A selective editorial on style
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!
NYFW Fall 2012 recap
01 day 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
06 days 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 weeks 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
03 weeks 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
03 weeks 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
Cutout Cravings
23 weeks ago
If you opt for more coverage, but still want a splash of sexiness and skin, I can assure you the cutout trend will satisfy your sartorial appetite. For Spring 2012, some of my favorites–T by Alexander Wang, Alexander Wang, and Rag & Bone–have opted for subtle yet sexy cutout designs. Sweaters, shirts, skirts, and dresses have been spiced up, with geometric openings and slits showcasing skin in a mildly edgy way. Take a peak at Alexander Wang’s Black Short with Cutout Detail, Black Dress with Cutout Detail and Black Fitted Slip Dress with Cutout Detail; Rag & Bone’s Sibella Dress; and T by Alexander Wang Cutout Gown and Silk Flutter-Sleeve Ruffle Top. I have come to truly appreciate this trend, as it allows the more conservative fashionista to bare it, with taste and class, of course. If you’re in search of understated sultriness, cutouts are the trend to follow.
A Wang Cutout Shorts
A Wang Cutout Leather Dress
A Wang Sweater with Cutout Details
T by Alexander Wang Cutout Gown
T by Alexander Wang Cutout Gown
T by Alexander Wang Blouse with Cutout Details
Rag & Bone Sibella Dress
Spring 2012 trends for every shape
01 month ago
Although most of us are just starting to see true signs of winter, fashion magazines have us thinking about what we’ll be wearing this Spring.
A few trends that are already making a statement for Spring 2012 are: romantic silhouettes, color blocking, tribal prints, leather and floral.
As we all know – women are not created equal. Some are blessed with sexy curves and some are equally blessed to have no curves. Whichever shape or size you are – I can guarantee that there is something in store for you this Spring.
Identifiers: Bust line and hip line measurements are equal, with a well defined waist
What to wear: V-neck tops or dresses, pencil skirts, wide leg trousers, waist length tops, peep toe heels. Wear a structured pencil skirt to really show off those curves – for Spring try mixing leather with your work-wear.
Identifiers: Bust line and hip line measurements are equal, with little or no definition to the waist
What to wear: Gathered waist tops or dresses, pleating, slim leg pants, strappy shoes. Wear dresses or tops in a chiffon material to add the illusion of curves. Try a fun tribal print wrap dress this Spring.
Identifiers: The width of your chest is proportionately narrower than your hips
What to wear: Flat front trousers, wrap dresses, belting at the waist, knee high boots. Wear jersey-like wrap dresses in large prints – especially in a floral print for Spring.
Identifiers: Unidentified waistline
What to wear: Flat front tailored skirts or pants, defined waistlines, slim fitting jackets, peep toe heels or wedges. Wear structured pieces in solid colors. For Spring try your hand at color blocking!
Custom Kajan Padraig Outfit Part IV
01 month ago
Towards the end of last year, I worked with Cake Carlos and Patrick Steber of SF based Kajan Padraig on a custom made outfit that would transition well from my causal daytime environment to a classy evening out on the town.
There were a total of four appointments I had with the designers for this custom outfit.
During the first appointment I shared my likes/dislikes about styles, colors, prints, etc. with Kajan Padraig to make sure we were on the same page. Then I tried on almost everything in their showroom that fit me, I love playing dress up! We decided that three of the looks worked best for me, with slight alterations (i.e. adding sleeves, shorts instead of a skirt , etc.).
At the second appointment we reviewed Cake’s sketches of the three outfits we liked best (shown below). Within minutes we all agreed on one look. Next, they took my measurements so that they could begin sewing. During the second appointment a non-refundable deposit of half the final cost is due.
I was able to try on samples of the custom outfit at the third appointment. They quickly decided what needed to be taken in, and let out. This appointment lasted 20 minutes, if even. Cake and Patrick are super efficient!
The fourth and final appointment is when I got to pickup my outfit. During this appointment you also pay the outstanding balance, which is half the outfits cost. Kajan Padraig is all about customer satisfaction, and ensuring the customer feels comfortable in the outfit. That said, I was asked to try my outfit on for them so that they knew I was 100% satisfied and to guarantee they didn’t want to make any additional alterations. As I expected, each piece fit perfectly!
Here are a couple of pictures with me and my new Kajan Padraig outfit. I know the lighting isn’t fantastic, but you can see the general look and feel of my outfit.
Bag I took my custom made outfit home in.
My bright new shorts and tank outfit folded next to one of my favorite CA based magazines.
Again, apologies about the color quality. We took these photos late last night.
