-03-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted on here in quite a long while...and I don't think I'll ever really get back into the swing of things. Keeping up a blog is very time consuming, even though I love to sit here and type I have realized my time is better spent on other things. Nevertheless, I am selling a vintage bowback dress that is absolutely gorgeous, and I wanted to publicize that to anyone who loves gorgeous ladylike things as I do.

the beautiful dress is pictured above and it is in pristine condition. i only wore it once :)

description:

Like new! I am so happy to be able to post this beautiful vintage style dress for you! It features a beautiful black silk neckline that swoops around to form a low back that is accented by an elegant black silk bow. This dress is incredibly classy and elegant and will make an amazing addition to your wardrobe.

Measurements:
Shoulder to shoulder: 15 inches

Bust: 34 inches

Waist: 28.5 inches

Hips: 35 inches

Length: 34 inches

this item is listed on ebay for $12.00 and the shipping is $9.00. very reasonable. payment method: paypal.

i hope this dress makes its way into your closet...:)

here is the ebay link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160563806031

these are a few of my favorite things: winter 2009!

2009-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

ok guys, so my laptop is still messed up and i don't really have anywhere to update from because i can't store files on my mom's computer. the only place i can update is from work because i installed my image editing program here and whatnot. i don't come to work often (it's more of a volunteer thing) and so i can't update often, especially since updates take a while to do (making graphics and whatnot). i've missed blogging a lot, and have missed reading your comments and all that jazz. every time a new season comes along i make a 'favorites' post, listing some of my favorite items for the season. there are always some expensive items and some more affordable items. i hope you enjoy this!
♥ me

p.s. i am out of school for the time being (don't you just loveeee winter break?), but in mid january i will go back to the drudgery of school. :P hopefully i can get in more updates during the break!

(to see full size click on it, i know the labels look fuzzy)

ok, so before anyone tells me anything: i know that this collage is very black and grey. i'm usually a more coloful gal but lately i've been leaning towards the darker side? my mom LOVES black and of course with a love of black she loves grey as well, and i always resisted that and tried to be more colorful but i guess now she's rubbing off on me. oh well, black is always in.

i am so in love with the giambattista valli silk lace knee length dress. it is so classy. i know i could buy this now and wear it forever. it is $1,625 at netaporter.com and by golly, if i had the money i'd buy it!

knee high and thigh high boots are so in right now, and before everyone started wearing them all the fashion bloggers were anticipating the high boot craze because they were all over the runways and so eventually they'd have to be in the stores. i have to say, i wasn't quite sure if i'd hop onto the high boot bandwagon or not but i am absolutely loving them now. i especially love brian atwood's new davis suede boots! just pair them with a sweater dress/sweater coat, put on sunglases, a hat, spritz on some perfume and dash out the door!

of course i have ysl tribtoo's on the list. they are so perfect. netaporter only has them in grey patent leather but they are also available in suede as well as many other colors.

on the cheaper end of the fashion spectrum is the poked bead ring prices at a nice $9.99 at pinkice.com. i love it's warm coloring, with it's muted pink beads and firey stone in the center as well as the dark metal that complements it nicely. the ring also has a not so perfect round shape that can be seen more clearly if you look at it from a bird's eye view.

i am currently obsessed. O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D. i am obsessed with getting my hands on ck one. it reminds me of my childhood and it's a classic, fresh, invigorating scent. i keep saying i'm going to order it, but never get around to it. i will by the end of the year.

i am using burt's bees herbal blemish stick and i am very pleased with it's results. i was having major breakouts in the cheek/jaw region for some unknown reason and by using the all natural blemish stick my blemishes have gone down. my skin still has a long way to go. but i think that i've learned my lesson from switching up my facial care products: my skin likes burt's bees. i think i'm going to try and use more of their products.

thanks for reading, what are your winter faves?

:(

2009-10-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

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

my fake interview with...hilary swank

2009-10-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

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.

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

Paris Fashion Week: Spring 2010 Part I

2009-10-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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. >.>

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.

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.

chepa makeup advocate: mark juice gems and covergirl lashblast

2009-10-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

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

MILAN FASHION WEEK: SPRING 2010 PART I

2009-09-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

as for london fashion week, milan fashion week has been condensed down to one post! yay! as always i was thoroughly impressed with milan fashion week. i loved a great number of shows from milan fashion week but if i had to narrow down my faves to four (which is very hard!) i would say versace, pollini, gucci and emilio pucci were my faves and i wish i could squeee aquilano.rimondi into the fave four...but obviously i can't. anyway, i hope you enjoy this post as always.
♥ me

versus- this was a great rtw debut for versus. christopher kane did a great job as donatella versace agrees and versus reflects the sex appeal of versace with the kitsch of christopher kane combined. all of these dresses are fun and young without being too thoughtless. i think that the sparkly dress to the far right would look great on emma watson, and it's also a good dress for those with warm brown skintones because of the pewter sparkly embellishments and the sandy color of the body of the dress.

versace- lots and lots of prints and body conscious looks. i was so surprised to see so many prints, it almost felt like a pucci show! lots of geometricism was used as well, such as constructing parts of the dresses out of triangle shaped fabric or making triangular patterns in the dresses.

trussardi 1911- i've never seen a show from them before, at least i don't remember the name of this fashion house. apparently, it's been in existence for quite some time and i'm liking the earthy, warm, purely italian feel it has. all of these dresses are begging to be worn for a night on the town.

pollini- *sigh* print perfection. i am in love. i loved the checked, strappy shoes with the big black bows and the model's soft ponytail. this collection was trendsetting. i expect to see alot of big bowed shoes, drapey plaid dresses as well as fullskirted trench coat dresses in stores. or at least any stores that want me as a customer. :)

neil barrett- this collection was simple and refreshing with a palette of black and white and with the concept that the guy should be brought out in every girl. it worked out well.

moschino cheap & chic- the spring 2010 collection for moschino cheap & chic was inspired by the fusion of mod style and flower child flair.

moschino- at moschino we saw a tasteful reinterpretation of the 80s with lots of gold hardware such as big gold hoop earrings, gold high heeled sandals and gold chained bags, as well as bright colors, prints and shorter hemlines.

iceberg- this collection drew inspiration from mickey mouse on safari. now if that isn't original, what is? paolo gerani did a great job by making this idea work. there are a lot of great, fun, red carpet as well as party or event pieces in this collection.

gucci- this collection can be described as beautiful sportswear. the color palette as well as the prints were clean and bright, metallic detailing on dresses, skirts, jackets and pants were used to contour the model's body and all of the model's hair was slicked back neatly. this collection was really original and inspiring and had a different feel from all of the other shows i've seen so far, including new york and london fashion week. it was lovely. i'm going to make a prediction ( who knows if it will actually happen): blake lively will wear a dress from this collection. she likes showing off her body and her cleavage, and she's worn dresses similar to the cut of some of the gucci ones in the spring 2010 collection so i'm sure she'll wear something from this presentation.

giorgio armani- i loved armani's abundant use of blues in this collection. they were the most beautiful shades of blue, deep and brooding or light and floaty.

gianfranco ferre- : loved it! lots of use of light, floaty materials such as organza, chiffon and lame as well as light colors. models wore lightly crimped hair and blank faces.

gabriele colangelo- very elegant with signature italian flair.

etro- i don't usually like etro shows, but i enjoyed this one. there was less attention put into creating annoying pasiley prints and more attention put into creating piece that many different women (hippie or no hippie) would like to wear.

emilio pucci- looks: 2,20,28,34 peter dundas is a godsend for the house of emilio pucci. i fell in love with his debut collection and i am head over heels for the perfection that is his spring 2010 collection for emilio pucci.

dsquared- this show definitely stuck to its theme of camping in the great outdoors. i didn't think i'd like this collection but i was won over by the many brilliant red carpet dresses they presented amidst ant printed shirts, cut off shorts and vests dipped in bright caution tape yellow.

dolce & gabbana- a dark color palette and heavy use of lace, print (floral and a red and black leopard print) as well as three piece suiting.

d&g- mr. dolce and mr. gabbana made denim look so amazing and glam. the western look has never appealed to me as much as it does now!

bottega veneta- the color palette consisted mainly of white, cream and a warm sunhine yellow. loved it as i usually love bottega veneta, they have such an appealing feminine aesthetic.

blumarine- bright and super fun

aquilano.rimondi- just what i love, amazing dresses.

albino- this show was great and could be summed up in a few words: sparkly knee high socks, chunky heeled shoes, skirt suits, dresses, draping frayed hems, soft color, black.

alberta ferretti- i thouroughly enjoyed viewing this soft, serene and feminine show. the color palette was very calming: white, off white, lavender, purple, nude and muted corals. sheerness, short hemlines as well as long tailored skirts were featured.

fashion week notes

prada- i never enjoy prada as much as everyone else does. featured were suits, dresses, skirts and tops with big cutouts that exposed the center of the chest. big crystal embellishments were also featured as well as frayed hems on bermuda shorts and skirts. all the models had voluminous pigtails and bright, glossy red lips.

just cavalli- if you're a just cavalli kind of girl you'll be channeling glamour grunge (if that even exists...) for spring 2010. some pieces were great, but most of it felt like costume.

roberto cavalli- all the models looked as if they had flown through a closet and ended up wearing whatever clothing happened to fall on them. their necks were wound in menswear ties, they wore dresses over button ups and trousers and most of the clothes were loose fitting. many prints abounded as well. some of the finale dresses were really pretty with ruffly shoulder appliques.

maxmara- this show bored me.

francesco scognamiglio- this was more a show of the models' bountiful chests if anything.

emporio armani- sorry giorgio, i only liked 2 looks out of the 68 look show.

salvatore ferragamo- cristina ortiz's last collection for salvatore ferragamo was not very strong.

missoni- this collection was not to my liking with its' bizarre styling and mostly washed out color palette.

maurizio pecoraro- a pastel color palette and lots of shell embellishment and floral appliques. this collection didn't appeal to me though because it wasn't very exciting and i couldn't really picture wearing this collection much.

marni- stripes, headscarves, rich browns, forest greens and pinks, embossed floral prints, bright multicolored floral prints on shifts and shirts....this marni collection was like all the others. this time, i just didn't take a liking to it.

fendi- this collection was really cute: the color palette was all pastels, featured were frayed hems, super short hems, sheerness, high frizzy buns and fendi bags of all sizes. i wish the envelope was pushed a bit further in the creativity department, and then i would have loved it.

jil sander- after raf simon's stellar fall 2009 collection i was disappointed by his spring 2010 collective for jil sander. he said he was going back to nature with this collection...to me it looked like a bunch of shift dresses and suits with holes in it or frayed cloth sewed onto it.

LONDON FASHION WEEK: SPRING 2010 PART I

2009-09-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

hey all!
i was able to get london fashion week in only 1 post! awesome right? so even though it says part I there is only one part and it is not one part among many. i can't wait for milan and paris. i thoroughly enjoyed london fashion week and think this was the best london fashion week ever. it had a lot of substance and great looks and london is proving that it can be a major fashion capital too! slowly but surely they're getting there :)
♥ me

vivienne westwood red label- this collection was all over place, from the model casting to the clothes. however i thoroughy enjoyed it and liked the creative looks that the people working with vivienne westwood put together.

luella- luella never disappoints. this time she pleasantly surprised me with a less cutesy and comical collection for a slightly more sophisticated yet colorful collection that borrowed silhouettes from the sixties and showcased huge, structured hips. i loved all of the structured coats, skirts and cute teadresses. i was thoroughly pleased while viewing the pictures and loved her use of bows. her bags were also very nice, as was the fun eye makeup on the models.

roksanda ilincic- even though the color palette was mostly dark and this is a spring collection, i didn't mind because rokansanda ilincic executed her vision so well. i loved the use of dark, shiny feathers as well as embellishment around the waist which cinched the waist and brought attention to it.

pringle of scotland- clare waight keller (designer of pringle of scotland) managed to make knitwear look reasonable for spring. this is some of the most delicate knitwear i've ever seen. this collection was very tastefully done, and i can tell a lot of thought went into making this special as the presentation was brought back to england from milan to celebrate london fashion week's 25th anniversary since the line is scottish and is part of the UK.

peter pilotto- peter pilotto is one of the few designers that makes me swoon...at least for the moment. i am in love with the buttery, nutty brown suede shoes and the swirling masterpieces of fabric that his dresses are. the deep blue and red dress to the far right just hypnotizes me! i love the colors in it as well as every other dress in the collage.

paul smith women- sir paul smith was inspired by the congolese and his african inspiration showed up clearly in his collection. i loved the bright mustard yellows used throughout the collection as well as the wide variety of prints. some were stripey, some were dotty and some featured small drawings.

nathan jenden- i loved the casting of this show: all black/black hispanic or asian models. awesomeeee. featured was a lot of color, bollywood prints and pigtail braids. braids are awfully popular lately.

mary katrantzou- this collection was breathtaking. the digital prints on the dresses were out of this world and the construction was absolutely beautiful. 5 stars! :)

mark fast- this show was very interesting because all of the pieces were skintight cobwebby VERY revealing knits. the designer also cast 3 plus sized models with curves galore to model some of these pieces...and boy did they have a lot to show. however i think his choice was great and made the show that much more interesting although...definitely not p-g 13.

julien macdonald- the show got better as it went on. the great craftmanship was evident as i stared closer and closer at each piece.

matthew williamson- amazing, as always. there are some great red carpet options in this collection!

josh goot- this collection was chock full of pop prints and bright colors. the excitement and vivacity of the show never ended as each pieces was as bright or brighter than the last and all of the pieces had graphic elements to them. apparently the designer was inspired by scuba gear and surfboards and he made good use of that inspiration.

erdem- perfection. the designer says he was inspired by modern japanese girls that refuse to wear kimono's and have adopted western dress as well as the surreal and detailed japanese art he saw this summer.

jonathan saunders- in this collection jonathan saunders took a liking to minimalism and a very light palette. he made great use of whites and "frosted pastels" as style.com put it as well as the occasional highlighter yellow or green.

jasmine di milo- this collection was so perfect. from the first look i knew it would be impossible to just choose 4 looks...but i managed to do it. jasmine al-fayed worked with prints, color (the brightest being a bold orange used in a one shouldered column dress with a thigh high slit), leather and embellishment and i think she came out with a great collection. i want to try on those taupey/beigey wedge heels and see how they would look on me.

issa- inspiration for these clothes was taken from the tropics and the many ants that live in warm locales with ant prints appearing on tunics and cocktail dresses.

fashion fringe- fashion fringe is a fashion competition inspired by the competition of american idol. fashion fringe has produced such stars as erdem and basso & brooke. i'm loving these four pieces that i saw in this year's fashion fringe show.

fashion east- i'm not quite sure what fashion east is. if you know exactly what it is, please tell me. i'm guessing it is similar to fashion fringe? here are some of the amazing pieces displayed at the fashion east spring 2010 show.

duro olowu- i'm so happy. i thoroughly enjoyed duro's presentation. it was amazing. it is so great when a designer can use an abundance of color and print and still make it look as elegant and wearable as basic black and white. and did you check out those shoes? so cute.

burberry prorsum- could christopher bailey make me fall more in love with this collection? no. i am so in love. love love love! i loved the pastel colors, the draping and the awesome burberry-ness. i really need that baby pink trench that is second from the left, and i wouldn't mind that beautiful lilac ensemble third from the left.

basso&brooke- sigh...too good to be true <3 this was a really fun show to click through :)

antonio berardi- perfect!

london fashion week notes

unique by topshop- managed to make all of the models look like they just rolled out of a trashcan. this collection was not appealing in the least.

richard nicoll- the show was decent but it had a rocky start. it only drew me in at the end.

nicole farhi- this collection had a very sporty american feel to it, spruced up with a colorful square print.

louise gray- the pure creativity expressed in this collection is enough to win you over. these are truly one of a kind pieces and i love them! however some looks were a bit out there so the feel of this collection needed to be honed a bit more.

louise goldin- i loved the sweet pastel color palette. there was no shortage of easter bunny candy yellow, pale lilac, powder blue, off whites and creams. there was heavy use of pleating, ruffles, quilting and exposed bra cups.

graeme black- it wasn't working for me.

twenty8twelve- it was fun and young, but nothing new.

todd lynn- this was more like a fall collection rather than a spring collection. it was very futuristic and very tailored. a good collection, but not exactly one for spring.

meadham kirchhoff- i could see where they were going with this...and i didn't want to travel there. it wasn't working for me. if it had been better executed, maybe i would have liked it more. it needed a bit more...something.

marios schwab- marios schwab played around with layering, deconstruction, pleating and sheerness. some pieces were hits, but most were misses.

jaeger london- this collection did have some good looks...but for a spring collection there was way too much heavy knitwear. there shouldn't be any heavy knitwear at all really...even though in spring sometimes it is still cold, but we can look to fall collections for all the knitwear we want really. as style.com said, the show was all over the place. i loved the sunglasses though.

house of holland- style.com agrees with me again: this collection was so disgustingly tacky (interesting shoes though, that i definitely would consider wearing). even though the show was so so tacky it made you want to gag, it was still fun to watch. very amusing.

christopher kane- kane made great use of gingham and really...he made gingham so interesting and different by using pleating and sheer panels along with it as well as heavy rose shaped beaded embellishments on some of the pieces. i wanted to make a collage for this, but i couldn't fall in love with enough of the pieces.

sykes- all of the clothes looked so badly made...

ppq- this collection wasn't the bomb or anything, but i was so tempted to make a collage for it because the cast was pretty much all black models, and that's always something new and different to see. also, these clothes have good wearability...however i can't do it, it would be biased, and this collection still needed a lot more work and thought put into it. i loved the show but at the same time, it wasn't the best it could be! :/

osman- an all white collection that left me bored.

lp.bg- a very cute show with only 8 looks. hopefully next time they'll have more looks, but all the pieces had excellent tailoring so hurrah for that.

kinder aggugini- an overload of bright colors and reptile prints as well as polka dots. i really liked the structure and realtive normalcy of the black and white gown with some bandage detail (look 34) that was presented though.

danielle scutt- this show proved to be tres tres confusing.

charles anastase- the models all looked cute in this collection's voluminous and quite out there creations. i don't know it'd look on the streets though.

peter jensen- this presentation was really weird and blindingly bright but i cannont deny that there were some great pieces in it. however there were a lot of confusing pieces as well.

clements ribeiro- a collection with a palette of mostly black and white with some brown, blue and pink thrown in. the collection featured super tall platform strappy heels, cat and ginseng leaf prints as well as leopard prints and dark, bold eyebrows and makeup.

aquascutum- nice, but a bit boring. lots of long trenches in olive, taupe, black and grey.

updation over at fabfash

2009-09-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

yes, you have heard right, i've updated my pictures/icons/graphics site which is located at www.xanga.com/fabfash with pictures of models...to name a few: anja rubik, edita vilkeviciute, bruna tenorio, carmen kass, daria werbowy...etc. hopefully i can continue updating it as i tend to neglect it.
♥ me

those are just a few of the pictures at the site. remember, please do not hotlink. if you like a picture, save it to your computer and if you want to share it, use your own bandwidth. anyway, friendly reminders (ahem, rules) are listed at the fabfash site if you need further instruction. enjoy!

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: SPRING 2010 PART III

2009-09-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

here is the third and final part of my coverage of nyfw spring 2010. i enjoyed viewing all the images and hopefully one day i can actually view a show in person, wouldn't that be fab?
♥ me

3.1. phillip lim- this show reminded me a lot of chloe and later on in the show a more easily understandable version of rodarte. all of these pieces were so well made. philip lim hasn't lost his touch!

anna sui- the collection was young, fun and exuberant. doesn't chanel iman (far right) look so brilliant in blue? she makes me want to get bangs!

calvin klein- if i had to define this collection in only two words i would describe it as rumpled elegance. all of the clothes were slightly wrinkled and thrown around looking and there were some pieces that i didn't like at all and then there were pieces with more detail that i instantly fell in love with. i'm especially enamored with the first dress from the left and the third dress from the left. i love the charcoal grey color and the beautiful twisting of the grey dress that is third from the left.

doo.ri- this collection was perfect. it's like it was made for me. one of my fave of spring 2010 fashion week. she made great use of grey and didn't make it boring but knew when to inject color. it was really all about the clothes and not the models. i can not get over the bright melony tangeriny hue of the dress to the far right and all of the beautiful embellishment and twisting on the other dresses. they are so perfect for summer and all unique in design.

isaac mizrahi- you know what happens everytime that i see a mizrahi show? i start out being confused, annoyed and vowing that i would like the collection, because i feel that in his show isaac plays around with so many different themes. then halfway into the show i fall in love and can't choose just four looks i want to feature. happens everytime!

marchesa- this show NEVER disappoints me. they did fail to deliver on elegant designs and class. my favorite dresses are the ones to the far left and far right. romantic, soft, and oh so red carpet worthy.

naeem khan- this time naeem khan featured a lot less gowns and some pants, and more short dresses and short skirts. lots of prints were heavily featured and of course the trademark heavy handed dose of sequins on each of the creations was present. even though busy prints were used none of the clothes looked tacky and i loved that the looks were paired with such interesting and girly shoes like chunky gold platformed peeptoes and strappy bright pink and black stunners. i absolutely love the color combo on the drapy floral beaded dress to the far left. i wonder what famous body we'll see that on?

oscar de la renta- i was expecting something more from this collection but the trademark stamp of sophistication that you get with every de la renta show was still there. it definitely had a more youthful and less serious vibe as oscar played around with texture and styling of the looks. i think i'm going to try out that braided bun hairstyle that all the models were rocking...it'll probably not look as great on me but i'll try my best to look half decent with it! :)

phi- i enjoyed watching this. i would describe it as a fusion of balmain, preen and calvin klein. lots of structure but also lots of play with sheerness. bondage inspired looks are still hot as evidence by the bandage dress, tops and skirts galore at phi.

ralph lauren- ralph lauren was inspired by great american resilience in view of a recession and tough times with the american government. he expressed this message very elegantly through this colletion. ralph does it again! i loved his heavy use of denim, he was able to make it look so expensive. and i absolutely love the evening gown that looks like light wash denim as well as the cutness of the overall evening dress that isn't featured in this collage.

tommy hilfiger- this collection was entitled 'beachside romp', inspired by the sophisticated beach dudes and dudettes who know how to soak up the sun and still exude sophistication. i'm loving those peeptoe laceup ankle boots!

stephen burrows- this collection surprised me with its' expert tailoring and great styling.

koi suwannagate- great use of floral appliques and color.

tory burch- sparkle + classic american shapes + good styling.

fashion notes:

l'wren scott- the collection was decent but i felt like i was just seeing any other collection that she puts out every season. most of the pieces were pencil dresses and featured prints she has used already.

threeasfour- this collection was really good and required a great deal of skill to make, but it featured so much sheerness. most of the models seemed to be walking the runway nude.

alexandre herchcovitch- i didn't like this collection, and it didn't help that the designer walked out looking depressed at the end of the shoe.

michael kors- he put out a good spring 2010 collection which i am sure a lot of people love, but i didn't like as many piece as i thought i would.

milly- michelle smith of milly said she centered the collection on black, but she actually used a lot of color and i still managed to be bored by it.

peter som- still needs some time to get his spark back.

proenza schouler- the collection was inspired by skating and surfing and featured lots of prints and green mirrored sunglasses.

thanks for reading and look forward for updates about london fashion week!

