Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Trend Tuesday: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beanies


This first installment of Trend Tuesday is just the slightest bit on the nerdy side with the obvious Harry Potter reference. I will not apologize for this, as I just went on the studio tour and it was EPIC.

Back to the regular scheduled programming:

I have seen a lot of beanies floating around on my newly pinned pins on Pinterest (say that three times fast). Not only were they shows down the runway in Jill Sander's Spring 2012 RTW collection (below right), but also on one of my favorite OOTD blogs, Atlantic-Pacific, written by Blair Edie (below, left)
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Other than on the online world and the shows in which I obsessively view online, I have had some real-world encounters with this slouchy trend, mostly with my friends. These friends have lovingly allowed me to photograph them in their natural beanie habitat to demonstrate the various ways beanie are able to be worn. (All photos are my own!)




First you are able to see how using your beanie can be a cohesive addition to a monochromatic outfit. Emily is wearing a classic London ensemble, black from head to toe! The beanie matches well and helps the entire outfit feel effortless. And I promise she's laughing, not in pain....























Next, we visit the addition of the pom-pom. Usually, this addition lends to a more interesting, and possibly warmer hat. They may remind you of your younger days where Mom would insist you would catch a cold if you ran out without a hat on, but they have come so far! Cream is an obvious choice, as it is between the months of October and March referred to as "Winter White" and goes with conceivably anything.








Finally, and I don't know why there isn't a full-on shot of her, but Tara demonstrates using the beanie as a pop of color, very similar to Blair in atlantic-pacific. The beautiful cobalt blue is a very popular color this season, and although it has the potential to be quite overpowering, it is simple and gorgeous in small doses of accessories.



Or, you could be like me and go out and find a beanie that resembles Rudolph....


Happy December!


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Friday, November 23, 2012

Footwear Friday! Margiela at H&M

Happy turkey hangover day!

As many of you may be aware, Margiela just collaborated with H&M for an amazing line. I happened to go into H&M on the day the collection launched in order to snap some pictures of (and ultimately empty my bank account to buy) the shoes Vogue had teased me with online here.
However, upon entering the store on High Street Kensington, it was a MADHOUSE. People had signed up to buy tickets for certain times of day to shop. I obviously wandered around for about 30 minutes until I sensed a lull and then I ran into the madness.
To my chagrin, the shoes in their entirety had been picked over, and none of the shoes I had been longing over (for 3 days) were there any longer. Que sera, sera.
Specifically, the shoes I was yearning for were those that had the plexiglass wedge heel, and it just so happens that Margiela did THREE different shoes with this heel. WOO enjoy!

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..right?



These basically look like you're constantly standing on your tip-toes, which is obviously a plus because people will think you have calves that would rival a Russian ballerina, and isn't that what everyone wants?





Other than the fact they are pretty much the coolest things I have ever seen, I am a big fan of designer collaborations with affordable brands, such as H&M.

If ANYONE knows where this girl can get her hands on those wedge plexiglass ankle booties, help a sista out and leave it in the comments!!


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thrifty Thursday: Diet of Vegan Leather Skirts


Name one reason you shouldn't have a leather skater skirt in your closet at this very moment. Nothing? That's what I thought.
 Forget the trench coat or the LBD, I have decided this is the new staple of every 20-something's wardrobes. (That statement may need to be retracted after the initial high of this new find has subsided, but humor me for now)
I have spotted these fun little numbers (am I 60?) at stores all over ranging from traditional black to light pink, from ass-grazing to floor length. The one thing that has varied just as much as the shape and length of the garment is the price. Considering this is Thrifty Thursday, I will give you the low-down on what I have discovered.
Source: Urban Outfitters


I first saw this lovely vegan leather skater skirt on Urban Outfitters, which, coming in at a reasonable $69 dollars, isn't SO bad. However, when you consider the fact you are buying something that is probably one of the lesser practical items, you may want to save some of that dough.




Source: Asos









I then went scouring on my typical go-tos for the thriftiest of fashions. However, one place that I can alsmot always rely on to have amazing sales, Asos, threw me a curveball with this skater skirt coming in at a whopping $175.90! Asos, for shame.



Source: Tobi




Then, my reliable source for amazing items for great prices, Tobi, came through with a vengeance. I found, dare I say it, the cutest version of them all, and for the great price of $30. AND if you sign up for Tobi, they tend to send you amazing deals like 50% off a purchase....worth it!



All in all, the vegan skirts are obviously the cheaper (and more humane) options. Win-win.

Get out there and replace your LBD with your LBVLS (little black vegan leather skirt....working title...)


P.S. I would write a cute little "Happy Thanksgiving!" part of this post if I wasn't so bitter about missing it this year being in London...I guess I just lost that battle too.

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Selfie Sunday! Portobello Christmas Market

HOORAY first of the themed blog postings, starting things off right with Selfie Sunday!

