Lets get back to it

I know, I know. It has been an unacceptable amount of time since I have written. Getting back to school has been great and this weekend I experienced my first taste of crispy weather in months. yum.

Before Style.com posted their Fall trend report, I had been crafting a list of my own essentials for the upcoming season (basically since fashion month ended....so since March...I know I'm insane). The items I decided were vital were not just trendy-one-season-forgettable, but pieces I felt could be worn until the seams start to fray or dye beings to fade.

I am going to do this sort of as an on going guide, mainly because there is just too much for me to cover in one post and I feel like I can break this up into styles versus specific pieces.

PART 1: BACK TO BASICS

1. Grey Denim- I am a firm believer that one can never own too many jeans, mainly because if I said everyone should just own one pair of really great jeans I would be a terrible liar considering my stash is creeping towards 25ish pairs. Non-blue denim is an awesome way to wear a classic and comfortable  staple while incorporating new hues into your wardrobe.

Grey is such a wonderfully safe and chic basic, plus you can get away with wearing your denim shirt from this season without pulling a farmers tuxedo. I'm a huge fan of MiH jeans, here is their awesome Breathless jean in grey:

 photo: shopbop.com

2. Camel- THE color for fall. It's just so yummy (I think more of eating caramel things than eating a camel when I say yummy, but when you see this color done right, you just want to eat it...well I do at least..but I'm crazy...so please ignore this.) I love the warmth of this color and it works for all pieces. Try to add one piece of the shade into your fall line-up. How about a great chunky knit like this one from Alexander Wang?

photo: shopbop.com

See what I mean by complete and utter yummy-ness?

3. Blouses- From my previous post, you can probably get the idea that a silk blouse was a chart topper for me, but I feared that the perfect one would be either nonexistent (picky doesn't begin to describe my shopping process and very often the items I crave simply do not exist for the season) or just completely insanely expensive (not even put $20 bucks away a week doable). Well of course the super duper amazing unaffordable one is out there by my favorite Stella McCartney, but I lucked out with a Rag & Bone tunic that I tailored into a shirt.

photo: style.com 

 mmmm...Stella perfection. 

A great place to find said shirt is your local Goodwill, SalvA, or consignment shop. There are so many left over from the last decade that have found their way into these stores. It is equally amazing and dangerous.

Trend Watch: Hey there fashion

After viewing the Resort collections, I realized this whole sock and sandal thing is real. The Teen Vogue novelty I considered it back in 2004 has seeped into a notable amount of designers collections and I'm a little worried. If you don't follow fashion week as religiously (and completely insanely) as I do, I'll show you what I'm talking about.

 Image: Blogofbad

 Yeah. It's fashion now. Here's some proof:

Rebecca Taylor

Alexander Wang

Prada
all photos: style.com

I am fully aware that many trends among runway shows never make it into our closet,s let alone stores, because they cannot translate into consumer-friendly goods, however, I have an itch with this one. Because this trend is the simple marriage of socks and shoes...with a twist, and has a magazine editorial history, I feel it will filter into the masses. 

The Cut, one of my favorite fashion news blogs, already has already assembled a slide-show of their favorite sandal and sock combos and claims "we're head over (cutely socked) heels." Also, I've noticed the wonderfully and playfully styled J. Crew catalogs have featured this for months. So, it's been around, and with appearances in many runway collections, it will only become more visible.
Don't get me wrong, new trends excite me. I often find myself uncomfortable at first, but after a few months (or moments) my eyes adjust and I could be embracing the new idea. This one bothers me from the start and I just don't think it's going to be pretty. Let me explain myself. 

First, there is the issue that socks change how shoes fit. Will this cause a slew of women to buy shoes in larger sizes just so they can embrace the trend? Or, will certain designers make shoes special for sock pairing, thus rendering the footwear unwearable without socks? Or am I just really over thinking this? 

