v&a

Yesterday, I had no classes. When this would occur at school in Boston, my day off would consist of lounging around, maybe a little gym action (probably not), and laundry (even less likely).

But here in London, it physically sickens me to spend a whole day at least not exploring the city a little! Its the most amazing place I have ever been, and I'm already trying to finagle a way so I can move back as soon as humanly possible.

But I digress.

Yesterday I took a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum, we left after about two hours, but I swear to you I could have spent my whole day there! While moseying around the different exhibits, we came across an East Asian history wing. There, I saw necklaces and bangles that could be sold in any store today and sell out instantly.

From that point on, I decided to play a game; how many current fashion trends can I spot in this museum?

The rules are simple; simply go into exhibits with an open mind, rather than a mind that is simply on the time period or location of that exhibit. And that's just what I did!

This is one of the necklaces in the East Asian room, its from the 15th century, but I believe that the collar necklace trend is of the 21st century.

We then moved into the fashion exhibits. It was essentially a worldly view on fashion through the ages, beginning with the late 19th, early 20th century. It was in this exhibit that it was plain to see how fashion is recycled, reused, and is on a continuous loop.

The collar trend continued to appear, this time in lace.

And this would be approximately THE worst picture, but it happens to be the only image I captured to illustrate the blazer that I would most definitely buy today, but happens to be from the 1860's.

Gettin' Blazed

Of the many trends I cannot wait to whip out upon the arrival of spring, blazers are one of them that I just don't think I can do without.
Although not a very "new" concept, the adaptation of women's everyday blazers into mass production was a decision I fully support. The years of me sneaking away into my brothers' closets and finding their old prep school blazers are long gone.

The variety of both colors, textures, fabrics, lengths, and styles of blazers for this upcoming season make it possible to don a blazer for essentially every occasion. In an instant, a plain white t-shirt and jeans can be made stylish and put together with the addition of an ombré blazer (like the one shown above in upper left corner). 

There will be an upcoming post about the general trends seen for spring, and how excited I am for each, but I thought a separate post was necessary for blazers due to the fact that most of those trends have been adapted into the blazer world. For example, it seemed no designer could get enough of the "peplum", and it has since been added to blazers as well! Pastels were everywhere on runways, and now it looks as though Easter mass blazers are now considered everyday wear.

In any event, blazers are timeless pieces that instantly class up any outfit, and should not be used sparingly this coming spring. Blaze up people!!

Layering

Not that I'm complaining....BUT this New England weather is seriously messing with my wardrobe choices! For example, this past Saturday I opted for a long-sleeve dress under a legitimate parka to a formal due to the 11 hours of straight snow status. Using this mindset, when getting ready for class today, I chose red jeans, heavy wool socks, leather boots, undershirts (plural) under a long sleeve chiffon shirt, all covered by my anorak jacket and thick circle scarf. HOWEVER, mother nature must have been having a hot flash because within moments of stepping outside, both the anorak and circle scarf were immediately  unnecessary, and the thick socks became a regret.
How is a girl supposed to deal with the schizophrenic "winter" we're having up here? I have devised a fool-proof guide to layering in a changing climate. (Thanks polyvore!)
1. The key is to choose light layers. Heavy layers not only add unnecessary bulk, they also don't give room for average temperature days, they leave room for either snow or the beach.

Made at polyvore.com by me

Here, I layered with extremely light fabrics, easy to remove and shove into your bag if need be. Starting with a light cotton tank, pair with a chiffon printed blouse, and finally with a draped cotton-blend blazer. I like to somewhat match my scarf to my top so there is a light brown scarf that could be warn close to the face (as pictured) or more draped if unwound. On the bottom, I chose leggings and some heavy-duty boots. This could obviously be paired with a heavier jacket for those really cold days, but on days like today you could get away with pretty much just what is pictured.

2. Tights! One great tip is to use tights, especially printed ones! 

Made at polyvore.com by me

Tights are typically pretty thin and airy, and can make you look covered in days when showing bare legs is not appropriate, yet don't suffocate you like jeans. Worn under skirts, dresses, or heavier-fabric shorts, tights are a great opportunity to not only showcase those gams, but also some personality with the print. 

3. Cardigans

Not the 90's band........

                   These!!

Made at polyvore.com by me

Cardigans are something that are instrumental in nice layering. They can be in a variety of fabrics, and easily layered with others. The ones above vary from heavy (wool, bottom left) to very light (cotton, upper right). Cardigans also look so cute when belted, so if you have a ton of layers on under the cardigan, throw on a skinny belt over the outer layer so you don't lose your waist!

Let's hope these tips come in handy over the next few weeks, and we keep lucking out on the snow status! (If I jinxed us...my bad)