New York Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week is, as always, a great way to see upcoming trends for Spring of 2013.

Here are some of the collections and pieces that caught my eye.

Peter Som:
He calls it where "uptown meets downtown."
My favorite pieces:

(they're pointed!)

His jeweled collars and feminine patterns are stunning.

Chloé:

Her RTW (Ready To Wear) Spring 2013 collection wasn't great. It was mostly business suits and dresses, but I found few pieces I liked.

Here was one I thought was fun:

I've always wanted a cute raincoat and this raincoat/dress is awesome.

This dress was also nice, but I think I'd only like it if it was belted.

And this I absolutely hated:

It looks like a garbage bag.

Jason Wu:

I may only like this dress because one of my favorite models (Karlie Kloss) is in it...

DFDFS

On the other hand, I'm absolutely obsessed with his lingerie collection, so it's probably not a fluke.

Check out the detailing on that skirt! Swoon.

Hervé Léger:

My favorite collection thus far is that from Hervé Léger. It focuses on strong dresses. That sometimes falls flat, but often it's amazing. The standout pieces incorporated into almost every dress were various styles of the same leather corset, or... well I'm not sure how to describe it, but you can see here what I mean:

 Some of these I would definitely consider wearing myself.

Well that's all so far!

Before going, please enjoy this picture of Nicki Minaj and Anna Wintour (I think?) at NYFW:

P.S. If you want to watch live streaming of the runway shows go here.
Still to come today are:
5:30 PM Tommy Hilfiger Men's
6:00 PM Nicole Miller
7:00 PM Charlotte Ronson (I love her!)
7:30 PM Todd Snyder
8:00 PM Academy of Art University
9:00 PM Parkchoonmoo

Tomorrow:
9:00 AM Ruffian
9:30 AM Marissa Webb
10:00 AM Lacoste
11:00 AM Jill Stuart
12:00 PM Son Jung Wan
1:00 PM MM6 Maison Martin Margiela
1:00 PM Nina Skarra
2:00 PM Mara Hoffman
2:00 PM Marlon Globel
2:30 PM Rafael Cennamo
3:00 PM  Hervé Léger by Max Azria
4:00 PM Katya Leonovich
6:00 PM Vlov – Qingqing Wu
7:00 PM Monique Lhuillier
9:00 PM Venexiana

I'm most excited for Zac Posen (7:00 PM September 9th), Badgley Mischka (10:00 AM September 11th), Vera Wang (11:00 AM September 11th), Anna Sui (6:00 PM September 12th), and Calvin Klein (2:00 and 3:00 September 13)

Talk to you soon,

Alix

2 Days of School and Look of the Week

Hello lovelies!

Yesterday I made the Doctor Marten Appreciation Post, so I didn't post my outfit but I'm pretty proud of it.

I wore a body-con (that stands for body conscious, or form fitting) skirt that I got for only $10 at a discount shop in Chicago. It's perfect--I wear it all the time. On top I wore a shirt from Love Culture (that I got for my birthday two years ago!) with a burgundy bandeau from 344 underneath. The key piece to this outfit was my vest. It's from Hollister, but I actually got it about three or four years ago from a friend who had rarely worn it and thought I might like it. I did, but I never wore it because I could never figure out what to wear it with. Now that I wore it yesterday, I have fallen head over heels in love with it! It not only looks good over a body-con skirt, but it would look really good over a tank top and skinny jeans. I'll try this look later in the year and post it when I do.
Here's the vest on it's own:

Cute, right?

So today I kept it pretty casual, with a loose black tank top from Forever 21 (Love Culture's rival store! Whoops.) over the (same) red bandeau. It says "Life is too important to be taken seriously." It's an Oscar Wilde quote. He's the quote God, I swear. To give some pop to the black shirt, I'm wearing flowered jean shorts from Marshall's (I think, they were a gift) and a neon green headband from Goodie.

I'm wearing my favorite cardigan from Delia's. I'll make a favorites post soon!