Next, I just don't think it's flattering. Socks cause a choppy effect. What I mean is it further divides one's outfit, which leads to strange proportions and a jarring silhouette. It's one of those trends that looks decent on the fashionable uber-tall (aka models-off-duty), yet would look absolutely horrific on me, since I only reach the height of 5' 4".  


Most importantly, SANDALS (sorry I just need to shout a little) were invented to keep feet cool and uncovered in hot weather, also to show off a nice pedicure. It defeats the very function of this season specific footwear. My feet are already sweaty and gross just at the thought of wearing my Wolford ankle socks with any sandal. 


Here is the other side. I love that designers are exploring the function of not only footwear, but everything. It completely challenges how we dress and look at fashion. It gives the consumer freedom and comfort to go back into our wardrobes and experiment.

If anything, try this in the privacy of your wardrobe and dance around to Jason Derulo shamelessly (I, for one, am guilty), or give it a go this season and embrace it. 

Front Row woes

"I loved Thom Browne, especially the groovy new eyewear, but the shows this season were full of teen/tween bloggers. I feel like they are trying to nudge me out of my front-row seat. Luckily, I have a plan for next season. Since they are all about my height, I am going to impersonate one of them. I am going to wear a doily on my head (Tavi!) and tell everyone I am a teen blogger. If they ask why I am so wrinkled, I will tell them that I have progeria."
-Simon Doonan

I completely agree with him.

I know, I'm a blogger who loves fashion, so why wouldn't I be trying to woo designers into inviting me to sit among Voguettes and buyers? Well, I would want to sit at a show as a credible industry representative rather than someone who has general opinions about fashion. To sit at fashion week is a privilege, I think it should be earned through a career, not a keyboard.

So how would designers get their collections to the bloggers with such followings they must sit front row? Well, I've been following fashion week since I was 13 from the comfort of my own home. How, you ask? The internet is a beautiful thing. Along with style.com, more and more designers are live-streaming their shows.The concept of live-streaming creates a bridge that perfectly compliments where bloggers fall into the fashion industry. Our medium, the internet, should be utilized, and those whose medium is print, i.e. editors, should utilize the live experience.

In other news....

I (rather my mother) invested in a Barbour jacket. It is an olive green light-weight/washable/waterproof utility jacket that I am currently obsessed with. Regardless that utility jackets are big for spring, this is a classic item that will be in my closet for a long time.

Although this is not the same one I have, it is quite similar:

Photo: www.amazon.co.uk

I love brands that have a history not necessarily associated with design, but associated with purpose. Barbour makes jackets that are made to be worn for years and defy trends. Their items might have a high price tag, but I am happy to support a company which makes well constructed pieces that are season-less.

Were the Fashion Gods Listening?

Okay, so in making up for my mission to not post any reviews, I am going to articulate how elated I was with New York Fashion Week. To be honest, I sort of hold my judgments for fashion week until Milan and Paris have happened because NYFW hasn't been so strong, but this was one of the best seasons yet.
 
Phoebe Philo deserves the credit. Her S/S '10 collection for Celine captured the idea of "slow-fashion." Her reinstated designing presence in the industry definitely has caused a ripple effect that I'm excited to see unfold in the upcoming weeks.

Photo: www.style.com

Celine S/S '10

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about an article in the Wall Street Journal regarding the death of trends, and how there is a void of focused and concise collections, well NYFW F/W '10, you did it. There is a definite shift this season-- designers strayed from tired trends such as body conscious dresses, jumpsuits, sky high hemlines, and athletic chic, and went back to classics and true creativity. I found the collections that were less effective this season were ones that were popular in seasons past due to the fact they were heavily trend driven rather than consisting of well made and executed pieces.

I hate to say it but, Alexander Wang was an example this season. In the past seasons, he has nailed down the athletic-grunge look and has made great impact on how people dress (those slouchy mens cutoffs you covet at Urban, thank Alex), but it was getting tired. His collections have been incredibly concept driven, which is not bad, but this season I find it's not about the trend or a look, rather finding pieces that can be timeless additions to one's closet. I'm not sure where chenille leg-warmers stand in that, but I know it's not a staple for me.


