Because you haven't taken enough quizzes in your lifetime, here's another one! What's your Spring 2013 style?
(All images provided via here and here)
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Monday, October 29, 2012
Frugal Fashion: A Collection of Common Sense Tips
There's nothing more amusing than watching Extreme Cheapskates and seeing the people on the show go on and on about saving money while wearing stretched-out shirts and shorts bought in the '90s. Sure, clothes are often viewed as an unnecessary expense by many, not just cheapskates, but one can live frugally without looking sloppy. Short of learning how to sew, here are a few common sense ways to save money fashionably:
1. Don't spend extra money copying the styles you see in magazines and online. Buy mixable and matchable items, instead.
2. Purchase clothing from wholesale sites like Overstock.com and one of a kind accessories from Etsy.
3. Hand-wash tights, slips, and other delicate things you want to keep for a long time. Let most clothes air dry to prevent shrinkage and wear and tear.
4. Shop at stores that sell cheap, trendy wear, like H&M, Forever 21, and Burlington Coat Factory.
5. Buy wardrobe staples and sensible shoes off-season. The end of July is often the end of the retail fiscal year.
6. Spend big bucks only when necessary, like on authentic jewelry, cosmetics, and durable shoes that will last for years (e.g., Doc Martens and Birkenstocks).
7. Do your hair at home more often and wear protective styles in between salon visits. Go in for important services like color and cuts, but learn to straighten and curl your hair yourself.
8. Make a book of coupons!
9. Take advantage of the good sales you see. If the store is offering 50% off and above, for example, buy more than one thing. Don't forget to calculate taxes.
10. Try storing some of your older fragrances in the refrigerator to prevent evaporation and loss of pungency.
11. Read around the internet for more tips. Learn to stretch your wardrobe.
12. Shop at outlets. I recently purchased a blazer, two pairs of pants, a sweater, and a sequined top for just 80 dollars from a Talbots outlet. A true steal!
1. Don't spend extra money copying the styles you see in magazines and online. Buy mixable and matchable items, instead.
2. Purchase clothing from wholesale sites like Overstock.com and one of a kind accessories from Etsy.
3. Hand-wash tights, slips, and other delicate things you want to keep for a long time. Let most clothes air dry to prevent shrinkage and wear and tear.
4. Shop at stores that sell cheap, trendy wear, like H&M, Forever 21, and Burlington Coat Factory.
5. Buy wardrobe staples and sensible shoes off-season. The end of July is often the end of the retail fiscal year.
6. Spend big bucks only when necessary, like on authentic jewelry, cosmetics, and durable shoes that will last for years (e.g., Doc Martens and Birkenstocks).
7. Do your hair at home more often and wear protective styles in between salon visits. Go in for important services like color and cuts, but learn to straighten and curl your hair yourself.
8. Make a book of coupons!
9. Take advantage of the good sales you see. If the store is offering 50% off and above, for example, buy more than one thing. Don't forget to calculate taxes.
10. Try storing some of your older fragrances in the refrigerator to prevent evaporation and loss of pungency.
11. Read around the internet for more tips. Learn to stretch your wardrobe.
12. Shop at outlets. I recently purchased a blazer, two pairs of pants, a sweater, and a sequined top for just 80 dollars from a Talbots outlet. A true steal!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
The Top 10 Most Stylish Black Videos
This video embodies all that was great about late '90s fashion--baggy outerwear paired with tight tops and as many ponytails as you could fit on the top of your head without looking ridiculous.
cc pacifier necklaces:
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| Blaque |
It's Martin meets Love is a Drug meets Boyz-- a bright, crayola box of a video styled with clothes your mother would never let you out of the house wearing. And it's flawless.
3. Runaway - (2010)
We've arrived in Kanye-heaven folks which, for some reason, is full of ballerinas and enough white linen to set a Thanksgiving table. Mr. West looks divine here, in a tan suit jacket and black bow-tie dressed down with denim jeans. There isn't a bad looking person in sight.
4. I've Seen that Face Before - (1981)
It's Grace Jones. Enough said.
5. How Many Ways? - (1992)
Here is Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnet set to an R&B groove. Toni Braxton looks adorable with her pixie cut tucked under an assortment of baseball caps. Also, check out Shemar Moore. He's ripped. How many ways can this video look great?
6. On to the Next One - (2009)
Nobody wears a jacket quite like Jay-Z. The quilted one here, paired with leather gloves and his signature sunglasses, nearly drips swagoo. Yeah, I said it.