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: SPRING 2010 PART II

2009-09-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

enjoy more of my favorites from nyfw spring 2010, and feel free to leave comments! do you agree with my picks or commentary? look forward to part III, coming soon!
♥ me

ohne titel- alexa adams and flora gill are CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalists and their great showing displayed why. I could see all of the hard work, thought, sweat and tears put into this collection! Some of the pieces aren't exactly my style but having an Ohne Titel piece (or the wonderful shoes designed by Cesara Paciotti) could definitely put some spice into your wardrobe. and those thigh high strappy gladiator sandals on R'el Dade (second model from the left) are so cool!

chado ralph rucci- wow. this show was a total surprise. usually chado ralph rucci is a show that seems to cater towards those 60+. they have definitely injected a bit of youth into this brand. the craftmanship was amazing and it was nearly impossible for me to only pick four pieces that i loved because i loved so many pieces. and i absolutely loved the thick lower eyelashes they put on the models. my mom raved over the red dress and nude feathery hem dress.

alexander wang- weirdly enough, i actually liked this collection. 6 clicks before i was done looking at the pictures i ended my inward battle on whether i'd make a collage for this or not. i was drawn in my the sloppy side braids, the somehwat out of place but well crafted shoes and his very interesting and unexpected inspiration for his collection: football. it was sporty and sexy in a very unconventional way. all of these pieces aren't winners...but this collection draws me in even though i know for a fact i wouldn't wear 3/4 of these pieces. weird right?

victoria beckham- i'm so proud of victoria beckham! she is definitely a successful celebrity fashion designer, and her clothes are definitely full of quality. when i think of victoria beckham's clothes i equate them with the likes of michael kors and philip lim, etc. she's an actual designer and her success is well deserved. she's playing around with some new shapes but is still focused on dresses...but i'm not complaining because she makes a mean dress!

reem acra- this collection was feminine with a capital "f" with no shortage of color, pearls, jewels and florals. i'm in love with these looks!

rebecca taylor- this collection was so young, hip and current complete with ditsy floral prints, mini dresses, blazers and high heels.

rachel roy- rachel roy never disappoints me with her urban looks that have just a sprinkling of ethnic flair through color or print. my favorites are the limish yellowish dress and the black mini dress that looks like a sparkly top and pocketed mini dress.

lela rose- female elegance at one of its best! i'm fawning over the black and white brushstroke one shouldered dress that is third from the left.

karen walker- bucket hats, boat shoes and navy galore! preppy chic at its best.

herve leger by max azria- i love herve leger and i love what the azrias are doing with it. they are using more than just elastic bandage material to churn out fun little frocks for the young and leggy set. the second dress from the left NEEDS to be in my closet. i love the tie-dye denim sheet and the beautiful deep blue color of the dress as well as the long sleeves. the dress to the far right is one of the most elegant dresses in the collection despite its' short hemline.

erin fetherston- erin fetherston is also one to not dissapoint. i am enamored with her deer and cherry blossom inspired collection. it's soft and floaty as every fetherston collection is and yet every piece is so substantial and individual. erin is here to stay!

elise overland- these are the clothes you would wear if you worked at a corporate rock office.

derek lam- with a bold color palette of varying shades of gold, green, blues and indigos as well as white this show was great to click through. i also loved the strappy suede shoes.

carlos miele- looks: i always look forward to miele shows and i am never disappointed. he works with prints in a very tasteful way and his shows are never lacking sex appeal.

ports 1961- lightly inspired by japonisme. i loved the shoes in this collection!

zac posen- i didn't like his last collection but i loved this one with the awesome mouth pins, decorative shoes, and the pink carpeting was nice too.

barbara tfank- barbara was inspired by the classic work of the photographer richard avedon. i loved the dahlia and poppy printed pieces, and the elegant use of color.

bibhu mohapatra- the designer's sophomore collection had a subdued, clean and architectural color palette as well as structure. i personally loved the square chiffony appliques to dresses and tops. it made each of the clothes look original and i will definitely recognize these pieces as definitely bibhu mohapatra!

carolina herrera- this show definitely showed a different side of carolina herrera that i've seen. she used lots and lots of bright colors, distressed fabrics, woven shoes and beaded leather rope belts. she still worked with conservative shapes and churned out her red carpet stunners but it wasn't as clean and herrera-esque a presentation as i expected. at the beginning i was totally confused but by the end i had started liking it. i think the beautiful pinks and oranges won me over.

chris benz- color, stripes, and polka dots. typical chris benz. i wanted to not like this, but the presentation was so undeniably fun and free spirited and the some pieces just screamed out to be in a collage so here you go!

devi kroell- wow, i am thoroughly impressed by devi kroell's spring 2010 collection. when she released her first clothing collection i said to myself, "this collection will probably never be that great because she's so used to defining bags." i take that back! devi conquered the handbag world and she's on her way to conquering the clothing world with her smart use of color and print.

donna karan- i wasn't feeling her dkny spring 2010 collection but donna karan has hit it out of the ballpark again with the newest installation of her original line, donna karan. her interpretation of structured femininity inspired by the elements (to me, namely fire, air/wind, and moving water) was outstanding and she should be very proud of this collection. it has pieces for women of every age: from 20s on through their 70s in my opinion. she offered flowing dresses, burlap skirt suits, among other things. she did a really great job.

douglas hannant- this was a great collection of uber feminine red carpet dresses, most with floaty fabrics. the pastel color palette was refreshing as well, as it seems many designers do not seem to use pastels.

j. mendel- this show never disappoints me. i'm a girl that loves to dress up and loves to party (i'm not invited to enough parties though :P) and of course a girl like that loves special somethings to wear and j. mendel makes lots of special somethings.

julian louie- fresh, contemporary and wearable. beautiful peachy, bright and light color palette. i loved the avant garde artist like makeup that made the models' faces look like sketches.

marc jacobs- marc jacobs is tired of black studs and leather, and while i don't hate it, i'm tired of seeing it in every fashion show and on every young 20 something girl. i absolutely LOVED the bags in this collection, the design was absolutely genius (jacobs has such a talent at making great bags) and his new take on the suit was awesome, but there were also a lot of tragic looks. style.com's description of the show says it was inspired by victorianism among other things. when looking at the show i am reminded of acrobats and court jesters. this collage isn't the best representation of the outrageousness of the collection, so try to look through it for yourself at the style site.

sophie theallet- with subtle african references this collection was smooth and warm.

thakoon- thakoon panichgul knows how to make a woman look cool without trying too hard. he's a true genius with prints and color and every season he puts out is successful. i especially loved the shoes in this collection as well.

tracy reese- these clothes will definitely sell! tracy, another master of prints, used her knowledge to turn out a bright decidely springy collection.

zero+maria cornejo- i'll describe this shortly and sweetly: wearable avant garde! loved the shoes!

tibi- amy smilovic of tibi won me over with a blooming collection with a color palette of nude, blush pink, white, light blues, purples, greens and black.

temperley london- this was one of my absolute favorite shows because i loved the presentation and styling of the show. everything was just perfect.

philosophy- i loved this collection. light, sweet and just the right amount of kitsch with the lip and eye prints.

narciso rodriguez- i liked narciso's spring 2010 collection way better than his fall 2009 collection. the shoes were great: i'm loving the super strappy shoe trend on the runway and the color palette consisted of lots of blacks, greys and whites with the occasional splash of color such as bright orchid purple and a blinding coraly pink.

max azria- i liked the unexpected simplicity of the max azria collection. unlike the fall 2009 collection it was completely different from his line for herve leger.

malandrino- i loved this collection. i could wear the clothes on my future travels around the world, hahaha :) and i could really rock that purple jumpsuit! jumpsuits are so cool. i have yet to own one though, because i need to find just the right one.

halston- this is the first time i fell in love with a halston collection instantly. this time they found the right balance of simplicity and style, while in past years there has been too much simplicity which translated to boredom.

dennis basso- dennis basso is my kind of designer. all of the clothes were so exquisite it was almost impossible to choose four looks. this collection definies luxe ladylike sophistication.

christian cota- his looks register on the runway and off. he's a designer with great vision and i loved his use of unexpected fabrics such as sweatpant material as well as edgy accessories like body chains or metal belts on some looks with his ladylike clothes.

brian reyes- brian reyes didn't disappoint his red carpet clients and he sure didn't disappoint me. another great collection from mr. reyes! you know which piece is my favorite right? yes, you are soooo right: that lime green stunner!

badgley mischka- perfect, as usual. i like the interesting juxtaposition of a blazer and a ruffly long skirt in the loo to the far right.

nanette lepore- very summery and not overwrought. i'm loving the shoes as much as the clothes and impeccable styling in this show!

fashion notes:

ADAM- it was a nice laidback show filled with werable casual cool seperates.

VPL- leggings, shiny jumpsuits, thick strapped sandals. every year is the same...none of these pieces really look functional. i'm not a VPL fan.

vivienne tam- the whole show was butterfly themed. i loved the female model's makeup, heavily black rimmed eyes and soft nudy pink face and lip makeup. the new laptops that vivienne designed in conjunction with HP are so cute: white with a pretty butterfly image.there were some absolutely magnificent standout pieces such as the long digital butterfly magnified wing print multicolored dress with long sleeves and a pussybow as well as another digital print top and skirt combo and a beautiful little black dress with 3D glittery black butterfly embellishments. style.com said the collection was 70s cliche, and for the most part it was...but there were still some great pieces to be seen.

united bamboo- the first few looks REALLY impressed me, as did some later on in the show, but unfortunately there seemed to be some kind of discord with this collection. some of the pieces were so amazing and well made, and then other pieces looked like sacks. hopefully i'll be giving them a collage next season!

shipley & halmos- lots of loose shapes.

Richard Chai Love- Richard Chai decided to show his lower end line instead of his higher end line. Lots of casual seperates in expensive fabrics. I want the original line back on the runway!

lacoste- this show featured super fresh, super preppy and fun sportswear as well as supah supah SUPAHHHH cute male models <3 *swoon* i love how the show ended with all of the models parading in yellow. this show had such good looking models.

jeremy laing- this show featured very well made avant garde clothes. this guy has got talent! the collection might be hard to sell though.

boy by band of outsiders- all of the models looked absolutely gorgeous with their light hued tousled hair, pink lips, dewy skin and preppy beachwear complete with signature boy by band of outsiders blazers.

altuzarra- style.com raved over joseph altuzarra's basketweave, eyelet and swissdot apron pieces. i was left confused...who is going to wear this? most of these pieces looked like period costumes gone wrong.

y-3- very goodlooking people wearing soccer inspired clothes designed by yohji yamamoto.

tuleh- i usually liked tuleh shows and this one was ok, but bryan bradley was trying to get way too much across with his show. he took on the meaning of marriage as well as the history of fashion and tried to make the show a short story...it was a very fragmented and bumpy story.

dkny- the collection was very cute and wearable but not revolutionary. i liked the fall 2009 collection better.

diane von furstenberg- dvf had a great showing, but it felt too reminiscent of last season. it was a great collection though and i'm glad they made an even more glitzy version of their big gold chained hobo bag.

behnaz sarafpour- i loved all of the dresses but this collection was very, very fall like and didn't seem springlike at all. still a good collection though, my fave piece being a shiny black ribbony dress (look 21) modeled by hye park.

araks- cute clothes for a young girl who wants to grow up to be a quirky librarian. at least that's the impression i got when i looked at the clothes and styling.

davidelfin- david delfin loves models with tattoos and he sure likes blue and mint hues. his collection was very nice but featured a lot of what we already know is popular: tight, bodycon dresses, suits, etc.

lutz & patmos- loose, light woven material. the model (pilar solchaga) that modeled all of the clothes looked great in it.

vera wang- i love vera wang and the aesthetic she has for her line...but for some reason i didn't fall head over heels for this collection. it was just a continuation of her previous two collections and it seemed to be more subdued and formulaic.

rodarte- i hated everything except the last closing dresses (look 30-35) that were all black.

mulberry- brindingly blight colors and colored prints. i loved the accessories such as the signature mulberry bag in a very bright purplish pink leopard print bag and a matching skinny bow waistbelt modeled by nyfw favorite rachel rutt. fringed ankle boots, laced up ankle boots, glossy ankle boots and more cute bags in an array of colors from nude blush pink to glossy pepto bismol pink were featured as well., and some models walked pugs on the runway with them. look 26 was a beautiful dress.

matthew ames- i wouldn't want to wear any of this. if most of the collection didn't even look good on the models, why would it look good on me?

marc by marc jacobs- as usual i loved the accessories (especially the perfect bags) as well as the male models, but this time i wasn't really digging the clothes.

g-star- the show was so long and i wouldn't wear any of those clothes.

betsey johnson- this show looked like it would be a lot of fun to be at, but it also looked like it was crazy and all over the place...and not in a good way.

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: SPRING 2010 PART I

2009-09-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

nyfw started a while ago (sept 10th), but i've been so busy that i haven't had enough time to post everything and make collages and whatnot! anyway, here we go: the first post of a series of posts devoted to the four fashion weeks (ny, london, paris, milan). it's weird looking at summery/springy clothes now that we are heading into colder months where i live but i'm still thoroughly enjoying the collections and can't wait to see more. i hope you enjoy this too.
♥ me

jenni kayne- i really like jenni kayne's aesthetic and i usually always enjoy her shows. i loved the bright yellow and black used in this collection. i didn't like some of the house slipper shoes though, but i'm going to overlook that. all of the looks i chose from the show are amazing, from the clothes to the shoes. these are all work appropriate and party appropriate as well, depending on your taste.

vena cava- sophie buhai and lisa mayock said they were tired of everything ripped and distressed. at the same time they didn't totally get away from the edgy look in their show, adorning their models with big, 80s looking black glasses and unflattering purple lipstick. however they did produce some really awesome clothes to frolick around in while basking in the summer sun! the clunky shoes in the show are growing on me the more i scowl at them.

prabal gurung- *exhales a satisfied sigh* ya'll KNOW how much i love me some prabal gurung! this is only his second major collection and oh my god, this boy is one of my favorite designers already! i experienced pure enjoyment clicking through these looks and i would be more than happy to wear them. this suits my style so well. it's so chic, classy and a bit whimsical--yet every piece has such a great freshness to it. i don't feel like i've seen this somewhere before. you go prabal! we will DEFINITELY be seeing these looks on the red carpet.

monique lhuillier- someone else who never dissapoints me: monique lhuillier. the people at style.com say these piece wasn't cohesive, but this collection made perfect sense to me. i loved the clunky shoes, the variety of texture, color, print, and embellishment (all while still keeping the collection classy). this collection reminded me of a younger and more accessible version of oscar de la renta. these pieces are great for the red carpet, or special occasions like spring/summer weddings, cotillions, really special dates and whatnot.

elie tahari- i loved the bucket hats and soft colors. every look was styled perfectly!

preen- the people at preen are always ahead of the curve and have so many other designers copying them for their original and yet not sickeningly trendy designs. the pink ruffly dress is just crying out for a red carpet appearance. i would also love to see every other ensemble featured here on the red carpet and i think that the black and nude dress would look great in editorial work.

nicole miller- nicole miller JUST qualified to get a collage, i was kind of on the fence with this show but i realized that her designs from spring 2010 were young and fun and you didn't have to think too much to enjoy the show.

luca luca- everything was so wearable and pretty! i felt that the show was a bit watered down though and that more attention could have been put into it, but i'd love to wear everything in the show.

jason wu- he never dissapoints! i loved the explosion of color and the youthful, frothy, fun feel of the collection. i'd love it if my wardrobe only contained jason wu items. isn't that curry yellow dress so divine? all of these pieces are so nice.

cynthia rowley- i loved the cool color palette of black, white, purples and blues and the feminine feel of all the clothes. tres chic!

costello tagliapetra- ok, i don't understand why ali stephens is blonde and why every model and their cat is dying their hair blonde but what i do know is that i liked this show. i really liked the varied color palette, the lace up heeled booties, the soft silky fabrics, different necklines and scrunchy waistbands on some of the dresses that made them look really fun and cute.

extra fashion week commentary:

wayne- this collection featured a lot of laidback pieces. fuzzy vests, jersey minis, an oversized metallic leather jacket and bags, and opentoed flat sandals as well as slicked back wet hair. the pieces were nice, and perfect for the cool and young but it was nothing groundbreaking and reminded me of what we've been seeing at alexander wang and a very dumbdowned version of preen.

rachel comey- very nice show that catered to the young and carefree. lot's of jumpsuits, prints, loose shapes and cute tea dresses.

helmut lang- i know every fashion blogger and their dog is going to love this, but seriously...fashion designers and their makeup people are beating the bleached eyebrow thing to death, and this collection didn't show my anything new. short, tight, slashed mini dresses/skinny jeans/clunky shoes/pale skin...whatever.

L.A.M.B- gwen stefani is still so coooooool! she and her casting panel picked the most beautiful models! they all looked so original and pretty and different without being cardboard cutouts of eachother. the collection didn't blow my mind but it was nice to see! and gwen looked great walking the runway at the end!

bcbg max azria- i did enjoy viewing this show...but i was expecting more. unfortunately...this is not collage worthy. :/ but kudos to the azria anyway, because i'm sure lots of youngins will be wearing your very sheer and very tight pieces!

yigal azrouel- this show reminded me a lot of preen. it wasn't very inspiring...

william rast- denim, denim and more denim.

ruffian- the makeup was so, so pretty and the shoes were amazing: strappy and high with red platforms! there were definitely some really cute looks and the models all looked so beautiful...but again, nothing groundbreaking. the fall show really blew me away though if you guys can remember.

rag&bone- only models could look good with wet, tangled, disheveled hair--greasy faces, baggy sweatpants, blazers and untucked shirts.

juan carlos obando- this show was REALLY interested and featured models with heavily contoured faces, their faces and legs had sandy dirt on it, their clothes were dyed in deep browns and purples and seemed to have bleach stains. then, of course, were the beautiful "twisty, pleated dresses" which style.com says is obando's signature.

gary graham- i really loved the presentation. the models looked so awesome in their smoky backstage dressing room setting, standing in superhigh heels with carelress layers that included old school trousers, jackets and poofy dresses.

erin wasson x RVCA- this show was definitely an improvement from her past ones. i liked the more hippie than rock chick vibe (that's getting a bit played out...even though i still appreciate the look when done right). still not collage worthy though :/

cynthia steffe- shaun kearney at cynthia steffe managed to produce a cute, young, very girly collection full of pastels, uber short hemlines, ruffles and frills. it was very cohesive and very wearable, so i would imagine this would sell well...but i want to be excited a bit more! no doubt about it though, this was a great collection.

cushnie et ochs- this collections was very body conscious...think: showing as much leg as possible without showing your private areas, or think showing as much boob as possible without showing the nipple. yes, that body conscious.

charlotte ronson- the collection had a tough french girl vibe. some individual pieces were nice but i didn't like the styling.

alabama chanin- this is the first i've seen from alabama chanin, and the head of the line:natalie "alabama" chanin is a vogue fashion fund finalist. the clothes were simple, clean and they are made from recycled quilts and sewn in the U.S.A

part II coming soon!

these are a few of my favorite things: fall 2009!

2009-09-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

fashion week starts in two days and i am soooooooo excited! i'm going to do my best, as i always do, to bring you great coverage and commentary of all of the fashion weeks: ny, paris, london and milan. i know there are tons of other fashion blogs out there, but i love fashion just as much as any other fashion junkie and i just love writing about it. thank you to the regulars who always leave me comments! you are all so sweet, i wish the world was full of people like you, hahahaha :)

anyway, every season i post a collection of items that i am looking forward to wearing. hopefully from these collages you are able to gauge my sense of style (since i don't do outfit posts) and i also hope you too like the pieces that i'm going ga ga over.