And here's the look of the week (LOTW):

It's from an Urban Outfitter's catalogue from last summer (or possibly this summer, I can't remember).  I decorate my wall with Urban catalogue pictures, and this one always catches my eye when I walk into the room.

(my favorite is the poster in the middle of the green wall-it's by Matt Cavanaugh and I got it in a pop up shop in Philly!)

The look is amazing, but only if you are tall and thin. So of course, I can't wear it, but if anyone tall and thin reads this blog I implore you to go out and buy a solid colored maxi dress and a super-short solid (or patterned) crop top with short or long sleeve.

To finish it off, here's the outfit my friend, Kira, was wearing today. She always looks so cute and put together so I'm glad I asked for a picture!

She's wearing a black dress with accent wedges and looks like she could have just walked out of NYFW (New York Fashion Week). Speaking of, Fashion Week is this week! More to come on that.

I'll talk to you guys again later!
Alix

P.S. If anyone has a tumblr and wants to follow my fashion blog on there, here's the link!

Doctor Marten Appreciation Post

My Docs are everything to me. Everything. In the last two years I’ve worn shoes that aren’t Docs maybe twice. My first pair of Docs is beat up—I like to say well loved. When I did circus camp in France I had to trek a mile through the mud every day. Wearing my Docs, I was problem-free. I even carried a young girl Eleanor on my back every trip so she wouldn’t get her shoes messed up. My Docs were literally caked in mud, but you can’t tell! My socks didn’t get wet because of the platforms (that’s another thing I love—they give me an extra couple inches!), and the shoes are military style so they are made just for walking through the mud. They are cloth, so they only took about a week to break in.

(in action)

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-3211-1460-w.aspx

On the other hand, my second pair of Docs is leather. They are shiny and pink and beautiful, with a popping color that just catches the eye.  The only downside to the newer ones is that they have taken about a month to break in—I still have to wear knee high socks folded down to keep my ankles and shins from bleeding all over the inside of the shoe. Another upside of Docs is that they are meant to be scuffed up, so the more destroyed they are, the better; you don't need to worry about keeping them clean and pristine.

(in action)

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-2169-1460-w.aspx

So, would you consider getting Docs? They may be on the more expensive side, but they are more than worth it if you wear them just half as much as I do.

A new collection the Docter Marten store just released is the Agnes Dean Collection. For Docs I tend to only like the calf-high boots, and this collection is no exception. The boots are Aggy 1490s and they are shockingly shiny, and come in black and burgundy.  The platforms seem to be taller than regular Docs.  I’m undecided on these. I really love the color of the burgundy but I think I would prefer it in a suede. I also think the platforms on these are a bit high.

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4655-aggy-1490.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4656-aggy-1490.aspx

 Alright, let’s discuss some other awesome boots Dr. AirWair Martens have come out with.

Other shoes in the same style as my pink (1460 Womens) are: black, white, red, pink, etc.

I kind of love the vintage 1460 style because of the suede feel. Although they aren’t available until spring I would definitely consider buying some suede pastels for my next pair. They are absolutely gorgeous.  Now, the vintage 1460/regular 1460 colors are: black, burgundy, purple, green, white, brown, dark blue, etc.  The regular 1460s are usually about $120.00 while the vintage are $200.00. If given the option, I would go with the cheaper ones—they’re still just as well-made.

I have a special soft spot for the 1460 London Jack shoes. I am practically in love with them. I would definitely consider buying them for my tour to England in June!

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-889-8417z-black-smooth.aspx

I don’t like the boots that are higher than mid-calf-high. It shortens people (making a shortie like me look even smaller) and must be such a pain to break in and just to lace up and lace down every time you wear them, it doesn’t seem worth it.

The leather Docs, although painful to break in, come in the absolute greatest colors! Take a look at these stunners.

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4360-1460-w.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4361-1460-w.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4415-1460-w.aspx

Their floral patterns are also superb. Some of these I’m just seeing for the first time today and WOW. They’re lovely.

