Mission Impossible Two-- Frump to Fashion

How do you do it? How do you make one of the world's most quintessentially mom-like items a hip and fashion-savvy piece of clothing?
I had the brainwave when I saw the adorable Miss Selfridge printed tee.
You inject a little Paris into it! And not a severe high-style chic, but just a little relaxed, oh-so-trendy chic. THAT is what Parisian style is truly all about anyway. Easy style, but spot-on style.
To keep a chic, thigh-fashion edge to, I added some gorgeous, classy and lady-like items in the form of the Giuseppe Zanotti pumps and the Bottega Veneta coat, as well as the Aspinal of London gloves which keep in line with the Parisian chic theme but also add a unique element to the outfit. The ASOS pink rose hair accessory aided in keeping the outfit light and feminine.

When Glasses Speak: The Franco Sarto Story

When I saw this pair of Franco Sarto sunglasses, I first thought; "Oh, nice trendy glasses" Then I realized that before that moment, I would have never thought to make an O.O. (Orbital Outfit) centered around these babies. But WHY NOT? They have just as much personality as any other item of clothing: you just have to listen a little harder! It's like people who are naturally less outspoken than others, it's not as if they have less to say. So then I thought, well, I better change avec les temps (that's French for "change with the times", by the way) because right now is all about the restrained, the minimalist and the less outspoken. Cream, beige and nude tones? So hot right now. Black? YES YES YES. Charcoal gray, tweed? Need I exaggerate how much I can possibly agree with that statement? I think not.
So here it is, an outfit where subtle speaks. Hush, I'm listening.
....it says: I like classy artsy things, like this Giambattista Valli dress. I also like things that pop unexpectedly, like these L.A.M.B. platform oxfords. And, lastly, I just like things that complement me, like this Miu Miu clutch, Avalaya cocktail ring and Louis Mariette headband.
I know you do, Franco Sarto sunglasses, I know you do.

One Day My Prints Will Come- One Day Very Soon...

A D & G new release puts a quirky-cute spin on 50s era style

This gorgeous non-floral print Vivienne Westwood is classic but cool

Defined, classic black flowers lay over a cream slip on this 3.1 Phillip Lim number

Roberto Cavalli shows us classy leopard-print at its best!

There has been a shift in the cosmic winds of fashion recently. A radical one. The popular disheveled, rebellious rocker look that we have seen just about everywhere- from pop stars to peers- is no longer in vogue it seems. What has replaced it? Its exact opposite: lady-like chic, neat and classic.
It's strange that as I write this I feel no nostalgia for the "Ke$ha" look that I, along with everyone else, indulged in. In its prime time, I woke up every morning and literally felt like P. Diddy. I bought a faux fur vest. I teased my hair from its already rebellious state into what I believe is called a "whafro". It was incredibly fun, the "tough-sexy-grungy" look, yet I feel its time is now up. As an ardent follower of fashion (which ebbs and flows of its own accord, not dictated by anyone) I cannot help but feel that magnetic pull away from the old, and to it's opposite: neat, common-sensical, classic beauty. Let Vogue explain further:

"I AM WOMAN. Hear me roar. Hear my issue stock

purchase orders from the Wall Street trading floor. I

am woman; I am not a girl. I do not emulate the pop-

burlesque fashion stylings of Ke$ha or Katy Perry. I do

not aspire to passe morning after chic, with bird's-nest

hair and shredded leather leggings."

This is an excerpt from the latest Vogue's "point of view" section, and just as I was stirred several months earlier by their "point of view" which began the rocker craze, I am stirred once again. "So true!" I whispered to myself fervently when I read it, the astounding right-ness shocking me, "Frank, let me read you this!" But my twelve year old brother did not care, it was apparent, for he quickly returned to his evening session of runsecape when he realized I was reading aloud from Vogue again. Ah well, c'est la vie.

So, by now, every fashion mag everywhere has covered the classic conservative pencil dress, the Jackie O. glasses, the charming under-stated pumps. Where, I wondered, do we naturally evolve from here? Then the answer began to come to me: so far we have only seen, for the most part, pencil dresses in a vivid block colour. The look has not yet matured to prints, but prints will come, they always do. Therefore, all we have to do to remain on the cutting edge of this wave of trend, is to predict just what these marvelous prints will be. Let us brainstorm. Inspired by the fifties and sixties? Of course. This means a certain amount of change from the prints popular right now: the super-vibrant over-clustered florals. The problem? Yes, there were florals in the fifties and sixties, but they were defined, if you see what I mean. They were carefully drawn in the style of the time- the Nancy Drew era etchings.
So, I suppose what I see in this crystal ball- it is yet a bit murky, I must admit- is defined, outlined and drawn prints. I also see the return of non-floral prints: minimalist check and tartan, classy forms of leopard print, Parisian stripes, of course, and polka dots, yes polka dots once again! Large ones especially, as they have been off the radar so long, that to see a classic large red-on-white polka dot print would establish one as a sure-footed fashionista.
Geometric, you ask? I'm afraid it is too early to tell in this case of this pattern. Items are showing up from high fashion sources but I'm not sure it has quite receded far enough into the past as to be cool. My recommendation would be to hold off on any geometric urge you may have as the beast known as "the geometric-patterned stretchy kimono shirt" has not yet faded has far off the radar as one would have hoped.
From a quick glance at Net-a-Porter one can see that my prints predictions are already beginning to come true, judging from the current collections of many of the greats (shown above). I knew my prints would come.