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as everyone and their dog knows, every girl/woman needs to have that perfect little black dress. good old uncle karl over at fendi as reworked the classic item for us and produced the utterly magnificent fendi technical taffeta dress. i love the collar, the demure yet sexy plunging neckline, the cap sleeves, the length and the texture of the dress. the back of the dress is even better with a row of tiny buttons going down half of the spine. this dress is utterly timeless and can be worn again and again with the same dazzling effect.

fendi also produced a fun bustier top that could easily be paired with skinny jeans, wideleg jeans, bootcut jeans or a pencil skirt or swooshy slightly a-line skirt for an ace look. i absolutely love the sleeves on that blouse! and i am sooooo in love with the chloe polka dots leather bag. i've never seen anything like it. of course i've seen tiny shoulder envelope bags, but none with such a cute droppy bow detail adorned with gold polka dots! so chloe, and oh so me.

oh, and do you spy those $500 bijoux heart empire gold plated garland earrings? so beautiful! feel free to post it over to me anytime you like ;)

i love christian louboutin. such a shoe mastermind. i also love ankle booties. the circus 120 cutout boots that were featured in roland mouret's fall 2009 fashion show earlier this year caught my eyes immediately, and i predicted they would be popular. on the netaporter site i got a closer look at them and realized that between the black detail are nude colored mesh panels. i'm slightly disappointed at that. depending on your skintone those mesh panels could show up (unless you're pale/fair), but nevertheless i am still in love with the craftmanship of those shoes! the globe 100 suede boots are so delicious. i love their grey hue, their smoothe and warm suede texture and the slash detailing on the shoe itself. to die for!

if you don't have loubou money i would suggest trying out some cream/nude colored pointy stilettos and studded ankle strap flats, such as the ones i fell in love with from pink ice.

isn't the alexander mcqueen faithful leather glove clutch so kitschy, cute and classy all at once? that's a bag that you could wear for years. i absolutely love it. there is no way anyone can snatch your clutch from you with that nifty design. i can't wait to see mr. mcqueen's fashion week show!

okay, so i know vera wang princess was released a while ago, and the initial craze for it is over. she has come out with a new version of the fragrance called rock princess and let me tell you, i am in love with both scents. absolutely crazy about them. i really want to get vera wang princess. the bottle is so pretty and it's purply lilacy shade. i also eventually want to get rock princess. i am obsessed with good smells. there are so many perfumes i want to get. juicy couture, viva la juicy, the vera wang princess scents, calvin klein euphoria, stella mccartney sheer, missoni acqua...the list goes on and on. and i still love my hilary duff with love scent!

i FINALLY got a leather jacket. i'm getting another one soon. i'm going to try and wear them as much as possible. the tough zip jacket from pinkice is a good option. if you have a pay/half store near you they have great leather jacket options for under $30.

the beautiful diane von furstenberg arista sequined tank top would look great under a leather jacket or alone for fall.

along with the items i mentioned above i'm also loving medium sized rings such as the toasty floral ring (it's leather!) from pink ice as well as sequin berets (i tried one on and i looked so fab in it) as well as huge handbags/shoulder bags.

what are you looking forward to wearing this fall?

spring 2010 fashion week preview

2009-09-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

i'm so excited for fashion week! i can't wait to see the new collections. even though these collections are displaying clothes that we will be wearing in spring of 2010, and that is such a long way off for me. anyway, i'm excited to see them, and i was perusing style.com and saw that they had a spring 2010 fashion week preview. of course i had to peek and share it with you guys! enjoy!
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- the fashion flock will be scurrying between the Bryant Park tents and MAC & MILK. 30 designers, including Proenza Schouler, Temperley London, and Threeasfour are putting on runway shows or presentations or premiering films at the 15th Street studios, all at zero cost to them. "To ensure against elevator dramas, no runway shows will take place above the second floor, and, more importantly, they're working with the city to establish no-parking zones to make heading west on 15th Street as stress-free as possible."

picture from style.com
-Marc Jacobs is the party guy among the fashion lot. last fashion week he was not able to have his famed fashion week afterparty but this time he will be able to! following his show on September 14, Jacobs and V Magazine will host a party with V magazine's september 2009 covergirl, Lady Gaga. And yes, this party is invitation only.

picture from style.com

- red-headed and freckled stunner julia hafstrom is expected to stir up a storm at this upcoming fashion week. "A well-timed jump to IMG's development board last year has led to, in rapid succession: a Meisel editorial in Vogue Italia, the August cover of Dazed & Confused, and a coveted spot in the Prada Fall '09 campaign."

picture from style.com

-all of our eyes are glued to jason wu! this upcoming fashion week he will be unveiling his fabric and swarovski crystal sculptural jewelry line and stephen jones (anya caliendo of www.couturemillinery.com is interning with him as of now!) will be making the hats for the show. can't wait to see it!

picture from style.com, i believe it is a sketch from lodha's collection but i'm not too sure

- india is having a moment! "Organic's John Patrick, long a champion of craftsmen in far-flung locales, is collaborating with the Maheshwar-based Women Weave collective on handspun scarves for his Spring collection. London native Saloni Lodha [remember my feature on her?] is debuting her eponymous line of party-girl dresses (Emma Watson and BFF Poppy Delevingne are fans). And husband-and-wife team Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia—owners of the exotic home goods label ANKASA—will present their Mumbai-produced collection of casual-luxe basics with traditional Indian embroidery."

picture from style.com

- "If Risto Bimbiloski isn't the first Macedonian designer to show in New York (Abbie Cornish favorite Toni Maticevski beat him to it), he's the only one with stints at Jean Colonna, Thierry Mugler, and Louis Vuitton menswear—with Marc Jacobs as a mentor—on his résumé. Bimbiloski's Spring debut will focus on knitwear and prints of "beautiful, dangerous, and random phenomena." Think volcanoes and storms—intended, he says, for a woman who has "a kind of dark, elegant, and slightly dangerous style." Front-row watch: Jacobs may attend."

-the movie screening to look out for (other than any "The September Issue" ones) is the September 8th screening of Loic Prigent's The Day Before (it's just a sneak peek though). It Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lagerfeld at Fendi, and Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler for the 48 hours leading up to their shows.

quoted text is from style.com

bebe loves balmain and alexander mcqueen

2009-08-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

i love when i can recognize direct runway inspiration from designer runway shows in retail shops that a lot of women like to frequent. bebe loves to take inspiration from the runway and i smiled when i saw their sequin beaded ruched lace top for $89. it instantly reminded me of the beautiful balmain creation you can see to the left. selita ebanks looked great in that dress, you can see a picture of her in it in the top 10 best dressed celebs list on this site. bebe has also taken inspiration from the genius that is alexander mcqueen. they have made their own versions of his studded platform booties that go for around $1000. you can get the same look for $149 from bebe.com. i really love these shoes and want then in the black, silver and grommet versions.

so, which do you prefer? the knock off or the real thing?

usually when i do posts like this you prefer the real thing. for me, i prefer the real balmain dress and for the alexander mcqueen booties...if i was paying i'd just get the bebe versions because they're just as good even if the heel is slightly thicker than the mcqueens.

what to wear: back to school fall 2009

2009-08-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

so school has started for many of you already, and school started for me on monday. so far, so good...but that's because i haven't received any homework or tests yet. soon enough i'll be up to my ears in work. i still have one more class where i have yet to meet my teacher. hopefully that goes well!

anyway, in this entry you'll find back to school friendly outfits for those of us who are high school students and then for trhe collage gals out there. in high school there is a lot you can get away with (wild mismatching with prints and colors) and a lot you can't get away with (cleavage, showing too much leg)...of course, this is if you don't wear a uniform and your dress code isn't too harsh. at the same time, keep in mind that you're a young teenager...there is no need to go to school in 5 inch heels, showing lots of leg and having your chest hang out for all to see. even for college students, i don't recommend going to class like that...because it's distracting and might even be uncomfortable. but then again, fashion really doesn't have any rules. just keep in mind that you don't want to turn any people off to you (especially your teachers) before the year has even started!

♥ me

HIGH SCHOOL SAVVY

the young and fresh look is for the high school newbies or any highschooler who is starting to experiment with fashion and is going for a clean and easy to attain look. you'll be guarenteed to look sharp and classically cool in a dark blazer, a white top, and dark wash boot cut jeans. you can't go wrong with this look, unless you ruin it with your posture! always remember to stand up straight :)

for the girl who identifies herself as sweet but sassy we know that your style is far from boring; while you wear classic pieces you always spice up your outfit with something fun and you take pride in being original and having pieces that others own. the best place to find pieces that others don't own is thrift stores! i love shopping there, you can always find something at a thrift store. i was able to find a really cute and original outfit from one of my fave sites to go to: www.pinkice.com. it has a great selection of clothes, it reminds me of forever 21 but with a bit more edge and original pieces. you'll look ultra cute in the purple low layer dress with a chic black belt. carry your books in style with the beautiful lilac weave pocket purse.

the rocker chick look is definitely in. if you're rockin and rebellious the high school hallways are your runway and you want everyone looking at you. you're not afraid of trying new things and are excited that the rock chic look is in this fall. mix prints by wearing a trendy off the shoulder zebra screenprinted top paired with fun leopard leggings. add some height, but keep comfortable and school appropriate with wedge heels!

do you have to wear a school uniform?

spice up your look by trying out different hairstyles. try high buns/high ponytails, waved hair, etc. accessorize with fun earrings and bracelets, wear colored tights or knee socks if allowed, change the color of the laces in your shoes, cinch your vest with a belt, and wear your look with confidence!

COLLEGIATE CLASS

the fashion style that fits me when it comes to school is definitely cute but comfy. i am no sex bomb, and although i do consider myself a fashionista...i'm no victoria beckham! if you too classify yourself as cute but comfy does this define you?: you're in college and you're loaded down with an inconvenient schedule and a heavy courseload (like me :/) and your number one priority when it comes to clothes is that they need to be comfortable. however, you don't want to be in school looking like you just rolled off of the couch after pulling a late nighter (even if you did). if you wear makeup, keep it light and fresh--using concealer to hide dark circles and annoying blemishes.

rompers are so easy to wear and the florent romper by sunner is soooooo chic and cute. i love everything about it, and would definitely wear it to school. keep your feet comfy with these amazingly adorable marc by marc jacobs miss marc ballet flats. i want to own everything with miss marc on it. i love that character! the rebecca minkoff nikki hobo is a great color and can hold a lot of stuff. it goes well with this outfit and i just love it.

some of you might say just because you're taking a few college courses doesn't mean you have to dumb down your sex appeal. as you girls know you don't have to be naked to be sexy, you just have to wear clothes that fit you and also that complement your skin and hair color, making you glow. if you try too hard to be sexy, EVERYONE will be able to tell. so if you're studious but sexy the outfit in the middle of the collage from bebe and zappos might appeal to you. the top grabs attention with it's stripe of sequins and the pencil skirt hugs in all the right places. for a bit of height try out a metallic wedge sandal.

now, if you have the title of campus fashionista you wear what you want, when you want. temperature, time, trends, don't hold you down. despite all of this you're always looking chic, and when you walk across campus you're the girl that everyone wants to know. i would imagine a campus fashionista wearing something current, timeless, and electrifying. try out the new pant shape with the asos tailored tapered trousers. i looked around forever for the perfect tailored trouser/jodphur kind of pant, and it was so hard to find a pant like that that didn't make your butt look big. this pant doesn't make your butt look big, so go get it! unless your butt if already humongous of course...then don't get it.

the pants would look great with a bright top tucked loosely into it. complement the color scheme of your ensemble with the asos peeptoe slingback high front sandal in grey.

hopefully you enjoyed this! thanks for all of your comments :)

model love: magdalena frackowiak

2009-08-24T14:45:00.001-07:00

hey girls,
today i started my fall 2009 semester of college. i have bio class on monday and wednesday mornings and then chemistry class alllllll day (literally, all day) on friday. needless to say...i can't wait until this semester's over! here's to me completing this semester successfully, i can already sense that i'm going to have to work hard at this. anyway, lately i've been falling in love with magdalena frackowiak. when i first saw her in some magazine i didn't think she was special and i wondered why they couldn't have used a better model. now i can see her beauty and i really admire her red carpet style as well. here are a few images of mag.
♥ me

and she's polish if you don't know; she's also an '80s baby.

vogue japan cyber glam january 2009

i-D magazine it's all i ever wanted november 2008

ralph lauren ad campaign f/w 08

numero may 2009 cover

she is ranked #21 on models.com

all images from models.com

alsoooo...thank you so much to little rus from http://www.fashiontitbits.blogspot.com/ for giving me an award! :)

fashion news, an award and 5 guilty pleasures

2009-08-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

umm, yeah, let's just get right into this post!
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FASHION NEWS

Garance Dore & Vogue Paris

if you don't know who garance dore is, just google her. the whole fashion world is in love with her and her boyfriend the sartorialist, he's known for his streetstyle photos and she's known for her charming drawings and amusing blog entries.

as the years have went by garance has become increasingly famous and liked and this is definitely evidentint he fact that she will be having more frequent contributions on Vogue Paris's website and maybe in the magazine, focusing on the magazine's "Une fille, un style" ("A girl, a style") column, plus "behind-the-scenes coverage of fashion shoots, profiles of stylish women around the world in collaboration with French Vogue editor in chief Carine Roitfeld and other subjects of her choosing."(according to fashionologie).

in addition to this garance will be launching a line with Gap for their pop-up store next month.

the following is from an article on Vogue UK's online site:

"Keen to stay at the edge of the market for the coming season, Robinson has enlisted the talents of celebrated illustrator and photographer Garance Doré, to curate an exhibition of her own work in its new London pop-up - and a lot else besides.

To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the label, Gap will make a pop-up appearance in London's Carnaby Street, with a concept store carrying a collection of exclusive denim styles and designer and artist collaborations. Doré has been described as the French version of The Sartorialist - and in fact is the girlfriend of the man himself, Scott Schuman.

"I'm a big fan of Gap; the way they focus on the individuality in their ads and creative collaborations has always attracted me," Doré told VOGUE.COM from holiday this morning. "It's also a place where I buy a lot of clothes, so I was very honoured when they proposed this collaboration - and it seemed super natural for me. I am also very inspired by the 40 years celebration of the brand: the beginning of the Seventies was such a fascinating time for fashion!"

The 1969 Gap concept store opens on September 10 - for 19 days and 69 hours only. Expect exclusives from Pierre Hardy, Albertus Swanpoel and Pharell Williams; jeans in aid of charity for just £19.69; and Doré's beautiful sketches popping up on T-shirts, amongst other fashionable happenings.

want to visit garance dore's internet realm? go to: www.garancedore.fr/en/

Katie Grand (editor in chief of LOVE magazine) thinks wearing white on your wedding day is stupid

she wore a brown snakeskin azzedine alaia dress to her wedding. she said she wanted to wear a dress to her wedding that she could wear again. alright, good for you katie grand, but that doesn't mean you have to write off wearing white on your wedding day. your wedding day is supposed to be special, and so is the dress. of course you can wear your wedding dress again if you want to, i thought you knew that mrs. fashion has no rules! nobody said that wearing a brown snakeskin dress (even if it's azzedine alaia) on your wedding day is stupid, even if they think it is. hmmmph. yes, i am slightly upset over her statement :)

the picture above is of katie grand on her wedding day. she does look good in the dress, no?

Lara Stone goes brunette!

i never imagined lara stone as a brunette, but she sure does look amazing as one! the normally blonde and bleach blonde eyebrowed model lara stone has went to the dark side. she graces the cover of vogue paris's september 2009 issue with beautiful swiss chocolate brown hair and dark eyebrows. she looks so good. this girl is sexy no matter her hair color!

Kanye West is not interning at Gap

Rumors have been going around that Kanye is designing a line for Gap but Patrick Robsinson, who is currently at the Gap helm, says that Kanye is just his friend and likes to hang out at Robinson's workplace and see what he does. Kanye has designed a successful men's shoe collection for Louis Vuitton and is obviously interested in fashion as he has been seen at many shows during fashion week and puts much thought into his outfits/getups.

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I received an award from the amazing Anya Caliendo of http://www.couturemillinery.com/ and http://www.anyacaliendo.com/. she is an AMAZING hat maker! AMAAZZZZINGGGGG! and she's also a very sweet person, one of the nicest people i've met through the blogosphere, even though almost all of the bloggers i've met are sweethearts. also, she recently had a contest on her blog where she was giving away a roberto cavalli skirt. i didn't win the roberto cavalli skirt, but i did win house of dior earrings! i never win ANYTHING. i'm not exaggerating, it's nearly impossible for me to win things, i don't know why...but anyway, i'm so happy to be able to receive the earrings and can't wait until i get them! thank you so much anya.

along with getting the award i have to list 5 guilty pleasures

guilty pleasure # 1

i love this chocolate bar SO MUCH. hershey's cookies 'n' creme is the best! white chocolate with crunchy chocolate cookie bits in it. yummm yummy! you must try it if you have never tasted this little piece of heaven before. i really shouldn't eat these things, my mom says i'm putting on weight and everytime i try to sneak these she manages to see me and then scold me for 5 minutes! she just doesn't understand, they taste so good. ;)

guilty pleasure # 2

hello, my name is zoe and i am addicted to the internet. this is another thing my mom scolds me about. i spend inordinate amounts of time on the internet. if i'm in the house...most likely i'll be on the internet.

guilty pleasure # 3

when i'm older and live on my own, i think that there is a pretty big chance that i might blow all of my money on shoes. slowly, i've been collecting shoes over my relatively few years of life. and guess what? i want more! i love cheap shoes, expensive shoes, colored shoes, printed shoes, high heeled shoes, flat shoes, men's shoes and women's shoes! i love shoes!

guilty pleasure #4

i think i've already mentioned this on my blog before...but, might as well mention it again! i love reality tv shows. love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. even if they're scripted, i just always like peering into somebody's life whether it be a reality tv show where you have to complete challenges or it's one about making it through life/trying to get a job/the fashion industry, etc. i find this funny because i'm not a nosy person, i don't go around asking people about what's going on in their lives and when i visit people's homes i don't rifle through their stuff or look through their medicine cabinet (that's rude!) but i really enjoy peering into the comical and amusing lives of anyone who chooses to take part in a reality tv show/competition.

guilty pleasure #5

singing and dancing to myself in the mirror, sometimes in my underwear but not always hahahaha :). i do it whenever i'm getting dolled up.

hope you enjoyed this gals!

picture credit from onsugar and google images

forever 21 loves dkny

2009-08-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

( side note: i was away from home for a little bit! on a much needed break. lots of things happened, and now i'm back! :) sorry for not replying...i didn't have any internet access or even a computer to go on. but that's a good thing for me, because i'm kind of addicted to the internet :/ anywho, here is a short and sweet entry...hope you enjoy)

i've had a few of these types of entries where i show forever 21 pieces that i have come across that resemble or just remind me of pieces i've seen on the runway. i really love the forever 21 dress featured in this entry and it is not an exact replica of the dkny dress, it differs in color and slightly in construction but it has enough of the main components of the dress to make it have the same fun, exuberant, stylish young feel that the dkny dress does!
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i really did enjoy the dkny spring 2009 collection. i loved the dot print that was featured many times in the show and the cute sneaker heels (they looked great on the models!) by sergio rossi. the dress is so cute with its navy and yellow polka dot print (the dots are blurred at the edges as are the dots on the f21 dress if you look closely), it's big side bow, short hem and lovely pockets.

the forever 21 dress is tauple and black with a lovely print and side ruching that sweeps into a cute bow. i especially love the bodice and the class it exudes despite it being such a short dress. the f21 creation is only $22.80. i couldn't find the dkny spring 2009 dress anywhere but i'm pretty sure it goes for much more than $22.80. which one would you buy?

what to wear to a summer wedding

2009-08-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

summer's almost over and if you planned on going to a summer wedding it has probably already passed, but august is just as good a month as any to get married and it still takes place during the summer. in summer you have so many possibilities to the kinds of weddings you can have because there is less rain than in spring, it's the warmest season, there's no snow to hinder an outdoor wedding, etc. in this entry you'll see examples of four different weddings that one might attend in the summer. before you go to the wedding you probably don't know what the bride is wearing but you do know where the wedding will take place and if it will be traditional (long dress on bride) or nontraditional (short dress or pants on the bride), and based on that you also know what you should be wearing. enjoy!
♥ me

UNCONVENTIONAL/NONTRADITIONAL INDOOR WEDDING

in this wedding the bride is wearing a short dress and black heels with black mesh lace detailing. the bride's garb is enough to cause this wedding to be considered unconventional. the wedding is also indoors so you don't have to worry about your footwear because you know you'll have solid ground to step on. no worries about heels sinking into mud or sand here! ok...so, first of all--at a wedding....DO NOT WEAR A WHITE DRESS. it doesn't matter if the bride herself isn't wearing a white dress, YOU should NOT wear a white dress. that will draw attention to yourself and all attention really should go to the bride on her special day. you can wear a white dress any day of the year, just make sure it's not at anybody's wedding.

it is ok to wear a white shirt though. a white blouse paired with a feminine printed skirt is an unstuffy outfit, but still dressy enough for a wedding. add a pop of contrasting color with your accessories; whether it be a colored clutch, earrings or bangles such as the $15 ZADS Bangle set from swell.com. with a fresh outfit like this, try to keep makeup light.

CONVENTIONAL/TRADITIONAL GIRLY INDOOR WEDDING

this wedding is conventional. the bride will be wearing a long, floor-sweeping gown and it will take place indoors. you should probably wear a conservative cocktail style dress, although that is not completely necessary; however it will go alone with the mood of the wedding. i really like this bridal outfit. the betsey johnson dress is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! i love it so much, and the dress looks good on every model i've seen it on (then again, they are models). i love the frilly skirt and the fitted bustier bodice. sexy and girly all at once. vintage jewelry chandelier earrings from kirna zabete go with the dresses perfectly and a veil with a sparkling headpiece, such as ones you can get from wedding-veil.com add even more sweet whimsy to this bridal look. i also love those johnathan kayne shoes.

follow the mood of the wedding and wear a conservative cocktail dress. this valentino is a standout piece with it's beautiful yellow hue and slight metallic sheen. finish it off with low heeled evening sandals and studs.