I also noticed a shift in attention from the celebrity of fashion week to the desire for well executed collections. Maybe it's just me, and that I don't pay attention to who is sitting in the front row, but I think the level of sophistication and effectiveness seen in the collections overshadowed our attention paid to celebrities.

I look forward to seeing how/if other designers will approach their collections with the same focus as NY's did, and if so, maybe I was onto something.

There might be 28 inches of snow at home but...

For some miraculous reason, I was not caught in New York this weekend due to the insane weather in Philly, which I thought for sure would make it up the the Empire State. Right now, I am not in a position where I can write a full fledged post, mostly because I have an 80 page Kirk Varnedoe article on Jackson Pollock waiting for me along with memorizing Medieval French poetry, but I read a quote this morning that was of interest. I posted a couple weeks ago in response to Christina Binkley's article on the death of the trend. I discussed how the industry is congested and needs a cleanse--Donna Karan seems to agree:

“We need fashion shows, but that’s industry, it’s not for the general public,” she continues. “All the communication has to stop. It doesn’t go out on the wire, it doesn’t go out on the Internet, it doesn’t get out for the manufacturers to copy the designs. I mean, we’re killing our own industry. There’s too much information going out there. We have to learn the word restriction.”

THANK YOU. 

Damn you Phil!!!

If only I were home right now. I would have made the trip to Punxsutawny, the weather capital of the world,  to visit everyone's favorite groundhog. Unfortunately we will have a long winter, THANKS PHIL, but who could hate that lovable guy? A couple years ago it became a tradition in my house to stick out watching the 4 hour long televised celebration, due to its absolute insanity (i.e. out of sync high school dance troupes and  interviews with the "Inner Circle" which includes members with the titles of "Stump Warden" and "Thunder Conductor"). Here is a glimpse into some of the festivities, specifically apparel:

 

www.groundhogstuff.com

I'm sure within the next couple months, hipsters everywhere will be sporting this.

Okay, I couldn't do much better than that aside from a rhinestone paw shirt, which I refuse to post.

Another order of business. Go buy new The Magnetic Fields album, Realism. Now (even if Pitchfork only gave it a 6). Favorite tracks include: "You Must Be Out of Your Mind" and "The Dada Polka"

www.stereogum.com

This semester I am taking a Post-war and Contemporary Art History course, regardless if I've only had 2 classes, I feel it is going to be my favorite (Well, Human Sexuality does come close, it's your regular high school sex-ed class, but completely uncensored-- I'm usually bright red the entire time).

What attracts me to art history is not only is it a better version of any history class, but it puts something we see all the time, art, in a true cultural context. When you go to a museum, how long do you stand in front of a painting? What, maybe 30 seconds at most, if it's the Mona Lisa I'll give you 40. Every piece of work and artist has a story, and to have insight to them brings art appreciation to a whole new level. It's funny to think that people go to museums as a recreational activity, but rarely do they know what they are looking at. When people go to, say, a football game, they know exactly what's going on, but at an art museum, even those who have no background can enjoy it.

Fashion is the same, and at an even higher level. Not every day do we face a Fautrier or an Eagles game, but each morning we get dressed. We must face a history regardless if we know it or not. That safari dress you thought was cute at Bloomingdales? Someone didn't just think a khaki dress with buttons down the front would be cute, thank Yves. Everything in your wardrobe was created by someone, some thinker who had an idea and produced it. With our personal aesthetic, we represent someones thoughts. In order to reduce our excessive intake of trends and fast fashion, making an effort to understand the process behind what we wear will help the process to narrow down wardrobes.  Everyone can appreciate fashion, but like art, only until some familiarity with history is achieved can true appreciation occur.

Home is wherever I'm with you.

Sorry about the delay in posting (and the completely irrelevant title), but this past week has been tres busy due getting back to school and adjusting to the arctic conditions (7 degrees, REALLY?).

