.022 TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS

As of late, I have been placing much of my attention on the trends being featured on the runway (a little bit inevitable, as it has been NYFW and LFW). I have been absolutely blown away by the designs that are showing up this season. The creativity of color, fabrics, silhouettes and concepts is mesmerizing. I hope to some time soon critically analyze a runway show in its entirety, but for this post I would like to focus on the other half of what goes down during NYFW and LFW: the street style.

Designers, bloggers, celebrities and their friends manage to make an appearance always looking fly and ready to claim the title of fashion killer. To keep things relatively short, I will focus on London Fashion Week. Below are some of my favorite looks, but first, a bit of an introduction:

Overall, I noticed that bold colors (particularly being featured on massive jackets) dominated the streets. Alongside the pop of color, came the darker neutrals of the tomboyish, sports luxe trend that is here to stay (THANK GOD). Beanies, over-sized coats, childish accessories - all of which contribute to a strange "structural grunge". This is not your average "slap some things together and look like a street urchin" look. Rather, these looks feature carefully constructed pieces worn loose as if to say "I care...but I actually do not care." (Or maybe they actually care. Who knows. They are at fashion week, so my guess is, they probably care.) Sneakers are worn but they are kept clean. Beanies dress down the "1985 power woman" silhouette of the slacks and wool coat. Bright backpacks and see-through handbags make outfits more relaxed. What I see is a clash of generations. Everyone wants a little bit of both: the grunge of the '90s and the structural edge of the '80s. The effect is just what I have been looking for.

(Maddy Killick and Magdalena Wieclaw - Fashionista)

(Victoria Tonengren - Metro)

(Vogue)

(Vogue)

(Vogue)

(Vogue - Chloe Norgaard again!)

(Vogue - the beautiful Sung Hee Kim)

(Vogue)

(Vogue)

air conditioning by seaminor featuring Tory Burch

.021 PASTEL DELICACIES

I am not going to lie. I am quite surprised to see that pastel is finding its way on the runway. The trend has fallen in and out of the fashion world's favor. Pastel, in my opinion, is a bottom-up trend. The creamy, playful color palette has its foundations in the spring of 2010. I remember seeing a few pastel colored accessories here and there at the start of 2010. That summer, I started painting my nails turquoise and fell in love with lilac (arguably, still my favorite color). Stores like H&M, Forever 21, and the like picked up on the trend and it seemed to have been blacklisted because of this. Or maybe not. In spring of 2012 pastel came back to life and the familiar purples, pinks, oranges, etc., were popular again. Celebrities dyed their hair lilac and lipsticks ranging in all sorts of Easter-egg-inspired colors were deemed "cool."

(I think the Jennfier Lawrence photo is a manip, but you get my point.)

In the background of all of this, pastel became a word to define a subculture started on Tumblr. Pastel goth, pastel princess, etc., became the new buzzwords. Pixels, cute animals, and fonts dripping with pinks and purples started to dominate Tumblr's dashboards. The trend took a lot of its inspiration from Tokyo's lolita street fashion that had been popular for awhile in the quieter subcultures of the internet. Soon anime became "hip" and Japanese culture may have become more or less glorified (Appropriation? Yeah, I think so.). I found myself locked in this trend, very briefly, thank you. You can see me in my 2011 pastel glory here. Anyways, I digress. Just understand that the trend was simultaneously on the runway and thriving as an internet culture. Whether the runway inspired the internet kids or vice-versa, I could not tell you.

(Photo credit: Deviantart.com - Pastel goth fashion to an extreme.)

So now that I have the basics covered, I will begin to talk about the reemergence of pastel. The online trend of pastel is still alive, albeit criticism and an overall tackiness attributed to the trend but a majority of the online community. Outside of the blog-o-sphere, pastel is finding a revival in a new way. Rather than sticking to color blocking and pastel colored jeans (see photo below), pastel is being shown in a new light; pastel is now less about structured basic and is instead about being girly in cerulean and salmon. Rather than looking like it is 1990 and you are sporting Grannimals, this time around, pastel is looking to jump into the millennium. 

(See what I mean about the matchy-matchy of 2010-2012?)

(Photo Credit: DailyMailUK - Note the darker hue of Orla Kiely's pastels.)

(Photo Credit: Fashionista - Note how the pastel sweater is paired with cerulean Patone's color 2001)

The fashion world is looking towards pastel as an accent, paired with darker hues and monochromatic ensembles, as opposed to the pastel-on-pastel trends of the past. One pastel item seems to be enough now whether it be a sweater, crop top, or a pair of sunglasses. Pastel hair is making a comeback as well and in new volumes.

(Chloe Nørgaard has always had wonderful hair. As of late she has sported a pastel look. Fashionista.)

I love the idea of pastel in moderation, especially as a hair trend or an accent to an outfit. I absolutely love this feature on Topshop. The pieces in this collection are subtle, easy to wear, and fresh in concept. I am thinking I might temporarily dye my hair lilac in the future and the idea of a massive pink coat sounds appealing. Will I don the pastel princess crown once again? No, no I will not. Below is how I would sport this fashion trend:

teen lovers by seaminor featuring lips makeup

.020 WHY IS IT NOT FALL?

The obvious answer to this question is because it is indeed late winter in the northern hemisphere, but you more than likely are not a smart ass and understand that my current distress is due to all the glory that is NYFW. The last two weeks have kept me pretty busy. I have been applying for a third job (it is hard out here for a financially independent college student; good news, i got the job!), working out a new schedule for classes, and attempting to get back in shape. I spent the pocket of free time I had this weekend to update myself on NYFW and let me tell ya, I am thankful I got that third job for more reasons than the fact that my rent can now be paid for. The collections are awe-inspiring and all I want to do now is buy myself outfits to prepare for this coming fall. Admittedly, I am not one for summer apparel. High-waisted shorts and a tucked in shirt are usually enough for me. I prefer to save my money for clothing better suited for cooler temperatures. Anyways, I digress. Onward to one of my new favorite collections!

(Photo credit: Fashionista.com) 

If you do not know by now, I would literally give my soul to the devil (or even a minor demon, I am desperate) to work for Opening Ceremony. Their daily tweets and new collections give me life. Here we see Pantone's color of 2013, emerald, taking residency as well as the coveted navy that I wrote about a few weeks prior to this post. Knee high boots remind me of a dark period in my young life when I wore exclusively Forever 21 and thought knee high boots worked with any outfit. 2007 was a dark time, my friends. I will skirt around the knee high boot trend and hone in on the long coats that I prayed would still show up on the runway. I live for coats and to see the familiar, heavy, long coats of last fall still on the runway leaves me feeling reassured and ready to stock up come after-season sales.

(Photo credit: Style.com - I want to die.)

(Style.com - I usually loathe asymmetrical but wow WOW.)

(Style.com - Tears. Actual tears.)

(Style.com - This reminds me of Ashley Williams and I am sweating.)

(Style.com - This collection hurts.)

As you can tell, I have a lot of emotions when it comes to trying to come to terms with this collection. I wish I could transport myself into a time where I have enough money to wear all of these pieces. To check out more of this collection and a more professional review that is not full of young adult tears, scope out this article on style.com.