OUTDOOR WEDDING: GARDEN

in a garden wedding the bride's beauty is enhanced by her surroundings, an exquisite garden. she deson't need to wear a frothy dress that takes up half of the garden (while she can if she wants to), and plus if she wears a dress with a too long train it will pick up grass, leaves, flowers, insects and whatever else is in the garden. most likely the bride will still with a simple white gown, her favorite jewels and a beautiful bouquet, usually very well thought out one such as the amazing rose, dyed calla lily and orchid arrangement above. afterglow cosmetics offers a wide range of makeup, such as mineral foundation, blush, eyeshadows and organic lip stick. all of their products are organic/vegan. their organic lip love lipstick in divine is a great shade.

play up the theme of a garden wedding by wearing a fun floral dress such as the 50s style poppy splash dres from frenchconnection.com. a fun clutch and a fresh fragrance would be in good order as well. and wouldn't you know it...one of clinique happy's ingredients is hawaiin wedding flower! how appropriate :)

OUTDOOR WEDDING: BEACH

beach weddings always sound like they are so fun and romantic. they usually take place during a sunrise or sunset to capture the amazing beauty of the sun on the horizon. the bride will most likely wear a breezy sand sweeping gown or a shorter dress, i think the antique white georgette bridal dress #cm0023 by nicole miller is beautiful. i love the hanging fabric in the middle as that makes the dress look even more flowy. most likely the bride will be barefoot or have her toes out so she should be wearing nice nailpolish or have a great pedicure. some brides will opt for neutral tones and some will opt for brighter tones, such as the beautiful bue shown in the collage. to get that nice bronzy beachy glow the bride should consider laura geller's bronze-n-brighten, it seems to be a great product and is similar to MAC's famous mineralized skinfinishes.

at a beach wedding, don't try to go all victoria beckham (love that lady!) in a fitted cocktail dress and sky high heels: you will sink into the sand, be sweaty and look like a fool. it's a beach wedding, so it doesn't have a super strict/formal dress code. wear a nice skirt that allows you to get some breeze, pair it with a breezy tank/blouse/shirt and make sure to wear flat shoes. wearing heels in the sand really won't get you anywhere.

i hope you enjoyed this entry as much as i enjoyed making it! make sure to have fun and congratulate the bride and groom at any wedding you go to :)

thanks halie!

2009-07-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

i was just given a gorgeous award by the amazing halie from http://www.archivingfashion.wordpress.com/. thanks for passing it on to me, and congrats to you for receiving it in the first place!

as a result of receiving the award i have to bestow it upon 10 other very deserving fashionistas and list 10 interesting facts about myself. it's so funny, whenever i am asked to say something interesting about myself i forget everything about me that could be considered interesting. what's with that?

this award is seriously the most beautiful award i've seen! i love love love it.

i pass it on to:
coco at coco's tea party

anya c at couture millinery atelier

sxy fashion queen

kat at pencilfashion

carrie at couture carrie

juley at swank heights

red carpet fashion awards

olsens anonymous

the fat and skinny on fashion

charmaine li at goldieoldiecharms

10 facts about me

1. i love all genres of music except heavy metal and i really really love classical music. my favorite composer is bach and i think my favorite song is air. it's so transcendent!

2. i'm obsessed with youtube makeup gurus. they are all so talented and can all apply makeup so well. check out ones like panacea81 (she deserve all of her success!), xteener, itsjudytime, julieg713, and there are so many more...oh, and michellephan is good too! she started out on xanga as RiceBunny.

3. i've studied spanish, french, igbo and japanese but all i can speak is english.

4. my mom is model height but i'm short. and i always wish that i could miraculously grow taller, but i'm pretty sure my growth has stopped. however, i believe my little sisters are going to be super duper tall, so my plan is to become their modeling agents. ahahaha, :) i always joke around with them about that.

5. i'm really competitive. especially over games like jeopardy and random quiz games that you play at parties. i'm horrible at sports though.

6. i love dressing up and do believe that i have very good taste and put together smashing outfits, but i don't know if i'll be showing them on this blog like most other fashion bloggers do. that could change though?

7. i really like hilary duff's with love perfume. and i own it. smells lovely!

8. you guys all knows this, but i'm obsessed with robert pattinson! everytime i see him on a magazine cover i swoon. i just want to meet him once! can someone arrange that please?

9. i don't travel. my family never goes anywhere! i think that's why i'm always on the computer. i'm living vicariously through the awesome people who blog about their traveling adventures.

10. i love to dance, sing, and act (danced a lot in hs, mainly in performances but not on a dance team). i love all things art and music, but over artsy and over music-y kids annoy me to know end. i'm sure there is a way to love art and music without shoving it down people's throat all of the time. my annoyance with these kids mainly comes from going to a school where there was an abundance of these individuals.

i hope you enjoyed reading that? :)
thanks for all of the comments as usual! and i'm working on a what to wear post...it's been taking me a while because everytime i start working on it my computer spazzes, but hopefully i'll be done with it soon!

♥ me

check out forever 21's limited edition line; cirque 21

2009-07-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

hey babes!
thanks for all of the comments and support. it makes my day! before i start off with this entry, i just want to let you all know that i'm not being sponsored/paid by forever 21 to do this post. i am just like every other girl: in love with forever 21's affordability and great range of clothes! today they made their limited edition cirque 21 line available for purchase and i love the fun, zany feel of the clothes. you could use any of these pieces to make a really romantic, semi-victorian look, a harlequin inspired ensemble, or a fun and laid back indie outfit. you can really play around with these clothes because although they are very original and have a kind of one-of-a-kind feel to it, they are still very versatile and on trend. looking through the lookbook i am reminded of katy perry a little bit, not too much, but a bit.
♥ me

i am SOOOO in love with the ringmaster dress. this is so miu miu! don't tell me it isn't!

it can be purchased for $24.80 from forever21.com

description from f21: "Sateen style fabric with contrast color blocking. Features lots of gathers at the waist and a bubble hem underskirt which adds volume to the circle skirt. The waistband is extra wide and very shapely. The back bodice is decorated with six buttons and the side has an invisible zipper to let you in and out."

i just love voluminous skirts.

the miu miu striped dirndl dress
don't you just love it? i want it now more than ever!

this ruffled overdress ($29.80) is so cool. it's definitely not timeless..but i'm still drawn to it for some reason? the full skirt is amazing, and i just love the idea of wearing this with tights and ankle boots or with skinnies and my awesome grey knee boots. i'd look so good...;)

and it has a hood! and the ruffles are weather resistant. top that.

and i want the coat that the model is wearing in this picture but it is not available.

but when it is available...i'm getting it.

PETTICOAT POWER!

get the dotted mesh petticoat skirt for $22.80 and the...

ruffled tulle petticoat for the same price!

the texture of both skirts is divine and i love the dark seafoam greens and sage color in the second skirt.

i love the artwork on the jubilee girl tee ($10.80), and if you don't feel like going all out circus girl you can just get a t-shirt with a high fashion circus girl on it instead. for those who want to add pizazz to their wardrobe the yellow and black jester lace bubble dress is definitely for you, and it's $22.80. and the beautiful zig zag mesh skirt is only $19.80 and would look SO good with a white tee and a blazer. with this skirt you'll definitely be sashaying in style.

all of these pieces definitely have an autumn-y feel to it. i haven't even had much of a summer...because of blasted summer school. i'm not exactly trying to usher fall in because in chicago fall lasts for like...2 weeks and then winter comes in and freezes us to death, but these fall clothes sure do look fun.

tell me what you think!

Cool New Designer: Saloni Lodha

2009-07-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Sorry for the lack of posting. Please try to bear with me--i am always so busy with family stuff, school and life in general so it's hard to update regularly but i love this blog and my readers so i'm always coming back to update, even if it is a bit sporadic. ;) today's entry features the beautiful designs of saloni lodha, a new designer who adds indian flair to modern silhouettes (<-- i always have trouble spelling that word). I found out about her after reading up on what Emma Watson was wearing on pretty much my favorite site of all time, www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com If you check it out, make sure to say that Zoe sent you!
♥ me

Saloni Lodha according to Vogue UK

SALONI, meaning beautiful in ancient Sanskrit, is the eponymous line from Indian designer Saloni Lodha. Born and brought up in India, between Rajasthan and Mumbai, the designer studied graphic design, textiles and print in Mumbai before moving to Hong Kong in 2003 – where she quickly made a name for herself by holding trunk shows of her bespoke dresses - and then to London to hone her skills with a couture hand-sewing course at Central St. Martins.

Following a stint at Issa London, Saloni launched her own label at London Fashion Week spring/summer 2008, the dresses drawing from her Indian heritage but in keeping with modern shapes and styles, couture detailing and luxurious fabrics.

According to Saloni, the collection is: "Designed for a girl who can be adventurous and feminine at the same time, who can be playful in the way she dresses with an underlying quality of elegance and charm."

and girls...let me tell you, she's absolutely gorgeous!

AND, her designs are on sale at my-wardrobe.com! if you have money and good taste, pick up a saloni lodha design! here are some from the site:

Scarlett Tight Shift Dress 50% off (i would wear this in a heartbeat, go to the site to see the details of this beautiful piece)

Cora Strapless Dress 60% off

Black Faye Dress 50% off (i love the dangling gold embellishment on this!)

i hope you enjoyed this entry, and don't worry--more are soon to come. :)

willow and valentino

2009-07-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

i'm loving these two expensive pieces for netaporter. perfect for now and for fall.
i can't believe fall catalogues and clothes are coming out already...but alas, we must be realistic, summer will be over soon. too bad my whole summer has been dominated by summer school! but it finishes next week. this weekend will include some pretty intense studying, but afterwards hopefully i can post more. i miss posting regularly! and i haven't been able to make the various outfit posts i love to put together...so hopefully i can get around to doing more of that too.
thanks for the comments as always!
♥ me

you can purchase this beautiful orange chiffon, central vertically pleated batwing sleeved blouse by willow for $375 at netaporter.com. i absolutely love the long batwing sleeves and the beautiful orange hue of the blouse, as well as it's slouchiness. the shape seems to work well on me. and i am absolutely swooning over the valentino diamente embellished peep-toe pumps. they can seriously dress up anything and are seriously worth it at $995 from netaporter.com.

fall 2009 haute couture part III

2009-07-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

thanks for the comments my lovelies!
♥ me

valentino

the color palette was made up of silver, black and nude. the show definitely got better as the show went on. the last few looks were spellbinding. the beautiful gleam of the beadwork, the mystery of the voluminous black skirts adorned with ruffle or tulle, and the fun use of feathers was great to behold. i enjoyed this valentino couture show much better than the spring 2009 one because this one doesn't feel too old-ladyish. heavy use of lace was used, and that was a bit boring; i'm so tired of the lace and nude combination, we've seen it everywhere. yeah, it's a nice combo, but i need a break from it. the first look on the left is a nice rendition of the black lace and nude look. i love the corseted bodice and ruffly skirt and the beautiful taupe satin shoes with ruffles at the back. the black LBD you see next is not just any LBD, it has HUGE black ruffles coming from the sleeves. i must see this on the red carpet. it is pretty much one of the coolest LBD's ever. i absolutely love the silvery confection worn by snejana onopka (third from left, i hope i spelled her name right). it looks fab with those shoe boots. my favorite piece from this show i think is the wonderful nude, slightly iridescent and crystal sprinkled gown to the far right. if that isn't red carpet/wedding/editorial worthy, i don't know what is.

jean paul gaultier

this show featured a lot of sharp shoulders and oodles of leather. the makeup was dark, sexy and fierce and a lot of inspiration was drawn from hollywood's femme fatale--with the first model (lara stone) walking out looking like bridget bardot. i really loved the scaled leggings that looked like they were made from two giant brown fish. that sounds weird, but they just looked so...haute ;). i love the fierceness and wearable avant garde looks that gaultier brings to the runway. the second look from the left is also in the group of one of the coolest LBDs in the world, with patent detail at the bust and chevron detailing down the skirt. and the look to the far right is very thierry muglerish. it is very current but the styling makes it look fit for an old hollywood film.

elie saab

the show was exquisitely beautiful and rapturously feminine as we have come to expect from elie saab shows, whether couture or ready to wear. every piece was white, and a lot of times it reminded me of the recent all white chanel show that featured white paper origami head pieces and divine dresses, tops and jackets with white folded flower appliques. despite the resemblance to the all white chanel show elie saab's fall 2009 haute couture presentation definitely had a different feel to it. elie saab makes clothes for the woman who looks beautiful and goddess like all of the time, the woman who smells and looks like the most precious flower and has (or appears to have) everything figured out. as already mentioned, all of the pieces were white and all of them were adorned with either tulle flower appliques, crystals or ostrich feathers (among other things). yes, the show strongly resembled the all white chanel tour de force, but i'm going to try and look past that and see the beauty of this collection, which (frankly) is undeniable.

i hope you've enjoyed this post, leave me comments on what you think about these collections!

fall 2009 haute couture part II

2009-07-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

welcome to part II of my coverage of the fall 2009 haute couture collections! please leave comments- it means the world to me, your support keeps me going!
♥ me

alexis mabille

this collection was light, floaty, girly and full of lace and solitary black bows with long ribbons. in the beginning it really just reminded me of a ready to wear show. as the show went on it definitely had a more couture feel, and really it was the shoes that got me. i love the elgant tstrap and silky ribbon at the back of some of the shoes (example is snakeskin one to the far left, they were also shown in black). hey, you people at alexis mabille, send me over a pair in 9 or 8.5 US size! i definitely wasn't wowed or overly excited after seeing this collection (especially after seeing christian dior), but i loved the uber feminine feel, and the lingerie look of some of the pieces. all of the looks i chose to put in the collage i'd love to see on the red carpet, or on me ;). i think the third dress from the left is ingenious, and funkily beautiful. don't you?

givenchy

i liked this collection, it wasn't my favorite because it didn't seem groundbreaking. it featured a lot of the givenchy we already know. it showcased fierce shoe boots that stretched up the calf and had holes for each toe to stick out of, and of course a lace up detail. lots of black was featured in the beginning of the show, and that gave way to black looks with heavy gold jewelry, cream dresses with colored jewel embellishments, enrusted bustiers and then all white ensembles. the three dresses featured in the collage would be so great for red carpet! i absolutely loveeeeeeee the design of the cream dresses with jewel embellishment. i really love the cutaway trend in gowns right now. showing skin in unexpected places is so exciting. we all know showing cleavage is supposed to be sexy, but showing your waist, back and collar bones are just as sexy! the beautiful dip-dye dress is so classic and yet different...all i can say is that i like it.

christian lacroix

the whole fashion world knows that the lacroix house is in trouble. lacroix filed for bankruptcy and this collection was put together at the last minute. only 25 looks were shown, and all of them definitely didn't have the couture feel to it. i really miss the old fantastically flamboyant and crazily colorful lacroix. however, this couture collection did have some great pieces that i really hope gets lots of attention. they are classic pieces that one could wear for a long time but they all have their own original thumbprint. most of the pieces were black, but they weren't just black ensembles: they were black lacroix ensembles with amazing elegance as well as quirkiness. i know dita von teese or eva green would look so fab in the outfit on siri tollerod (second from left), and the dress third from left is amazing! i love tulle! if i had enough money to be ordering couture, i would order that dress pronto. i also think the dress would look great on keira knightley...

chanel

i absolutely loved this collection. classic chic and style at its best! lagerfeld, you are a true, true talent. reinventing the chanel look with every collection and yet keeping its true essence. towards the end of the collection there were some pieces that seemed out of place, dresses with sequins that outlined the shape of the breast and nipples and a red sequined dress with a grey smear across it, but pretty much all of the collections were absolutely exquisite. i loved the beloved chanel edwardrian ankle boots, the absolutely beautiful lace leggings, the lace lampshade hats, the styling, the makeup, the models...just...all of it! i loved it!

armani prive

this has got to be one of my favorite recent armani collections. i haven't really been loving armani, but this collection BLOWS ME AWAY. i wish i could make a collage with all of the looks in this collection, and i don't even think the four looks that i chose to show give you the full scope of the collection, but it does showcase some beautiful pieces that i wish i could wear. the color palette ranged from deep blue, to cerulean blue, to shimmering nudes, blacks and greys. of course there were heavily embellished numbers and i loved the cutaway halter design that armani chose to showcase in some looks in this couture collection. this collection is so me. i want to wear many of these pieces!

so far my favorite collections are dior, armani and chanel. but that's only so far, let's see what the rest of the week brings us!

fall 2009 haute couture part I

2009-07-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

i usually do entries in parts when it comes to fashion weeks, and there are usually more than one collection featured in each part...but i just couldn't resist posting the first haute couture collection that i was able to review! i am so in love with it, hopefully you like it too. and even if you don't, i'd love to hear your opinions. please rate/recommend/subscribe/comment!
♥ me

john galliano decided to show this collection at the christian dior headquarters in the avenue montaigne, the same way these collections were shown in the 1950s. of course i absolutely LOVED this collection! i am a bonafide dior girl. oh my gosh, the details were as exquisite as ever, the colors were as vibrant as possible and the styling was tasteful, smart and undeniably sexy. beautiful ballooning skirts with constructed draping paired with bras and delicate stockings or peplum belts paired with cinched jackets with beautiful portrait scoop necks made up this divine haute couture collection. i loved the shoes and the makeup: heavy pinup. and i am in absolute love with the last look. it is such a magnificent wedding dress! look at the beautiful blush nude bodice with a twist on the traditional sweetheart neckline. the tulle skirt is magnificent. i want to wear this dress so badly! and look at that beautiful and perfectly pink frock to the far left! the appliques are breathtaking, the skirt is so voluptuous...oh my, i don't even know what to type. and doesn't chanel iman (third from left) look absolutely perfect in her magenta and black get up? and i love her hat! all of the hats (most if not all of them feathered) in this collection really. these hats can totally make a look.and back to chanel iman's ensemble: i really love the sheer skirt look that is on so many runways. i wish i could wear it out and still feel decent! i hope all of the other haute couture shows are this exciting!

mark your calenders

2009-07-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

hello sweet things!
mark your calenders for july 6th because that is when haute couture fall 2009 fashion week begins. do you remember my coverage of haute couture spring 2009 fashion week? if not, here is a link: http://fashionforwarddd.blogspot.com/2009/02/spring-2009-couture.html

if you like my entries don't hesitate to comment me, tell your friends, scream your love for my entries from rooftops...rofl, j/k. but i just want to say i love all of the people who take the time out of their day to look at my site, comment my entries or tell other people about them. it means a lot to me :)

<3 me

cheap makeup advocate

2009-06-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

if you have the money for higher end make up products, by all means buy them. they all have better color payoff, last longer, and you get more of a tingle when you buy them for some reason. but if you don't have a lot of money (like moi) then you can still indulge in makeup, you'll just be spending less money. i have bought most of my makeup (i don't wear foundation yet but i do have lipgloss, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and blush, and of course nailpolish) from wet n'd wild. however two of my favorite blushes (the first two that i bought, and i still have because i don't wear makeup often) are from covergirl. recently i've been getting more into makeup (which i seem to say in every post) and i've been bying brushes and looking for more products. wet n' wild has such a great variety of products for SO cheap, and e.l.f has pleasantly surprised me with an amazing mini makeup palette that i try to use as much as reasonably and normally possible. with cheap makeup, as with any makeup, comes dissapointments, and i'll list some of my great cheap makeup joys and dissapointments here.

♥ me

wet n' wild megaliner liquid eyeliner

i bought this eyeliner maybe a year or a year and a half ago. maybe even two years ago? i can't remember, but i've had it for some time. it was the first eyeliner i bought for myself, i think. everyone seemed to be using liquid eyeliner and i liked the bold effect it gave so i wanted to try it out. i didn't wear it much, but when i did it lasted. the color goes on well, it lasts for as long as you need it to last (as long as you don't rub your eye, then it can smear), and it comes in a variety of colors. i only tried the black, but many people like the colored versions as well. the only thing i don't like about this product is that it makes it easy to make mistakes. liquid eyeliner is really hard if you're trying it out for the first time and the brush is thin and short and bends in places it shouldn't, but for $1.99 it's a good deal, and the product lasts. it doesn't dry out easily, even if the cap might detach from the brush like mine did.

wet n' wild creme eyeliner

this product comes in two colors: black and eggplant. i have it in black. this liner is absolutely amazing, i love it's creamy consistency and the rich black color it lines my eyes with. it is best applied with an angled eyeliner/shadow brush (i use my ecotools angled liner brush). the product comes with an angled liner brush, but it is VERY VERY hard and stiff and once the liner is in the brush it feels like you're running a cement block over your eyes...so don't use the brush that comes in the box. this wnw product is comparable to MAC's blacktrack gel liner or stila's smudgepot liners. i highly recommend the wet n' wild creme eyeliner! i think it is priced at $2.99.

wet n' wild defining marker

this is a brand new product from wnw. i picked it up last week and i absolutely love it. i've been wanting covergirl's eyeliner marker for the longest time but could never find it and eventually stopped looking for it, so i was thrilled to see this t the wnw stand at my local drugstore. this defining marker gives you a precise line. you can go super thin or super thick. it gives you a rich black color and it's easy to hold and handle! if you want to blend it out, you can but it'd be easier it do that with a brush rather than your finger because this dries quickly. i love this marker and use it every second i get! i love it just a teensy weensy bit more than my creme eyeliner. just an itty bitty bit. it comes in one color: blackest black.

wet n' wild pencil eyeliner

i own this eyeliner in white and charcoal. these colors work fine, but they are hard to blend. i wish they were softer/creamier. however, for the price you get a good product. even though i have dark skin i use the white in my waterline to brighten up my eye and make them look bigger. if i get a flesh toned eyeliner anytime soon i'll use that. white eyeliners can work on any skincolor, however if you're really dark use a light hand with the white eyeliner so that it doesn't look unnatural. these eyeliners are .99 cents!

wet n' wild cream shadows in pop art

i bought this off of my mom because i needed some cream eyeshadows and i tried to use this as a base for my powder eyeshadows. i love the colors in this compact. they all look great on my skintone and i like to use the illuminator on my lips, instead of my cheeks (i have oily skin, so i don't really need illuminator that much. i am perpetually illuminated); it gives my lips a really nice frosty sheen. these cream eyeshadows work best alone, they're not good bases for eyeshadows...they will crease, and they'll crease alone as well...but not as much as if you were wearing powder eyeshadows along with it. if you don't have money for good cream eyeshadows you can buy this...my mom says that revlon's are better. i have yet to try them but my mom loves them and so do a lot of other makeup savvy people. these are $3.99. they are not on the wnw website but i believe you might still be able to find them in some stores.

wet n' wild nailpolishes

great color selection and cheap prices! what more could you ask for? they have some for 99 cents, some for 1.99 and some for 2.99. i have some of their nailpolishes from each collection. i have mystic quartz (a beautiful purple hue) from their cok solid collection which i bought on clearance for $1.49, royal red from their crystalic nail color collection (such an amazing color, if this is the only color you get, get this one), and lavender pearlescent, black creme, top coat and base coat from their wild shine collection.

covergirl cheekers blushes

i got two cheekers blushes from my local drugstore on sale after i found out they were beauty award winning. i see why they won awards! they have great color payoff and the color is buildable. and you get a good amount of blush for your money. but keep in mind i don't use my makeup a lot, anyway they have lasted. i got the blushes in soft sable (a beautiful, shimmery soft brown) and pretty peach (a matte, coraly pink). the applicator that it comes with is pretty effective too. i used that for the longest before i finally got a little makeup brush set.

e.l.f primer and liner sealer

i ordered this in hopes of being able to keep my eyeshadow from creasing with the primer side and being able to make cooler eyeliner from my eyeshadows. none of those hopes have been fulfilled. i guess i was asking too much from a $3 product. however, by spreading the primer side evenly over your eye you can really brighten up your eye area, even if you're not going to be putting eyeshadow over it. the primer side is essentially a concealer for light-medium complexioned individuals. i've decided to not be cheap with eye primer and hopefully i'll be getting urban decay primer potion soon, which if you don't know is amazingly popular and apparently 100% effective at making your eyeshadow vibrant and keeping it from creasing/fading all day.

e.l.f eye shadow brush and blending brush

[e.l.f eyeshadow brush]

i decided to get these because having one eyeshadow brush wasn't enough and i needed a brush to blend out my eyeshadows, especially if i used more than one color. these brushes are AMAZING. they are soft, and they do their job and they're only $1!

e.l.f. mini makeup palette

i received this for free after meeting a quota for an order from eyelipsface (e.l.f.). i am amazed with how pigmented the eyecolors are and the amazing selection of lipcolors in the kit. the blush they have in the kit are cheap dupes of nars orgasm and laguna blush and work fine. they're not the best blushes in the world, but they're pretty good. included is a lip brush, eye shadow applicators and brow powder. what i really love are the eyeshadows and lipcolors. it's new from their studio line and retails for $15.

hope you enjoyed! leave comments, rate/recommend my entry and subscribe if you'd like. toodles :)

christopher kane for topshop/jimmy choo for h&m

2009-06-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

i've been super busy, but here's some fashion news for y'all!
♥ me

christopher kane will be bringing a 39 piece collection to topshop for this october. most of the pieces are black and grommeted. prices run in the $80-$300 range. so if you've got bucks and you like the christopher kane look, be ready for october 09.

i absolutely love jimmy choo. the shoes, clutches and handbags produced from this brand are to die for. they are all so irresistably sexy and charming. it seems that every creation is so unique. the shoes above are designed specifically for h&m. i am salivating over the black ones. i've never seen shoes like that! i want them sooooooo bad.

the line hits stores on november 14th! be prepared for crazy long lines.

