.019 COUTURE TO RTW

Couture week. A week in which I step back and admire intricate designs and accessories that I, myself, would never care to wear because I find myself gravitating toward simpler designs (not saying that couture cannot be simple, but to generalize, I will say that couture leans towards the avant garde). I feel one can take or leave couture week. Some people drool over dresses while others (and by others, I mean myself) tend to ignore the updates. I prefer RTW, resort, and the standard SS/FW shows. I like imagining myself in the clothing being worn on the runway, and it is not to say that I have a limited imagination, it is more that extravagant is not for me. Now before I get redundant, I would like to say that I am about to present an inspiration board of sorts based on couture week (specifically Ulyana Sergeenko's collection). I wanted to challenge myself, so, enjoy!

(Ulyana Sergeenko. Photo credit: Fashionista.com) 

I am in love with the jewel tones, the diverse neck lines, and the hourglass silhouettes. I have the body of a 2x4, so something that places emphasis on the waist could really do some wonders on my curve-less body type. I also need to find a way to get my hands on the teal top featured on the second model.

To quote Fashionista: "Sergeenko loves a narrative theme, and this time her heroine travelled via locomotive across the vast plains and mountain ranges of Russia, mingling along the way with noblemen, artists and thugs, much like Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina" Immediately I thought of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train and while the film does not take place abroad, the murder mystery brought on the "artists and thugs" vibe Fashionista wrote about.

L.E.S. by seaminor featuring faux leather pants

lost in jewels by seaminor featuring a white dress

.018 NO THIS IS NOT AHS COVEN

Hat, Shoes, Jeans: Urban Outfitters

Shirt: Thrift Store

Coat: Forever 21

ALTERNATE VIEWS ON LOOKBOOK

.017 IN THE NAVY

I am a navy baby - in the literal sense and in the figurative sense, implying that I love to wear navy (pointing out the obvious). To me, nothing will ever be the new black. I surround myself in black, draped up like I am Death in Ingmar Bergman's, The Seventh Seal. But sometimes it feels good to branch out a little. Maybe I will make olive my new color or perhaps I will wear more camel than usual. Though, there has always been one color that has fought for the coveted spot of "staple color" and that is, as the title suggests, navy.

Navy is a color that does not need Patone's "Color of the Year" to earn a place in every designer's heart. The dark shade of blue has enough of a reputation to thrive on its own. Whether it is in classic Americana (Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren to name a few) or in haute couture (Dior immediately comes to mind), navy has no trouble finding a place on the runway or in the everyman's closet.

Now, I am probably telling you nothing that you already do not know. Hell, I am sure most of us already have more than three navy colored items in our closet(s). But, I must ask, can we ever have enough navy? I think one could make navy refreshing by playing with textures: velvet, mohair, tweed, and silk, to name a few. Lately, textures have made quite an appearance on the runway. And with fuzzy sweaters being a new "it" item, how can anyone disagree?

I figured I would make this post a bit more relevant by showcasing navy pieces from the latest pre-fall 14 collections. (All of the photos are sourced to style.com.)

(Pre-Fall 2014 See by Chloé - p.s. here's the trend I reported on earlier!)

(Pre-Fall 2014 Kenzo - super about the piped pleats and 70s school girl vibes.)

(Pre Fall 2014 Helmut Lang - shift dresses are still my favorite style of dress)

(Pre Fall 14 BCBG Max Azria - kinda diggin' the southwest themes - love the skirt.) 

(Pre Fall 2014 Band of Outsiders - I am still not over this collection. The patterns!)

Keep eyes peeled for navy both on the runways and on the sales racks! I absolutely love Madewell, Topshop, and Zara for some solid navy pieces. 

.016 WISH LIST

Some people dream of a big house, a flashy sports car, or an all-expense paid vacation to a remote island. I tend to go a Rihanna-level with my dreams and when asked what I want most in this world, I am going to answer with: an apartment for my clothes in New York. Ok, maybe not that specific and ~fancy~ but hell, I am constantly wishing to expand my wardrobe and at this rate, I have more than enough clothes to fill a small bedroom. With tastes ranging from thrifty to extravagant, it is not all that hard to build up my wardrobe. Knowing your own personal style helps a lot to keep a tame closet. If you know yourself well enough, you will know what trends suit you and you as time passes, you will eventually know what constitutes as a staple and what is better left hanging on the rack.

So as I look forward to warmer weather and new trends, I try to keep in mind that what is most important is what looks like me and what looks good on me. At this point I know I cannot wear ice skater skirts or dresses, baby doll anything, round toe flats, bermuda shorts, etc. (the list really is endless, let me tell you). Here I have a composed list of the items found on my wish list. They may or not suit your style, but I do hope they spark some interest and perhaps give you the creative energy to create your own personal wish list!

