New Styles in Fashion
Everyone loves being in ‘the know’ on all things fashion, right? Read Style Bust’s fashion posts to find out what we see happening in the fashion industry from multiple viewpoints. We have ten guest bloggers dedicated to bringing our readers that latest fashion news from different parts of the globe!
Sporting Spring 2012 trends
12 years ago
Over the past several months I have been writing about Spring trends – trends that I can see myself or my friends actually wearing (like pastels and color blocking). But recently I have been drawn to this Spring’s “sporty chic” trend – a trend that seems to be a little over-the-top, but yet very minimal.
Victoria Beckham Spring 2012
Every year there is some sort of “sporty” trend hitting the runways, last year we were introduced to a tomboy look – slouchy sweatshirts, buckles and toggles, but this season it’s more about poised femininity, sleek and functional designs. Think sport elements mixed with tailoring, asymmetrical straps, and luxurious fabrics in sporty cuts (i.e. racerbacks).
Alexander Wang Spring 2012
Cythnia Rowley Spring 2012, Nicole Miller Spring 2012
Helmut Lang Spring 2012
Prabal Gurung Spring 2012
So, you may be wondering how you can actually make this trend work and not look like you just walked out of the gym.
Here are a few ways to work the “sporty” trend into your Spring wardrobe:
1. Look for tank tops with asymmetrical straps in thin, lightweight material. These are great for layering under a tailored blazer.
2. Look for jackets made of perforated leather or mesh. Pair with slim trousers or your favorite skinny denim.
3. Look for tops or dresses with thick elastic straps, exposed zippers and buckles. And pair with an edgy shoe (like a metallic-toe pump).
Sandra rocking the Sporty Chic trend – 5 Inch and Up
Spring 2012 trends meet the music
12 years ago
Let the festivities begin! I’m not talking about St. Patrick’s day here (sorry, to all of you Irish readers – although I hope you have a fun weekend). I’m talking about the music festival season – the time of year when Spring trends come out to play. It’s the time of year when every fashion website shows us what our favorite festival goers are wearing – i.e. Kate Bosworth and her Isabel Marant ankle boots and Alexa Chung wearing an army jacket. Laid-back trends that were spotted at music festivals, have made it to the big leagues!
Although music festivals have a style of their own – bohemian and southwest prints often come to mind, maybe (just maybe) this year we’ll see some of our favorite runway trends in the lineup (color blocking, bold florals, and pastels).
Check out some “Festival Friendly” shopping sites like; Madewell, Need Supply, Bona Drag and Pixie Market for some Spring fashion inspiration.
Keep your eyes peeled for some Spring trends at these upcoming festivals – SXSW in Austin, TX, Coachella in Indio, CA and Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN.
Found: Spring 2012 Trends in a City Near You
12 years ago
Having spent the last few months researching and writing about Spring 2012 fashion trends, I was starting to think that I was ready for Fall fashion (darker color palettes, layers, and coats). Until yesterday, I happened to come across a photo of the Painted Ladies (aka the Full House houses) in my beloved San Francisco and instantly was reminded of the Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 show – ladylike silhouettes and whimsical color palette.
Instead of pushing Spring 2012 trends out of my mind, I decided to embrace the season that hasn’t yet begun and look at my favorite trends from another angle – comparing them to some very inspirational places.
Pastel Colors
Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 & The Painted Ladies of San Francisco
Metallics
Giles Spring 2012 & The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain
Photographic Prints and Patterns
Mary Katrantzou Spring 2012 & The Keukenhof Tulip Gardens, Amsterdam
Pleats
Chloe Spring 2012 & Greek Architecture
Color Blocking
Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2012 & The Isla Mujeres, Mexico
*Photos via NY Fashion and Google Images
NYFW Fall 2012 recap
12 years ago
For my 100th StyleBust post, I thought it would be very fitting for me to share with you a few of my favorite things – from New York Fashion Week that is!
NYFW has come and gone, and I’ve had some time to take a look at what we can expect for Fall 2012.
Body-con sheaths, sexy draping, straight leg trousers, embellished pencil skirts, printed shoes, and some amazing jackets. From the deepest plum hues to the most shocking of colors – Fall 2012 is still, indeed the season where dark colors lead the pack, but pops of color will carry on much after summer.
Here are some standout pieces from the Fall ’12 runways:
Diane von Furstenberg
Preen
3.1 Philip Lim
Band of Outsiders
Rag & Bone
Rodarte
Fall 2012 Handbags
BCBG Max Azria, Rachely Roy, Marc Jacobs
Cynthia Rowley, Alexander Wang, Karen Walker
Fall 2012 Shoes
Diane von Furstenberg, Prabal Gurung, Rag & Bone
Thakoon, Jason Wu, Yigal Azrouel
Rodarte, Alexander Wang, Zac Posen
*All photos via New York Fashion
Get Ready For Las Vegas Fashion Week 2012
12 years ago
Las Vegas Fashion Week 2012 will be held May 14th-19th this year in the infamous “sin city”. Designers from all over the world will be showing off their latest fashions and some of the hottest models in the world will take part in the “International Fashion Runway Show.”
It’s been rumored that this year’s fashion show will focus on the best in fashion and will move away from the strictly “convention” feel that many shows tent wantd to have. For hipsters that enjoy fashion, this is one Vegas event that you truly don’ to miss. LV Fashion Week kicks off with the Rising Talent Show which features collections by Nevada fashion students. Other collections that are scheduled to appear include Summer 2012 RTW Collections and Fall 2012 Collections. The schedule of events has not been finalized yet, visit LV Fashion Week for the latest updates, including exclusive emails and invites prior to the shows.