2 year anniversary magazine entry!

2009-06-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I've been blogging about fashion for 2 whole years! Time sure does fly when you're having fun. :) Thanks for all of the comments, subscriptions and the support you all have given me as a readers!
♥ me

--STYLE BREAKDOWN OF OUR CURRENT(current as of yesterday) 10 BEST DRESSED CELEBS--

i regularly change the list of our top 10 best dressed celebs, usually twice a year, and it always contains a group of fabulous ladies that i believe look amazing on the red carpet, at press conferences, in magazine editorials and even on the sidewalk. there have been repeats, and regular newcomers (this time is no different). i hope that you love the list, and even if you don't agree with all of my choices i hope you enjoy the style breakdown of these ladies' impeccable style. say goodbye to these top 10 and say hello to your new top 10 by the time you reach the end of this magazine entry. :)

Zoe Kravitz

i absolutely love zoe kravitz! i love her name, i love her hair, i love her cute face, her cool parents, and her AH-MAZING style! zoe kravitz, wherever you are, know that i think you're so cool and also be aware that if i see you walking around anywhere...ever...i will totally geek out on you. so be prepared. anywho, zoe's casual style is quirky and cute, and that doesn't change when she steps out for glamorous events. zoe definitely knows how to glam it up but she never looks too polished, she always has an eclectic vibe to whatever she pieces together and definitely knows how to put her personal stamp on all the looks she wears.

in the day, you could find zoe in floaty tops or dresses, and showing lots of leg (whether encased in tights or bare). to get a zoe-esque day look you could try the mesa pintucked top, madison marcus anthem jacket and siwy camilla cutoff denim shorts (all from shopbop) with comfy flat gladiators and tousled hair.

for night, expect to see zoe in luxe fabrics, whether they're beautifully printed or tantalizingly textured. she would look great in this taupe 3.1 phillip lim sequin covered dress from netaporter paired with these lovely and unique wedges from miu miu. marni earrings add a bit more sparkle and a nice pop of unexpected yellow.

Leighton Meester

i've loved leighton meester's style for the longest while. most of the things she wears on the red carpet, i would wear. for day she loves to wear breezy sundresses and flat shoes. she's not afraid of color for day or night and often squeezes color into her ensembles through bright accessories.

i could so see miss. meester strolling down a sun drenched walkway in this t-bags stone embellished dress for $122.50 from theoutnet.com paired with a large tote (linea pelle dylan large bowler bag), a belt, and bright flats.

for a nighttime event leighton would be cute in this bright salmon confection from asos (although she'd probably be wearing a designer house). i really love the detail, cut and color of this folded silk front dress by asos. the dress would be paired perfectly with leg lengthening nude heels with complementary square frill detail on the heel: asos frill back patent platform peep toe shoes.

leighton isn't afraid to experiment, but also has a classic sensibility to her dressing and that's what i love about her.

Kerry Washington

i love kerry washington. she always looks beautiful, polished, put together, classy and never boring. she can look glamorous, simply chic and edgy. she can do it all. her daytime look is cute and classic, and she doesn't shy away from color (especially for day). i'd love to see her in the hushed hamlet dress from anthropologie. if you want to channel some kerry, i'm sure this dress would look great on you as well. i love the bright coloring of the dress and i know it would be a perfect match with the space between slingbacks and fir & finery drops.

for night, turn up the glam factor a la miss washington in a beautiful celadon js boutique ruched chiffon gown for $178 from nordstrom.com. this color would look great against kerry's skin. pair it with a fun, complementary cuff and sexy dolce & gabbana metallic strappy sandals and you are more than good to go. i absolutely love those dolce & gabbana sandals! look at those dainty ankle and heel straps!

Kate Beckinsale

kate beckinsale set my heart a flutter when she arrived at this year's costume institute gala in a beautiful, sparkling, dusky blue marchesa confection with a skirt that seemed to take up the entire red carpet. she really knows how to wear gowns well.

her daytime style is just as captivating as her nighttime event style. you can find her, more often than not, in floaty peasant dresses, or tops with slouchy pants, cute boots or sandals, and you can bet your life that she'll be wearing big sunglasses. i don't recommend you betting your life, but i'm telling you...she loves wearing big sunglasses anywhere that she goes and she's not on a red carpet. the breezy, summery outfit from revolveclothing.com would look great on her and on you. i love the combination of the minkpink portobello dress and the 8020 sophie hidden wedge thong in thunder.

kate beckinsale loves white gowns, and would look super angelic in this notte by marchesa chiffon column dress. if you want to be like kate, then wear this dress with equally angelic christian louboutin fortuna 120 platform pumps. get an other worldly glow by swirling on some NARS blush in nico for $25 from sephora.

Charlize Theron

charlize theron is such a fashion goddess! i'm sure she'll be on my best dressed celebs list again because she just always looks so dang good.

for day she keeps it relaxed yet chic with long trousers, a roomy blouse, a jacket and a soft scarf as well as a cute and roomy clutch. recreate the look with j brand love story shadow black wash jeans, nation easy scoop neck slub jersey tee, degaine shredded infinity scarf, and stella mccartney foldover patent clutch (all from intermixonline.com).

i am in absolute love with the little ensemble i put together for a look that is reminiscent of something charlize theron would wear for a night event. she wears gowns, cocktail dresses, shifts, whatever, for night events and she always rocks it. but i love when she shows her legs. her skin is always glowing, so the more that she shows of it; the better! she would look stunning in this amazing creation from the great designer graeme black. i love the little silver grommets and the lace up detailing, as well as the beautiful silver belt and peplum on the dress. pair it with the jil sander fringed clutch for 625 pounds from brownsfashion.com as well as mesmerizing dries van noten sandals with metal beads (also from brownsfashion) and you'll be in a look fit for a femme fatale.

Terri Hatcher

a lot of people don't pay attention to terri hatcher's style, but it is rather good. it's a modern romantic style. she's trendy, but not too trendy, and she wears things that make her body look great. for day you can find her in long skirts and tank tops. this look can be easily recreated with pieces from old navy. keep it bright with a color top and a cute matching enamel disk necklace.

to get a teri hatcher inspired night look, shimmy yourself into what i like to call a hot tamale dress. this dolce & gabbana bicolor ruched strapless dress from bergdorf goodman is perfect. i love the look of those nude pumps from victoria's secret: they could really lengthen your legs. to get silky locks like terri's run some fekkai coiff perfecteur anti-frizz silkening creme through your hair before, or after straightening it.

Ashley Olsen

by now you should know that ashley olsen is my fave olsen twin. if you don't know by now...you must be very unobservative or a new reader. ashley can be tastefully eclectic and is always classy; whether she's stomping down the pavement during a starbucks run, after a meeting, or wherever or being photographed at a ritzy event. like mary-kate, she loves to wear vintage clothes rather than current designer creations and looks great in them.

to re-create an ashley day look all you need are some skinny jeans, a jacket (a leather one or a blazer), a loose shirt (preferably grey or white), a scarf and some awesome shoes. try a piece from the elizabeth and james shoe collection. i'm loving the elizabeth and james luella high heel gladiator bootie for $325 from shopbop.com.

for a night look go for a fresh, vintage look (like kate beckinsale, ashley likes white gowns) with this adam lace long dress for $425 paired with the stoned and waisted black leather laser-cut belt for $174 from farfetch.com and LOTS of rings. keep the makeup fresh and the hair tousled. for the day look you can use the bumble & bumble surf spray, and if you want you can use it for night as well.

Lucy Liu

lucy liu is such a darling. she always looks so pretty and cute. they should make a lucy liu doll, but it wouldn't be half as gorgeous as her! lucy, like the other ladies on this list isn't afraid to take risks but still has classic undertones to her style of dressing. yes she'll take a risk, but you'll never see her in an orange fleuroescent patent leather sculptural dress. because that's not a classy risk. you've got to keep it classy gals. it's just that simple.

i loved her when she dazzled in white giambattista valli, and i think she'd look captivating--as would you-- in a slinky zac posen dubloon knit dress and fun proenza schouler speckled pumps (don't you just love the heel?). the david yurman white mosaic drop earrings are gorgeous and pick up the light accents in this ensemble.

keep it casual like miss liu in black leggings, a colored drapey top and a cute necklace. the outfit from wetseal is cheap, yet comfy and stylish.

Eva Mendes

eva mendes always looks perfect and sexy. that's why i love her.

i would soooooooooooooooo wear most of the things she is photographed in. gosh, i love this lady.

i could so see her (and me) in the casual ensemble from forever 21. the lizbeth floral chiffon tunic would make such a darling, floaty mini dress and the celeste o-ring sandal and vintage faux leather tote are the perfect bohemian accessories.

for nighttime events eva mendes loves to show a bit of leg and wears lots of dreses that nip in at the waist. she would glow in the barneys new york strapless party dress in hot pink paired with scintillating lanvin pointed toe pumps in pink. get her glow with NARS bronzing powder in irresistblement for $30 from barneys.com.

Kate Moss

kate moss has been everywhere lately, what with her wildly successful collections for topshop, her renewed popularity as a supermodel, her much coveted street style and her appearance at marc jacobs' side at the costume institute gala. this woman has turned from just a model to a mogul and her style is envied and imitated by many women.

for day, try the kate look above. all items provided for from topshop. kate loves her aviators and the oversize metal aviator for $30 from topshop.com is a great finish to the casual ensemble.

for special events kate likes the simply elegant look. she looks great in long, flowing gowns in light colors. i could see her in this blue jersey knit evening dress by bcbg max azria from edressme for $378. as the current face of versace, along with gisele, i'm sure she has a sample of versace bright crystal (if not the whole bottle) somewhere. i'm sure it smells good, and the bottle is so pretty, no? for the subtle kate glow dust some pearl gold makeup forever star powder all over.

--GREAT AMERICAN STYLE--

every western society lady has a place in fashion. there are the french gamines, the london rebels and classic english roses and then there is the fresh faced american. pure american style is fresh, straight forward and simple. french couturiers of old scoffed at american women's "sporty" style, but this casual style of dressing is elegant and fresh and embraced by american women as well as women in general. american style allows women to be dressed comfortably and still be considered graceful and beautiful.

the collage provides an expensive and a cheaper alternative for the all american day look and an expensive and a cheaper alternative for an all american eveing look. for day, a white button up and crisp shorts are perfect. finish off with a pop of color that be found in red flats or a colorful scarf.

for evening the look to the left is super elegant, yet so simple. it consists of a beautiful red one shoulder column dress from calvin klein, silver sandals and majorca pearl drop earrings. finish off with a fresh, invigorating scent to match the essence of your look: origins ginger essence sensuous skin scent.

a younger, funner and slightly more detailed (but still all american) look for evening can be found in a short, strapless orange polka-dotted frock and nude heels with fun metallic accents. a perforated metal bangle finishes off the look.

do you dress according to classic american style?

--WHO IS HANNELI MUSTAPARTA?--

i stumbled across hanneli's site a little while ago and loved her quirky style. she's gorgeous and fun and i love visiting her blog. you can visit her too at www.hanneli.com

here is an interview hanneli did with guestofaguest.com and a few images of her.

image from elle norway

How long have you been New York and what part of town do you live in ?
I moved to New York in 2004 and lived here for a year. Then I went back to Norway for a week just to see my family before going to Milan for work. While home I met the guy that a month later would be my boyfriend , and the love of my life. Now we have been together for 3.5 years, so I moved back home and took a break from modeling and started studying. Now we commute between Norway and New York for months at a time. I feel like we get the best out of both places. We rent for now, and I love getting to know the different neighborhoods in the city. My favorites so far would be the west village and the lower east. Least favorite would be Midtown.

What do you do for employment?
I used to model with Supreme models and later Ford models, but to be able to start a career with something else I found I had to quit completely, so I could use my time to start to pursue something for my future. Modeling in New York takes up so much time, castings take forever and it’s hard to plan anything else as work comes suddenly or in periods. In Norway I get direct bookings which makes it easier to concentrate on other things. Now I want to assist fashion photographers.I have assisted one already and I love it! It feels great learning something I have always loved and to actually get my fingers dirty. I’m used to being the first to leave a studio after work, now I’m the last, as assistants have to do back ups and collect the photographer’s equipment.

I was kind of thrown into modeling, it was never my dream to be one, but when I got my chance I really made myself deserve it. I have worked very hard and given it my all and have had so much fun with it. I think modeling gives amazing work ethics, cause you don’t go home before it’s perfect. I have a blog and I also write for a fashion web-site connected to my blog - lola.no. I’m a columnist for Norwegian Cosmopolitan, also I do styling jobs. I’m a true multi tasker. I guess that if you love something within fashion, the limits of it all aren’t that hard to cross, especially when I have worked for eight years as a model. You can pick up so much, cause you just sit there and get pampered and pick up tons of tricks and dos and don’ts.

image from fmd

What are your some of your favorite spots around town….restaurants, shops, clubs bars?
I love the food at Mr. Chow, I even think about their chicken sticks with peanut buttery gravy while in Norway and sometimes it hurts not being able to get it when I want it. I love the Shepards pie at Balthazar and the Papardelle they serve at Bar Pitti. I shop at Popette, the vintage store on the east side where my last purchase was a pair of vintage Jean Paul Gaultier high-high waisted suit pants.I love Number (N)ine in Tribeca, it’s a Japanese designer with a very cool store, I drink and dance at Rose bar and 1Oak.

How did you get into blogging and how long have you been doing it?
I was asked by the founders of lola.no if I wanted to fashion blog for them, we had the very same view on how we wanted to do things and what we wanted to write about and therefore I said yes. I don’t think I would ever have started a blog on my own. To sit at home and just feel like my life is so interesting, so I should share it with the world is far away from who I am. In Norway there is a saying/unwritten rule everyone is raised by and goes by, which is called “Jantelov” (Jante Law). It is a social attitude and a way Norwegians look at each other. It consists of ten rules which all go by the variations of “Don’t think you’re anything special or that you are better than us”. It sits deeply and it’s hard to run away from. That’s why as a Norwegian it feels so good to be in another country. Especially New York. This stupid rule makes most Norwegians very humble- too humble, and it often makes life more difficult. A half year back I wrote an e-mail to a broker about an apartment me and my boyfriend were interested in renting in New York. She wanted me to write a short bio of ourselves. It was so hard and it took me an entire evening to write it because it was so hard for me to “brag” of our achievements. I did it eventually and it made me think how crazy Janteloven is. It was easy to say yes to the blogging with the back up of someone who believed in me.

image property of hanneli mustaparta

Do you Model in the US as well as Norway?
I did it in the US until April 08. My last job before i decided to quit was an international TV commercial for John Frieda, brilliant brunette shampoo and conditioner. I rarely watch TV so I haven’t seen it myself on TV yet. Fortunately it’s on the directors web page, ChrisApplebaum.com, I would still model if I didn’t have to go to all the castings. I love being in front of the camera, I love cooperating with the photographer to get the best possible shot and to be able to meet and work with so many amazing and creative people.

What are your style inspirations?
Oooh anything really. I pick up stuff from old ladies, as you know Ari, older people are so creative and inspirational. Since I started blogging, I had to start to check out other blogs, it’s a big blogger world out there so I probably pick up inspiration there. An I love just entering a thrift store and for instance find a typical trashy item from the 80’s and style it with something unsuspected from a different era and make it something new and unseen. I adore Chloé Sevigny, her style is very unpredictable. She is quirky-beautiful and I love that she never fell into the temptation of getting sickly skinny even if she is in the spotlight. She looks radiant and healthy, and I’m waiting for the new season of Big Love.

image property of hanneli mustaparta

Can you name a few favorite new york moments?
This summer I passed a homeless person, she looked so warm, sad and dirty. I had a fresh and cold yummy apple straight from my fridge in my bag, so I turned around and asked if she wanted it? She looked offended, shook her head and made a face. Very New York! Ha ha. I love hailing cabs like in the movies, whistling loud and they stop in an instant, I almost want to do it without needing one.

Being snapped by Scott Schuman aka The Sartorialist and Bill Cunningham during NY fashion week.
One time I was at a party downtown, It wasn’t long after arriving to New York for the first time. There were no cabs and it was so late that no car services picked up the phone. I had no idea on how to get home. I asked a guy that exited the same party if I could borrow his phone cause mine was dying,. He turns around and shouts to his friend ” Hey! Milla! Give me your phone!” She throws it to him, he gives it to me and I realize that I’m using Milla Jovovich’s phone. She is the most beautiful woman and I have loved her since I saw “Fifth Element”. No one picked up, so I hung up and told her I adore her while I was jumping and giggling,that she’s amazing. She asked me if I got a car, since I didn’t she asked where I lived,.At the time I Iived in the Meatpacking area, so she said they could take me there with her limo. It was my first time in a limo which was pretty cool and to be in one together with her made it insanely cool.

--MY FAVE THINGS FOR SUMMER--

as many of you know, everytime a new season comes i put together a little grouping of things that i am loving for the season. this summer is no exception!

if you can't tell from this little collage, i'm loving ruffles, color and a relaxed fit in clothes. i absolutely love the beautiful blue color, the ruffles and the stud details on the shay todd neilhead ruffled bikini. it's $200 from netaporter. yes...$200.

the marc by marc jacobs day lily cotton dress is so fab. it's very well made and i love the asymmetric shoulder work. it looks like dark denim but it's really a navy cotton eyelet overlay over a lighter sheath. this dress is so fancy for day and great for night. ohhhh it would look so good on me.

lanvin makes such pretty things, and this beautiful tangerine/melon mini pop bag is no exception. i love the shape, the fabric, the closure and the strap on this bag. it's so perfect! it's small and beautiful.

rompers and playsuits are so fun. the safest choice is in black, so i think if i get one it'll be in black or a darker color. the theory ardenia cotton blend playlist from netaporter is a nice option.

i love tulip skirts. i don't think i have one though...this thread social silk tulip mini skirt belongs in my closet. it would look so good with a white top and a blazer. can you imagine it? just imagine....just imagine...

diane von furstenberg makes such fab floaty tops and dresses. i love her esperanza silk chiffon top. bright teal gladiators are something you don't see too often. be original, pick up these cute dolce vita sandals. instead of opting for dark sunnies try out something bright, these look marni inspired: butterfly sunglasses for $5.80 from forever21.com.

i have veryyyy few eyeshadows and i'd love to jumpstart my collection with the widely loved and greatly pigmented 2nd edition 120 color palette from bhcosmetics.com. everyone who gets this palette loves it. high quality by far!

lastly i really want the dolce & gabbana light blue fragrance. i heard it makes boys go wild. ;) hahahahaha!

--FASHION NEWS--

- gucci and versace won't be doing big resort presentations like chanel. the people at gucci and versace say that resort collections are strictly commercial and donatella says that a big production ruins the commerical moment. donatella also says that she'd like to do a virtual runway show because versace needs "to find a new formula".

- agyness deyn wants to quit modelling and become an actress! hmmm...let's see if it works.

- alexander wang's star is still rising. he won the swarovski womenswear award at the CFDA awards and is being discussed as a good investment among financial gurus.

- natalia vodianova is on a 3 year contract to design lingerie for etam and is also designing for lutz & patmos's pre-spring 2010 collection. we know natalia is a good model, is she a good designer too?

- are platforms a thing of the past? carine roitfeld was spotted at cannes in flats (she wears heels 97% of the time it seems!), and many designers have featured flats in their collections. i like flats AND platforms. i don't want to see either go out of style. especially platforms since i haven't worn all of mine yet....