One thing I forgot about my school was the insane amount of capital people put into their clothes. I remember my first week at school when I saw a girl carrying her books in a Lanvin tote, let me just say I was a little astonished. Anyway, It was pouring the other day, of course I think my Frye boots will suffice..they did not, but on my way to the bookstore I saw a pair of rain boots from 20 feet away that I knew were too nice to be J. Crew. Alligator print, check. Grommets on the strap, check. Hunter logo, check....Oh...this girl is actually wearing $395 Jimmy Choo for Hunter boots...on a college campus. Upon closer inspection I also realize she is wearing an Alexander Wang blazer and toting a giant LV bag.

It probably seems like I'm bitter or jealous (I would be lying if I said I didn't want a Wang blazer), but to be honest I don't understand the need to display oneself this way. With so much visibly designer clothing it eventually lacks originality. This is not to say that Anna Wintour cannot dress because she wears designer labels. Jesus, the woman can dress, but when someone just throws together the most must-have items without any thought, it's like their clothes own them. I think style should be an extension of your personality and only be a description, not a packaged deal.

I guess this brings up the bigger question, what is style? Who am I, or anyone else to decide that something is acceptable. We judge based on knowledge of trends, is what someone is wearing relevant to what was most recently on the runways. We live in a style hierarchy and cycle. I could go all The Devil Wears Prada with Miranda Priestley's very accurate monologue about Andrea's blue sweater, but I feel like it goes even deeper than that. Also development of style interests me. We obviously take inspiration from others and consistently incorporate all those impressions into a look we call our own, but where did it begin? I don't have the answers, maybe someone does. I would love to know what you think about this.

Jean-Paul Gaultianna?

Photo: http://www.wwd.com/

Oh boy. Not awk at all.

I didn't intend on posting today, but when I saw this picture I was inspired...that sounds awful, but you know what I mean.

I woke up at 5:50am this morning, which I don't think I have done since some stressful high school morning where I had a million things due, anyway I woke up at this godawful hour because I had my driving test today. Yes, I am a 19 year-old in suburbia and didn't have my license (I passed!!) until now, but I have managed to get by these past 3 years by much mooching. To the point, I was reading yesterdays Wall Street Journal which published a fantastic article by one of my favorite fashion writers, their fashion columnist, Christina Binkley, about the death of the trend. Considering Trend Forecaster is a dream job of mine, I found this article not only interesting, but also frightening.

In brief, the article discusses how the modern structure of the fashion industry (i.e. H&M and Zara producing runway ripoffs months before the actual designs hit the stores) leaves little room for trends. Unlike decades before, where hemlines and silhouettes were strict, we live in time where everything is okay. In the past two decades, designers have exhausted every trend and style from years past to the point where its a diluted market where nothing is out. Binkley makes the good point that we live in a time where people don't dress the same way, in the sense people now dress for themselves rather than following rigid style guidelines set by store buyers and trend forecasters. I think its a great change, but also it leaves little room for excitement and new ideas. 

I love that fashion is completely accessible to every socioeconomic group, but I think it needs to slow down. Look at mens fashion, it's the slowest moving part of the fashion industry trend-wise. The staples have stayed the same, but its the details that change. For example with men's suiting it takes a while for the pleat to either go in and out of style or the type of lapel to change. I like this. That is what makes things fresh, small details, not overproduction and decoration. What I think would be good and could happen to the womens fashion industry is their version of the slow food movement; a cleanse.

I'm not saying to make every design look like Jil Sander or Calvin Klein, but get fashion focused again. We need to look back at what made this industry so successful to begin with and bring that into the future. Maybe take away the celebrities and glamor, and keep the shows to fashion educated and industry people, people who actually know what they are doing. People need to learn to be patient again, especially in a time where we tire so quickly over everything due to constant exposure. Fashion and design are elements we can't avoid in our everyday lives, so why not start there?