Matchy Matchy

In the mad rush to get ready for my god-awfully early class (10:30a.m...) I have to be honest, I was just looking to clothe myself with some sense of style with the least amount of effort.

It wasn't until I left the building, that I looked down, to be honest, to do a zipper fly check, and realized that my peach and gold flats matched my peach pants and gold belt exactly. 

I was immediately appalled, then intrigued by the matched qualities, then appalled again. 

I can't decide if I love or hate this, I'm so conflicted.

Top-H&M, Necklace-Street Vendor, Pants-Vidalgo, Belt-Gap, Flats-Primark

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.

Holy Stripes, Batman!

Here I am, living vicariously through those who were lucky enough to attend NYFW and see the Marc Jacobs show. Although watching it in entirety on my computer will probably give me a better view than I could ever hope to get if I ever have the good fortune to attend the show, it's not the same.
Even though I was simply viewing from a computer screen in my minuscule dorm room in London, I was not blind to the heavy influence of stripes.
While many times, the use of stripes can evoke either a preppy or nautical undertone, if the stripes are thin and somewhat seersucker-like, or the more typical, of prison garb worn by the stereotypical criminal in pretty much any movie concerning jail, ever. This, however, simply made me intrigued by how I could finagle more stripes into my wardrobe.

source

 Instead of the traditional final walk of all the models single file, Jacobs had them come out in a herd to stand in a somewhat triangular position before coming out finally for a solo bow.

source

Even the accents on the accessories, stripes made an appearance.

source

Jacobs also, along with many other designers during NYFW did not feel the need to clothe their models from the waist down, but that is another story all together.

<a href="http://www.hypersmash.com">Hypersmash.com</a>

British-Indian Summer Pt. 2

I'm baaaaack! I never leave a Part 1 hanging.
So in my last post, I was struggling with how to turn my summer wardrobe into fall-appropriate outfits. I have accumulated some tips for those of you, like me, who are craving fall, but the weather is far too warm to allow you to do so.

1. Scarves
Recently whilst shopping, my friend Amelia came across display of many beautiful scarves and simply exclaimed that she had caught a case of "scarvy". Scarvy, as she explained is a disease where one constantly and consistently craves scarves of varying colors, weights, textures, etc.
This disease is sweeping the nation, people. I am a chronic sufferer, and frankly, I don't see myself searching for a cure anytime soon.
My little abroad collection:

(L to R) H&M Pucci Marshall's Francesca's Thrifted H&M

Obviously when adhering to the strict, and ludicrous airline baggage weight limits, I had to tone my scarf collection down considerably. I have since, bought another scarf and, if I'm being honest with myself, I know it won't be the last I purchase here.

2. Lightweight fabrics
Everyone has a collection of lightweight summer shirts that seem to be on a constant rotation during the summer months. If you are not ready to let go of these, but still are craving a bit of fall, try layering a few of the pieces, or simply juxtaposing them with heavier-weight things.

3. Colored Denim

Bag: Celine, Booties: WallisFashion,
Scarf: Alexander Mcqueen; Jeans: Zanado
Top: Unknown

I recently wrote an article for my CollegeFashionista Style Guru internship about the transition of colored denim from summer to fall. I have determined this trend is going to last, at minimum, another few seasons, if not longer. The way to transition seamlessly into the colder months is to simply wear less vibrant colored pants, and begin to build your autumnal colored collection! This means dark orange, deep reds, mustards, deep purples, and my favorite, emerald greens.

4. Ankle Booties
They are my new thing. It is decided. I like these as transitional pieces because they aren't just flats, yet they aren't quite boots. And they make any outfit look ten times more awesome. This season, it seems that the flat ankle bootie is in, rather than the heeled. This is something I am adjusting to, being 5'1, I am still partial to the heeled version, but I never knock anything before I try it!

Aaaand thanks to the magic of Polyvore, I have incduded an outfit where you can use all of these ideas (plus a little celine bag in there, just for good measure) Woohoooo

British-Indian Summer Pt. 1

It's September 9th here in the U.K., and when packing to come here for the fall months, I was certain that by this point I would wearing my comfy sweaters, leather boots, and autumnal themed colored denim, or at the very least, some wellies!

But am I?
No.
Why?

Because for 98% of the last 2 weeks I have been here, the temperatures have been exceeding 75 degrees. Every day. Don't get me wrong, I am soaking up every moment of these fleeting views of that shining thing in the sky, but this girl did not pack for this kind of weather! I am adapting what I did bring as best I can into weather-appropriate and still cute without repeating the same 2 pairs of shorts I brought here.

Today we went to Stonehenge and Bath, and although it was only around 70 where we were, compared to 82 in London, it was still pretty darn warm!