- vera wang may be dancing with the stars! you might be seeing vera wang shake her groove thang on the september 21st premiere. i'm excited to see her! you knew she was/is a figure skater...so this isn't totally impossible.

--OUR NEW TOP TEN BEST DRESSED CELEBS!--

are you excited to see who is now on the list as our top ten best dressed celebs? oh you don't have to scream, i know you are. ;]

Molly Sims
this is her first time on the list but she so deserves this spot. she, like so many ladies who have been on this list in the past, always looks so impeccable. she is very consistent with her style and she is not praised enough for looking so good everywhere she goes!

Carine Roitfeld
i love this lady: she always takes fashion risks that pay off. and for her, they are not fashion risks--the pieces she chooses to wear are just part of what she loves to wear. she also has such an infectious smile!

Michelle Obama
Her style is timeless, innovative, and most importantly...interesting!

Selita Ebanks
She is one of my favorite models. she is so beautiful. in this picture she's not wearing any makeup and yet she's able to match the dazzling beauty of her balmain dress. i feel she doesn't get enough attention for her style choices, and hopefully people will start paying more attention to her.

Kerry Washington
Congratulations Kerry! You are a repeat! I think this is just her second time on the list...it's either the second or the third...but anyway, she more than deserves to be on this list. she is so beautiful and has great style. she's able to wear elegant, classic glam pieces as well as more edgy ensembles. she's totally rocking her louis vuitton top in this picture.

Annalynne McCord
i don't watch 90210, but i have been watching annalynne! she has great style and she's captivating and so sexy on the red carpet. i hope she keeps it up.

Thandie Newton
thandie is always dressed well. it's just a given that she's going to look beautiful everytime she steps out.

Evan Rachel Wood
Evan has just recently become stylish it seems. i love her new sophisticated (but never boring) style of dressing. it really becomes her.

Emanuelle Alt
if carine's on the list, of course emanuelle has to be on it. she is the queen of cool casual dressing, and she sure does look good in black.

Dree Hemingway
Dree is totally captivating and has just recently burst onto the fashion scene. i'm loving what i've seen and i want to see more of her!

that's it for the magazine entry! i hope you enjoyed reading it. please leave comments and continue to visit my site, i really appreciate all of the support!

the first lady + dolce and gabbana?

2009-06-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

a first lady hasn't worn dolce & gabbana before, and i'm not sure if any other lady in the political limelight has worn dolce & gabbana before either. if one has...please inform me.

dolce & gabbana is a brand built on sex appeal, glamour and a slight edge of fantastical delusion (the kind of delusion experienced after partying for long periods of time). it's understandable that a first lady or any other female political figure would not want to be associated with that for fear of looking disrespectful, misrepresenting her husband, etc. (really, there is so much that people in the political world worry about and they want to keep up appearances).

however, i feel that this dolce and gabbana sleeveless silk blend dress is incredibly modest and still communicates a quiet sexiness. i love the color, the cut and those fabulous pockets. the exposed zipper at the back is a great touch too. i think that the first lady, michelle obama, would look great in this.

there have been complaints that she wears way too many cardigans. i'm sure if she wore this, it would look great with a cardigan--but it would be clean, simple, classic, and a great display of her shoulders if she wore it without a cardigan.

this dress can be purchased for $495 from netaporter.

school bites, that's why you need a good skincare routine

2009-06-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
I'm still working on the magazine entry....let's all hope that this works out. *nervous laugh*
Anyway...my summer semester started this week. I can't tell you enough how unenthusiastic I am about this. I don't have any of the books I need, I'm definitely not in school mode...but whatever, I'm going to tough this out and just get it over with! I'm getting all of the hard stuff out of the way.

So while I've been working on the magazine entry, and stressing about school, and eating way too much food I've also been getting steadily more and more obsessed with makeup and skincare. My Mom always stressed to me how important it was to take care of my skin, but I've recently gotten obsessive about it in the last 2 or 3 years. And I've been watching makeup and skincare videos and I have a skincare routine that hasn't made my pores any less gigantic, but definitely leaves my skin clean and soooooooo soft. My face is so baby soft, it's unbelievable. I daydreamed for a little bit one day and when I snapped back into reality I realized I had been stroking my face. Creepy...but, it's nice to know that I have baby soft skin!

I have oily skin (not too oily, but just enough to not be considered dry or combination or normal) and I learned that the best thing to cleanse oily skin is actually an oil cleanser. I don't have any oil cleansers, but the next thing closest to that is the Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream that I have. It has a lot of natural oils in its' ingredient list. I learned that I had been using the cream cleanser wrong. I was using it as a soap and I would wet it and rub it between my hands and then slather it on my face and wash it off.

I learned that for the cleanser to be effective I had to massage it into my face (especially the congested areas like your chin or the t-zone area) and then bring up the oils with water and a soft washcloth. I don't have a facial washcloth because I like using my hands so I clean off the residue of the cream cleanser with Phisoderm's Anti-blemish gel facial wash. Gel facial washes are veryyyy good for oily skin and the combo of the cream cleanser with the gel wash really leaves my skin clean. I've never felt my skin this clean before. It is recommended to use a toner to roung out your cleansing routine but I'm too lay to buy a toner. Rose water and Witchhael are recommended. Toners with alcohol are too stripping. When I get a toner I'll tell you how that works out for me.

I also exfoliate twice a week and use a pore cleansing mask twice a week. I use L'oreal Active Daily Moisture Lotion for all skin types and CG Smoothers Aqua tinted moisturizer every morning and PreVentin-AT Skin Brightener for the Face every night.

Having relatively good skin is amazing. It gives you confidence and it's nice not to have to worry about your face all the time. Us girls have too many things to worry about.

Alright...so...I received another award! I can't believe it, I feel so loved.

Thanks so much to Halie at http://www.archivingfashion.wordpress.com/ for the award.

The rules: 1. Put the award in a post as soon as you receive it. 2. Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award. 3. Answer the award’s question by writing why you love blogging. 4. Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like. 5. Don’t forget to notify the award receivers by commenting on their blogs.

Why do I love blogging? I love blogging because I love writing and I get to write about whatever I want to on my blog. One of my greatest loves is fashion. I love the art of enhancing people's natural beauty through clothes and I loved seeing well dressed people. Blogging allows me to meet interesting, beautiful (inside and out), and motivated people and is a great escape from my daily trials.

I'm tagging:

CoutureCarrie

MahaloFashion

InsideMode

WithAsianStereotypes

I'm too lazy to make links...google them! they're famous :)

thank you!

2009-05-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

thank you to the amazing blogger over at http://www.thefatandskinnyonfashion.com/!
she has bestowed an amazing award upon me and i feel incredibly flattered :)
thank you so much! i'm definitely going to pass this award on, but i don't know who to give it to yet. i've got to think aout it....:)

pinched from olsens anonymous

2009-05-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

i really love ashley olsen. you just don't understand. i saw this on olsens anonymous and i was pleasantly surprised, and i decided that i had to share it with you all.
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Ashley Olsen stripped down to strike a few moody poses for the upcoming Summer issue of V MAN, which hits newsstands this Thursday. She chatted with Marc Jacobs about her forthcoming men's collection for The Row, and the two designers also touched on her work ethic and the differences between her and Mary-Kate.

On doing a "celebrity line": "The way I look at it, I had a career as a child. I had a career in an industry in which the media kind of. . . they're obsessed with the young girl thing. But when I turned 18, I moved to New York, and I haven't really done anything to be a celebrity. I've been transitioning from acting as a kid to doing something that I'm choosing for myself — to be a part of the fashion industry. . . the outside perception is very different because you do have celebrity brands, people like Jessica Simpson and Kimora Lee Simmons, and those are celebrity brands because they have their names on them."

On working with Mary-Kate: "The Row is really something that I'm doing while my sister still wants to focus on acting. She's my partner in The Row, but she trusts me with the every day. I mean, I see her like ten times a day."

On being different from her twin sister: "When I was 14, 15, 16, 17, it was harder because the two of us were still very similar. We had to work through what's special about us, and then the media had to work through it. . . I've never been one to engage the media to say that I'm different. I actually did the opposite and I totally went internal. I was like, "See y'all!" I want to be behind the scenes, and I don't want people to know anything about my personal life. I have a job, I take it very seriously, and I work really hard."

working on the magazine entry

2009-05-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

hey all,
sorry for the lack of updates and sorry in advance for the lack of updation there will be for this week. i'm working on the magazine entry for fashionforwarddd's two year anniversary (i've been fashion blogging since june 17, 2007. it started on xanga and now i update fashionforwarddd on xanga AND on blogspot) and it takes time to do that. so it's hard to update regularly and work on this big entry. on top of that, i've been getting out more (woohoo!) and as a result i've been feeling somewhat lethargic sometimes. so...just sit tight! thanks for all of the comments lately. i really appreciate them.
♥ me

picture from www.xanga.com/fabfash

survey and fashion news

2009-05-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

i got this amazing survey from the enthralling carrie at couturecarrie.blogspot.com
check her out! she is so sweet :)
after the survey read up on some fashion news that is included at the end if this post.
also, thank you for your comments. i love them!
♥ me

SURVEY!

Who is your favorite designer? i love vera wang's bridal collections and as of late i've fallen head over heels for giambattista valli, the ladies of marchesa, matthew williamson, and i love the creativity of marc jacobs and the inventiveness of karl lagerfeld. i can name so much more but i've already overstepped this question, seeing as how they asked for a favorite designer and i've listed designers.

giambattista valli
matthew williamson

If you could come back as a dress, what would it be? i love this dress that michelle yeoh just wore to the "broken embraces" premiere at the cannes film festival.

picture courtesy redcarpet-fashionawards.com

If you could come back as a model, who would it be? yordanos teshager! she is simply gorgeous. beautiful! radiant! perfect! can i gush enough?

yordanos teshager

Junk food? vitner's hot crunchy cheese curls

What are you most vain about? my face...and my huge pores, but it never looks right. :P

What are you most shy about? being a bit hairy on my arms. but i'm not too shy about it, i actually don't care too much, only occasionally.

If you could come back with someone else’s body, whose would it be? daria werbowy's of course!

Who are your fantasy dinner-party guests? carine roitfeld, dree hemingway, ashley olsen, rachel roy, alexander wang, robert pattinson, chanel iman...yup, that sounds like a good party.

Fantasy celebrity one-night stand? robert pattinson.

Favorite place to have a drink? i don't drink alcoholic beverages...yet.

Underwear? i'm not obsessed with what brand of underwear i have, but i like the victoria's secrets brief cuts that i have, and i like boyshort underwear as well.

What can’t you travel without? deodorant, hair products, brush/comb, clothes, phone

Last book you read? right now i'm reading the amber spyglass by philip pullman. i can't remember what i read before that...i finished the twilight series...but that was a while ago.

At age seven, you wanted to be . . . a writer. :)

What’s the thing you find easiest to forgive? mistakes made once, twice, or thrice... and stupid stuff, like burping or farting in my presence. ahahaha. :)

What’s the thing you find impossible to forgive? consistently canceling plans with me. horrible crimes and violence. lying constantly.

Biggest self-indulgence? the copius amounts of time that i spend on the computer...i really need help!

Favorite place to shop [brick and mortar]? thrift stores, forever 21

Favorite place to shop online? gojane.com

Whose diary would you most like to read? anna wintour's.

Least favorite food? soul food greens doused in strange liquids.

If you were an inventor, what would you invent? a small water purifier that could be attached to city mainline water pumps or well pumps or home water pipes that could easily purify water anywhere, so that everyone everywhere had clean water.

Who are your favorite furniture designers? i'm not that into furniture but i think ethan allen makes cool stuff.

Car? the mini cooper is just so cute. most german cars are amazing.

What was your childhood nickname? zo zo...i might have had other ones, but i can't remember. :)

When and where are you happiest? somewhere clean, sunny and warm. whether i'm alone reading a book or surrounded with friends and laughing the day away.

What piece of art would you most like to own? i don't know...i think i would like to own a really expensive instrument. like, yoyo ma's cello.

What are your favorite vacation spots? anywhere warm and sunny with a cool breeze.

Most treasured possession? my life and relationship with God.

Favorite fictional character? Harriet the Spy and the cast from that cartoon 'Hey Arnold!'

Favorite musicians? Kanye West, Coldplay, Beyonce, Bach

If you had another profession beside your own, what would it be? i'm a student right now, but i would love to the head of a major fashion magazine or a famous fashion stylist

What trends would you like to see dissappear? dressing like lady gaga

Favorite trend of all time? high heels

Always...be yourself!
Never... be jealous of someone or try to hurt them (or forget who your real friends are)!

FASHION NEWS!

Tamara Mellon of Jimmy Choo is no longer the designer at Halston. She has been replaced by Marios Schwab who says he is excited to head Halston and will still be running his namesake line.
Models like Anja Rubik, Sessilee Lopez, and Emina Cunmulaj were in Vienna to take part in the 2009 Life Ball AIDS Charity Spectacular. The venue was surrounded by 2.5 million liters of water for the marine themed party.... i'm sorry, but that sounds really wasteful. oh well.
Go on youtube and search for Anna Wintour on 60 minutes! I didn't get to watch the original viewing but I will watch it now--I've heard it is an eye-opening segment.
Lara Stone, the sex bomb of fashion, is searching for a boyfriend--that was one of the tidbits of information that came out of the sensational Chanel Paris-Venice Cruise 2010 collection that was shown recently.

i hope you all enjoyed the entry. ta ta.

i love this dress

2009-05-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

...just wanted you all to know that.
♥ me

i love the beautiful shimmery nude/champagne color of this dress and the one shouldered cut, and the sexy short length. it's so on trend, but at the same time it has a touch of class to it. it shows skin, but it's not showing cleavage...it's just perfect! i could see this as looking really interesting if it was odified into a gown as well. i think the color of this piece could be flattering to a lot of skintones, and the beading detail is exquisite.

this is the second time i've featured an herve leger piece on my blog. i guess i'm an herve leger girl at heart...(but one of the classier ones of course).

memories made in the coldest wintour

2009-05-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

anna wintour and i have something in common!
she's been recently quoted as saying that she loves to wear sunglasses outdoors as well as indoors. she says that she can "sit through a show bored out of my mind and not have anyone notice." she also says, "they have become armor".

i love sunglasses for the same reason. not only do they protect your eyes from the sun, they protect them from other people! people can tell how you feel by looking at your eyes, but if your eyes are concealed no one knows if you're asleep, awake, or if you have a bunch of old eye makeup on your face. i ride the train and bus a lot and i love to have my sunglasses on so no one can see my eyes. then i can just have a vacant expression and stare at nothing and not seem strange, or i can stare at people who look interesting and not have them look up or stare back. and even if they do look up at me, i don't care-- because i have sunglasses. :)

Forever 21 loves Alexander Wang

2009-05-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

forever 21 is a really popular store because it is relatively cheap and offers trendy, chic, and fashionable clothes. they often take inspiration from major designers and produce similar looks for their stores. most recently forever 21 has started providing long silver chains, black leather bags with long straps, fringed black high heel open toe booties, and mini dresses. sounds like alexander wang right? here is their most recent product that was inspired by dear alexander.
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on the alexander wang fall 2008 runway chanel iman pounded down the runway in this beautiful taupe and black v neck dress with all over ruching. for mesh overlay sweater dress for $34 from forever 21 isn't an exact copy, but the color scheme, length and ruching is similar. i like both dresses. even though they are similar they both have their own feel but are both undeniably cool.

forever 21 also produced shoes similar to the ones on alexander wang's spring 2009 runway but when i looked for them on the site i didn't see them. you can view and purchase them in stores though. i am not sure of the price.

thanks for reading! toodles :)

shoe lust list

2009-05-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

i've recently developed a pure, passionate and frightening obsession with shoes. here are only but a few of the some of the shoes i'm loving right now.
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if you want to view the image larger i think you can click on it and it expands.

i first saw these alaia brown laceup gladiators on sxy fashion queen's blog, as she wrote about how lindsay lohan has been wearing them everywhere and more recently rihanna has been sighted in them. i absolutely love these. they can really dress up a casual outfit and make you look so unique. these are very feminine and delicate along with being so strong and sexy at the same time. i'm really appreciating alaia at the moment (not his costume institute gala drama though).

pour la victoire makes great shoes and i love their creamy ella zip ruffle flat sandals. i love the big zipper edged frill and the nudey/creamy color. these are so girly! love love love them.

i'm really loving nude shoes right now...forgive me! and these tapeet open toe pumps with neon heel from shopbop are so cool! the heel comes in neon orange or a bright neon lime green. i love the classic cut of the shoe and the fact that they made it more youthful and more interesting by adding that brightly colored heel. ingenious!

alexander mcqueen is proving to be quite the shoe genious. i love classic pumps, and instead of getting them in black (though i really do need some normal black pumps) i'd get them in this bright pink hue. i love this color so much, and my feet would look so good in these pink patent platform pumps which are $860 from netaporter.com. i love the dominatrix look of his metallic leather shoe boots. they could really spice up a simple black and white outfit....they could pull any outfit together really.

the christian louboutin suede multi strap deva sandals are just too good to be true....maybe that's why they're so expensive. le sigh.

i could definitely rock those jean-michel cazabat christa cutout laceup pumps daily. they are simple shoes, and yet are still fashionable because of the strategic cutouts, the slightly conish heel and the beautiful suede the shoe is crafted out of.

i'm really loving fringe, and instead of slipping on flats or slip on sneakers the mia women's taboo fringed flat boot for $43.97 (cheapest shoe on the list) from endless.com would be great to put on with jeans, a skirt, a dress, for when i need to dash out of the door.

there are many more shoes that could find a place on the list, but i just wanted to share a few with you. do you love shoes as much as me? it's getting so bad now that my mom is asking me to give away shoes (but i don't have as many as other people's shoe collections i've seen on here. my shoe collection is like a pea compared to the forest of shoes i've seen on the fashion blogosphere). i'm going to try and reign in my obsession for shoes though, if i bought all the ones i wanted...number 1--i'd be more broke than i am now and number 2--i would have no space in my house, and i wouldn't even be able to wear them all. :)

well, i'm supposed to be studying. toodles.

Belles of the Ball

2009-05-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week the much anticipated Costume Institute Gala or Met Ball took place. The theme this year was "Models as Muse". Starting in mid-2008 and continuing into 2009 models have been a source of immense fascination, especially the supermodels of the 90s, such as naomi campbell, christy turlington, linda evangelista (the trinity) and cindy crawford, shalom harlow, amber valleta...the list goes on. In attendance were many dazzling models, as well as our favorite celebrities. There are many posts in the fashion blogosphere about this star studded occasion, and I wanted to add my few opinions to the pool of thoughts on the Met Ball. Here are the gals that I thought deserved the join title of Belle of the Ball.
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first i must say that i wholeheartedly love every look that i've put in this entry. for each girl i saw walking down the red carpet i was literally jumping out of my skin with excitement. they all looked so riveting, and so beautiful, and were all able to showcase different facets of style. one of the first ladies i fell in love with at the ball was marion cotillard. marion knows how it feels to look amazing on the red carpet, she's done it many times before, and on this red carpet she really shone. i love the nude color of her christian dior dress and the beautiful iridescent details on the bodice.

anne hathaway looked like a barbie in marc jacobs. i didn't know what she was going to wear to the met ball, but i'm happy with what she chose to show up in. marc jacobs' fall 2009 collection was heavily 80s inspired, and most of the pieces were out there, but anne makes this work and just adds such glamour, sophistication and sex appeal to it. i love her hair. not many people could wear this style now and get away with it.

kerry washington was so eccentrically cute in louis vuitton. i loved the LV fall 2009 collection (jacobs is a genius!), and i'm so happy she was able to pull this off.

lou dillon was absolutely ravishing in nina ricci. again, i loved the nina ricci fall 2009 collection and i'm so glad to see a piece from this on the red carpet! lou is obviously not trying too hard to look cool, but she looks cool, beautiful, radiant, and every other positive adjective in this dress. :)

liv tyler and kate hudson both came to the ball in shimmering pieces by stella mccartney. liv looked like an absolute amazonian princess and kate looked cute, sunny and playful--as always.

vera wang has been one of my favorite designers since i was a young girl (i'm talking about 9-12 yrs old...i'm still pretty young, but you know what i mean!)...however, i always noticed that whenever she walked the red carpet at events she looked either boring or absolutely horrendous. this might by the first time that vera wang actually looked absolutely beautiful in one of her creations. she chose an amazing beautiful blush pink dress, and i love her makeup and her hairstyle. she always wears it hanging down and i love this side pony.

alek wek knocked it out of the ballpark in this emanuel ungaro. i LOVE this color. i want that dress (and alek wek's height wouldn't hurt either!).

i'm not the biggest blake lively fan. that's mostly because she dresses as well as serena is style on the gg....but i thnk she looks like a total GLAMAZON here! she looks AMAZING. some people said this look is too overtly sexy, and she's trying to hard, and blah blah blah. she totally pulled this look off, not many women can look this great in a dress that shows so much. i love this look! you go blake! oh, and she's wearing versace.

magdelena frackowiak was absolutely stunning in this blue violet thakoon creation. from the little piece of the fashion world that i get to peruse through magazines and fashion blogs i've noticed that although models are supposed to be the most beautiful women in the world, on the red carpet they always look absolutely atrocious, wearing the most outlandish things and never styling their hair. i'm happy to say that at this ball most of the models looked fantastic and mag was one of them.

if you ask me who my favorite olsen twin is i always answer ashley. however, my fave olsen twin at this event was mary-kate. she looked like a beautiful punk victorian couture doll. i absolutelty love the design, color, and handiwork on her christian lacroix haute couture masterpiece. i love her makeup, and her slightly ratty hair. at this event, i really want the wow factor. ashley wore a clean white gown from the row...and it was decent, but mary-kate really had some oomph in her look. this has got to be one of my favorite mary-kate looks ever.

i started getting obsessed with oluchi onweagba ever since i read an article on her in a recent vogue issue. my obsession continues as i am completely awestruck looking at her in this oscar de la renta gown. she just looks so good. i don't know what else to say!

dr. lisa airan is working it in balmain. she is so wearing this dress and not letting it wear her. i love her fashion versatility.

aerin lauder zinterhofer, much like vera wang, works in the fashion industry (more specifically the beauty industry as head of estee lauder) but doesn't turn out very stylish looks. i was pleasantly surprised when i saw this image of her looking like a vision in a peachy gown by j. mendel.

oh sessilee...let's be best friends. i absolutely adore sessilee lopez in this zac posen gown. she is another model who knows how to dress for events (at least for this one). the various colors in the gown work so well with her warm brown skintone. i love her shoes and her sweet smile.

caroline trentini looks like an angel goddess in this john galliano ensemble. i don't think i've ever seen her look so beautiful.

miranda kerr is tastefully sexy in this jil sander piece. i love the fringing, and the cut-outs on this dress. this is proof that black doesn't have to mean boring!

dree hemingway just looks so cool in alexander wang.

katie lee joel is an absolute vision in vintage alfred bosand. i'm loving this nude trend, because everyone has a nudish color that looks great on them.

arlenis sosa (another model that knows how to dress for events) is absolutely smashing in her alberta ferretti frock with her megawatt smile.

kate beckinsale in marchesa was one of my top best dressed of the night because i adore that marchesa gown, and she really worked it. the model who showcased this dress at the marchesa presentation looked horrible in it but kate really made this gown her own and wore it with such grace and savvy.

gisele is ultra cute and ultra sassy in versace creation, it goes so well with her slight tan.

jessica alba looked really cute in this jason wu dress. jason wu is so having a moment right now!

what do you think of my list? i worked on this instead of studying for my finals...so show me some love guys! leave comments, i love to read them and they make me happy.

rogue rouge

2009-05-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

like the title? i do too!
anyway, i decided to post this because red lipstick seems to have been everywhere lately. ever since jen brill came on the seen with her eternally red lips, it seemed all the girls on the late night scene wanted their lips blood red as well. we've seen the red lip done at a myriad of fashion shoes, in a slew of fashion editorials and on the high heel clad girls downtown. are you curious about trying this look? the look is appealing to me, but i'm not ready for it yet. before i jump into the world of sexy red lips i'm going to do some research. in order to get the perfect red look you need to take your skintone into account. here are some great options that i found.
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the lip of luxury lipstick in drop dead red by too faced is drop dead gorgeous. it goes on smooth and has a diamond shine. it's perfect for romantic evenings out or fancy events. this color is best for people with lighter skin with pink undertones. you can get it for $18 from freepeople.com. i think a large part of the price is accounted for by the fact that it contains champagne essences. i wonder if you wore it enough, if it would be possible for you to get drunk? farfetched...but you never know!