We are beginning the Christmas season quite early here in Londontown, which apparently is the norm here, but to Americans who are waiting for the nonexistent Thanksgiving rush it seems a little like a preemptive strike on the Yuletide cheer.

We scooted on over to the turning on of the Portobello Road Christmas lights and it definitely got us in the spirit!



I decided to wear my red skater skirt with some sheer black tights and my black riding boots. On top, I donned a white button down blouse (such a cop-out, it's my go-to. thanks, private school uniform days!) I also wore my new black draped leather and knit jacket, which I now know does not photograph well.




We also went into the COOLEST vintage shop on Portobello road (I showed great restraint and didn't buy vintage Ray Ban's, Mom) and the dressing rooms were covered in newspapers all the way back to 1976! So cool. Enjoy the myspace picture I managed to snap:





So...that was selfie Sunday....hope you liked it!













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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dreamin' of Theme-in'

Horrible titles aside, I was wondering how to keep these posts somewhat streamlined and on-track (considering I now consider a 250 word post on skorts an acceptable addition to society)

So, I have determined I need to start having themes! Obviously due to my nerdy tendencies (and slight hint of OCD), they are all alliterations!

Make-up/Menswear Monday- I either discuss something exciting in the male fashion world, how something in that demographic will apply to my life, or some sort of beauty aspect I am currently fascinated with. I know, weird things to put together, but I will chose only one to discuss (unless men's makeup becomes a thing, and then all bets are off!)

Trend Tuesday-Choosing a current trend and giving my two cents (I promise no more about skorts)

What to Wear Wednesday- Pretty self-explanatory, I tell you what to wear, just like an overbearing stage mom.

Thrifty Thursday-I give away all my secrets to being stingy and stylish

Footwear Friday- Because shoe Saturday ended up sounding like shoe Shaterday when I said it out loud...

Silly Saturday-Bascially a free-for-all, and always a surprise (even to me)

Selfie Sunday- where y'all get to see me in my hangover prime, because that's why Sundays were invented.
SOOO get ready for some of those! WEE!
In the meantime, here is a photoshopped picture of Ryan Gosling on Jesus' body...
Thanks, Buzzfeed! Source
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Monday, November 12, 2012

Are Skorts Still a Thing?

God, I hope not.
Catching up on my trends on Vogue.com after a few weeks of slacking was a jarring experience. How, after enjoying myself for a mere 2 weeks, did such a revolution of Skorts come back?!
Granted, these styles were shown in the A/W '12 shows, which took place this past Spring, but like many runway looks, I never thought they would translate into the real world!
According to Vogue.com, however, these "skirt trousers" have "grown up and got sophisticated". Some of these looks are too reminiscent of when I was in 8th grade and just discovered leggings, and thought that they looked FAB with a jean skirt and flip flops. Oh, the horror.

Giambattista Valli, Source

Marc Jacobs. Source



















Louis Vuitton, Source







Although this look is lightyears better than the skorts I remember, I am still quite quite dubious as to who would purchase an ensemble such as this from Louis Vuitton? Also, what occasion yields a skort ensemble? Does the invitation to a tennis match read, "Dress Skorty-Casual?"






This was just a perplexing way to begin my Monday morning.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Portobello Road

Shmortoshmello Shmoad am I right?! 



WRONG. 

I know, I know, living in london for 3 months already and this weekend was my first trip to Portobello? Shame on me!

However, journeying to Portobello with my mom who was visiting was far more enjoyable than any other company I could have gone with.
Going in with the inclination that all I would see were antiques upon antiques with some gourmet food that I don't have a kitchen (or skills) to cook was not the right mindset. The tables were overflowing with vintage (and knockoff) jewelry, leather goods, records, paintings, fur, etc. and I loved every minute of it.
Many of the vendors did not appreciate photographs being taken of their booths, but I managed to find some nice people who didn't seem to mind (or notice..).



While I may have fallen in love with more than one impractical pair of vintage clip-on earrings, I came away with a Firkin (faux-Birkin) bag, which was victory enough for me!

I will cherish you as my firstborn child.

My mom faired even better than I did and came away with a matching Firkin (hers is red) and a gorgeous white and silver bangle to add to her already expansive "arm party"(credit to ManRepeller)

My mom, the hand model
Aside from the MAYJUH jewelry presence, the live entertainment is not to be forgotten. Not only do street performers usually sound better when you are in a market such as Portobello, but they are also 1. British, 2. exceedingly attractive, although those two points seem to go hand-in-hand, right?

pulling off the between-the-legs drum FLAWLESSLY
Now, I would take this time to analyze the different aspects that differentiate Camden Market and Portobello, but in all honesty, I am far too busy making an escape route in preparation for election results tonight.

MovingToLondon2012!