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4341-1460.aspx

 ( I love these! They are so delicate)

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4090-1460-w.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4022-1460-w.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4339-1460.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4161-1460-w.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4063-castel.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4064-castel.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4580-clemency.aspx

Check out these splatter paint ones! I’ve also never seen these. They are super cool but I think they might be a bit tall for someone like me. They are also a bit more expensive, at $145.00

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4456-1490.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4457-1490.aspx

I’ll just come right out and say that I dislike most of the Docs heels as well as the fur ones.

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-4421-alize.aspx

http://www.dmusastore.com/p-3958-aries.aspx

If you’re even considering getting Docs, scroll through the website,dmusastore.com and see what you like! The best place to buy Docs in person is at the Doc Marten NYC store in Soho.

Talk to you soon!

Alix

First Day of Senior Year!

First day of school… all I can think is that this is going to be a very busy year until May. And (besides this blog) the only thing getting me through is counting down the days until June. Me and my best friend Hattie are going to England for a few weeks to tour and visit with her half-brother! Don’t worry, I’ll take lots of pictures to post.

I didn’t give a ton of thought to my first day of school outfit because I had given thought to it a few days before when I wore it for work. People seemed to think it was cute at school though, which rocked.

From top to bottom I wore: my long sleeve striped shirt, my black tank top, my high waisted shorts, and my pink Docs.

My long sleeve shirt is airy and light, and it was only $5 at a Goodwill in Maine! That was by far the best Goodwill I’ve ever visited. I got three shirts for a total of $13. The shirt can be worn without being tied and looks great with skinny jeans or leggings.

My tank is old and worn out—it’s a comfy cotton from Mossimo Supply Co. that I have had for years and years.

My shorts were a gift from Hattie. She bought high-waisted shorts from Goodwill and bleached them, destroyed them, and used friendship-bracelet string to embellish the pockets and belt loops.They’re a bit small on me now, but they are amazingly unique and awesome. 

More to come on my Docs—I’ll make a Doctor Marten appreciate post soon!

Here's another angle:

After school I had babysitting for an hour (I take my neighbors off the bus once a week) and then I quick changed into an outfit for my Love Culture job. I wore something I would love to wear to school, but I’m not sure if it’s quite appropriate. What do you think?

This is the studded bra I was nervous about… It was $15 at Love Culture and I love it! It’s so versatile but you can see why I don’t know if it would fly at school.

It can be worn tons of ways, but I decided to throw it under a sheer shirt I got from TJ Maxx for $13. I tied it and unbuttoned it to emphasize the bra.

Here’s how it looks buttoned. It’s sheer and very light—perfect for summer. It'll also be good for fall and spring because it works great over a pair of leggings.

To offset the grungy-extreme of the studded bra, I wore a delicate high-waisted skirt. I can’t remember now where I bought it, but it has gotten a ton of use. Unfortunately, it’s a bit see-through so underneath I wear athletic spandex from 344. If you need some, check to see if there is a 344 Outlet near you. All the clothes are the same as the regular store, it just sells the less-wanted colors for less! And I loved getting blue and green tie dye shorts for $5.

Hope you had a great first day of school! What did you wear?

Still to come: outfits that can be made with the studded bra, a Doctor Marten’s appreciation post, and regular fashion updates.

See you tomorrow!

Alix

I'M BACK!

Hey guys!

Well, if the title didn't give it away... I'm back! This semester, as a senior in high school, I got to take an independent study in Journalism.  This means that I will actually be getting graded on updating my blog! Scary. So I will be posting outfits of the day, critique of fashion magazines, and coverage of runway shows. I might also post some how-to videos, if that seems fun!
My dream is to major in Journalism and become a fashion editor in a magazine like Marie Clare or Seventeen.
Over the summer I got a job at Love Culture in the mall (yay!) so I might mention that or post pictures of mannequins, etc. Because Love Culture is split up by decades from the 1920s-1990s, every Saturday, the staff chooses a decade and dresses up to reflect that, so I will post those outfits every Saturday!

I hope you had a great summer!
Talk to you very soon,
Alix