To get an idea of what to expect, check out one of our must see designers in Kimberly Hendrix. Her pieces are described as “imperfectly unique” and designed to transition effortlessly from day to night and season to season. If you check out her Spring 2012 lookbook, you will noticed a mix and match of muted tones an designs that at times can be elegant, othertimes chic, others almost gothic, while maybe even a bit hippie.
This year’s exact event location has not been disclosed as of yet. Their website does state that the event “will be taking place in a European Structure or as the east coast calls it a huge tent!” This means that you will not be stuck in a casino with others who would rather play casino games rather than enjoy high fashion. Details will be disclosed at a later date through media channels and “exclusive LVFW invites.”
The event will start their casting call for models in February and if any of you are interested in volunteering your time for the event, volunteer interviews begin March 1st. Tickets will be available March 1st of this year and more details can be found at the Official Las Vegas Fashion Week website.
New season, wearable trends
12 years ago
Bold silhouettes, gorgeous fabrics and feminine prints, all in creamy pastels. Spring 2012 trends sure have us lusting after warm cheerful days, but also has us wondering how to translate these lady-like trends from runway to everyday.
Pastels
Valentino, Jill Stuart, Louis Vuitton
Wearing head-to-toe pastels can make you feel like you’re in elementary school. For a grown up version of this trend, pair a pale blouse with a vibrant trouser (of different pastel shades) – add a bold shoe to really make your pastels stand out!
Drop Waist
Chloe, Giambattista Valli, Julian Louie
Try a lightweight dress without a waistband to ease your way into this trend. And to avoid looking like you’re ready for a 20’s themed party – pair your drop waist dress with a leather jacket and ankle strap heels for a modern look.
Peplum
Giorgio Armani, Jason Wu, Alexander McQueen
The peplum silhouette is very strong and feminine and quite possibly a little Designing Women! For a chic and modern look – pair a peplum blazer with wax skinny denim.
Online Store Of The Month: UnitedStyles
12 years ago
Each month, we’re going to take a look at a different online retail business that stands out from the rest of the pack (we found this idea on The High Low, which features an Online Retailer each week). We’re kicking off this new feature with UnitedStyles.
Shanghai based UnitedStyles is an awesome site for entertaining your inner fashion designer dreams. UnitedStyles founders believe that you should be designing your own clothes online, and buying online for the custom experience, as outlined in this Techcrunch post by Alexa Tsotsis. The retailer provides an easy-to-use platform, enabling you to design clothing to purchase. Still in beta – the retailer so far offers four dress styles and one top. For each style, customers get to decide trim, sleeve length and necklines from the preset options. Once the silhouette is finalized, customers are given an assortment of colors and prints to choose from. Each print can be shrunk or expanded to be the perfect scale! The custom made clothes are priced from $50 to $100. Shipping is a flat $20 and can be delivered anywhere in the world. Sizing runs from XS to XL, based on measurements at global chains like H&M and Zara, so figuring out the correct size to order shouldn’t be hard.
The site is truly making the self-design process accessible, and easy enough for non-tech moms to use. The site’s design, outfits, and order process flow is very well done. Their dresses and tops are named for global cities (like “Copenhagen”, pictured above). 3D garment previews, which buyers can access at the end of the design process, load smoothly. If you want to send in your measurements to have a dress cut to order, you can do that, too, for an extra $30. And whether you choose pre-fab sizing or the made-to-measure option, if the garment doesn’t fit, it can be returned and re-made, for free.
UnitedStyles, and other sites like it could represent a great start to the end of wasteful clothing production, since the company creates one item for every item ordered, which means no excess inventory. Though that won’t make the flash sale sites happy, less leftover stock and more customized clothing are ultimately good things!
Styling the stars
12 years ago
I’m going to be honest, this year I’ve only seen one of the movies nominated for an Oscar – Moneyball (it happened to be the featured film on my flight from Chicago to SF). But in reality, I never really watch the Oscar’s because I deeply care who wins – I watch the Red Carpet pre-Oscar nonsense for the fashion!
After reading the list of women nominated for either leading roles or supporting roles, I decided to play Rachel Zoe for a day and try my hand at some Red Carpet styling.
Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Usually Rooney Mara is the edgy girl at the show – I thought she’d look gorgeous in something a little more elegant – something that showed off her slim frame. I’d complete her look with a cat eye and deep red lipstick.
Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn
With her blond pixie haircut and petite frame, I think Michelle Williams would look great in brightly colored gown with a deep v neck – channel her inner Marilyn Monroe a bit. I’d finish her look with a raspberry lip and some bold pearls.
Octavia Spencer – The Help
With her sexy curves, I’d dress Octavia Spencer in a lightweight fabric – something that moves when she walks. She looks especially good in neutral colors. I’d finish her look with minimal jewelry and a plum lip.
Jessica Chastain – The Help
With her fair skin tone and strawberry blond locks, I would dress Jessica Chastain in a jewel tone dress – something that makes her really stand out. I’d polish off the look by adding chandelier earrings and rosy cheeks.
Looking forward to watching the Oscar’s (February 26th) – and getting a look at what everyone is wearing (and to see how good I am at ‘virtual’ styling)!
*All images created by me, using Polyvore