Outfits Not Just Clothes

Say what you will about Kanye West the man certainly as a "vision" when it comes to his music and artistic ventures. The latest  of such being a designer collab with Adidas that debuted at NYC Fashion Week. all above images via Style.com This plays right into the Athleisure trend, of which I'm a fan. However, the lack of proper pants is troubling. These are basically full-body pantyhose, which don't really feel much like fashion, but more so costumes for a revival of A Chorus Line with a post-apocalyptic bent, which I would totally go see! That sounds like an awesome idea for that musical, right? But in all seriousness I don't see a big explosion of pantyhose-as-pants with sweatshirt tucked into them happening anytime soon. And this partnership was never about the dancer-wear clothes, or even the supposed inspiration of the London Riots last year, it's about the sneaker.   Runway Detail Pic This Adidas Yeezy sneaker is retailing f...

New York's fashion week begins today!!! Actually some collections were shown yesterday to get a jump on the chaos.  My predictions for Fall '14 Androgyny, Bright Blue, & Oversized Proportions... Organic by John Patrick Rachel Comey Rachel Ray Tia Cibani images via Style.com Of course, there will be lots more collections shown, trends identified, fades fused, and general eleganza occurring. Check back next week for some insights.. or not, I may just outfit like a fiend over the weekend.  

I made mention of a few looks/designers that I found Fashion Week in New York  here .  During my collection browsing I came upon a new, never-before-known-to-me designer-- Kaelen from Kaelen Haworth, owning and running her own label out of NYC. The technique of cutouts in this heavier fabric is so rugged-chic, which equals cool in my book.  Graphic Blouse and Skinny Trousers, yes please! The neckline of this dress caught my eye.   First off, LOVE the color palette of black and white with pops of mint. Something to keep in mind next spring. FYI: I think we'll see a lot of black n' white next year.   Having a bit of mint green up(or on) my sleeve will really make a b&w outfit pop.  Second, she showed a lot of cropped trousers and mixed patterns, which I am addicted to. The collection as a whole felt very fresh and straight-forward, with some standout design elements. Happy F...

Fashion week has started in New York and while the rest of us are slowly easing into Autumn the fashion world is looking towards Spring.  Truth be told, I'm much more a fan of the Fall Ready-to-Wear season then Spring, but even though I'm looking forward to sweaters, blazers, boots, and tweed a few spring outfitting ideas have caught my eye. Two Looks from Organic by John Patrick I can definitely rock a version of this right now. Shorts with a button down and cardie--a perfect  transitional season outfit! I'm responding to the chic ease of this look.  And, of course if there's dishabille menswear to be worn I'm all for it.    Two Looks from Whit Whit is not a label I'm familiar with, sort of stumbled upon. The concept hear of mixing a bright print with black n' white stripes, or zebra print could be a winner next spring. Or, black n' white printed pieces with a standout jewel-tone top/blouse could be a more realistic take...

It should come as no surprise that I wear a lot of Jcrew .  Just about every cropped trouser I own hails from the crew(see we're even on a nickname basis, she calls me Big Red and yes I've engendered a clothing retailer and have a make-believe relationship with her). Here's a recent pick of me head to ankles crew: I say ankles because the shoes are Zara , but ever other piece is crew and rarely do a few days in a row go by that I'm not wearing some sort of Jcrew paraphernalia.   Why am I such a brand loyalist?  Well, the clothing is well made, fits me well, and is versatile enough to fit into the various style aesthetics I'm drawn to.   Sure, Jcrew can be pricey, but their sales and Jcrew Factory store fit within my budget.  So as you can imagine when the crew had a collection at fashion week you know I definitely checked it out and made notes for what I hope to purchase later in the year.  Here are my three favorite looks:  all...

hat-Mikkat Market(similar here ), vest-Zara(similar here ), dress/necklace/bracelet- Le Tote , ring- Jewel Mint , boots-DSW(similar here ) Yes, if I was able to attend Fashion Week this outfit would be a definite contender.  But, alas I can only view the collections online(which is pretty awesome/reviews coming soon). Le Tote played a big role in this look, you may recall my signing up for it here . So far, I've received several totes and so far it's been a toss up, some pieces work some don't, but I really enjoyed this sweater dress. It was great for a chilly Saturday afternoon.  Oh, Happy President's day!

This weekend I have some shopping plans which include doing some major damage on the Target/Prabal Gurung collab !  Here is a few looks that I'm hoping to snag.  I love the graphic floral and bold color in this look.  I'm thinking this would be great with leather leggings and the shoes are killah!  A bright button-up and floral short? Yes, please! Love these! all images via Target So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my local Target has a few of these items.  But if not, I can hopefully get an idea of my size for this collection and grab up my faves online. I think I need to have those shoes above.   I'm also going thrifting Saturday morning and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for great finds at amazing prices. You may recall my last awesome thrifting score here .   Oh and IT'S FASHION WEEK!!! I plan on trolling around on Style.com to check out the collections and hope to have some reviews up for you nex...

As NY Fashion Week progresses like a runaway boulder down a steep hill I've continued to peruse the collections online and wanted to share some thoughts. Extreme Layering: Miguel Adrover put everything including a life-saver in his collection.  This is his first show in almost a decade and I'm wondering if he was just a bit too enthusiastic.  However, I've been seeing some intense layering in other collections as well. Rag & Bone Now, while I am intrigued by the idea of a skirt over skirt as seen at TSE , I don't think I can get on board with pants over skirt.  It veers toward clunky as opposed to warm elegance.  Jcrew also showed this past week and averaged at least three layers with many of the looks.  Layers upon layers may seem like a new idea, but Marc Jacobs did it back in 2006: I think multiple layers comes around every time people start feeling a bit uncertain, (like in election years) and the need to wrap up and feel safe, whic...