Boston Fashion Week 2012: Luke Aaron

 

     The Luke Aaron show was all about feminine shapes inspired by 50s silhouettes accompanied by pleats and draping influenced by Japanese origami. The construction of every piece was exquisite, using organza, chiffon, and satin in the most romantic dresses, bustiers, and skirts. Each sculpted top had as many intricate folds as a paper crane and every bow was crisp and perfect. The most stunning gown was towards the end of the show, however not the final look. A fitted, trumpet wedding gown with lace overlay and a delicate satin belt at the waist earned swooning from the audience. Aaron also introduced the Fleet Street Bag, in fake crocodile and basket-weave embossed leather, handmade in Massachusetts. The beauty look was simple and elegant with minimal makeup and sleek, low ponytails that were right on trend.

 



Boston Fashion Week 2012: Avni

 

 

     Last year's Avni show was stellar. It had a consistent vision and theme, beautiful dresses, and unique fabrics. However, this year's collection wasn't quite as impressive. Some pieces were well made and pretty, but they didn't have the same "wow" factor that I had anticipated. Given the title, "Mahari - The Priestess," the show was more conservative and focused on embellished basics like silk tanks and light tunics. The flutter sleeves reminded me of when I wore bell sleeves in fourth grade and the frumpy, silver, wedge sandals just didn't belong with any of the looks. I did enjoy the cotton ombre trousers and most of the dresses. Avni Trivedi's signature prints were used more sparingly than I had hoped, but I loved them just the same. The models wore gorgeous braids topped off with jeweled headpieces.

 

 

Boston Fashion Week 2012: g.Kim

 

 

     The first show I went to at BFW was g.Kim by Grace Kim. Her line focused on mod and classic separates that could be mixed and matched. There were feminine dresses, unique and structured jackets, and billowy pants that came off as relaxed and casual but still had polished details. An airy, open-back dress in pale pink was my favorite, while a lack-luster LBD oddly belted with rope was at the bottom of my list. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the Marilyn Monroe inspired wigs. They sort of took away from the general theme of the collection and distracted from some of the simpler pieces. Overall, the designs were well-made basics that could find a place in almost any woman's wardrobe.

 



 

Knit Headscarves Collection

     Forget hats and the hat hair that comes with them! This winter, I'm bundling up in DIY style! Over the summer I worked on three knit headscarves for the colder months. I pulled inspiration from headscarves all around the internet, from Urban Outfitters to Lookbook, to style blogs. I then found several different yarns I liked, matched each one to a specific style or stitch I wanted, and created the scarves sans instructions (if you've seen any of the sewing projects I've done you're probably familiar with my loathing of patterns). They were all really easy to make so I was able to mindlessly knit away while I watched movies or seasons of Sex in the City. 

Just a basic garter stitch and cinched in the middle.

I used two wool yarns together, working them into a ribbed patchwork

pattern, then twisted the piece in the center.

Cableknit in the center with a stockinette stitch on the sides.

The alpaca yarn makes this headscarf super soft!

 

Do the Twist



Twist Front Body Con Dress - Charlotte Russe - $14.99

 

     Midriff baring dresses have been my latest favorite in dress styles. Last month I bought a patterned one with a cut-out, crisscross middle, then right before I went back to school I made my latest DIY. I've had this sweatshirt/tunic thing in my closet for a long time, and back when I was a sophomore in high school I could wear it as a dress. Since then, I've gotten too tall to pull that off, so I decided to repurpose the garment in order to appropriately wear it as a dress again. With a bit of cutting, twisting, and knotting this is what I came up with...

 

 

 

 


 

Fall 2012 Obsessions

 

      It's officially fall, and while I'm in denial of the lowering temperatures, I am looking forward to sweaters, layering, scarves, and boots. By now, everyone is well aware of the main trends this fall, but I thought I'd focus on the pieces from the fall runways that I am completely obsessed with!  

 

 

A comfy, boxy sweater from Rochas.

Rag & Bone made brocade tough and edgy with leather.

Everything about Proenza Schouler's collection was amazing.

I love that this piece allows you to wear a skirt and a dress together.

My favorite! It's like beautiful origami in dress form!

These leather sleeves are just amazing!

Slit up the leg with a bit of lace at Paul & Joe.

This delicate Nina Ricci sweater is a must-have!

 

Okay...so these shoes! They are my absolute favorite pair of shoes from the fall runways! They're Kat Maconie for Felder Felder and the coolest shoes I've seen in a long time! Jessie J wore them to the Queen's Jubilee concert and I freaked out because she looked so stunning in them.

I like this idea of wearing a bodysuit under a dress or oversized sweater seen at Issa.

Burnt hair ribbon at Giles -- a romantic twist to a simple ponytail.

This Dries Van Noten parka looks both warm and versatile, but the fur collar is the best part!

I love cable knit, so this Derek Lam sweater is a fabulous, cable overload!

It's going to take me a while to get sick of ombre. Until then, these Collette Dinnigan pants are a unique approach to the trend.

A very different way to do a drop waistline at Chalayan, so cool!

