The Fashionista Speaks

Wonderful Winter Wools

2007-11-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

All the colors of the rainbow!

From right to left,
Top row: Nicki Pumpkin Wool Swing Coat with Peter Pan Collar in Red ($178, ASOS.com), Toggle Plaid Coat in Rust, ($40, Forever 21), Emma Hooded Toggle with Insulate in Marigold ($90, Delias), Sasha Funnel Coat with Thinsulate in Emerald Green ($90, Delias)
Bottom row: Lux Miss Porter's Peacoat in Cobalt ($125, Urban Outfitters), Kimchi & Blue Ruffle Collar Coat in Deep Plum ($140, Urban Outfitters), Poplin Coat in Black ($55, Forever 21), Tulle Funnel Neck Coat in White Smoke ($78, Nordstrom)

Trend: Metallics

2007-11-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

I'm a shiny-things kind of girl. Anything that's sparkly, shimmery, glittery, is going to get my attention. For instance, the dress pictured below, designed by Peter Som (one of my favorites!)

I love pretty much everything about this dress, but I decided to focus on the awesome metallic design on it. So I started looking around online for more takes on this trend, and this is what I found...

From ASOS.com, the good deal:
Ceci Tokyo Metallic Bib Front Dress,
Approximately $158

From Forever 21, the steal:
Metallic Babydoll Dress,
$22.80

Shopping! (Plus, Happy Halloween!)

2007-10-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

I went shopping today! I've been adding and adding and adding to my wishlists online these past few days, so I figured I should do something to get it out of my system (even though it'll probably only last for a week or so). Anyways, I got a new pair of ballet flats, a big sweater, tights, yet another 1928 necklace, and Betsey Johnson earrings! They're only the second designer thing I've ever owned (the other - Oscar de la Renta sunglasses), and I am so in love with them. Below, a picture that does not do the earrings justice:
Plus, Happy Halloween everyone! I wasn't that spirit-y this year, but I did dress up. And, a surprising number of people around campus were wearing their costumes. Anyways... Look! I'm a librarian!

Sweaters!

2007-10-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge, huge, huge sweater person, and now that it's starting to get chilly, I'm getting excited about all the awesome options that are out there. I personally think that all types of sweaters are great, but I really like big, chunky knits. Also, it seems that sweater dresses have been showing up here and there, and that just opens a whole other world of possibilities! Here are a few samples that I pulled from Urban Outfitters and Forever 21:

Trend: Belts

2007-10-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

I am personally a huge fan of this particular trend, the belt over the dress. Maybe I'm biased because some of those flowy dresses that have been in style recently tend to make me look like I'm pregnant. In any case, this look has been spotted on the likes of Diane Kruger, Kate Bosworth, and Carmen Electra.

And for my take on the look, from some great online stores:

From Urban Outfitters:
I like the idea of combining these two pieces because their textures are so different.

From fredflare.com:
I like that you can get a more eclectic or funky look from this site while still playing into the trend.

From Target:
In this case, the belt is part of the design of the dress, but I still really like the ultimate shape and look.

Trend: Strapless Dresses over Tees

2007-10-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

I came across a trends article on InStyle.com featuring stars layering strapless dresses over shirts. The look showed up on Kate Bosworth and Brittney Snow, as well as on the runway, such as in the BCBG Max Azria Spring 2008 Ready-to-Wear collection.

For a younger, more casual, and slightly more affordable look, I went onto delias.com and forever21.com to put together a version of the trend. My philosophy when it comes to trends is to go for something not too trendy, so the pieces are definitely okay as separately as well. So, without further ado:

From Delias:

From Forever 21:

Hello, Fashionista Here.

2007-10-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

I know that I'm just one of millions of girls out there who are obsessed with clothes, designers, magazines, and everything fashion. How many of us grew up playing dress-up with our mom's clothes? How many of us have collages of outfits cut out from various fashion magazines? I'm also just one of who-know-how-many people who want to break into the fashion industry, whether in designing, modeling, or photography, to name a few. In my case, the dream job would be a fashion editor at a magazine - I absolutely love Teen Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire... I love them all.

Unfortunately for me, my university doesn't offer a major (or any classes) that are related to fashion, so I'm going to have to make my own way. Take art classes, read books on fashion in my spare time, take lots of writing classes (maybe journalism?), and keep devouring those fashion magazines. And those things are just to prepare me for even the slightest chance. I'm sure that there are a lot of people out there who are still in the same boat as me.

So what's a girl to do? Well, for now, it looks like all I can really do is hope. In the meantime, though, I'm going to keep on doing everything I can to keep developing skills. Keep on learning about clothes in order to create my own personal style. Keep on looking through those magazines not just for the clothes, but also to learn about how they're put together and what kind of articles go in them. Keep on scouring online sites to familiarize myself with designers, stylists, editors, and trends. That kind of thing. Maybe, one day, it'll pay off.

I'm also hoping to use this blog to my advantage. I don't know how many people (if any) will end up reading this, but it'll definitely help me improve my writing with a specific audience in mind, not to mention it will be useful as a catalogue of everything else that I'm doing. And now that I've rambled on for a while, allow me to conclude with something simple:

Enjoy!