Reminiscing: proud of my work

For Creative Presentations, one of our assignments was to choose a private label, a theme and a season and design garments that would be perfect for that brand. I decided to take it 3 steps further...

I chose Fall 2014 for Bar III
My theme was 60s and my Theme name was Twiggy
all of my colors were named after 60s songs and they were all fun and bright

I decided to design a 60s inspired shift dress with my colors of choice and create it as well. I bought gabardine fabric in emerald green and black and I bought velvet ribbon, royal blue and mustard yellow, for the trimmings!

 

very proud of the way it came out..

#10 "It's the Holiday Season.."

... so whoop-dee-do and dickory-dock..

Wait.. did you say HOLIDAY SEASON??

Yes, indeed it is that time of the year again as we all wonder where the year went, how fast time flew buy and where am I going to get the money to buy everyone a gift?

Well before we all start panicking about buying gifts and before we all stuff our faces on thanksgiving and continuously gain weight until after New Years, let's focus on looking cute while doing all that!

It's getting cold and everyone is starting to bundle up, but instead of only wearing leggings, uggs and sweaters, lets make the cold look good. As I walk around the city I've passed many stores that have holiday clothes in the window and I see so many cute outfits put together that I want to wear for myself. I've decided to pick out some cute winter key items that I think everyone should have to look fashionable while we freeze our butts off.

here are some suggestions:

1. Leather gloves in a fun color or with funky detail!
I have a pair of nice red ones and I bought my mom a pair in fuchsia. Polyvore has nice leather gloves with studs and embellishments on them, but if you're looking for simpler ones, check out Macy's!



 2. (Faux) Fur Scarf
whether you're an animal activist or not, furry scarves always look good. Vince Camuto has a nice black fur scarf, I got mine and Urban Outfitters, they have a nice selection, but if you're price conscious, Forever 21 has some as well!

3. Over the Knee Boots
Whether you like to wear heels or not, over the knee boots always look sexy and come in a variety of colors: black, camel, brown. Aldo has a lot of pairs and so does Vince Camuto, but also check the Macy's shoe floor!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





4. Shimmery tights and legwear

These paired with a little black dress will make your outfit much more exciting! I have yet to own a pair but I definitely will have some in my drawers soon! Forever21 has a lot of cute tights for cheap! But once again check out Macy's they have a lot as well!

 

 

 

Alright ladies, go get your to-do lists done, go shopping and enjoy your holidays while looking great! :) (also these make great gifts too!!)

 

#9 New Fashion Shows

Fashion Shows have really evolved over the years and they will definitely continue to do so. With designers putting different twists and setting up the scene in interesting ways, it has become deeper entertainment.
During Paris Fashion Week, Rick Owens most definitely entertained!
Rick Owens had a step team perform during his show.
It became the most talked-about moment of the season!
Instead of using "rail-thin" models, he had real people; step dancers he recruited from dance sororities all over the US.
The dancers were "mean-mugging" while dancing their intense, powerful moves and it was said that this "represented a culture so often overlooked in this industry" while Sussie Bubble said "the most powerful and provocative statement in the last decade"

Rick Owens wanted to prove that Real people can wear High fashion.

Bravo, Rick Owens, Bravo! *applause*

#8 Lookbooks

Upon searching for lookbooks, I came across Rag & Bone's Resort 13 Lookbook on shopbop.com

 

 

 

The beauty of Lookbooks Is that it shows the garments being worn and how they can be work or paired with other pieces. you get to see how the whole look fits together.

Rag & Bone's Lookbook has all bright colors and florals and it shows you 4 ways of wearing that seasons florals!

 

I like that it shows you how to wear florals because some women may not know how to pair the print or may feel weird wearing it so its a good idea to let the customer see how a bright vibrant print can be worn!

unfortunately this Lookbook was quite short, but it was filled with lots of color and pieces none the less.

Looknooks are fun and chic, full of colors and outfits and can make a poor shmuck's life easier!

 

 

#7 Trunk Shows

As I searched and googled and googled and searched for Trunk Shows, I came across a website called Moda Operandi. Moda Operandi has a ribbon with "trunk show" as a drop down and has all different designers such as Tanya Taylor, Giambattista Valli and Ellery, to name a few.
It lets you know you can preorder designer trunkshows and get exclusive access to next seasons collections if you sign up for this site. and also tells you when the sale is ending.