Inspiration: Gidget Goes Hawaiian

Strapless Lace Dress - $88

 

     Whenever I watch old movies, of course it's the clothing I pay the most attention to. Singing in the Rain is my favorite musical and I wouldn't watch it over and over if the costumes weren't absolutely fabulous. Audrey Hepburn certainly didn't need a wardrobe to make her career a success, but it's what made every one of her major movies iconic.

 

      Recently, I watched a couple "Gidget" movies from the 1960s. After getting over the corny scripts and less than stellar acting, there's a certain enjoyment to take away from the whimsicality of these films. Set in a decade I love to pull inspiration from, there were plenty of retro fashions to make it worthwhile. My favorite dress was in Gidget Goes Hawaiian -- a red, strapless party dress worn by the snob Gidget befriends on vacation. The skirt of the dress is tiered lace and a prim little bow cinches the waistline.

 

      Only a few days after watching this movie I found a modern version of this dress on Victoria's Secret. No surprise that I was browsing their summer dresses, right? It's a perfect interpretation of the movie look and would be adorable for any summer party. However, at $88 I think I'll wait for it to go on sale! 

When Life Gives You Fabric...Make Clothes!

 

     At the beginning of summer, I transformed a frumpy 90's dress into a cute mini-dress (see the blog post here). I cut the hem so short that when I finished, I was left with enough fabric to make something else. I've never been one who can effortlessly think up great fashion designs, and if I ever get a design idea it comes on a whim, most of the time, right as I'm about to fall asleep. One night when my mind wasn't letting me sleep, I thought of a top to make out of the leftover fabric. Backless, feminine, and summery -- I wanted it to be something that would jazz up an ordinary pair of cutoffs. I also wanted it to be easy to make, so the main portion is just one piece of fabric, cut like the bottom half of a triangle. In the back, the two corners tie together, while the straps are set high to keep the main focus on the backless style. Sewing it all together took me a couple hours, the only problem I ran into being the fit in the bust. The neckline gaped open instead of lying flat against my chest, so I gathered it a bit in the middle. 

Adventures in Copyright

     My favorite fashion news outlet, Fashionista, has a regular post called "Adventures in Copyright" that showcases a designer's look that has been copied by someone else. These posts challenge the question of whether there should be copyright protection for fashion designs. Or maybe the fact that anyone can create what a designer made first is the way fashion revolves? I've created my own version of their posts to analyse these questions.

Tied Crochet Dress from Nasty Gal vs. Delicate Lace Top Body Con Dress from Charlotte Russe

     
      It's completely obvious that these two dresses are one in the same. Aside from a couple minor details, these dresses are mirror images, yet one is half the price. The Nasty Gal dress is $68, while the one from Charlotte Russe is $26.99. Lace overlay has been a big trend for a few years now, so the design for these dresses could have been taken from any designer. However, it looks very McQueen -inspired to me.

These looks from the Alexander McQueen Spring 2012 show have similar lace necklines.

      Earlier this year, I discovered Johanna Blakley's speech on TED about how the fashion industry actually benefits from this lack of protection. She has a philosophy that identifies with collaborative thinking; when people keep building off of an idea, there is more progress than someone keeping an idea to himself. The gross sales within industries without copyright protection such as fashion, automobiles, and food, are substantially higher than highly protected industries such as film, books, and music. This seems to prove that while little to no copyright protection may not help fashion designers in their own right, it's what keeps the industry flourishing. After all, designers are constantly taking ideas from the past to evolve their own work. The nature of fashion is to interpret one idea into another, so without copying ideas there wouldn't be innovation of new ones.

     

Go for the Gold!

     With over a week of the Olympics in London gone by, there have been a number of moving, disappointing, and exciting moments to remember. My absolute favorite was when Aly Raisman finished the last floor routine of the team finals, on the verge of tears with her final pose, and solidified the US Women's Gymnastics Team with the gold. And you can't forget what put the team so far ahead from the beginning -- McKayla Maroney's jaw-droppingly perfect vault only ten minutes into the competition. The judges themselves couldn't believe her form, and were crazy for not giving her a perfect score. Ryan Lochte has been the most talked about rising US athlete, not just for his skill, but because every woman in America tunes in to see his impeccable abs and dreamy eyes. He started the games off strong with his first gold medal, only to fall short in the 4x100m relay. It's okay though, he doesn't need to win every race to win the title of Most Attractive US Athlete. The volleyball and beach volleyball matches have been gripping, with the women's team winning every match so far, the men's team with only one loss since its gold in Bejing, defending gold medalists Rogers and Dalhausser recently eliminated by Italy, and the Walsh and May-Treanor powerhouse still running strong as undefeated, two-time champs.

My 2012 London Olympics nail art inspired by boardshorts worn by Rogers and Daulhausser.

Showing my team spirit in USA snapback by Zephyr.

The visor detail also inspired my nail art design.

The best part of the opening ceremony - each brass leaf rising up to create the torch.

Todd Rogers and Phil Daulhausser attempting a second gold.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh celebrate a victory.

It's a known fact - no one can resist those dimples and smoldering eyes!

If her routines didn't win her the All Around gold, her megawatt smile sure did!

Can we all just appreciate Maroney's perfect vault one more time?

Sam Mikulak - a definite runner-up for Most Attractive US Athlete!