IMAN Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick in Iman Red 005 is an excellent choice for those with darker medium to dark skin. as you can see in the swatch above, it is a very warm red. but what i like about it is that it is still a true red. it's not too orangey or pinky, it's a pure warm red. there aren't a lot of makeup lines that cater to women of color, but i think Iman did a great thing by formulating a makeup line for women of color. believe it or not, women of color aren't just black women--they're indian, chinese, pakistani, hispanic--they're from island nations, from africa, etc. it's very hard to get all of those different skintones into a bottle, so i'm definitely an advocate for more specialty makeup lines! ok...that's my little spiel...on to the next shades...

Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lipstick is relatively cheap and has three good red shades for various skintones. poppy red is a less intense, muted red for those with light to light medium skintones. the red isn't too intense, so it'll leave your lips looking flushed. cherry twist is a glamorous red for light to medium skintones. it seems to have a slight blue undertones, so it would really pop on people with very warm, orangey/yellowy color in their skin. pomegranate is a beautiful red that reminds me of the sauce on pizza, and it looks just as yummy! this shade would be great for darker medium to dark skintones because it could bring out the gold and bronzey undertones in those complexions.

Luxury for Lips Moisture Rich Lipcolor from Kohl's also has three shades for different skintones. rose wonder is a sheer red that's good for lighter skintones, but could work as a nude color on darker skintones. nantucket red is definitely on the berry side, but would be a snazzy red option for darker skintones, and probably wouldn't require the wearing of lipliner. siren red is great for light to medium/dark skintones. i love it's bright hue.

other red lipsticks that i've heard are popular are from kevyn aucoin, sheseido and givenchy. so if you're willing to shell out a lot of cash you can look into those brands. :)

random fashion news

2009-05-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

hi all,
hope everything is going well for you.
feast your eyes on some fashion tidbits.
♥ me

MAJOR LONDON FASHION SHOOT
it is now evident that sessilee lopez, chanel iman, jourdan dunn, and arlenis sosa pena (some of my favoriteeee models!) were involved in a major fashion shoot in london. there is speculation that this shoot can be for the cover or editorial pages of a vogue magazine, love magazine or for i-D's 300th issue. remember that all black italia magazine from last summer? this can prove to be even as momentous! all of the models involved seem excited and i am too.

sessilee lopez arlenis sosa

ADRIANA LIMA: HIGH FASHION MODEL
adriana lima is more known for baring her amazing body for victoria's secret catalogues, advertisements and fashion shows. however, she is ready to move on from that period of her modeling career. she has recently appeared in fashion editorials in popular fashion magazines and has scored shoots with vogue paris and love. she even walked in the givenchy fall 2009 show (remember how excited i was for that?) and might be one of the girls in the givenchy fall 2009 campaign! you go adriana!

PETER COPPING REPLACES OLIVIER THEYSKENS AT NINA RICCI
i'm really going to miss olivier theyskens working at nina ricci. i really liked his clothes and his creative vision. peter copping looks incredibly boring, but hopefully he proves me wrong.

this is his course of action for nina ricci:

“I think it’s a name with a very nice history. I love all the French fashionisms, and Nina Ricci is very much a French house . . . We want to move away from a girl and be more about a woman. I want the clothes to be very tactile, very luxurious — the kind of clothes a woman enjoys wearing, and with attention to detail, which is something I learned at Vuitton.”

ALEXANDER WANG + GAP!

in the past gap has paired up with cfda fashion fund winners or runners up, whether it was to create basic white shirts or other gap merchandise. this time they are pairing up with the man of the moment alexander wang. he will be revamping khaki pieces. already he has crafted a khaki motorcycle jacket that will sell for under $100, and i'm very excited to see how it looks.

scintillating sunnies

2009-04-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

sunglasses are amazing.
1. they are a celebrity must. sunglasses protect celeb's eyes from being blinded by thousands of paparazzi bulbs flashing.
2. if you had a bad night or you're having a bad morning, sunglasses can cover up your bloodshot eyes/dark under-eye circles.
3. they make you look posh and important, or totally cool and untouchable if you get the right pair for your face shape.
4. they can make things sepia, purple, or rose toned because most of them have amazing tinted lenses.

here are a few shades that i've loving right now.
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my favorite pairs here are...well...actually...i like all of them. the proenza schouler oversized square sunglasses in white are so beautiful. i love the shape, the size, and the color. look how posh and awesome that model looks! and all it took were some proenza schouler sunglasses....sigh.

the oliver peoples chelsea sunglasses from shopbop.com are equally impressive. i love the size, the gradiated lenses, and the beautiful thin tortoiseshell frames. i love tortoiseshell, and i think these tortoiseshell frames were smoothed beautifully.

i love forever 21's fake wayfarers because they come in navy or brown, slightly unexpected shades from the usual black, and those sunglasses ads are so chic. why? in the prada ad an unusual sunglasses shape is featured, and in the chanel ad tasteful embellishment on the sunnies are used. look for shades with special touches to make you stand out from the crowd.

learn more about moi

2009-04-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

i've been tagged by the amazing CC at http://www.couturecarrie.blogspot.com/
if you ever wanted to know more about me, here is a survey that answers some questions.

What are your current obsessions?
Big bags, wayfarer like sunglasses, summer, frayed/distressed jean shorts, high heels, ankle boots.

What is your weirdest obsession?
washing my hands as much as possible, and my breath and body odor. i'm constantly paranoid that i don't smell good and since i sweat a lot (i guess it's just in my genes) i'm always worried about sweat stains on my clothes and such.

What are you wearing today?
a purple/fuschia knitted hat with a brim, a dark grey cowlneck knit top, an olive green blazer, dark wash skinny jeans and pink converse with gold heart stud earrings.

Why is today special?
because you can get a small iced coffee from dunkin donuts for 50 cents! yum. i just finished one and i have a caffeine rush.

What would you like to learn to do?
i played the cello in high school but had to stop after i graduated because buying a cello would cost a lot of money, as would continuing my lessons. i want to continue to learn to play the cello so i can be a master cellist. i'd also like to learn to swim decently. i can only propel myself underwater, but not overwater. i'd also like to learn to sew. there is so much that i'd love to learn!

What's for dinner today?
i don't know...whatever my mom makes♥!

What's the last thing you bought?
these beautiful gladiators from gojane.com.

What are you listening to right now?
the TV and my two crazy little sisters babble nonsensically.

What is your most challenging goal right now?
getting through this semester, managing this blog and getting some attention through it (i want more people to know about what interests me in fashion and find out if it interests them too), and being the best person i can be and strengthening my spirtuality and faith in God.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Carrie of http://www.couturecarrie.blogspot.com/ is such an amazing person. she has a really bright personality and thinks up the best titles for her blog entries. she is one of the nicest bloggers i've had the pleasure of erm...typing to on the world wide web!

If you could have a house, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
i would love to live somewhere where it is warm all of the time...but i think i would choose a home in Paris. i love this interior that belongs to cordelia de castellane.

picture from pointclickhome.com

What would you like to get rid of?
my brother...
hahaha, i don't really mean it, but sometimes he's so horrible that i feel like he would dissappear!

What would you like to acquire?
hmm...i don't know...maybe a treasure chest of amazing jewelry (not costume! i can get that on my own)

If you could go anywhere in the world for a week, where would you go?
somewhere tropical and beautiful! i'm from the carribbean and wish i could visit. i'd love to go to fiji i think. it sounds like a fun place.

Which language(s) do you want to learn?
i took japanese for four years in high school...and no, i don't know how to speak it. such a shame right?
i'd love to know how to speak all the languages in the world. i think the most practical to know are english (which i already know), spanish and french. so i guess i would learn spanish and french.

Who do you want to meet in person?
ROBERT PATTINSON!♥♥♥♥not only do i think he is amazingly handsome, i also think he is very intelligent and witty and has a great sense of humor. i could be wrong, but the only way to know that is to meet him!

i would also love to meet carine roitfeld, ashley olsen and selita ebanks.

What's your favorite part about the town/city you live in?
i absolutely love downtown chicago. it's amazing! i really should go down there more often. it has a mixture of high designer stores and high street stores, and lots of great museums and also i love millenium park and lake michigan.

What are your favorite pieces of clothing in your own closet?
my blazers, my grey ruched and floral appliqued dress that i wore to my high school senior luncheon and my new shoes that i haven't worn yet (grey python heels and gold gladiators).

What is your dream job?
as a top stylist (celebrity and otherwise), or the editor-in-chief or fashion director of top fashion magazines like Vogue Paris or US Vogue.

If you had $500 now, what (who) would you spend it on?
my mommy. i'd buy her anything she wanted. she deserves so much.

Fashion pet peeve?
when people latch onto trends so quickly. it's annoying...they were surviving before the trends, so why do they latch onto them so quickly? i like to examine trends and see if it can fit into my style before i go crazy and buy a bunch of new stuff. and first of all, i don't even have the money to buy like that all of the time.

Do you admire anyone's style?
i love ashley olsen's style, my mom's style, michelle obama's style, carine roitfeld's style, and all the people that i've put on my best dressed celebs right now list's style.

Whose fashion show(s) would you want tickets to?
i'd love if i could get invited to everyone--but tickets that i would HAVE to have are tickets to marc jacobs, louis vuitton, balmain, marchesa, chanel, yves saint laurent, dries van noten, thakoon, jason wu, diane von furstenburg and christian dior.

all pictures from googleimages unless stated otherwise.

i hope you enjoyed learning more about me! i tag anyone who wants to do this, i'd love to learn more about all of you and my fellow fashion bloggers! :)

get the kings of leon look

2009-04-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

one of my readers has asked me how to get a feminine kings of leon inspired look for summer. i had so much fun making this entry, because i thought that the request was such a great idea to go on. please feel free to ask me how to get any look, or just to put outfits together--because i absolutely love doing it, and sometimes it's quite difficult to think up themes on my own. hopefully you'll be inspired by the looks i've put together.
♥ me

in this collage there are three different looks. one in the upper left corner, one in the upper right corner, and one along the bottom of the graphic.

i absolutely love the look in the upper left corner. it's so gorgeous! the outfit is centered around the very feminine alice and olivia ruffle dress with raffia belt from shopbop.com. i love the green color, the ruffles all along the dress and the flirty length of the dress. every other item in this ensemble is more masculine, or at least androgynous. for a more feminine kings of leon look you should have one item that's really feminine and the others should be pieces that a boy could wear, so that you really balance the feminine items and masculine items. i paired the dress with a s.w.o.r.d lucca leather jacket, pour la victoire charlie oxford flats (so cute! it's definitely a boy piece, but it can work on girls too), and edgy accessories such as the very intrigueing alkemie jewelry bat cuff and bop bijoux fringe bracelet. i am absolutely loving fringe right now, and think that this bracelet can add an edgy yet whimsical factor to many different looks. it can be used to dress down a very put together look or used to dress up a very casual look.

the look in the upper right hand corner is definitely more boyish than feminine but the canvas band skort for $24.99 from pinkice.com is the one decidedly feminine piece. i love skorts. i always have. when i was a little girl they were one of my favorite items to wear because you got to have the cuteness of a skirt with the comfortableness of a short. stella mccartney even featured skorts in her spring 2009 collection. the punk stud denim vest is another piece i really like. i like vests, and i like studs so this piece is the best of both worlds for me! you could wear this vest to add edge to any outfit, and it adds an element of embellishment and shine to this ensemble.

the pieces on the bottom of the graphic are all from topshop.com. now that one is in new york, i will definitely be referencing topshop a lot more in my entries. i really love the zebra zoom cape tee because it's so colorful, and the myriad of colors adds some playful girlish charm to the outfit. this summer i will definitely be sporting some frayed shorts and i love stud frayed hotpant that topshop offers. finish off the look with the arizona western ankle boot, disheveled hair and a half smile and you'll definitely look like part of the band...or a very well dressed groupie.

hope you enjoyed!

products that i use daily

2009-04-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

i've never been a high maintenance girl, but as the years go on i feel the need to get more and more products to keep me looking decent. one major issue i have is with my skin, my pores are pretty big and my skin is oily on my nose, the bottom of my forehead and on my cheeks by my nose. my skin isn't horrible--i know it could be much worse. i could have chronic acne, really bad discoloration, or it could be really really dry. if you have oily skin, it's a pain now, but when you're older your skin will age better than your peers because oil supports collagen and elastin production which keeps our skin supple, plump, and looking young!

i have relaxed hair, meaning it's chemically processed to look straighter. although it's in a straighter pattern than my natural curl--it's still hard to manage because when my hair grows my roots grow in a curl pattern. so it's like i'm treating two different hair types at once! to prevent my hair from breaking too much, and looking healthy (thankfully my parents gifted me with thick, healthy hair) i use lots of conditioner. conditioning is key! often, we all use way too much shampoo and not enough conditioner.

my teeth used to be so nice and white, but then i started drinking loads of soda pop and sometimes i'd be in so much of a rush i wouldn't brush my teeth. i know, so so horrible (but at least i'm being honest here!) well, that behavior is a thing of the past. i've also gotten my teeth a bit lighter by using a certain mouthwash.

here are some of the products that i'm using right now and like. there might be better products out there for me, so share the products that you use and feel free to suggest anything!

♥ me

i bought this last month or two months ago, and it's been finished for a few weeks now. but i saved the bottle because i wanted to remember the name so i could include it in this post. it really helps to keep your breath fresh for the whole day, especially if you use it both day and night. you have to make sure to gargle it and rinse at full strength for 60 seconds. so keep it in your mouth for the whole minute. do not use it more than twice a day. it says that in 12 weeks of using it, you will notice a difference. 12 weeks is 84 days, and the bottle only has 32 days of usage in it. so...yeah, that doesn't really add up but i did notice a difference in the color of my teeth in the time i spent using it, and i will probably be using this product again.

i use these three products as well as a cvs brand pore scrub regularly on my face. i use the neutrogena clear pore cleanser/mask only as a mask twice a week. i just bought the burt's bees deep cream cleanser last week because i read that soap doesn't fully clean your face (only the surface) and that you need a milky cleanser to really deep clean your pores. so i was thinking--maybe that's why my pores are so dirty/big, because i've only been using soaps. i used to only use the clean & clear foaming facial cleanser, and i like it because it's pretty gentle and it keeps pimples at bay. now i use it before my mask or after my cream cleanser. i just use the pore scrub alone in the morning. i think i have a slight allergic aversion to the burt's bees cream cleanser but i feel good knowing that the cleanser i'm using is all natural. after i use it i get a few bumps from some slight irritation, but i think that's because my skin isn't used to burt's bees natural goodness!

to moisturize i use a covergirl tinted moisturizer with l'oreal's active daily moisturizer. both have spf 15. spf is important for ALL skintones, because anyone can get skin cancer--contrary to popular belief. and even if you don't get skin cancer, being exposed to the sun without any protection causes wrinkles to set in early and can also promote discoloration of your skin. i use a lacura eye gel to moisturize my eyes. it's actually a beauty brand from aldi. it's cheap, but effective. i don't have a real night cream, i use a therapeutic moisturizing cream from walgreens. i use a very little amount because it has a LOTTTTT of moisture, and i don't need too much, because my skin has no trouble making oil on its' own.

i never win contests. ever ever ever. i mean, like...giveaways. i have a better chance at winning contests where you have to show off a talent, or write something, but i don't get lots of freebies. whenever i do, i am amazingly ecstatic. last year was the first time i had ever gotten a freebie from a giveaway contest. i received african pride herbal healing shampoo and leave-in conditioner from www.afrobella.com. i absolutely love the leave-in conditioner. i will be purchasing it again, unless i find a better/cheaper one. it has 17 natural hebs in it, and lots of nourishing oils. it really keeps my hair manageable and keeps split ends from popping up.

after i wash my hair i like putting in garnier fructis melting masque from the strength & repair line for overly processed/damaged hair. it smells fantastic. it has avocado and apricot oil as well as a ceramide reconstructor. i leave it in for quite some time, and then rinse it out and it leaves my hair so soft! i recommend it for anyone. the leave-in conditioner is great for all types of hair except very oily hair or else it'll just weight our hair down.

i tried dionis body wash in this scent (love), and ohmygoshhh it smells AMAZING! i have an empty bottle on my desk and i can't wait until i can hold onto my money long enough to buy this gift set that comes with the body wash and lotion (each 8 ounces). it has goat's milk in it, which keeps your skin soft as well as some other natural ingredients. unfortunately, it isn't all natural...but i love it anyway.

what products do you use that work really well for you?
thanks for reading!

all pictures from google images

apology in advance

2009-04-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

i recently got a comment that pointed out to me that what i put in my profile could be found as offensive. i honestly did not mean it to be offensive to anyone who's ethnic background can be categorgized as african american. i was just trying to get out the fact that everyone who is black is not african american. people from africa are not african american, they are black africans. people who have darker skintones in south america aren't african american, they're black south americans whether they are from brazil, venezuela, what have you. everyone who appears to be african american might not be african american, they could be afro-caribbean, caribbean, spanish, w/e. i just feel that african-american is a term that is being too broadly used for anyone who happens to appear black. but i definitely didn't mean to degrade african-american's in anyway.

for the record, i was born in the caribbean. my dad is from africa, and my mom is from the caribbean. so logically, it is evident that i am not american in any shape or form so that is why i put that in my profile. but really, it doesn't matter. so...i'm going to change my profile info, just so i don't offend anyone on accident! i hate to be offensive, i want anyone who reads this blog to feel comfortable.

this is my current profile info: I am an immigrant. I am black, but not african-american (only blacks born in America can be called that). I love fashion, i know mostly all fashion bloggers say that, but i love it too--just as much as they do! 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.

...and i'll be changing it shortly! thanks for all of your comments :)

i'm looking for some structure in my life.

2009-04-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

ello dears!
a reader asked me if i knew about any good structured handbags. i'm a girl who loves big unstructured bags, but then again i love the look of doctor bags or framed bags. i love bags period, i'm pretty much your neighborhood bag lady. here are four selections that you can purchase, or just use as inspiration when looking for a structured handbag.
♥ me

my favorite bag here has to be the chloe sally structured double flap handbag. unfortunately...it's also the most expensive. i absolutely LOVE it's simple envelope design and that ingenious double flap. it's absolutely delicious! and the double chain strap and leather detail on the strap also win me over. i would wear this bag everywhere. chloe is such a fashionable house, no?

for the working girl, i think the L.A.P.A sand croco stamped italian leather bag from forzieri is a great option. i love the neutral caramel color, the crocodile pattern and its lovely shape. you could definitely fit quite a bit in this bag. many women complain of not being able to fit a lot into structured bags and that is why they often opt for loose hobo bags, but this structured bag gives you plenty of space and style to boot.

the classic quilted shoulder bag is a great option for those who are desperately seeking a chanel 2.55 but know that they'll never get it (hahahaha, me) and i love the cute kitschyness of the croc heart clutch w/ chain for $19.80 from forever21.com.

i hope you enjoyed the post darlings!

be originial at your prom!

2009-04-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

what have we come to expect at proms? we've come to expect long flowing dresses--usually in reds, blues and yellows, with extremely curled hair frozen with hairspray, 10 pounds of makeup on each smiling girl, and usually silver or gold strappy heels. we've also come to expect amazing ugly wannabee princess like dresses with corseted tops and disgusting gigantic ruched skirts. if you're going to spend money on your prom...and i mean money, then at least spend it on the right things. spend it on a dress you wouldn't be surprised to see on the red carpet, spend it on something unexpected, yet classy and beautiful so that you don't blend in with the other girls. spend it on accessories that you can depend on to transform you from prom attendee to the only prom attendee anyone is looking at. spend your money, and make sure you look good. be original at your prom with the items below (or items like them).