Mission: Impossible-- Number One

Is anything truly impossible fashion-wise? I believe no. I believe that every item, no matter how seemingly hideous it may be, can be worn in a stylish outfit- and I've yet to be proven wrong! Take Impossible Item #1: The G.I. Joe watch from Wal-Mart. It may be regulated to army-buffs and young boys for now, but take it out of that context, and put it situated in a quirky collegiate outfit with just enough sport-smart to set it off, and it becomes stylish:

The watch in question

Neon green American Apparel shorts highlight the watch screen

Elizabeth and James Blazer to smarten up the look

Simple American Apparel Tee

Collegiate pins for blazer from Aldo

Topshop: of course

Aldo pin for blazer

Juicy Couture charm bracelet to girl it up!

Item of the Week: White Cut-Out Vest by Barlow

I found this item of the week hiding deep in the fashion wilderness of shopbop.com. It took some scrounging, once on the website I actually had to press in the middle of my computer screen with my mouse-tool to enter the featured items page. But once done, the website yielded to me some wonderful leather goods which I quiet enjoyed. None did I enjoy more, however, than this marvelous Barlow vest:

Any hink-de-dink, once I saw this spectacular beast, I started wondering how one might best wear this. Needless to say it is now the orbital outfit of the week. I do believe that there is only one truly right way to wear an item of clothing, one that compliments it and only it. One in which all the other items in the outfit are, in a sense, orbiting around it. That's what I've tried to do for this poor lonely Barlow vest, I've tried to find it some truly complementary companions. Here are the friends I've found:

(Note that the dress is totally backless, allowing for the vest's sexy pattern to shine!)

Alexander McQueen Belt

Eric Beamon for Alice + Olivia Necklace

Pigalle Flats

Kamala Snake Cuff

Contrarian Backless Dress

The Sandals of the Summer: Which Styles Will Win Out?

There will be few winners. It is the same each year. Many vie to contend, but the popular majority will decide on only a chosen few to reign the summer season.

We're talking the Battle of the Sandals.

As I am a fashion prophet, (the natural gas pipe line which runneth underneath my house may be less than air-tight, I suspect, causing a "Delphi" effect) let me begin to spin my prophecy about the sandals who will dominate, and those who will be left to fade, sun-scorched, in the windows of Aldo.

The sandals of yore shall perish. No, not the gladiator format, per se, but the way in which we have seen it played out during the past two summers, with extravagant metallics, and gaudy jewels that weigh down the foot. But don't think too minimalist either, the time for a sandal that looks somewhat like a g-string for the foot is still far in the future. Besides, those are so goddamn hard to keep dans le foot! No, the sandal of today is just about as practical as the fashionista will ever allow herself to get. Here are the defining traits of this summer's sandal:

• Soft, slighty worn, or buttery leather
  
• Colours are primarily neutral, a sophisticated black, or a fashion-forward pop of a subdued bright, child-like colour. Think tempera paint.
  
• Straps and cut-outs is where the shoe will show it's unique style, either with a eye-boggling amount of slim straps, unusual criss-crossing or interesting cut-outs.


• Many lace up, almost bridging the gap between shoe and sandal.


• Instead of having a Roman or Grecian influence, many of these sandals have a more British root. For example, hot young shoe brand F-Troupe, based in London, claims their shoes and sandals use "British historical and functional influences to make footwear that is quintessentially British but with an international appeal."

Any sandal who can fulfill those recquirements shall prosper in the new season, and henceforth have my blessing. The following are some that do, just for example's sake. In order: 1) Cooperative blue cut-out & lace-up sandal at Urban Outfitters 2) F-Troupe red cross-strap sandal at Buy Definition 3) Forever 21 sophisticated black low-wedge cross strap sandal at Forever 21 4) Forever 21 navy blue cut-out & lace-up sandal at Forever 21 5) F-Troupe soft leather lace-up sandal at Buy Definition 6) Ecote multi-strap brown leather sandal at Urban Oufitters 7) Deena & Ozzy cut-out and lace-up black sandal at Urban Outfitters.

Strike a Pose!

A gorgeous tribute video made for a gorgeous high school fashion show.



Did you see me do my death-defying drop from the raised platform into the arms of my many fashionable amours? This movie was done for an entertainment intermission in the recent high school fashion show which my two lovely and fashion-forward friends Catherine Stockall and Abby Smith co-directed. It was a smash-hit, an absolute first-class production.
Soon to be posted: our recreation of an episode of America's Next Top Model!