For the upcoming season I am looking forward to some boho 1970s vibes. I am thinking Ali Macgraw meets mid 2000s Sienna Miller. I picture careless vibes, soft colored pattern shirts paired with black, and unruly hair. I will be the hunt for a halter top along the lines of something similar to this. I do not imagine that halter tops will become a long lasting part of my wardrobe, so I am better off surfing my local thrift stores as opposed to shelling out real money for a few. Shown above: Kimchi Blue floral crop, Deena and Ozzy slingback mules, and BDG high waisted jeans in a classic wash. All can be found at Urban Outfitters (and the photos are clickable links!).

I am a bit of a minimalist when it comes to accessories. I have dabbled a bit in the layers of necklaces, bracelets, and rings, but it just does not suit my personal sense of style. In fact, I rarely wear anything on my wrists save for my watch. Rather, I prefer to wear rings, scarves, and hair accessories. Every once in awhile I will try out a statement necklace but for the most part, I keep things simple and a bit understated. Recently (as of yesterday, actually) I purchased the hat pictured above. Working at Urban Outfitters is a bit toxic to my wallet but after picking up and staring at the items for hours on end, it makes for more sound purchases. I have been staring at this hat for AGES and yesterday I finally caved and made my purchase. So far I have several outfits planned to wear with it, but I feel like I need a bit more to make the hat fit. I would love to have some midi rings (pictured above from Topshop) and a classic zipper pouch (thinkingaboutyou.mp3 @ the Comme des Garcons pouch). Once again, all links are clickable! 

I could probably write a novel-length's worth of wish list desires, but I figured a simple little peek into what I swoon over on sleepless nights would suffice. I will try to keep this updated, adding a few wish list posts here and there. Please follow me on blog luvin' (link on the right) if you enjoy my posts! 

.015 BACK FROM TWO WEEK BREAK

The last two weeks have been full of on-and-off relaxation. Work has scheduled me less, so I have been spending a lot of time at home bumming around. My internship started this week and I had my first blog post on College Fashionista! Exciting stuff. I will link to my blog post once it has been edited by the College Fashionista staff. I am truly hoping that my writing is up to par, as I sort of just winged it Monday night. Since I have had all of this time off, I have been thinking quite about about what I wanted to write in my next blog post. Seeing that we have entered a new year (woo!), I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the trends of 2013 (and earlier) that I am more than ready to leave behind. The list may or may not include trends considered for this year, but here we go!

To start off, I will begin this post with (drum roll please) High/Low: My god. I have never hated a trend more than this one right here. Honestly? I purchased one high-low (or "mullet" dresses, tops, etc.) top. Wore it once. Regretted the purchase and resold it to a friend. 

I do not understand the appeal or why stores still insist on selling this "trend". Forever 21 and Macy's have entire categories dedicated to the trend on their websites. I swear, if I grab another dress that I like at Forever 21 (this being an overall rarity in itself) and pull it out to find that it is high-low...I might make a scene in the middle of the store.

Next we have Cutout: Now, a subtle cut out is still a-ok with me. A little triangle cut out in the back? I am still all game for that. But two on the shoulder, one in the middle, and another on the chest? I am calling it quits on this swiss cheese trend. 

I don't really have much else to say about this other than, "Please be gone."

Onward to Peplum! Ok, ok. Peplum I still do not mind all that much. Personally, I already sold my peplum items to a few friends last month. I only had one shirt and was not too upset to see it go. In my opinion, the silhouette is old news and, while peplum has done wonders for some people's body types, I think the trend should slowly see its way out. 

Lastly, Sheer. Sheer has been overdone and while I still aim to keep my one sheer button-up (great for summer and pairing with body con crop tops), I am blacklisting sheer from my shopping list. Like the other trends mentioned about, sheer has been overdone and to keep seeing it on the shelves causes my bitter heart to shrink a few sizes smaller. In fact, I would probably explode into a million tiny pieces if I saw an outfit that managed to combine all four of these trends. I highly doubt that this has not been done.

Now, all of these trends were introduced in the spring of 2012, but all four have thrived in 2013, a year I had hoped would bring these trends to their grave. I have hope for 2014. I am already ready to leave behind the logo sweatshirt trend of this past fall (shame I JUST posted about this a few weeks ago, oh how my interests change) while facing forward, looking ahead to more tartan plaid and mid-length pencil skirts. The pre-fall 2014 shows have been incredibly promising and I cannot wait to try a few of the trends myself!