7. Tightrope - (2010)
In 'Tightrope,' Janelle Monae's suit is tailored within an inch of its life and her hair, deliciously pompadoured. Watching this video always makes me want to shout out a whole bunch of adjectives. Her style is just so wonderfully James Brown/Marlene Dietrich-esque.
8. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) - (2008)
9. Make it Happen - (1991)
Mariah Carey shows us how jeans should be worn -- tight and belted (and preferably on-stage).
10. Real Love - (1992)
Fact: If you did not dress like Mary J. Blige in the '90s, you were not cool. And if you can't appreciate the baseball cap/nose ring combo here, you may not be cool today either, tbh. ;-)
Tell me your top video in the comments.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Humoresque - 1946
She walks across the beach in shoulder-padded elegance....
Set in the 1940s, Humoresque explores the unbalanced relationship between a young musician and his wealthy patroness. It has all the staples of a good, dramatic film: Dvorak, tears, and lots of scotch. Oh yes, and sequins.
I'm not usually big on re-makes, but I think Hollywood should update this film, complete with a score from Janelle Monae, John Williams, or Esperanza Spalding. (I get 90 percent of the profit for this idea, fyi).
Seriously though, stylish character studies like this one are hard to come by these days. Happy watching!
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| Humoresque, 1946 |
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| Humoresque, 2012 |
I'm not usually big on re-makes, but I think Hollywood should update this film, complete with a score from Janelle Monae, John Williams, or Esperanza Spalding. (I get 90 percent of the profit for this idea, fyi).
Seriously though, stylish character studies like this one are hard to come by these days. Happy watching!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Tights
Now is the perfect time to stock up on tights, before the cool of the fall sets in.
FYI: I'm slipping into my tights like Cyd Charisse from here on out.
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| Evan Rachel Wood |
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| Zooey Deschanel |
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| Gwen Stefani |
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| Nicki Minaj |
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| Taylor Momsen |
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| Oscar De La Renta Fall 2012 |
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Fashion as Narrative (Pt.1)
Stories are important, just look at your Facebook timeline. When filled out completely it tells a history of your adult life, a constructed public face you want others to see.
Whenever I friend someone new, for example, I find myself clicking through his/her earliest albums and wall posts in order to try to determine who he/she has been over time. (Then I say to myself, "She really did drink Pabst before it was cool." ಠ_ಠ)
Like a web page, fashion is another aspect of ourselves that we assemble for the pleasure of others. Our clothes and closets are a series of narratives that offer glimpses into the choices we've made and what we have liked over time; these narratives are not always linear, headed toward some perfect sartorial endpoint, but circular. The things we wear go out of style and come back in, sometimes more refined, or in other cases, identical to what was popular before.
And just think: In a few years, you're likely to look down and discover you're wearing a schizophrenic outfit--maybe a thrifted paisley top from the '70s, a metal bracelet made just after 9/11, and the latest platforms from Nordstrom. Our modern outfits tell many stories, blending decades and art movements--produced in places all over the world. Everything we wear is a piece of time and history.
Popular fashion designers and celebrities love to capitalize on the power of the narratives through tabloid and Twitpic photos, interviews and editorial spreads. Little styling details like bright pink hair, braces, or a signature style help celebrities tell master narratives that they want the public to believe, projecting an identity without words at all.
It's the reason I spend so much time on Tumblr looking at photos of celebrities like Solange, who entrances me just by changing the narrative of her hair.
Whenever I friend someone new, for example, I find myself clicking through his/her earliest albums and wall posts in order to try to determine who he/she has been over time. (Then I say to myself, "She really did drink Pabst before it was cool." ಠ_ಠ)
Like a web page, fashion is another aspect of ourselves that we assemble for the pleasure of others. Our clothes and closets are a series of narratives that offer glimpses into the choices we've made and what we have liked over time; these narratives are not always linear, headed toward some perfect sartorial endpoint, but circular. The things we wear go out of style and come back in, sometimes more refined, or in other cases, identical to what was popular before.
And just think: In a few years, you're likely to look down and discover you're wearing a schizophrenic outfit--maybe a thrifted paisley top from the '70s, a metal bracelet made just after 9/11, and the latest platforms from Nordstrom. Our modern outfits tell many stories, blending decades and art movements--produced in places all over the world. Everything we wear is a piece of time and history.
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| My bracelet of rubies, bought when I was working 3 jobs at once |
It's the reason I spend so much time on Tumblr looking at photos of celebrities like Solange, who entrances me just by changing the narrative of her hair.
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Sometimes, I scroll through old photos of myself and wonder what story awaits its end for me? That is to say: what will I wear in the future and will I need to stock up on shoulder-padded power suits like I so desperately want to? (Also, will I ever be as cool as Solange?)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
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