♥ me

wear a dress in an unexpected color like brown, orange, or white. and if you want to stand out even more, wear a beautiful print like the one featured in the exquisite sexy purple print prom dress by jovani from edressme.com. it has marvelous beading detail at the bodice, and the back is open and the skirt is amazingly flowy. i love the purple hue and the fun yet elegant print. i am also in love with the short length featured in the bright ABS by Allen Schwartz strapless floral print dress from neimanmarcus.com. this dress is so young and fun, yet it is definitely fit for a formal occassion, and it's easy to dance in because you don't have two much fabric around your legs. another great short option is the simply feminine two-tone ruffle dress also from neimanmarcus. the hem is flirty and flouncy, and i love that the dress is white and still does not appear bridal. we don't often see too many white dresses at proms, so stand out in the crowd with a dress that is both white and short. nobody will be able to take their eyes off of you.

make sure that your originality doesn't stop at the dress you choose. accessories are also very important! i am in love with the tasha serpentine metal headband from nordstrom.com. it is so beautiful, and the accessory isn't too overpowering. if you're a tiara kind of girl the tiara l'arc #R50 from tiaratown.com is the one for you. those jose & maria barrera earrings are such works of art, and i love the pink hue. you don't see too many girls wearing pink earrings--they usually wear silver/gold, so break away from the pack by wearing an earring that is colored. the purple enamel matthew campbell laurenza bangle is so stunning, i think it would also be a great choice of accessory. with a bangle like that, you could definitely keep the other accessories simple.

if you want to be experimental with your makeup too, try something like a green (or just bright) eyeshadow, super long eyelashes, or winged out eyeliner.

bring some excitement to your feet with some fierce shoes. i'm loving the shocking pink hue on the pierre hardy patent open toe pumps from luisaviaroma.com, the bandagey-fetishy appeal of the minnah by steve madden, and the bright blue wedge that is the charles david tock from piperlime.com.

hope you enjoyed dearies. :)

these are a few of my favorite things: spring!

2009-04-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

every time a new season starts i make an entry where i post a few of the things i'm looking forward to owning or ogling at for that season and what items i would love to see on others or myself. so, here are a few of my favorite items for this spring.
♥ me

i am loving all things floaty, slouchy and bohemian. and i guess i'm loving light pastel colors too because a majority of the things in the collage are light. i really want to own some type of folsky, bohemian, floaty dress. i want to find just the perfect one, but most likely that perfect dress will be $200+ dollars when i can barely afford $20+. anyway, let's start off my going throw some of these items and why i love them so much!

ok, i LOVE leather jackets. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. and yet i don't own one. that's because everytime i see one i think i'll be able to find it somewhere else for cheaper, and i never really can. i really ened to stop being a cheapskate. anyway...i usually gravitate towards brown or black leather jackets, but this white faux leather bomber jacket from charlotte russe really caught my eye because i love the simple design on it (it has fab layering potential) and the unexpected color: snow white! this will be so refreshing to see in spring and even summer. and yes, don't be afraid to keep wearing it into fall.

i also absolutely adore those fab lilac sergio rossi suede platform sandals. they are so feminine and sexy, and i love that light, dreamy shade of purple. they would look so fab with floaty bohemian dresses or sexy bandage dresses. they would look great with anything really....particularly my feet. come on sergio rossi people! throw me a bone!

the marni leather slouchy shoulder bag has me drooling. i love the supple leather, the ingenious ruching and the soft faded rose pink color. *drools some more* it's so roomy, and so cute, and so...perfect! i really want it. it's just the perfeect bag for spring!

the DVF flutter sleeve dress and amazing white chiffon top are so breezy and beautiful. you'd look like a dazzling wood or water nymph draped in these ultra feminune and laid back luxe designs for the amazing diane von furstenberg.

equally dazzling is the kara by kara ross python petal ring which features an amazing gem in the center of a gold flower petal overlaid with pink python. pretty punk. it would look great with that cute black bandage pencil skirt from pink ice, or the beautiful black fringed and embellished dress from the same site. really, the ring would look great with anything because it has such a classic yet interesting design.

spring is the season of freshness and renewal. i don't know about you, but when i think of the word fresh many scents come to mind, such as the scent of rain, pine, mint...and baby powder. go back to your diaper days with the baby powder scent from demeter. and get a good spring glow on your cheeks with the every popular mark good glowing blush in love rush.

hope you enjoyed dears. :)

PARIS FASHION WEEK: FALL 2009 PART II

2009-03-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

it took me forever to get this out because my life has been sooo crazy, busy and jampacked. but here is the last entry for the fall 2009 presentations! i love fashion weeks, but updating for them is such a marathon! enjoy my dears :)
♥ me

hermes- hermes played on an aviation theme. gaultier did such a great job with it, putting the classic hermes spin on the theme.

isabel marant- cool parisian girl about town looks.

jean paul gaultier- i loved the masculine suits at the beginning of the show, and the gaultier-ness of it all.

lanvin- alber elbaz describes himself as a realist, and he makes clothes that women need in order to look good, feel good, and function well in our world climate. we all know the economy is in the garbage, but that doesn't mean we can't look good--it just means we have to rethink our shopping habits and our closets. i loved these "real" looks from lanvin.

limi feu- this is a step in the right direction for limi feu. i really loved her take on edwardian designs.

louis vuitton- this show seemed to be inspired by the ruffly, girly side of the 80s as well as the craftmanship of the amazing christian lacroix. i fell in love with the collection instantly. it's blazers and exposed bras were endearing and the counstruction of the big shouldered dresses were amazing. seriously, whoever gets a piece of LV fall 09 should be happy.

maison martin margiela- style.com says maison margiela lost its magic and that they believe margiela has left his house. maybe he did leave it, but i liked this collection. it made sense to me.

martin grant- i loved this collection. the shoes, clothes and makeup were perfect.

viktor & rolf- the model's faces were washed with a pale white tint, and the clothes seemed to have a vintage inspiration with old style cuts, belting and buttoning. i loved the cascading ruffle theme they had throughout the show, sometimes the pattern was sewn into the bodice of clothing, and it was even featured in a fur frock.

valentino- all i have to say is ♥♥♥♥ amazingly simple glamour.

stella mccartney- amazingly chic outerwear, and such an elegant yet young collection. i love you stella!

tao- this show was almost lacroix like in it's imaginiativeness and creativeness.

sophia kokosalaki- all of sophia's collections are so intelligent and fluid, i'd love to wear the clothes she makes...particularly the ones in the collage!

rue du mail- parisian chic--very feminine and very cool. i am in love with the nude peplum dress to the far left.

roland mouret- i loved the shoes in this collection, so original yet wearable! oh, why must i be poor? O.O

nina ricci- this was olivier theysken's last collection from nina ricci and it was AMAZING. i was astounded to see how brilliant it was. i remember when he first came to nina ricci (or at least his early days there) i was amazed with him, last season i wasn't, but he got everything back on track--i wonder who the next head of nina ricci will be? i'll miss olivier.

givenchy- ohmagahh! adriana lima was in the givenchy show! she is really trying to widen out. kudos to her. anyway, i loved it. enough said. tisci is a genius, the end. :)

gareth pugh- i love you gareth pugh!

miu miu- this collection was so chic. some unique aspects of the collection were pailette embellished knee socks, deep v's, lots of coats and fur shoes.

STYLE NOTES

kenzo- this collection took it's inspiration from mother russia. featured were amazingly fashionable khaki utilitarian jackets, cute embellished knits, paisley and folk printed embellished chiffon, furs, platform boots and amazingly beautiful large leather bags. antonio marras did a good job. i realllly liked this show but i was way too tired to make another collage. these were my choice looks: 8,13, 22, 26, 40

sonia rykiel- i love the smiles on the model's faces in every sonia rykiel show. i thought i really liked the show but on closer inspection i wouldn't really wear many of those clothes, the color palette and styling was old-ladyish. but i love the models' smiles.

i think my fave show from paris and from all the fashion weeks was louis vuitton, it was the most memorable to me and i loved the colors, the rabbit ears, the makeup, the accessories...everything!

PARIS FASHION WEEK: FALL 2009 PART I

2009-03-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

i've been so crazily busy and stressed and etc. lately, so i apologize for not updating for such a long time! fashion week is officially over. paris fashion week went really well. i'm not sure if i can pick my favorite...for me it's between milan and paris. maybe i'll make a decision later. enjoy!
♥ me

balenciaga- nic ghesquiere never dissapoints me. i loved this new direction for balenciaga. there was still a hint of space agey fashion in the chunky shoes and browless models--but the clothes took a more wearable turn with many drapey silks and well cut blazers and fitted sweater tops. some of the looks were really loud and obnoxious (the printed looks), but i'm sure they can be worn well.

azzaro- there were only two models for this show, but there were plenty of gorgeous clothes. many beautifully crafted dresses were made. they were very ladylike, but not stuffy. they were very elegant, yet fun. i loved a black trouser ensemble with a cut out top that had a beaded beam neckline (it's not featured in the collage), and the impeccable cuts of the clothes. i love azzaro!

antonio berardi-models traipsed around in short frocks, some accessoriezed with ruffles and fur shrugs, or with heavy knitwear placed here or there. all looks were paired with tights and suede ankle boots or over the knee boots. and big shoulders were also featured at berardi, it seems that the concensus in the fashion world is that big shoulders are good.

andrew gn- this collection was very dark compared to the andrew gn spring 2009 presentation with it's exquisite multicolored embellishments on every piece of clothing and accessory, but i stil enjoyed the show. andrew gn put a lot of attention into detail and is definitely making clothes for a particular kind of woman, the kind of woman with tons of money, that gets a new wardrobe every season and dresses up for everything--including breakfast, lunch and dinner. but with this collection he gave the woman a dark edge. the model's eyes were rimmed in black and the clothing was darker. the gowns in this collection were absolutely exquisite.

giambattista valli- this was a very new look for giambattista valli, it was sharp and a bit minimalist compared to past valli shows with abundant prints and gigantic skirts. i liked it, even though it was simpler than what i am used to from valli. my favorite piece has to be that gorgeous maroon gown to the far right of the collage with a lovely peacock print on the hem.

collette dinnigan- dinnigan is a champion of fun, creative and unique everyday clothes. cute dresses to wear to get togethers or on shopping days, turtlenecks to throw on when it's too cold for a light blouse and amazing gowns for the rare occasions when you go somewhere special.

emanuel ungaro- i loved the look of this collection. i loved the african prints, the draping, the really high fashion ruching and the tastefully done big shoulders. this collection was yummy. i can't tell you how much i loved this collection, i LOVEEEEEE quirky elegance, and this was just it.

elie saab- i love elie saab. he's another great designer who knows how to dress women and knows when to change up the accepted shape of clothing at just the right time. i want to own all the looks in that collage. the electric blue cap sleeved sheath is so amazing and that beautiful black sequined/embellished dress is so perfect for a party. i would wear it to every part i was invited to.

dries van noten- this collection was a lot simpler than the dvn spring 2009 presentation. i liked it, but not at first...eventually i just gave into my love of the coolness of dries van noten (the label, i don't really know much about the man. all i know is that he has a really cool name). it was very louche and languid with loose sequined skirts, shirts, blazers, and variously colored sweaters and beautiful silk printed dresses.

costume national-i really loved this. this collection seemed to be based on a tough, nightclubber girl. she has time to put water in her hair, scrape it back, slick on red lipstick on put on the newest, hottest outfit she bought--and then she dances the night away.

commes des garcons- i'm surprised i actually liked this show. the spring 2009 show was horrible, in my opinion, and apparently i'm not cool enough--but i just don't get commes des garcons most of the time. anyway, this time i got it. and this time i loved it. it seemed to be inspired by military, and wars in the jungle. dresses and skirts were swathed with a meshy/tulle-y fabric that could be likened to mosquito netting, and the shoes were flat and had feet painted onto them, many jackets were army green and precise layering techniques were used.

christian lacroix- very well made clothes, especially the coats. the coats were all genius: big, slouchy, roomy, yet structured. and i loved the gigantic buttons.

christian dior-i love seeing christian dior shows, it makes me love, obsess over, and enjoy fashion so much more than i already do. all of the shows are so exciting all of the time, john galliano is so talented (and the makeup was crazy awesome as usual! wine colored lips and silver frosted eyes with lots of black liner and mascara)! the show definitely had some oriental influence, from both india and china with the makeup, the cutting and embellishment of the clothes, the setting of the show, etc. also thrown into the mix were some cool 1920s flapper looks and some bohemian paisley printed floaty dresses. so many colors were used. it was so fun to see.

chanel-this sounds so unlike me, but i am so getting sheen leggings now that i saw them featured at chanel (maybe). i was wondering if i should get them...now i'm pretty sure i will. featured were frilly necks and sleeves of blouses and dresses, black shiny tights, seafoam green tweed, big and blousy sweaters and clear plastic compartment bags where you can strap in your ipod, chanel quilted bag and chanel cosmetics.

balmain- balmain gets more amazing every season. i loved almost every look. i really loved the short in front and long in back black gown isabeli fontana wore (third from left of collage). those kinds of dresses were featured in the spring 2009 collection too, but i think this one was an improvement.

fashion week notes

akris- i loved akris spring 2009 but i only liked akris fall 2009. there were lots of geometric cutouts featured as well as geometric prints and patterns for the clothing. everything was on an angle and very sharp, but at the same time wearable. i liked the color palette, it was a typical dark fall palette but nice subdued purples and reds were featured as well as black dresses (one a gown, one a knee length dress) that showed a lot of decollatage but were not overtly sexy because of the layering of the shiny black material, it made the dress look like revealing armor.

bruno pieters- gorilla fur arms on clothing seems to be all the rage, as bruno pieters is the umpteenth designer i've seen to feature the hairy arms in his collection. i wasn't digging the excessive use of capes, furry arms and muddy colors.

haider ackermann- this collection was lauded on style.com...it was decent, but nothing amazed me.

hussein chalayan- the collection was good but i really didn't like the lighting.

Io Ipse Idem- interesting collection: cute skirt suits, dark palette and spats.

issey miyake- he based his collection off of karate and all of these looks were given the seal of approval from karate pros.

jasmine di milo- i really enjoyed three looks out of jasmine al fayed's fall 2009 collection. it was inspired by the changing phases of the moon. the models wore super tall white wedge heels with black straps. the collection definitely wasn't a fave, but there were some ok pieces.

ann demeulemeester- this collection seemed to be inspired by vampires. the palette was strictly black and white and all of the models were super pale and brooding.

anne valerie hash- the collection was soft and definitely a very modern form of feminine.

junya watanabe- the makeup in this show was so interesting and really creative. parts of the face were shaded with black makeup, at the sides of the nose, under the eyes and around the jawline. featured were a lot of puffer coats in cool shapes like cones or what looked to be deconstructed blossoms.

karl lagerfeld- nice suiting, empire waist dresses, nothing new.

kris van assche- models wore large, shapeless clothes and had mud on their faces...draw your own conclusions.

rochas- a very light and airy collection.

vivienne westwood- the hair and makeup was definitely inspired by pamela anderson. the lips were lined but not filled in, and the eyes were covered in dark shadow and liner. the finishing touch was bed-head hair. pamela anderson herself even got to walk the runway. featured were plaids, short skirts, long skirts, dresses that wrapped around the face and neck, violin clock necklaces, printed knee socks, etc.

yohji yamamoto- i never really get his collections...i can very well say i wouldn't want these looks alone to be in my wardrobe. i can look at some collections and want every look in my closet, but i know that having every look from this show (and nothing else) wouldn't do me good.

alexander mcqueen- one of the main things that caught my eye from this show were the enormous lips painted onto the model's faces. they had gobs and gobs of lipstick on that extended far from their lips. there was amazing construction in the clothes, everything was a work of art, and i thought the huge umbrella hat/headpiece he made was very interesting. that's actually an awesome invention. when it rains you don't have to hold an umbrella, your hat can be your umbrella! many different prints were featured, most noticeably houndstooth and some harlequinade prints, as well as supah supah high shoes. his creations were absolutely amazing, and i feel in lust with some of the pieces but the show as a whole wasn't to my liking.

yves saint laurent- i just wasn't feeling it.

chloe- a very neutral palette. i love chloe, but i didn't fall head over heels for this collection. it featured a lot of baggy bottoms--whether that be shorts, pant or skirts and well as velvet and big coats and blouses. it was pretty blah to me.

john galliano- galliano put on an amazing show, inspired by russian folklore. the clothes were great, the shoes were great, but everything didn't seem too wearable, and that is one of the things that usually makes me love a collection, if it at least seems wearable in some way. but these clothes were leaning towards costumey. i loved the model's makeup--very galliano. pale faces, bedazzled eyes and stained lips. scrumptious.

MILAN FASHION WEEK: FALL 2009 PART II

2009-03-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

i've been so busy, and i'm sorry if i haven't been replying to comments fast enough. but i will reply to them! i hope to bring you paris fashion week soon! here is the last of my faves from milan fashion week.
♥ me

versace- i really enjoyed this fall 2009 collection of versace. it seemed a lot more subdued than most versace shows but it was still sexy and feminine. my absolute favorite piece has to be the beautiful cap sleeved blue gown with a diamond opening at the chest (second dress from the right).

pringle of scotland- well made knits with fur accents. at the end some colorful feathered looks were shown, but they weren't to my taste.

prada- i was scared from the first few looks. the models were all so pale and mad looking. however the cut of the clothes is very classic, with a little twist and i liked the accessories. you won't see me in the giant wellies she created but i like her studded suede mary jane like heels with a huge plume of leather fringing at the back. also featured were beautiful yet simple doctor like handbags--some resembled fancy toolbags while others resembled hermes birkins. also featured were super short wool shorts, long cardigans, and dresses made out of jewel encrusted strips of leather. i didn't really like the weird leather dresses, but i'm sure we'll see them in a few editorials.

moschino cheap & chic- i loved the belting in this collection, it was very original, as the belts didn't reach all the way around the waist. i loved the ruffled skirts and the new take on ladylike looks.

missoni- i loved the piled on knitwear. it looked so comfy and soft, and i'd love to wear it now, because it's so cold!

fashion week notes...

* platform shoes are big for fall 09. i've been seeing them on so many runways--from burberry to erin fetherston to d&g. they are everywhere--and they make everyone tall (and the models taller)!

just cavalli- it took as interesting and surprising turn to rocker chic. there were lots of slashed jeans, short dresses and blazers.

moschino- it seems that i should live in italy because i love everything that milan is churning out. i would love to own that floral applique coat that was the first look for moschino. it was a nice navy blue and had unique details. the beginning of this show was really good, with a lot of floral details (prints or appliques) and nice knee length dresses, but as the show went on i got bored. i need the show to keep getting better as it goes on.

iceberg- featured were chunky knits, shiny lizard/snake skins, zippers, furs, ankle boots and tight skinny pants. i loved look 16, a red fabric fish scale dress with a chunky black zipper down the front. i hope to see that on the red carpet or on a street style column or something. also there was a nice one shouldered dress where one part was jersey and the other part was a textured patent fish scale textile. i didn't really like the collection as a whole because at times it felt really overworked and a lot of the color combos (orangey red with bubbglegum pink) was sickening.

gucci- frida giannini took gucci on a trip back to the '80s. i miss her hippie stint, but i guess she had to upgrade to powersuit dressing, crazy eyeshadow and bold red lips. featured were a lot of high leather boots, leather, shiney sateen like fabrics, blues, purples, large dot print, skinny suits, metallic detailing on the clothes, shiny black bags and big black sunglasses. the collection got better towards the end with a lot of sparkly, short dresses that reminded me a bit of balmain but not too much. i just wasn't feeling this collection, but i'm sure some of these individual pieces will look smashing outside of the show.

alessandro dell'acqua- the show was impeccably styled, and all of the clothes looked great and all of the models looked great. even though he used a purely neutral color palette consisting of black and browns and a few metallic touches he got a lot of these few colors. i also loved the amazing bags with fur tail things hanging off of the straps. however, i'm not sure how these clothes will look on people, that aren't models and who weren't styled to look perfect in the clothes.

salvatore ferragamo- very polished, but i couldn't find too many pieces that i was head over heels in love with. it was still a very good collection though.

roberto cavalli- cavalli has a new girl,

"She's tough, aggressive, sexy, and young, and she's going to help me fight this crisis," Cavalli said backstage(style.com)...and his description was spot on. my favorite part of this collection were the beautiful boots made out of grommeted leather and fur. most of the looks included thigh high boots, skinny jeans, fur, or uneven hemmed minidresses. it was nothing revolutionary, the looks were just new for cavalli.

maurizio pecoraro- all the models looked like dressed up gothic girls. i liked the accessories more than the clothes.

etro- etro has never excited me or appealed to me, and that didn't change with this collection.

aquilano.rimondi- the emphasis was definitely on the shoulders for this collection. every look had big, sculpted shoulders. i liked a few of the pieces, such as a balmain-esque white blazer with big shoulders and satin lapels, and a red velvet dress with big shoulders that closed the show--however, most of those clothes weren't overly appealing, and sometimes over the top.

fendi- featured at fendi was a dark fall palette, louche fabrics such as velvet and embellished material, and spats. i loved two pieces from the collection, but other looks seemed similar and boring.

francesco scognamiglio- this show was very architectural and very fetishy. the shoes were miles high and had thick hooker platforms and many of the blouses, skits and dresses had razor sharp pleats that extended away from the body. also featured was body armor worn over the ribcage and heavily round studded pants, as well as necklaces that looked like gold fat caterpillars laying on the model's necks.

maxmara- maxmara made a return to simple, clean cut luxury. lots of camel coats and suits were featured, as well as pencil skirts and simple blouses.

pollini- more cute and quirky colorful looks from jonathan saunders, the head of pollini.