Skinnies-asos Tank-Vintage Necklace-francesca's Sandals-Gap Sunglasses-RayBan

I chose my red skinnies, a giraffe-printed tank, and a nice mint and gold draped necklace. I am counting my shoes out of this ensemble, because they are so horribly disfigured, as walking approximately 5000 miles a day in cute shoes for the last 2 weeks does to a person's feet. So forgive me that I succumbed to my black leather flip flops.
I think this was a good transitional outfit from summer into fall, and obviously the best I could do with my current closet.

If you paid any attention to the title, you may realize that this, my friends is only part 1 to the story. I didn't want to overwhelm with the amount I have to say, so stay tuned!

London’s Calling!

source

I will be spending the next few months in London, and obviously, the first thing on my mind (other than staging an impromptu rendezvous with Prince Harry) is the fashion, and how I will adapt my wardrobe to fit in with the Londoners.

Having arrived a little short of two weeks ago, I have already noticed some main points of interest among the Londoners and their sense of style, which, by the way, is continuously impeccable.

First off, there are an amazing amount of women who don their tights on a daily basis. Although tights are popular in their own right in the U.S. I have never witnessed so many women wearing tights in so many different ways. It seems that the outfit of choice becomes complete when the addition of tights is made. Shorts, skirts, dresses, and even oversize sweaters are all tights-appropriate outfits.

Source

Next, I have become obsessed with tweed jackets and their underrated versatility. Before my arrival to the U.K., I always imagined tweed jackets as a piece made timeless by Coco Chanel, and something I planned to adopt into my wardrobe when I was older, wiser, and with a paying job to help me afford a Chanel jacket.

Chanel, via dailymail

But boy has my mind been changed!

Women in London rock their tweed not only to the office, but I have observed many using it to lighten up a rather tough ensemble. The most jarring of which was a women I saw whose outfit was almost entirely some form of leather, but with a light pink tweed jacket on top. I was stunned to see not only a juxtaposition of lighthearted girly-ness of the jacket with the toughness of the leather, but also the vast difference in the weights of both fabrics. It seemed effortless and made me crave a jacket of my own (which I am now on the hunt for, stay tuned!)

 Of course I have observed much more than this due to my love of people-watching, but I will not bore you with those details because this post is already longer than I intended, but I will be posting a bunch more about London because I just can’t get enough!

Cheers!

To BB or Not to BB

I am a big fan of things that can cover many bases. For example, middle school me was loving the Marc Jacobs Daisy ring with hidden perfume under the gaudy surface. Part perfume, part obnoxious cocktail ring! Win-win. Not that I could ever rock them, but those Reef flip flops with the bottle opener in the bottom? Brilliant.

as gaudy as a New Jersey housewife...dark times in middle school

That's when I discovered tinted moisturizers and "BB" creams, I was immediately excited. I still am iffy on the logistical differences between the two, but in my opinion, it's irrelevant. I have tested enough to know which to continue using, and which to toss!

via

I started by using the Aveeno tinted moisturizer about 6 months ago, and I think I would give it a 7.5/10. The lotion itself tended to clump in the pump (unintentional but awesome rhyme), and I felt that the moderate coverage it provided tended to wilt away within a few hours of application. However, the product did not, in any way, clog my pores or make me feel like my skin was suffocating. I actually felt like my skin quality improved while using this brand, regardless of its non-BB label.

via

Next, I tried the Garnier Fructics BB creme, and used this for approximately 4 months. It's score would probably be in the 7/10 range. The coverage was awesome, and you honestly would not need anything but maybe powder in terms of foundation on a daily basis. However, I found that my skin, which has always been somewhat dry, has never been more oily. I actually used those blotting papers that Sephora tricks you into buying in the lane before the register! I also found that initially, my skin began improving and evening out in tone and texture, yet after a while, I began to break out in small patches that are probably just clogged pores. Not good.

via

The next BB I tried was the CoverGirl BB creme. On this made-up scale I have created, I would rate it a 5/10. It's light, and did not clog my pores or make me very oily. However, it did not provide much coverage at all, and made my skin look somewhat grey and dull. Also, this is not quite a deal-breaker, but I just did not like the way the lotion felt in my hand before I put it on. It felt like a grainy cream and I was initially hesitant to put it on my face at all.

via

Finally, I have recently tried the Arbonne tinted moisturizer, and this would be, by far, the worst in my opinion. The make-up itself gives somewhat good coverage.........aaaand yep that's the only good thing I can say about it! The cream is heavy, and feels like stage makeup, even though it is simply a tinted moisturizer! The lotion makes me very oily and clogs my pores indefinitely. It also is difficult to actually spread on my face, as it is so heavy it seems to snag on my skin. No no no.

So, moral of the story is I haven't found a BB cream/tinted moisturizer that I absolutely love yet, and yet being the operative word! I have high hopes for the L'Oreal brand, and I will be trying it soon!