I clicked on Valentino Spring/Summer 2014. Beautiful! Amazing! Stunning spring pieces. (why can't I just be rich??) :(
And ending in two days!

Pictures from the runway are displayed and you can click on which on you like for a price. It gives you the option to view by look or by item.

look at that Tribal skirt!! its beautiful!
I like the fact that you see it how its worn on the runway and by a click on your screen you can order it! It's an interesting concept. and i'm sure it would be even cooler in person at a trunk show event. hopefully at least once in my life I'll have the chance to go to one! (And afford it!)

#6: Fashion Runway Shows

So I went on newyorkfashionweeklive.com and was able to see a bunch of runway shows! I watched two Spring shows: BCBGMaxAzira and Badgley Mischka. But I'm going to focus on the Badgley Mischka one.
I'm gonna be honest, I have NEVER seen any Badgley Mischka clothing before, only shoes, and I really did like their shoes so I said hey, why not.

The set was black and white with a light blue runway and the garments were beautiful!! The models all sporting the same short voluminous bob hairstyle with minimal  make up with just a pop of blue eyeshadow and red lipstick on some faces.

Spring 2014, had a lot, a lot of dresses; long and short, textured with different fabrics and silhouettes such as tight long gown to an A-line skirt dress.
The color palette started out with white, a dusty sky blue and a darker blue. The last white dress had red detail on it; that was when the red and pink part of the show came into play (with of course more white.) More dresses! Beautiful tight downs with embellishments at the waist and hips. The red was a bright red while the pink more of a salmon color, and white, pure white.

Lots of deep cut backs and flowy silhouettes and soft but intricate detail.

Then came the dusty lavender dresses with abstract floral patterns with hints of that sky blue, salmon, a lighter pink, yellow and grey.

After that, Palazzo pants of the same lavender and grey large floral print with a matching bra top and a grey sequined short cardigan. I LOVED that outfit.

Following that, the silvers and greys came out. Evening gowns with shining embellishments and details. and we were back to the dusty sky blue! That transitioned into the last part of the show which had blues, pinks, whites, greys, all together and these evening gowns reminded me of prom or very luxurious dresses you would wear to a wedding or as the wedding gown itself!

Badgley Mischka's show portrayed a lot of evening gowns and skirts, pastel colors and also had a 60's mood to it with his showing of pillbox hats. I felt like his color palette was very monochromatic: white, light dusty blue, dusty lavender, grey and silver and had that pop of red and salmon to break it; gorgeous!

#5 : Color

Walking the streets of NYC and window shopping, I saw a lot of military inspired looks and a lot of plaid and grunge. The windows of the stores had a lot of red, deep olive green and  SO MUCH black!
I realize that I wear a lot of black (I've become such a New Yorker) so I always gravitate towards it, but turns out black and white is really in! As for color, it's mainly focused on reds and oranges.

 

 

The fashion forecasting services show that warm colors are really in this season (as opposed to cool colors; which I happen to love) and the warm colors are focusing mostly on red hues and orange hues!

 

In my opinion, I think the yellows and the magentas are really nice; I've never really liked red! but dark reds and red included in the plaid I can definitely dig!

#4: NY Times Fashion Blog

So, looking on their blog, I came across a few posts that interested me but I tried to go back a bit so I wouldn't choose the same one as someone else! I decided to stop at Eric Wilson's post "Michael Kors Doesn't Break a Sweat" and evaluate it. He used nice fashion jargon but I do admit, he does not write as well as Cathy; she makes you visualize what she sees! Eric explained nicely the pieces that Michael Kors showed on the runway for spring and said it was '"summer romance … a softer attitude … the juxtaposition of sportif and romantic …” ' and indeed it was!
I liked that Kors's show was basically the opposite of Marc Jacobs (which we just read about and saw in our last class!) and gave you a happy feeling of warm weather coming along, but what I thought was cool and different was the fur on the dress shirt.
Eric Wilson's post was short and sweet and to the point, he gave nice specifics and comparisons and also let us know how high the humidity percentage was that day!!

 

 

Silhouette/design:

- dance dresses

- superwide lounge pants

- bikini

- blazer

- men's dress shirt

 

Details:

- embroidered with white daisies

- raffia embroidery

- woven bags

- ring of fluffy white fox fur

 

Color:

- soft shades of white and khaki

- grass color

- sky blue

 

Fabric:

- gauzy linen

- gabardine

- raffia

- fox fur

 

Jargon:

- sweet, sunny and concise

- natural looking materials with a lot of texture





#3 Fashion Trend from NY Streets

For post # 3 we were asked to take pictures of some street fashion that we came across. that is when I noticed that I suck at taking pictures. I decided to go into the city on Saturday, Union Square and scope out some fashion but surprisingly there was no trend that stood out!
I did see a few people with fall attire, hopefully you can make it out!!

this was in Forever21, she had over-the-knee socks with combat boots, a lacy skirt with a pink button down. It was a nice transition from summer to fall with the skirt and color of the skirt. the socks and boots gave it the fall touch. the blue bag added a pop of color.

this was me being a creep on the train. this girl had a big flowy cardigan used as a top, underneath she only had a bandeaux. paired with leggings and combat boots that matched her bag, the cardigan as a light long sleeve top made it a fall piece, wasn't layering involved yet, leggings always a comfy yet classic choice, boots give that fall statement

this last one is me being a creep in the train station. This woman had a blue-toned floral blouse an with electric blue mini skirt paired with navy tights, booties and a black blazer. the combinations of blue she wore made it known that she wasn't ready to be in "dark hues", the floral was nicely pieced so it didn't seem summery but just right. the blazer and booties gave it a fall look.

 

#2 Key Item for Fall 2013

Fall is my favorite season of the year! I love that it is still warm but the wind is cooler and what I love most is the fashion. Fall fashion is the cutest and coziest, can't wait to go shopping!

Each season has a few key items; we will focus on the Fall.

This year's Fall 2013 Key Item that I personally love is the Asymmetrical Hemline.

Narciso Rodriguez NY Fall '13

I think it's sexy, you show a little bit more leg on one side and the look of it is cool. It gives your outfit a different style, rather than just wearing either a maxi skirt, a midi skirt or a mini skirt, you can wear them all at once!

If you go shopping, and I mean not high-end clothes, you can find this Key Item almost anywhere. I walked into a few of my favorite stores such as forever21, H&M, and Zara and I saw the Asymmetrical Hemline.

Forever21 Online

 

 

I will be gracing my closet with an asymmetrical hemline soon ;)

#1 Three Fashion Blogs I Like

I've come across some pretty sweet fashion blogs, but these three made the list:

1) http://blog.nastygal.com/

Not only is Nasty Gal an amazing shopping site, it also has a super cool blog that right when you click it, it features new shoes and how to wear them and says "If you're going to kick A**, you need kicka** shoes." (love that) and also redirects you to their page so you can buy them! Nasty Gal Blog also has lookbooks according to season or categories. They have five choices with drop-down menus: Features& Shoots, Style-O-Rama, Culture Shock, The Family and Most Loved. Great blog because they have such cute clothes.

  

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2) http://laurenconrad.com/

The second blog I love is Lauren Conrad's. First of all she's so cute and so are her ideas, so how can you not like this blog? Not only does she have a Wear and Primp section, she also has a Get Fit section, a Dine section and a Crafts section. I've gotten some fun ideas from her blog before. Last year she gave really cool Halloween costume ideas and her post inspired me Halloween night and costume. One of her recent posts is called "Transitional White" which I think is really cool because "No white after Labor Day!" is kind of a dying trend no? She talks about incorporating some of your favorite white pieces into your winter wardrobe.

 

 

3) http://www.bellasugar.com/

 

Last but not least, Popsugar! I learned about this through shopstyle.com, which I use to find clothing or shoes that I'm looking for. Popsugar has a little bit of everything: from celeb news to celeb hair, from skin care to food and of course FASHION. As I go onto their website, one of the first things I see is "The Hottest Ever Beauty Looks from the Marc Jacobs Runways" just in time for fashion week, which is just around the corner! Another post that caught my eye was the "Pretty Little Liar's Style" because it is one of my favorite shows. It talks a little about the show but goes on to the characters' personal style and how they are "pro's and mixing and matching." I like this blog because it not only shows you the fashion trends and what's hot right now in the streets or with celebrities, but it also gives you some news about what's going on in the world.